Description: Die aktuelle thematische Ausrichtung der Maritimen Meteorologie trägt dem Sachverhalt Rechnung, dass der Zustand der Atmosphäre durch komplexe Wechselwirkungen mit dem Ozean, Land, Meereis und der Vegetation sowie durch den Einfluss äußerer Faktoren bestimmt wird. Zu letzteren gehören u.a. die Vulkane, die Sonne, aber auch anthropogene Faktoren wie etwa der Ausstoß von Treibhausgasen in die Atmosphäre. Die Intensität der Wechselwirkungen hängt stark von den betrachteten zeitlichen und räumlichen Skalen ab. Die Klimamodellierung unter Leitung von Mojib Latif bildet den Rahmen für die weiteren interagierenden Themenbereiche, die in der Maritimen Meteorologie bearbeitet werden. Hierzu gehören der globale und regionale Energieund Wasserkreislauf (Andreas Macke), die Analyse der Klimavariabiliät aus Modell und Beobachtung (Eberhard Ruprecht, Dietmar Dommenget) sowie die Rolle der ozeanischen Deckschicht (Dietmar Dommenget) und der mittleren Atmosphäre (Kirstin Krüger) im Wechselspiel mit Ozean und Atmosphäre. Present fields of research are based on the recognition that the current state of the atmosphere is a result of complex interactions with ocean, land surface, vegetation, and external influences such as volcanoes, the sun or anthropogenic factors, like the increasing atmospheric content of CO2, on all temporal and spatial scales. Climate modelling, headed by Mojib Latif, links all the Marine Meteorology research areas together. Andreas Macke is leading the working group of energy and water cycle, which comprises both, global and regional aspects. Climate variability is investigated on the basis of analyses and observations (Eberhard Ruprecht and Dietmar Dommenget). The role of the ocean’s mixed layer (Dietmar Dommenget) and of the middle atmosphere (Kirstin Krüger) on air-sea interaction are also subjects of research.

Description: Adult male southern elephant seals instrumented in 2000 on King George Island (n = 13), travelled both to the north (n = 2) and to the east (n = 6) of the Antarctic Peninsula. Five males remained within 500 km of the island focusing movements in the Bransfield Strait and around the Antarctic Peninsula. Sea surface temperatures encountered by these animals showed little variation. While animal trajectories appeared unaffected by sea ice cover, areas of shallow depths were frequented. Three males moved as far as 75°S to the east of the Peninsula with maximum distances of more than 1500 km from King George Island. They travelled into the Weddell Sea along the western continental shelf break until they reached the region of the Filchner Trough outflow. Here the sea floor consists of canyons and ridges that support intensive mixing between the warm saline waters of the Weddell Gyre, the very cold outflow waters and ice shelf water at the Antarctic Slope Front. The need for re-instrumentation of adult males from King George Island is highlighted to investigate whether males continue to travel to similar areas and to obtain higher resolution data.

Description: In the Arctic, sea-ice motion and ice export are prominent processes and good indicators of Arctic climate system variability. Sea-ice drift is simulated using a dynamic–hermodynamic sea-ice model, validated with retrievals from SSM/I satellite observations. Both datasets agree well in reproducing the main Arctic drift patterns. In order to study inner Arctic transports and ice volume anomalies, the Arctic Ocean is split by ten boundaries, separating the central Arctic Ocean from the Nordic and marginal seas. It is found that the already dominant sea-ice export through Fram Strait has increased at the expense of export through the Barents Sea in the most recent years investigated. Furthermore, ice export from the Eurasian marginal seas increased slightly, followed by greater ice production during the winter. In contrast to this, the sea-ice volume moved within the Beaufort Gyre distinctly decreased. In total, the ice volume in the central Arctic decreased during the 40 year period covered by this study. The changes in the ice volume correspond to two wind-driven circulation regimes of the Arctic sea-ice motion, which recur approximately every 11 years. For the volume anomalies we derived a correlation of –0.59 to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, lagging the NAOby 2 years.

Description: The effects of the meridional heat transport in the North Atlantic Ocean (HTR) on the north hemispheric climate are studied using the results of the coupled model ECHAM5/MPI-OM. Significant correlations exist between HTR and atmospheric processes over the Nordic Seas and the Eurasian continent only for low (periods longer than 40 years) and intermediate frequency variations (periods between 25 and 40 years). A positive HTR anomaly at 30°N is highly correlated with turbulent heat fluxes around 50°N. The transport through 70°N is directly related to the fluxes over the Nordic seas. From the correlation pattern with the atmospheric surface temperature and pressure one can conclude that the heat anomalies propagate along the cyclone tracks towards northeast over the Eurasian continent. The HRT anomalies are negatively correlated with the pressure over the Nordic seas and with the winter time anticyclone intensity over Siberia.

Description: Adult male southern elephant seals instrumented in 2000 on King George Island (n = 13), travelled both to the north (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231580, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231585) and to the east (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231571, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231579, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.261708, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.261709, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.261710, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.261711) of the Antarctic Peninsula. Five males (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231571, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231579, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231580, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.261710, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231585) remained within 500 km of the island and focusing movements in the Bransfield Strait and around the Antarctic Peninsula. Sea-surface temperatures encountered by these animals showed little variation and they seemed to move about irrespective of sea ice cover, but frequented areas of shallow bathymetry. Three males (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.261708, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.261709, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.261711) moved as far as 75°S to the east of the peninsula, into the Weddell Sea, with maximum distances of more than 1500 km from King George Island. They travelled into the Weddell Sea along the western continental shelf break until they reached the region of the Filchner Trough outflow. Here the bathymetry consists of canyons and ridges which support the intensive mixing between the warm saline waters of the Weddell Gyre and the very cold outflow waters with Ice Shelf water ingredients at the Antarctic Slope Front. Another five data sets were shorter then 40 days, and excluded from analyses (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231568, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231576, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231572, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.231577, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.264710). A computer animation was developed to visualize the animal movements in relation to the extent and concentration of sea ice (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.509404). The need for re-instrumentation of adult males from King George Island is highlighted to investigate whether males continue to travel to similar areas and to obtain higher resolution data.