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19.07.2024 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Nina Mahernd joined the ICCP conference 2024 in Jeju, South Korea

Thanks to the (AC)³ IRTG Travel Grant, I had the opportunity to attend the International Conference on Clouds and Precipitation (ICCP). ICCP 2024 was hosted by the Korean Meteorological Society (KMS) and the Korean National Institute of Meteorological Sciences (NIMS) and was held at the International Convention Center JEJU from 14 to 19 July. I was one of over 500 participants from more than 40 countries who visited the existing location of the South Korean island Jeju.

The conference covered a wide range of topics in clouds and precipitation, including aerosol-cloud interactions, ice nucleating particles, ice multiplication processes, orographic clouds, and polar clouds. The sessions on mixed-phase clouds were of particular interest to me. Personally, I found the discussions on secondary ice production enlightening. There is still a lot of discussion on this topic, with different experts disagreeing on how important SIP is compared to primary ice production, and which SIP processes are relevant in different types of clouds. There are many unknowns waiting to be explored through research.

On Monday, I presented a poster on my forthcoming paper on how riming affects the spatial variability of ice water in mixed-phase clouds. To my delight, my poster was well attended and generated many discussions. I talked with interested colleagues well past the scheduled time. I especially enjoyed the discussions with Timothy Juliano (NCAR), who plans to investigate the spatial variability of ice water in similar clouds using LES.

Our host did an excellent job of organizing and making us feel welcome. After complaints about the lack of vegetarian food at lunch on Monday, there was a separate vegetarian buffet starting on Tuesday with almost as many choices as the omnivore buffet. I enjoyed the usual conference-related social activities such as joint dinners with colleagues and took the opportunity to visit a Buddhist temple on Wednesday afternoon, when we had free time. I reconnected with Brian Lo and Rosie Mammatt from the University of Reading, whose group I visited in March of this year. It was good to see Matt Shupe and Gabriella Wallentin again. I also really enjoyed conversations with Martina Krämer (Gutenberg University Mainz) and Corinna Hoose (KIT).

I enjoyed my stay in Jeju, which I probably would never have visited if I had not been given this opportunity. Attending the ICCP gave me many new ideas for my research and opportunities to network and collaborate with colleagues in my field.

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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15.12.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Andreas Walbröl joined the AGU fall meeting in San Francisco, USA

With the (AC)³ IRTG Travel Grant, I had the opportunity to visit the largest Geoscience Conference in the world, the AGU Fall Meeting 2023. The conference took place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco (USA) from 11 to 15 December 2023. A mixture of oral, poster and e-lightning sessions across a wide field of topics (atmosphere, remote sensing, geophysics, cryosphere, informatics, …) on each day resulted in a busy schedule.

I had new insights about research related to the changing Arctic climate which was conducted outside of (AC)³. It was fascinating to see the improvements of observational systems. For example, a single-photon-counting lidar capable to observe clouds at submeter resolution was introduced. Also combinations of differential-absorption-radar and –lidar for improved water vapour profiling inside and outside of clouds were presented. Machine learning approaches for various problems were quite prominent in different fields. For example, I learned that image-post-processing ideas with Neural Networks can enhance the vertical resolution of retrieved temperature and humidity profiles. Physical and machine learning techniques are combined for computational efficiency while being physically consistent and having error estimates at the same time.

At my poster, I had a nice discussion with one of the developers of the MERRA-2 reanalysis (Richard Cullather) about the biases of water vapour in the central Arctic. I will stay in contact with him for my upcoming publication on the evaluation of water vapour products of reanalyses (and satellites) in the central Arctic.

All in all, the AGU Fall Meeting 2023 was a great event to get to learn about new machine learning methods for remote sensing and get to know the current state of research in atmospheric physics, environmental sciences, and of course many more fields.

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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07.12.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

Associated PhD researcher Gabriella Wallentin  joined the (AC)³ PhD Alumni Day and the (AC)³ General Assembly in Leipzig

The main objectives for my attendance at the (AC)³ General Assembly was to share my expertise with the ICON microphysics applied to the Arctic environment and to get feedback on my current work. Presenting at the assembly was a very nice experience, I received some specific questions from non-modellers that indicate that I was able to convene information to people not used to the model, which was one of the objectives of mine. I believe the gap between modellers and experimentalists is too large and I would like for modellers to explain more about how the model works instead of simply showing results. Some more challenging questions were also posed and I am already looking into these for the implementation in the paper I am currently writing. After my talk the evening continued with discussions about the ICON model and the set-up limitations, as always, a very useful and informative discussion with some of the (AC)³ peers.

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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14.11.2023 - 22.11.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Alexander Mchedlishvili  joined the 14th Symposium on Polar Science and the Hokkaido University in Japan for a research exchange

With support from the (AC)³ IRTG Travel Grant, I was able to go to Japan for a conference and brief research stay, giving me an opportunity to take a glimpse into a completely different scientific environment while I was there.

My time in Japan was divided between attending the The 14th Symposium on Polar Science and a brief research stay at the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University. The former was a great chance to meet experts in Polar sciences that were previously unknown to me. The sessions I attended dealt with sea ice, atmosphere and ocean physics as well as glaciology. I met researchers from the National Institute of Polar Research, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as well as universities across Tokyo that dealt with sea ice. Discussions with them gave me further insight in my own project, especially after having given my talk on my pan-Arctic drag coefficient estimate retrieval. With this presentation, I believe I also gave (AC)³ more visibility in Japan and perhaps opened up possibilities of further collaboration between Germany and Japan in the future.

The latter part of my time in Japan consisted of a research stay at Hokkaido University. There, I was welcomed by my host, Dr. Takenobu Toyota, who is a sea ice remote sensing expert. I had the pleasure of exchanging details on our respective work as well as discussing potential collaborations in the future. In addition, I got to meet others in the group, including Master’s students eager to learn more about Polar science and continue their scientific careers. Overall, Dr. Toyota managed to make my stay there very pleasant despite it being a very short research stay. I especially enjoyed the tour of the Institute of Low Temperature Science where I got to see their cold rooms that are used for ice core section microscopy, as well sea ice experiments in tubs that can induce motion in the water to replicate rough water sea ice formation. Lastly, I had the pleasure of presenting at their weekly seminar during which time I introduced to the group there my work as well as NASA’s ICESat-2 laser altimeter satellite and its applications.

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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24.11.2023 |

Wonderful news!
Today we received the approval from the DFG and can start another 4 years in phase III of our CRC/TRR “Arctic Amplification (AC)³” from January 1, 2024.
There are so many great ideas in the (AC)³ proposal, which now we have a chance to work on in the coming years.

The full press release can be found here.

 

12.09.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Anisbel Léon joined the SeaIce2Clouds workshop and the Institute of Environmental Geosciences (IGE) in Grenoble for a research exchange

My research exchange at the Institute of Environmental Geosciences (IGE) (6-8 Sept 2023) and my participation in the SeaIce2Clouds workshop (11 and 12 Sept 2023) in Grenoble, France was a great opportunity to meet many people in person and expand my network connecting with others working on Arctic research.

I was invited to present my work on multiple occasions with active discussions with a diverse group of experts on modeling sea spray aerosol emissions (Remy Lapère from IGE) and aerosol-cloud interaction processes (Louis Marielle from LATMOS). There was also room for an exciting debate about recent measurements of marine organic aerosol from open ocean and leads in the Arctic led by Kerry Pratt from the University of Michigan.

I also learned from the presentations and general discussions during the workshop. SeaIce2Clouds SCOR group aims to bring sea ice and atmospheric scientific communities together to tackle open questions about ocean, sea ice, snow, and atmosphere coupling, with emphasis on gases and aerosol exchange processes in polar regions. For about two years I have been part of the group and involved in a synthesis paper on primary aerosols over polar regions. It was very nice to finally meet in person most of the people that are part of this group. The workshop aimed to have an open debate about the progress of the paper and to develop plans for modeling projects engaging modelers and the community in future observational planning.

Despite the brevity of my visit, I must say it was very beneficial to move forward with my research with extra motivation. Many scientists showed themselves interested in my work with some invitations to collaborate, mostly in process representation of organic aerosol emissions and aerosol-cloud interaction in models.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

Group pcture from SeaIce2Clouds workshop in Grenoble
Group pcture from SeaIce2Clouds workshop in Grenoble
08.09.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Melanie Lauer joined her (AC)³ project fellows in Potsdam

My name is ‚Watschel‘, and I have the pleasure of supporting Melanie during the last months of her PhD. As Melanie is writing her Ph.D. thesis, I offered to tell you about her research stay at the Alfred-Wegener Institute (AWI) in Potsdam.

In August, Melanie came for five weeks to Potsdam to work on two main tasks: writing her Ph.D. thesis and working on the climatological study about the influence of different weather features (like atmospheric rivers, cyclones, and fronts) on precipitation in the Arctic.  As I come from Antarctica, I was very interested in Melanie’s topic. However, as I am not an expert in this field, Melanie had the opportunity to discuss her current state of the Ph.D. thesis, as well as her new results for the climatological study with Annette and Sofie. The meetings were very helpful and constructive and helped Melanie to shape the structure of her Ph.D. thesis. Also, the discussions about her current results related to the climatology of atmospheric rivers, cyclones, and fronts and their influence on precipitation were very interesting. During her last week, she had also the possibility to join two group meetings. In one of them, she had the possibility to present her research to a wider audience. The people were very interested in Melanie’s research and asked some questions. Back in Cologne, Melanie is now finalizing her results and she is optimistic that a draft for her second paper will be ready end of October.

Finally, it was a wonderful opportunity for Melanie to go to Potsdam to meet Annette, Sofie, Lars, other (AC)³ people, new faces, and Einstein (a cat living on Telegrafenberg). The research stay helped a lot to improve the structure of the Ph.D. thesis, to find a focus for the second paper, and to strengthen the relationship within the E04 project. Apart from research, we had the possibility to explore the Telegrafenberg, and Potsdam with its beautiful lakes (possibility of kayaking and swimming) and parks. This helped a lot to clear the head.

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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01.09.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Nina Maherndl presented her research at the 40th AMS Radar Conference in Minneapolis

Thanks to the (AC)³ IRTG Travel Grant, I was able to travel to Minneapolis (USA) to present my research at the 40th AMS Radar Conference. From August 28th to September 1st the AMS radar community met to discuss cutting-edge (radar) science under the theme “Leveraging Current and Emerging Radar Technologies to Pave the Way Toward New Discoveries and Capabilities” after a two-year delay due to the pandemic. The program consisted of 28 oral sessions, three formal poster viewings, six keynote presentations, and an (all female) panel discussion. Since one of the nine conference themes was “Microphysical Studies with Radar”, my research on riming during HALO-(AC)³ using airborne radar and in situ data fit right in.

It was nice to see Brian Lo, a PhD student from the University of Reading, again. I also got to meet a lot of new people – scientists at all career stages – during the icebreaker event on Monday evening and throughout the rest of the week. I especially enjoyed conversations and discussions with Annakaisa von Lerber (Finnish Meteorological Institute), Kamil Mroz (University of Leicester), Lynn McMurdie (University of Washington), and Troy Zaremba (University of Illinois).

I am proud to say that I won one of the student prizes, which were awarded to seven out of 80 student presentations. My talk “Airborne Observations of Riming in Arctic Mixed-Phase Clouds during HALO-(AC)³” won first place in oral presentations.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Minneapolis and am looking forward to implementing new ideas now that I am back in Leipzig. Attending the 40th AMS Radar Conference has definitely helped to advance my research project.

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

Awardies of the student prizes during the 40th AMS Radar Conference, Minneapolis
Awardies of the student prizes during the 40th AMS Radar Conference, Minneapolis
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Press release 2023/130 from

A publication on early results from the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) on climate change in the Arctic has made it onto the cover of the prestigious Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (July issue). The CRC Transregio, led by the meteorologist Professor Manfred Wendisch from Leipzig University, is currently in its second funding period with the German Research Foundation (DFG). Other participants in the CRC Transregio are the Universities of Bremen and Cologne as well as the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig.

Cover of the prestigious Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (July issue). Photo: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Cover of the prestigious Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (July issue). Photo: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

“Being featured on the cover is a kind of international accolade for the work of our entire team,” says Professor Wendisch. “The publication will help to make our results even more visible beyond the narrow circle of specialists, within the entire international community of meteorologists, oceanographers and climate scientists.”

The bulletin, which has been published by the American Meteorological Society since 1920, first published the “Review of First Results and Prospects of the (AC)3 Project” in January. Here is a summary of the article:

The Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the world. This phenomenon is known as Arctic amplification. To understand this warming, the DFG-funded Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (AC)³ was established in 2016. It includes modelling and data analysis efforts as well as observational elements.

The project has generated a wealth of ground-, air-, ship- and satellite-based data on the physical, chemical and meteorological properties of the Arctic atmosphere, cryosphere and upper ocean, which are available to the Arctic climate research community. Some 1700 data sets alone are stored on a freely accessible research data server, www.pangaea.de, which is operated by the University of Bremen and the Alfred Wegener Institute. Global coupled atmosphere-ocean models have been continuously developed as part of the Collaborative Research Centre’s work.

The scientists used existing and new data to identify short-term changes and indications of long-term trends in Arctic climate variables. For example, they found that the Arctic atmosphere has become significantly moister and regional storm activity has increased. Winter warming in the regions around Svalbard and the North Pole has increased, resulting in a decrease in sea ice thickness in the Fram Strait and in snow depth on the ice.

In order to better link results in the future, researchers are developing cross-cutting themes to answer key questions in four focus areas: lapse rate feedback, surface processes, Arctic mixed-phase clouds, and airmass transport and transformation.

Arctic Amplification: Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (AC)³

The (AC)³ research network includes Leipzig University, the Universities of Bremen and Cologne as well as the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig. The aim of the network is to observe the current dramatic climate change in the Arctic using a variety of methods in order to improve the reliability of models that predict the observed warming in the Arctic.

05.05.2023 |

We are very happy that our state-of-the-art new building of our Institute of Meteorology (LIM) is now completed and that we can continue our teaching and research together in an energy-plus building.
Read the full press release here.

15.05.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researchers Wiebke Körtke, Zerlina Hofmann and Finn Heukamp presented their research at the Arctic-Subarctic Ocean Fluxes (ASOF) conference in Las Palmas

What at first glance looked like sea ice on the ocean (out of the plane) fast turned out to be the whitecaps of waves. Which is, of course, much likelier at the location we headed to – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. However, the sea ice would have fitted better to the conference topic: Arctic-Subarctic Ocean Fluxes (ASOF).

The conference started with a nice icebreaker at the conference venue located directly at the beach, which turned out to be perfect for a short swim during the lunch breaks. The science inside was packed with more ocean, but a much colder one, even if the start was located within the Atlantic Ocean. From there, we moved further towards the north, to the Atlantic inflow regions and the Arctic Ocean itself. For us (AC)³ attendees (Zerlina, Finn, Torsten, Wiebke), this meant giving our presentations directly on day one. We all got interesting questions afterwards, and since the conference was relatively small, there were also many good opportunities to talk and discuss our science and projects. The following two days were likewise packed with scientific talks about different aspects of the Arctic Ocean. Additionally, posters were available to have even more possibilities for getting in contact with other researchers. The conference ended with a more touristic excursion around the northern part of Gran Canaria, which again allowed networking and discussing in a really relaxed atmosphere.

