Research

Cloud Physics

Clouds regulate the Earth’s energy budget and are central to the hydrological cycle. They modulate the incoming solar energy and significantly influence the outgoing longwave radiation. The formation and behavior of clouds are governed by a complex web of dynamical, microphysical, chemical, and radiative processes, all of which are interconnected, creating interactions and feedback across various scales. We explore those fascinating and challenging systems from multiple perspectives.

We develop and employ numerical models across a wide range of scales, from conceptual to detailed high-resolution models of clouds and cloud fields. We develop new approaches to remotely sensing cloud properties, aiming to better understand the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and clouds, utilizing both satellite data and ground measurements.

Nonlinear Dynamics

Cloud fields form a variety of complex patterns, that reflect the nonlinear nature of the system. These patterns influence the lifetime and radiative properties of cloud fields, two of the most important climate variables. As such, the patterns contain critical information about the system’s dynamic state and governing processes. By studying pattern formation in cloud fields, we gain insights into the interactions, feedback mechanisms, and competitive processes at play. Our research involves developing and analyzing pattern-forming differential equations and conceptual models that replicate cloud patterns and explain transitions between different dynamical modes.

Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions

The ocean-atmosphere system encompasses key processes within the climate system. Exchanges of energy, momentum, particles, and gases such as water vapor, carbon, and oxygen make the interface between these two mediums critically important.

Our research focuses on the ocean-atmosphere system, with an emphasis on the interplay between marine biology, the sea surface microlayer, aerosol formation, energy and gas exchange, and cloud processes. We employ a comprehensive approach that integrates remote sensing, laboratory work, and field experiments, primarily conducted in the open ocean.