Dr. Michael J. McPhaden is a distinguished leader in oceanographic research and climate science with decades of influential contributions to understanding ocean-atmosphere interactions. He currently serves as a Senior Scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, Washington, where he has held this prestigious position since 1998. Dr. McPhaden earned his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1980, following his undergraduate studies in Physics at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he graduated magna cum laude. Throughout his career, he has held significant leadership roles including Director of the Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array Project Office since 2007 and previously served as Director of the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean Array Project Office from 1992 to 2007, establishing himself as a central figure in the development of global ocean observing systems. His professional affiliations include Senior Fellow positions at both the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean and the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, demonstrating his deep integration within the oceanographic research community.
Dr. McPhaden's pioneering work spearheading the development of the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean buoy array across the equatorial Pacific Ocean has revolutionized the scientific community's ability to observe and understand El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomena. His leadership in establishing comprehensive ocean observing systems has created an indispensable foundation for climate research and prediction, with his scholarly work cited more than 55,000 times according to Google Scholar. As lead editor of the influential book El Niño-Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate published by the American Geophysical Union, he has significantly shaped scientific understanding of how climate change affects ENSO dynamics and impacts. His research has provided critical insights into large-scale ocean dynamics and their role in climate variability across intraseasonal to decadal time scales, fundamentally advancing the field's capacity to monitor and predict climate patterns. His recent work has highlighted the connection between global warming and increased frequency of extreme ENSO-related phenomena such as droughts, floods, and severe storms, demonstrating how climate change has already begun to amplify natural climate variability.
Beyond his technical contributions, Dr. McPhaden has played a pivotal role in international scientific collaboration through his leadership positions on numerous influential committees including the International CLIVAR Pacific Ocean Panel and the International CLIVAR Indian Ocean Panel, roles he has maintained since 2001 and 2003 respectively. His service as Chair of the AGU Ethics Committee from 2015 to 2019 demonstrates his commitment to scientific integrity and professional standards within the geophysical community. As an active editorial board member of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society since 2001, he continues to shape the discourse in climate science literature while maintaining membership in the PIRATA Steering Group since 1995. Dr. McPhaden remains at the forefront of addressing critical questions about climate change impacts on ocean-atmosphere interactions, with his ongoing work focusing on how warming temperatures are altering ENSO characteristics and increasing the severity of climate extremes worldwide. His continued leadership in the Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array ensures the maintenance and evolution of critical observational infrastructure essential for advancing climate science and improving prediction capabilities for future generations.