After three days full of science and some beach moments, we returned to Bremen with new ideas and inspirations for our future work. Also, the possibility of joining an in-person conference (for Zerlina, even the first one) and thus easily connecting with people was a highlight for us.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

Zerlina giving her talk on a submesoscale front in Fram Strait
Zerlina giving her talk on a submesoscale front in Fram Strait
Sunset at the beach of Las Palmas
Sunset at the beach of Las Palmas
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe Script', serif; font-weight: bold; color: #993300;">(AC)³</span> Group picture at the beach of Las Palmas
(AC)³ Group picture at the beach of Las Palmas
05.05.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Alexander Mchedlishvili joined AWI Potsdam for a research stay

During my brief stay at AWI Potsdam I worked closely with Wolfgang Dorn on the integration of sea iceatmosphere ridge form drag into the coupled sea ice-atmosphere-ocean model HIRHAM-NAOSIM. There I had meetings with Wolfgang and Annette Rinke on what equations and methods to use to for the implementation. Thanks to this research stay, I am now able to run the model myself thanks to Wolfgang’s instructions and the parameterisation implementation is underway. I thoroughly enjoyed the closer cooperation and supervision of both Wolfgang and Annette and think this has definitely helped further my project.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

29.04.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Nils Slättberg joined the EGU General Assembly 2023 in Vienna

With help from the (AC)³ IRTG Travel Grant, I went to the EGU General Assembly 2023 and presented some of my work there. The annual EGU meetings in Vienna are Europe’s largest geosciences events, featuring contributions from a wide range of disciplines and topics. Bringing together knowledge from different areas is close to my heart – and also to my PhD project, in which I investigate the atmospheric column in the North Atlantic Arctic in conjunction with oceanic, atmospheric and cryospheric variability.
Never having presented at a large conference before, I wanted to gain practice and confidence in briefly explaining my science to a larger audience. I also wanted to connect with other scientists and learn new things from discussing with them and hearing about their work. In doing so, I got new inspiration and ideas for my project and felt that I could put my topic into a wider perspective. In addition, I learned much during non-disciplinary sessions, discussing things like (the lack of) inclusion and diversity in science. Now that I’m back in the office, I can’t wait to go through my notes from the conference and try out some of the new ideas.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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12.03.2023 - 18.03.2023 |

IRTG & University of Helsinki joint winter school

The joint winter school by (AC)³ and the University of Helsinki in March 2023 provided a great opportunity to learn about Arctic amplification in the remote environment of the Forestry Field Station in Hyytiälä, Finland. Scientists from the University of Helsinki and (AC)³, including Mercator fellows Matthew Shupe (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) and Irina Gorodetskaya (Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Portugal), gave lectures and led projects in working groups of four to seven participants. There were about 40 doctorate candidates participating: about 30 from (AC)³ and 10 additional PhDs from the University of Helsinki or other institutions. Although it’s always fun to catch up with the (AC)³ PhDs from the other locations in Germany, it was also nice to meet new people and network.

The main topic of the winter school was the role of clouds (in feedback mechanisms). However, we heard interesting talks from a wide range of (AC)³ topics including but not limited to surface energy budget, snow, aerosol, remote sensing of atmosphere, sea ice and ocean and atmospheric rivers. Each morning we heard two lectures followed by group project work in the afternoon.

Hyytiälä was covered with snow when we stayed there and we were blessed with sunny weather and temperatures of about -5 to 0 °C during the day. So we tried to make the most of our one and a half hour of scheduled free time each afternoon and spent a lot of time outside. We hiked through the surrounding forest (with or without snowshoes), walked on the frozen lake, dug in the snow – both scientifically (to get snow pit measurements) and for fun (to make an impressive tunnel) – and tried unsuccessfully  to build snowmen (the snow was just too dry). We also went on a guided tour through the measurement station where aerosol, trace gas, soil, radiation, water and other measurements are taken directly in the forest.

On Monday and Wednesday many of us tried out and fell in love with the Finnish sauna culture. Especially dipping in the ice holes in the lake in between sauna rounds was an amazing experience. We also hung out in the Kota, which is a small cottage with a fireplace located between the two saunas.

On Friday, we presented the results of our project group work and (with few exceptions) we were quite pleased with what we had accomplished in only a few days. My group, for example, applied the Bremen Sea Ice Algorithm to the SSM/I satellite data set, which is available for a longer time period than the currently used AMSR-E data with the goal of generating a continuous time series that could eventually be implemented in the Sea Ice Portal.

Of course, we had to celebrate our successes, and so the winter school ended on Friday evening with a nice dinner in the Old Dining Hall followed by a party. We were able to turn the dining room into a dance floor by projecting a spinning disco ball onto the wall. We had a lot of fun dancing – and so did our lecturers.

All in all, the winter school was a great success. Dmitri Moisseev (University of Helsinki) did a great job as host and Christa Genz from the IRTG (and the rest of the planning committee) did a great job organizing. Many thanks to Dmitri, to all the lecturers and the IRTG for the amazing week.

25.03.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Giovanni Chellini visited the research group of Dmitri Moisseev at the University of Helsinki for a research stay

I spent the week 20-24 March 2023 at the University of Helsinki visiting Prof. Dmitri Moisseev’s group. I had the opportunity to present and discuss my work with Prof. Moisseev, scientists in his group, as well as scientists from the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). The extensive and constructive discussions allowed me to expand and improve my current work on the impact of turbulence on the growth of ice particles in Arctic low-level mixed-phase clouds. This work is currently being prepared for publication, and the discussions in Helsinki helped significantly improve the quality of the manuscript. Additionally, I worked on a side project, together with Prof. Moisseev, on the topic of quantifying linear depolarization signatures of needle and needle aggregate precipitation particles.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

04.02.2023 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD researcher Janna Rückert joined the EGU Snow Science Winter School in Davos

I had the wonderful chance to take part in the 7th EGU Snow Science Winter School in Davos, Switzerland, from January 29th to February 4th, 2023.
Motivated lecturers from different institutes from Switzerland, Finland, France and the UK gave insights into a variety of snow-related topics. Their talks gave a great overview, covering, e.g., snow measurements as well as modelling and remote sensing, snow climate feedbacks and snow hydrology.
A big part of the school was dedicated to field work and we learned different measurement techniques ranging from traditional snow pits to state-of-the-art microcomputed tomography. Luckily, we had snow and great weather conditions in Davos: perfect for being outside in the snow all day to do measurements.
Thereby I gained a different perspective on data that I had been working with before. I now have not only a much better idea about the way such data is obtained but also about its uncertainties and limitations. One example are snow parameters derived from measurements with the SnowMicroPen instrument. I am now able to interpret existing data from the MOSAiC campaign and use that in a current study. Also, with the insights gained, both from the program and the many informal discussions with others during mealtimes, I already revised some of the parameters in my current model setup for the simulation of microwave emissions of snow on Arctic sea ice.
During the winter school, we came up with our own little research question in small teams and carried out the measurements that we planned ourselves, always with support from the lecturers. Organizing our own field work and the quick data analysis thereafter was very instructive.
The winter school was a great chance to meet other students, which I was really enjoying after a PhD time dominated by Covid restrictions and virtual meetings.
I can conclude that snow is beautiful and that I am grateful to the organizers of the winter school and the IRTG that enabled my participation!

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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13.09.2022 |

The overview paper by Wendisch et al., 2022 “Atmospheric and Surface Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms Determining Arctic Amplification: A Review of First Results and Prospects of the (AC)³” has been accepted is is now published in BAMS. You can read the paper here.

Abstract
Mechanisms behind the phenomenon of Arctic amplification are widely discussed. To contribute to this debate, the (AC)³ project has been established in 2016 (http://www.ac3-tr.de/). It comprises modeling and data analysis efforts as well as observational elements. The project has assembled a wealth of ground-based, airborne, ship-borne, and satellite data of physical, chemical, and meteorological properties of the Arctic atmosphere, cryosphere, and upper ocean that are available for the Arctic climate research community. Short-term changes and indications of long-term trends in Arctic climate parameters have been detected using existing and new data. For example, a distinct atmospheric moistening, an increase of regional storm activities, an amplified winter warming in the Svalbard and North Pole regions, and a decrease of sea ice thickness in the Fram Strait and of snow depth on sea ice have been identified. A positive trend of tropospheric bromine monoxide (BrO) column densities during polar spring was verified. Local marine/biogenic sources for cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles were found. Atmospheric/ocean and radiative transfer models were advanced by applying new parameterizations of surface albedo, cloud droplet activation, convective plumes and related processes over leads, and turbulent transfer coefficients for stable surface layers. Four modes of the surface radiative energy budget were explored and reproduced by simulations. To advance the future synthesis of the results, cross cutting activities are being developed aiming to answer key questions in four focus areas: lapse rate feedback, surface processes, Arctic mixed-phase clouds, and air mass transport and transformation.

15.09.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Benjamin Kirbus went for a scientific exchange meeting to the AWI Potsdam colleagues

On 15th September 2022, I was able to embark on very constructive one-day journey to visit Dr. Annette Rinke and PhD candidate Sofie Tiedeck at AWI Potsdam. The institute is beautifully located on a historical campus, within a green forest patch not too far from Potsdam main station. The general topics of our meeting were opportunitues and challenges of Lagrangian air mass tracking.
First, we had some very fruitful technical discussions on using the LAGRangian ANalysis TOol LAGRANTO (https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-2569-2015). LAGRANTO can be driven by very diverse input data, such as reanalysis (ERA5) or model data (ICON). Selecting the appropriate starting points for trajectory calculations is far from trivial, especially for analyzing synoptic-scale features such as Arctic Warm Air Intrusions (WAI). The spatiotemporal variability of such WAI combined with possible strong vertical wind shear can cause a large spread in computed trajectories. We agreed on the importance of comparing different starting points as well as ideally forward vs. backward calculations. Tracing meteorological variables as well as analyzing height-resolved curtain views of along-trajectory air mass evolution (“pseudo-lidar”) can then deliver many novel insights.
Our second focus was the discussion of the article we are cooperating on in the frameworks of Cross-Cutting Activity CCA4: Air mass transport and transformation. We hope to contribute to the research field by providing some novel insights into Arctic WAI. This work is based on a case recorded during the MOSAiC expedition in April 2020 at RV Polarstern. We agreed on combining classic Eulerian with novel Lagrangian viewpoints, on spatial scales from the synoptic level down to process level. We discussed how sensitivity studies can help us better understand the impact e.g. of CCN concentration or initial moisture inflow on cloud evolution.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at AWI Potsdam. Besides the great hospitality of Annette, Sofie and other AWI colleagues, I gained more insights into applying LAGRANTO
also for other datasets than just reanalysis. Especially the potential of comparing trajectories between modelled control and experimental runs became very apparent. Furthermore, we were able to further “narrow down” the storyline of our common CCA4 paper, which now will have a clearer scope and objectives.
Finally, I want to cordially thank both Annette and Sofie for their time and the IRTG for funding this very productive short-term stay.
Cheers, Benjamin

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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01.09.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Olivia Linke spent two months at the University of California in Santa Cruz (UCSC)

Throughout July and August 2022 I visited the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC),
California to exchange research ideas with the group of Prof. Nicole Feldl. Nicole took part in an
advanced training module of the LGS-CAR in 2021 about the Arctic lapse-rate feedback, which is
how I got to know her and her research.
As guest researcher at UCSC, I gained a new perspective on my PhD work which mostly applies data
from several climate models for better understanding the lapse-rate feedback in the Arctic. So far, I
have mostly worked with climate model data to understand this particular process, and its
contribution to Arctic amplification in the past. My work at UCSC mostly focused on a better
prediction of this feedback process in the future, by using an emergent constraint approach. The main
idea of this approach is to identify physically plausible relationships between future climate
predictions, and aspects of the current climate state across models. By including observations, this
can allow us to narrow down the simulated range of model simulations, and ultimately improve our
prediction of Arctic amplification in the future.
The collaboration was very valuable in terms of gaining new ideas and insights in this specific
approach, and networking with other researchers with a similar focus. The research stay has helped
me to define a new subtopic within my research plan, and to write a paper which we plan to submit
by the end of March this year.
Finally, it was a wonderful opportunity to get to know Nicole and her group at UCSC, and to
discuss our research together. Santa Cruz is a beautiful city, not only due to the Pacific ocean being close by, but also due to its wildlife which even infiltrates the UCSC campus:
see picture 😉

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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29.05.2022 - 15.07.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Alexander Mchedlishvili went for a research stay to the University College London

Throughout June and the first part of July of 2022 I went to the University College London Earth Sciences department to work with Dr. Michel Tsamados, my host-supervisor there and Dr. Alek Petty, associate Research Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) who visited UCL in the later part of my stay. Working on my next paper about atmospheric drag coefficients derived from NASA’s ICESat-2 altimeter satellite, the input from Michel and Alek was invaluable for my work. With said input, I am now on track to submit this publication in the next months as we covered the basis of the scientific discussion we aim to present in the manuscript.
For the time I was in London I was a guest researcher in the group: The Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM). This experience was very valuable in terms of the new insights I have received by presenting my work to a new group that also specializes in sea ice. There I met other PhD students who also specialize in what my project is about and with them discussed the potential of future collaborations. Specifally, I have found students that are also working with sea ice roughness – a topic that only I specialize in in my group at the Institute of Environmental Physics in Bremen. Thus it was very useful to discuss the specifics of my work with experts that have been working with the exact same topic for the past few years.
Lastly, I believe the networking I have done throughout this experience will become valuable in the future and am very grateful to have made so many valuable contacts. Meeting Michel and Alek in person, considering they are co-authors in my next manuscript, definetely helped put everyone on the same page and boost the exchange in communications that is essential for the processing of the manuscrip prior to submission.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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12.08.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Theresa Kiszler went for a Research Stay to the University of Colorado in Boulder

I visited the Institute of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at University of Colorado Boulder  in August 2022 for two weeks. I decided to go there because I wanted to visit Jennifer Kay’s working group and because Boulder is an atmospheric science hub. During my stay I got to know several PhD students as well as senior scientists throughout the institute. I was able to present my work in the group meeting and engage in discussions relating to my PhD thesis objectives and how they possibly fit into the larger context of Arctic amplification. In my PhD I am working on simulations around Ny-Alesund (Svalbard) and using observations from there to study the representation of the clouds in the model. Especially the mixed-phase clouds are interesting as they have a high complexity and as we found the model we use (ICON-LEM) overestimates the ice occurrence in clouds. For the upcoming steps I had discussions with Jennifer as well as Matthew Schupe who also works in Boulder and is a Mercator Fellow in (AC)³. Both work on topics related to Arctic clouds. It was helpful to have these conversations and I felt more inspired afterwards. Besides the scientific input I also enjoyed the experience of being at an institute in a different country. I believe this broadened my perspective significantly and challenged me to think about different approaches to science and academia in general. Sadly, many of the institutes such as NCAR  (National Center for Atmospheric Research) were closed to guest due to the continuing Covid restrictions. Nevertheless, I took the time to drive past these locations to do some science tourism which was fun. I also visited a forest which was regrowing after recent wildfires and went on a weekend trip through the Rocky Mountains National Park with a friend. It was generally quite hot during my stay (> 30°C every day) but that made it easier to focus on my work in front of the computer during the hot hours and enjoy the fantastic nature during the cooler hours of the day.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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04.07.2022 - 13.07.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Melanie Lauer spent a week at Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal in Irina Gorodetskaya’s group

The IRTG travel grant gave me the opportunity to visit Irina Gorodetskaya, one of my supervisors, at the University of Aveiro in Portugal beginning of July. As part of her Mercator Fellowship within (AC)³, Irina investigates Atmospheric Rivers in the Arctic. Atmospheric Rivers are long and narrow structures that transport anomalous huge amounts of water vapor and heat from the lower latitudes towards the polar regions. Previous studies have shown that they produce significant amounts of rain and snow and impact the surface energy budget. However, their effect on the Arctic climate system is still unclear.
In order to analyse, in how far ARs affect the Arctic climate system, they must first be detected. Within the project E04, we are using the global detection algorithm by Guan & Waliser. Furthermore, the detection algorithm by Irina Gorodetsakya is planned to use. This algorithm was developed to detect ARs in Antarctica. However, in order to apply her algorithm for the Arctic, some adjustments need to be made. Together with Carolina Viceto, a PhD candidate of Irina, I worked on these adjustments. We have tried several approaches, but none has brought the expected success. However, these approaches can be excluded in the future. Carolina and I also had a personal exchange about our work, which was very productive and helpful for my future work.
During my stay, I shared the office with other people from the working group. This allowed me to learn about their work which was mainly related to ARs in Antarctica. Of particular interest was the master thesis of one student who also focuses on fronts which are detected by Michael Sprenger from the ETH Zürich. As I am also interested in cyclones and fronts in addition to ARs, I was in contact with Michael Sprenger after my research stay who kindly provides me with the data.
Although we were not able to complete the algorithm during my stay in Aveiro, I was able to gain new insights for my further work through the personal exchanges.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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01.05.2022 - 06.05.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Hannah Niehaus joint the CHESS winter school on Ocean, Sea Ice, and Atmosphere Interactions in Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Already the flight to Svalbard was a highlight seeing sea ice for the first time. The school itself started on Sunday afternoon with an icebreaker event where we met all participants and lecturers at a bonfire in a relaxed and open atmosphere. From Monday to Friday we had plenty of lectures on different compartments and approaches of Arctic research. On Monday there was also the first poster session where I was able to present and discuss my work with the other participants and with the lecturers. The posters were kept for the following two days to enable the continuation of discussions in the coffee and lunch breaks that were spent together in the same area where the poster session took place. Another highlight of the course was a boat trip on Tuesday evening where we could actually see sea ice from close distance, especially young pancake ice whose formation we had just discussed the same day in a lecture. In general the participation in this school was great to gain a broader overview of the important compartments and their interplay in the Arctic as well as a feeling for the importance and integration of my small subproject. Discussing and sharing experiences with other students was also very motivating and after a slow start in my PhD during covid I feel now a little bit more connected to other researchers and institutions in my field.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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23.05.2022 - 27.05.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Moritz Zeising joined the EGU General Assembly 2022

The experience to participate for the first time at an on-site conference was great. The European Geoscience Union General Assembly 2022 in Vienna offered an opportunity to present my research on modelling biogenic aerosol precursors to the broader oceanography (and cryosphere) audience in a session on the Arctic Ocean. Further, the discussion and networking during the conference itself, but also during the evenings at the Cryosphere division networking event or a self-organized oceanography networking was helpful to discuss ongoing research and ideas with others. To present linkages within (AC)³, Anisbel León and me pointed at each other’s projects during our presentations.

