AGU Chapman Conference on The Width of the Tropics: Climate Variations and Their Impact; Santa Fe, New Mexico; July 26-31, 2015

American Geophysical Union, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed increasing scientific focus on detailed aspects of tropical climate, at and above the Earth's surface, and on the location of the boundary between the tropical and extratropical zones. A growing body of literature addresses the possibility of changes in the position and strength of the Hadley cell, jet streams, and zonal mean atmospheric circulation. These changes could manifest as changes in surface climate, particularly precipitation, and have important societal and ecological consequences. A number of studies have identified poleward movement in the boundary between tropical and extratropical zones; this phenomenon has been referred to as "tropical widening" or "expansion of the tropical belt." This Chapman Conference will bring together scientists from a wide range of backgrounds to explore and summarize the state of the science and identify future research directions relevant for the problem of tropical widening. A particular emphasis will be on the multi-disciplinary nature of the problem with the goal of enabling cross-fertilization among the wide range of climate science subtopics represented by the participants of the conference. To facilitate this, the following four session topics are planned: What determines the width of the tropical belt? 2. How and why has the tropical width changed in the past? 3. How and why might the tropical width change in the future? 4. What are the impacts for the oceans, cryosphere, hydrologic cycle, human society, and ecosystems? The workshop will be held July 26-31 2015 at Santa Fe, New Mexico. NSF funds will go towards support of approximately 15 graduate students and early career scientists.