Séminaire
Past and future trends in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system of the tropical Pacific have been the subject of a broad ranging investigation among the climate dynamics community. Perhaps nowhere are the expressions of those dynamics more vivid--both in terms of key physical quantities as well the biological, chemical, and ecological response--than the Galapagos. Purely by accident of geography, the Galapagos is also remarkably well suited as habitat for many species such as the Galapagos Penguin (the northernmost colony of Penguins on the planet) and the Galapagos Fur Seal, which are acutely sensitive to interannual climate variability and possibly longer-term trends. In this talk, I will discuss variability and trends since 1982 using a high-resolution sea surface temperature (SST) data set along with some ecological data, and present some preliminary thoughts on an SST-zonal wind feedback that is presently missing from climate models. The objective of this talk is also to stimulate collaboration with IPSL scientists by giving an overview of some of my current research interests.