My main research interest is in short term climate variability, and how the ocean stores information and provides memory to the system.  This includes coupled ocean-atmosphere interactions, notably the El Nino / Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, for which I developed the delayed-action oscillator theory.  I am now intrigued by the question of how El Nino interacts with the long term climate, and how El Nino might change in a changing climate.  There are possible feedbacks between the "mean" climate and El Nino that might lead to a self-regulation process.

My other research interest lies with the problem of how we take scientific knowledge and contribute to assist the poor and vulnerable populations.  This goes well beyond trying to teach the meaning of probabalistic  forecasts, to trying to understand what role scientific information plays in real-world situations.  The Center for Science and Society is actively engaged in work of this sort, through its Project in Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration and Poverty Reduction.