Hypothesis:

Arctic atmospheric boundary layer clouds and near-surface processes significantly contribute to Arctic amplification.

Specific questions which will be answered in the project are:

• How do the radiative fluxes evolve in air mass transformation processes?
• Can airborne near-surface turbulence measurements improve the parameterizations of turbulent fluxes?
• Do new parameterizations of air-ice-ocean interaction processes improve the representation of large scale meteorological variables in climate models?

The investigations contribute to the strategic question SQ1, by quantifying the warming or cooling effect of clouds on the Arctic surface in different conditions and the clouds’ impact on mixing processes influencing the lapse rate.

Achievements phase II

• A seasonal and surface dependent quantification of the solar and terrestrial contributions to the CRE was performed.
• Analysis of fluxes in the ABL reveal large impact of multi-layer clouds and distinct differences to lower latitude marine stratocumulus clouds.
• New turbulence parameterizations for stable boundary layer and convection over leads were developed.
• Large Foehn impact was shown on snow melt in Svalbard and northern Fram Strait flow regimes.

Achievements phase I

A03 has quantified the cooling/warming effects of clouds as a function of surface properties using low-level aircraft measurements during ACLOUD and AFLUX (Stapf et al., 2019a). Measured radiation fields below clouds were compared with results of ICON simulations with 2.4 km resolution (Wendisch et al., 2019). It became apparent, that the measured surface albedo fields needed to be considered in the simulation to realistically represent the mode structure of the measured net radiation field by the ICON model. A large variability of the turbulent flux profiles inside the clouds depending on radiative cooling at cloud top was observed. A new parameterisation of the stability dependence of transfer coefficients for momentum, heat, and moisture was developed (Gryanik & Lüpkes, 2017). Furthermore, the warming effect of leads was quantified as a function of wind speed (Chechin et al., 2019). It was shown that leads might play a key role for the often observed development of decoupling between the sea ice surface temperature and the boundary layer temperature (Chechin & Lüpkes, 2019).

Role within (AC)³

Project Posters

Phase III Evaluation poster 2023	Phase II Evaluation poster 2019	Phase I Evaluation poster 2015

Project Members

Publications

2026

Landwehrs, J., Murto, S., Gebhardt, F., Gilbert, E., and Rinke, A. , 2026: Topographic effects of Svalbard on warm and moist air intrusions into the Central Arctic. Weather Clim. Dyn., 7(1):341–365, doi:10.5194/wcd-7-341-2026

2025

Irene, S., Timo, V., Tiina, N., Jörg, H., and Christof, L. , October 2025: Mesoscale atmospheric processes over an Arctic fjord as observed during a research aircraft campaign in winter. Polar Res., doi:10.33265/polar.v44.9263

Becker, S., Ehrlich, A., Schäfer, M., and Wendisch, M. , October 2025: Quantifying the impact of solar zenith angle, cloud optical thickness, and surface albedo on the solar radiative effect of Arctic low-level clouds over open ocean and sea ice. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 25(20):12831–12842, doi:10.5194/acp-25-12831-2025

Müller, J. J., Schäfer, M., Rosenburg, S., Ehrlich, A., and Wendisch, M. , September 2025: High-resolution maps of Arctic surface skin temperature and type retrieved from airborne thermal infrared imagery collected during the HALO-(AC)³ campaign. Atmospheric Meas. Tech., 18(18):4695–4708, doi:10.5194/amt-18-4695-2025

Klingebiel, M., Ehrlich, A., Gryschka, M., Risse, N., Maherndl, N., Schirmacher, I., Rosenburg, S., Hörnig, S., Moser, M., Jäkel, E., Schäfer, M., Deneke, H., Mech, M., Voigt, C., and Wendisch, M. , September 2025: Airborne observations of cloud properties during their evolution from organized streets to isotropic cloud structures along an Arctic cold-air outbreak. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 25(17):9787–9801, doi:10.5194/acp-25-9787-2025

