Overview
Prof. Ma received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and B.S. from Peking University. His broad research interests are climate variability, atmospheric dynamics, and extreme weather events. The essential motivation for his research is to better understand and predict the behavior of the climate system, which has led to his focus on the variability of the large-scale atmospheric circulation and the related weather extremes.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Assistant Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Science at Duke Kunshan University
·
2021 - Present
DKU Faculty
Assistant Professor in the Division of Earth and Climate Science
·
2025 - Present
Earth and Climate Sciences,
Nicholas School of the Environment
Recent Publications
Amplifying Variability of the Southern Annular Mode in the Past and Future
Journal Article Geophysical Research Letters · February 16, 2026 The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is the dominant mode of atmospheric variability in the Southern Hemisphere extratropics. While its long-term positive trend is well-documented, changes in the amplitude of SAM variability remain poorly understood. Based on r ... Full text CiteDependence of Precipitation on Precipitable Water Vapor Over the Maritime Continent and Implications to the Madden-Julian Oscillation
Journal Article Geophysical Research Letters · September 16, 2021 The weakening of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) as it propagates over the Maritime Continent (MC) is often referred to as the MC barrier. Here, we use 3-hourly precipitable water vapor (PWV) data obtained from the Sumatran GPS Array and the ERA5 reana ... Full text CiteEducation, Training & Certifications
Harvard University ·
2016
Ph.D.