AGU Chapman Conference on The Width of the Tropics: Climate Variations and Their Impact; Santa Fe, New Mexico; July 26-31, 2015

在过去的十年里，科学越来越关注地球表面和地表以上的热带气候的详细方面，以及热带和温带之间界线的位置。越来越多的文献讨论了哈德利单体、急流和纬向平均大气环流的位置和强度变化的可能性。这些变化可能表现为地表气候的变化，特别是降水的变化，并产生重要的社会和生态后果。若干研究已查明在热带和温带之间的边界有向极地移动；这种现象被称为“热带扩大”或“热带扩张”。这次查普曼会议将汇集来自不同背景的科学家来探索和总结科学现状，并确定与热带扩大问题相关的未来研究方向。将特别强调这一问题的多学科性质，目的是使会议与会者所代表的各种气候科学分专题能够相互促进。为了促进这一点，计划了以下四个会议主题：什么决定了热带带的宽度？2. 热带宽度在过去是如何以及为什么变化的？3. 未来热带宽度如何以及为什么会发生变化？4. 对海洋、冰冻圈、水文循环、人类社会和生态系统有什么影响？该研讨会将于2015年7月26日至31日在新墨西哥州圣达菲举行。NSF基金将用于支持大约15名研究生和早期职业科学家。

The past decade has witnessed increasing scientific focus on detailed aspects of tropical climate, at and above the Earth's surface, and on the location of the boundary between the tropical and extratropical zones. A growing body of literature addresses the possibility of changes in the position and strength of the Hadley cell, jet streams, and zonal mean atmospheric circulation. These changes could manifest as changes in surface climate, particularly precipitation, and have important societal and ecological consequences. A number of studies have identified poleward movement in the boundary between tropical and extratropical zones; this phenomenon has been referred to as "tropical widening" or "expansion of the tropical belt."This Chapman Conference will bring together scientists from a wide range of backgrounds to explore and summarize the state of the science and identify future research directions relevant for the problem of tropical widening. A particular emphasis will be on the multi-disciplinary nature of the problem with the goal of enabling cross-fertilization among the wide range of climate science subtopics represented by the participants of the conference. To facilitate this, the following four session topics are planned: What determines the width of the tropical belt? 2. How and why has the tropical width changed in the past? 3. How and why might the tropical width change in the future? 4. What are the impacts for the oceans, cryosphere, hydrologic cycle, human society, and ecosystems?The workshop will be held July 26-31 2015 at Santa Fe, New Mexico. NSF funds will go towards support of approximately 15 graduate students and early career scientists.