Talk Title:  Deciphering the North Atlantic “Warming Hole”

Guest speaker: Prof. Shineng Hu, Assistant Professor, Division of Earth and Climate Science, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

Host: Prof. Ding Ma, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Science, Duke Kunshan University

Time: 10AM-11AM, Friday November 25 CST.

Zoom ID: 650 476 0215

Biography:

Prof. Shineng Hu is a climate dynamicist. Our lab combines observations, theory, and climate modeling to study climate dynamics on a broad range of timescales, with a particular focus on ocean-atmosphere interactions. The research topics we study include El Niño, ocean inter-basin interactions, global warming, paleoclimate, etc. More details can be found in Research and Publications. Our lab is always looking for passionate undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars to join us. Please check out Openings and feel free to contact me, if you are interested.

Abstract:

Over the past century, the subpolar North Atlantic experienced slight cooling or suppressed warming, relative to the background positive temperature trends, often dubbed the North Atlantic warming hole (NAWH). The cause of the NAWH remains under debate. Here we conduct coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations to demonstrate that enhanced Indian Ocean warming, another salient feature of global warming, could increase local rainfall and through teleconnections strengthen surface westerly winds south of Greenland, cooling the subpolar North Atlantic. We further argue the historically observed NAWH was mainly caused by this atmospheric mechanism, rather than the slowdown of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation suggested by previous studies. Our study highlights the critical role of air-sea interaction in shaping the global warming pattern.

This seminar is organized by DKU Environmental Science Research Group, with the Environmental Research Center and the Division of Natural and Applied Sciences