Frida BenderProfessor of Climate modeling
About me
I am a professor at the Department of Meteorology at Stockholm University.
My research is focused on clouds, aerosols and climate, and understanding the large-scale effects of the small-scale processes that determine cloud properties. This is key to further constraint of climate sensitivity and improved projections of future climate. I work with global climate models as well as observational data and e-science tools. I also enjoy interdisciplinary collaborations, and meta-studies of climate modelling.
Research interests
- Aerosol-cloud-climate interactions: how do small-scale aerosol-cloud interaction processes play out on large scale; how can we make observations of these relations and effects; and how can we represent them in models?
- Albedo: how can planetary albedo and cloud albedo be estimated; what are their determining factors; how do they vary over time?
- Cloud feedback: how can natural variability, and relations like the inter-hemispheric albedo symmetry be used to understand cloud feedback, and climate sensitivity?
- Aerosol forcing: how can the present day aerosol distribution, and its difference from the pre-industrial state, be characterised, and what are the effects on radiative forcing?
- Values in Science: how do values enter in the scientific process; how do we deal with them; how do they influence the way uncertainty is estimated, presented, and communicated within climate science?
- Precipitation: how will precipitation patterns and not least extreme precipitation change with global warming, and how can we represent and predict those changes with global models, given their limited resolution.
- Marine cloud brightening: how could deliberate aerosol emission and subsequent brightening of low clouds contribute to limiting global warming; are there physically, ethically and politically feasible ways?
Teaching
Undergraduate courses
Lecturer for university-wide, web-based Climate Change Solutions, 2019-2022
Lecturer for Climate and general circulation, 2019-2023
Lecturer for web-based Meteorology and climate for teachers-to-be, 2017-2022
Lecturer for Dynamic Meteorology I, 2012-2014, 2017-2018, 2022; Atmospheric chemistry and its impact on climate, 2011
Teaching-assistant for Atmospheric chemistry and its impact on climate, Atmospheric radiation, Earth's climate and climate change, 2005-2008
Undergraduate student supervision
Anna Staffansdotter, MSc (2023); Katrín Agla Tómasdottír, MSc (2023); Hao Zhang, MSc (2022); Tobias Larsson, BSc (2021); Onni Mikkola, BSc (2021); Johanna Svensson, BSc (2020); Aiden Jönsson, MSc (2018); Greta De Ridder, BSc (2018); Joakim Borgemo & Richard Roth, MSE (2017); Malin Boman, BSc (2017); Caroline Karlsson, BSc (2014); Lisa Nyberg, BSc (2014); Sara Berglund, BSc (2013); Jennie Hurkmans, BSc (2013); Rickard Lindqvist, BSc (2012); Sophia Nilsson, MSc (2006)
Graduate students
Malena Contizanetti 2024-present (with assistant supervisor Thorsten Mauritsen)
Hao Ding 2022-present (with main supervisor Annica Ekman, and assistant supervisor Ilona Riipinen)
Aiden Jönsson PhD 2024 (with assistant supervisor Thorsten Mauritsen)
Alejandro Uribe Cortes PhD 2023 (with main supervisor Thorsten Mauritsen)
Alejandro Baró Pérez PhD 2023 (with main supervisor Annica Ekman, and assistant supervisor Abhay Devasthale)
Friederike Höpner PhD 2019 (with assistant supervisor Annica Ekman)
Lena Frey PhD 2019 (with assistant supervisor Gunilla Svensson)
Wing Leung licenciate 2015 (with main supervisor Annica Ekman)
Research
Peer-reviewed publications
Tselioudis, G., Rossow, W. B., Bender, F. A.-M., Oreopoulos, L., Remillard, J. (2024) Oceanic cloud trends during the satellite era and their radiative signatures, Clim. Dyn., 62, 9319-9332
Uribe, A., Bender, F. A.-M., and Mauritsen, T. (2024) Constraining net long term climate feedback from satellite observed internal variability possible by mid 2030s, [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1559
Baró Pérez, A., Diamond, M. S., Bender, F. A.-M., Devasthale, A., Schwarz, M., Savre, J., Tonttila, J., Kokkola, H., Lee, H., Painemal, D., and Ekman, A. M. L. (2024) Comparing the simulated influence of biomass burning plumes on low-level clouds over the southeastern Atlantic under varying smoke conditions, Atmos. Chem. Phys. 24, 4591-4610, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4591-2024
Bender, F. A.-M., Jung, V., Staffansdotter, A., Lord, T., and Undorf, S. (2024) Machine learning approach to investigating the relative importance of meteorological and aerosol-related parameters in determining cloud microphysical properties, Tellus B, 76 (1) 1-18, https://doi.org/10.16993/tellusb.1868
Kuma, P., Bender, F. A.-M., Jönsson, A.R. (2023) Climate Model Code Genealogy and its Relation to Climate Feedbacks and Sensitivity, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 15, 7, e2022MS003588
