Dr. Xiaohong Liu, professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences and Reta Haynes Chair in Geosciences at Texas A&M University, has been elected as a Fellow of both the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS).
As the world's largest Earth and space sciences association, the AGU annually recognizes a select number of individuals as Fellows, its highest honor. Only 0.1% of the AGU membership receives this recognition in any given year. Liu earned selection on the basis of his exceptional contributions to understanding the fundamental mechanisms of aerosol impacts on clouds and climate and advancing atmospheric models.
Individuals eligible for Fellow status within the AMS should have made exceptional contributions to the atmospheric, oceanic or hydrologic sciences or their practical applications over an extended period. Each year, the Council elects new Fellows from a pool of nominees recommended by the Fellows Committee. Only 0.2% of those nominees are selected as Fellows each year.
A member of the Texas A&M faculty since 2019, Liu has made many fundamental contributions in understanding the mechanisms of how the airborne particulate matter, known as aerosols, produced from air pollution and natural processes impact clouds, atmospheric temperature and general circulation. He is a pioneer in modeling and quantifying the effects of aerosol on cold clouds by serving as seeds for ice crystal formation in these clouds and a world leader in developing the aerosol representation that has been adopted in leading Earth system models.
“I am extremely thrilled and humbled with being elected as an AGU and AMS Fellow during the same year,” Liu said. “The honors are unachievable without the strong support from my current colleagues at Texas A&M and previous collaborators at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the University of Michigan.”
Liu's research represents paradigm-shift progress in reducing large uncertainties related to predicting future climate warming. Aerosol and clouds play a critical role in weather and climate, and aerosols can also impact air quality and human health. Currently, there are significant uncertainties due to the limited understanding of aerosol and cloud processes and how to represent them in Earth system models.
Liu began his research on aerosol and cloud processes in the late 1980s and early 1990s during his Ph.D. studies, where he focused on scales ranging from micrometers to 10s of meters. Interestingly, aerosol and cloud processes gained significant attention in the field of atmospheric sciences during the 1990s and 2000s, mainly due to their recognized importance in climate modeling and predictions.
Liu says he was fortunate to blend his expertise in small-scale cloud and aerosol processes with the broader context of climate change. Before coming to Texas A&M, he had the opportunity to collaborate with leading scientists in these fields at both the PNNL and the University of Michigan.
AGU will formally recognize this year’s recipients at AGU23, which will convene more than 25,000 attendees from more than 100 countries in San Francisco and online everywhere on Dec. 11-15, 2023. The annual Honors Reception is a chance for AGU’s community to recognize the outstanding work of their colleagues and be inspired by their accomplishments and stories.
AMS Fellows will be recognized at the 104th AMS Annual Meeting, set for Jan. 28 – Feb. 1, 2024, in Baltimore, Md.