Hello, I'm
Yuanyuan Song
宋元元
Postdoctoral Associate
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Hello, I'm
宋元元
Postdoctoral Associate
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
My research in climate dynamics and oceanography investigates how changes in regional surface air temperature and ocean temperature, together with sea ice loss and atmospheric circulation, shapes weather or ocean extremes across the coupled Earth system. My work is built on one idea, that a change in one part of the system, such as a warming ocean or shrinking sea ice, can reshape climate far away through large-scale dynamical connections. I study these links by combining ocean state estimates, climate models, observations, and diagnostics across seasons to decades. I will pursue interdisciplinary research on how anthropogenic atmosphere chemistry components, such as aerosols and ozone, modulate these patterns. I also aim to develop interpretable machine learning approaches that identify physical mechanisms and improve climate prediction.
As anthropogenic greenhouse gases increase heat retention in the Earth system, the ocean absorbs nearly 98% of the excess heat. Understanding where and how ocean temperature changes occur is central to assessing impacts on human activities and marine ecosystems. My research focuses on identifying the physical mechanisms that shape patterns of ocean temperature change under atmospheric forcing, and how sea surface temperature anomalies feed back onto atmospheric circulation.
I investigated zonal differences in upper-ocean temperature changes in the Southern Ocean (south of 35°S) from the perspectives of both anthropogenic trends (Song et al., 2025, Nature Communications) and decadal internal variability (Song et al., 2024, Journal of Climate). These studies reveal pronounced zonal contrasts between the Atlantic–Indian Ocean and Pacific sectors, previously overlooked due to prevalent use of zonal-mean diagnostics. Using large ensemble climate models (CESM2, CMIP6), stand-alone ocean modeling, and reanalysis datasets, I demonstrated that surface wind changes dominantly drive zonal temperature contrasts via modulating ocean heat transport, rather than through local surface heat fluxes.
Polar regions are among the most sensitive components of the climate system. Arctic surface temperatures have risen at nearly four times the global mean rate, accompanied by rapid sea-ice decline, while mid-latitude regions experience increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events. My research seeks to clarify the dynamical connections between Arctic sea-ice decline and mid-latitude and tropical atmospheric circulation.
I found that autumn sea-ice loss north of Russia enhances wintertime atmospheric blocking circulation, leading to cold anomalies over northern Eurasia (Song et al., 2023). The results reveal a positive feedback between sea-ice-induced stratospheric circulation and intensified tropospheric blocking, mediated by vertical wave propagation. I also examined the combined roles of Arctic sea-ice loss and Indian Ocean SST anomalies in driving the record-breaking 2020 rainfall over central–eastern China and Japan (Chen et al., 2021; Chen et al., 2022).
Service
Communications Earth & Environment, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Journal of Climate, Frontiers of Earth Science
Leader
Connect undergraduates, graduates, postdocs, and faculty through hosting seminars sharing career and research experiences. Award: $1,500 for 2025–2026 from MIT School of Science Quality of Life Grant.
Leader · 54 members
Award: $2,000 for each year during 2024-2027 from MIT Center for International Studies. Initiate and host lunch seminars to foster multidisciplinary collaboration related to climate change at MIT.
Co-leader · 483 members
Host online seminars to foster multidisciplinary communication in the US 2025-2026.
Postdoc Representative
Represent postdoctoral researchers in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.
Volunteer
Serve as a science judge in this regional ocean sciences competition for Massachusetts high school students.