SUMMARY of German contributions to AMMA

(prepared for the 1st ISSC meeting)

(17-Jul-04)

(Author: Andreas Fink, fink@meteo.uni-koeln.de)

 

Note: - Two German AMMA meetings on 29-07-03 in Cologne and on 15-07-04 in Karlsruhe were held

- The information herein are incomplete and may not include all German groups & projects

A. German research groups and their scientific involvement in AMMA

Groups funded within the AMMA IP EU FP6 project (2005-2009):

1. University of Cologne (Andreas Fink, Peter Speth, Michael Christoph)

AMMA Research Interests: Low-frequency variability in the continental atmospheric water vapour budget, Interaction between the synoptic-scale flow and rainfall events, radiosounding
Observations: Sfc flux station, rainfall-recording stations, net pyrradiometers, anemographs (all EOP) and radiosondes (SOP 1-3) in the Upper Ouémé valley (Benin)
Other AMMA-related national research projects: GLOWA-IMPETUS
 
2. Karlsruhe Research Centre, IMK-TRO (Christoph Kottmeier, Norbert Kalthoff, Martin Kohler)

AMMA Research Interests: Observing and modelling land surface-atmosphere feedbacks, turbulent transports in the PBL and their impact on moist convection
Models: MM5 and Lokalmodell
Observations: Sfc flux stations, SODAR, MW-Radar and Radiosondes during SOP-1/2 at Dano (Burkina Faso)
 
3. Karlsruhe Research Centre, IMK-TRO (Bernhard Vogel)

AMMA Research Interests: Radiation properties/transport of mineral dust and its impact on atmospheric chemistry
Models: KAMM/DRAIS
 
4. Karlsruhe Research Centre, IMK-IFU (Harald Kunstmann, W. Seiler)
 
AMMA Research Interests: Regional and local climate, Observation and modelling of hydrological processes over land surfaces; C/N/H2O dynamics and BVOC emissions.
Models: MM5
Observations:  not available (n.a.), but see group 2
Other AMMA-related national research projects: GLOWA-VOLTA
 
5. Ludwigs-Maximilians-University/Munich (Mathias Wiegener)
 
AMMA Research Interests: Aerosol (mineral dust)-radiation impacts, Validation of aerosol transport models
Observations:  LIDAR, SOP-0 at Banizimbou (Niger)
Other projects: German research group SAMUM
 
6. Ludwigs-Maximilians-University/Munich (Sarah Jones)

AMMA Research Interests: Interaction of mineral dust and synoptic weather systems (TCs and AEWs), dust transport
Models: MM5 and "Lokalmodell"
 
7. Ludwigs-Maximilians-University/Munich (Susanne Crewell, formerly Univ. Bonn)

AMMA Research Interests: Measurements of high resolution and accurate vertical profiles of water vapour, temperature and liquid water
Observations:  MW radar HATPRO, 1 year in 2006 at Dano (Burkina)
 
8. University of Bonn (Clemens Simmer, Ralf Lindau)
 
AMMA Research Interests: Application of satellite-based rainfall algorithms
 
9. University of Kiel (Mojib Latif)
 
AMMA Research Interests: Impact of global SSTs and continental sfc conditions on WAM rainfall (sensitivity studies using ECHAM5); Role of ocean processes (ECHAM5+HOPE/OPA)
 
10. German Aerospace Centre, DLR-IPA (Ulrich Schumann, Hartmuth Höller, Andreas Petzold, Hans Schlager)
 
AMMA Research Interests: Aircraft and surface derived 2d/3d wind and aerosol fields, NOx production by lightning, distribution and chemistry of tropospheric and stratospheric trace gases, experimental aerosol research
Observations:  German Falcon during SOP 1 (wind lidar) and 2 (aerosol lidar), RONSARD Doppler radar and lightning detection for 4 weeks in Djougou (Upper Ouémé valley (Benin) in 2006)
 
11. University of Bremen (Maria Dolores Andrés-Hernández)
 
AMMA Research Interests: measurement and interpretation of radicals and other trace gases, space-borne remote sensing of the atmosphere
Observations:  n.a.

Groups funded by national projects:

1. University of Bonn (A. Hense, Heiko Paeth, Clemens Simmer, Kai Born)
 
AMMA Research Interests: Regional modelling, Down-scaling, Climate and seasonal prediction, Assimilation of satellite-derived cloud and sfc data in regional models
Models: REMO, "Lokalmodell"
Funding: GLOWA-IMPETUS
 
2. Ludwigs-Maximilians-University/Munich (R. Smith)
 
AMMA Research Interests: Heat Low modelling
Models: n.a
Funding: n.a

 

B. National Projects related to AMMA research goals
 
I. GLOWA-IMPETUS-Benin (2000-2006, possible extension until 2008/09), on the order of M€/y
Research Goals: All aspects of water availability and quality, as well as integrated water resource management (includes scientists from meteorology, hydrology, agronomy, socio-economy, anthropology and medicine)
 
II. GLOWA-VOLTA (2000-2006, possible extension until 2008/09), on the order of M€/y
Research Goals: Integrated water resource management in the parts of the Volta Basin (Burkina Faso and Ghana)
 
III. DFG-funded Research group SAMUM, funding and funding period not known to me
Topics: Mineral dust sources in Northwest Africa, dust transport over the Atlantic and radiation impacts

C. Future plans (discussed at the Karlsruhe meeting on 15 July 2004)

D. Coordination of German AMMA activities

At present, their is no formal coordination (SSG, pan-funding agency group) of national AMMA activities. The author of this document has been informally endorsed at the first German AMMA meeting to represent AMMA Germany. The author tries to convince a person from the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) to join the AMMA International Governing Board.