Hypothesis

Improved observations of spatio-temporal water vapor variability help to quantify the role of water vapor for Arctic amplification.

Specifically we want to answer the following questions:

• Can we quantify the relevance of the WV feedback on Arctic amplification?
• Can we explain the strong differences between different WV products (reanalyses, satellites) using long-term and campaign-based reference measurements?
• How important is the vertical distribution of WV for the downward terrestrial radiation and the resulting impact on Arctic amplification?

As a greenhouse gas, WV impacts the downward terrestrial radiation (DTR) and thus surface temperature, i.e., a direct link to Arctic amplification (SQ1). The impact of WV and the WV profile on the DTR is thus a focus of B05. B05 will also look at the temporal variability of WV, in particular moisture intrusions from lower latitudes (SQ2) and the resulting effects on the atmospheric column. Long-term satellite and reanalysis data will be used to identify WV trends for the Arctic giving further insights into the future role of WV for Arctic amplification (SQ3).

Achievements phase II

• New ground-based IWV MW retrieval exploiting higher (183 GHz) frequencies with an improved accuracy in low IWV conditions
• New satellite MW IWV retrieval that includes variable snow/ice surface emissivities
• Contributing to unique observational data records of WV in the central Arctic for the MOSAiC, ATWAICE, and HALO-(AC)³ campaigns
• Analysis of a WAI in April 2020 during MOSAiC (CCA4) and impact on sea ice concentration
• Evaluation of IWV from satellite products and reanalyses for ACLOUD / PASCAL campaign

Achievements phase I

In B05, new retrieval techniques to derive the Integrated Water Vapour (IWV) from satellite have been developed allowing continuous measurements of IWV fields over the ocean and sea ice by merging observations from different microwave satellite sensors (Scarlat et al., 2017; Triana Gómez et al., 2018; Triana Gómez et al., 2020). A quantification of the uncertainty of trends in total water vapour based on reanalysis was performed (Rinke et al., 2019). Simulations of microwave brightness temperature for polar lows were carried out. Furthermore, an evaluation of IWV from satellite products, reanalyses, and HIRHAM simulations was done for the ACLOUD campaign. Also, an investigation of the relationship between IWV and thermal-infrared downward radiation in reanalyses and models was performed for the period of 1979-2016.

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

2025

Ebell, K., Buhren, C., Gierens, R., Chellini, G., Lauer, M., Walbröl, A., Dahlke, S., Krobot, P., and Mech, M. , July 2025: Impact of weather systems on observed precipitation at Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard). Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 25(13):7315–7342, doi:10.5194/acp-25-7315-2025

Seidel, C., Althausen, D., Ansmann, A., Wendisch, M., Griesche, H., Radenz, M., Hofer, J., Dahlke, S., Maturilli, M., Walbröl, A., Baars, H., and Engelmann, R. , April 2025: Close correlation between vertically integrated tropospheric water vapor and the downward, broadband thermal-infrared irradiance at the ground: Observations in the central arctic during MOSAiC. J. Geophys. Res.-Atmospheres, doi:10.1029/2024JD042378

Sandells, M., Mätzler, C., Arduini, G., de Gélis, I., English, S., Kern, S., Lee, S., Macfarlane, A. R., Meloche, J., Picard, G., Prigent, C., Rückert, J., Spreen, G., Tonboe, R., Vuyovich, C., and Weng, F. , 2025: Snow and sea ice reference-quality emission and backscatter modeling. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 106(9):E1972 – E1980, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-25-0148.1

Rückert, J. E., Walbröl, A., Risse, N., Krobot, P., Haseneder-Lind, R., Mech, M., Ebell, K., and Spreen, G. , 2025: Microwave sea ice and ocean brightness temperature and emissivity between 22 and 243 GHz from ship-based radiometers. Ann. Glaciol., doi:10.1017/aog.2025.1

Dorff, H., Ewald, F., Konow, H., Mech, M., Ori, D., Schemann, V., Walbröl, A., Wendisch, M., and Ament, F. , 2025: Moisture budget estimates derived from airborne observations in an Arctic atmospheric river during its dissipation. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25(14):8329–8354, doi:10.5194/acp-25-8329-2025

