Scientists in the Division of Ocean and Climate Physics (DOCP) delve into the mysteries of Earth's climate in order to document its change and to build an understanding of its controlling forces. Climate change is a crucial factor that has influenced human history over the ages. Therefore, reliable prediction is vital both to humankind's future and to the well-being of the planet.

The Division's main research objective is to gain better understanding of the ocean and atmosphere, while honing its predictive skills. DOCP researchers strive to understand the forces and processes that shape the structure, circulation and interactions of ocean and atmosphere, as well as their effect on climate and climate variability. They especially focus on regional and global ocean and climate variability, in interannual to centennial time scales, as well as the underlying physics associated with abrupt climate change as indicated in paleoclimate records.

DOCP scientists conduct research through observations, a hierarchy of numerical simulations and the application of fundamental geophysical fluid dynamics. They derive their observations from a variety of sources' some obtained during seagoing investigations, others from archived or satellite-derived data. Data generated through a combination of observations and numerical models is increasingly important in portraying the full spectrum of spatial and temporal variability of the ocean and atmosphere. Close collaboration between observationalists and modelers, oceanographers and climatologists, and with scientists from other divisions (notably, Geochemistry), is a hallmark of the Division and has led to significant advancements in the field of ocean and climate science.