The Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation and Its Role In Climate Variability and Change

Dr. Thomas Delworth
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Princeton University

Date: January 21, 2003
Time: 10 am
Location: Clark 507, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Biography

Dr. Delworth's primary research interests involve the natural variability of the Earth's climate system on time scales of seasons to centuries. He believes that such variability is critical both in its own right and in terms of detecting climate change. His recent work has involved the role that the Atlantic Ocean plays in climate variability on a variety of time scales. Decadal variability in the Tropical Atlantic has a pronounced impact on South America and Africa, while variability of the Thermohaline Circulation influences the transport of heat from the Tropics to higher latitudes.