Azhar Ehsan
Associate Research Scientist
Short Bio
Dr. Muhammad Azhar Ehsan (He/Him) is an Associate Research Scientist at IRI, focusing on climate variations and prediction at multiple timescales (Weeks to Years). He leads the IRI Climate Forecast and ENSO Briefing every month. A primary objective of Azhar’s research work is to better understand the sensitivity of regional climates to changing sea surface temperature patterns, finding sources of predictability, and study physical processes that underpin regional hydroclimatic situations using observations and model datasets. His current regional foci include the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.
He held postdoctoral and researcher positions, at the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste Italy, Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research (CECCR), Jeddah Saudi Arabia, and Global Change Impacts Studies Center, Islamabad Pakistan prior to joining the IRI in 2019.
Research Interests
- El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Dynamics and Predictions
- ENSO teleconnections
- Climate Prediction from Weeks to Years
- Variability and Predictability of the Global Monsoons and its Relation to Sea Surface Temperatures
- Regional Climate Variability and Change
- Global Warming
Role at the IRI
Specifically, he leads the IRI Climate Forecast and ENSO Briefing every month. More generally, his work at the IRI is related to the study of climate variations at multiple timescales, subseasonal-to-decadal predictability and prediction, and the development of climate services.
Selected Publications
- On the next generation (NextGen) seasonal prediction system to enhance climate services over Ethiopia.
- Atlantic Ocean influence on Middle East summer surface air temperature.
- Current and Emerging Developments in Subseasonal to Decadal Prediction
- Assessment of CMIP6 Performance and Projected Temperature and Precipitation Changes Over South America
- A quantitative assessment of changes in seasonal potential predictability for the twentieth century