Abstract: The tropical Atlantic is subject to variability on interannual to decadal time scales that has strong impacts on rainfall over the surrounding continents and may even influence El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Over the past few decades, much effort has been devoted to understanding the mechanisms and impacts of tropical Atlantic variability (TAV). In this presentation I will give an overview of the current understanding of TAV. Topics include the Atlantic zonal mode (AZM; also called Atlantic Niño), the Atlantic meridional mode (AMM), the Benguela Niño, and the linkages between those three variability patterns. I will also review the representation of the tropical Atlantic mean climate in global climate models, the ability of current prediction systems to predict TAV, and the predictability limits of TAV.
While there is a relatively good consensus on a number of topics, I will also highlight several issues that are less well understood or even downright puzzling.
Short biography:
2005 Phd in Atmospheric Sciences, UCLA
2005-2006 Postdoctoral Researcher, UCLA
2006-2009 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Hawaii
2009-present Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Current position: Deputy Group Leader
Research interests: interannual variability in the tropical Atlantic. Ocean-atmosphere interaction, general circulation model intercomparison and error diagnosis. Changes in the global hydrological cycle under greenhouse gas forcing
Arranged date for the seminar talk: Aug 15, 2019 at 13:00 in the BCCR lecture room 4020, Jahnebakken 5.