Moritz Günther heads new research group at MPI-M
Large-scale circulation patterns in the atmosphere, such as the Hadley or Walker circulations, distribute heat and moisture on the globe and thus determine the climatic conditions in different regions of the world. Understanding how these circulation patterns are changing due to global warming is a crucial task. However, atmospheric circulation cannot be studied in isolation, as it is closely coupled to the ocean and land surfaces. Under the leadership of Moritz Günther, the new research group “Large-Scale Coupled Dynamics” within the “Climate Dynamics” department at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) aims to improve the scientific understanding of this coupling.
The eleven-member team studies how large-scale climate features—such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the Pacific Walker circulation—evolve over time under global warming, focusing on the coupled dynamics of the land, atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere. Personally, Günther is interested in the role of the land surface for these atmospheric circulation patterns.
“Land heats up faster than the ocean, so it has a completely different rhythm in terms of diurnal and seasonal variability,” Günther explains. “In addition, moisture is limited, and the land surface is brighter than the ocean surface. Hence, the land’s influence on atmospheric circulation is distinct from that of the ocean, yet its impact remains understudied. I am hopeful that investigating this will offer new insights into the coupled climate system.”
While climate models realistically capture the general characteristics of large-scale circulation patterns, reproducing recent historical trends remains challenging. This is largely tied to their failure to simulate recent changes in the sea surface temperature patterns in the tropical Pacific. The researchers aim to deepen their understanding of how these temperature patterns develop by designing and conducting numerical experiments, ultimately improving projections of their future evolution.
About the group leader
Moritz Günther studied medical physics at the University of Halle and Bar-Ilan University in Israel. As a member of the International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modeling (IMPRS-ESM), he completed his doctoral thesis in Hauke Schmidt's research group at the MPI-M with distinction (“summa cum laude”). After earning his Ph.D. in 2024, he held a postdoctoral position in Sarah Kang’s department in the German-Israeli Max Planck-Weizmann Program. He recently received the Ines Biasoni Prize from the Istituto Veneto delle Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, worth 4,000 euros, for his outstanding dissertation.
Contact
Dr. Moritz Günther
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
moritz.guenther@mpimet.mpg.de