[A-CG35] Multi-scale ocean-atmosphere interaction in the tropics

[ACG35-08] Decadal vision in oceanography 2021: Tropical oceans

★Invited Papers

*Takeshi Doi¹, Sayaka Yasunaka², Kazutaka Takahashi³, Michio Watanabe², Tomoki Tozuka^4,1, Haruko Kurihara⁵ (1.Research Institute for Value-Added-Information Generation, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2.Research Institute for Global Change, JAMSTEC, 3.Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 4.Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 5.Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus)

Keywords:future planning, physical and biogeochemical perspective, ENSO, Prediction

A review of progress in oceanographic research in the tropics over the past decade is provided. Physical and biogeochemical oceanographic perspectives regarding directions for the next decade are proposed, with a special focus on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific. Although physical understanding of the ENSO has considerably advanced and its dynamical prediction has now become possible, our understanding of mechanisms and ability to predict variations in the material cycles, biological production, and biodiversity associated with the ENSO is still rudimentary. Because effects of internal natural climate variability on the marine system (e.g., ocean warming, acidification, and deoxygenation) have become more serious with global warming, comprehensive understanding and more accurate prediction of the ENSO and its effects on the tropical ocean system are becoming increasingly important. This research will also be key to anticipating changing societal needs as ocean conditions change. In particular, basin-scale studies based on Biogeochemical Argo floats and earth system models, process-oriented studies based on ship/buoy observations and experiment/observation by local research stations, and feedback between the basin-scale studies and the process-oriented studies will be key in the coming decade. The tropical Pacific is an optimal testbed for innovative cross-disciplinary programs that contribute to better understanding and prediction of the ocean system, because its interannual variations associated with the ENSO are highly predictable relative to other oceans.