2024

Wendisch, M., Crewell, S., Ehrlich, A., Herber, A., Kirbus, B., Lüpkes, C., Mech, M., Abel, S. J., Akansu, E. F., Ament, F., Aubry, C., Becker, S., Borrmann, S., Bozem, H., Brückner, M., Clemen, H., Dahlke, S., Dekoutsidis, G., Delanoë, J., De La Torre Castro, E., Dorff, H., Dupuy, R., Eppers, O., Ewald, F., George, G., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Grawe, S., Groß, S., Hartmann, J., Henning, S., Hirsch, L., Jäkel, E., Joppe, P., Jourdan, O., Jurányi, Z., Karalis, M., Kellermann, M., Klingebiel, M., Lonardi, M., Lucke, J., Luebke, A. E., Maahn, M., Maherndl, N., Maturilli, M., Mayer, B., Mayer, J., Mertes, S., Michaelis, J., Michalkov, M., Mioche, G., Moser, M., Müller, H., Neggers, R., Ori, D., Paul, D., Paulus, F. M., Pilz, C., Pithan, F., Pöhlker, M., Pörtge, V., Ringel, M., Risse, N., Roberts, G. C., Rosenburg, S., Röttenbacher, J., Rückert, J., Schäfer, M., Schaefer, J., Schemann, V., Schirmacher, I., Schmidt, J., Schmidt, S., Schneider, J., Schnitt, S., Schwarz, A., Siebert, H., Sodemann, H., Sperzel, T., Spreen, G., Stevens, B., Stratmann, F., Svensson, G., Tatzelt, C., Tuch, T., Vihma, T., Voigt, C., Volkmer, L., Walbröl, A., Weber, A., Wehner, B., Wetzel, B., Wirth, M., and Zinner, T. , August 2024: Overview: Quasi-Lagrangian Observations of Arctic Air Mass Transformations – Introduction and Initial Results of the HALO–(A C)\textsuperscript3 Aircraft Campaign. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 24(15):8865–8892, doi:10.5194/acp-24-8865-2024

Kirbus, B., Schirmacher, I., Klingebiel, M., Schäfer, M., Ehrlich, A., Slättberg, N., Lucke, J., Moser, M., Müller, H., and Wendisch, M. , April 2024: Thermodynamic and Cloud Evolution in a Cold-Air Outbreak during HALO-(AC)\textsuperscript3 : Quasi-Lagrangian Observations Compared to the ERA5 and CARRA Reanalyses. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 24(6):3883–3904, doi:10.5194/acp-24-3883-2024

2023

Kirbus, B., Chylik, J., Ehrlich, A., Becker, S., Schäfer, M., Neggers, R., and Wendisch, M. , November 2023: Analysis of an Arctic Cold Air Outbreak during Autumn and Related Air Mass Transformations Forced by Surface Changes and Advection in Higher Altitudes. Elem Sci Anth, 11(1):00079, doi:10.1525/elementa.2023.00079

Wendisch, M., Stapf, J., Becker, S., Ehrlich, A., Jäkel, E., Klingebiel, M., Lüpkes, C., Schäfer, M., and Shupe, M. D. , August 2023: Effects of Variable Ice–Ocean Surface Properties and Air Mass Transformation on the Arctic Radiative Energy Budget. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 23(17):9647–9667, doi:10.5194/acp-23-9647-2023

Schmitt, A. U. and Lüpkes, C. , August 2023: Attributing Near-Surface Atmospheric Trends in the Fram Strait Region to Regional Sea Ice Conditions. The Cryosphere, 17(8):3115–3136, doi:10.5194/tc-17-3115-2023

Moser, M., Voigt, C., Jurkat-Witschas, T., Hahn, V., Mioche, G., Jourdan, O., Dupuy, R., Gourbeyre, C., Schwarzenboeck, A., Lucke, J., Boose, Y., Mech, M., Borrmann, S., Ehrlich, A., Herber, A., Lüpkes, C., and Wendisch, M. , July 2023: Microphysical and Thermodynamic Phase Analyses of Arctic Low-Level Clouds Measured above the Sea Ice and the Open Ocean in Spring and Summer. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 23(13):7257–7280, doi:10.5194/acp-23-7257-2023

Becker, S., Ehrlich, A., Schäfer, M., and Wendisch, M. , June 2023: Airborne Observations of the Surface Cloud Radiative Effect during Different Seasons over Sea Ice and Open Ocean in the Fram Strait. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 23(12):7015–7031, doi:10.5194/acp-23-7015-2023

Gryanik, V. M. and Lüpkes, C. , May 2023: A Package of Momentum and Heat Transfer Coefficients for the Stable Surface Layer Extended by New Coefficients over Sea Ice. Bound.-Layer Meteorol., 187(1-2):41–72, doi:10.1007/s10546-022-00730-9

Chylik, J., Chechin, D., Dupuy, R., Kulla, B. S., Lüpkes, C., Mertes, S., Mech, M., and Neggers, R. A. J. , April 2023: Aerosol Impacts on the Entrainment Efficiency of Arctic Mixed-Phase Convection in a Simulated Air Mass over Open Water. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 23(8):4903–4929, doi:10.5194/acp-23-4903-2023

