연구/산학
PKNU Research 1000
| Moon Woo-seok | Reveals Mid-Latitude Storms as the Cause of Tropical Expansion | |||
| 작성자 | 대외홍보센터 | 작성일 | 2025-12-23 |
| 조회수 | 135 | ||
| Moon Woo-seok | Reveals Mid-Latitude Storms as the Cause of Tropical Expansion | |||||
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대외홍보센터 |  |
2025-12-23 |  |
135 |
Pukyong National University Identifies Key Mechanism of ‘Hadley Circulation,’ a Longstanding Climate Science Challenge
？ Professor Moon Woo-seok’s Research Team Reveals Mid-Latitude Storms as the Cause of Tropical Expansion
A new explanation has been proposed for why the Hadley cell―a fundamental component of Earth’s climate system―is expanding toward the poles.
Professor Moon Woo-seok from the Department of Environmental Atmospheric Sciences at Pukyong National University and his research team have revealed that mid-latitude storms, also known as baroclinic eddies, are the main cause of this phenomenon, which has long been considered one of climate science’s great mysteries.
The Hadley cell is a large-scale atmospheric circulation system composed of rising air in the tropics and sinking air in the subtropics. It plays a crucial role in shaping global precipitation patterns, desert formation, and the position of jet streams.
Although observations and models over the past few decades have consistently shown that the boundary of the Hadley cell is shifting poleward, the cause of this phenomenon has remained unclear. The dominant explanation until now has been the 1980 Held & Hou model, but it fails to account for the critical role of mid-latitude storms in the actual atmosphere.
Professor Moon extended this classical theory by incorporating the heat and momentum transport of mid-latitude storms and, for the first time, proposed an energy-based mechanism that determines the expansion and contraction of the Hadley circulation.
According to the study, when mid-latitude storms transport more energy into the mid-latitudes, the Hadley cell contracts and strengthens; conversely, when less energy is transported, the Hadley cell expands toward the poles and weakens. As global warming progresses, the frequency and intensity of mid-latitude storms are decreasing, weakening the energy transport from the equator to the mid-latitudes―this is presumed to be driving the expansion of the Hadley circulation. This finding clearly demonstrates that changes in the Hadley cell are not merely a tropical issue but are closely linked to mid-latitude weather systems.
Professor Moon Woo-seok’s research clearly demonstrates that changes in midlatitude storms may become a key driver of future tropical expansion. Since variations in the Hadley circulation directly impact major climate factors such as global precipitation patterns, the expansion of drought-prone regions, and shifts in jet streams, this newly proposed mechanism carries significant implications for future predictions in the era of climate change.
Professor Moon published the findings in two papers titled ‘Influence of Baroclinic Eddies on the Hadley Cell Edge’ and ‘Midlatitude Interactions Expand the Hadley Circulation’, which were recently featured in the prestigious international journals <Journal of Climate> and <Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences>, respectively. Both studies are drawing considerable attention as the first to quantitatively identify the role of midlatitude storms in shaping the edge of the Hadley cell.
This research was supported by the Global Learning and Academic Mobility Program (LAMP, No. RS-2023-00301702), funded by the Ministry of Education and organized by the National Research Foundation of Korea. It is being recognized as a major turning point in resolving one of climate science’s long-standing challenges.