Profile of the Department Environmental Meteorology

About Our Research

The department's areas of research are in the field climate processes, especially on cycles of water, materials and energy. The working methodology comprises experimental as well as modelling approaches. In the field of experimental research, the quantitative recording of the components of the hydrological and the carbon cycle plays an important role, especially in light of the expected change in climate. Furthermore, algorithms for quantification of climate-relevant parameters from satellite data are developed and applied. Experimental research focuses on boundary-layer processes in mid latitudes and polar regions. Different simulation models are used for modelling research on the interaction processes on the earth's surface, the propagation of trace substances, and regional climate. These methods comprise one-dimensional soil-plant-atmosphere models and three-dimensional regional numerical models.

Keywords: boundary-layer meteorology, topo-climatology, water and C02-cycle, meteorological remote sensing.

Teaching

The Department of Environmental Meteorology is integrated into the Bachelor’s degree programme Environmental Geosciences and in the Master’s course Environmental Sciences. The main emphasis is put on interaction processes at the interface of the atmosphere and the earth's surface, topo-climatology, meteorological remote sensing, hydro-meteorology, propagation of air pollutants as well as climate processes in polar regions. 

The department offers the following modules or submodules:

BSc Environmental Geosciences

  • Basics of physics and mathematics
  • Basics of meteorology
  • Climate system: atmosphere and general circulation
  • Environmental measurement methods
  • Concepts for environmental assessment
  • Meteorological assessment of the environment
  • Project study

MSc Environmental Sciences

  • Atmospheric boundary layer
  • Monitoring and remote sensing in meteorology
  • Land surface-atmosphere interactions
  • SVAT models and integration of remote sensing data
  • Numerical modelling in meteorology
  • Research project