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TRR 301:  The tropopause region in a changing atmosphere

Subject Area Geosciences
Term since 2021
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Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 428312742
 
In the light of climate change one of the most challenging regions with highly uncertain impacts on climate and atmospheric circulation is the tropopause region. It comprises the transition from the turbulent, well-mixed and humid troposphere, prone to anthropogenic and natural pollution, to the stratosphere which is dry, stably stratified and affected on typically much longer time scales than the troposphere. The tropopause acts as a transport barrier, which is however permeable due to small scale dynamical or moist diabatic processes, and establishes strong composition gradients. Interactions between aerosol, gas phase and microphysical processes feed back on each other, with partly unknown impact on the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS) composition. The gradients of radiatively active species are relevant for the local and global energy budget and hence influencesurface temperature and global circulation. For state-of-the-art climate models the correct simulation of such processes is still challenging, given the grid scales of the models and the scales of the relevant processes. The complexity of the tropopause region is a result of the coupling of processes over a large range of scales, ranging from the nano- or micrometer scale, e.g., atmospheric aerosol formation, turbulence and mixing, to the regional and planetary scale. This complexity challenges the ability of climate models to correctly capture the impact of UTLS processes on current surface temperatures, both for present and future projections. Consequently, adequate representations of UTLS processes and their feedback in climate models are required to better constrain the UTLS region and its impacts. Therefore, a synergistic approach is essential, which combines the expertise from different research fields to improve our understanding of this highly important region.Our goal is to specify the impact of UTLS processes on atmospheric composition and dynamics, and ultimately on present and future climate and climate variability. The overarching themes for Phase II of our Collaborative Research Centre TPChange will focus on the role of the humidity and the aerosol distribution in the UTLS and their controlling factors. We will continue to implement developments from different process-based studies from Phase I to a joint model approach to be able to study potential feedbacks between different processes and their potential relevance for global climate. This CRC has linked a unique combination of leading experts from different areas relevant for UTLS research. This well-established team will address urgent questions of atmospheric research within a coordinated, collaborative and synergistic approach. It is our aim to quantify the role of the composition and processes relevant for the UTLS for the Earth system and the future atmosphere.
DFG Programme CRC/Transregios

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Co-Applicant Institution Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
 
 

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