Projects per year
Personal profile
Career
- Associate Professor in Ocean Modelling, University of East Anglia (10/2019 - present)
- Senior Lecturer in Ocean Modelling, University of East Anglia (08/2017 - 09/2019)
- Lecturer in Ocean Modelling, University of East Anglia (02/2012 - 08/2017)
- PDRA in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, University of Oxford (02/2009 - 01/2012)
- Postdoc in IFM-GEOMAR, Germany (02/2008 - 01/2009)
Key Research Interests
My main interest is the key physical processes in the ocean, and the role they play in global climate variability and change. Whenever possible, I like to first develop some simple analytical theories and then test them using a hierarchy of numerical models and available observations. My recent research topics include: Dynamics of ocean general circulation and its variability; Role of eddies in the ocean; Near-inertial waves and mixing; Ocean energetics; Air-sea interactions.
Publications: EPrints Digital Repository
Publications: EPrints Digital Repository
Key Responsibilities
- Course Director, BSc/MSci Meteorology and Oceanography
Biography
I am an oceanographer interested in the key physical processes in the ocean and the role they play in our climate system. I first became interested in the field of physical oceanography when I was working on near-inertial waves and ocean eddies as a PhD candidate in the Department of Oceanography at Dalhousie University. After I finished my PhD at Dalhousie, I went to IFM-GEOMAR in Kiel, working in the Theory and Modelling group for one year as one of the institute-funded post-doctoral researchers. I then spent three years in the ocean group at the University of Oxford before I joined the School of Environmental Sciences at UEA as a Lecturer in Ocean Modelling in February 2012.
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PhD Positions Click here for other current PhD opportunities in the School of Environmental Sciences. However, feel free to email me to discuss projects outside these areas and alternative sources of funding.
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Website: http://www.uea.ac.uk/~xam12yru/
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 13 Climate Action
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
Projects
- 5 Finished
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Inferring ocean eddy energy dissipation timescale from observations using an inverse method
Zhai, X. (Principal Investigator)
1/11/23 → 31/10/24
Project: Research
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Impact of near-inertial waves on Southern Ocean circulation
Zhai, X. (Principal Investigator)
1/09/18 → 31/08/23
Project: Research
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The annual cycle of ocean eddy energy: its causes and impacts
Zhai, X. (Principal Investigator) & Wang, G. (Co-Investigator)
31/03/18 → 31/05/22
Project: Research
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GEOMETRIC: Geometry and Energetics of Ocean Mesoscale Eddies and Their Representation in Climate models
Marshall, D. (Principal Investigator), Zhai, X. (Principal Investigator), Maddison, J. (Co-Investigator) & Nurser, A. (Co-Investigator)
Natural Environment Research Council
1/10/17 → 31/03/22
Project: Research
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Impact of Synoptic Weather Systems on Ocean Circulation.
Zhai, X. (Principal Investigator)
15/03/14 → 13/03/17
Project: Research
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Contrasting Air-Sea Coupling Processes of Conventional and Unconventional Oceanic Eddies in the East China Sea during Winter
Song, T., Qian, S., Hu, H., Zhai, X., Yang, X.-Q. & Chen, W., 22 Feb 2026, In: Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans. 131, 2, e2025JC022936.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Downloads (Pure) -
Distinct vertical structures of global eddy heat and salt transports revealed by altimetry and Argo observations
Wang, X., Zhai, X., Johnson, H., LaCasce, J., Ni, Q. & Du, Y., 8 May 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Geophysical Research Letters.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
3 Downloads (Pure) -
Eddy Vertical Structure and Energy in the Southeastern Indian Ocean: Implications for Dissipation and Lifespan
He, Y., Ding, W., He, Q., Zhai, X., Liu, T., Gong, Y., Xie, J., Xu, J., Chen, Z., Li, J., Lin, P. & Cai, S., 4 Aug 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Progress in Oceanography.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Fine-scale eddies revealed by the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission
Yang, Z., Jing, Z., Zhai, X. & Ni, Q., 3 Aug 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Remote Sensing.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Long-lived Anticyclonic Eddies Facilitate Convection In the Greenland Sea Over Multiple Consecutive Winters
Jian, D., Zhai, X., Renfrew, I. & Stevens, D., 16 Jun 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Geophysical Research Letters. 53, 12, e2026GL123381.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Idealised baroclinic eddy forced by wind stress
Wilder, T. (Creator), Zhai, X. (Supervisor), Joshi, M. (Supervisor) & Munday, D. R. (Supervisor), American Meteorological Society, 2022
https://github.com/thomaswilder/jpo_eddy-scripts
Dataset
Prizes
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Tertia M. C. Hughes Memorial Prize
Zhai, X. (Recipient), 2007
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Tongya Liu
Zhai, X. (Host)
Aug 2026 → Oct 2026Activity: Hosting a visitor › Hosting an academic visitor
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External expert reviewer for faculty promotion at the University of Macau
Zhai, X. (Examiner)
2026Activity: Examination
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Tongya Liu
Zhai, X. (Host)
Sept 2025 → Nov 2025Activity: Hosting a visitor › Hosting an academic visitor
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Yinghui He
Zhai, X. (Host)
Jun 2025 → Apr 2026Activity: Hosting a visitor › Hosting an academic visitor
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Chunhua Qiu
Zhai, X. (Host)
Jul 2024 → Aug 2024Activity: Hosting a visitor › Hosting an academic visitor