Research Interest:
My research centers on ocean-atmosphere interactions and their role in climate formation, variability, and change. The ocean's importance for climate is evident from the facts that most of solar radiation absorption occurs at the Earth surface and that the ocean occupies seventy percent of the Earth surface. Examples of ocean-atmosphere interaction effects are abundant, including the spontaneous generation of El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the northward-displaced tropical rain band called the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic. My research contributes to answering such fundamental questions as what determines the spatial distributions of climate, why it varies in time, how preferred patterns of climate variability form, and how predictable climate is.
I carry out both diagnostic and modeling studies, using observations and numerical models of the ocean, atmosphere, and their coupled system. Geographically, my work covers all three major oceans of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian, and monsoons of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Our research has led to the formulation of wind-evaporation-sea surface temperature (WES) feedback mechanism and the Indian Ocean capacitor effect, the "warmer-get-wetter" idea for rainfall change in global warming, and the discovery of what Science magazine called the longest island wake of the world. The WES feedback is important for the northward displacement of the ITCZ and the tropical meridional mode. For more information, please see a narrative overview.
Research highlights:
Regional patterns of global warming,
Dynamics of Meiyu-Baiu rainband,
Mysterious summer rains in East Asia, and more
New Publications
- Huang, P., S.-P. Xie, K. Hu, G. Huang, and R. Huang, 2013: Patterns of the seasonal response of tropical rainfall to global warming. Nature Geosci., 6, 357 - 361 (doi:10.1038/NGEO1792). [abstract]; [commentary]
- Kosaka, Y., S.-P. Xie, N.-C. Lau, and G.A. Vecchi, 2013: Origin of seasonal predictability for summer climate over the Northwestern Pacific. PNAS, 110, 7574-7579, doi:10.1073/pnas.1215582110. [abstract]
- Ma, J., and S.-P. Xie, 2013: Regional patterns of sea surface temperature change: A source of uncertainty in future projections of precipitation and atmospheric circulation. J. Climate, 26, 2482-2501. [pdf]
- Tokinaga, H., S.-P. Xie, C. Deser, Y. Kosaka and Y. M. Okumura, 2012: Slowdown of the Walker circulation driven by tropical Indo-Pacific warming. Nature, 491, 439-443, doi:10.1038/nature11576. [abstract]
- Kosaka, Y., J. S. Chowdary, and S.-P. Xie, 2012: Limitations of seasonal predictability for summer climate over East Asia and the Northwestern Pacific. J. Climate, 25, 7574-7589. [pdf]
Selected Publications
- Tokinaga, H., S.-P. Xie, A. Timmermann, S. McGregor, T. Ogata, H. Kubota, and Y.M. Okumura, 2012: Regional patterns of tropical Indo-Pacific climate change: Evidence of the Walker Circulation weakening. J. Climate, 25, 1689-1710. [pdf]; [highlight in Nature Geosci.]; 2012 Yamamoto-Shyono Medal from the Meteorological Society of Japan [award citation]
- Tokinaga, H., and S.-P. Xie, 2011: Weakening of the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue over the past six decades. Nature Geosci., 4, 222-226; advance online publication, 6 February 2011 (doi:10.1038/ngeo1078). [abstract]
- Li, J., S.-P. Xie, E. R. Cook, G. Huang, R. D'Arrigo, F. Liu, J. Ma and X. Zheng, 2011: Interdecadal modulation of El Nino amplitude during the past millennium. Nature Climate Change, 1, 114-118, doi:10.1038/nclimate1086. [abstract]; [commentary]
- Johnson, N.C., and S.-P. Xie, 2010: Changes in the sea surface temperature threshold for tropical convection. Nature Geosci., 3, 842-845; advance online publication, 7 November 2010 (doi:10.1038/ngeo1008). [abstract] , Magazine cover, Read commentary