Chechin, D. G., Lüpkes, C., Hartmann, J., Ehrlich, A., and Wendisch, M. , April 2023: Turbulent Structure of the Arctic Boundary Layer in Early Summer Driven by Stability, Wind Shear and Cloud-Top Radiative Cooling: ACLOUD Airborne Observations. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 23(8):4685–4707, doi:10.5194/acp-23-4685-2023

2022

Mech, M., Ehrlich, A., Herber, A., Lüpkes, C., Wendisch, M., Becker, S., Boose, Y., Chechin, D., Crewell, S., Dupuy, R., Gourbeyre, C., Hartmann, J., Jäkel, E., Jourdan, O., Kliesch, L., Klingebiel, M., Kulla, B. S., Mioche, G., Moser, M., Risse, N., Ruiz-Donoso, E., Schäfer, M., Stapf, J., and Voigt, C. , December 2022: MOSAiC-ACA and AFLUX - Arctic Airborne Campaigns Characterizing the Exit Area of MOSAiC. Sci. Data, 9(1):790, doi:10.1038/s41597-022-01900-7

Geerts, B., Giangrande, S. E., McFarquhar, G. M., Xue, L., Abel, S. J., Comstock, J. M., Crewell, S., DeMott, P. J., Ebell, K., Field, P., Hill, T. C. J., Hunzinger, A., Jensen, M. P., Johnson, K. L., Juliano, T. W., Kollias, P., Kosovic, B., Lackner, C., Luke, E., Lüpkes, C., Matthews, A. A., Neggers, R., Ovchinnikov, M., Powers, H., Shupe, M. D., Spengler, T., Swanson, B. E., Tjernström, M., Theisen, A. K., Wales, N. A., Wang, Y., Wendisch, M., and Wu, P. , May 2022: The COMBLE Campaign: A Study of Marine Boundary Layer Clouds in Arctic Cold-Air Outbreaks. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 103(5):E1371–E1389, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-21-0044.1

Becker, S., Ehrlich, A., Jäkel, E., Carlsen, T., Schäfer, M., and Wendisch, M. , May 2022: Airborne Measurements of Directional Reflectivity over the Arctic Marginal Sea Ice Zone. Atmospheric Meas. Tech., 15(9):2939–2953, doi:10.5194/amt-15-2939-2022

Michaelis, J., Schmitt, A. U., Lüpkes, C., Hartmann, J., Birnbaum, G., and Vihma, T. , April 2022: Observations of Marine Cold-Air Outbreaks: A Comprehensive Data Set of Airborne and Dropsonde Measurements from the Springtime Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (STABLE). Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14(4):1621–1637, doi:10.5194/essd-14-1621-2022

Schäfer, M., Wolf, K., Ehrlich, A., Hallbauer, C., Jäkel, E., Jansen, F., Luebke, A. E., Müller, J., Thoböll, J., Röschenthaler, T., Stevens, B., and Wendisch, M. , March 2022: VELOX – a New Thermal Infrared Imager for Airborne Remote Sensing of Cloud and Surface Properties. Atmospheric Meas. Tech., 15(5):1491–1509, doi:10.5194/amt-15-1491-2022

Shupe, M. D., Rex, M., Blomquist, B., Persson, P. O. G., Schmale, J., Uttal, T., Althausen, D., Angot, H., Archer, S., Bariteau, L., Beck, I., Bilberry, J., Bucci, S., Buck, C., Boyer, M., Brasseur, Z., Brooks, I. M., Calmer, R., Cassano, J., Castro, V., Chu, D., Costa, D., Cox, C. J., Creamean, J., Crewell, S., Dahlke, S., Damm, E., De Boer, G., Deckelmann, H., Dethloff, K., Dütsch, M., Ebell, K., Ehrlich, A., Ellis, J., Engelmann, R., Fong, A. A., Frey, M. M., Gallagher, M. R., Ganzeveld, L., Gradinger, R., Graeser, J., Greenamyer, V., Griesche, H., Griffiths, S., Hamilton, J., Heinemann, G., Helmig, D., Herber, A., Heuzé, C., Hofer, J., Houchens, T., Howard, D., Inoue, J., Jacobi, H., Jaiser, R., Jokinen, T., Jourdan, O., Jozef, G., King, W., Kirchgaessner, A., Klingebiel, M., Krassovski, M., Krumpen, T., Lampert, A., Landing, W., Laurila, T., Lawrence, D., Lonardi, M., Loose, B., Lüpkes, C., Maahn, M., Macke, A., Maslowski, W., Marsay, C., Maturilli, M., Mech, M., Morris, S., Moser, M., Nicolaus, M., Ortega, P., Osborn, J., Pätzold, F., Perovich, D. K., Petäjä, T., Pilz, C., Pirazzini, R., Posman, K., Powers, H., Pratt, K. A., Preußer, A., Quéléver, L., Radenz, M., Rabe, B., Rinke, A., Sachs, T., Schulz, A., Siebert, H., Silva, T., Solomon, A., Sommerfeld, A., Spreen, G., Stephens, M., Stohl, A., Svensson, G., Uin, J., Viegas, J., Voigt, C., Von Der Gathen, P., Wehner, B., Welker, J. M., Wendisch, M., Werner, M., Xie, Z., and Yue, F. , February 2022: Overview of the MOSAiC Expedition: Atmosphere. Elem Sci Anth, 10(1):00060, doi:10.1525/elementa.2021.00060