A session of the EGU Equality, Diversity and Inclusion working group and a panel discussion on neo-colonialism in science enriched the conference experience even more. As outreach and to connect with other EGU22 participants, I posted interesting topics, quotes, articles and links on Twitter and partly also on Instagram.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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01.05.2022 - 06.05.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Finn Heukamp joint the winterschool on “Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Interaction Processes” in Svalbard

The winterschool on Svalbard in May 2022 was designed to give a broad overview on various topics regarding the interactions of the Arctic Ocean, atmosphere and especially the sea ice. As the winter school took place on Svalbard, it was also a great opportunity for me as a modeller to perceive the Arctic environment and get to know the region I am working on in reality. In addition to 6-8 lectures each day we did an evening boat tour on the Fjord to the edge of the sea ice and a nearby glacier and a guided walking tour through Longyearbyen one afternoon. At the day of arrival, we had some drinks outside but could not withstand the icy wind for long. As every Ph.D. student brought a poster on their recent work we had some nice and interesting poster sessions.

Processes covered by the lectures were ranging from Arctic-wide, large-scale ocean and atmosphere circulation changes to millimetre-scale processes in the formation of sea ice. The lectures covered different aspects of my work, especially the larger-scale processes as the interaction of the Atlantic Water flow through the Arctic and its impact on local sea ice formation, which was very interesting to hear as I am working on exactly that interface. As I have a strong university background in tropical oceanography, this winter school provided a great overview on specific Arctic Ocean processes that I had a lack of knowledge before. Further, perceiving the Arctic environment, all the ice and the polar day was very fascinating and was a nice distraction from my daily model work on these regions.

In general, the winter school was a big success in all of its facets. We had a highly motivated team of lectures giving interesting presentations on their specific working fields. Moreover, the group of roughly 30 Ph.D. students was really nice and we had a good time learning, networking and being in the Arctic.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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06.05.2022 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Iris Papakonstantinou-Presvelou joint the winterschool on “Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Interaction Processes” in Svalbard

In spring 2022, I attended the winter school on “Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Interaction Processes” in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. I never could have imagined, when I was first applying for this PhD position,  that I would actually be able to see the Arctic region with my own eyes! Especially from the perspective of a modeller, there are very few opportunities to participate in the action field. This trip gave me so many fascinating pictures and memories that will remain in my mind forever. The chuncks of sea ice floating on the sea surface and the shrinking glaciers in such short distance that we witnessed during our cruise in the Fjord were just some of them! The school was taking place in an exciting environment, under the constant presence of daylight, where everything around was cold and frozen except indoors! During our time there, there were many opportunities for scientific interaction, during the poster and lecture sessions, but also the coffee/lunch breaks, which created a relaxed environment for productive discussions and exchange. I would heartly encourage anyone who is investigating the Arctic climate to visit the Arctic at least once in her/his life!

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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09.02.2022 |

Many (AC)³ researchers participated in MOSAiC and now the first overview publications with first results from the atmosphere, sea ice, and oceanograpy teams are out: https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/pages/mosaic

Link to press release from Uni Leipzig –> Link

14.12.2021 |

Fact Sheets explain and illustrate a certain topic on Arctic and climate change in a comprehensive language.

Check out our Fact Sheets here.

15.11.2021 - 10.12.2021 |

IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Lars Aue was supported for his research stay in Helsinki at the FMI

As part of my PhD project within (AC)³, I am cooperating with two scientists from Finland, who are working at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and the University of Helsinki. However, due to the large distance between Germany and Finland and the corona related cancellation of most of the scientific meetings in the last two years, we only met in zoom meetings to discuss our joined research for a long time. With the help of the IRTG travel grant, I was eventually able to visit our cooperation partners last winter in Helsinki.

I spend four weeks in Helsinki and had a work place at the FMI during that time. That way I could do my regular work and at the same time meet our cooperation partners and colleagues from their working groups. Having started my PhD during corona lockdown and spending a lot of time in home office, that was a great opportunity for me to exchange with scientists from outside my own working group and to build up some new contacts.

The possibility to discuss my scientific results intensively with our cooperation partners – without always having to schedule a zoom meeting first – was very beneficial for my PhD project. I was able to make a lot of progress during my research stay and also started to work on a first draft for a joined publication, which is submitted by now. I also made use of the research stay to promote my work within (AC)³ to the scientists working at my host institutes, for example during a seminar talk.

Apart from all of that, it was very nice to explore Helsinki and its environment, watch the aurora during a trip to Lapland and also see some real life sea ice, which is the main subject of my PhD thesis and which I have so far only studied on the computer monitor.

 

A joined paper with scientists from the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the University of Helsinki came out of the research stay, which can be found here.

 

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.

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13.09.2021 |

(AC)³ scientists start their first balloon measurement period with BELUGA at AWIPEV station in Ny-Ålesund

(AC)³ scientists from TROPOS and LIM started the first measurement period of vertical profiling of the cloudy Arctic boundary layer with the tethered balloon system BELUGA over Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard). Their tragets are: Clouds, Aerosol, Radiation, and Turbulence.

The goal of this project is to collect vertical profile data in the the cloud-free and cloudy atmospheric boundary layer. For this purpose, the tethered balloon system BELUGA with combined instrument payloads for thermodynamic, turbulence, radiation, as well as cloud and aerosol in-situ measurements will be deployed at the AWIPEV station. A second mesurement period in March-May 2022 will be combined with the HALO-(AC)³ campaign.

Balloon is prepared for the first measurement flight (Photo: Michael Lonardi, Uni Leipzig)
Balloon is prepared for the first measurement flight (Photo: Michael Lonardi, Uni Leipzig)

The cloudy Arctic boundary layer (ABL) is characterized by a complex vertical stratification with frequently decoupling from the surface. Clouds strongly modulate the exchange of latent heat and cause significant radiative effects; both heat and radiative energy fluxes are major drivers for turbulent mixing. Models have difficulties in representing these processes and often fail to realistically describe the development of the cloudy ABL. Therefore, we propose to conduct detailed measurements of the temporal evolution of the Arctic ABL in contrasting seasons (fall and the transition to Polar night, spring and the transition into the melting season in early summer) using unique thermodynamic, turbulence, radiation, as well as cloud and aerosol instrumental payloads carried by a tethered balloon at the AWIPEV station in in Ny-Ålesund. The general goal of this project is to collect vertical profile data of the temporal evolution of the cloud-free and cloudy ABL. For this purpose, the tethered balloon system BELUGA with combined instrument payloads for thermodynamic, turbulence, radiation, as well as cloud and aerosol in-situ measurements shall be deployed at the AWIPEV station in Ny-Ålesund in different seasons. Firstly, the data collection aims at the statistical characterization of vertical profiles to quantify daily and seasonal differences. The second goal is to evaluate the capability of dynamic and radiative transfer models to realistically reproduce the transition from cloud-free to cloudy conditions and the following cloud evolution.

03.09.2021 |

Verstärkung für das Institut für Meteorologie

Klimaexperte Matthew Shupe forscht an der Universität Leipzig

Der Klimaexperte Dr. Matthew Shupe von der University of Colorado und der Nationalen Ozean- und Atmosphärenbehörde der USA (NOAA) forscht als Gastprofessor bis Ende November 2021 am Institut für Meteorologie der Universität Leipzig (LIM). Der 47-Jährige befasst sich mit dem Klimawandel in der Arktis. „Ich untersuche speziell arktische Wolken, Strahlung und Oberflächeninteraktionen mithilfe von Beobachtungen vom Boden, von Flugzeugen und von Satelliten. Diese Forschung zielt darauf ab, globale und regionale Modelle zur Vorhersage des Klimas und des Wetters zu verbessern“, erklärt der Klimaforscher.

–> see press release from Uni Leipzig

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We are very happy to announce that our kids outreach webpage Mia’s Klimatagebuch is now online!

Dem Klima auf der Spur

Woraus besteht eigentlich eine Wolke? Sind pupsende Kühe schlecht für das Klima? Im Mai 2021 startet der Blog www.mias-klimatagebuch.de für Kinder:

Mia (10 Jahre) stellt fest, dass ihr die Themen Klima, Klimawandel usw. überall begegnen: in der Schule wird darüber gesprochen, auf den Straßen wird demonstriert… Sie begibt sich mit ihrem Polarfuchs Mika auf die Suche nach Antworten und nimmt Dich mit auf eine spannende Entdeckungsreise. Gemeinsam werdet ihr in immer wieder neuen Beiträgen erleben, was ein Polarforscher macht, wie es in der Arktis wirklich aussieht und was in dem großen Forschungsprojekt (AC)³ Spannendes passiert.

Hinter den Blogbeiträgen stecken die Ideen, Antworten und Ergebnisse von über 100 Wissenschaftlern des (AC)³-Forschungsprojektes. Seit 2016 erforscht der Sonderforschungsbereich SFB/TR 172 unter der Leitung von Prof. Manfred Wendisch klimarelevante Rückkopplungsmechanismen in der Arktis, um die dortigen drastischen Klimaveränderungen besser zu verstehen. Gefördert wird das Vorhaben durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

Simone Lindemann

Mia_Mika
16.11.2020 |

ARD -Themenwoche: Montag, 16. November, 20:15 Uhr.

Es ist die größte Arktis-Expedition aller Zeiten: Im September 2019 macht sich der deutsche Eisbrecher “Polarstern” auf den Weg zum Nordpol. An Bord: die besten Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler ihrer Generation. Ihre Aufgabe: Daten sammeln über den Ozean, das Eis, die Atmosphäre und das Leben. Die Mission: den Klimawandel verstehen. Denn die Änderungen in der Arktis haben Auswirkungen weit über die Region hinaus. Der High-End-Dokumentarfilm “Expedition Arktis – Ein Jahr. Ein Schiff. Im Eis.” liefert eine spektakuläre Nahaufnahme der MOSAiC-Expedition unter Leitung des Alfred-Wegener-Instituts, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI).

„Expedition Arktis“ ist eine Produktion der UFA Show & Factual in Kooperation mit dem rbb, NDR und HR für Das Erste

21.10.2020 |

Live-Vorlesung via http://youtu.be/o_zXEIWKypY

“Ich glaub, mein Eis schmilzt!”

Warum schmilzt das Meereis in der Arktis in den letzten Jahren so schnell? Was bedeutet das für das Wetter? Juniorproffessorin Heike Kalesse, Dr. Robert Wagner und Markus Hartmann sind “Scientists For Future” und experimentieren mit Euch gemeinsam, um den Klimawandel zu verstehen.

Nähere Infos gibt es hier.

 

22.09.2020 |

(AC)³ PI Vera Schemann gives an online talk within the framework of the STEM activities “Zukunftsfeld Mathematik” from Uni Bremen via Zoom on 22 September 2020. Further information can be found here.

16.06.2020 |

Vortragsreihe Exkurs

Die Arktis verschwindet! – Wie wir der Eisschmelze auf die Spur kommen
Prof. Dr. Susanne Crewell

NEW DATE: 16 June 2020

Der Klimawandel erwärmt die Erde. Doch warum erhöht sich die Temperatur in der Arktis schneller als in anderen Regionen? Während sich global die bodennahe Temperatur um etwa ein Grad erhöht hat, sind die beobachteten Temperaturänderungen in der Arktis mehr als doppelt so hoch. Zeitgleich wird das Meereis dünner und in der Fläche weniger.

exkurs-Video: „Die Arktis verschwindet!” von Prof. Susanne Crewell

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.dfg.de/dfg_magazin/veranstaltungen/exkurs/2020/200303_crewell_arktis/

https://www.dfg.de/download/pdf/dfg_magazin/talks_vortraege_ausstellungen/exkurs/exkurs_200303_crewell_neu.pdf

21.02.2020 |

Sandro Dahlke successfully defended his PhD thesis

As one of our first PhD students from phase I, Sandro Dahlke from AWI-Potsdam successfully defended his PhD thesis with the title “Rapid climate changes in the Arctic region of Svalbard: Processes, implications and representativeness for the broader Arctic”.

Congratulations to him!

Sandro Dahlke (AWI-Potsdam) after his PhD defense with his supervisors and reviewers.
Sandro Dahlke (AWI-Potsdam) after his PhD defense with his supervisors and reviewers.
23.12.2019 |

Release of Nature Climate Change paper by Cohen et al., 2020

Abstract

The Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average since the late twentieth century, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification (AA). Recently, there have been considerable advances in understanding the physical contributions to AA, and progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms that link it to midlatitude weather variability. Observational studies overwhelmingly support that AA is contributing to winter continental cooling. Although some model experiments support the observational evidence, most modelling results show little connection between AA and severe midlatitude weather or suggest the export of excess heating from the Arctic to lower latitudes. Divergent conclusions between model and observational studies, and even intramodel studies, continue to obfuscate a clear understanding of how AA is influencing midlatitude weather.

Full article can be found here.

Figure adopted from Cohen et al., 2020, Nat. Clim. Change, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0662-y
Figure adopted from Cohen et al., 2020, Nat. Clim. Change, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0662-y
25.11.2019 |

Approval of phase II of (AC)³

We made it!!! Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has approved our proposal for the 2nd phase of (AC)³. For the next four years we can continue our research on the Arctic climates changes using the effective concept of combining campaign observations with regional process and global climate modelling. The overarching goals for the 2nd phase are to identify, investigate, and evaluate the key processes contributing to Arctic amplification, to improve the understanding of the local and remote feedback mechanisms to Arctic amplification, and quantify their relative importance for Arctic amplification.

A press release has been published on the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinde (DFG) website to cover news on the SFB/TR 172 on Artic Amplification. Link to DFG PR

29.05.2019 |

Wendisch et al., 2019, “The Arctic Cloud Puzzle: Using ACLOUD/PASCAL Multi-Platform Observations to Unravel the Role of Clouds and Aerosol Particles in Arctic Amplification” was released within the BAMS May 2019 issue

You may check out the online version here.

18.03.2019 |

Professor Dr. Susanne Crewell was awarded with the Alfred-Wegener-Medal of the German Meteorological Society

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Photo: © DMG, Robert Sausen

For her outstanding performances in the research fields of remote sensing of the atmospheric boundary layer and cloud processes, Prof. Dr. Susanne Crewell, University of Cologne, was awarded with the Alfred-Wegener-Medal of the German Meteorological Society.  Her scientific work provides, among others, the basis for their use in modern weather forecast. The laudatory speech was given by Prof. Dr. Andreas Macke from TROPOS Leipzig. The award ceremony was held during the annual conference of German, Austrian and Swiss meteorologists (DACH-Tagung) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen from 18 – 22 March 2019.

20.03.2019 |

Mit dem Forschungsflugzeug ins ewige Eis

20. März 2019

Während in Deutschland allmählich der Frühling Einzug hält, brechen Forscher der Universität Leipzig und des Alfred-Wegener-Instituts in die Arktis auf, um der Klimaerwärmung auf den Grund zu gehen. Im Fokus ihrer Kampagne Arctic aircraft campaign Arctic Boundary Layer Fluxes (AFLUX) sind tiefliegende Wolken am Rand der Meereisfläche und deren Rückkopplung mit bodennahen Prozessen über dem Meereis. Knapp fünf Wochen lang werden die Wissenschaftler des Alfred-Wegener-Instituts, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), des Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt, der Universität Clermont-Ferrand in Frankreich sowie der Universitäten Köln und Leipzig von Spitzbergen aus zu einer Reihe von Messflügen aufbrechen.

