Yao Lai
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chingyaolai.bsky.social
Yao Lai
@chingyaolai.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at Stanford studying fluids, ML, and the physics of ice & climate change. https://icyphysics.stanford.edu/
https://www.youtube.com/@c.yaolai
Pinned
Finally published @science.org:
Can AI help yield new insights from vast amounts of Earth data?
We use large-scale data and neural nets to find the constitutive laws of glacial ice, which differ from commonly assumed forms in conventional models. #ScienceResearch
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We're pleased to release DIFFICE-jax v1.0, the foundation of our Science paper and a #DIFFerentiable #NeuralNetwork solver for #DataAssimilation of ICE shelves written in #JAX:
🔗Docs: diffice-jax.readthedocs.io/en/latest/in...
📄Peer-reviewed by JOSS #OpenSource: joss.theoj.org/papers/10.21...
May 4, 2025 at 8:48 AM
From #PhysicsInformedML to #MLInformedPhysics: We're excited about the "knowledge discovery" component of this project utilizing vast amount of Earth data. 🌎
There is much more out there to be discovered, as nature's imagination is far greater than that of humans. Don't stop searching.💡
In Science, researchers report a physics-informed #DeepLearning model that can predict the deformation behavior of Antarctic ice shelves, revealing complexities of the process that extend beyond the traditional understanding.

Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective. scim.ag/3RgudLc
How does Antarctic ice deform?
A deep-learning model infers large-scale dynamics of Antarctic ice shelves
scim.ag
March 19, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by Yao Lai
In Science, researchers report a physics-informed #DeepLearning model that can predict the deformation behavior of Antarctic ice shelves, revealing complexities of the process that extend beyond the traditional understanding.

Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective. scim.ag/3RgudLc
How does Antarctic ice deform?
A deep-learning model infers large-scale dynamics of Antarctic ice shelves
scim.ag
March 17, 2025 at 7:35 PM
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
NASA Earth data + AI enable us to infer the constitutive models critical for ice dynamics. AI is useful, but no data = no discovery. Below is an example of the training data: a velocity map showing the dynamics of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Source: #NASA.
March 17, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Looking forward to learning about recent advances in #AI4Climate at the @apsphysics.bsky.social #GlobalPhysicsSummit meeting. Come check out the back-to-back focus sessions, "AI Applications in Weather and Climate I & II," on Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM!
summit.aps.org/schedule/?c=...
March 17, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Reposted by Yao Lai
A first-of-its-kind analysis revealed gaps in our understanding of how Antarctic ice is moving and melting. The findings could improve predictions about the conditions we may face in the future.
AI reveals new insights into the flow of Antarctic ice
Stanford researchers have combined machine learning with high-resolution satellite and airplane observations to understand the physics behind large-scale ice movements in Antarctica. The results show ...
stanford.io
March 13, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Finally published @science.org:
Can AI help yield new insights from vast amounts of Earth data?
We use large-scale data and neural nets to find the constitutive laws of glacial ice, which differ from commonly assumed forms in conventional models. #ScienceResearch
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
March 14, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Yao Lai
Great reporting from @wired.com about what DOGE is doing to Antarctica, affecting US science and national security. This is what we will lose.

We can't just leave our bases in Antarctica empty. South Pole! McMurdo! Palmer!

At some point we might need a GoFundMe.
DOGE’s Chaos Reaches Antarctica
Daily life at US-run Antarctic stations has already been disrupted. Scientists worry that the long-term impacts could upend not only important research but the continent’s delicate geopolitics.
www.wired.com
February 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Yao Lai
The mass firing of both new hires and recently promoted senior staff within #NOAA, including mission-critical and life-saving roles at the National Weather Service (#NWS), is profoundly alarming.
1/11
February 28, 2025 at 12:28 AM