DLR-DAAD Doctoral Fellowship Nr. 622: High-resolution modelling of gravity wave events in the middle to upper atmosphere

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 11,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!

Our Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich offers a

Nr. 622: High-resolution modelling of gravity wave events in the middle to upper atmosphere

What to expect:

Earth’s atmosphere is dynamically coupled through atmospheric waves of different scales, ranging from planetary waves to small-scale gravity waves. Gravity waves in particular can propagate from sources close to the ground into the upper atmosphere to altitudes above 100 km. The contribution of these waves to perturbations of the ionosphere (“space weather”) is a recent research question. Space weather has important implications for our modern navigation and communication technologies.

Therefore, it is of interest to study atmospheric wave disturbances in the height region of about 50 to 150 km and investigate whether these disturbances can be predicted in advance, and whether certain background conditions lead to a change in occurrence frequency of strong wave disturbances.The simulation, understanding and prediction of the circulation in the middle to upper atmosphere has so far been held back by a lack of accurate modeling - in particular due to not resolving the small scales of gravity waves, which are very important for the circulation in this region.

In this PhD project, high-resolution numerical simulations with the novel, extended version of the German Weather and Climate model (Upper Atmosphere ICON, UA-ICON) will be conducted to study the effect of gravity waves on the mean circulation, their variability and their predictability in the middle to upper atmosphere. The PhD candidate will work closely with a second PhD student who will evaluate the model by comparing it to Lidar observations over South America and the South pole.

In the project, the occurrence of strong gravity wave events will be analyzed both from a statistical point-of-view (i.e., how often do strong wave events happen?), as well as focusing on specific observed events and analyzing if and for how long they can be predicted. Further, it is planned to analyze whether the occurrence frequency of strong wave events is changed under certain flow conditions (e.g. after sudden disruptions to the stratospheric flow).

What we expect from you:

What we offer:

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.

Further information:

Starting date: As soon as possible
Type of employment: Full-time

Hella Garny

E-mail: hella.garny@dlr.de