> Link zur Pressemitteilung

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Photo by Dmitry Chechin, AWI.

14.01.2019 - 14.02.2019 |

Melpitz Winter 2019 is testing for for Arctic Summer 2020

From mid-January to mid-February, a field campaign is running at the TROPOS station Melpitz near Torgau to prepare for the MOSAiC expedition. Starting in autumn 2019, the German research icebreaker Polarstern will drift through the Arctic for one year under the direction of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). Supplied by further icebreakers and aircraft, a total of 600 people from 17 countries will take part in the MOSAiC expedition. Science hopes that the expedition will provide new insights into climate change around the North Pole. There is a lack of data from the region, especially in the polar winter, as hardly any researchers have been there at this time of year.

TROPOS will play a leading role in two central measurements: Firstly, a remote sensing container for the entire ice drift will continuously explore the vertical aerosol and cloud distribution using lidar, radar and microwave radiometers. On the other hand, a 90 cubic metre tethered balloon on the fourth of six sections will bring several measuring systems up to an altitude of 1500 metres for two months in summer 2020 in order to measure the Arctic air layers close to the ground as accurately as possible. To ensure that everything runs smoothly there, the Leipzig team is now training the assembly and disassembly of the tethered balloon including the attached measuring technology in Melpitz in winter. Among other things, turbulence, aerosol and radiation measuring devices are tested, which are used in parallel in various combinations on the large captive balloon. In addition to TROPOS, the Institute of Meteorology of the University of Leipzig is also involved in the tests, which will continue the radiation measurements on the 5th section of MOSAiC with a smaller balloon.

The winter weather tests not only provide important insights into whether the technology is robust enough for use in the Arctic. They will also help to embed the measurement data from the balloon in the comprehensive overall measurements. The data from the balloon will be combined with the stationary instruments on the ground and with remote sensing data. In Melpitz, TROPOS has been studying the atmosphere for over 25 years, which is a great help in assessing the quality of the balloon data. In concrete terms, this involves questions such as: Are in-situ aerosol measurements near the ground representative of the atmospheric boundary layer? How exactly can the characteristic vertical distributions of the aerosol be determined? Does the dynamic boundary layer structure correlate with the vertical profiles of the aerosol in terms of concentration, mass and chemical composition, as well as the radiation profiles? How important is the comparison with remote sensing data of the aerosol profiles?

The MOSAiC expedition will thus not only provide new insights into soot and air pollution in the Arctic, but also into the role of particles and clouds in global warming around the North Pole. Since 2016, the Collaborative Research Centre TR 172 “Arctic Amplification” of the German Research Foundation (DFG) has been investigating why the Arctic is warming much more than the rest of the Earth and how much climate change in the Arctic affects the weather in Europe. In addition to the University of Leipzig, the research network also includes the universities of Bremen and Cologne, the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig.

Devices:

In addition to the measurement of meteorological standard parameters such as pressure, temperature, humidity and wind, which are also necessary for the safe operation of the balloon, two different payloads are available for turbulence. With these systems smallest wind and temperature changes are measured, which are important for the vertical exchange and the mixing of the atmosphere.

With a newly developed box, which contains various measuring instruments, data on the contamination of the Arctic with aerosol particles can be obtained. These include two particle counters which can detect the smallest particles with a diameter of 10 nanometres and which are used to find out where these small particles are formed from gases in the Arctic. Another device measures the size distribution of larger particles, from which the total mass of fine dust can then be calculated. Furthermore, the concentration of soot particles is measured in order to draw conclusions about their transport routes and to better understand their influence on the Arctic climate.

Two newly developed cloud water and filter collectors will be tested on a balloon for the first time as part of this campaign. These water samples and filters will later be evaluated in the laboratory with high-precision sensors which would be much too heavy for use on the balloon.

A key function in Arctic reinforcement is played by low-lying clouds. By means of the radiation measurements we want to characterize the cooling at the upper edge of the cloud in order to better understand how this cooling affects the dynamics and thus the service life of the cloud. Furthermore, it is possible to investigate under which conditions clouds in the Arctic have a warming or cooling effect on the ground.

Media articles (chronological):
>Expedition ins ewige Eis
(ARD-Mittagsmagazin, 30.01.19, 13:00 Uhr)

>Polarstern-Expedition – Leipziger Forscher trainieren für größte Arktis-Mission aller Zeiten
(MDR-Fernsehen, 28.01.2019, 11:00/14:00/21:40 Uhr)

>Expedition MOSAiC – Forschungsschiff lässt sich im Polareis einfrieren
(MDR-Aktuell (Radio), 24.01.19, 6:53/7:53/8:53 Uhr)

Photos by Tilo Arnhold

12.11.2018 - 14.11.2018 |

2nd (AC)³ Science Conference on Arctic Amplification

Our 2nd (AC)³ Science Conference on Arctic Amplification was held in Bremerhaven from 12 to 14 November, 2018.

Over 110 participants met at Klimahaus Bremerhaven for discussing about the results of the first three years of (AC)³. Well-known international guests presented their work during keynote lectures. The research on Arctic Amplification was presented in various oral presentations mostly by PhD students and young PostDocs and almost 50 scientific posters in five sessions according to the (AC)³ clusters. The “(AC)³ Distinguished Young Investigators Prize” was awarded to three PhD students. Congratulations!

26.09.2017 |

First vernissage of paintings from ACLOUD & PASCAL

A first exhibition of paintings by the graphic designer and illustrator Kerstin Heymach has been shown during the celebration of the 25th anniversary of AWI Potsdam. She accompanied the scientists as part of the team to Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund at Spitsbergen in May-June 2017. In the tradition of earlier expedition drawers, her pastels, drawings, sketches, photos and interviews illustrate the beauty of the Nordic landscapes and the difficult work of the researchers and team spirit.

This “Documentary drawings of a scientific expedition to the Arctic” will be published in 2017 and the book can be now ordered (edition.lammerhuber.at/buecher/klima-aufzeichnungen; edition.lammerhuber.at/en/books/climate-recordings)

manfred-kerstin-weiter
vernissage
18.09.2017 |

DFG status report of German National Committee SCAR/IASC published. More information can be found at DFG website http://www.dfg.de/foerderung/info_wissenschaft/2017/info_wissenschaft_17_60/index.html.

02.08.2017 |

The EOS (AC)³ overview paper Wendisch et al., 2017 was recently published in the printed August EOS magazine https://eos.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/August-17_magazine.pdf, page 22 – 26.

31.07.2017 |

PR released from AGU for the paper “Increasing frequency and duration of Arctic winter warming events” co-authored by (AC)³ member A. Rinke  (link to paper http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL073395/full): http://news.agu.org/press-release/warm-winter-events-in-the-arctic-are-becoming-more-frequent-lasting-longer/

24.05.2017 |

On the site “Outreach” we have summarized the most interesting articles of the campaings ACLOUD and PASCAL chronologically.

18.05.2017 |

ACLOUD – Aircraft measurements with Polar 5 & 6 at Longyearbyen/Svalbard

ACLOUD_Logo_small2
polar-six

 

ACLOUD blog:  https://acloud2017.blogspot.de/

Further news and flight documentation can be found at our website (here).

PASCAL – Ship measurements with RV Polarstern

Or you may follow us on Twitter #arktis17

18.05.2017 |

We are very pleased that the artist Kerstin Heymach is accompanying our ACLOUD campaign in Longyearbyen/Svalbard. She will look at our often technical and scientific work from another point of view with drawings, pictures and documentation of the field work of artic scientists.

Expeditions-Zeichnen auf Spitzbergen

Ab 29. Mai 2017 nimmt Kerstin Heymach als Zeichnerin für einen knappen Monat an der (AC)³-Expedition auf Spitzbergen/Svalbard teil.

Sie begleitet zeichnerisch, fotografisch und textlich Wissenschaftler der beteiligten Unis Leipzig, Bremen, Köln, des Instituts für Troposphärenforschung (TROPOS) und des Alfred-Wegener-Instituts (AWI) bei ihrer Flugzeug-Kampagne ACLOUD und damit verknüpften Forschungen in Longyearbyen und Ny Alesund.

Sie betreibt dazu einen WordPress-Blog: Wer virtuell ohne kalte Füße mitkommen will: http://www.arktis-zeichenblog.eu. Wer soziale Medien mag, gönnt vielleicht der Seite: https://www.facebook.com/arktiszeichenblog/ ein like und kann auch hier dabei sein.

Kerstin würde sich freuen, wenn Ihr den Blog auch in Eure Communities teilt bzw. weiterschickt.

Expedition drawing on Spitsbergen

Kerstin Heymach will take part, as a droughtswoman, in the (AC)³ Expedition on Spitsbergen/Svalbard for nearly a month, starting from May 29th, 2017.

She accompanies scientists of the contributing universities of Leipzig, Bremen, Cologne, the Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) on their aircraft campaign ACLOUD and related research work in Longyearbyen and Ny Alesund by drawing, taking photographs and writing texts.

For that purpose she writes a WordPress blog. For those who want to virtuelly come with her without getting cold feet:  http://www.arktis-zeichenblog.eu. Fans of social media could perhaps give a like to the site: https://www.facebook.com/arktiszeichenblog/  to join her.
Kerstin would be glad if you shared  or passed on this blog to your communities.

Kerstin Heymach
Kerstin Heymach
Kangia Eisfjord Grönland 2004
Kangia Eisfjord Grönland 2004
18.05.2017 |
11.05.2017 |
13.03.2017 |

First balloon tests in Melpitz

Our researches are currently testing their equipment and instruments for the tethered balloon measurements at the TROPOS measurement site in Melpitz, Germany. These tests were also attended and reported by a journalist from “Sächsische Zeitung”. The online arcticle can be found here. The tethered balloon experiment will be conducted during the ice station experiment ABEX within the expedition PASCAL in the Arctic in summer 2017.

Launch of tethered balloon.
Launch of tethered balloon.
Lifted TROPOS balloon mounted with several measurement probes.
Lifted TROPOS balloon mounted with several measurement probes.
TROPOS balloon with circumhorizontal arc.
TROPOS balloon with circumhorizontal arc.
Turbulence probe.
Turbulence probe.
Wind probe.
Wind probe.
Broadband radiation probe
Broadband radiation probe
23.01.2017 |

At the Faculty of Physics and Geosciences the following Junior Professorship has to be filled starting on 1 October 2017:

W1 Junior Professorship Arctic Climate Change (with tenure track leading to W2).

Further information can be found here.

17.01.2017 |

Wendisch et al. recently published an article in EOS on “Understanding Causes and Effects of Rapid Warming in the Arctic” introducing the (AC)³ project. The Article can be downloaded on https://eos.org/project-updates/understanding-causes-and-effects-of-rapid-warming-in-the-arctic.

24.11.2016 |

The Call for Abstracts for the 1st (AC)³ Science Conference on Arctic Amplification in Bremen, Germany is open from now on until 15 January 2017. Further details can be found here.

27.10.2016 |

Our (AC)³ member Klaus Dethloff, AWI Potsdam, is co-author of a paper recently published in Nature Climate Change: Nonlinear response of mid-latitude weather to the chanching Arctic.

Abstract: Are continuing changes in the Arctic influencing wind patterns and the occurrence of extreme weather events in northern mid-latitudes? The chaotic nature of atmospheric circulation precludes easy answers. The topic is a major science challenge, as continued Arctic temperature increases are an inevitable aspect of anthropogenic climate change. We propose a perspective that rejects simple cause-and-effect pathways and notes diagnostic challenges in interpreting atmospheric dynamics. We present a way forward based on understanding multiple processes that lead to uncertainties in Arctic and mid-latitude weather and climate linkages. We emphasize community coordination for both scientific progress and communication to a broader public.

Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature Climate Change, advance online publication, 27 10 2016 (doi:10.1038/nclimate3121).

28.09.2016 |

(AC)³ was officially endorsed by YOPP – The Year of Polar Predicition.

05.09.2016 |

Our (AC)³ members Marion Maturilli and Annette Rinke hold a lecture on “Arctic Climate Change” at the Potsdam Summer School “Dealing with Climate Impacts”. Further information can be found here.

13.07.2016 |

A further award for an outstanding scientist: The Royal Society announced their new members in April 2016, one of them is the Bremer Professor John Philip Burrows from the Insitute of Environmental Physics of the University of Bremen. Further information and a (german) PR can be found here.

27.05.2016 |

Our correponding member Prof. Klaus Dethloff has been elected as a new member of the Leibniz-Soziatät in Berlin. Further information can be found here.

01.07.2016 |

The „Sächsische Zeitung“ (SZ) has published an article on the upcoming Polarstern cruise PS106 in May 2017 within (AC)³ . The article in SZ is available here.

24.06.2016 |

Manfred Wendisch has been invited to give presentations about our (AC)³ Arctic research activities in the framework of the „Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften“ in Leipzig. These presentations were also intended for childrens. Further information can be found here.

02.06.2016 |

The “Leipziger Volkszeitung” (LVZ) has published an article on the recent Kick-off Meeting of (AC)³ at Kloster Nimbschen, Grimma. download here

28.11.2015 |

Journalists from the “Sächsische Zeitung” will give journalistic support to our PASCAL ship cruise PS108 on RV Polarstern. The research editorial team will cover news on the campaign preperations and the Arctic expedition – as a journalist and a “assistant researcher”. Further informoation can be found here.

20.11.2015 |

Great news! The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has approved 15 new SFBs and SFB/TRs including (AC)³. PR can be found here.

Events

05.02.2025 - 06.02.2025 |

IRTG PhD workshop on ‘Strengthen your self-worth during your doctorate at the root!’ – the instruction-manual-for-the-brain-workshop
Lecturer: Alan Herweg
Date: February 5 – 6 2025

The program can be found here.

02.12.2024 |

#05 Topic: Liquid-or ice, that is the question: Thermodynamic-phase determination of clouds
Lecturer: Heike Kalesse-Los
Date: Monday, December 2, 2024 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

12.11.2024 - 15.11.2024 |

ATM on ‘Arctic midlatitude linkages’
Lecturer: Marlene Kretschmer (Lepzig University), Dörthe Handorf (Alfred Wegener Institute), Judah Cohen (AER, USA), Jonathon Preece (University of Georgia, Athens, USA), Marilena Oltmanns (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK), and Reinhard Schiemann (University of Reading, UK)
Date: November 12 – 13 2024
Venue: Vilhelm Bjerknes lecture hall at Leipzig University, Institute for Meteorology LIM

 

IRTG PhD workshop on ‘Start-up your PhD – Project management for PhDs’
Lecturer: Andrea Perino
Date: November 14 – 15 2024

The program for both parts can be found here.

04.11.2024 |

#04 Topic: Marine aerosol particles and their connection to the Ocean surface
Lecturer: Manuela van Pinxteren
Date: Monday, November 4, 2024 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

This lecture will provide an overview of marine aerosols, discussing their formation, composition, and broader environmental impacts. We’ll explore how marine aerosols connect to the ocean surface, particularly through the sea surface microlayer (SML)—a thin, biologically active interface that mediates the exchange of organic material between the ocean and atmosphere. Finally, a case study will illustrate how combined chemical and ice-nucleating particle (INP) measurements help identify key chemical species in the SML that influence cloud formation processes.

14.10.2024 |

#03 Topic: Radiation Variability and Closure in the Arctic & Beyond
Lecturer: Andreas Macke
NEW DATE: Monday, October 14, 2023 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Radiation fluxes at the Earth’s surface and at the top of the atmosphere characterise the state of our climate system and are significantly influenced by clouds. In the polar regions, sea ice plays a comparable role as “oceanic clouds” in that it reflects incoming solar radiation and retains the heat emitted by the ocean. How sea ice and clouds communicate in this mixed environment is still unclear. The lecture will first show balances of solar and terrestrial radiation fluxes and their trends over the entire Arctic over the last 20 years from satellite observations and reanalysis data. The specific role of clouds for the radiation budget is presented for the Polarstern expedition MOSAiC and, in particular, the spatio-temporal variability of the radiation balances for the precursor campaign PASCAL. In an outlook, the problem of three-dimensional radiative transfer of the typically highly inhomogeneous clouds is pointed out, which is being investigated by the DFG research group C3SAR.

