Climate Variability and Dynamics

Climate variability and dynamics constitute a central theme in atmospheric and environmental sciences, focusing on the natural and anthropogenic processes that influence the Earth’s climate system across different spatial and temporal scales. Variability arises from complex interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, cryosphere, and biosphere, manifesting as short-term fluctuations (such as monsoonal shifts, ENSO events, or extreme weather episodes) and long-term patterns (such as decadal oscillations and trends).



Understanding climate dynamics is crucial for explaining the mechanisms that drive these changes, including atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, energy exchanges, and feedback processes. Such knowledge is vital in assessing the impacts of climate variability on ecosystems, agriculture, water resources, human health, and socio-economic stability. Moreover, in the context of global climate change, distinguishing between natural variability and human-induced trends has become increasingly important for improving climate predictions, developing adaptation strategies, and informing policy decisions.



Problem: Despite significant advances in climate science, there remain major gaps in understanding and predicting the complex patterns of climate variability and the underlying dynamics that drive them. Phenomena such as monsoon fluctuations, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Arctic oscillations influence regional and global weather extremes, water availability, agriculture, and socio-economic systems. However, uncertainties in quantifying these processes and their interactions across multiple scales hinder reliable predictions.



A pressing challenge is to distinguish natural variability from long-term anthropogenic climate change, as their overlapping signals complicate trend analysis and projections. Current models often struggle to accurately capture regional climate variability, extreme events, and feedback processes such as ocean–atmosphere coupling, land–atmosphere interactions, and cryosphere responses. This limitation affects climate risk assessments, adaptation planning, and disaster preparedness.



What Can Be Done

1. Enhanced Observational Data and Monitoring, 2. Improved Climate Modeling and Prediction, 3. Understanding Teleconnections and Feedbacks, and 4. Bridging Science and Policy



Scope: The Research Topic “Climate Variability and Dynamics” aims to advance understanding of the physical mechanisms, feedbacks, and impacts associated with climate variability across different temporal and spatial scales. The scope encompasses both fundamental process-based studies and applied research that bridges climate science with societal needs. We invite contributions that address natural variability, anthropogenic influences, and the interactions between the two, with a particular focus on improving predictability and resilience in the face of climate change.



Specific Themes: 1. Mechanisms of Climate Variability, 2. Regional and Global Climate Patterns, and 3. Extreme Events and Predictability



Types of Manuscripts Invited: 1. Original Research Articles, 2. Review Articles, and 3. Short Communications

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Monsoons, ENSO, IOD, SST, Atmospheric waves

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.