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
From May 3–6, Alex and a team of WHOI scientists collected atmospheric data via soundings (also known as weather balloon launches) as a part of the Wind Forecast Improvement Project 3 (WFIP3, https://www2.whoi.edu/site/wfip3/). Atmospheric soundings took place every six hours from Woods Hole and from the R/V Endeavor, which transected south to the shelf break…
Fouzia and Alex publish their ITCZ and convectively coupled waves research in the Journal of Climate
On March 22, Fouzia, Alex, and co-authors (Justin Stachnik and Brett Chrisler) published a paper entitled, “The Relationship between Convectively Coupled Waves and the East Pacific ITCZ” in the Journal of Climate: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/37/8/JCLI-D-23-0398.1.xml. Congrats to all involved! Significance Statement Convectively coupled atmospheric waves (CCWs) are a critical feature of tropical weather and are an important…
On February 16, Alex, Indrani, Marissa and co-authors (Gregory Cesana and Charlotte DeMott) published a paper entitled, “Dynamical Importance of the Trade Wind Inversion in Suppressing the Southeast Pacific ITCZ” in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023JD039571). Congrats to everyone involved! The three key points of the paper are: East Pacific ITCZ surface wind…
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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