02.09.2024 |

#02 Topic: Clouds and radiation: What do we learn about the radiative impact of Arctic clouds from ground-based remote sensing?
Lecturer: Kerstin Ebell
Date: Monday, September 2, 2024 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The lecture starts with a short motivation on why clouds are important in the (Arctic) climate system. But when talking about clouds, which properties are actually important? And how can we use remote sensing measurements to reveal the secrets of clouds? This will be illustrated by a few examples. We will then have a look at clouds and their interaction with radiation. In particular, we will focus on their impact on the surface radiative fluxes. Do Arctic clouds have a cooling or a warming effect at the surface? How does the cloud radiative effect vary across the Arctic? This lecture will provide some insights into cloud properties, remote sensing, radiation and the special cloud characteristics in the Arctic which is one of the key topics in (AC)³.

03.06.2024 |

#01 Topic: Exploration of Arctic Climate Changes: Combining Observations and Modeling
Lecturer: Manfred Wendisch
Date: Monday, June 3, 2024 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The lecture starts with a short motivation, why it is so important to study the fascinating processes driving the Arctic climate system. Then, a historical overview of the exploration of the Arctic is given, including famous ship expeditions starting 500 years ago until today. The next part includes a summary of current climate changes (sea ice, snow cover, ocean biology, near-surface air and upper ocean water temperatures, permafrost, sea level). Further on, the talk describes the interlinked and complicated feedback processes within the Arctic climate system with two major topics: clouds and meridional transports. In the end a brief summary is given.

29.05.2024 - 30.05.2024 |

(AC)³ PhD Kick-off meeting phase III will take place at Relexa Hotels Braunlage, Harz from 29 – 30 May 2024.

Further information on agenda can be found here soon.

27.05.2024 - 29.05.2024 |

(AC)³ Kick-off meeting phase III will take place at Relexa Hotels Braunlage, Harz from 27 – 29 May 2024.

Further information on agenda can be found here soon.

05.12.2023 - 07.12.2023 |

Our next (AC)³ General Assembly will be held in Leipzig, at IOM building near TROPOS (Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig) on Dec 5-7, 2023 (from noon to noon).

There will be two parts of the GA. The first day will focus on (AC)³ and will be organized thematically by the PhDs. Since this will be our last meeting in phase II, the PhDs should get the opportunity to present their work. The second day will have a HALO-(AC)³ focus. Among other things, the paper contributions to the Special Issue will be discussed here.

Similar to the last times, our PhDs will have the opportunity for their own meeting before the GA. This is scheduled for 4.-5. December 2023 (noon to noon) including an (AC)³ Alumni event.

Of course, both topics are open to both the (AC)³ and the Halo community.

Meeting agenda can be found here.

11.09.2023 - 13.09.2023 |

The 4th International Summer Snowfall Workshop (ISSW) will take place in Leipzig on September 11th to 13th at the Albertina Library. The ISSW is a meeting series that is designed as a networking meeting for the small community interested in snowfall research. After the first meeting in Cologne in 2017, it will be followed by meetings in Hyytiälä in 2019 and Reading/online in 2021, organized by Stefan Kneifel, Dmitri Moisseev, Chris Westbrook, Karina McCusker, and Max Maahn.

Topics include:
• Ice microphysical processes and snowflake microstructure
• Scattering properties of snowflakes and their relation to microphysical properties
• Remote sensing of snowfall, and assimilation of such observations into forecasts
• In situ and laboratory observations of snowfall

The workshop will be organized as a mixture of oral and poster presentations, invited overview talks, and panel discussions.

04.09.2023 |

#28 Topic: Vertical exchange in the Arctic Ocean
Lecturer: Maren Walter
Date: Monday, September 4, 2023 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The Arctic Ocean is in transition towards a new state. In a warming climate, additional heat is supplied by the atmosphere, but also imported from lower latitudes by the Atlantic Water below the halocline. To assess the relative importance of these heat sources and their role in feedback mechanisms between ocean, sea ice, and atmosphere, it is necessary to understand the vertical exchange processes. In this lecture, I will give an overview of the vertical structure of water masses of the Arctic Ocean, the processes that facilitate the exchange between the different layers, and their relative importance.

27.06.2023 - 28.06.2023 |

The evaluation of (AC)³ by DFG which is essential for the decision of phase III will take place in Cologne from 27 – 28 June 2023.

Further information on details of the evaluation for (AC)³ members can be found here.

08.05.2023 |

#27 Topic: Trace gas and aerosol remote sensing in the infrared spectral region
Lecturer: Justus Notholt
Date: Monday, May 8, 2023 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The ground based solar absorption spectrometry in the infrared spectral region using Fourier-Transform-Spectrometers has been established as a powerful tool for studying the composition of the atmosphere. About 20 trace gases can be retrieved, including some greenhouse gases, CFCs, trace gases involved in the stratospheric ozone chemistry, and several tropospheric pollutants. Besides absorption measurements emission studies can be performed, yielding in addition to the trace gas results aerosol properties. During the talk the basics of the Fourier-Transform-Spectrosopcy will be discussed together with some results of our measurements within (AC)³.

03.04.2023 |

#26 Topic: Stratospheric Polar Vortex
Lecturer: Christoph Jacobi
Date: Monday, April 3, 2023 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The stratospheric polar vortex is a region of cold air, separated from  the middle latitudes by the zonal winter night jet, usually centered around the pole and reaching through the entire atmosphere from the troposphere to the upper mesosphere. It forms in winter through radiative cooling. It can be disturbed by the effect of planetary and gravity waves on the winter westerly circulation, occasionally leading to a breakdown of the vortex and sudden stratospheric warming. Vortex disturbances usually propagate downwards, often reaching the troposphere and thereby influencing the winter midlatitude circulation. In the lecture, an overview of the polar vortex dynamics, sudden stratospheric warmings, and stratospheric-tropospheric coupling is given.

12.03.2023 - 18.03.2023 |

12 -18 March 2023: Hyytiälä, Finland.

The winter school is an advanced course intended for graduate students and researchers who want to receive up-to-date knowledge on Arctic amplification, with a specific focus on
Arctic and high-latitude clouds and feedback mechanisms. The course is structured around a combination of lectures and hands-on experience using data from research-grade radars, in situ sensors and state-of-the-art models. The course topics include: surface and airborne energy budget measurements, cloud and aerosol properties, Remote Sensing of the atmosphere and ocean, Arctic feedbacks and likages to the mid lattitudes as well as the Arctic water cycle.

The program can be found here.

Information on Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station can be found here.

06.02.2023 |

#25 Topic: Multidisciplinary Research on Svalbard
Lecturer: Marion Maturilli
Date: Monday, February 6, 2023 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Svalbard is located in a hot spot of Arctic climate change. While the atmospheric column and its changes regarding thermodynamics, clouds, aerosols and trace gases are key topics within (AC)³, research on Svalbard is much broader. An overview of various research activities dealing with the local impacts of climate change is given, as well as the scientific landscape of Svalbard from an organizational perspective.

09.01.2023 |

#24 Topic: Polar boundary layer turbulence and its parametrization
Lecturer: Christof Lüpkes
Date: Monday, January 9, 2023 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The interaction between the polar atmosphere, ocean and sea ice is governed by radiation and atmospheric turbulence, causing fluxes of energy and momentum. The turbulent transport processes occur in the atmospheric boundary layer, which shows some specific features in polar regions. The first part of this talk concentrates on the explanation of these polar boundary layer characteristics with a focus on turbulent processes in different flow regimes. Further, examples of turbulence parametrizations are explained that have been developed mainly at AWI in the last decades and have been used partly also in (AC)³. A focus is here on nonlocal turbulence closures and their advantages to local closures in different flow regimes and on different scales. The final part of the talk is related to surface layer parametrizations over fractional sea ice. The principal of these parametrizations is explained starting with the parametrization of the neutral drag coefficient and ending with its stability dependence over inhomogenous sea ice cover. Examples of the effect of these parametrizations for prescribed sea ice cover are discussed for Arctic and Antarctic conditions.

07.12.2022 - 08.12.2022 |

PhD workshop, ‘Academic Writing’
online via Zoom
Lesley-Anne Weiling
7/8 Dec 2023, 09:00 – 16:00

This online workshop was for researchers and graduate students who wish to publish research articles in English. This course covered key aspects needed to write a good academic paper.

AIM
The aim of this workshop was to improve the style and structure of participants’ English academic papers and increase confidence when writing research articles
in English.

FORMAT
Instructor-led teaching sessions took place over two days. There were group work, instructor led sessions, as well as an opportunity to ask questions.
A detailed handout and workbook was also provided.

PREPARATION
Participants had

  • a sample paper from their field of research available as a PDF on day two of the workshop; this should be something they have enjoyed reading, or consider an example of a well-written paper.
  • a short sample of their own text available they are happy to share in a short peer review session. (an abstract or part of a text of around 500 – 1,000 words). The trainer will provide individual feedback to all parAcipants in wriAng following the workshop.
05.12.2022 |

#23 Topic: Thermal stratification, advection, and vertical mixing in Arctic boundary layers
Lecturer: Holger Siebert
Date: Monday, December 5, 2022 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

On the one hand, Arctic boundary layers are often thermally stably stratified, which hinders effective vertical energy and mass exchange; on the other hand, advection at higher altitudes often plays an important role in the balance equation of e.g. moisture or aerosol, especially in the Arctic.  The central question in this context is: “How can air masses with their specific properties advected in the upper boundary layer become significant for the layer near the ground?” In this talk, I will present and discuss how vertical (turbulent) exchange can occur in stable environments and what role low-level jets can play in this context.

 

24.11.2022 |

PhD workshop, ‘Getting there – Career Development for Natural Scientists’
Klimahaus, Bremerhaven
Juliane Handschuh
24 Nov 2023, 10:00 – 18:00

Content and Aims

Planning a career in as well as outside science and academia can be a tiresome and long process, but the right tools at hand help manoeuvring this process both strategically and structurally. The Workshop “Getting there – Career Development for Natural Scientists” aimed at developing this tool set to both formulate and reach career goals.

In general, participants practiced how to:

  • Assess their current situation, including their skills and capabilities, personal set of values and interests.
  • Develop a precise career development plan including SMART career goals. Project management techniques are applied to plan and manage a successful career.
  • SuSuccessfully achieve their career goals and develop their individual future.

The concrete workshop plan was adapted according the interests of participants:

  • Assessment of the now
  • Finding Career Optiions
  • Making a Plan
  • Getting there

Methods

  • mindmapping
  • theoretical input
  • practice units in group and individual work
  • peer-to-peer feedback
  • dicussion in plenum
23.11.2022 |

PhD workshop, Science Communication
Klimahaus, Bremerhaven
Adam Polczyk
23 Nov 2023, 13:00 – 18:00

Contents

Theory: Introduction to Science Communication in general, used formats (text, audio, photo, video), Best Practise examples

Hands-on: Practical exercise (e.g., camera perspectives), own examples of participants (incl. own equipment)

Focus

  • How to get people interested in science?
  • Best practices?
  • How to start in/with SciComm?
  • How to best include SciComm in daily work?
21.11.2022 - 25.11.2022 |

We will have our (AC)³ General Assembly at Klimahaus Bremerhaven on 21 – 23 November, 2022.

Directly afterwards, we will have 2 different meetings in parallel focusing on different objectives at Klimahaus Bremerhaven on 23 – 25 November 2022.

  • PI +Postdocs Planning Meeting Phase III: We will present the proposed project ideas for our third phase proposal
  • PhD science communication + career planning workshop

Meeting agenda and further information can be found here soon.

07.11.2022 |

#22 Topic: Arctic Boundary Layers
Lecturer: Roel Neggers
Date: Monday, November 7, 2022 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

In this lecture we will explore the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) at high latitudes and its role in the Arctic climate system. The ongoing rapid shift in the Arctic climate in response to global warming works through a variety of feedback mechanisms, many of which are not yet fully understood. The ABL plays a crucial role in many of these mechanisms. For example, it acts as an interface between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere, accommodating vertical transport of heat, moisture, momentum and aerosol. In addition, mixed-phase clouds as embedded in the ABL significantly affect the solar and terrestrial radiative fluxes, and with it the energy budget of the atmospheric column and surface. These ABL processes are typically maintained by physical/dynamical processes such as turbulence. The scales at which turbulence acts can be very small in the Arctic, which seriously complicates its representation in weather and climate models. The first part of this lecture is a brief review of key principles at the foundation of boundary layer meteorology in general, including governing equations, cloud physics, turbulent kinetic energy, and surface-atmosphere interactions. The second part is then dedicated to the ABL at high latitudes, and what makes it unique. Various ABL regimes will be explored, including stable clear conditions, mixed phase clouds, cold air outbreaks, and turbulence over leads. The lecture will conclude by giving a brief overview of ongoing scientific work related to the Arctic ABL.

10.10.2022 |

#21 Topic: What information about Arctic clouds and precipitation can be gained from radars? – Basic principles and examples
Lecturer: Stefan Kneifel
Date: Monday, October 10, 2022 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Radars are fantastic tools to observe the distribution and amount of droplets, ice, and snow particles inside clouds. An increasing number of radars are operated on board of satellites, airplanes but also from the ground. In the Arctic, especially a combination of radar, lidar, and microwave radiometer can provide long-term datasets which can be used to characterize the vertical distribution and temporal evolution of clouds and precipitation.

In this lecture, a short introduction will be given into the three main principles used in radar remote sensing of Arctic clouds: multi-frequency, Doppler spectra, and radar polarimetry. Interpretation of several real case examples will help to link typical radar features to ice microphysical processes. The examples will also help to illustrate advantages and disadvantages of the different methods.

 

19.09.2022 - 21.09.2022 |

The PI planning meeting for discussion about the third phase of (AC)³ will take place in Leipzig from 19 – 21 September 2022.

The agenda can be found here.

05.09.2022 |

#19 Topic: Challenges in climate modeling
Lecturer: Annette Rinke
New date: Monday, September 5, 2022 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The lecture will discuss a few aspects of the progress in climate modeling, in particular with respect to horizontal resolution and complexity. This includes some of the fundamental challenge in climate science, such as the mismatch between actionable and provided spatial information and parameterizations. Different ways to arrive at and examples of high resolution simulations and related challenges will be presented. Challenges of model complexity, for example in simulations of coupled atmosphere-ice-ocean systems are briefly discussed too.

04.07.2022 |

#20 Topic: The challenge of modelling Arctic aerosol-climate impact
Lecturer: Bernd Heinold
Date: Monday, July 4, 2022 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Aerosols from different natural and anthropogenic sources impact the Arctic climate by affecting the radiation budget, precipitation and atmospheric dynamics at high and mid-latitudes. Current climate models, however, persistently show a spread in estimates of the aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud effective forcing that is particularly large in the Arctic region.

In this lecture we will illuminate some of the key uncertainties that make aerosol modelling in the Arctic so challenging.

11.05.2022 |

PhD retreat, Open Space event
Seminaris Hotel, Bad Honnef
11 May 2022, 10:00 – 13:00

open space‘ format:

  • self-organized discussion rounds and people can move from place to place to engage in different conversations
  • At each place: host and poster to document output of discussions
  • Come up with topics to discuss in advance but the format allows coming up spontaneously with ideas you want to discuss. Can be scientific or non-scientific.

Agenda:

  • Election of (AC)³ PhD representatives and council
  • Identification of topics of interest
  • Discussion rounds (results collection on posters)
  • Presentation of results posters and discussion in large group
11.05.2022 - 13.05.2022 |

We will have our (AC)³ General Assembly at Seminaris Hotel Bad Honnef on 11 – 13 May, 2022.

Meeting agenda and further information can be found here soon.

10.05.2022 |

PhD workshop, ‘Resilience – Stress and self-management in challenging times’
Seminaris Hotel, Bad Honnef
Julia Schwarzer-Wild (Wild Consulting)
10 May 2022, 14:00 – 18:00

The Impulse Workshop aims to inspire and support the participants in their own resilience. In the diverse workshop set-up, they reflect individually or on small groups with regard to own questions and topics. They develop own strategies and solution approaches using practical stress and self-management tools and an own resilience checklist.
Contents

  • current studies concerning resilience
  • What is resilience?
  • The resilience process
  • Antifragility & ambiguity tolerance
  • Fear, panic & stress
  • EEEK stress factors of influence
  • 10 points for more resilience

7 Tools for resilience:

  • State Management: Dissociate
  • State Management: Separator
  • „Simplify your Life“
  • Circles of InfluenceMental training & helpful thaughts
  • Think-Feel-Act model
02.05.2022 |

#18 Topic: The impact of Arctic climate changes on weather and climate in mid-latitudes
Lecturer: Dörthe Handorf
Date: Monday, May 02, 2022 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The recent Arctic Amplification, which started approximately in 1990, have coincided with a period of an increased number of extreme weather and climate events in the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes in summer and winter. The increase in extreme events can be partly explained by global warming through thermodynamic arguments, but atmospheric circulation changes might contribute to observed changes in extremes like heat waves or extreme precipitation. In this respect, the hypotheses that Arctic amplification changes might contribute to changes in the characteristics (occurrence, persistence, location) of atmospheric circulation patterns has been widely studied in recent years. Such circulation changes strongly govern changes in cyclones, blockings, and planetary waves which on the other hand can lead to changes in extreme events.

