Katja Lohmann

Research Interests

In general:

Circulation and climate in the northern North Atlantic (subpolar gyre, Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, overflows from Nordic Seas) using general circulation models

Current focus:

• Sensitivity of the low-frequency variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation to variations in subpolar deep water formation and overflows from the Nordic Seas

• Circulation and climate in the northern North Atlantic in simulations of the last millennium

Projects

Publications

Peer-reviewed publications

Lohmann, K. and M. Latif (2005): Tropical Pacific decadal variability and the subtropical-tropical cells. Journal of Climate, 18, 5163-5177

Lohmann, K. and M. Latif (2007): Influence of El Nino on the upper-ocean circulation in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Journal of Climate, 20, 5012-5018

Lohmann, K., H. Drange and M. Bentsen (2009): Response of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre to persistent North Atlantic oscillation like forcing. Climate Dynamics, 32, 273-285

Lohmann, K., H. Drange and M. Bentsen (2009): A possible mechanism for the strong weakening of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre in the mid-1990s. Geophysical Research Letters, 36, L15602, doi:10.1029/2009GL039166

Sandø, A.B., J.E. Nilsen, Y. Gao and K. Lohmann (2010): Importance of heat transport and local air-sea heat fluxes for Barents Sea climate variability. Journal of Geophysical Research, 115, C07013, doi:10.1029/2009JC005884

Menary, M., W. Park, K. Lohmann, M. Vellinga, M. Palmer, M. Latif, J. Jungclaus (2011): A multimodel comparison of centennial Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability. Climate Dynamics, DOI 10.1007/s00382-011-1172-4

Zanchettin, D., C. Timmreck, H. Graf, A. Rubino, S. Lorenz, K. Lohmann, K. Krueger, J. Jungclaus (2011): Bi-decadal variability excited in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system by strong tropical volcanic eruptions. Climate Dynamics, accepted

Papers in progress

Lohmann, K., H. Drange and M. Bentsen: On the recent weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation as seen in an isopycnal coordinate ocean general circulation model. Ocean Dynamics, submitted

Robson, J., R. Sutton, K. Lohmann, D. Smith and M. Palmer: Causes of the rapid warming of the North Atlantic Ocean in the mid 1990s. Journal of Climate, submitted

Nunez-Riboni, I., M. Bersch, H. Haak, J. Jungclaus and K. Lohmann: A multi-decadal meridional displacement of the subpolar front in the Newfoundland Basin. Ocean Science, submitted

Langehaug, H., P. Rhines, T. Eldevik, J. Mignot and K. Lohmann: Simulated water mass transformation in the North Atlantic Current. In preparation

Lohmann, K. et al.: Influence of subpolar deep water formation and overflow variability onto the (multi)decadal variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. In preparation

Lohmann, K. et al.: Low-frequency Iceland-Scotland-Ridge overflow strength and AMO variability in the last 500 years from multi-model simulations of the last millennium. In preparation

Curriculum vitae

Education

1993 - 1999:

Study of physical oceanography, University of Kiel, Germany
Thesis (in German):  Tidal correction of ship-based current measurements

2000-2005:

PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany
Thesis: Tropical Pacific/Atlantic climate variability and the subtropical-tropical cells


Work experience

September 2005 - October 2008:

PostDoc at the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center / Bjerknes Center for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway
EU-Project Dynamite (Understanding the dynamics of the coupled climate system)

since November 2008:

PostDoc at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany
EU-Project Thor (Thermohaline overturning circulation - at risk?)