UW-Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (UW-AOS)

05/29/2026

We’re thrilled to announce Assistant Professor Hannah Zanowski as the inaugural Craig K. Skaar Professor of Oceanography. This new professorship supports oceanographers in AOS who explore a wide range of fundamental physical and biogeochemical processes in the ocean, from deep in its past to far into its future. AOS is grateful to the Skaar family and excited about the new frontiers in research this fund will enable. Congratulations, Hannah!

The UW–Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) is thrilled to announce Assistant Professor Hannah Zanowski as the inaugural Craig K. Skaar Professor of Oceanography.

05/18/2026

On May 9, we celebrated 34 AOS graduates who earned their BS, MS, and PhD degrees, marking the end of one journey and the beginning of another. We’re so proud of all their accomplishments, and we can’t wait to see what paths they take in weather, climate, and ocean science, and beyond. Congratulations to the class of 2026!

Photo: Yingshun Sun

05/15/2026

We had an interesting phenomenon in the sky north of Madison on Wednesday evening. A fuel dump from a Chinese rocket created a comet tail looking feature that lasted around 10 minutes. Here's the time lapse from the northwest facing AOSS Rooftop Camera.

A fuel dump from a Chinese rocket produced a feature resembling a comet trail that was visible for around 10 minutes in the northern sky over much of the cen...

05/12/2026

From gazing up at airplanes in rural Puerto Rico as a child to flying them over the Madison isthmus as a student pilot, Professor Mayra Oyola has always been drawn to flight. Explore how her passion for aviation has shaped her research in the latest edition of “Fueling Discovery” from the Wisconsin State Journal and College of Letters & Science.

With a research specialty in severe weather and aviation hazards, it might surprise you to know that I didn’t step onto my first airplane until I was 20 years old.

05/05/2026

A few weeks ago, we held one of our favorite events: the AOS Awards Ceremony. Each year, scholarships and recognitions are given to students and faculty members for distinguished research and teaching, academic excellence, and leadership within the department. Congratulations to all the awardees! Learn more about our departmental awards: https://www.aos.wisc.edu/awards/.

Pictured at left is AOS Assistant Professor Stephanie Henderson, alongside AOS undergraduates Night Zawlocki and Olivia Boyle. Henderson was the inaugural recipient of the Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction Award.

Photo: Yingshun Sun

05/04/2026

Nice fireball meteor caught by the UW-AOSS Rooftop Cameras last night (Sunday May 3, 2026) - here's the view from the west facing camera. Shout-out to Tom Purdy for letting us know.

2026 May 3 - Fireball Meteor - West view

05/01/2026

Please join us for the final Weather Watch of the spring semester today at 12:15 PM CDT (1715 UTC) today, May 1, 2026, streaming online at https://go.wisc.edu/uwaos-wxwatch

Hope to see you there!

04/29/2026

Today at 2:30 CT! Leo Balcer, AOS graduate student, will defend his MS thesis and discuss "Noisy Waters: Multi-Model Insights on the Internal Variability of a Changing Arctic Sea Surface."

Watch the livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVLu6EzZs04

04/27/2026

Today at 3:30 CT! Ian Beckley, AOS graduate student, will defend his PhD thesis and discuss "Production Mechanisms for Inertial Instability in the Upper Troposphere."

Watch the livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS8c6-uPw78

04/23/2026

A really interesting line of convective clouds formed and moved through Madison on Tuesday. This line persisted and eventually triggered a severe thunderstorm warning for hail in southeast Wisconsin. Here's the view to the northwest as it formed.

2026 April 21 - Convective line - Northwest view