 |
Contact:Institute for Atmospheric Physics Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Joh.-Joachim-Becherweg 21
55099 Mainz
Germany Fon: +49-(0)6131-39-22863 |
Spokesman of the DFG-funded collaborative research center TR-301: The Tropopause region in a changing atmosphere (TPChange)
Member of the scientific steering group (WLA) for the german research aircraft HALO
Head of the group Airborne Measurements and UTLS Transport Processes
HALO Mission Co-PI of the DFG-funded HALO missions
- PHILEAS (probing High Latitude Export of air masses from the Asian Summer Monsoon, planned for Aug/Sep 2023)
- SOUTHTRAC (Transport and Composition of the southern hemisphere UTLS, Sep/Nov 2019), see also DFG-magazine
- WISE (Wave-driven isentropic exchange, Sep. 2017), special issue jointly organized between Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, and Weather and Climate Dynamics
Research Interests
Transport and mixing processes in the upper troposphere /lower stratosphere (UTLS) using airborne measurements
Research in a nutshell
The UTLS (upper troposphere/ lower stratosphere) region constitutes the interface of the turbulent and well mixed troposphere and the more stable stratified stratosphere. It is thus affected by frequent and eventually small scale dynamical, chemical and microphysical processes at the tropopause as well as the stratospheric circulation (Brewer-Dobson circulation). Its composition reflects these different processes and and time scales of transport. Importantly the composition feeds back on the thermodynamical structure introducing complex coupling effects on all scales. In combination these lead to large uncertainties when estimating future climate and surface temperatures, since their effects and interaction are partly unknown or quantified.
Airborne tracer measurements allow to identify transport pathways and source regions. They also allow to quantify air mass budgets for the UTLS or to deduce time scales for transport.
Recent Projects:
- OCTAV-UTLS (Observed composition and trends in the UTLS)
- POLSTRACC (The polar stratosphere in a changing climate, HALO mission 2015/2016)
- TACTS/ESMVal (Transport and composition in the upper troposphere / lower stratosphere / earth system model validation, HALO mission (2012)
- AIRTOSS (DFG, GFD-LearJet, 2013)
- SPURT (BMBF, GFD LearJet, 2003)