Modern and past climate: Investigation of atmospheric water supply to the Atacama Desert and comparative studies with the Namib Desert
Research areas: Atmospheric Science and Oceanography
Principal investigators: Prof. Dr. Susanne Crewell, Dr. Ulrich Löhnert
Project Info: Phase 2
Overall research theme: "On which paths does water reach the Atacama and Namib Deserts?"
The controlling factors regulating moisture supply across the CRC study area in Chile are dominated by the transport of water vapor and the formation of fog. Here, we plan to characterize related multi‐scale circulation features and quantify their impact on the Atacama Desert moisture supply. Land‐sea circulation patterns from the Pacific over the coastal cliff, the Costal Cordillera, the Central Depression, towards the Andes and back will be identified from east‐west meteorological station transects (available in the CRC since 2017), the remote sensing station at Iquique airport (deployment 2018/2019), high‐altitude astronomy‐driven measurements of temperature and water vapor and the high‐resolution GOES16 satellite in a synergistic manner. The high‐resolution (~100 m) ICON Large Eddy Model (LEM) will be used in a multiple‐nest‐framework to fill the observational gap in order to constrain the distribution of water within the Atacama Desert. Furthermore, we aim to identify robust characteristics of the large‐scale circulation during the present climate as a proxy for moisture supply which can serve the interpretation of palaeo records (A02, A04). For this, we will continue to exploit the longest reanalysis available, e.g. the 110‐year record of ERA‐20C, for both the Atacama and the Namib study area and investigate climate variability of the water cycle, e.g. associated to large‐scale climate modes. Satellite measurements which are not assimilated into ERA‐20C are now available since several decades and will thus allow linking the local to the larger scale. Based on these comprehensive satellite data records and reanalysis, a comparative assessment of the water cycle in the Atacama and the Namib Deserts will be performed.
Phase 1
Modern and past climate: Investigation of atmospheric water supply to the Atacama desert (Chile) from combined in-situ, ground-based and satellite remote sensing observations
Research areas: Atmospheric Science and Oceanography
The extremely dry regions of northern Chile pose a challenging environment for vegetation and fauna in respect to moisture supply. The meteorological situation is complex due to ocean-atmosphere-land coupling under the strong influence of orography and (anthropogenic) aerosol.
Few operational measurements are performed in the region and the rare satellite studies have been limited by resolution aspects due to the structured relief. We aim to characterise present day climate based on a combination of in-situ meteorological stations to be deployed along three transects, various satellite observations as well as ground-based remote sensing observations. The long-term objective is to link the local availability of atmospheric water (i.e. water vapour and fog) to larger scale proxies (i.e. synoptic weather pattern, multi-decadal forcing) in order to establish downscaling rules for past and future climate. For an enhanced process understanding we will carry out a measurement campaign employing (amongst others) a novel type of highly sensitive cloud radar at the fog research site Alto Patache and analyse in-situ measurements by meteorological stations operated at locations not assessed before. By combination with long-term satellite and atmospheric reanalysis data, an unprecedented characterization of the local and large-scale processes leading to low-cloud and fog occurring over the transition region between Eastern Pacific and the Chilean high altitude desert region will be possible. Atmospheric reanalysis and long-term satellite data stream will also enable to describe the spatiotemporal availability of water vapour for different types of climatic variability, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.
Former members:
- Prof. Dr. Susanne Crewell (Principal Investigator)
- Dr. Ulrich Löhnert (Principal Investigator)
Publications
Project A1 - Publications
Articles
Jaeschke, A., 2024.
Evaluating the isotopic composition of leaf organic compounds in fog-dependent Tillandsia landbeckii across the coastal Atacama Desert: Implications for hydroclimate reconstructions at the dry limit.
Global and Planetary Change. 1 - 43.
Jaeschke, A., 2024.
Evaluating the isotopic composition of leaf organic compounds in fog-dependent Tillandsia landbeckii across the coastal Atacama Desert: Implications for hydroclimate reconstructions at the dry limit.
Global and Planetary Change. 1 - 43.
Reyers, M., Fiedler, S., Ludwig, P., Böhm, C., Wennrich, V., Shao, Y., 2023.
On the importance of moisture conveyor belts from the tropical eastern Pacific for wetter conditions in the Atacama Desert during the mid-Pliocene.
Climate of the Past. 19 (2), 517 - 532. DOI: 10.5194/cp-19-517-2023.
Sun, X., Amelung, W., Klumpp, E., Walk, J., Mörchen, R., Böhm, C., Moradi, G., May, M., Tamburini, F., Wang, Y., Bol, R., 2023.
Fog controls biological cycling of soil phosphorus in the Coastal Cordillera of the Atacama Desert.
Global Change Biology. 30:e17068 (1), 1 - 19. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17068.
Vicencio Veloso, J., Böhm, C., Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Crewell, S., 2023.
A comparative study of the atmospheric water vapor in the Atacama and Namib Desert.
Global and Planetary Change, 104320. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104320. 1 - 17.
Wennrich, V., 2023.
Late Pleistocene to modern precipitation changes at the Paranal clay pan, central Atacama Desert.
Zenodo. 1 - 63. DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.68.
Arenas-Díaz, F., Fuentes, B., Reyers, M., Fiedler, S., Böhm, C., Campos, E., Shao, Y., Bol, R., 2022.
Dust and aerosols in the Atacama Desert.
Earth-Science Reviews. 226 (March 2022, 103925), 1 - 26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.103925.
Schween, J., Westbrook, S., Osses, P., del Río, C., Löhnert, U., 2022.
