Science and societies

Why study the Tropical Atlantic?

The Tropical Atlantic plays a central role in the climate of Africa and South America. Interactions between the ocean, atmosphere, and continents control rainfall, monsoon systems, marine productivity, and ecosystems, with major implications for weather extremes, food security, and regional economies.

The region also exhibits strong climate variability on interannual to multidecadal timescales, driven by both natural processes and anthropogenic forcing. Understanding these variations is essential for improving climate prediction and assessing impacts on marine ecosystems and society.

Schematic of the key components for understanding tropical Atlantic variability (Foltz et al., 2019)
Schematic of the key components for understanding tropical Atlantic variability (from Foltz et al., 2019)

Key scientific questions

  • What controls Tropical Atlantic variability from seasonal to multidecadal timescales?
  • How can observations and models improve climate predictions?
  • How does climate variability affect marine ecosystems and regional societies?

CLIMATE

PREDICTABILITY

ECOSYSTEMS

SOCIETIES

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