Application deadline: 30 Aug 2016

The Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) is a multidisciplinary centre for climate research located in Hamburg, Germany. It has an internationally recognised reputation in climate modelling. The MPI-M is located in the heart of one of Europe’s most livable and vibrant cities. It provides a highly international and interdisciplinary environment for conducting scientific research as well as access to state-of-the-art scientific and computational facilities.

Within the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) funded collaborative JPI Climate-Belmont project “The potential of seasonal-to-decadal-scale inter-regional linkages to advance climate predictions” (InterDec-MPI), the department for The Ocean in the Earth System (Director’s research group) is looking for a

Postdoctoral Scientist/Research Scientist (m/f, Ref. W029)

to investigate the inter-linkages among seasonal-to-decadal scale variability in the Arctic, mid-latitudes and tropics, their mechanisms and their implications for reliable climate predictions through coordinated multi-model sensitivity experiments and suites of initialized climate predictions. The project InterDec-MPI coordinates the research activities of an international consortium of European and Asian elite universities and research climate centers within the Belmont Forum/JPI-Climate initiative "Climate services collaborative
research action on climate predictability and inter-regional linkages" (http://www.jpi-climate.eu/2015projects/interdec).

Specific objectives of InterDec are

• To investigate the mechanisms that govern the fast atmospheric linkages through both tropospheric and stratospheric processes between polar and lower latitudes and explore the potential for predictions on sub-seasonal to seasonal time scales.
• To advance our understanding of how frequency and amplitude of extreme weather events can be modulated by decadal-multidecadal changes in the background climate conditions.
• To explore the role of the ocean for low frequency signal communication between high and low latitudes and the implications for decadal predictability.
• To explore the added value of increased climate model resolution for a more realistic representation of processes linking high and low latitudes and for enhancing the predictability of high-impact climate and extreme weather events on regional scales.

Responsibilities

• Develop original research and analysis strategy to address research questions relevant to the InterDec project objectives.
• Conduct and analyze coordinated sensitivity and hindcast climate simulations with the Max Planck Earth System Model aimed at improving our understanding of Arctic-Midlatitude-Tropics linkages at seasonal-to-decadal time scale and their potential predictability, with a focus on monsoon systems, Eurasian climate extremes and hiatus like events.
• Contribute to project and task coordination, as well as to the writing and assembling of project reports.
• Disseminate the results through publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and presentations at project annual meetings, national and international conferences.
• Attend training, coordination, and dissemination activities that are organized by InterDec.

Qualifications /experience

• A PhD in Meteorology, Oceanography, Physics, or a related area is required for this position.
• Good knowledge of climate dynamics and predictability, in particular of atmospheric and/or ocean dynamics, atmosphere/ocean interactions and teleconnections. Expertise in initialising and evaluating the skill of seasonal-to-decadal climate predictions is an advantage.
• Experience in performing and evaluating coupled atmosphere-ocean
system simulations is desired.
• Programming skills in Fortran and statistical post-processing (e.g. cdo, R) and visualization software (e.g. MATLAB, FERRET, NCL, IDL, GRADS), as well as experience in handling large climate data sets.
• Good knowledge of advance statistical techniques for climate analyses. Experience in extreme events statistics is an advantage.
• Ability to coordinate cross-institutional research work and reporting tasks is desired.
• Ability to work both independently and within a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Selection criteria

The selection criteria will value the qualifications, the experience and the ability of the candidates to fulfill the responsibilities of the opening as outlined above.

Employment conditions

• The position is offered for 38 months, with a starting date between September and November 2016.
• Payment will be in accordance with German public service positions (TVoeD E 14), including extensive social security plans. The conditions of employment, including upgrades and duration, follow the rules of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Sciences and those of the German civil service.

Selection process

A selection panel will be established. The selection will follow the rules of the Code of Conduct for Researcher Recruitment (http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/rights/codeOfConduct)
The Max Planck Institute for Meteorology seeks to increase the number of female scientist and encourages them to apply. Handicapped persons with comparable qualifications receive preferential status.

How to submit your application for this post

Please submit:

• A cover letter
• A detailed curriculum vitae
• The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of two references

By uploading the documents in our online Webtool: https://s-lotus.gwdg.de/mpg/mhmt/perso/mpim_w029.nsf/application

Deadline for applying

This vacancy has been opened on 21 July 2016. The vacancy will be kept open until filled.

A first cut-off date for the collection of the applications is foreseen on 30 August 2016. If the position is not filled, this vacancy announcement will be re-published indicating a second cut-off date.

