• Member of the Graduate Faculty

Research Interests:

Dynamics of weather and climate, atmospheric energetics.

Teaching Interests:

Fluid dynamics of the atmosphere and ocean, atmospheric thermodynamics, atmospheric radiation, and the history of atmospheric science.

Dr. Bannon is interested in all aspects of the dynamics of weather and climate. His recent work explores new formulations of the available energy in the atmosphere and ocean and the energetics of deep moist convection.

Selected Publications:

• Bannon, P. R., 2012: Atmospheric available energy. J. Atmos. Sci., 68, in press.
•  Edson, A., S. Lee, P. R. Bannon, J. Kasting and D. Pollard, 2010: Atmospheric circulations of terrestrial planets orbiting low-mass stars.  Icarus, doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2010.11.023
• Smith, J. W., and P. R. Bannon, 2008: A comparison of compressible and anelastic models of deep dry convection.  Mon. Wea. Rev., 136, 4555-4571.
• Bannon, P. R., J. M. Chagnon, and R. P. James, 2006: Mass conservation and the anelastic approximation.  Mon. Wea. Rev., 134, 2989-3005.
• Fanelli, P. F., and P. R. Bannon, 2005: Nonlinear adjustment to thermal forcing. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 4253-4272.
• Bannon, P. R., 2005:  Eulerian available energetics in moist atmospheres. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 4238-4252.
• Chagnon, J. M., and P. R. Bannon, 2005: Adjustment to injections of mass, momentum, and heat in a compressible atmosphere. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 2749-2769.
• Bannon, P. R., 2004: Lagrangian available energetics and parcel instabilities.  J. Atmos. Sci., 61, 1754-1767.
• Bannon, P. R., J. Schmidli, and C. Schär, 2003: On potential vorticity flux vectors.  J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 2917-2921.
• Bannon, P. R., 2003: Hamiltonian description of idealized binary geophysical flows.  J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 2809-2819.
• Jones, P. A., and P. R. Bannon 2002: A mixed layer model of the diurnal dryline. J. Atmos. Sci., 59, 2582-2593.
• Bannon, P. R., 2002: Theoretical foundations for models of moist convection.  J. Atmos. Sci., 59, 1967-1982.
• Bannon, P. R., 1996: On the anelastic approximation for a compressible fluid.  J. Atmos. Sci. 53, 3618-3628.
• Bannon, P. R. and T. L. Salem, Jr., 1995: Aspects of the baroclinic boundary layer.  J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 574-596.
• Abreu, M. L. and P. R. Bannon, 1993: On the dynamics of the South American coastal desert.  J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 2952-2964.
• Bannon, P. R., 1992: A model of Rocky Mountain lee cyclogenesis.  J. Atmos. Sci., 49, 1510-1522.
• Bannon, P. R., and J. A. Yuhas, 1990:  On mountain wave drag over complex terrain.  Meteor. Atmos. Physics, 43, 155-162.
• Bannon, P. R., 1989: Linear baroclinic instability with the geostrophic momentum approximation.  J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 402-409.
• Zehnder, J. A. and P. R. Bannon, 1988: Frontogenesis over a mountain ridge. J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 628-644.
• Bannon, P. R., 1986: Linear development of quasi-geostrophic baroclinic disturbances with condensational heating.  J. Atmos. Sci., 43, 2261-2274.
• Bannon, P. R. and J. A. Zehnder, 1985: Surface pressure and mountain drag for transient airflow over a mountain ridge.  J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 2454-2462.
• Bannon, P. R., 1985: Flow acceleration and mountain drag.  J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 2445-2453.
• Mak, M. and P. R. Bannon, 1984: Frontogenesis in a moist semi-geostrophic model.  J. Atmos. Sci., 41, 3485-3500.
• Bannon, P. R., 1984: Effects of stratification on surface frontogenesis: Warm and cold fronts.  J. Atmos. Sci., 41, 2021-2026.
• Bannon, P. R., 1981: Synoptic scale forcing of coastal lows.  Forced double Kelvin waves in the atmosphere.  Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 107, 313-327.
• Bannon, P. R., 1980: Rotating barotropic flow over finite isolated topography.  J. Fluid Mech., 101, 281-306.
• Bannon, P. R., 1979: On the dynamics of the East African jet.  J. Atmos. Sci., 36, 2139-2152.