Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Interactions

To study coupling processes in the Southeast Pacific and advance global climate modelling, WCRP/CLIVAR is developing the VAMOS Ocean Cloud Atmosphere Land Study. The Southeast Pacific bears signatures of a tightly coupled system involving poorly understood interactions between clouds, aerosols, upper ocean dynamics and thermodynamics, coastal currents and surfacing of deep water, and regional circulations influenced by the Andes Mountains. This climate system has proven difficult to simulate by state-of-the-art Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models (CGCMs) used for climate change projections and El Niño forecasting. To close these gaps the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study (VOCALS) is being developed by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and partners.
Further information about VOCALS