International Pacific Research Center | People

Julian McCreary, Jr.

Professor of Oceanography

International Pacific Research Center
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822

Phone: (808) 956-2216
Fax: (808) 956-9425
Email:

Education

1977 - Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.
1968 - M.S., Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
1966 - B.S., Pomona College, Pomona, California

Research Interests

Equatorial ocean dynamics
Coastal ocean dynamics
Ocean circulation
Coupled ocean-atmosphere models of climate dynamics
Ecosystem modelling

Professional Experience

University of Hawaii, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Professor, Physical Oceanography, Department of Oceanography, 1999–present
Director, International Pacific Research Center, 1999–2008

Nova University Oceanographic Center, Florida

Dean, 1991–'99
Director, 1981–'91
Acting Director, 1980–'81
Professor, 1981–'99
Associate Professor, 1979–'81
Assistant Professor, 1977–'79

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Research Assistant, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, California, 1972–'77
Instructor, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, 1968–'72

Editorial Service

Editor, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 1995–2001
Science Editor, TOGA Notes, 1989–'95
Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research, 1989–'95; Senior Editor, 1992–'95
Associate Editor, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 1984
Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research, 1982

Awards and Honors

2006 AGU Fellow Committee
2003 Fellow, American Meteorological Society
2001 Henry G. Houghton Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1999 Fellow, American Geophysical Union
1996        Sverdrup Gold Medal from the American Meteorological Society for
                 "fundamental contributions to the physical understanding of upper-ocean
                 dynamics, including El Niño, the Equatorial Undercurrent, the ocean
                 mixed layer, and eastern boundary currents''
1987 H. Burr Steinbach Visiting Scholar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.
1982–84 Visiting Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford University, Oxford, England
1981        Editor's Award from the American Meteorological Society for
                "providing observative, constructive, and thought-provoking reviews on
                 numerous manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Physical Oceanography''

