Sang-Ki Lee

@sklee621.bsky.social

Physical oceanographer at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami FL. The contents of my posts are mine personally.

This satellite altimetry plot compares sea surface height anomalies on July 30–31 between the 2023 and 2026 El Niño events. With a peak Niño-3.4 index of +2.0 °C, the 2023–24 El Niño was the fifth-strongest event since 1950. But it is nothing compared to what is developing now. 🌊🧪

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What if the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) were to stop? Shutting off this critical ocean valve between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean could trigger a permanent El Niño state and reshape global weather patterns. Here’s what models show 🌊🧪 ocean2climate.org/2026/07/31/w...

What Happens to the Planet if the Indonesian Throughflow Stops?

This blog post and the “Deep Dive” podcast, created by NotebookLM, are based on several studies, including “The Role of Indonesian Throughflow in a Global Ocean GCM.” by Hirst and Godfr…

ocean2climate.org

Meanwhile, in the Indian Ocean, a Java–Sumatra Niña is about to form. It typically peaks in July–September, often occurring during the developing phase of El Niño, and serves as a precursor to a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (+IOD) event in September–November. 🌊🧪

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Weather noise tends to disrupt warm-water volume discharge after the El Niño peak, increasing the likelihood that positive recharge persists into the following year. This highlights the importance of resolving weather in seasonal forecast models: 🌊🧪 agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Atmospheric Noise Forcing Increases Multiyear El Niño Events

Interactive-ensemble CCSM4 experiments indicate that atmospheric noise increases the frequency of multiyear El Niño events A Stochastic Recharge Oscillator identifies the amplitude of thermocline...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Both the El Niño cycle & local Atlantic sea surface temperature patterns can drive up the total number of landfalling storms. However, only El Niño controls the percentage of storms that actually hit land because El Niño actively shifts the winds that steer these storms. 🌊🧪 doi.org/10.1029/2026...

Atmospheric and Oceanic Influences on Seasonal Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Landfall Probability

El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences the percentage of tropical cyclones (TCs) that make landfall over the Americas and Caribbean The number of named storms, landfalling named storms, a...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

It is too early to tell. But, it appears that Atlantic Nina is about to form. It is not unusual to have a cold event forming during the developing phase of strong El Nino event. Atlantic Nina tends to suppress Cabo Verde Hurricanes, which often become a major hurricane to hit Caribbean islands.🌊🧪

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The Cooperative Institute for Marine & Atmospheric Studies of the University of Miami invites applications for a postdoc who will investigate the impact of ocean observations on tropical cyclone & hurricane prediction, using the Marine-JEDI and MOM6 model: 🌊🧪 careers.miami.edu/us/en/job/R1...

Postdoctoral Associate - CIMAS in Miami, Florida, United States of America | Research at University of Miami

Apply for Postdoctoral Associate - CIMAS job with University of Miami in Miami, Florida, United States of America. Research at University of Miami

careers.miami.edu

The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is a reliable pulse in the tropical stratosphere, a critical predictor of global weather. A new study shows that the QBO may collapse under sustained global warming, thereby disrupting our ability to predict global weather. 🌊🧪 ocean2climate.org/2026/03/04/t...

The Stratospheric Metronome of Global Weather Is Fading Under Global Warming

This blog post and the “Deep Dive” podcast, created by NotebookLM, are based on “The disappearing quasi-biennial oscillation under sustained global warming” by Luo et al. (2026). Luo et al. (2026) …

ocean2climate.org

Have you noticed synchronized SST anomalies between the Pacific and Atlantic in global maps? It’s not a coincidence. According to a new study in Science Advances by Joh et al. (2026), this "oceanic handshake" is directly linked to the retreat of Arctic sea ice. 🌊🧪 ocean2climate.org/2026/03/01/t...

The Great Ocean Sync: How Melting Arctic Ice Links the World’s Most Powerful Currents

This blog post and the “Deep Dive” podcast, created by NotebookLM, are based on “Evolving synchronization of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension in a changing climate” by Joh et al. (202…

ocean2climate.org