Research

Theme 1

Theme 2

Theme 3

Theme 4

IPRC Research

The Science Plan that guides IPRC research currently has four themes. Each theme has its goal and associated objectives that define specific scientific activities.

Below you will find the goal and objectives for each theme, the names of the team leaders, ongoing projects, and selected research findings.  The IPRC Publications page has links to the scientific journal articles, IPRC annual reports, and IPRC Climate issues.

Theme 1: Indo-Pacific Ocean Climate

To understand climate variations in the Pacific and Indian oceans on interannual-to-interdecadal timescales through the following objectives:

• Identify the ocean-atmosphere processes that cause decadal variability in the extratropical North Pacific
• Identify the oceanic and atmospheric processes that modulate ENSO on decadal time scales
• Determine the oceanic processes that maintain the Pacific Ocean general circulation and that cause its climatic variability
• Determine the nature and causes of Indian-Ocean SST variability on interannual-to-decadal time scales

Team Leaders:  Shang-Ping Xie, Professor of Meteorology, and Niklas Schneider, Associate Professor of Oceanography

Selected Research Slides

• Satellite Reveals Long Cloud Trails Lee of the Hawaiian Islands
• Near-shore Circulation and Wave Modeling
• Satellite Altimetry Helps Validate Ocean Model for the Earth Simulator
• Narrow Mountains of Asia Anchor Big Convection
• Thermocline Dome Punches a Hole in Pacific ITCZ
• Decadal Variations in the Subtropical Cells and Equatorial Sea Surface Temperature in a Pacific Ocean GCM
• Does the Indian Ocean Dipole Affect Climate?
• Evaluating Precipitation Products
• Far-Reaching Effects of the Hawaiian Islands
• First-Ever Measurement of Tropical Instability Waves' Effect on the Atmosphere
• Modeling the Tsuchiya Jets
• Ocean Upwelling Linked to Mountain Range
• The Hawaiian Isles' Astounding Effect on Wind and Water
• Wind's Response to Ocean Discovered over the Kuroshio
• It’s the Pressure!
• Ocean Upwelling Slows Wind Jet off Africa's Coast
• Satellites Help Understand Clouds' Impact on Climate
• TMI Reveals a Cycle of Air-Sea Interaction in the Indian Ocean

Selected Research Posters

• Observational Evidence for Extra-Tropical Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction

• In-Situ Observations of Kuroshio-Extension's Influence on the Atmosphere

• High-resolution Regional Modeling of Eastern Pacific Climate

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Theme 2: Regional Ocean Influences

To determine the influences on Asia-Pacific climate of the western boundary currents, the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension system, marginal seas, and the Indonesian Throughflow through the following objectives:

• Determine the processes that maintain the Kuroshio, Oyashio and their Extensions and that cause their climatic variability.
• Identify the processes that maintain the low-latitude western-boundary currents of the Pacific Ocean and that cause their climatic variability.
• Determine the influences of the East-Asian marginal seas and the Indonesian Throughflow on the Asia-Pacific climate system.

Team Leader: Kelvin Richards, Professor of Oceanography

Selected Research Slides

• South China Sea Throughflow
• Alternating Zonal Jets in the World Ocean Detected by Satellite Altimeter
• A Mean Absolute Sea Level Map of the Kuroshio Extension: A Reference for Satellite Altimetry
• A New Method for Tracking Ocean Dynamics
• Cold Mode Water Formation in the Pacific
• Currents of the Western South Pacific
• Deep Structure of the Kuroshio Large Meander
• Modeling North Pacific Ocean Climate
• Monsoon Controls Branching of the North Equatorial Current
• Resolving the El Niño - Indian Ocean Dipole Debate
• Patchiness and the Behavior of the Marine Ecosystem
• The Near-Surface Circulation of the Global Ocean: A 10-year Portrait
• An Oceanic Connection within the Southeast Asia Monsoon System
• Plausible Causes for the Intraseasonal Variability in the Indo-Australian Basin

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Theme 3: Asian-Australian Monsoon System

To understand the processes responsible for climatic variability and predicatiliby of the Asian-Australian Monsoon System and its hydrological cycle at intraseasonal through interdecadal timescales through the following objectives:

• Understand the monsoon annual cycle and intraseasonal variability.
• Determine the causes of interannual through interdecadal variability of the monsoon.
• Understand the role of atmosphere-ocean-land interactions in monsoon predictability.
• Understand the monsoon hydrological cycle and its impact on Asia-Pacific climate.

Team Leaders: Bin Wang, Professor of Meteorology, and Tim Li, Associate Professor of Meteorology

Selected Research Slides

• Forecasting MJO Rainfall
• Rain-rate oscillations during the life cycle of a tropical cyclone
• Satellite Data Assimilation Improves Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Structure
• Satellite Data Reveal Ocean-feedback to Monsoon Wet-and-Dry Spells
• TRMM DATA Captures Onset of the Intraseasonal Oscillation
• Satellite Reveals Unique Asymmetry in Asian Monsoon
• Satellite Data Reveal Strong Moisture Perturbations during the Monsoon Dry and Wet Spells
• Detecting the Birth of Tropical Storms
• IPRC Regional Climate Model Simulates Stratocumulus Clouds
• Mechanism for Long-Term Changes in El Niño and the Southern Oscillation
• Mechanism for the El Niño-East Asian Monsoon Teleconnection
• Predicting Rainy and Dry Spells of the Monsoon
• Realistic Simulation of Regional Climate
• Signals of an Impending Tropical Cyclone
• Watching the Birth of a Typhoon
• Capturing the Wet and Dry Spells of the Asian Summer Monsoon
• Satellite Reveals Unique Asymmetry in Asian Monsoon
• A Satellite View of the Intraseasonal Oscillation during the Indian Monsoon
• Measuring Hurricane Structures with Satellite Products

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Theme 4: Impacts of Global Environmental Change

To identify the relationships between global environmental change and Asian-Pacific climate through the following objectives:

• Determine the impacts of changing external forcing on Asia-Pacific climate.
• Determine the sensitivity of the Asia-Pacific climate system and hydrological cycle to changes in land-surface characteristics.

Team Leaders: Kevin Hamilton, Professor of Meteorology, and Axel Timmermann, Professor of Oceanography

Selected Research Slides

• Vegetation Response to Shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
• High-resolution AGCM sensitive to details of convective parameterization
• Global Warming and Tropical Cyclones of the Western North Pacific
• What Causes Surface Temperatures in the Oceans to Seesaw?
• Climate Sensitivity to Strong Perturbations
• Diagnosing Local Climate Feedback
• Simulation of the Effects of the Mt. Pinatubo Eruption on the Northern Hemisphere Climate
• Climate Sensitivity and Response

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