Topic:

• Exploit comprehensive observational record & employ a heirachy of models
• Perform process-oriented and cross-scale model evaluation and develop improved model parametrizetion schemes
• Investigate long-term trends, sptio-temporal patterns and feedback mechanisms from models and observation

Key questions:

• What explains the lapse rate feedback in the Arctic as a key factor in Arctic amplification? Which unique and representative climate information is derived from long-term observations at Ny-Ålesund for the orographically influenced MIZ of the North Atlantic? How important is the knowledge about specific microphysical processes (such as depositional growth, riming, and aggregation) to determine the role of mixed-phase clouds in Arctic amplification? Do atmospheric conditions and sea-ice decline lead to signifficant changes in regional moisture transport and snowfall patterns in the Arctic?

Tools:

• Supersites, ship-, airborne-, and satellite-based observations, model simulations (ICON, HIRHAM, LES, CMIP5/6, SCM)