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 air-sea interaction, the coupling between clouds and atmospheric circulations, extreme rainfall, and marine meteorology. Phenomena of interest include the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), the Hadley circulation, equatorial waves, tropical cyclones, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
Our primary goal is to improve physical understanding of these complex phenomena using a hierarchy of models and observations, including our own atmospheric instrumentation. 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 experiments to K–12 and college classrooms, to conducting teacher workshops on atmospheric and oceanic science education, 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…
On January 14th, Alex traveled to Dallas, TX to present his research at a WHOI Dallas Chapter event. The title of his talk was, “How oceanic clouds shape our weather”. He spoke about his research on tropical rainfall and clouds and how moisture originating from the tropical east Pacific Ocean and the Gulf/Atlantic Ocean impacted…
On January 13th, Alex was selected to become the next co-chair of the U.S. CLIVAR Process Study and Model Improvement Panel. Alex will serve a two-year term beginning in March 2026. Congrats, Alex!