ESSIC associate research scientist Jieshun Zhu coauthored an article in the January, 2018 issue of Climate Dynamics titled “Influence of surface nudging on climatological mean and ENSO feedbacks in a coupled model.” The article discusses tests of the NCEP Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2L) using “surface nudging.” Surface Nudging assimilates observations into the model, with the goal that more realistic inputs will result in more realistic outputs. Zhu and his research group used sea surface temperature to nudge a simulation of the climate mean and the coupled feedback El Niño Southern Oscillation. They conclude that even though individual variables might be improved by surface nudging, the negative impact on model physics needs to be taken into account.
![Satellite seasonal temperature difference maps indicate how the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and its organisms may respond to the temperature changes. Here, the maps show warmer than average water temperatures from January through March 2020, cooler than average from April through June, near average July through September, and slightly warmer than average October through December. The long-term baseline is from the years 2008-2019.]](https://essic.umd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/rv-chesapeake2-150x150.jpg)
Tracking Water Temperature with Satellites
September 18, 2025