Over the last years, our understanding of Arctic-mid-latitude linkages has been improved by many observational and modeling studies. Although there is consensus within the scientific community that Arctic change can potentially contribute to atmospheric circulation changes in mid-latitudes, and hence, to the occurrence of extreme events, there are controversial discussions, how significant the contribution is and what mechanisms are responsible for these linkages.

Based on observational and modeling studies, the lecture will give an overview about the proposed physical processes and mechanisms that may play important roles in linking Arctic changes to mid-latitude climate and weather. The focus will be on the processes and mechanisms during the winter season, for which most evidence has been found so far. Knowledge gaps and uncertainties leading to divergent conclusions between model and observational studies will be discussed. In addition, a short review of proposed mechanisms for the other seasons will be given. Finally, the outlook will summarize future research directions.

05.03.2022 - 15.04.2022 |

The HALO-(AC)³ measurement campaign aims to investigate the processes causing the drastic climate changes in the Arctic. The Arctic temperature increase, with over 3°C in the last 50 years, is much more pronounced than the changes in other regions of the Earth and impacts the regional climate system, e.g., sea ice loss. This phenomenon is called „Arctic Amplification.“ The focus of the campaign is to study warm air intrusions into the central Arctic as well as cold air outbreaks from the Arctic. These events may not only amplify Arctic warming via feedback effects (positive feedback), but also influence our mid-latitude weather through meridional heat and moisture transports.

The field campaign will take place from March 5 to April 15, 2022, spread over 3 sites. The HALO research aircraft will be based in Kiruna, Sweden for the full period. Polar aircraft Polar 5 & Polar 6 will operate from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, during the period March 16 to April 13, 2022, and balloon measurements will take place in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, covering about 8 weeks in March extended to May 2022. The measurements will focus on an area in the Northern Arctic Ocean and Fram Strait and around Svalbard (78°N, 16°E).

HALO-(AC)³ is a research campaign jointly performed by the University of Leipzig, the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, the German Aerospace Center, the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, the Max Planck Institutes for Meteorology and Chemistry, as well as the Universities of Bremen, Cologne, Hamburg, Mainz and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and international partners. More than 100 researchers from 12 countries will participate in the research project. The campaign name HALO-(AC)³ embraces the lead research projects HALO-SPP (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft – Priority Program) and the Collaborative Research Center/Transregio Arctic Amplification (AC)³ (Arctic Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and Surface Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms).

Further information can be found at https://halo-ac3.de/

07.02.2022 |

#17 Topic: Aeorol modelling
Lecturer: Ina Tegen
Date: Monday, Febuary 07, 2022 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

What will be the lecture about?

  1. A brief glimpse on atmospheric aerosol in general
  2. Some basics of aerosol modelling (focus on global model)
  3. Aerosol model intercomparison studies
24.01.2022 - 28.01.2022 |

NEW DATE:

Monday, 24.1.2022: Online Webinar 13.00 – 15.30
Wednesday, 26.1.2022: Online Webinar 13.00 – 15.30
Friday, 28.1.2022: Online Webinar 13.00 – 15.30

During the online webinars participants will work at an online learning platform together with the trainer.

Trainer: Karin Bodewits from NaturalScience.careers

Registration: https://www.ac3-tr.de/meetings/

Online Workshop via Zoom (link will be distributed)

Do you find yourself at conferences drinking coffee alone? Do you seem to miss every chance to network? Or do you have the feeling you can’t keep the conversation going or can’t even start it in the first place? No matter if you answer one of those questions with a clear “ or you simply have the feeling that you could perfect your self presentation skills, then this seminar might be just right for you! From the first impression you leave, the conversation that follows to a friendly follow up on and offline all of this will be covered during this seminar.
This is an interactive workshop with a lot of exercises and real life examples. There is a special emphasis on communication, networking and media usage. The participants will be asked to prepare and debrief each session, submit written and recorded work to the trainer and also provide peer to peer feedback to other participants.

The workhsop is limited to 12 participants.

For (AC)³ members: Participation fee of 50 EUR per person will be covered by (AC)³ Gender funds.

17.01.2022 - 19.01.2022 |

ATM on ‘Arctic Sea Ice in the Climate System’
Lecturer: Gunnar Spreen (University of Bremen), Giulia Castellani (Alfred Wegener Institute) and Marcel Nicolaus (Alfred Wegener Institute)
Date: January 17 – 19 2022

Basic understanding of sea ice physics, biology and the coupling of sea ice with the ocean and atmosphere. How does sea ice interact with the climate system. Observations of sea ice from autonomous platforms and satellite remote sensing. Sea ice associated biology and geochemistry.

10.01.2022 |

#16 Topic: The story of high-resolution modelling of mixed-phase clouds… and how this can help us for climate and weather models
Lecturer: Vera Schemann
Date: Monday, January 10, 2022 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

In order to resolve (at least partly) arctic mixed-phase clouds, simulations with a rather high-resolution become necessary. Those simulations can be used for process understanding, comparison to and evaluation with observations but also to improve parameterizations of global climate models or numerical weather prediction. In this lecture, we will discuss the setup and requirements for atmospheric high-resolution simulations, what high-resolution and “at least partly resolved” means and how the simulations can help to improve parameterizations for climate and weather models.

06.12.2021 |

#15 Topic: Atmospheric water cycle variables from space
Lecturer: Susanne Crewell
Date: Monday, December 6, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

Satellites are the only mean to get Arctic wide information with reasonable space-time resolution. However, extracting geophysical variables from the measured radiation measurements is less than trivial. Methods based on solar radiation can not be used during polar night and also suffer from problems distinguishing bright clouds and ice surfaces. Similar thermal infrared measurements are also affected strongly by clouds such that the frequent Arctic clouds block their view. Microwave measurements which have been performed from space since several decades now and for which clouds are semi-transparent offer exciting opportunities for different parameters. The surface emissivity strongly depends on the surface state and thus this information has been used as a workhorse for sea ice concentration. However, multi-spectral microwave measurements also allow insights into water vapor, clouds and precipitation.
In this lecture, the principles of microwave measurements for atmospheric water cycle parameters will be explained together with their advantages and disadvantages. For this purpose, exercises using real measurements will be discussed as well as the synergy with other measurement techniques.

08.11.2021 |

#14 Topic: What Every Atmospheric Scientist Should Know About Inverse Modelling
Lecturer: Maximilian Maahn
Date: Monday, November 8, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

Remote sensing instruments are heavily used to provide observations for both the operational and research communities. These sensors do not provide direct observations of the desired atmospheric variables, but instead, retrieval algorithms are necessary to convert the indirect observations into the variable of interest. It is critical to be aware of the underlying assumptions made by many retrieval algorithms, including that the retrieval problem is often ill-posed and that there are various sources of uncertainty that need to be treated properly. In short, the retrieval challenge is to invert a set of noisy observations to obtain estimates of atmospheric quantities. The problem is often complicated by imperfect forward models, imperfect prior knowledge, and by the existence of nonunique solutions.
In the lecture, an introduction into inverse methods is given using the Optimal Estimation (OE) technique as an example. OE is a widely used physical retrieval method that combines measurements, prior information, and the corresponding uncertainties based on Bayes’ theorem to find an optimal solution for the atmospheric state.

28.10.2021 |

PhD retreat, Open Space event
Bildungsforum Potsdam
28 October 2021, 10:00 – 16:00

open space” format:

  • self-organized discussion rounds and people can move from place to place to engage in different conversations
  • At each place: host and poster to document output of discussions
  • Come up with topics to discuss in advance but the format allows coming up spontaneously with ideas you want to discuss. Can be scientific or non-scientific.

Agenda:

  • Identification of topics of interest
  • Discussion rounds (results collection on posters)
  • Presentation of results posters and discussion in large group
25.10.2021 - 27.10.2021 |

3rd (AC)³ Science Conference on Arctic Amplification

Date: 25 – 27 October 2021

Venue: Seminaris Seehotel Potsdam

06.09.2021 |

#10 Topic: Ice Nucleation
Lecturer: Frank Stratmann
Date: Monday, September 6, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

Ice nucleating particles (INP) influence the microphysical and radiative properties of clouds. Therefore, INP may play a role in Arctic amplification as increasing temperature most likely will also lead to an increase in INP number concentration. However, little quantitative knowledge exists concerning the abundance, properties and sources of Arctic INP, and their effects on cloud phase and properties. Therefore, within the project (AC)³ B04 we have been undertaking significant efforts to increase our respective knowledge. The most important results of these efforts will be presented in this lecture.

05.07.2021 |

#13 Topic: Airborne remote sensing of clouds
Lecturer: André Ehrlich
Date: Monday, July 5, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

Ice nucleating particles (INP) influence the microphysical and radiative properties of clouds. Therefore, INP may play a role in Arctic amplification as increasing temperature most likely will also lead to an increase in INP number concentration. However, little quantitative knowledge exists concerning the abundance, properties and sources of Arctic INP, and their effects on cloud phase and properties. Therefore, within the project (AC)³ B04 we have been undertaking significant efforts to increase our respective knowledge. The most important results of these efforts will be presented in this lecture.

07.06.2021 |

#12 Topic: Satellites in the Arctic
Lecturer: Marco Vountas
Date: Monday, June 7, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

Studying remote regions that are logistically challenging, inhospitable and even dangerous or expensive to visit might be explored through satellite remote sensing. Satellite remote sensing enables the coverage of large regions to be investigated quickly and at reasonable costs. During the last approx. 40 years spectral and spatial resolution as well as calibration have improved significantly and thus made satellite remote sensing an increasingly valuable tool to be used for Arctic research. In addition regular and repetitive measurements over long period of time enables the detection and analysis of changes. In this respect the mission lifetimes were improved greatly. With increasing emphasis on the importance of data continuity follow-on missions were (and are) created to expand the important time series.Many satellite sensors are in principle valuable for polar research because they are operated in polar orbits. Since their ground tracks converge spatially at high latitudes, most of the Arctic benefits from frequent coverage by the sensors, and polar processes can be studied at reasonable spatial and temporal scales – often better than those in the middle and tropical latitudes. However, polar satellite based research is also confronted with low radiometric contrast between scene types and instruments may be operating at their performance limits.In this lecture, an introduction to satellite remote sensing mainly from polar orbit perspective is given looking at mission measuring mainly in the uv/vis/ir. Important European and US American missions having relevance for (AC)³ research, as well as flagships are presented and recommended for particular purposes.

03.05.2021 |

#11 Topic: Arctic Halogens
Lecturer: Anne Blechschmidt
Date: Monday, May 3, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

 

Halogens play an important role for the chemistry and composition of the Arctic troposphere. In polar spring, the so called ‘bromine explosion’, a chemical chain reaction rapidly releasing bromine into the atmosphere takes place. These events are linked to depletion of tropospheric ozone and conversion of elemental to reactive gaseous mercury, thereby impacting on the oxidizing capacity of the troposphere and harming the biosphere. The release of organohalogens by phytoplankton and dissolved organic matter from the ocean further modulates tropospheric composition, with iodine monoxide being involved in the formation of cloud condensation nuclei. In this lecture, an introduction into the topic is given, including driving processes, the link to meteorology and remote sensing observations.

29.03.2021 - 31.03.2021 |

Gender Equality Measures

Online Workshop on Conflict Managment for Postdocs/PIs by Dr. Neela Enke

Date: 29 & 31 March 2021, each from 9.30 – 13.00

Conflict competence is a key dimension of personal and professional success. This seminar enables participants to discover conflicts as an opportunity for innovation, professional and personal development. Typical areas of conflict at research institutions arise, from professional and  role-related specificities of research organizations as well as the academic career: e.g. negotiating working conditions at the transition from doctoral to postdoctoral phase, between different status groups (administration vs. academic staff), with colleagues, superiors, employees… Dimensions of implicit and explicit hierarchies in dealing with conflicts are considered, since hierarchy and attributions based on gender origin influence conflict dynamics. How is it possible to adopt a clear and goal-oriented, but at the same time respectful attitude in one’s own role (e.g. colleague, employee, manager) during a conflict and how to act accordingly? Participants will be able to work with their own experiences and develop solutions.

Content
• Basic conflict management (Analysis, Management, Consequences) in professional contexts
• Conflict dynamics and escalation
• Professional communication in conflicts
• Dealing with hierarchy, dependency and (e.g. gender specific) attribution
• Postdocs/PIs: Managing Conflict from a leadership perspective

Register here via the following form:

Registrations are closed for this event

24.03.2021 - 25.03.2021 |

Gender Equality Measures

Online Workshop on Conflict Managment for PhD candidates by Dr. Neela Enke

Date: 24 – 25 March 2021, each from 9.30 – 13.00

Conflict competence is a key dimension of personal and professional success. This seminar enables participants to discover conflicts as an opportunity for innovation, professional and personal development. Typical areas of conflict at research institutions arise, from professional and  role-related specificities of research organizations as well as the academic career: e.g. negotiating working conditions at the transition from doctoral to postdoctoral phase, between different status groups (administration vs. academic staff), with colleagues, superiors, employees… Dimensions of implicit and explicit hierarchies in dealing with conflicts are considered, since hierarchy and attributions based on gender origin influence conflict dynamics. How is it possible to adopt a clear and goal-oriented, but at the same time respectful attitude in one’s own role (e.g. colleague, employee, manager) during a conflict and how to act accordingly? Participants will be able to work with their own experiences and develop solutions.

Content
• Basic conflict management (Analysis, Management, Consequences) in professional contexts
• Conflict dynamics and escalation
• Professional communication in conflicts
• Dealing with hierarchy, dependency and (e.g. gender specific) attribution
• PhD candidates: typical conflicts during the PhD

Register here via the following form:

Registrations are closed for this event

22.03.2021 - 26.02.2021 |

We will perform the HALO-(AC)³ Dry Run on 22 – 26 March 2021. This event will be performed as an online meeting, representing the two designed HALO-(AC)³ campaign stations in Kiruna, Sweden, and Longyearbyen, Svalbard, which will be involved in the flight planning.

Further information and links will be provided soon.

15.03.2021 - 17.03.2021 |

Date: 15 – 17 March 2021

Leipzig Graduate School Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation (LGS-CAR)

Online meeting

Aims: Understanding of the processes that determine the temperature lapse rate in the Arctic; including clouds, the radiation budget, the surface energy budget, and large-scale advection. Modelling and  observational approaches. Understanding of changes in a warming climate.

Further information and details can be found in the PDF.

08.03.2021 - 09.03.2021 |

We will have our (AC)³ General Assembly online via Zoom and Gather.town on 8 – 9 March, 2021.

Meeting agenda and further information can be found here.

01.03.2021 |

#9 Topic: Ocean Color Remote Sensing
Lecturer: Astrid Bracher
Date: Monday, March 1, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Light plays an important role in aquatic ecosystems. Penetration of light underwater influences various biogeochemical processes and also influences activities and behavioral patterns of marine organisms. In addition, dissolved and particulate water constituents present in the water column absorb and scatter light, giving water its characteristic color. The concentration or abundance of these constituents, referred to as optically active constituents (OACs) also determine light availability underwater. Thus color being an indicator of water column content, serves as a water quality parameter. Monitoring of the ocean color variables, such as the OAC concentrations and their optical properties, therefore, allows assessment of the health of an ecosystem. Over the past 25 years, ocean color remote sensing has revolutionized our understanding of marine ecosystems and biogeochemical processes by providing continuous global estimates of various important biogeochemical parameters by detecting the spectral variations in the water-leaving radiance (or reflectance), which is the sunlight backscattered out of the ocean after interaction with water and its constituents. In the open ocean the signal is primarily dependent on phytoplankton which contain photosynthetic pigments, primarily chlorophyll-a (chl-a) and an assemblage of other pigments, and which coexist together with associated detrital and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) that are related to the phytoplankton. Coastal waters are more complex optically on account of the additional influences of re-suspended particulates, or river run-off which could contain terrestrial suspended particulates or CDOM which are independent of the phytoplankton assemblage. Within this lecture the basic concepts of ocean optics and of processing satellite data to remove atmospheric effects and retrieve ocean color products introduced, some examples of application of products by exploiting feedback processes of OACs to ocean physics and atmosphere are shown and links to publicly available satellite products are provided.

