Global mean surface warming has stalled since the end of the 20th century, but the net radiation imbalance at the top of the atmosphere continues to suggest an increasingly warming planet. This apparent contradiction has been reconciled by an anomalous heat flux into the Pacific Ocean, induced by a shift toward a La Nina-like state... Continue Reading →
Recent violent and widespread tornado outbreaks in the US, such as occurred in the spring of 2011, have caused devastating societal impact with significant loss of life and property. At present, our capacity to predict US tornado and other severe weather risk does not extend beyond seven days. In an effort to advance our capability... Continue Reading →
Since late 1978, Antarctic sea-ice extent has overall expanded in all seasons in stark contrast to the retreating Arctic sea-ice extent. However, while the sea-ice extent around East Antarctica has increased monotonically, the sea-ice around West Antarctica exhibits regionally and seasonally inhomogeneous trends. For instance, Antarctic sea-ice extent in the East Pacific has decreased substantially... Continue Reading →
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) continues to boast its prominence as Earth's strongest source of year-to-year climate variability with the appearance of a remarkable El Niño event in the boreal winter of 2015. The 2015/16 El Niño was indeed a strong event with dramatic impact on a global scale. However, it exhibited distinct characteristics... Continue Reading →
Sang-Ki Lee (Ph.D), Oceanographer at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory of NOAA Hi. I am an Oceanographer working on a range of topics related to ocean and climate, such as El Nino - Southern Oscillation, Extreme weather events, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and Antarctic sea ice. You can find more about my research on my... Continue Reading →
Ocean to Climate 