For further information, please contact Dr. Daniela Matei (daniela.matei(at)mpimet.mpg.de) and Dr. Jürgen Bader (juergen.bader(at)mpimet.mpg.de).
Do not forward your application to these email addresses; the application needs to be submitted through the online Webtool (see link above).

Oral abstracts submission deadline: 5 Sep 2016

Introduction

Human activities have greatly impacted the Earth system so much so that it has ushered in a new epoch – the Anthropocene. The consequent changes – observed and predicted – occur in the oceans, the terrestrial regions, and the biosphere, and have raised important societal issues such as climate change, ocean acidification, air quality degradation, and ozone layer depletion.

The central component that leads to changes and impacts are the processes that alter the composition of the atmosphere. It is time to take a closer look at the processes that change the composition the Earth’s atmosphere to ensure that they are understood and represented accurately in models, whose predictions underpin societal actions.

This Discussion will focus on emerging issues such as interactions between anthropogenic and biogenic emissions, new mechanisms important for atmospheric chemistry, the impacts of climate on air quality, and new instrumental tools and platforms for atmospheric chemistry.

Aims

This meeting aims to bring together a global network of experimentalists, field scientists, theoreticians, chemists, physicists and environmental scientists working at the forefront of these emerging issues, providing a forum for cross-disciplinary exchange and discussion of ideas on the processes that control the composition of the atmosphere.

Themes

Atmospheric chemistry and the biosphere
In this session we will explore ocean-atmosphere and land-atmosphere interactions; new emission mechanisms and feedbacks.

Atmospheric chemistry processes
In this session we will discuss new mechanisms of importance for atmospheric chemistry, including radical chemistry and recycling, Criegee intermediates, gas phase precursors to SOA, and nitrogen cycling.

The air we breathe: Past, present, and future
This session will look at air quality-climate interactions; developing world issues; short-lived climate forcers. We will discuss air pollution extremes in the 21st century, the benefits of reducing short-lived climate pollutants, environmental pollution in developing nations.

New tools for Atmospheric Chemistry
In this final session we aim to explore the new tools and strategies available, including new measurement techniques, platforms, modelling tools and paradigms.

For further details, please visit the meeting website.

Karlsruhe, Germany, 26-27 October 2016

The 11^th MIPAS-IMK/IAA data user meeting will take place at KIT/IMK in Karlsruhe from 26-27 October 2016.

During this meeting, presentations on the most recent MIPAS data products and their validation will be given; data issues will be discussed. Scientific work on the basis of MIPAS-IMK/IAA data will be presented, including over-arching data-bases including MIPAS-IMK-IAA data. Beyond this, time will be allocated for possible MIPAS follow-up missions. During this meeting, you will have the possibility to present your work with MIPAS data, to discuss your specific needs with the data providers, and to make contact with other data users.

The programme committee:

• Gabriele Stiller
• Thomas von Carmann
• Manuel Lopez-Puertas
• Bernd Funke

For further details see: www.imk-asf.kit.edu/english/mdu.php

For questions please contact the local organizing committee:

Andrea Linden and Sylvia Kellmann: mduorg [at] imk-asf.kit.edu

The new 2016 GCOS Implementation plan *The Global Observing System for Climate: Implementation Needs" will be open for public review from 25 July to 5 September 2016.

This plan aims to guide climate observations over the next 10 years, meeting the needs of the UNFCC, adaptation planning, and climate science. Following approval by the GCOS steering committee, a final version will be submitted to the UNFCCC for COP-22. Anyone interested in climate observations is invited to comment on this draft.

The review draft and instructions on how to submit comments can be found at www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

A three-dimensional analysis on the role of atmospheric waves in the climatology and interannual variability of stratospheric final warming in the Southern Hemisphere. By S. Harano et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Effect of tropical cyclones on the stratosphere-troposphere exchange observed using satellite observations over the north Indian Ocean. By M. Venkat Ratnam et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

A semi-empirical model for mesospheric and stratospheric NO_y produced by energetic particle precipitation. By B. Funke et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Interannual variability of the boreal summer tropical UTLS in observations and CCMVal-2 simulations. By M. Kunze et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

How stratospheric are deep stratospheric intrusions? LUAMI 2008. By T. Trickl et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Retrieval of Ozone Profiles from Geostationary Infrared Sounder Observations using Principal Component Analysis. By P. Jindal et al. in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Longitudinal Asymmetric Trends of Tropical Cold-point Tropopause Temperature and Their Link to Strengthened Walker Circulation. By D. Hu et al. in the Journal of Climate.

