Modes of climate variability and teleconnections play a profound role in modulating regional climate extremes. In addition, the future magnitude of climate extremes is intimately linked to global climate sensitivity. Hence, an improved knowledge of regional and global climate extremes requires a deep process-based understanding of:
- major coupled ocean-atmosphere modes of variability;
- the way in which climatic signals teleconnect from one location to another; and
- global climate sensitivity.
We will explore how regional extremes are modulated by climate variability and teleconnections and combine observations, reanalysis products, climate models, theory and process-based understanding to address the overarching goal:
To discover how regional climate extremes are related to variability, climate teleconnections and climate sensitivity.
Image (right): Sunset over Phillipines (NASA).
We will undertake four related projects:
- Project 4.1: Tropical Pacific ocean-atmosphere circulation changes
- Project 4.2: Interannual to interdecadal climate variability
- Project 4.3: Impact of inter-basin and cross-scale interactions and climate teleconnections on extremes
- Project 4.4: Southern Ocean circulation and biogeochemistry
