How Do Distant Oceans Shape Climate in the Tropical Pacific?

Profile Picture of - Noel Gutierrez-Brizuela

Noel Gutierrez-Brizuela

Abstract information

In this video, Noel Gutierrez-Brizuela investigates why cold waters rise to the surface in the eastern tropical Pacific and how this process shapes global climate. Using an energy-based approach, his research reveals that a large share of the energy driving upwelling comes from distant ocean regions. By tracing how heat and motion are redistributed across the Pacific, he highlights the hidden connections that influence extreme weather, long-term climate trends, and marine ecosystems.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB101248

Researcher

Dr. Noel Gutierrez Brizuela is a physical oceanographer working to understand the Earth's largest energy flows by looking at small details in the ocean circulation. Currently a Group Leader at the Climate Dynamics Department of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Noel combines theory, observations, and computer simulations to to see how small-scale ocean physics influence global climate variability. He holds a Physics degree from Universidad de Guadalajara, a PhD from the University of California San Diego, and was later a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University.

Institution information

Max Planck Institute for Meteorology

The Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) is an internationally renowned institute for climate research, founded in Hamburg in 1975, affiliated with the Max Planck Society and the University of Hamburg. Scientists at MPI-M investigate what determines the sensitivity of the Earth system to perturbations such as the changing composition of its atmosphere, and work toward establishing the sources and limits of predictability within the Earth system, developing and analysing sophisticated Earth system models complemented by targeted measurements and satellite observations. The MPI-M comprises three departments: Climate Dynamics, Climate Physics, and Climate Variability.
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
Cover Photo of - Max Planck Institute for Meteorology

Original Publication

Tropical thermocline helps power Pacific equatorial upwelling

Noel G. Brizuela,

Chia‐Ying Lee,

Adam H. Sobel,

Richard Seager,

Suzana J. Camargo,

Published in

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Citation

Noel Gutierrez-Brizuela, 

Latest Thinking, 

How Do Distant Oceans Shape Climate in the Tropical Pacific?, 

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB101248, 

Credits:

© Noel Gutierrez-Brizuela 

and Latest Thinking

This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0