Refereed Publications

Chatterjee, A., D. Shankar, J.P. McCreary, P.N. Vinayachandran, in press: Yanai Waves in the Western Equatorial Indian Ocean J. Phys. Oceanogr., IPRC-949.
Cheng, X., S.-P. Xie, J.P. McCreary, Y. Qi, Y. Du, in press: Intraseasonal variability of sea surface height over the Bay of Bengal. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, IPRC-945.
Furue, R., J.P. McCreary, J. Benthuysen, H.E. Phillips, and N.L. Bindoff, in press: Dynamics of the Leeuwin Current: Part 1. Coastal flows in an inviscid, variable-density, layer model. Dyn. of Atmos. and Oceans, IPRC-952.
Aparna, S.G., J.P. McCreary, D. Shankar, and P.N. Vinayachandran, 2012: Signatures of Indian Ocean Dipole and El Niño-Southern Oscillation events in sea level variations in the Bay of Bengal. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 117, C10012, doi:10.1029/2012JC008055. IPRC-916.
Schloesser, F., R. Furue, J.P. McCreary, and A. Timmermann, 2012: Dynamics of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Part 1: buoyancy-forced response. Progr. in Oceanography, 101 (1), 33-62, doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2012.01.002. IPRC-849.
Jayakumar, A., J. Vialard, M. Lengaigne, C. Gnanaseelan, J.P. McCreary, and B. Praveen Kumar, 2011: Processes controlling the surface temperature signature of the Madden-Julian Oscillation in the thermocline ridge of the Indian Ocean. Clim. Dyn., 37, 2217-2234, DOI: 10.1007/s00382-010-0953-5.
Ascani, F., E. Firing, P. Dutrieux, J.P. McCreary, and A. Ishida, 2010: Deep equatorial ocean circulation induced by a forced-dissipated Yanai beam. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 40, 1118-1142.
Shankar, D., S.G. Aparna, J.P. McCreary, I. Suresh, S. Neetu, F. Durand, S.S.C. Shenoi, and M.A. Al Saafan, 2010: Minima of interannual sea-level variability in the Indian Ocean. Progress in Oceanography, 84, 225-241.
Furue, R., J.P. McCreary, and Z. Yu, 2009: Dynamics of the northern Tsuchiya Jet. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 39 (9), 2024-2051.
McCreary, J.P., R. Murtugudde, J. Vialard, P.N. Vinayachandran, J.D. Wiggert, R.R. Hood, D. Shankar, and S.R. Shetye, 2009: Biophysical processes in the Indian Ocean, In: Indian Ocean Biogeochemical Processes and Ecological Variability, American Geophysical Union, Washington DC.
Schott, F.A., S.-P. Xie, and J.P. McCreary Jr., 2009: Indian Ocean circulation and climate variability. Rev. Geophys., 47, RG1002, doi:10.1029/2007RG000245.
Vialard, J., S.S.C Shenoi, J.P. McCreary, D. Shankar, F. Durand, V. Fernando, and S.R. Shetye, 2009: Intraseasonal response of the Northern Indian Ocean coastal waveguide to the Madden-Julian Oscillation. Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L14606, doi:10.1029/2009GL038450.
Yaremchuk, M., J. McCreary, Z. Yu, and R. Furue, 2009: The South China Sea throughflow retrieved from climatological data. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 39 (3), 753–767.
Natarov, A., K. Richards, and J.P. McCreary, 2008: Two-dimensional instabilities of time-dependent zonal flows: Linear shear. J. Fluid Mech., 599, 29–50.
Qu, T., Y. Du, J.P. McCreary, Jr., G. Meyers, and T. Yamagata, 2008: Buffering Effect and its Related Ocean Dynamics in the Indonesian Throughflow Region. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 38 (2), 503–516.
Solomon, A., S.-I. Shin, M. A. Alexander, J. P. McCreary, 2008: The relative importance of tropical variability forced from the North Pacific through ocean pathways. Clim. Dyn., 32 (2-3), 315–331.
Yu, Z., J.P. McCreary, M. Yaremchuk, and R. Furue, 2008: Subsurface salinity balance in the South China Sea. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 38 (2), 527–539.
Furue, R., J.P. McCreary, Z. Yu, and D. Wang, 2007: Dynamics of the Southern Tsuchiya Jet. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 37 (3), 531–553.
McCreary, J.P., T. Miyama, R. Furue, T. Jensen, H.-W. Kang, B. Bang, and T. Qu, 2007: Interactions between the Indonesian Throughflow and circulations in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Progr. in Oceanography, 75 (1), 70–114.
Yu, Z., S. Shen, J.P. McCreary, M. Yaremchuk, and R. Furue, 2007: South China Sea Throughflow as Evidenced by Satellite Images and Numerical Experiments. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L01601, doi:10.1029/2006GL028103.
Han, W., T. Shinoda. L.-L. Fu, and J.P. McCreary, 2006: Impact of atmospheric intraseasonal oscillations on the Indian Ocean dipole during the 1990s. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 36 (4), 670–690.
Miyama, T., J.P. McCreary, D. Sengupta, and R. Senan, 2006: Dynamics of biweekly oscillations in the equatorial Indian Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 36 (5), 827–846 DOI: 10.1175/JPO2897.1.