Shestakova, A. A., Chechin, D. G., Lüpkes, C., Hartmann, J., and Maturilli, M. , February 2022: The Foehn Effect during Easterly Flow over Svalbard. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 22(2):1529–1548, doi:10.5194/acp-22-1529-2022

Schneider, T., Lüpkes, C., Dorn, W., Chechin, D., Handorf, D., Khosravi, S., Gryanik, V. M., Makhotina, I., and Rinke, A. , January 2022: Sensitivity to Changes in the Surface-layer Turbulence Parameterization for Stable Conditions in Winter: A Case Study with a Regional Climate Model over the Arctic. Atmospheric Sci. Lett., 23(1):e1066, doi:10.1002/asl.1066

Michaelis, J. and Lüpkes, C. , January 2022: The Impact of Lead Patterns on Mean Profiles of Wind, Temperature, and Turbulent Fluxes in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer over Sea Ice. Atmosphere, 13(1):148, doi:10.3390/atmos13010148

2021

Gryanik, V. M., Lüpkes, C., Sidorenko, D., and Grachev, A. , August 2021: A Universal Approach for the Non-Iterative Parametrization of Near-Surface Turbulent Fluxes in Climate and Weather Prediction Models. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 13(8):e2021MS002590, doi:10.1029/2021MS002590

Stapf, J., Ehrlich, A., and Wendisch, M. , March 2021: Influence of Thermodynamic State Changes on Surface Cloud Radiative Forcing in the Arctic: A Comparison of Two Approaches Using Data From AFLUX and SHEBA. J. Geophys. Res. Atmospheres, 126(5):e2020JD033589, doi:10.1029/2020JD033589

Michaelis, J., Lüpkes, C., Schmitt, A. U., and Hartmann, J. , January 2021: Modelling and Parametrization of the Convective Flow over Leads in Sea Ice and Comparison with Airborne Observations. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 147(735):914–943, doi:10.1002/qj.3953

2020

Stapf, J., Ehrlich, A., Jäkel, E., Lüpkes, C., and Wendisch, M. , August 2020: Reassessment of Shortwave Surface Cloud Radiative Forcing in the Arctic: Consideration of Surface-Albedo–Cloud Interactions. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 20(16):9895–9914, doi:10.5194/acp-20-9895-2020

Michaelis, J., Lüpkes, C., Zhou, X., Gryschka, M., and Gryanik, V. M. , August 2020: Influence of Lead Width on the Turbulent Flow Over Sea Ice Leads: Modeling and Parametrization. J. Geophys. Res. Atmospheres, 125(15):e2019JD031996, doi:10.1029/2019JD031996

Gryanik, V. M., Lüpkes, C., Grachev, A., and Sidorenko, D. , August 2020: New Modified and Extended Stability Functions for the Stable Boundary Layer Based on SHEBA and Parametrizations of Bulk Transfer Coefficients for Climate Models. J. Atmospheric Sci., 77(8):2687–2716, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-19-0255.1

2019

Ehrlich, A., Wendisch, M., Lüpkes, C., Buschmann, M., Bozem, H., Chechin, D., Clemen, H., Dupuy, R., Eppers, O., Hartmann, J., Herber, A., Jäkel, E., Järvinen, E., Jourdan, O., Kästner, U., Kliesch, L., Köllner, F., Mech, M., Mertes, S., Neuber, R., Ruiz-Donoso, E., Schnaiter, M., Schneider, J., Stapf, J., and Zanatta, M. , November 2019: A Comprehensive in Situ and Remote Sensing Data Set from the Arctic CLoud Observations Using Airborne Measurements during Polar Day (ACLOUD) Campaign. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11(4):1853–1881, doi:10.5194/essd-11-1853-2019

Chechin, D. G., Makhotina, I. A., Lüpkes, C., and Makshtas, A. P. , August 2019: Effect of Wind Speed and Leads on Clear-Sky Cooling over Arctic Sea Ice during Polar Night. J. Atmospheric Sci., 76(8):2481–2503, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-18-0277.1

