PhD


The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of climate variability in the tropical Pacific and plays an essential role in modulating the global climate through its numerous teleconnections. As a coupled phenomenon, ENSO is inherently multivariate, and coupled feedbacks between the atmosphere and ocean are central to generating ENSO events. However, debate persists over what physical process actually initiates events, and consequently, there is a lack of consensus on ENSO predictability estimates.  The unpredictable component of ENSO is largely due to its sensitivity to stochastic processes. Coupled feedbacks are critical in the tropical Pacific, but the role of atmospheric noise on ENSO predictability remains unclear.  My research aims to disentangle the dual influences of stochastic processes and deterministic dynamics on ENSO predictability.