Barnes is best known for her work and expertise on the use of statistical methods to understand the variability of Earth's short- and long-term climate.
She went on to earn a PhD in Atmospheric science from the University of Washington, where she specialized in eddy mean flow interactions of the midlatitude jet stream.
Following her graduate studies, Barnes accepted a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate and Global Change post-doctoral fellowship, located at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
While a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University, Barnes led research that explored the relationship of ongoing anthropogenic climate change and Arctic amplification,[1] changes to Northern Hemisphere circulation,[2] and the future of extreme events[3] In 2013, Barnes joined the faculty of the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University.
[4] This work has been recognized as "trustworthy, authoritative and expertly targeted to make real, concrete advances" in the understanding of the climate system.