The CRC Transregio(AC)³ is made up of the Leipzig University, the University of Bremen, and the University of Cologne, as well as the major research facilities TROPOS in Leipzig and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).

Dr. Gunnar Spreen, an environmental physicist from the University of Bremen, emphasized: "As there are only few measuring stations in the Arctic, satellite data is particularly important. The sea ice area in summer has decreased by half since the 1970s. Ice thickness and snow depth have also decreased, while at the same time the ice is now more mobile and drifting faster. In addition to sea ice, satellites have also observed changes in cloud properties and the ocean."
The bulletin, which has been published by the American Meteorological Society since 1920, first published the “Review of First Results and Prospects of the (AC)³ Project” in January (https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-21-0218.1).

Here is a summary of the article:

Arctic Warming Quicker than Elsewhere

The Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the world. This phenomenon is known as Arctic amplification. To understand this warming, the DFG-funded Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (AC)³ was established in 2016 (www.ac3-tr.de/). It includes modelling and data analysis efforts as well as observational elements.
The project has generated a wealth of ground-, air-, ship- and satellite-based data on the physical, chemical, and meteorological properties of the Arctic atmosphere, cryosphere, and upper ocean, which are available to the Arctic climate research community. Some 1,700 data sets alone are stored on a freely accessible research data server, www.pangaea.de, which is operated by the University of Bremen and the Alfred Wegener Institute. Global coupled atmosphere-ocean models have been continuously developed as part of the Collaborative Research Centre’s work.

Arctic Atmosphere Is Moister and Regional Storm Activity Is Increasing

The researchers used existing and new data to identify short-term changes and indications of long-term trends in Arctic climate variables. For example, they found that the Arctic atmosphere has become significantly moister and regional storm activity has increased. Winter warming in the regions around Svalbard and the North Pole has increased, resulting in a decrease in sea ice thickness in the Fram Strait and in snow depth on the ice.
In order to better link results in the future, researchers are further developing cross-cutting themes to answer key questions in four focus areas: lapse rate feedback, surface processes, Arctic mixed-phase clouds, and airmass transport and transformation.

Arctic Amplification: Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (AC)³

The (AC³) research network includes Leipzig University, the universities of Bremen and Cologne, as well as the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig. The aim of the network is to observe the current dramatic climate change in the Arctic using a variety of methods in order to improve the reliability of models that predict the observed warming in the Arctic. The Transregio AC³ CRC is currently in its second funding period and eighth year.

Further Information:

www.ac3-tr.de

www.pangaea.de

www.uni-bremen.de/en/

The article: https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-21-0218.1

Contact:

Dr. Gunnar Spreen
Institute of Environmental Physics
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-62158
Email: gunnar.spreenprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de