Wendisch, M., Macke, A., Ehrlich, A., Lüpkes, C., Mech, M., Chechin, D., Dethloff, K., Velasco, C. B., Bozem, H., Brückner, M., Clemen, H., Crewell, S., Donth, T., Dupuy, R., Ebell, K., Egerer, U., Engelmann, R., Engler, C., Eppers, O., Gehrmann, M., Gong, X., Gottschalk, M., Gourbeyre, C., Griesche, H., Hartmann, J., Hartmann, M., Heinold, B., Herber, A., Herrmann, H., Heygster, G., Hoor, P., Jafariserajehlou, S., Jäkel, E., Järvinen, E., Jourdan, O., Kästner, U., Kecorius, S., Knudsen, E. M., Köllner, F., Kretzschmar, J., Lelli, L., Leroy, D., Maturilli, M., Mei, L., Mertes, S., Mioche, G., Neuber, R., Nicolaus, M., Nomokonova, T., Notholt, J., Palm, M., Van Pinxteren, M., Quaas, J., Richter, P., Ruiz-Donoso, E., Schäfer, M., Schmieder, K., Schnaiter, M., Schneider, J., Schwarzenböck, A., Seifert, P., Shupe, M. D., Siebert, H., Spreen, G., Stapf, J., Stratmann, F., Vogl, T., Welti, A., Wex, H., Wiedensohler, A., Zanatta, M., and Zeppenfeld, S. , May 2019: The Arctic Cloud Puzzle: Using ACLOUD/PASCAL Multiplatform Observations to Unravel the Role of Clouds and Aerosol Particles in Arctic Amplification. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 100(5):841–871, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0072.1

Chechin, D. G. and Lüpkes, C. , February 2019: Baroclinic Low-Level Jets in Arctic Marine Cold-Air Outbreaks. IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci., 231:012011, doi:10.1088/1755-1315/231/1/012011

2018

Knudsen, E. M., Heinold, B., Dahlke, S., Bozem, H., Crewell, S., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Heygster, G., Kunkel, D., Maturilli, M., Mech, M., Viceto, C., Rinke, A., Schmithüsen, H., Ehrlich, A., Macke, A., Lüpkes, C., and Wendisch, M. , December 2018: Meteorological Conditions during the ACLOUD/PASCAL Field Campaign near Svalbard in Early Summer 2017. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 18(24):17995–18022, doi:10.5194/acp-18-17995-2018

Pithan, F., Svensson, G., Caballero, R., Chechin, D., Cronin, T. W., Ekman, A. M. L., Neggers, R., Shupe, M. D., Solomon, A., Tjernström, M., and Wendisch, M. , November 2018: Role of Air-Mass Transformations in Exchange between the Arctic and Mid-Latitudes. Nat. Geosci., 11(11):805–812, doi:10.1038/s41561-018-0234-1

Järvinen, E., Jourdan, O., Neubauer, D., Yao, B., Liu, C., Andreae, M. O., Lohmann, U., Wendisch, M., McFarquhar, G. M., Leisner, T., and Schnaiter, M. , November 2018: Additional Global Climate Cooling by Clouds Due to Ice Crystal Complexity. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 18(21):15767–15781, doi:10.5194/acp-18-15767-2018

Gryanik, V. M. and Lüpkes, C. , February 2018: An Efficient Non-iterative Bulk Parametrization of Surface Fluxes for Stable Atmospheric Conditions Over Polar Sea-Ice. Bound.-Layer Meteorol., 166(2):301–325, doi:10.1007/s10546-017-0302-x

2017

Wendisch, M., Brückner, M., Burrows, J., Crewell, S., Dethloff, K., Ebell, K., Lüpkes, C., Macke, A., Notholt, J., Quaas, J., Rinke, A., and Tegen, I. , January 2017: Understanding Causes and Effects of Rapid Warming in the Arctic. Eos, doi:10.1029/2017EO064803

Chechin, D. G. and Lüpkes, C. , January 2017: Boundary-Layer Development and Low-level Baroclinicity during High-Latitude Cold-Air Outbreaks: A Simple Model. Bound.-Layer Meteorol., 162(1):91–116, doi:10.1007/s10546-016-0193-2

Bühl, J., Alexander, S., Crewell, S., Heymsfield, A., Kalesse, H., Khain, A., Maahn, M., Van Tricht, K., and Wendisch, M. , January 2017: Remote Sensing. Meteorol. Monogr., 58:10.1–10.21, doi:10.1175/AMSMONOGRAPHS-D-16-0015.1

2016