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 October 17, Alex Gonzalez gave an invited talk at a symposium at UCLA in honor of the late Professor Akio Arakawa: Modeling Convection, Clouds and Climate Systems. Alex’s talk was entitled, “Wind-Evaporation-SST feedbacks and the southeast Pacific Ocean ITCZ.” The recorded presentation can be seen below.
During July 2022, Alex Gonzalez and Indrani Ganguly (and the DIYnamics team) co-convened a session at the eighth annual Earth Educators’ Rendezvous in Minneapolis, MN this July entitled, “Teaching atmosphere, ocean, and planetary fluid dynamic fundamentals vividly with rotating tanks.” (https://serc.carleton.edu/earth_rendezvous/2022/program/morning_workshops/w9/index.html). There were approximately 25 participants in their session, with 5–10 from underrepresented groups/minority serving…
Alex started a new position as an Assistant Scientist in the Department of Physical Oceanography at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in June 2022. Alex remains Affiliate Faculty at Iowa State University. With this transition, the Tropical Atmospheric Dynamics Group at ISU becomes the Tropical Climate Dynamics Group at WHOI.
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Leave your guess in the comments! 👇
😲Want to be amazed? Explore our planet as you never have before through our new web experience: https://hubs.li/Q03VZRpD0
#ItsAnOceanWorld
Traveling for the holidays? Skip the airport—hitch a ride on these globetrotting currents!
Get to know our amazing ocean planet through our new science interactive: https://hubs.li/Q03VP-M-0
Traveling for the holidays? Skip the airport—hitch a ride on these globetrotting currents!
Get to know our amazing ocean planet through our new science interactive: https://hubs.li/Q03VP-M-0