Why Does the Southeastern Pacific Cool in a Warming World?

Profile Picture of - Moritz Günther

Moritz Günther

Abstract information

In this video, Günter Moritz explores why the southeastern Pacific has cooled despite global greenhouse warming. Using simulations with the MPI-ESM developed at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, he shows that an enhanced land–sea temperature contrast can drive wind changes that cool the eastern Pacific, supported by cloud and upwelling feedbacks. The findings suggest this cooling is likely temporary and relevant for understanding future global warming patterns.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB101251

Researcher

Moritz Günther is Research Group Leader in the Climate Dynamics Department at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, where he has led the “Large-scale Coupled Dynamics” group since 2025. His research focuses on sea surface temperature pattern formation and its implications for atmospheric circulation, feedbacks, and climate sensitivity. He completed his PhD with distinction at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and received the Ines Biasoni Prize for the best PhD thesis in climate science.

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
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Original Publication

Heating the land cools the eastern and equatorial Pacific

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Citation

Moritz Günther, 

Latest Thinking, 

Why Does the Southeastern Pacific Cool in a Warming World?, 

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB101251, 

Credits:

© Moritz Günther 

and Latest Thinking

This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0