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Thomas Spengler

Thomas Spengler

Position

Director of the Research School on Changing Climates in the coupled Earth System and President of the International Commission on Dynamical Meteorology

Affiliation

E-mail
thomas.spengler@uib.no
Phone number
+47 55589846
Visitor address
Geophysical Institute Allegaten 70
5020 Bergen
Room: 213
Postal address
P.O. Box 7803
NO-5020 Bergen
Norway

Thomas Spengler

Position

Director of the Research School on Changing Climates in the coupled Earth System and President of the International Commission on Dynamical Meteorology

Affiliation

Research groups

Research

Profile

I am a meteorologist focusing on the combination of theory, observations, and modelling, specialized on scales ranging from meso, synoptic, to large-scale flow and participated and coordinated several field campaigns.

Since 2015, I am the director of the RCN funded Norwegian Research School on Changing Climates in the Coupled Earth System (CHESS).

I am currently leading research projects focusing on atmosphere-ocean-ice interactions in higher latitudes as well as air-sea interactions and cyclone development in the midlatitude storm tracks.

In 2012, I was elected as a member of the International Commission for Dynamic Meteorology (ICDM) and was elected President of ICDM in 2019. From 2015-2019, I was the elected as Chair of the Atmospheric Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), and a member from 2013-2021. Since 2022, I am the elected Leader of the Norwegian Geophysical Society.

I was awarded the prize for best lecturer of the academic year 2012/2013 at the Faculty for Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Bergen and nominated for the IAMAS early career scientist medal in 2013.

I lead a science outreach project together with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in which we featured four concerts as part of the regular concert series for the season 2019-2020. The themes of the four concerts are: Space, Ocean, Climate, and Humankind. More information about the project can be found on https://nestesteg.w.uib.no/.

Research areas

  • Atmopshere-Ocean-Ice Interactions
  • Jet Stream Dynamics and Variability
  • Polar Lows
  • Teleconnections
  • Baroclinic and Diabatic Intensification of Extratropical Cyclones
  • Heat Lows
  • Orographic Slope and Valley Winds
  • Flow over and around Topography
  • Convection

Outreach

I lead a science outreach project together with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in which we feature four concerts as part of the regular concert series for the season 2019-2020. The themes of the four concerts are: Space, Ocean, Climate, and Humankind. More information about the project can be found on https://nestesteg.w.uib.no/.

Teaching

Courses:

Introduction to Methods in Weather Forecasting (GEOF321)

Dynamics of the Atmosphere (GEOF326)

Advanced Atmospheric Dynamics (GEOF352)

Mesoscale Dynamics (GEOF328)

Seminar in Atmospheric Sciences (GEOF351)

Polar Meteorology and Climate (AGF-213)

The Arctic Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Local Climate Processes (AGF-350)

 

Supervision

I regularly supervisor Master and PhD students as well as postdoctoral research fellows. So far, I have supervised 29 Master students, 14 PhD students, and 8 Postdocs.

PhD Students

Qidi Yu: Forecast errors associated with diabatic processes in weather systems. 2022-2025

Rhituja Bhorade: Air-Sea Interactions associated with Cold Air Outbreaks. 2023-2024

Natacha Galmiche: Multimodality in ensemble forecasts. 2019-2024

Kjersti Konstali: Precipitation attribution and climate change. 2020-2024

Johannes Lutzmann: Detection and classification of frontal lifecycles. 2020-2024

Kristine Flacké Haualand: Diabatic intensification of baroclinic evolution and the role of surface fluxes. 2016-2020

Leonidas Tsopouridis: Air-sea interaction processes in the Gulf Stream and Kurishio Rregions. 2016-2020

Sunil Pariyar: Intraseasonal rainfall variability and the extreme rainfall in the western Tropical Pacific. 2015-2019

Denis Sergeev: Observations and Modeling of Polar Lows with Focus on Predictability and Genesis. 2014-2018

Clemens Spensberger: New approaches to investigate the influence of orographic and dynamic blocking on large-scale atmospheric flow. 2011-2015

Annick Terpstra: Dynamical perspectives on the formation and intensification of polar lows. 2011-2014

Mathew Reeve: Monsoon onset in Bangladesh: reconciling scientific and societal perspectives. 2010-2015

Stefan Keiderling: Jet Dynamics, Evolution, and Forcing. 2013-2017

Qi Kong: Interactions of Cyclones with steep Topography. 2011-2013

 

Master students

Jeroen Oostdam: Dynamic differences between clustered and non-clustered cyclones. 2024-2025

Markus Løkken: Influence of diabatic processes and surface fluxes on the development of reverse shear polar lows. 2024-2025

Sigrid Galtvik: Dynamical attribution of global precipitation in current and future climates. 2024-2025

Christoffer Høvås: Sensitivity of cyclone clusters to diabatic processes. 2024-2025

Hannah van der Zande: Introducing a sea ice component in an idealised coupled model. 2023

Johanne Ordahl: Detection of sea ice breakup events and the influence of atmospheric forcing. 2023-2024

Henrik Larsen: Impact of mobile sensors on road weather forecasting. 2022-2023

Susanne Olsen: Influence of diabatic processes on cyclone clusters and cyclone lifecycles. 2022-2023

Kjersti Konstali: A Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean-Ice Mixed Layer Model for Cold Air Outbreaks. 2018-2019

Lars Andreas Selberg: Dynamics and Predictability of extreme winter storm Nina. 2015-2016

Kristine Flacké Haualand: Diabatic intensification of baroclinic evolution. 2015-2016

Ståle Dahl-Eriksen: Influence of SST gradients on cyclones and storm tracks. 2015-2016

Magnus Haukeland: Polar Low Climatology and Impact on Norway: Present and Future. 2015-2016

