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 27 February, former group member (and now Assistant Professor at Northeastern University) Chengfei He’s paper was published in Nature Communications entitled, “Climate models exaggerate greenhouse gas impact on recent interhemispheric temperature patterns and tropical climate.” Congrats, Chengfei!
On 18 February, Chelone Laws’ poster presentation at the AMS Annual Meeting won a 2nd place student presentation prize. Congrats, Chelone!
On 26–30 January, everyone in the Tropical Climate Dynamics research group – Alex G., Fouzia, Chelone, and Alex K. presented their research at the 2026 AMS Annual Meeting in Houston, TX. Alex G. orally presented results from his recently published paper on the double ITCZ bias entitled, “We need to simulate more northern ITCZs and…