Nonaka, M., J.P. McCreary, and S.-P. Xie, 2006: Influence of midlatitude winds on the stratification of the equatorial thermocline. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 36 (2), 222–237 DOI: 10.1175/JPO2845.1.
Annamalai, H., J. Potemra, R. Murtugudde, and J.P. McCreary, 2005: Effect of preconditioning on the extreme climate events in the tropical Indian Ocean. J. Climate, 18, 3450–3469.
Annamalai, H., S.-P. Xie, J.P. McCreary, and R. Murtugudde, 2005: Impact of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature on developing El Niño. J. Climate, 18, 302–319.
Vinayachandran, P.N., J.P. McCreary, Jr., R.R. Hood, and K.E. Kohler, 2005: A numerical investigation of the phytoplankton bloom in the Bay of Bengal during Northeast Monsoon. J. Geophys. Res., 110, C12001, doi:10.1029/2005JC002966.
Yaremchuk, M., Z. Yu, and J. McCreary, 2005: River discharge into the Bay of Bengal in an inverse ocean model. Geophys. Res. Lett., 111, L16605, doi:10.1029/2005GL023750.
Ascani, F., D. Wang, D.W. Moore, E. Firing, and J.P. McCreary, 2004: Comment on 'A theory of equatorial deep jets'. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 34, 1781–1790.
Schott, F.A., J.P. McCreary, and G.C. Johnson, 2004: Shallow overturning circulations of the tropical-subtropical oceans. In Earth Climate: The Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction, C. Wang, S.-P. Xie and J.A. Carton (eds.), AGU Geophysical Monograph Series, 147, 261–304.
Yu, Z., and J.P. McCreary, 2004: Assessing precipitation products in the Indian Ocean using an ocean model. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 109, C05013, doi:10.1029/2003JC002106.
Fu, X., B. Wang, T. Li, and J.P. McCreary, 2003: Coupling between northward propagating, intraseasonal oscillations and sea-surface temperature in the Indian Ocean. J. Atmos. Sci., 15, 1733–1753.
Hood, R.R., K.E. Kohler, J.P. McCreary, and S.L. Smith, 2003: A four-dimensional validation of a coupled physical-biological model of the Arabian Sea. Deep-Sea Research II, 50, 2917–2945.
Miyama, T., J.P. McCreary, T.G. Jensen, J. Loschnigg, S. Godfrey, and A. Ishida, 2003: Structure and dynamics of the Indian-Ocean cross-equatorial cell. Deep Sea Research, 50, 2023–2048.
Perigaud, C., and J.P. McCreary, Jr., 2003: Influence of interannual rainfall anomalies on sea level variations in the tropical Indian Ocean. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 108 (C10), 3335, doi:10.1029/2003JC001857.
Perigaud, C., J.P. McCreary, and K.Q. Zhang, 2003: Impact of interannual rainfall anomalies on Indian Ocean salinity and temperature variability. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 108 (C10), 3319, doi:10.1029/2002JC001699.
Solomon, A., J. P. McCreary, R. Kleeman, and B. Klinger, 2003: Interannual and decadal variability in an intermediate coupled model of the Pacific region. J. Climate, 16 (3), 383–405. IPRC-179.
Klinger, B.A., J.P. McCreary, and R. Kleeman, 2002: The relationship between oscillating subtropical wind stress and equatorial temperature. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 32, 1507–1521.
McCreary, J.P., P. Lu, and Z. Yu, 2002: Dynamics of the Pacific subsurface countercurrents. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 32, 2379–2404.
Nonaka, M., S.-P. Xie, and J.P. McCreary, 2002: Decadal variations in the subtropical cells and equatorial pacific SST. Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 1116, doi 10.1029/2001GL013676.
Xie, S.-P., H. Annamalai, F.A. Schott, and J.P. McCreary, 2002: Structure and mechanisms of South Indian Ocean climate variability. J. Climate, 15, 864–878.
Han, W., and J.P. McCreary, 2001: Modelling salinity distributions in the Indian Ocean. J. Geophys. Res., 106, 859–877.
Han, W., J.P. McCreary, and K.E. Kohler, 2001: Influence of precipitation minus evaporation and Bay of Bengal rivers on dynamics, thermodynamics, and mixed-layer physics in the upper Indian Ocean. J. Geophys. Res., 106, 6895–6916.
McCreary, J.P., and P. Lu, 2001: Influence of the Indonesian Throughflow on the circulation of intermediate water in the Pacific Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 31, 932–942.
McCreary, J.P., K.E. Kohler, R.R. Hood, S. Smith, J. Kindle, A. Fischer, and R.A. Weller, 2001: Influences of diurnal and intraseasonal forcing on mixed-layer and biological variability in the central Arabian Sea. J. Geophys. Res., 106, 7139–7155.
Schott, F., and J.P. McCreary, 2001: The monsoon circulation of the Indian Ocean. Prog. Oceanogr., 51, 1–123.
Murtugudde, R., J.P. McCreary, and A.J. Busalacchi, 2000: Oceanic processes associated with anomalous events in the Indian Ocean with relevance to 1997-1998. J. Geophys. Res., 105, 3295–3306.
Yu, Z., J.P. McCreary, W.S. Kessler, and K.A. Kelly, 2000: Influence of equatorial dynamics on the Pacific North Equatorial Countercurrent. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 30, 3179–3190.
