The Dynamics and Impacts of Ocean-Atmosphere Coupling on Regional and Global Climate

A special issue of Climate (ISSN 2225-1154).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1347

Special Issue Editors

Climate Change Research Section (CCR), Global Climate Dynamics Laboratory (CGD), National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), 1850 Table Mesa Dr., Boulder, CO 80305, USA
Interests: global and regional sea level change in the past and future; atlantic meridional overturning circulation and its impact on global and regional climate; influence of decadal-interdecadal variability on global and regional climate
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Guest Editor
Marine Science and Technology College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
Interests: mesoscale dynamics; mesoscale air–sea interaction; extreme ocean events; climate change; high-resolution modelling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ocean and atmosphere, as two of the most critical components of the Earth’s system, interact across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. These interactions regulate the global energy balance and water cycle, significantly influencing both global and regional climate changes. Enhancing our understanding of ocean–atmosphere coupling at various scales is crucial for improving our capability in predicting different modes of climate variability. As a result, ocean–atmosphere coupling has become a cutting-edge field of interest in both oceanography and atmospheric science, with the potential to drive significant breakthroughs in predictions across scales and future climate change research.

Understanding ocean–atmosphere coupling requires a multi-faceted approach, incorporating perspectives across various time scales (daily, seasonal, inter-annual, decadal, and multi-decadal), spatial scales (large-scale, mesoscale, and submesoscale), and latitudinal variations (as dominant air–sea coupling processes can differ significantly in tropical, subtropical, mid-latitude, and polar regions). This research also necessitates the integration of diverse disciplines, including meteorology, oceanography, hydrology, biology, and ecology. Moreover, advancing our understanding depends on robust data support from observations, ocean–atmosphere coupled models, reanalysis products, and other sources. This Special Issue aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interactions within ocean–atmosphere coupling and address critical scientific challenges that remain unresolved.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The roles of air–sea interactions at different scales in the global energy and water cycle processes;
  • Changes in the ocean, atmosphere, and coupled systems in the context of global warming;
  • Air–sea interactions during extreme weather events, such as typhoons/hurricanes;
  • The relationship between ocean–atmosphere coupling processes in key oceanic regions and global climate change;

Development and application of numerical models, data assimilation methods, and reanalysis systems in ocean–atmosphere coupling research.

Dr. Aixue Hu
Dr. Mengrong Ding
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • ocean–atmosphere coupling
  • multiple scales
  • climate change
  • S2S and S2D prediction
  • heat and momentum exchanges
  • ENSO
  • storm track

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2489 KiB  
Article
Interannual Variability in Barotropic Sea Level Differences Across the Korea/Tsushima Strait and Its Relationship to Upper-Ocean Current Variability in the Western North Pacific
by Jihwan Kim, Hanna Na and SeungYong Lee
Climate 2025, 13(7), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli13070144 - 9 Jul 2025
Viewed by 109
Abstract
The barotropic sea level difference (SLD) across the Korea/Tsushima Strait (KTS) is considered an index of the volume transport into the East/Japan Sea. This study investigates the interannual variability of the barotropic SLD (the KTS inflow) from 1985 to 2017 and its relationship [...] Read more.
The barotropic sea level difference (SLD) across the Korea/Tsushima Strait (KTS) is considered an index of the volume transport into the East/Japan Sea. This study investigates the interannual variability of the barotropic SLD (the KTS inflow) from 1985 to 2017 and its relationship to upper-ocean (<300 m) current variability in the western North Pacific. An increase in the KTS inflow is associated with a weakening of the Kuroshio current through the Tokara Strait and upper-ocean cooling in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, characteristic of a La Niña-like state. Diagnostic analysis reveals that the KTS inflow variability is linked to at least two statistically distinct and concurrent modes of oceanic variability. The first mode is tied to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation through large-scale changes in the Kuroshio system. The second mode, which is linearly uncorrelated with the first, is associated with regional eddy kinetic energy variability in the western North Pacific. The identification of these parallel pathways suggests a complex regulatory system for the KTS inflow. This study provides a new framework for understanding the multi-faceted connection between the KTS and upstream oceanic processes, with implications for the predictability of the ocean environmental conditions in the East/Japan Sea. Full article
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12 pages, 4286 KiB  
Article
El Niño Magnitude and Western Pacific Warm Pool Displacement. Part II: Future Changes Under Global Warming
by Zhuoxin Gu and De-Zheng Sun
Climate 2025, 13(5), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli13050097 - 9 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 850
Abstract
Observations reveal a strong correlation between the magnitude of El Niño and the displacement of the eastern edge of the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP). In Part I, this relationship was examined in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models using [...] Read more.
Observations reveal a strong correlation between the magnitude of El Niño and the displacement of the eastern edge of the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP). In Part I, this relationship was examined in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models using their historical simulations, and it was found to be comparable to that in the observations. The present study extends the analysis to future projections under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios—SSP245 and SSP585—to assess whether this strong relationship persists under global warming. It is found that El Niño magnitude and WPWP boundary displacement in most models under global warming are as strongly correlated as in the observations and their historical simulations. Moreover, most models project that stronger El Niño events will be accompanied by a greater eastward displacement of the WPWP boundary. For models with a positive response, the ensemble projects an increase in El Niño magnitude of 0.21 ± 0.03 °C (0.20 ± 0.03 °C) under the SSP245 (SSP585) scenario, accompanied by an eastward displacement of the WPWP by 11.7 ± 1.3° (11.1 ± 1.0°) in longitude. These results further support the notion that El Niño is a consequence of the eastward extension of the WPWP. Full article
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