Research

Icy moon oceanography and ice dynamics:

• Kang, W. and G. Flierl 2020, Spontaneous formation of geysers at only one pole on Enceladus’ ice shell, PNAS, doi:10.1073/pnas.2001648117
• Kang W.*, Can bottom heating keep the polar ice shell from freezing on Enceladus? (in prep)
• Kang, W.* 2022, Different ice shell geometries on Europa and Enceladus due to their different sizes: impacts of ocean heat transport. ApJ, 934, 116
• Kang, W.*, M. Jansen 2022, On icy ocean worlds, size controls ice shell geometry. ApJ, 935, 2
• Kang W.*, A. Yin, R. Pappalardo, Ice Shell Geometries on Uranian Satellites: Implications for Their Orbital Evolution. (in prep)
• Kang, W.*, S. Bire, T. Mittal, J. Campin, J. Marshall, 2022, Ocean dynamics and tracer transport over the south pole geysers on Enceladean geysers. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, stac2882
• Kang, W.*, S. Bire, T. Mittal, J. Campin, J. Marshall 2022, How does salinity shape ocean circulation and ice geometry on Enceladus and other icy satellites? Science Advances, 8(29), eabm4665
• Kang, W.*, S. Bire, J. Marshall, 2022, The role of ocean circulation in driving hemispheric symmetry breaking of the Enceladus’s ice shell. EPSL, 59, 117845
• Bire S*., W. Kang, J. Campin, J. Marshall 2022, Regimes of ocean circulation on Europa-like icy moons, JGR Planet
• Jansen, M.*, W. Kang, E. Kite, Energetics govern ocean circulation on icy ocean worlds. PSJ (under revision)
• Mittal, T.*, S. Bire, J. Marshall, N. Randolph-Flagg, W. Kang, A. Ramadhan, P. Tuckman, A. Thurnherr, C. German, Regimes of hydrothermal plumes on Icy Ocean Worlds, EPSL, (to be submitted) 
• Bire, S.*, T. Mittal, W. Kang, A. Ramadhan, P. Tuckman, A. Thurnherr, J. Marshall, Divergent behavior of hydrothermal plumes in fresh versus saline icy ocean worlds (to be submitted)

lava planet — ocean, atmosphere and solid:

• Kang, W., F. Ding, R. Wordsworth, and S. Seager 2021, Escaping outflows from disintegrating exoplanets: day-side versus night-side escape, ApJ, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/abcaa7
• Kang W.*, F. Nimmo, F. Ding, 2023, True Polar Wander of Lava Worlds, ApJL (under revision)

Climate on exoplanet:

• Kang. W. 2019, Wetter Stratospheres on High Obliquity Planets,  Astrophysical Journal Letter, 877:1, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab1f79. (post)
• Kang, W. 2019, Mechanisms leading to a warmer climate on high obliquity planets, Astrophysical Journal Letter, 876:1, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab18a8. (post)
• Kang, W., M. Cai and E. Tziperman, 2018, Tropical and Extratropical General Circulation with a Meridional Reversed Temperature Gradient as Expected in a High Obliquity Planet, Icarus, doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2019.04.028. (post)
• Kang. W. 2019, Regime transition between eddy-driven and moist-driven circulation on High Obliquity Planets,  Astrophysical Journal, 884:1, doi: 10.3847%2F1538-4357%2Fab3fa2. (post)
• Kang, W. and R. Wordsworth 2019, Collapse of the general circulation in shortwave-absorbing atmospheres: an idealized model study, Astrophysical Journal Letter, 885:18, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ab4c43 (post)
• Komacek T., W., Kang, J. Lustig-Yaeger, S. Olson, Leveraging models to constrain the climates of rocky exoplanets (under review)
• Zhang, S., Y. Hu*, J. Yang, W. Kang, J. Han, X. Li, J. Guo, J. Lan, Q. Lin, J. Zhang, Y. Liu, J. Nie, Evolution of the strength of the Hadley Circulation during the past 250 million years simulated by CESM1.2.2, GRL (submitted)

MJO-SSW teleconnection: (summary)

• Kang, W. and E. Tziperman 2017, More Frequent Sudden Stratospheric Warming Events due to Enhanced MJO Forcing Expected in a Warmer Climate, Journal of Climate, 30:21, 8727-8743, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0044.1. (post)
• Kang, W. and E. Tziperman 2018, The role of zonal asymmetry in the enhancement and suppression of sudden stratospheric warming variability by the Madden-Julian Oscillation, Journal of Climate, 31, 2399– 2415, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0489.1. (post)
• Kang, W. and E. Tziperman 2018, The MJO-SSW teleconnection: interaction between MJO-forced waves and the mid-latitude jet, Geophysical Research Letter, 45(9), 4400-4409. (post)