Researcher portrait, 2010-02-04

Knowing More About Ice in Clouds Can Improve Climate Models


– Meet Stefan Buehler

Professor Stefan Buehler, Luleå University of Technology, Kiruna Space and Environment Campus, has a Project Research Grant from the Swedish Research Council.  Here you can read an interview with him.
"Clouds play an important role in the radiation balance and the climate of our planet since they reflect sunlight and capture infrared radiation. Of all cloud types, we know least about those consisting of ice particles rather than water droplets. There is much uncertainty concerning the models and measurements used for ice clouds. Such clouds are not at all unusual — they can be found everywhere on earth. When you see thin, white clouds that look like feathers, these clouds are comprised of ice particles."

"The goal of the project being conducted by my doctoral student Salomon Eliasson and myself is to increase our knowledge about ice clouds through the use of satellite data. We are focusing on a variable called ice water path and describing the total mass of all ice particles in a vertical column of air (measured in kg/m2)."

How far have you come?


"Our project began last year so we are still in the initial phase. We have collected available satellite data and climate model data so we can accurately document the extent to which they concur."

"That´s the starting point in our efforts to find average values and variability in clouds´ ice water path. When this is known and documented, the various climate modellers can adjust their parameters so the models more closely reflect reality."

"What we have found so far is that the differences are actually as great as we expected. We also have some ideas concerning which data are most reliable, and we understand some of the differences between different data sets. Currently, we are working on an article about this initial phase of the project."

Why did you choose this particular research topic?


"I´ve always been fascinated by clouds and the different forms of water in the atmosphere —
water evaporates from the Earth´s surface and oceans, condenses into water droplets or ice particles in clouds, and falls again as snow or rain. All water phases are important to the climate system. Currently we know too little about the details in the processes that convert water from one form to another."

"Measuring water vapour and clouds is a fascinating distance analysis problem, and distance analysis is my primary area of expertise. It also requires good models to show how radiation interacts with the atmosphere, since distance analysis utilizes radiation to collect information about what one wants to study."

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Updated: 2010-02-04
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