FERNANDO DE SALES, Ph.D.

Atmospheric Scientist

1255 Bunche Hall
 Los Angeles, CA 90095
E-mail: fsales@ucla.edu
Office: (310) 825-6628
Curriculum Vitae

 

CURRENT POSITION

Research Associate

Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences Department

Institute for Social Science Research
 University of California, Los Angeles

 

RESEARCH

The impact of dynamic downscaling methods on the predictability of regional climate.
The role of vegetation biophysical processes on the monsoon development.

Climate dynamics / climate modeling.

 

Research numerical models

General circulation: NCEP MRF and UCLA AGCM

Regional circulation: NCEP ETA, NCAR WRF (ARW and NMM cores)

Land surface: SSIB

 

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Postdoctoral Scholar (UCLA 2006-2008)

Develop and implement methods to measure the impact of dynamic downscaling on seasonal precipitation forecasts over South America using the NCEP ETA and MRF models.
Investigate the interactions between vegetation biophysical processes and climate over West Africa as part of the West African Monsoon Modeling and Evaluation (WAMME) program.

Assess the global and temporal characteristics of seasonal climate/vegetation biophysical process interactions.


 EDUCATION

University of California, Los Angeles
Ph.D. Geography (2006)

Title: Examining the impacts of the dynamic downscaling method and the vegetation biophysical processes on the South American regional climate simulation.

University of Sao Paulo
M.Sc. Atmospheric Sciences (2000)

Title: Observational aspects and numerical simulation of a long-lived symmetric squall Line in southeastern Brazil.

B.Sc.  Atmospheric Sciences (1998)

 

PUBLICATIONS

De Sales, F, 2000: Estudo de uma linha de instabilidade simetrica de long duracao no sudeste do Brazil. Master's Thesis. IAG-USP. Sao Paulo. Brazil.

 

De Sales, F. and A. Pereira Filho, 2005: Study of a Long-Lived Symmetric Squall Line in Southeast Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Meteorology. 20(3), 421-436.

 

Xue, Y., W.-P. Li, F. De Sales, C. R. Mechoso, H.-M. H. Juang, C. Nobre, 2004: Land surface processes and monsoon. Proceedings CD-ROM of the 6th International Study Conference of GEWEX in Asia and GAME, December 3-5, 2004, Kyoto Japan, GAME CD-ROM Publication, N.11, T1YX30Jul04034458.

 

Xue, Y, F. De Sales, W. P. Li, C. R. Mechoso, C. A. Nobre, H.-M. Juang, 2006: Role of land surface processes in South American monsoon development, J. Climate, 19, 741–762.


De Sales, F., and Y. Xue, 2006: Investigation of seasonal prediction of the South American regional climate using the nested model system, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D20107, doi:10.1029/2005JD006989.

 

De Sales, F, 2006: Examining the impacts of dynamic downscaling method and  vegetation biophysical processes on the South American regional climate simulation. Doctoral Dissertation. UCLA. Los Angeles

Xue, Y., K-M Lau, K. Cook, D. Rowell, A. Boone, A. Konare, L. Druyan, J. Feng, F. De Sales, et al., 2008: The
West African Monsoon Modeling and Evaluation project (WAMME) and its First Model Intercomparison
Experiment. Submitted to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
Kim, J., D. Waliser, Y. Xue, Y. Chao, A. Eldering, R. Fovell, A. Hall, Q. Li, K. N. Liou, J. McWilliams, S.
Kapnick, R. Vasic, F. De Sales, and Y. Yu, 2008: Simulating the Sierra Nevada snowpack: The impact of
snow albedo and multi-layer snow physics. Submitted to Californian Environmental Change Report.
Xue, Y., F. De Sales, et al., 2009: Global and temporal characteristics of seasonal climate/vegetation biophysical
process (VBP) interactions.  Accepted by Journal of Climate.
De Sales, F., and Y. Xue, 2009: Assessing the dynamic downscaling ability for the South American
climate interannual variability using the NCEP AGCM-ETA nested model system. In preparation.
Xue, Y., F. De Sales, et al., 2009: Intercomparison of West African Monsoon and its variability in the West African
Monsoon Modeling and Evaluation Project (WAMME) First Experiment. Submitted to Climate Dynamics
 
PRESENTATIONS

20th Conference on Climate Variability and Change (New Orleans, 2008).

Title: Simulating the precipitation interannual variability over South America using the NCEP Eta/AGCM nested model system.  

 

Detecting the Atmospheric Response to the Changing Face of the Earth: A Focus on Human-Caused Regional Climate Forcings, Land-Cover/Land-Use Change, and Data Monitoring (Boulder, 2007).

Title: The effect of vegetation biophysical processes on global precipitation.

 

8th International Conference on Southern Hemisphere Meteorology and Oceanography (Foz do Iguacu, 2006).

Title: Evaluation of interannual variability over South America using the dynamic downscaling approach.

 

Scientific Conference on the Global Energy & Water Cycle Experiment (Orange County, 2005).

Title: Summertime seasonal prediction over South America using a dynamic downscaling approach.

 

15th Symposium on Global Change and Climate Variation (Seattle, 2004).

Title: Investigation of South American land/atmosphere interactions using the Eta/SSiB model.

 

FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

UCLA Staff Achievement Award 2009

UCLA ISSR Postdoctoral Fellowship 2006-2008

UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship 2005-2006
UCLA Graduate Student Researcher Fellowship 2000-2005

FAPESP Master's Degree Fellowship 1998-2000