In the context of global warming, we study Earth system processes relevant to decarbonization. For example, prior studies have shown that global warming from carbon dioxide depends only on the total ("cumulative") anthropogenic emissions across time. We try to understand why this is so.

A large-scale expansion of renewable energy is necessary for mitigating global warming. However, electricity from renewables depends on weather conditions. Keeping this in mind, how do we achieve a large-scale expansion of renewable energy in the coming decades? We are involved in studying the challenges and opportunities that policy should address.

Our group also works on various problems in climate dynamics, including the nonlinear dynamics of monsoons. For example, it is difficult to predict long-term changes in regional climate exactly. In this context, are there processes that assure the long-term stability of monsoons under a variety of climate conditions?

Students also work on various questions relevant to climate variability and change such as, what factors influence the global climate feedback and how is this related to changes in the hydrological cycle?

Another emerging theme we work on is the design of climate model ensembles to understand uncertainties associated with long-term climate prediction.