Han, W., J.P. McCreary, D.L.T. Anderson, and A.J. Mariano, 1999: Dynamics of the eastern surface jets in the equatorial Indian Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 29, 2191–2209.
Kleeman, R., J.P. McCreary, and B.A. Klinger, 1999: A mechanism for generating ENSO decadal variability. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 1743-1746.
Servain, J., I. Wainer, J.P. McCreary, and A. Dessier, 1999: Relationship between the equatorial and meridional modes of climatic variability in the tropical Atlantic. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 485–488.
Lu, P., J.P. McCreary, and B.A. Klinger, 1998: Meridional circulation cells and the source waters of the Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 28, 62–84.
McCreary, J.P., S. Zhang, and S.R. Shetye, 1997: Coastal circulations driven by river outflow in a variable-density 1½-layer model. J. Geophys. Res., 102, 15,535–15,554.
Yu, Z., P.S. Schopf, and J.P. McCreary, 1997: On the annual cycle in the eastern Pacific Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 27, 309–324.
Lu, P., and J.P. McCreary, 1996: Influence of the ITCZ on the flow of thermocline water from the subtropical to the equatorial Pacific Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 25, 3076–3088.
McCreary, J.P., W. Han, D. Shankar, and S.R. Shetye, 1996: Dynamics of the East India Coastal Current: Part 2, numerical solutions. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 13,993–14,010.
McCreary, J.P., K.E. Kohler, R.R. Hood, and D.B. Olson, 1996: A four-component ecosystem model of biological activity in the Arabian Sea. Prog. Oceanogr., 37, 117–165.
Shankar, D., J.P. McCreary, W. Han, and S.R. Shetye, 1996: Dynamics of the East India Coastal Current: Part 1, analytic solutions forced by interior Ekman pumping and local alongshore winds. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 13,975–13,991.
Fukamachi, Y., J.P. McCreary, and J.A. Proehl, 1995: Instability of density fronts in layered and continuously stratified models. J. Geophys. Res., 100, 2559–2577.
Yu, Z., J.P. McCreary, and J.A. Proeh, 1995: On the meridional asymmetry and energetics of tropical instability waves. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 25, 2998–3007.
McCreary, J.P., and P. Lu, 1994: On the interaction between the subtropical and equatorial ocean circulation: the Subtropical Cell. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 24, 466–497.
Kessler, W.S., and J.P. McCreary, 1993: The annual wind-driven Rossby wave in the subthermocline equatorial Pacific. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 23, 1192–1207.
McCreary, J.P., P.K. Kundu, and R. Molinari, 1993: A numerical investigation of dynamics, thermodynamics and mixed-layer processes in the Indian Ocean. Prog. Oceanogr., 31, 181–244.
McCreary, J.P., Y. Fukamachi, and P. Lu, 1992: A nonlinear mechanism for maintaining coastally trapped eastern boundary currents. J. Geophys. Res., 97, 5677–5672.
McCreary, J.P., and Z. Yu, 1992: Equatorial dynamics in a 2½-layer model. Prog. Oceanogr., 29, 61–132.
McCreary, J.P., and D.L.T. Anderson, 1991. An overview of coupled models of El Niño and the Southern Oscillation. J. Geophys. Res., 96, 3125–3150.
McCreary, J.P., Y. Fukamachi, and P.K. Kundu, 1991: A numerical investigation of jets and eddies near an eastern ocean boundary. J. Geophys. Res., 96, 2515–2534.
Moore, D.W., and J.P. McCreary, 1990: Excitation of intermediate-frequency equatorial waves at a western boundary: with application to observations from the western Indian Ocean. J. Geophys. Res., 95, 5219–5231.
McCreary, J.P., and P.K. Kundu, 1989: A numerical investigation of sea surface temperature variability in the Arabian Sea. J. Geophys. Res., 94, 16,097–16,114.
McCreary, J.P., H.S. Lee, and D.B. Enfield, 1989: The response of the coastal ocean to strong offshore winds: with application to circulations in the Gulfs of Tehuantepec and Papagayo. J. Mar. Res., 47, 81–109.
McCreary, J.P., and P.K. Kundu, 1988: A numerical investigation of the Somali Current during the Southwest Monsoon. J. Mar. Res., 46, 25–58.
McCreary, J.P., P.K. Kundu, and S.-Y. Chao, 1988: On the dynamics of the California Current system. J. Mar. Res., 45, 1–32.
McCreary, J.P., 1987: A model of deep equatorial jets. In: Further Progress in Equatorial Oceanography, E.J. Katz and J.M. Witte, Eds., Nova Univ. Press, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 385–396.
McCreary, J.P., and P.K. Kundu, 1987: On the dynamics of the throughflow from the Pacific into the Indian Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 16, 2191–2198.
McCreary, J.P., 1986: Coupled ocean-atmosphere model of El Niño and the Southern Oscillation. In: Large-scale Transport Processes in Oceans and Atmospheres, J. Willebrand and D.L.T. Anderson, Eds., Dordrecht, Holland: D. Reidel, 247–280.
