Oliver Frauenfeld
Associate Professor
Director of Undergraduate Programs
Climate Change, Synoptic Climatology, Arctic Climate, Surface-Atmosphere Interactions
Research
My research includes a broad range of topics in climate variability and climatic change. I focus primarily on surface-atmosphere interactions in the Arctic, such as the coupling between frozen ground (permafrost and seasonally frozen areas), sea ice, and other cryospheric variables with the overlying atmosphere. I am also exploring changes in western and southern Africa, with an emphasis on the biosphere and precipitation variability.
Selected Publications
- Ford, T.W. and O.W. Frauenfeld, 2016: Surface-Atmosphere Moisture Interactions in the Frozen Ground Regions of Eurasia. Scientific Reports, 6, 19163, doi:10.1038/srep19163
- Chen, L. and O.W. Frauenfeld, 2016: Impacts of Urbanization on Future Climate in China. Climate Dynamics, 47(1), 345-357, doi:10.1007/s00382-015-2840-6
- Garstang, M., R. E. Davis, K. Leggett, O. W. Frauenfeld, S. Greco, E. Zipser, and M. Petersen, 2014: Response of African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) to seasonal changes in rainfall. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e108736, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0108736.
- Chen, L. and O. W. Frauenfeld, 2014: Surface Air Temperature Changes over the 20th and 21st Centuries in China Simulated by 20 CMIP5 Models. Journal of Climate, 27(11), 3920-3937, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00465.1.
- Frauenfeld, O. W. and T. Zhang, 2011: An observational 71-year history of seasonally frozen ground changes in the Eurasian high latitudes. Environmental Research Letters, 6, 044024, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/6/4/044024. [Open Access PDF]
Education
Ph.D., Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
M.S., Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
B.A., Environmental Sciences and Spanish, University of Virginia
Awards
Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (College-Level), College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University, 2020
Dean's Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching, College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University, 2014
Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar, College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University, 2013–2014
John Russell Mather Paper of the Year Award, Climate Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers, 2006
Additional Information
Experience
- Associate Professor of Geography, Texas A&M University, 2016-Present
- Assistant Professor of Geography, Texas A&M University, 2010–2016
- Affiliate Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, 2010–Present
- Research Scientist I and II, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Division of Cryospheric and Polar Processes, University of Colorado, 2003–2009
- Association of American Geographers, 1999–present
- Climate Specialty Group, 1999–present
- Cryosphere Specialty Group, 2004–present
- American Geophysical Union, 1999–present
- U.S. Permafrost Association, 2003–present
Graduate Students
Rhett Douris, Ph.D Candidate
Victoria Ford, Ph.D. Candidate
Angela Khong, M.S. Candidate
Mariam Moeen, M.S. Candidate
Daniel Vecellio, Ph.D. Candidate