McCoy, I. L., McCoy, D. T., Wood, R., Zuidema, P., Bender, F. A.-M. (2023) The role of mesoscale cloud morphology in the shortwave cloud feedback, Geophys. Res. Lett., 50, 2
Jönsson, A. R., and Bender, F. A.-M. (2023) The implications of maintaining Earth's hemispheric albedo symmetry for shortwave radiative feedbacks, Earth Syst. Dyn., 14, 2
Kuma, P., Bender, F. A.-M., Shuddeboom, A., McDonald, A. J., Seland, Ø. (2023) Machine learning of cloud types in satellite observations and climate models, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 523-549
Uribe, A., Bender, F. A.-M., and Mauritsen, T. (2022). Observed and CMIP6 modeled internal variability feedbacks and their relation to forced climate feedbacks, Geophys. Res. Lett., 49, e2022GL100075
Pulkkinen, K., Undorf, S., Bender, F. A.-M. (2022) Values in climate modelling: testing the practical applicability of the Moral Imagination ideal, Euro. Jnl. Phil. Sci., 12, 68, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-022-00488-4
Undorf, S., Pulkkinen, K., Wikman-Svahn, P., Bender, F. A.-M. (2022) How do value judgements enter model-based assessments of climate sensitivity?, Clim. Change, 174, 19, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-022-03435-7
Pulkkinen, K., Undorf, S., Bender, F. A.-M., Wikman-Svahn, P., Doblas-Reyes, F., Flynn, C., Hegerl, G. C., Jönsson, A., Leung, G.-K., Roussos, J., Shepherd, T. G., Thompson, E. (2022) The value of values in climate science, Nat. Clim. Chang., 12, 4-6, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01238-9
Artaxo, P., Hansson, H.-C., Andreae, M. O., Bäck, J., Alves, E. G., Barbosa, H. M. J., Bender, F. A.-M. et al. (2022) Tropical and Boreal Forest – Atmosphere Interactions: A Review, Tellus B, https://doi.org/10.1080/16000889.2021.2015129
Jönsson, A. R. and Bender, F. A.-M. (2022) Persistence and Variability of Earth's Interhemispheric Albedo Symmetry in 19 Years of CERES EBAF Observations, J. Clim., 35, 1.
Huusko, L. L., Bender, F. A.-M., Ekman, A. M. L., and Storelvmo, T. (2021) Climate sensitivity indices and their relation with projected temperature change in CMIP6 models, Environ. Res. Lett., https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac0748
Frey, L., Höpner, F., Kirkevåg, A., and Bender, F. A.-M. (2021) Absorbing Aerosols over Asia - An inter-model and model-observation Comparison Study using CAM5.3-Oslo, Tellus B, https://doi.org/10.1080/16000889.2021.1909815
Baró Pérez, A., Devasthale, A., Bender, F. A.-M., and Ekman, A. M. L. (2021) Impact of smoke and non-smoke aerosols on radiation and low-level clouds over the Southeast Atlantic from co-located satellite observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6053-6077 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6053-2021
Dellmuth, L. M., Bender, F. A.-M., Jönsson, A. R., Rosvold, E. L. and von Uexkull, N. (2021) Humanitarian need drives multilateral disaster aid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 118 (4) e2018293118; DOI:10.1073/pnas.2018293118
Frey, L., Bender, F. A.-M. and Svensson, G. (2020) Processes controlling the vertical aerosol distribution in marine stratocumulus regions – a sensitivity study using the climate model NorESM1-M, Atmos. Chem. Phys., acp-2019-846
Bender, F. A.-M. (2020) Aerosol forcing - still uncertain, still relevant, AGU Advances, 1 (3), e2019AV000128
McCoy, I. L., McCoy, D. T., Wood, R., Regayre, L., Watson-Parris, D., Grosvenor, D. P, Mulchay, J. P., Hu, Y., Bender, F. A.-M., Field, P. R., Carslaw, K., Gordon, H. (2020) The hemispheric contrast in cloud microphysical properties constrains aerosol forcing, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 117 (32) 18998-19006
Possner, A., Eastman, R., Bender, F. A.-M. and Glassmeier, F. (2020) Deconvolution of boundary layer depth and aerosol constraints on cloud water path in subtropical stratocumulus decks, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 3609-3621
Höpner, F., Bender, F. A.-M., Ekman, A. M. L., Andersson, A., Gustafsson, Ö., and Leck, C.. (2019) Investigation of two optical methods for aerosol type classification extended to a northern Indian Ocean site, J. Geophys. Res., 124 (15), 8743-8763
Bender, F. A.-M., Frey, L., McCoy, D. T., D. P. Grosvenor, J. K. Mohrmann (2018) Assessment of aerosol-cloud-radiation correlations in satellite observations, climate models and reanalysis, Clim. Dynam., 52, 4371
Bourgeois, Q., Ekman, A. M. L., Renard, J. -B., Krejci, R., Devasthale, A., Bender, F. A.-M., Riipinen, I. Berthet, G. and Tackett, J. L. (2018) How much of the global aerosol optical depth is found in the boundary layer and free troposphere? Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 7709-7720