- Xie, S.-P., C. Deser, G.A. Vecchi, J. Ma, H. Teng, and A.T. Wittenberg, 2010: Global warming pattern formation: Sea surface temperature and rainfall. J. Climate, 23, 966-986. [pdf] or [Read a commentary in Nature Geoscience]
- Xie, S.-P., K. Hu, J. Hafner, H. Tokinaga, Y. Du, G. Huang, and T. Sampe, 2009: Indian Ocean capacitor effect on Indo-western Pacific climate during the summer following El Nino. J. Climate, 22, 730?47. [pdf]
- Minobe, S., A. Kuwano-Yoshida, N. Komori, S.-P. Xie, and R.J. Small, 2008: Influence of the Gulf Stream on the troposphere. Nature, 452, 206-209. [Cover & Abstract]
- Xie, S.-P., H. Xu, N.H. Saji, Y. Wang, and W.T. Liu, 2006: Role of narrow mountains in large-scale organization of Asian monsoon convection. J. Climate, 19, 3420-3429. [pdf]
- Xie, S.-P., H. Annamalai, F.A. Schott and J.P. McCreary, 2002: Structure and mechanisms of South Indian Ocean climate variability. J. Climate, 15, 864-878. [pdf]
- Xie, S.-P., W.T. Liu, Q. Liu and M. Nonaka, 2001: Far-reaching effects of the Hawaiian Islands on the Pacific Ocean-atmosphere system. Science, 292, 2057-2060. [pdf] >>> Press Coverage
Review Articles
- Xie, S.-P., 2013: Advancing climate dynamics toward reliable regional climate projections. J. Ocean Univ. China, 12, 191-200, doi:10.1007/s11802-013-2277-7. [pdf]
- Chelton, D.B., and S.-P. Xie, 2010: Coupled ocean-atmosphere interaction at oceanic mesoscales. Oceanogr., 23, 52-69. [pdf]
- Deser, C., M. A. Alexander, S.-P. Xie and A. S. Phillips, 2010: Sea surface temperature variability: Patterns and mechanisms. Ann. Rev. Marine Sci., 2, 115-143, doi:10.1146/annurev-marine-120408-151453. [Full article]
- Schott, F.A., S.-P. Xie, and J.P. McCreary, 2009: Indian Ocean circulation and climate variability. Rev. Geophys., 47, RG1002, doi:10.1029/2007RG000245. [pdf]
- Chang, P., T. Yamagata, P. Schopf, S. K. Behera, J.A. Carton, W. S. Kessler, G. Meyers, T. Qu, F.A. Schott, S. Shetye, and S.-P. Xie, 2006: Climate fluctuations of tropical coupled system: The role of ocean dynamics. J. Climate, 19, 5122-5174. [pdf]
- Xie, S.-P., 2004: Satellite observations of cool ocean-atmosphere interaction. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 85, 195-208. [Download] >>> BAMS cover
- Xie, S.-P., 2004: The shape of continents, air-sea interaction, and the rising branch of the Hadley circulation. In The Hadley Circulation: Past, Present and Future, H. F. Diaz and R. S. Bradley (eds.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 121-152. [pdf]
- Wang, C., S.-P. Xie, and J. A. Carton, 2004: A global survey of ocean-atmosphere and climate variability. In Earth Climate: The Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction, C. Wang, S.-P. Xie, and J.A. Carton (eds.), Geophysical Monograph, 147, AGU, Washington D.C., 1-19. [pdf]
- Xie, S.-P. and J.A. Carton, 2004: Tropical Atlantic variability: Patterns, mechanisms, and impacts. In Earth Climate: The Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction, C. Wang, S.-P. Xie and J.A. Carton (eds.), Geophysical Monograph, 147, AGU, Washington D.C., 121-142. [pdf]
Professional experience
Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Japan, 1994-1999
Research Associate, JISAO, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 1993-1994
Visiting Scientist, AOS Program, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1991-1993
Education
D.Sc., Tohoku University, Japan, 1991
M.Sc., Tohoku University, Japan, 1988
Dalian College of Foreign Languages, China, 1984-85
B.Sc., Shandong College of Oceanography, China, 1984
Honors
China Ministry of Education Oversea Scholarship, 1985-1986
Japan Ministry of Education (Monbusho) Scholarship, 1986-1991
The Yamamoto-Shyono Medal for the 1994 Tellus paper on coupled ocean-atmospheric modeling of the Pacific ITCZ, Meteorological Society of Japan, 1996
Ocean University of China President's Special Award for Outstanding Collaborative Research, 2001
The Society Medal for contributions to understanding air-sea interaction and its role in climate formation and variability, Meteorological Society of Japan, 2002
