Review on observational studies of western tropical Pacific Ocean circulation and climate

• Published in: Journal of oceanology and limnology Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 906 - 929
• Main Authors: Hu, Dunxin, Wang, Fan, Sprintall, Janet, Wu, Lixin, Riser, Stephen, Cravatte, Sophie, Gordon, Arnold, Zhang, Linlin, Chen, Dake, Zhou, Hui, Ando, Kentaro, Wang, Jianing, Lee, Jae-Hak, Hu, Shijian, Wang, Jing, Zhang, Dongxiao, Feng, Junqiao, Liu, Lingling, Villanoy, Cesar, Kaluwin, Chalapan, Qu, Tangdong, Ma, Yixin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Science Press 01.07.2020; Springer Nature B.V; Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China%School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98195-7940, USA%LEGOS, Université de Toulouse, IRD, CNES, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31520, France%Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10027, USA%State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Hangzhou 310012, China%Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan%Ocean Circulation and Climate Research, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan 49111, Korea%Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA%Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines%School of Natural and Physical Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Portmoresby 134, Papua New Guinea%Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Sciences and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles CA 90095, USA; Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China%Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA%Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
• Subjects: area; Atmospheric convection; Circulation; Climate; Complexity; convection; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; energy; Environmental impact; field experimentation; Field tests; Global climate; International studies; limnology; Observational studies; Ocean circulation; Ocean currents; Oceanography; oceans; Pacific Ocean; Review; Variability; Warm water; water; Water circulation; Water temperature; Pacific Ocean; Western Tropical Pacific (WTP); climate; observation; ocean circulation
• ISSN: 2096-5508; 2523-3521
• DOI: 10.1007/s00343-020-0240-1

The Western Tropical Pacific (WTP) Ocean holds the largest area of warm water (>28°C) in the world ocean referred to as the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP), which modulates the regional and global climate through strong atmospheric convection and its variability. The WTP is unique in terms of its complex 3-D ocean circulation system and intensive multiscale variability, making it crucial in the water and energy cycle of the global ocean. Great advances have been made in understanding the complexity of the WTP ocean circulation and associated climate impact by the international scientific community since the 1960s through field experiments. In this study, we review the evolving insight to the 3-D structure and multi-scale variability of the ocean circulation in the WTP and their climatic impacts based on in-situ ocean observations in the past decades, with emphasis on the achievements since 2000. The challenges and open questions remaining are reviewed as well as future plan for international study of the WTP ocean circulation and climate.