McCoy, D. T., Field, P.R., Schmidt, A., Grosvenor, D. P., Bender, F. A.-M., Shipway, B. J., Hill, A. A., Wilkinson, J. M. and Elsaesser, G. S. (2018) Aerosol-mid-latitude cyclone indirect effects in observations and highresolution simulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 5821-5846
McCoy, D. T., Bender, F. A.-M., Grosvenor, D. P., Mohrmann, J. K., Hartmann, D. L., Wood, R. and Field, P. R. (2018) Predicting decadal trends in cloud droplet number concentration using reanalysis and satellite data, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 2035--2047
Frey, L., Bender, F. A.-M. and Svensson, G. (2017) Cloud albedo changes in response to anthropogenic sulfate and non-sulfate aerosol forcings in CMIP5 models, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 9145--9162
Bender, F. A.-M., Engström, A., Charlson, R. J. and Wood, R. (2017) Evaluation of hemispheric asymmetries in marine cloud radiative properties, J. Clim., 30, 4131--4147
McCoy, D. T., Bender, F. A.-M., Mohrmann, J. K., Hartmann, D. L., Wood, R. and Grosvenor, D. P. (2017) The global aerosol-cloud first indirect effect estimated using MODIS, MERRA and AeroCom, J. Geophys. Res., 122, 3, 1779-1796
Wilcox E. M., Thomas, R. M, Praveen, P. S., Pistone, K., Bender, F. A.-M. and Ramanathan, V. (2016) Black carbon solar absorption suppresses turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113, 11794-11799
Leung, W.-Y- H, Savre, J., Bender, F. A.-M., Komppula, M., Portin, H., Romakkaniemi, S., Sedlar, J., Noone, K. J. and Ekman, A. M. L. (2016) Sensitivity of a continental nighttime stratocumulus-topped boundary layer to varying environmental conditions, Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 142, 2911-2924
Pistone, K., Praveen, P. S., Thomas, R. M., Ramanathan, V., Wilcox, E., and Bender, F. A.-M. (2016) Observed correlations between aerosol and cloud properties in an Indian Ocean trade cumulus regime, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 5203-5227
Höpner, F., Bender, F. A.-M., Ekman, A. M. L., Praveen, P. S., Bosch, C., Ogren, J. A., Andersson, A., Gustafsson, Ö., and Ramanathan, V. (2016) Vertical profiles of optical and microphysical particle properties above the northern Indian Ocean during CARDEX 2012, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 1045-1064
Bender, F. A.-M., Engström, A. and Karlsson, J. (2016) Factors controlling cloud albedo in marine subtropical stratocumulus regions in climate models and satellite observations, J. Clim., 29, 10
Engström, A., Bender, F. A.-M., Charlson, R. J. and Wood, R. (2015) The non-linear relationship between albedo and cloud fraction on near-global, monthly mean scale in observations and in the CMIP5 model ensemble, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 21, 9571-9578
Engström, A., Bender, F. A.-M., Charlson, R. J. and Wood, R. (2015) Geographically coherent patterns of albedo enhancement and suppression associated with aerosol sources and sinks, Tellus B, 67, 26442
Engström, A., Bender, F. A.-M. and Karlsson, J. (2014) Improved representation of marine stratocumulus cloud short-wave radiative properties in the CMIP5 climate models, J. Clim., 27, 6175-6188
Bender, F. A.-M., Ramanathan, V. and Tselioudis, G. (2012) Changes in extratropical storm track cloudiness 1983-2008: Observational support for a poleward shift, Clim. Dynam., 38, 2037-2053
Bender, F. A.-M. (2011) Aerosol forcing: Rapporteur's report and summary, Surv. Geophys., DOI: 10.1007/s10712-011-9160-0
Bender, F. A.-M., Charlson, R. J., Ekman, A M-L. and Leahy, L. (2011) Quantification of monthly mean regional scale albedo of marine stratiform clouds in satellite observations and GCMs, J. Appl. Meteor. Clim., DOI: 10.1175/JAMC-D-11-049.1
Bender, F. A.-M. (2011) Planetary albedo in strongly forced climate, as simulated by the CMIP3 models, Theor. Appl. Climatol., DOI: 10.1007/s00704-011-0411-2
Bender, F. A.-M., Ekman, A. M-L. and Rodhe, H. (2010) Response to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in relation to climate sensitivity in the CMIP3 models, Clim. Dynam., 35, 875-886
Bender, F. A.-M. (2008) A note on the effect of GCM tuning on climate sensitivity, Environ. Res. Lett., 3, 1
Charlson, R. J., Ackerman, A. S., Bender, F. A.-M., Anderson, T.L. and Liu, Z. (2007) On the climate forcing consequences of the albedo continuum between cloudy and clear air, Tellus B, 59B, 4
Bender, F. A.-M. (2006) Comment on "A multi-data comparison of shortwave climate forcing changes" by Pallé et al., Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L15812
Bender, F. A.-M., Rodhe, H., Charlson, R. J., Ekman, A M-L. and Loeb, N. (2006) 22 views of the global albedo - comparison between 20 GCMs and two satellites, Tellus A, 58A, 3
Research projects
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