2024

Walbröl, A., Griesche, H. J., Mech, M., Crewell, S., and Ebell, K. , October 2024: Combining Low- and High-Frequency Microwave Radiometer Measurements from the MOSAiC Expedition for Enhanced Water Vapour Products. Atmospheric Meas. Tech., 17(20):6223–6245, doi:10.5194/amt-17-6223-2024

Risse, N., Mech, M., Prigent, C., Spreen, G., and Crewell, S. , September 2024: Assessing Sea Ice Microwave Emissivity up to Submillimeter Waves from Airborne and Satellite Observations. The Cryosphere, 18(9):4137–4163, doi:10.5194/tc-18-4137-2024

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

Walbröl, A., Michaelis, J., Becker, S., Dorff, H., Ebell, K., Gorodetskaya, I., Heinold, B., Kirbus, B., Lauer, M., Maherndl, N., Maturilli, M., Mayer, J., Müller, H., Neggers, R. A. J., Paulus, F. M., Röttenbacher, J., Rückert, J. E., Schirmacher, I., Slättberg, N., Ehrlich, A., Wendisch, M., and Crewell, S. , July 2024: Contrasting Extremely Warm and Long-Lasting Cold Air Anomalies in the North Atlantic Sector of the Arctic during the HALO-(A C)\textsuperscript3 Campaign. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 24(13):8007–8029, doi:10.5194/acp-24-8007-2024

Thielke, L., Spreen, G., Huntemann, M., and Murashkin, D. , March 2024: Spatio-Temporal Variability of Small-Scale Leads Based on Helicopter Maps of Winter Sea Ice Surface Temperatures. Elem Sci Anth, 12(1):00023, doi:10.1525/elementa.2023.00023

Garfias, P. S., Kalesse-Los, H., and Ebell, K. , January 2024: Estimation of Wintertime Cloud Radiative Effects in the Western Arctic, a Function of Cloud-Moisture-Coupling and Sea Ice Conditions. AIP Conf. Proc., 2988(1):070008, doi:10.1063/5.0182751

2023

Rückert, J. E., Rostosky, P., Huntemann, M., Clemens-Sewall, D., Ebell, K., Kaleschke, L., Lemmetyinen, J., Macfarlane, A. R., Naderpour, R., Stroeve, J., Walbröl, A., and Spreen, G. , December 2023: Sea Ice Concentration Satellite Retrievals Influenced by Surface Changes Due to Warm Air Intrusions: A Case Study from the MOSAiC Expedition. Elem Sci Anth, 11(1):00039, doi:10.1525/elementa.2023.00039

Rückert, J. E., Huntemann, M., Tonboe, R. T., and Spreen, G. , October 2023: Modeling Snow and Ice Microwave Emissions in the Arctic for a Multi-Parameter Retrieval of Surface and Atmospheric Variables From Microwave Radiometer Satellite Data. Earth Space Sci., 10(10):e2023EA003177, doi:10.1029/2023EA003177

Kirbus, B., Tiedeck, S., Camplani, A., Chylik, J., Crewell, S., Dahlke, S., Ebell, K., Gorodetskaya, I., Griesche, H., Handorf, D., Höschel, I., Lauer, M., Neggers, R., Rückert, J., Shupe, M. D., Spreen, G., Walbröl, A., Wendisch, M., and Rinke, A. , April 2023: Surface Impacts and Associated Mechanisms of a Moisture Intrusion into the Arctic Observed in Mid-April 2020 during MOSAiC. Front. Earth Sci., 11:1147848, doi:10.3389/feart.2023.1147848

2022

Walbröl, A., Crewell, S., Engelmann, R., Orlandi, E., Griesche, H., Radenz, M., Hofer, J., Althausen, D., Maturilli, M., and Ebell, K. , September 2022: Atmospheric Temperature, Water Vapour and Liquid Water Path from Two Microwave Radiometers during MOSAiC. Sci. Data, 9(1):534, doi:10.1038/s41597-022-01504-1

Lu, J., Scarlat, R., Heygster, G., and Spreen, G. , September 2022: Reducing Weather Influences on an 89 GHz Sea Ice Concentration Algorithm in the Arctic Using Retrievals From an Optimal Estimation Method. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 127(9):e2019JC015912, doi:10.1029/2019JC015912

