The Arctic is experiencing rapid changes which result from complex feedback mechanisms which are not well understood. A better understanding of the Arctic climate system is thus a key challenge which we address by exploiting ground-based and satellite remote sensing observations. In particular, we want to gain insight into water vapor, clouds, precipitation and radiative effects in the Arctic. Detailed observations are crucial here and available from long-term measurements at Ny-Ålesund but also from campaign based activities, e.g. MOSAiC. more...

Find out more from Kerstin Ebell and Sabrina Schnitt

Stratocumulus clouds cover large parts of the eastern subtropical oceans. Through strong reflection of sunlight, they exert a cooling effect on the global climate. However, limited understanding and representation in climate models pose a large contribution to uncertainty in future climate projections. Using satellite and coastal ground-based observations, along with large-eddy simulations, we study their spatial and temporal variability, the driving mechanisms, and potential feedbacks on regional and global climate. Furthermore, we investigate how changes in stratocumulus properties affect nearby ecosystems such as the fog-dependent Atacama and Namib deserts (https://sfb1211.uni-koeln.de/).

Satellite instruments provide unique views into our climate system with strongly increasing capabilities in the future. For example, the Ice Cloud Imager (ICI) as part of the upcoming MetOp-Second Generation will for the first time provide submillimeter measurements for atmospheric monitoring. The Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) will include sounding instruments for 3D probing of the atmosphere. However, extracting relevant information to infer cloud properties or the atmospheric composition is not straight forward. In this respect, new techniques involving methods from artificial intelligence provide new opportunities, such as deriving fog climatologies.