International Pacific Research Center | People

Tomoki Iwakiri

Postdoctoral Fellow

International Pacific Research Center
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822

Email:
Webpage: https://tomoki-iwakiri.github.io/iwakiri/

Education

2022 - Ph.D., The University of Tokyo, Department of Earth and Planetary Science
Dissertation: Mechanisms for multi-year ENSO
2019 - M.S. The University of Tokyo, Department of Earth and Planetary Science
Dissertation: Mechanisms of changes in ENSO and IOD in the mid-Holocene
2017 - B.S., Nihon University, Department of Earth system
Thesis: Representativeness of wind data from AMeDAS in Kanto region (In Japanese)

Research Interests

Large-scale air-sea interaction
Large-scale air-sea coupled dynamics
Dynamics of El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Climate mitigation and irreversibility
Future climate change
Paleoclimate

Scientific Work Experience

Postdoctoral Associate, IPRC, University of Hawaii, USA 07.2025 – present
Postdoctoral Researcher, Seoul National University, South Korea 05.2024 – 04.2025
JSPS Research Fellow (PD), Ochanomizu University, Japan 04.2024 – present
JSPS Research Fellow (PD), MRI, Japan 04.2023 – 03.2024
Visiting Researcher, MRI, Japan 04.2022 – 03.2023
JSPS Research Fellow (PD), The University of Tokyo 04.2022 – 03.2023
JSPS Research Fellow (DC2), The University of Tokyo 04.2021 – 03.2022

Honors & Awards

2023 - Yamamoto Award, Meteorological Society of Japan (MSJ)
2021 - Outstanding student presentation award, Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU)
2019 - Matsuno Award (student presentation award), Meteorological Society of Japan (MSJ)

Refereed Publications

Iwakiri, T., F.-F. Jin, and S. Zhao, in press: Abrupt shift of El Niño periodicity under CO2 mitigation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A, IPRC-1641.
Iwakiri T., Kug J-S., Jin F-F., Zhao S., An S-I., Kim G-I., Park D. 2025: Abrupt shift of El Niño periodicity under CO2 mitigation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2426048122.
Iwakiri T., Imada Y., Takaya Y., Kataoka T., Tatebe H., and Watanabe M. (2023): Triple-dip La Niña in 2020–23: North Pacific atmosphere drives 2nd year La Niña. Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105763.
Iwakiri T. and Watanabe M. (2022): Multiyear ENSO dynamics as revealed in observations, climate model simulations, and the linear recharge oscillator. J. Climate, doi: https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-22-0108.1.
Iwakiri T. and Watanabe M. (2021b): Contribution of Ekman transport to the ENSO periodicity estimated with an extended Wyrtki index. Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095193.
Iwakiri T. and Watanabe M. (2021a): Mechanisms linking multi-year La Niña with preceding strong El Niño. Sci. Rep., 11, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96056-6.
Iwakiri T. and Watanabe M. (2020): Multiyear La Niña impact on summer temperature over Japan. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan., 98, doi: https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2020-064.
Iwakiri T. and Watanabe M. (2019b): Strengthening of the Indian Ocean dipole with increasing seasonal cycle in the mid-Holocene. Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083088.
Iwakiri T. and Watanabe M. (2019a): Mechanisms reducing ENSO amplitude and asymmetry via an enhanced seasonal cycle in the mid-Holocene. J. Climate, doi: https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0110.1.
Xu, Z., Kosaka Y., Toda M., Iwakiri T., Huang G., Ji F., Miyamoto A., and Tao W. 2024: Irreversibility of winter precipitation over the Northeastern Pacific and Western North America against CO2 forcing. npj Clim. Atmos. Sci., doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00864-2.
Hu, S., Watanabe M., Zhang W., Iwakiri T., Jiang F. (2024): Quantifying the Amplifying Effect of the Winter North Pacific Oscillation on the Subsequent ENSO. Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111019.
Watanabe, M., Iwakiri T., Dong Y., and Kang S. M. (2023): Two completing drivers of the recent Walker circulation trend. Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105332.