Influence of tropical Pacific sea surface temperature on the genesis of Gulf Stream cyclones. By S. Schemm et al. in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences.

Discussion papers – open for comment

Evidence of horizontal and vertical transport of water in the Southern Hemisphere Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) from high-resolution balloon observations. By S.M. Khaykin et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Influence of enhanced Asian NO_x emissions on ozone in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) in chemistry climate model simulations. By C. Roy et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Influence of the spatial distribution of gravity wave activity on the middle atmospheric circulation and transport. By P. Šácha et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Tropical temperature variability and Kelvin wave activity in the UTLS from GPS RO measurements. By B. Scherllin-Pirscher et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

CFC-11, CFC-12 and HCFC-22 ground-based remote sensing FTIR measurements at Reunion Island and comparisons with MIPAS/ENVISAT data. By M. Zhou et al. in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions.

Find the July 2016 issue of the SPARC Newsletter at:

http://www.aparc-climate.org/publications/newsletter/

call for nominations – deadline 1 Oct 2016

WCRP and WWRP have established an International Prize for Model Development, awarded annually for an outstanding contribution to weather and climate model development by an early- to mid-career researcher.

More details on eligibility, required nomination material and selection process can be found at www.wcrp-climate.org/wmac-activities/ipmd2016

Nominations of suitable candidates should be forwarded to the WCRP (mrixen (at) wmo.int) and WWRP (pruti (at) wmo.int), and must be received by 1 October 2016.

Call for nominations – deadline 1 Oct 2016

WCRP and GCOS have established an International Data Prize, awarded annually to honour achievements in (climate) data product generation, data management, data preservation, data monitoring, and other data relevant activities by an early- to mid-career researcher.

More details on eligibility, required nomination material and selection process can be found at www.wcrp-climate.org/wdac-activities/idp2016

Nominations of suitable candidates should be forwarded to the WCRP (mrixen (at) wmo.int) and GCOS (gcosjpo (at) wmo.int), and must be received by 1 October 2016.

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Evidence of global warming impact on the evolution of the Hadley Circulation in ECMWF centennial reanalyses. By R. D’Agostino and P. Lionello in Climate Dynamics.

On the climatological probability of the vertical propagation of stationary planetary waves. By K. Karami et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Observations of PAN and its confinement in the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone in high spatial resolution. By J. Ungermann et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Chemical analysis of refractory stratospheric aerosol particles collected within the arctic vortex and inside polar stratospheric clouds. By M. Ebert et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

The Transient Response of the Southern Ocean to Stratospheric Ozone Depletion. By W.J.M. Seviour et al. in the Journal of Climate.

Tropical waves and the quasi-biennial oscillation in a 7-km global climate simulation. By L.A. Holt et al. in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences.

Effects of polar stratospheric clouds in the Nimbus 7 LIMS Version 6 data set. By E. Remsberg and V.L. Harvey in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

A comparative analysis of UV nadir-backscatter and infrared limb-emission ozone data assimilation. By R. Dragani in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

The Impact of SST Biases on Projections of Anthropogenic Climate Change: A Greater Role for Atmosphere-only Models? By J. He and B.J. Soden in Geophysical Research Letters.

Assessing risks of solar geoengineering starts with accurate aerosol radiative properties. By J.A. Dykema et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Discussion papers – open for comment

Observational evidence for aerosols increasing upper tropospheric humidity. By L. Riuttanen et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

A mid-latitude stratosphere dynamical index for attribution of stratospheric variability and improved ozone and temperature trend analysis. By W.T. Ball et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Spectral analysis of atmospheric composition: application to surface ozone model–measurement comparisons. By D.R. Bowdalo et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Two mechanisms of stratospheric ozone loss in the Northern hemisphere, studied using data assimilation of Odin/SMR atmospheric observations. By K. Sagi et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

The Mystery of Carbon Tetrachloride

The seventh SPARC science report on ‘The Mystery of Carbon Tetrachloride’ is now available! Find the full report here: www.sparc-climate.org/publications/sparc-reports/sparc-report-no7

The report helps answer policy-relevant questions related to the global budget of carbon tetrachloride, an important ozone-depleting substance; closing the gap between emissions reported to UNEP’s ozone secretariat and those estimated from atmospheric observations.

Report editors: Qing Liang, Paul A. Newman, and Stefan Reimann.