Houghton Lecture – The Role of the Ocean in Midlatitude Climate

Featuring David Thompson, Colorado State University

Abstract:
This talk will explore two aspects of extratropical atmosphere/ocean interactions: (1) the processes that drive observed extratropical sea-surface temperature (SST) variability; and (2) the processes by which that variability influences the overlying atmosphere. The observational analyses highlight several aspects of the role of the ocean in extratropical climate. They suggest that ocean dynamical processes damp rather than drive low-frequency SST variability and thus act to mute the amplitude of observed decadal climate variability. They also reveal that SST variability in the western boundary currents has a more pronounced impact on the overlying atmosphere than indicated by previous work, but that the response is obscured at large spatial scales. Finally, they provide insights into the spatial scales at which the extratropical oceans have a demonstrable effect on extratropical climate variability.

About this year’s Houghton Lecturer:
David Thompson is a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University and in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, UK. His research focuses on the physical processes that govern large-scale climate variability and change, with an emphasis on analyzing and diagnosing the observed climate system. His work has examined the dynamics of extratropical climate variability, the role of the atmospheric circulation in climate change, the imprint of stratospheric ozone depletion on surface climate, the role of the stratosphere in climate variability, and atmosphere–ocean coupling.

Houghton Lecture Series

Supported by the Houghton Fund, Houghton Lecturers are distinguished visitors from outside MIT, invited by the EAPS Program in Atmospheres, Oceans and Climate (PAOC) to spend a period of time, ranging from a week to several months, as scientists-in-residence.

Contact: kbauer@mit.edu