Professional Service
Lead author, United Nations Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC and Al Gore won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize) Fifth Assessment Report (Summary for Policy Makers, Technical Summary & Chapter 14), 2010-
Co-chair, NCAR CESM Climate Variability and Change Working Group, 2013-
Councilor, the Oceanographical Society of Japan, 2007-
Member, US CLIVAR - OCB Working Group on "Oceanic Carbon Uptake in the CMIP5 Models", 2012-
Member, AGU Roger Revelle Medal Committee, 2010-2012
Member, NOAA Climate Prediction Program for the Americas (CPPA) Science Panel, 2006-2008
Member, US CLIVAR Process Studies and Model Improvement Panel, 2005-07
Member, US CLIVAR Pan American Implementation Panel, 2000-2004
Member, PIRATA Scientific Steering Committee, 2001-
Contributing author, United Nations Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Assessment Report
Session convener, American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting (2012, 2010, 2005, 2002), AGU Spring Meeting (2004), AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting (2012, 2006), AGU Western Pacific Geophysical Meeting (2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2000), Meteorological Society of Japan Spring Meeting (2006, 2004), Oceanographical Society of Japan Spring Meeting (2010)
Proposal review for US NASA, NSF, NOAA, DOE, NOPP; NSF of China, Chiese Academy of Sciences; Indian National Monsoon Mission; UK Natural Environment Research Council; Royal Society of New Zealand Rutherford Discovery Fellowship Program; Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Editorial Service
Editor, Journal of Climate, 2006 - 2010
Guest editor, Journal of Oceanography (special section on mode water, editorial), 2010 - 2011
Editor, Journal of Meteorological Society of Japan (-->Free access to journal papers), 2000-2006
Volume editor, AGU Geophysical Monograph (Vol. 147, pp. 414) entitled "Earth Climate: The Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction", 2003-2004 ( Table of Contents and Preface + Book cover)
Peer reviewer for journals (Acta Oceanologica Sinica, Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, Advances in Meteorology, Annales Geophysicae,
Atmosphere-Ocean, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters, Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Science Letters, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Chinese J. Oceanology and Limnology,
Climate Dynamics, Climate of the Past, Continental
Shelf Research, Deep Sea Research (Part I and Part II), Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans,
Environmental Research Letters, Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, Geophysical Research Letters,
Insciences Journal, International J. Climatology, International J. Remote Sensing, J. Applied
Meteorology, J. Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, J. Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, J. Atmospheric Sciences,
J. Climate, J. Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, J. Geophysical Research-Oceans, J. Marine Systems, J.
Meteorological Society of Japan, J. Physical Oceanography, J. Oceanography, J. Ocean Universiy of China,
Marine Geodesy, Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, Monthly Weather Review,
Nature, Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, Nature Geoscience, Oceanologica Acta, Ocean Dynamics, Ocean Engineering, Ocean
Modeling, Ocean Science,
Paleoceanography, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Progress in Oceanography,
Remote Sensing of Environment, Quarterly J. of Royal Meteorological Society, Science, Scientific Online Letters on the Atmosphere, Tellus A, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, Water Resources Research);
book chapters (Elsevier Science, Kluwer Academic Publishers, World Scientific Publishing)
