Global Climate Dynamics
Kosaka Laboratory

Exploring mechanisms of global linkages in climate variability to identify a key for climate prediction

Teleconnections link remote climate variations over the Earth

Regional disturbances in the atmosphere are transmitted to remote regions through changes in atmospheric circulation, a phenomenon called “teleconnection”. It forms through feedback processes that often involve ocean-atmosphere interactions, and induces further feedback in remote regions, sometimes leading to extreme weather. Ocean variability evolves slowly compared to the atmosphere and influences climate worldwide for seasons, even to decades. This process also provides a key for seasonal climate predictions.

Such natural climate variability interferes with human-induced climate change. On one hand, this can make heat wave even severer. On the other hand, it sometimes leads to regional cooling despite the ongoing global warming. Attribution of observed climate variability to human influence, which provides important implications for energy and climate policymaking, requires a deep understanding of natural variability and various numerical simulations of climate change.

We pursue understanding of global covariability of the climate system and identification of a key to climate predictability through analyzing observational and climate simulation data sets and designing and performing climate model simulations. Major research topics include

• (1) Mechanisms and predictability of extreme weather in East Asia arising from global-scale atmospheric circulation variability
• (2) Mechanisms of ocean-atmospheric variability in the Indo-Pacific Oceans and its global influence
• (3) Attribution of various climate change signals

Member

• 
• • Associate Professor
    Yu KOSAKA
  Specialized field: Climate change, Abnormal and extreme weather, Climate simulation

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