Brief introduction

　　The Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves (KLOCAW) was established in April 2006 as key laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at the Institute of Oceanology, CAS (IOCAS). The formation of KLOCAW was based on the Open Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Wave Studies, which is a combination of the Department of Physical Oceanography (1957-2000) and the Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Air-Sea Interaction (1989-2000) made in 2000. With a history of more than 50 years, ocean circulation and waves are privileged research topics of the IOCAS. To many aspects of physical oceanography, especially ocean circulation, KLOCAW made significant contribution with initiative and creative research.

　　KLOCAW has 45 staffs including one academician of CAS and 15 professors, with chairman Prof. Wang Fan and chairman of the academic committee Prof. Mm mu academician of CAS. KLOCAW is set up to focus on ocean circulation dynamics and its impacts on climate and environment, ocean waves and their effects on other oceanic processes, and remote sensing and prediction methods of ocean environment, in order to meet national strategic needs, to promote progress of oceanography and to become one of international centers in ocean circulation and wave studies.

Research Team

　　There are about 80 people in KLOCAW, including 38 staffs and 46 postdoctoral and graduate students. Among them,

　　2 academician of CAS

　　14 professors

　　10 associate professors

　　13 Ph.D. supervisors

　　34 with Ph.D.

　　2 winner of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars

　　2 winners of Joint Research Fund for Overseas Chinese Young Scholars

　　4 CAS 100-Talent Program Scientists

Research direction

　　1. Ocean circulation dynamics and its impacts on climate and environment

　　（1）Circulation variability in the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans and its impacts on climate change

　　（2）Shelf circulation dynamics in China seas and their envir-onmental and ecological effects

　　（3）Detection and prediction of meso-scale processes

　　2. Ocean waves and their effects on other oceanic processes

　　（1）Nonlinear dynamics of ocean waves and mixing

　　（2）Theory and prediction of multi-scale wave interactions

　　（3）Dynamics, prediction and assessment of oceanic disasters along China coast

　　3. Remote sensing and prediction methods of ocean environment

　　（1）Ocean remote sensing mechanism and retrieval algorithm

　　（2）Ocean remote sensing application

　　（3）Ocean remote sensing application

Research goals

　　To understand and determine changes of the western boundary currents and warm pool in the Pacific Ocean and their roles in seasonal and interannual climate change

　　To develop theories on multiscale ocean waves and their interactions, to reveal the causes of oceanic disasters and to improve prediction capability of ocean environment variations

　　To achieve breakthrough progresses in theories and methods of remote sensing inversion and data assimilation