Musa Ssemujju: Early Season Rainfall in North-East Bangladesh. 2015-2016

Matthias Gottschalk: An idealized study on the influence of the sea ice edge on the development of polar lows. 2015

Ragnhild Nordhagen: Forecast Challenges associated with Cold Pools in Norwegian Valleys. 2013-2014

Linda Green: Influence of Surface Fluxes on Polar Low Development: Idealised Simulations. 2013-2014

Bas Creeze: Polar low detection and tracking. 2013

Trond Thorsteinsson: The development and evaluation of an idealized ocean model for the Bergen Dynamic Model. 2013

Angus Munro: What can flow deformation tell us about Rossby wave breaking in the atmosphere? 2012-2013

Espen Karlsen: Extreme precipitation in Norway: Present and Future Changes based on Regional Climate Simulations. 2012-2013

Stefan Keiderling: Low Level Jet Streams at the Sea Ice Edge - Numerical Simulations using WRF. 2012-2013

Cecilie Villanger: Exteme winds in Norway - an analysis based on observations and reanalyses. 2012-2013

Elin Tronvoll: Cyclone Interaction with the Topography of Greenland: A Catalog of Cyclone Motion. 2011-2012

Publications

Academic article

Academic book chapter

Academic literature review

Conference abstract

Conference lecture

Conference poster

Journal corrigendum

Lecture

Media interview

See a complete overview of publications in NVA.

Projects

Bias Attribution Linking Moist Dynamics of Cyclones and Storm Tracks (BALMCAST)

2020-2025 (12 Mio NOK)

Summary

There is a dichotomy between theoretical understanding and modeling of weather and climate, where the former mainly assumes a dry atmosphere while the latter relies on parameterizations of physical processes, especially related to moisture and phase changes that can yield a significant feedback on the dynamics. With prevailing model biases in jet streams and storm tracks often being tied to these processes, we thus lack a theoretical underpinning that can aid a physical attribution and alleviation of these biases. For example, while the development of cyclones is traditionally thought to reduce the midlatitude temperature gradient that gives rise to storm development, latent heating within these storms enhances the temperature gradient, sometimes even yielding a net increase. These cycles are most likely associated with events of cyclone clustering with significant socio-economic impact. While the mechanisms by which cyclone lifecycles alter temperature gradients must be determined by frontal dynamics, we lack a detailed understanding of the interplay between processes along fronts and their relation to cyclone clustering as well as storm track intensity and variability. We therefore propose to develop a framework combining moist dynamics across fronts, cyclones, and the storm track.

Our framework will clarify the pertinent mechanisms and the role of frontal lifecycles and cyclone development in storm track variability and thereby aid our understanding of prevailing model biases. It will also contest our understanding of cyclone development, as our new paradigm allows for cyclones to increase temperature gradients. As our new moist storm track model will explain the positioning, intensity, and variability of storm tracks in terms of moist processes, it will allow us to physically attribute model biases and formulate alternative hypotheses about the cause for future shifts of storm tracks.

 

Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions over Key Regions of the Arctic and Their Linkages to Midlatitudes (ARCLINK)

2022-2026 (10 Mio NOK)

Summary

State-of-the-art weather and climate prediction models suffer from significant errors due to misrepresentations in both atmosphere-ocean interactions and atmospheric weather patterns. We aim to improve models by identifying processes and weather events leading to significant forecast errors. Our findings will guide model development in the polar regions with benefits for global weather and climate models. In particular, we will focus on atmosphere-ocean interactions during cold air outbreaks, which are large excursions of cold polar air masses over the relatively warmer ocean. These cold air outbreaks comprise the majority of the overall atmosphere-ocean heat exchange in the polar regions. Several recent and upcoming field campaigns provide valuable data to assess the fidelity of our models.

As the aforementioned weather events are connected to the larger-scale setting of the atmospheric circulation, we will investigate coupling mechanisms between the polar and lower latitudes. Particular focus will be on incursions of heat and moisture into the Arctic. It has recently been argued that these incursions are becoming more frequent with climate change, though a thorough assessment of the representation of these events in our weather and climate models is still lacking. We will characterize these teleconnection events to identify and attribute model errors.

Our results will explain errors in weather and climate models associated with atmosphere-ocean heat exchange and the representation of weather events. Given the importance of the atmosphere-ocean heat exchange in the subpolar regions, our findings will leave a profound impact on the weather and climate research community.

Kompetanse

Employment history

2014–today Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway: Professor for Dynamic Meteorology

Jul-Dec 2015 School of Environmental Sciences (external link), University of East Anglia (external link), Norwich, UK: Visiting Research Scientist

2010–2014 Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway: Associate Professor for Dynamic Meteorology

2009–2011 Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program (external link), NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (external link), Princeton University (external link), New Jersey, USA Postdoctoral: Research Associate

Feb 2009 Monash Weather and Climate (external link), Monash University (external link), Melbourne, Australia: Visiting Scientist

2008-2009 Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (external link), ETH Zurich (external link), Switzerland: Postdoctoral Research Assistant

2005–2008 Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (external link), ETH Zurich (external link), Switzerland: Doctoral Research Assistant

2004-2005 Meteorological Institute Munich (external link), University of Munich (external link), Germany: Research assistant

 

Professional Organisations

2011–today International Commission on Dynamic Meteorology (ICDM (external link)) of the International Association for Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS (external link)), since 2019 elected presidenc of ICDM

2013–today Atmospheric Working Group (AWG (external link)) of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC (external link)), from 2015 until 2019 elected Chair of the AWG (external link)

 

Awards and Nominations

2013 Best Lecturer at the Faculty for Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Bergen

2013 Nominee for the IAMAS (external link) Early Career Science Medal