19.02.2021 |

On 19 February, 2021, 9-12 German Time = CET = UTC+1 hour, we will have the preparation meeting for the Dry Run of HALO-(AC)³. You are kindly invited to join us!

Please use the following link to connect to the meeting: https://uni-leipzig.zoom.us/my/wendisch

We will cover the following Agenda:

+++ Introduction

+++ Tools

Wiki/mattermost

Mss/trajectories

Further model support

British model tools

Planet

+++ Flight Pattern

Coordination of aircraft

HALO

Polar 5 und 6

+++ Detailed Schedule of the Dry Run

01.02.2021 |

#8 Topic: Ocean Modelling
Lecturer: Marc Salzmann
Date: Monday, February 1, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The ocean is full of processes spanning a large range of temporal and spatial scales. Although many of the physical processes are described by a set of well-known equations (except of course the exact location of the two moon jellyfish disturbing the pycnocline in the top water layer of Gullmarn fjord, Sweden), limited computing power requires averaging these equations and consequently parameterizations of various sub-grid scale processes which according to one famous ocean modeler should at least “pass the ‘laugh test'”. After a brief introduction to the ocean highlighting only a few of its various major roles in the climate system, this presentation attempts to give a brief introduction to ocean modelling. Ocean models are a crucial component of climate models and they reproduce key features of the ocean circulation based solely on a set of equations and parameterizations. Notwithstanding, a few key issues that remain to be addressed will be highlighted. The crucial role of observations for ocean modelling efforts will become apparent.

28.01.2021 - 29.01.2021 |

Online PhD Workshop: “Succeed in your PhD – Thanks to good organisation and self-management” (Part II) by Dr. Kristina Böhlke

Workshop Content:
Doctoral students have a lot of duties to fulfil. On the one hand, they are employed at the university and have to fulfil teaching and supervision obligations. On the other hand, they should take care of their doctoral project, which often involves learning new techniques before they achieve useful results or introducing new methods in laboratories where nobody has ever done so before. At the same time, they should take on general tasks in their laboratories, such as maintaining equipment, ordering consumables or organising work processes. And they are asked to voluntarily organize conferences, meetings and retreats just to gain some experience and get a pat on the back from their PIs. Finally, they are expected to be supportive and helpful when other PhD students need their advice.
This multifaceted set of tasks requires a lot. Setting priorities, having discipline, and being able to say “no” are only some of them. In the workshop the participants will learn how to define their goals precisely and how to complete intermediate steps. We will discuss the prerequisites necessary to focus on personal goals and will train how to handle distraction and interruptions without being rude.
Workshop Objectives:
– Identify time thieves and time traps
– Define own goals and necessary steps towards achieving them
–  Acquire a technique to prioritize tasks
–  Say “no” when needed without offending others
–  Create a mindset that encourages you to achieve your goal
– Plan necessary steps for your dissertation

11.01.2021 |

#7 Topic: Ocean Measurements
Lecturer: Monika Rhein
Date: Monday, January 11, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Observations in the ocean are difficult. The instruments have to be resilient against cold, against corrosion, and against high pressures up to 400 – 500 bar. This holds even more so in the partly ice-covered polar ocean, but without observations, we would have no means to evaluate whether ocean and climate models simulate the ocean and the ocean dynamic realistically. To elucidate the multitude of ocean observational methods, I will present in this lecture polar science topics that have been studied with combinations of shipboard and moored measurements.

17.12.2020 - 18.12.2020 |

Online PhD Workshop: “Succeed in your PhD – Thanks to good organisation and self-management” (Part I) by Dr. Kristina Böhlke

Workshop Content:
Doctoral students have a lot of duties to fulfil. On the one hand, they are employed at the university and have to fulfil teaching and supervision obligations. On the other hand, they should take care of their doctoral project, which often involves learning new techniques before they achieve useful results or introducing new methods in laboratories where nobody has ever done so before. At the same time, they should take on general tasks in their laboratories, such as maintaining equipment, ordering consumables or organising work processes. And they are asked to voluntarily organize conferences, meetings and retreats just to gain some experience and get a pat on the back from their PIs. Finally, they are expected to be supportive and helpful when other PhD students need their advice.
This multifaceted set of tasks requires a lot. Setting priorities, having discipline, and being able to say “no” are only some of them. In the workshop the participants will learn how to define their goals precisely and how to complete intermediate steps. We will discuss the prerequisites necessary to focus on personal goals and will train how to handle distraction and interruptions without being rude.
Workshop Objectives:
– Identify time thieves and time traps
– Define own goals and necessary steps towards achieving them
–  Acquire a technique to prioritize tasks
–  Say “no” when needed without offending others
–  Create a mindset that encourages you to achieve your goal
– Plan necessary steps for your dissertation

 

 

07.12.2020 |

#6 Topic: The Arctic Ocean
Lecturer: Torsten Kanzow
Date: Monday, December 7, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The Arctic Mediterranean Sea (AMS) is comprised of the Arctic Ocean proper and the Nordic Seas – with the former being mostly covered by sea ice in winter and the latter being mostly ice-free. The most important heat source of the AMS is the North Atlantic Current – Norwegian Current System, carrying warm and saline waters northward from the subtropical Atlantic. At the same time the Arctic Ocean proper is exposed to a strong inflow of fresh water from river runoff along the Siberian coast. In the lecture, we will touch upon these differential boundary conditions, and on how they – together with both a massive loss of heat of the ocean to the atmosphere in wintertime and regional wind systems – set up basin-scale, three-dimensional ocean circulation patterns in the AMS. The relevance of the circulation will be explained in a wider context, and also, how changes recent changes in the circulation and stratification are thought to have contributed a reduction in sea ice formation in the Arctic Ocean.

03.12.2020 - 04.12.2020 |

Online ACLOUD/AFLUX/ACA airborne data meeting on 3-4 December 2020

Meeting agenda and further information can be found here.

After we obtained new airborne measurements in Arctic summer during MOSAiC-ACA, it’s time to discuss again about the results of the previous campaigns ACLOUD and AFLUX and have an outlook on the potential of the ACA data set.

We therefore will make an online meeting on two days (3-4 Dec 2020). Meeting link will follow.

The detailed time schedule will depend on number of presentations. All kind of related studies are welcome:
– observations of ACLOUD / AFLUX / ACA
– comparison of ACLOUD / AFLUX
– modelling studies
– potential ideas of new studies

Please indicate your contribution by writing an email to Marcus (marcus.klingebiel[at]uni-leipzig.de) including a tentative title, which will allow us to sort the topics. Until 30. October.

We are looking forward to see the scientific progress since our last meeting last December in Köln.

16.11.2020 - 17.11.2020 |

Advanced Training Module: ‘Arctic Sea Ice’ by Gunnar Spreen

ATM will be postponed to Spring 2021. As soon as we have further information those will be released here.

09.11.2020 |

#5 Topic: Introduction to Research Data Management
Lecturer: Matthias Buschmann
Date: Monday, November 9, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

BuschmannThe basis of scientific analysis is data. In Earth system science, the collaboration with international partners from different research fields is especially important. On a regular basis we use data sets that have been created by someone else and in turn share our own data as well. We need to ensure that the data sets are prepared in a way to make them usable for other users, that they are archived and remain accessible for a long time and proper credit is given to the data providers.The research data management project INF within (AC)³ provides assistance for all members in the process of data publication while following the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.This lecture will examine the process of data publication and look at hands-on examples that should help to familiarize everyone with the approach we – as a collaborative research center – take on publication of our data.

Links:
(AC)³ Data Policy
(AC)³ Data Webpage
PANGAEA Data Publisher

19.10.2020 |

#4 Arctic Sea Ice and the MOSAiC Campaign
Lecturer: Gunnar Spreen
Date: Monday, October 19, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., online

The MOSAiC expedition finished a week ago on 12th October. During the one year long campaign a comprehensive program of sea ice and snow measurements was conducted. Measurements reached from micro-physical properties of the snow and ice to the large scale distributions of ice thickness and topography measured by helicopter. Here a summary of sea ice measurements will be presented together with experiences from the recently finished leg 5 of the expedition. A focus will be on observation used for satellite remote sensing evaluation and algorithm development.

08.10.2020 - 08.10.2020 |

(AC)³ Kick-off meeting phase II in Cologne

The Kick-off meeting for the second phase of (AC)³ will take place online via Zoom on 8 October 2020.

Meeting agenda can be found here.

07.10.2020 - 09.10.2020 |

(AC)³ PhD Kick-off meeting phase II in Cologne

The PhD Kick-off meeting for the second phase of (AC)³ will take place in Cologne from October 7 – 9, 2020. Furthermore, there will be a Workshop on “Get-together & Team-building” by Ben Hartwig (online & on-site).

Meeting 6 Workshop agenda can be found here.

07.09.2020 |

#3 Feedback Mechanisms
Lecturer: Johannes Quaas
Date: Monday, September 07, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., online

The lecture will introduce the energetic perspective on climate change, and with this the forcing – feedback concept. For each of the energetic feedbacks – temperature, lapse rate, water vapour, surface albedo, and clouds – the fundamental ideas are presented. This is followed by a discussion of results of a model-based feedback analysis and will highlight the specific role of feedbacks in the Arctic. The lecture will conclude by outlining key open questions.

28.08.2020 - 16.09.2020 |

Airborne campaign MOSAiC ACA takes place in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, from 28 August until 16 September 2020. (AC)³ partners from Unis Leipzig, Cologne, and Bremen, from AWI and Deutsches Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) are involved.

(AC)³ is a major German player within the international MOSAiC consortium in which 17 nations are involved. (AC)³ will lead two of the planned airborne campaigns (MOSAiC-Airborne observations in the Central Arctic, MOSAiC-ACA) using the Polar 5 and Polar 6 aircraft of AWI to complement the observations on RV Polarstern. The airborne campaigns are scheduled to take place in March/April and in August/September 2020. Projects A03, B03, B04, C01 will be involved in these airborne campaigns.

The general scientific goal of the MOSAiC ACA 2020 summer campaign is to study the impact of clouds on Arctic amplification, look at air mass transformation processes, and collect data on sea ice distribution in the inner Arctic during summer-time conditions. More specifically, the campaigns aim to obtain comprehensive data sets of a diversity of atmospheric parameters including cloud and aerosol particles and of the energy (turbulent, radiative) and momentum fluxes through clouds. These data will help to quantify the role of clouds in the lower Arctic atmosphere over the Northern Fram Strait. Similar to the previous (AC)³ campaigns ACLOUD (2017), PAMARCMIP (2018), and AFLUX (2019), our strategy is to measure above, in, and below clouds with a large suite of sensors for in situ and remote sensing observations. Using the collected data, it will become possible to better understand the seasonal variability of energy and momentum fluxes, cloud characteristics, and cloud-related processes, since the previous campaigns were carried out in late winter and early summer. Furthermore, we will be able to better investigate clouds and their formation processes over the Arctic Ocean, and to identify the role of aerosol particles and turbulent eddies in cloud processes. This includes the measurements of aerosols (fine dust) and turbulent eddies. For these purposes, a comprehensive suite of instrumentation is installed on Polar 5 including a nose boom with a five-hole probe, a Lidar, a photometer, a cloud radar, as well as other remote sensing instruments to measure the radiation scattered and emitted by clouds, and finally, in-situ cloud probes and a drop sounding system.

03.08.2020 |

#2 Clouds and Radiation
Lecturer: Kerstin Ebell
Date: Monday, August 03, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., online

The lecture starts with a short motivation on why clouds are important in the (Arctic) climate system. But when talking about clouds, which properties are actually important? And how can we use remote sensing measurements to reveal the secrets of clouds? This will be illustrated by a few examples. We will then have a look at clouds and their interaction with radiation. In particular, we will focus on their impact on the surface radiative fluxes. Do Arctic clouds have a cooling or a warming effect at the surface? How does the cloud radiative effect vary across the Arctic? This lecture will provide some insights into cloud properties, remote sensing, radiation and the special cloud characteristics in the Arctic which is one of the key topics in (AC)³.

Online lesson announcement

06.07.2020 |

#1 Arctic Climate System

Date: Monday, July 06, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., online
Topic: Arctic Climate System
Lecturer: Manfred Wendisch
The lecture starts with a short motivation, why it is so important to study the fascinating processes driving the Arctic climate system. Then, a historical overview of the exploration of the Arctic is given, including famous ship expeditions starting 500 years ago until today. The next part includes a summary of current climate changes (sea ice, snow cover, ocean biology, near-surface air and upper ocean water temperatures, permafrost, sea level). Further on, the talk describes the interlinked and complicated feedback processes within the Arctic climate system with two major topics: clouds and meridional transports. In the end a brief summary is given.
Recommended Literature: “The Arctic Climate System”, by Mark C. Serreze and Roger G. Barry, Cambridge, 2005

16.06.2020 |

Vortragsreihe Exkurs

Die Arktis verschwindet! – Wie wir der Eisschmelze auf die Spur kommen
Prof. Dr. Susanne Crewell

NEW DATE: 16 June 2020

Der Klimawandel erwärmt die Erde. Doch warum erhöht sich die Temperatur in der Arktis schneller als in anderen Regionen? Während sich global die bodennahe Temperatur um etwa ein Grad erhöht hat, sind die beobachteten Temperaturänderungen in der Arktis mehr als doppelt so hoch. Zeitgleich wird das Meereis dünner und in der Fläche weniger.

exkurs-Video: „Die Arktis verschwindet!” von Prof. Susanne Crewell

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.dfg.de/dfg_magazin/veranstaltungen/exkurs/2020/200303_crewell_arktis/

https://www.dfg.de/download/pdf/dfg_magazin/talks_vortraege_ausstellungen/exkurs/exkurs_200303_crewell_neu.pdf

11.06.2020 - 12.06.2020 |

Dear Doctoral Candidates, dear PIs of the Graduate School “LGS-CAR”, dear colleagues,

on  11 and 12 June 2020 the training module “Effective radiative forcing due to aerosol-cloud interactions” will be held ONLINE in the framework of the “Leipzig Graduate School on Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation”.

 

All doctoral candidates are highly welcome to participate.

 

For the members of the LGS-CAR participation is mandatory and awarded with 2 graded credit points (online examination).

 

Please save the date.

 

The detailed programme you can find enclosed here.

 

With kind regards,

Beate Richter

10.06.2020 |

(AC)³ PhD Welcome online meeting on 10 June 2020, 10:00-13:00 (link will follow soon).

02.06.2020 - 03.06.2020 |

HALO-(AC)³ Kick-off meeting in Leipzig

The Kick-off meeting for the upcoming HALO-(AC)³ campaign in spring 2021 will take place in Leipzig from Jun3 2 – 3, 2020. Meetings in smaller groups would be also possible on 4 June in the morning.

Further information will follow soon.

13.05.2020 |

We would like to invite you to an online CCA Overview Meeting via the zoom link on 13 May 2020 starting 11:00 – 12:00. All 4 CCA leader would give an overview talk to inform our new PhDs and Postdocs in particular. This meeting will be recorded and will be made available via intranet.

02.12.2019 - 04.12.2019 |

ACLOUD/AFLUX workshop

It has been a while since we all met to discuss the data analysis of ACLOUD. Now additional measurements from AFLUX are available.
Therefore, we propose a scientific workshop to continue and strengthen the interaction between the different measurement groups and the link to modelling activities.

Please note the following dates in your calender.
Begin: Monday    02.12.2019 start at noon 13:00
End:   Wednesday   04.12.2019 until noon 12:00

Monday and Tuesday will be dedicated to ACLOUD/AFLUX data. This gives us at least 1 1/2 days and time for deep discussion. We hope these days will fit to your schedules and will allow a fruitful discussion.
On Wednesday morning we plan to talk about the upcoming MOSAiC airborne activities with Polar 5. Since the situation for the airborne activities changed dramatically, it is important to revisit the scientific idea and possible flight plans.

Further information will be announced later.

11.09.2019 - 12.09.2019 |

The evaluation of (AC)³ by DFG which is essential for the decision of phase II will take place in Leipzig from 11 – 12 September 2019.

