About the Lab
Welcome to the tropical climate dynamics research group at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)! We are interested in atmospheric and oceanic processes in the tropics and their interactions with higher latitudes. We study a variety of topics, including the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), marine atmospheric boundary layer clouds, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), the Hadley circulation, equatorial waves, tropical cyclones, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and tropical-extratropical interactions. One of our primary goals is to improve understanding of observations of these complex phenomena using a hierarchy of models and observations. With this improved understanding, weather and climate prediction can be guided in the right direction.
We are also involved in science education and outreach, particularly at WHOI and in the local Cape Cod community. From bringing hands-on rotating tank climate science experiments to K–12 and college classrooms to mentoring middle- and high-school students and teachers on research projects, we strive to motivate a generation of future scientists.
Recent News
On May 8, Fouzia started a 3-month visit at the Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Laboratory (MMM) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Fouzia was awarded a fellowship in January 2024 as a part of NSF NCAR’s Advanced Study Program’s Graduate Visitor Program. Fouzia is working with Dr. Falko Judt on her third project…
On July 1, Chengfei He started his WHOI Postdoctoral Scholar position under the guidance of Dr. Alex Gonzalez and Dr. Young-Oh Kwon. Chengfei will be investigating the relationship between equilibrium climate sensitivity, low clouds, and the ITCZ in climate model biases of global historical warming trends. Welcome, Chengfei! The WHOI Postdoctoral Scholar Program is a…
On June 24–28, Alex attended the American Meteorological Society (AMS) 24th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics in Burlington, VT. He had a poster presentation entitled, “Dynamical Importance of the Trade Wind Inversion in Suppressing the Southeast Pacific ITCZ.”