The Dynamics of Low-Frequency Phenomena

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

The PI will address large-scale low-frequency phenomena that dominate tropical processes and have sources either within the tropics or higher latitudes. The principal phenomena of interest are the Asian-Australian monsoon and El Nino Southern Oscillation and their component modes, all of which range in time scale from intraseasonal to interannual. The PI proposes to focus on the following four specific research themes: (1) the monsoon as a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomena; (2) monsoon intraseasonal variability in a coupled ocean-atmosphere context; (3) mechanisms by which the tropics influence the extratropics and vice versa on time scales that range from synoptic to interannual; and (4) the variable nature of the long-term relationships between boundary forcing and climate variability. The work is important because it will lead to improved understanding of major climate phenomena, especially the monsoon over a wide range of time scales.