Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology: Search

109.

Airborne microplastics: Where do they come from, where do they go?

How tiny plastic particles enter the atmosphere is an important question, as airborne microplastics are a potential health threat. Using a global chemical transport model, researchers have provided evidence that, contrary to previous claims, the ocean is not a major source of microplastics to the atmosphere, but a significant sink.

110.

Ocean, convection, adaptation: three new working groups starting at MPI-M

Three new working groups recently established at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) are tackling cutting-edge issues in climate research. Each based in one of MPI-M’s three departments, the groups are led by internationally recognized researchers, further strengthening the institute’s links with the global climate science community.

111.

Weaker ocean circulation could cost trillions

Waves on a beach at the North Sea, the sky is overcast.

A major motor for the global climate is beginning to falter: a massive system of ocean currents called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which also includes the Gulf Stream. As a new study conducted by experts at the University of Hamburg’s Cluster of Excellence for climate research CLICCS and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology shows, a weaker AMOC could produce long-term costs amounting to several trillion euros by the year 2100.

112.

Study explains unexpected recent strengthening of the Walker circulation

Graphical representation of the strengthening (left) and weakening (right) of the Walker circulation, with English labeling

The Walker circulation, an atmospheric circulation pattern in the tropics, has accelerated in recent years, puzzling climate scientists who had anticipated the opposite. Researchers have found out why by revealing the competing effects between the global warming and sea surface temperature pattern effect.

113.

Climate-biosphere interaction

Prof. Dr. Victor Brovkin

114.

TROPICS Workshop

The Workshop is hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany. The workshop room 022/023 is on the ground floor. WiFi: Eduroam Venue Each day will be devoted to a different theme: (1) Tropical feedbacks in models and observations on Day 1, (2) Role of persistent model biases and sensitivity to model resolution on Day 2, (3) Remote forcings and teleconnections on Day 3. Every presenter is assigned to the time slot according their declaration of the theme. …

115.

Director’s Research Group

Prof. Dr. Sarah M. Kang

116.

Amazon rainforest more resilient than assumed

An image of the Amazon rainforest, the bottom is completely covered with green tree tops, above are dense clouds. One cloud emerges from the green canopy.

New evidence suggests that mean annual precipitation in the Amazon region is not going to change significantly even if it were completely deforested. This is contrary to previous concerns that beyond a certain threshold, the Amazon would turn into a savannah. However, the researchers who conducted the study point out that a full picture of the consequences of deforestation requires more than one indicator.

117.

Proposal for an improved handling of ship-based data

The research vessel Maria S. Merian on the open sea, photographed from above. A balloon with a radiosonde rises into the sky at the stern.

Transparent processing of research data facilitates scientific work and serves scientific goals in the long term. Using data collected during a ship-based campaign in the Atlantic, researchers propose a standardized approach.

118.

Symposium and Senate reception

Symposium Senate Reception Symposium and Senate Reception Symposium and Senate Reception On 23 April 2025, the Senate Reception honored the 50-year history of our institute and highlighted outstanding scientific achievements. The Hamburg Senate invited a diverse audience, including Institute members, long-standing scientific and political companions and supporters of the past decades. A scientific symposium “50 Years of Climate Research” in the Saalhaus of the Patriotische…

119.

MPI-M to be one of the first users of Europe's fastest supercomputer JUPITER

A supercomputer at Forschungszentrum Jülich, blue lighting enhances the spectacular appearance of the computer.

One of the first applications on the new exascale computer JUPITER at Forschungszentrum Jülich will be high-resolution simulations of the climate system. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, the German Climate Computing Center and the Jülich Supercomputing Centre successfully demonstrated in a technical and scientific competition that the Earth system model ICON can use the infrastructure efficiently.

120.

Events for everyone

Contact Julian Asbaeck Coordination phone: +49 (0)40 41173-245 julian.asbaeck@mpimet.mpg.de Contact 50 Years of Climate Research - Events 2025 50 Years of Climate Research - Events 2025 Since its foundation in 1975, the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology has shaped the international standard for climate knowledge - from innovative observations to groundbreaking climate models and important contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A special moment in this history…