Luwei Yang

About Me

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Ocean Modelling and Fluids Group , Department of Ocean Science, at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. My research focuses on understanding how small-scale ocean processes, such as internal waves, influence large-scale ocean circulation. In particular, I study how internal waves are generated, how they move through the ocean, and how they interact with their surrounding environment. The goal is to better understand how these waves help transfer energy from large-scale ocean motions down to smaller scales where mixing occurs. I use a combination of theory, numerical modelling, and observational data in my work.

Research interests

• Internal waves and their impacts on large-scale ocean circulation
• Interactions between mesoscale eddies and internal waves
• Representation of wave effects in ocean models
• Southern Ocean dynamics and circulation

Education

• 2015-2019: Ph.D. in Quantitative Marine Science, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
• 2011-2015: B.Sc. in Marine Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.

Employment

• 2026-present: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Ocean Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.
• 2026-present: Visiting and Honorary Appointee, Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
• 2023-2026: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
• 2020-2023: Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States.

Publications

Peer-reviewed journal articles

1. L. Yang^*, Shakespeare, C.J., and B.K. Arbic. Propagating internal-tide-induced wave stresses resolve discrepancies in ocean surface tide energetics. Geophysical Research Letters, 2026. [doi]
2. L. Yang^*, C. J. Shakespeare, A. K. Morrison, A. M. Hogg, A. H. Gibson, and B. K. Arbic. Sensitivity of M₂ barotropic tide solutions to resolution and a physically based wave drag parameterization. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 2026. [doi]
3. A. J. Barnes, N. C. Constantinou, A. H. Gibson, A. E. Kiss, C. Chapman, J. Reilly, D. Bhagtani, and L. Yang. regional-mom6: A Python package for automatic generation of regional configurations for the Modular Ocean Model 6. Journal of Open Source Software, 2024. [doi]
4. L. Yang^*, R. Barkan^*, K. Srinivasan, J. C. McWilliams, C. J. Shakespeare, & A. H. Gibson. Oceanic eddies induce a rapid formation of an internal wave continuum. Communications Earth & Environment, 2023. [doi]
5. L. Yang, M. Nikurashin, A. M. Hogg, & B. M. Sloyan^*. Lee waves break eddy saturation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Geophysical Research Letters, 2023. [doi]
6. R. Barkan, K. Srinivasan, L. Yang, J. C. McWilliams, J. Gula, & C. Vic. Oceanic mesoscale eddy depletion catalyzed by internal waves. Geophysical Research Letters, 2021. [doi]
7. L. Yang^*, M. Nikurashin, A. M. Hogg, & B. M. Sloyan. The impact of lee waves on the Southern Ocean circulation. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2021. [doi]
8. L. Yang^*, M. Nikurashin, A. M. Hogg, & B. M. Sloyan. Energy loss from transient eddies due to lee wave generation in the Southern Ocean. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2018. [doi]

Other publications

1. L. Yang^*, C. J. Shakespeare. Earth’s tides are shaped by more than the Moon. And they’re changing as the planet warms. The Conversation, 2026. [doi]