Further information on details of the evaluation for (AC)³ members can be found here.

03.06.2019 - 05.06.2019 |

Location: Maritim – Hotel & Congress Centrum Bremen

After the first “Workshop on Airborne Activities in the Arctic: Science and Prospects” performed in Leipzig, 5-6 October 2017, we would like to invite you to a follow-up meeting. There are two focus objectives of this workshop: to generally review the current status of plans for airborne campaigns in the Arctic for the years to come (including collaborations), and to more specifically plan airborne efforts related to MOSAiC and (AC)³.

Further information can be found here.

16.05.2019 - 17.05.2019 |

A workshop on possible career paths after doing a PhD will be held in Leipzig from 16 to 17 May 2019.

At the end of the workshop, information and instructions for the (AC)³ evaluation in September 2019 will be given to the PhD students.

> schedule

> instructions for the evaluation

07.04.2019 - 12.04.2019 |

Session on Clouds, moisture, and precipitation in the polar regions during EGU 2019

There will be a co-organized session on “Clouds, moisture, and precipitation in the Polar Regions: Sources, processes and impacts”

> direct link to the session

15.01.2019 - 17.01.2019 |

PI Planning meeting phase II of (AC)³ and General Assembly

The PI planning meeting for discussion about the second phase of (AC)³ will take place in Bremen from January 15 – 17, 2019.

Further information will follow.

http://www.ac3-tr.de/meeting/pi-planning-meeting-phase-ii-and-general-assembly/

12.11.2018 - 14.11.2018 |

2nd (AC)³ Science Conference on Arctic Amplification

12 – 14 November 2018: Bremerhaven, Germany

It is planned to start the conference with an ice breaker on Monday, 12 Nov, evening. Subsequently there will be also a PhD student event.

Further information can be found here.

22.10.2018 - 24.10.2018 |

PASCAL conference (SynArc)

22 – 24 October 2018: Delmenhorst, Germany

Synergy of physical, biological, and biogeochemical Arctic observations – From the Polarstern expedition PS106 towards MOSAiC

Further information will follow.

http://synarc.tropos.de/

03.07.2018 - 04.07.2018 |

PI Planning meeting phase II

The PI planning meeting for discussion about the second phase of (AC)³ will take place in Leipzig from July 3 -4, 2018.

Further information will follow.

http://www.ac3-tr.de/meeting/pi-planning-meeting-phase-ii/

28.06.2018 |

Halo-(AC)³ planning workshop

A first Halo-(AC)³ planning workshop for will take place in Berlin, 28 June 2018.

Further information will follow.

http://www.ac3-tr.de/meeting/halo-ac3-planning-workshop/

28.05.2018 - 01.06.2018 |

“Advancing MOSAiC Science” workshop

The Multidisciplinary driftings Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) Science workshop will take place from May 28 – 01 June, 2018 at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam.

Further information can be found here.

12.03.2018 - 06.04.2018 |

PAMARCMiP campaign

Polar Airborne Measurements and Arctic Regional Climate Model Simulation Project (PAMARCMiP) starting on March 12 to April 6 2018, Station North, Greenland.

06.03.2018 - 08.03.2018 |

(AC)³ General Assembly 2018 in Leipzig

The 1st annual (AC)³ General Assembly (GA) meeting will take place in Leipzig from 6 – 8 March, 2018 (noon – noon).

Further information here.

There will be additional and supplementary meetings and breakout groups on the following dates:

  • ACLOUD meeting: 5 – 6 March 2018 @ Prager Str. 34, LIM
  • Xcutting breakout groups: 6 March 2018 @ Augustusplatz, Uni Leipzig, 9-11:30 am
02.02.2018 |

Ocean subgroup meeting

2 February 2018, 13:00 – 16:00 @ HGF Geschäftsstelle Berlin, Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178 Berlin

27.11.2017 - 28.11.2017 |

27 – 28 November 2017: University of Cologne, Cologne

The 2nd annual (AC)³ General Assembly (GA) meeting will take place in Cologne from November 27 – 28, 2017.

The (AC)³ community will present their scientific highlights from 2017. During breakout group discussion, the (AC)³ participants will report and discuss on onging collaborations with other Cluster groups and upcoming campaigns.

Meeting agenda and additional information ( PDF ).

20.11.2017 - 21.11.2017 |

20 – 21 November 2017: Leipzig

Workshop “ACLOUD & PASCAL model-data synergy”

In order to fully exploit the (AC)³ observations – here with a focus on the first field campaign results
from the ACLOUD & PASCAL campaigns, but open for additional ideas – we plan a dedicated workshop to bring together ACLOUD & PASCAL scientists (observations side) and modellers (from high-resolved / LES modelling to global climate modelling scale), as well as other interested (AC)³ scientists.
A preliminary workshop 14 October 2016 in Leipzig with participants just from different groups
from Universität Leipzig and TROPOS underlined the potential of, and the interest in, such activities.
We plan a first exploratory workshop on this topic a few months after the ACLOUD & PASCAL  campaigns but early enough to still steer the work of (AC)³ PhD candidates in both, modelling and observations fields, and early enough to accomplish meaningful science in the sense of joint  publications across institutes.
We will call for participation from colleagues who really intend to collaborate on specific model-data
synergy projects (in the sense of a workshop, not a conference).

06.11.2017 - 08.11.2017 |

WORKSHOP: Arctic snow, sea ice properties and interaction with the atmosphere

Dates: 6th – 8th of November 2017

Location: AWI Bremerhaven – Glashaus, building F (Bussestraße 24)

INVITATION

On behalf of the Transregional Collaborative Research Center TR 172 “ArctiC Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and SurfaCe Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms (AC )³“ we cordially invite you to attend the Topical Workshop on “Arctic snow and sea ice properties and interaction with the atmosphere” which will take place in Bremerhaven, Germany from 6 to 7 November 2017. One aim of the topical workshop is to strengthen the goals of the upcoming aircraft campaign PAMARCMiP (April 2018). A preparation meeting of PAMARCMiP will followed the workshop from 7 to 8 November.

RATIONALE

Snow and sea ice albedo are essential to quantify the Arctic energy budget. Only small changes in surface albedo can trigger feedback mechanisms which enhance the Arctic sea ice loss. However, the snow and sea ice albedo are influenced by a multitude of parameters, such as snow grain size, black carbon concentration, surface roughness, the presence of leads and melt ponds, snow and sea ice thickness and the presence of clouds. Therefore, the local optical and physical properties of snow and sea ice have to be well characterized. Especially, aerosol particles including black carbon may alter the snow optical properties but still raise scientific questions like: What are the most relevant sources of aerosol particles contribution to the
reduction of snow albedo? How are aerosol particles transported into the Arctic and deposited to the surface? How aerosol particles interact with the cloudy atmosphere and are scavenged or modified along the transport path? These questions can be answered only by a collaborative effort of different types of measurements and modeling activities that together will capture the full picture of snow-atmosphere interactions.

DEADLINES & REGISTRATION

Abstract (1/2 page) submission until: 31 August 2017

Abstract submission to: Andreas.Herber[at]awi.de

The number of participants will be limited to 30 people.

Organization Committee: Andreas Herber, Marco Zanatta, André Ehrlich

AGENDA

Monday 6. Nov. 2017 (12:00 – 20:00)

SESSION I SNOW AND SEA ICE PHYSICAL AND RADIATIVE PROPERTIES (MEASUREMENTS AND SIMULATIONS)
Key Note Speaker: Marie Dumont
Invited Speakers: Evi Jäkel, Larisa Istomina, Marcel Nicolaus

SESSION II Evening POSTER SESSION with drinks and finger food

Tuesday 7. Nov. 2017 (09:00 – 17:00)

SESSION III AEROSOL AND TRACE GAS ATMOSPHERIC TRANSPORT (MEASUREMENTS AND SIMULATIONS)
Key Note Speaker: Björn Hallvard Samset
Invited Speakers: Bernd Heinold, Makoto Koike, Henrik Skov

SESSION IV PREPARATION AND DETAILED PLANNING OF PAMARCMIP 2018 I

Late Afternoon: Visit of Schifffahrtsmuseum and joint dinner

Wednesday 8. Nov. 2017 (09:00 – 12:00)

SESSION V PREPARATION AND DETAILED PLANNING OF PAMARCMIP 2018 II

Afternoon: Visit of research vessel POLARSTERN

04.10.2017 - 06.10.2017 |

4 – 6 October 2017: Albertina, University of Leipzig

4 October: ATM Graduate School  >> Preliminary Agenda (PDF)

5 – 6 October: HALO-(AC)³ Workshop “Sharpening the Science objectives of HALO-(AC)³

We are planning to apply HALO (High Altitude and Long-Range Research Aircraft) in the framework of the envisioned second phase of (AC)³ in March-April of either 2020 (during MOSAiC) or 2021. The objective will be to measure air mass transformations along their way from the inner Arctic to the open Arctic Sea. In particular, vertical profiles observations of meteorological, aerosol, cloud, and radiative energy budget parameters and their transformations along meridional air mass transports over sea ice has been conducted with a positive outcome. However, it is now time to specify and sharpen the scientific objectives of this mission and to write a White Book summarizing the aims. For this purpose we are planning a topical workshop.

Further information will follow soon.

24.05.2017 - 20.07.2017 |

Physical feedback of Arctic PBL, Sea ice, Cloud And AerosoL (PASCAL) with RV Polarstern on cruise leg PS106.1 and PS106.2 starting on May 24 to July 20 2017 from Bremerhaven to Longyearbyen and Tromsö.

You may check out where Polarstern is on:
http://www.meereisportal.de/meereisexpedition/wo-befindet-sich-polarstern/

Weekly cruise reports from Polarstern are available on:
https://www.awi.de/nc/expedition/schiffe/polarstern/wochenberichte-polarstern.html

Polarstern blog: https://blogs.helmholtz.de/polarstern

pascal-stempel2017_konturpfad_polarstern
22.05.2017 - 28.06.2017 |

Arctic CLoud Observations Using airborne measurements during polar Day (ACLOUD) starting on May 22 to June 28 2017, Longyearbyen/Svalbard.

Further information can be found on http://www.ac3-tr.de/overview/observations/acloud/. You may also follow our ACLOUD blog on https://acloud2017.blogspot.de/.

ACLOUD_Logo
22.04.2017 - 23.04.2017 |

Come and visit RV Polarstern!

Within the Science Year 2016*17 the research vessel Polarstern, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, will be open for the public on 22 and 23 April.

Date and Time

Saturday, 22 April 2017, 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. (ship will close at 4 p.m.)
Sunday, 23 April 2017, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. (ship will close at 3 p.m.)

Further details can be found at AWI website.

26.03.2017 - 28.03.2017 |

26 – 28 March 2017: University of Bremen, Germany. 1st (AC)³ Science Conference.

The conference will summarize the scientific results obtained during the first year of the
Transregional Collaborative Research Center TR 172 on Arctic Amplification (AC)³, and discuss them in context with the international research community. Distinguished guest speakers will talk about recent highlights and current hypotheses in the field of Arctic climate research. Talks and posters will be presented in five sessions. The “(AC)³ Disthinguished Young Investigators Prizes“ will be awarded. The conference is supposed to promote scientific exchange and identify key tasks to be addressed in near-future Arctic climate research.

 A conference flyer can be downloaded here ( outside / inside ).

Further information

The final conference agenda is available here.

Each conference participant will recieve a printed conference booklet including all general information and abstracts at the registration desk. You may also download a digital pdf version in advance. At the conference site WLAN will be available (for further information please ask the registration desk).

You may register for the evening talk by Sebastian Gerland with subsequent (AC)³ reception seperately using the following link:

www.ac3-tr.de/event/evening-talk-with-ac³-reception/

We are looking forward to welcoming you to our conference in Bremen!

19.03.2017 - 25.03.2017 |

19 -25 March 2017: Hyytiälä, Finland.

The winter school is an advanced course intended for graduate students and researchers who want to receive
up-to-date knowledge on the observation and modeling of clouds and precipitation, with a specific focus on
Arctic and high-latitude clouds. The course is structured around a combination of lectures and hands-on
experience using data from research-grade radars (US DOE ARM and ACTRIS), in situ sensors and state-ofthe-
art models. The course topics include: cloud and precipitation observations (cloud radars, lidars, solar
and microwave radiometers, in situ sensors), cloud modeling, precipitation formation, boundary layer
modeling.

The winter school announcement, registration and application deadline can be found here.

14.12.2016 - 16.12.2016 |

14 – 16 December  2016: Youth Hostel Riehl, Cologne. PhD Worhshop.

The two-day workshop theme is ‘Getting Started’ and includes topics such as time, self and project management. It will provide you with relevant and helpful tools for your writing process. On the third day, Friday, December 16th, you will have the opportunity to spend some time together, share your experiences within and outside your cluster and possibly make a visit to the observatory for cloud evolution in Jülich. This second part of the workshop will be prepared and organised by you. Robert Rauterkus as one of the docs’ representatives will be coordinating this part of the workshop. Please contact him with your ideas and suggestions on this part (r.rauterkus[at]uni-koeln.de). For details on the workshop, please see below.

Workshop: Getting Started

Trainer: Aleksandra Skoric

Date: December 14th – 16th

Place: Youth Hostel Riehl, Cologne

Accommodation: Youth Hostel Riehl, Cologne

Registration for workshop via mail to Annette Drost  (idrost[at]uni-koeln.de). More details will follow soon.

12.12.2016 |

12 December 2016: University of Leipzig. Colloquia on “Arctic Climate Change” by Deutsche Meteorologische Gesellschaft (DMG). Abstracts and further information can be found here for download (only german).

01.12.2016 - 02.12.2016 |

1 – 2 December 2016: Wissenschaftszentrum, Potsdam. 2nd General Assambly (GA) Meeting. Futher information can be found here.

21.11.2016 - 22.11.2016 |

21 – 22 November 2016 : University of Bremen, Meeting Room U1050, IUP Building NW1, Bremen. Preparation Workshop ACLOUD. Further information can be found here.

01.11.2016 |

1 November 2016: University of Leipzig, Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences, Linnéstr. 5, Leipzig. Colloquia on “Arctic Climate Change”.

18.10.2016 - 19.10.2016 |

18 – 19 October 2016: University of Bremen. PARMACIMP kick-off meeting.

17.10.2016 - 18.10.2016 |

17 – 18 October  2016: University of Leipzig/TROPOS, Leipzig. ATM “Cloud droplet concentration”. An ATM outline is available here and further programe information can be found in a pdf file. Further ATMs with (AC)³ specific focus will be added in the future.

03.10.2016 - 07.10.2016 |

3 – 7 October 2016: Kjeller (Norway), Ny-Ålesund Atmosphere Flagship work group meetings from NySMAC (Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee)

14.07.2016 - 17.07.2016 |

14 – 17 July  2016: University of Leipzig/TROPOS, Leipzig. PhD Workshop on Introduction to Linux/Unix.

09.06.2016 |

9 June 2016, 15:15 – TROPOS, Leipzig. Prof. Dr. Annica Ekman gives a talk “Arctic climate response to regional aerosol emission changes between 1980 and 2005” within the scope of the Leipziger Meteorologisches Kolloqium.

02.06.2016 - 02.06.2016 |

1 June – 2 June 2016 (AC)³ PhD Kick-off Meeting at Kloster Nimbschen, Grimma. Further information can be found here.

30.05.2016 - 01.06.2016 |

30 May – 1 June 2016 (AC)³ Kick-off Meeting at Kloster Nimbschen, Grimma. Further information can be found here.

02.05.2016 |

2 May 2016 – Bremerhaven: Planning Meeting Polarstern PS106

24.04.2016 |

24 April 2016, 10:00 – Faculty of Physics and Earth Science, Leipzig. Prof. Dr. Johannes Quaas gives a Sunday lecture on “Luftverschmutzung, Wolken und der Klimawandel – Global und in der Arktis” (details).

31.03.2016 |

31 March 2016, 15:15 – TROPOS, Leipzig. Dr. Peggy Achtert gives a talk “An overview of atmospheric measurements during recent Arctic cruises with the Swedish icebreaker Oden” within the scope of the Leipziger Meteorologisches Kolloqium. The abstract can be found here.

16.02.2016 - 17.02.2016 |

16 -17 February 2016 – Leipzig. Further information can be found here.

28.01.2016 - 29.01.2016 |

28 -29 January 2016 – Sopot, Poland (link)