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

Bresson, H., Rinke, A., Mech, M., Reinert, D., Schemann, V., Ebell, K., Maturilli, M., Viceto, C., Gorodetskaya, I., and Crewell, S. , January 2022: Case Study of a Moisture Intrusion over the Arctic with the ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic (ICON) Model: Resolution Dependence of Its Representation. Atmospheric Chem. Phys., 22(1):173–196, doi:10.5194/acp-22-173-2022

2021

Krumpen, T., Von Albedyll, L., Goessling, H. F., Hendricks, S., Juhls, B., Spreen, G., Willmes, S., Belter, H. J., Dethloff, K., Haas, C., Kaleschke, L., Katlein, C., Tian-Kunze, X., Ricker, R., Rostosky, P., Rückert, J., Singha, S., and Sokolova, J. , August 2021: MOSAiC Drift Expedition from October 2019 to July 2020: Sea Ice Conditions from Space and Comparison with Previous Years. The Cryosphere, 15(8):3897–3920, doi:10.5194/tc-15-3897-2021

Crewell, S., Ebell, K., Konjari, P., Mech, M., Nomokonova, T., Radovan, A., Strack, D., Triana-Gómez, A. M., Noël, S., Scarlat, R., Spreen, G., Maturilli, M., Rinke, A., Gorodetskaya, I., Viceto, C., August, T., and Schröder, M. , July 2021: A Systematic Assessment of Water Vapor Products in the Arctic: From Instantaneous Measurements to Monthly Means. Atmospheric Meas. Tech., 14(7):4829–4856, doi:10.5194/amt-14-4829-2021

Zhou, L., Stroeve, J., Xu, S., Petty, A., Tilling, R., Winstrup, M., Rostosky, P., Lawrence, I. R., Liston, G. E., Ridout, A., Tsamados, M., and Nandan, V. , January 2021: Inter-Comparison of Snow Depth over Arctic Sea Ice from Reanalysis Reconstructions and Satellite Retrieval. The Cryosphere, 15(1):345–367, doi:10.5194/tc-15-345-2021

2020

Ludwig, V., Spreen, G., and Pedersen, L. T. , September 2020: Evaluation of a New Merged Sea-Ice Concentration Dataset at 1 Km Resolution from Thermal Infrared and Passive Microwave Satellite Data in the Arctic. Remote Sens., 12(19):3183, doi:10.3390/rs12193183

Triana-Gómez, A. M., Heygster, G., Melsheimer, C., Spreen, G., Negusini, M., and Petkov, B. H. , July 2020: Improved Water Vapour Retrieval from AMSU-B and MHS in the Arctic. Atmospheric Meas. Tech., 13(7):3697–3715, doi:10.5194/amt-13-3697-2020

Scarlat, R. C., Spreen, G., Heygster, G., Huntemann, M., Paţilea, C., Pedersen, L. T., and Saldo, R. , March 2020: Sea Ice and Atmospheric Parameter Retrieval From Satellite Microwave Radiometers: Synergy of AMSR2 and SMOS Compared With the CIMR Candidate Mission. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 125(3):e2019JC015749, doi:10.1029/2019JC015749

2019

Rinke, A., Segger, B., Crewell, S., Maturilli, M., Naakka, T., Nygård, T., Vihma, T., Alshawaf, F., Dick, G., Wickert, J., and Keller, J. , September 2019: Trends of Vertically Integrated Water Vapor over the Arctic during 1979–2016: Consistent Moistening All Over? J. Clim., 32(18):6097–6116, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0092.1

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

Radovan, A., Crewell, S., Knudsen, E. M., and Rinke, A. , January 2019: Environmental Conditions for Polar Low Formation and Development over the Nordic Seas: Study of January Cases Based on the Arctic System Reanalysis. Tellus Dyn. Meteorol. Oceanogr., 71(1):1618131, doi:10.1080/16000870.2019.1618131

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

Scarlat, R. C., Melsheimer, C., and Heygster, G. , April 2018: Retrieval of Total Water Vapour in the Arctic Using Microwave Humidity Sounders. Atmospheric Meas. Tech., 11(4):2067–2084, doi:10.5194/amt-11-2067-2018

2017

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