HErZ2 – MPI-M and Universität Hamburg cloud project granted

30 January 2015, by Franziska Neigenfind

Photo: Torsten Lohse/www.pixelio.de

Clouds are important for weather and climate models.

Dr. Cathy Hohenegger and Prof. Dr. Bjorn Stevens from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology together with Prof. Dr. Valerio Lucarini from Universität Hamburg ...

Dr. Cathy Hohenegger and Prof. Dr. Bjorn Stevens from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology together with Prof. Dr. Valerio Lucarini from Universität Hamburg were successful in their application for a research project  in the second phase of the Hans Ertel Centre for Weather Research. Their project "Advancing the Representation of Convection across Scales – ARCS“ was awarded a grant of 0.91 Million Euro for the period 2015 to 2018 after a comprehensive application and review process.

Cathy Hohenegger and Bjorn Stevens were pleased by the possibility to continue research started during the first phase of HErZ and by the opportunity to collaborate more closely with Universität Hamburg. "Using tools of statistical mechanics we will simulate the volume of the so-called cumulus type of clouds. We also intend to enhance the ICON model of MPI-M and DWD to better integrate clouds and precipitation into climate prediction", says Valerio Lucarini illustrating the goals of his team within the project. "Another aspect, I am looking forward to, is to improve the educational offer at the University in the field of Theoretical Meteorology in collaboration with our colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology."

The Hans Ertel Centre for Weather Research is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure through the German Meteorological Service (DWD). It is composed of five research groups spread throughout Germany. The group around Cathy Hohenegger will investigate the multiscale behavior of convective clouds with the goal of improving the representation of such processes in weather and climate models. Questions underlining the proposed research are: How do clouds organize and interact with their environment? Do small-scale perturbations triggered by the presence of clouds actually matter for the future evolution of the atmospheric state on larger scales? And how could one formulate a parameterization that works across scales and that allows for realistic interactions between the surface, convection and its environment? Besides contributing to basic research and model development, scientists involved in the project will propose new meteorological courses covering aspects of their research, training young scientists and further enriching the meteorological curriculum of Universität Hamburg.

More Information:
Working group clouds and convection (MPI-M)
Hans Ertel Centre for Weather Research/HErZ (DWD)

Contact:
Dr. Cathy Hohenegger
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
Phone: +49 40 41173 302
Email: cathy.hohenegger"AT"mpimet.mpg.de

Prof. Dr. Valerio Lucarini
Universität Hamburg, Meteorological Institute
Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN)
Phone: +49 40 41173 9208
Email: valerio.lucarini"AT"uni-hamburg.de