Life Cycle of Stratocumulus Clouds over one Year at the Coast of the Atacama Desert.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 22 (18), 12241 - 12267. DOI: 10.5194/acp-22-12241-2022.
Böhm, C., Schween, J., Reyers, M., Maier, B., Löhnert, U., Crewell, S., 2021.
Toward a Climatology of Fog Frequency in the Atacama Desert via Multispectral Satellite Data and Machine Learning Techniques.
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. 60 (8), 1149 - 1169. DOI: 10.1175/JAMC-D-20-0208.1.
Böhm, C., Reyers, M., Knarr, L., Crewell, S., 2021.
The Role of Moisture Conveyor Belts for Precipitation in the Atacama Desert.
Geophysical Research Letters. 48 (24), 1 - 10. DOI: 10.1029/2021GL094372.
García, J.-L., Lobos-Roco, F., Schween, J., del Río, C., Osses, P., Vives, R., Pezoa, M., Siegmund, A., Latorre, C., Alfaro, F., Koch, M., Löhnert, U., 2021.
Climate and coastal low-cloud dynamic in the hyperarid Atacama fog Desert and the geographic distribution of Tillandsia landbeckii (Bromeliaceae) dune ecosystems..
Plant Systematics and Evolution. 307, 1 - 22. DOI: 10.1007/s00606-021-01775-y.
Reyers, M., Böhm, C., Knarr, L., Shao, Y., Crewell, S., 2021.
Synoptic-to-Regional-Scale Analysis of Rainfall in the Atacama Desert (18°–26°S) Using a Long-Term Simulation with WRF.
Monthly Weather Review. 149 (1), 91 - 112. DOI: 10.1175/MWR-D-20-0038.1.
Böhm, C., Reyers, M., Schween, J., Crewell, S., 2020.
Water vapor variability in the Atacama Desert during the 20th century.
Global and Planetary Change. 190, 1 - 18. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2020.103192.
Böhm, C., Sourdeval, O., Mülmenstädt, J., Quaas, J., Crewell, S., 2019.
Cloud base height retrieval from multi-angle satellite data.
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. 12 (3), 1841 - 1860. DOI: 10.5194/amt-12-1841-2019.
Schween, J., Hoffmeister, D., Löhnert, U., 2019.
Filling the observational gap in the Atacama Desert with a new network of climate stations.
Global and Planetary Change. 184, 1 - 14. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2019.103034.
Schween, J., Hoffmeister, D., Löhnert, U., 2019.
Filling the observational gap in the Atacama Desert with a new network of climate stations.
EGU 2019. 2019, 1 - 1. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2019.103034.
Event Paper
Jaeschke, A., Böhm, C., Reyers, M., Merklinger, F. F., Bernasconi, S., Schefuß, E., Kusch, S., Rethemeyer, J., 2019.
Present and past distribution of fog-dependent Tillandsia vegetation in the hyperarid Atacama Desert.
Geophysical Research Abstracts. Proc. of EGU General Assembly 2019, 21 (EGU2019-9332), April 07 - 12, 2019, Vienna, 1 - 1.
Data
Project A1 - Research Data
Vicencio Veloso, J., 2024.
Table and individual figures of the main synoptic conditions associated with 96 summer rainfall episodes in the Atacama Desert from 1960 to 2020.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Jaeschke, A., 2024.
Evaluating the isotopic composition of leaf organic compounds in fog-dependent Tillandsia landbeckii across the coastal Atacama Desert: Implications for hydroclimate reconstructions at the dry limit.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Wennrich, V., Reyers, M., Böhm, C., 2024.
WRF-model derived daily precipitation data Paranal.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2022.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique, March 2018 - March 2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.54.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., 2022.
Wind profiles March 2018 - March 2019 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.53.
Schween, J., 2022.
Fog and Meteo data from station 13, 2017-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Integrated water vapor (IWV TH90) March 2018 - March 219 at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.47.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Integrated water vapor (IWV TH80) March 2018 - March 219 at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.44.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Liquid water path (LWP TH95) March 2018 - March 219 at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.52.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Liquid water path (LWP TH90) March 2018 - March 219 at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.51.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Liquid water path (LWP TH85) March 2018 - March 219 at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.50.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Liquid water path (LWP TH80) March 2018 - March 219 at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.49.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Integrated water vapor (IWV TH95) March 2018 - March 219 at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.48.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Integrated water vapor (IWV TH85) March 2018 - March 219 at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.43.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., 2022.
Meteorological Data March 2018 - March 219 from Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.45.
Schween, J., Löhnert, U., Westbrook, S., 2022.
Temperature profiles March 2018 - March 219 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.46.
Schween, J., 2022.
Fog and Meteo data from station 13, 2017-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for March 2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for February 2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for January 2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for December 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for November 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for October 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for September 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for August 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for July 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for June 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for May 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique for April 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., Marke, T., Löhnert, U., 2020.
Boundary layer classification from remote sensing at Iquique, March 2018.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height March 2019 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height February 2019 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height January 2019 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height December 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height November 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height October 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height September 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height August 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height July 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height June 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height May 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height April 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Mixing layer height March 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles March 2019 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles February 2019 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles January 2019 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles December 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles November 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles October 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles September 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles August 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles July 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles June 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles May 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles April 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Wind profiles March 2018 from remote sensing at Iquique.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 34, 2018-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 33, 2018-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 32, 2018-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 25, 2018-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 24, 2018-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 23, 2018-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 22, 2017-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 15, 2017-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 14, 2017-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 12, 2017-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Schween, J., 2019.
Fog and Meteo data from station 13, 2017-2019.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB).
Böhm, C., 2019.
MIBase cloud base height derived from satellite data.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.19.