McCreary, J.P., S.R. Shetye, and P.K. Kundu, 1986: Thermohaline forcing of eastern boundary currents: with application to the circulation off the west coast of Australia. J. Mar. Res., 44, 71–92.
McCreary, J.P., and R. Lukas, 1986: The response of the equatorial ocean to a moving wind field. J. Geophys. Res., 91, 11,691–11,705.
Anderson, D.L.T., and J.P. McCreary, 1985: A note on the role of the Indian Ocean in a coupled atmosphere-ocean model of El Niño and the Southern Oscillation. J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 2439–2442.
Anderson, D.L.T., and J.P. McCreary, 1985: Slowly propagating disturbances in a simple coupled ocean-atmosphere system. J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 615–629.
Kundu, P.K., and J.P. McCreary, 1985: Western boundary circulation driven by an alongshore wind: with application to the Somali Current system. J. Mar. Res., 43, 493–516.
Rothstein, L., D.W. Moore, and J.P. McCreary, 1985: Interior reflections of a periodically forced equatorial Kelvin wave. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 15, 985–996.
McCreary, J.P., 1985: Modeling equatorial ocean circulation. Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech., 17, 359–409.
McCreary, J.P., and D.L.T. Anderson, 1985: Simple models of El Niño and the Southern Oscillation. In: Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Models, Proc. Int. Liege Colloq. Ocean Hydrodyn., J.C.J. Nihoul, Ed., 16th, Amsterdam: Elsevier, 345–370.
McCreary, J.P., and S-Y. Chao, 1985: Three-dimensional shelf circulation along an eastern ocean boundary. J. Mar. Res., 43, 13–76.
McCreary, J.P., 1984: Equatorial Beams. J. Mar. Res., 42, 395–430.
McCreary, J.P., and D.L.T. Anderson, 1984: A simple model of El Niño and the Southern Oscillation. Mon. Wea. Rev., 112, 934–946.
McCreary, J.P., J. Picaut, and D.W. Moore, 1984: Effects of remote annual forcing in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. J. Mar. Res., 42 (2), 45–81.
McCreary, J.P., 1983: A model of tropical ocean-atmosphere interaction. Mon. Wea. Rev., 3 (2), 370–387.
Kundu, P.K., S.-Y. Chao, and J.P. McCreary, 1983: Coastal currents and inertio-gravity waves. Deep-Sea Res., 30, 1059–1082.
Chao, S.-Y., and J.P. McCreary, 1982: A numerical study of the Kuroshio south of Japan. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 12, 679–693.
McCreary, J.P., Modelling deep equatorial jets, 1981: In Recent Progress in Equatorial Oceanography: A Report of the Final Meeting of SCOR Working Group 47 in Venice, Italy, April 27-30, 1981. J.P. McCreary, D.W. Moore, and J.M. Witte, Eds., Nova/NYIT Press Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 373-380.
McCreary, J.P., 1981: A linear stratified ocean model of the Coastal Undercurrent. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond., 302A, 385–413.
McCreary, J.P., 1981: A linear stratified ocean model of the Equatorial Undercurrent. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond., 298A, 603–635.
McCreary, J.P., D.W. Moore, and J.M. Witte, Eds., 1981: Recent Progress in Equatorial Oceanography: A Report of the Final Meeting of SCOR Working Group 47 in Venice Italy, April 27–30, 1981. Nova/NYIT Press, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 466 pp.
Leetmaa, A., J.P. McCreary, and D.W. Moore, 1980: Equatorial currents: Observations and theory. In: Evolution of Physical Oceanography: Scientific Surveys in Honor of Henry Stommel. B.A. Warren andC.Wunsch, Eds., M.I.T., Press, Cambridge, MA, 184–196.
McCreary, J.P., 1980: A model of the Equatorial Undercurrent, the Coastal Undercurrent and deep equatorial jets. Ocean Modelling, 34, 1–5.
McCreary, J.P., 1980: Modelling wind-driven ocean circulation. JIMAR 80-0029, HIG 80-3, Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, 64 pp.
McCreary, J.P., 1978: Eastern ocean response to changing wind systems. Review Papers, FINE Workshop Proceedings (held atS.I.O., LaJolla, California, Summer 1977).
McCreary, J.P., and W.B. White, 1978: On a theory of the Kuroshio meander. Deep-Sea Res., 26A, 317–320.
Moore, D.W., P. Hisard, J.P. McCreary, J. Merle, J.J. O'Brien, J. Picaut, J. Verstraete, and C. Wunsch, 1978: Equatorial adjustment in the eastern Atlantic. Geophys. Res. Lett., 5, 637–640.
McCreary, J.P., 1976: Eastern tropical ocean response to changing wind systems: with application to El Niño. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 6, 632–645.
White, W.B., and J.P. McCreary, 1976: On the formation of the Kuroshio meander and its relationship to the large-scale ocean circulation. Deep-Sea Res., 23, 33–47.
White, W.B., and J.P. McCreary, 1975: Eastern intensification of ocean spin-down: Application to El Niño. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 4, 295–303.