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Research subject Meteorology and atmospheric science

Research in Meteorology and Atmospheric Science deals with the atmosphere's three layers: the Troposphere, the Mesosphere and the Stratosphere. We study how and why the atmosphere moves, how aerosols (small particles) form, are transported and interact with clouds, precipitation and solar radiation, and how this affects polar climates.

We look for the answers to these questions by going on research expeditions to the North Pole, using observations from other locations and by using satellites, rockets and ground based instruments to make measurements. The collected data are processed with machine learning and computer modeling.

Related research subject

Atmosphere, ocean and climate science

Ice polar stratospheric clouds. Photo: P. Achtert

Researchers

Research groups

Circulation and connection land-sea-atmosphere

Over long timescales, the circulation systems co-evolve with ice sheets, mountain ranges, and redistributions of carbon between the atmosphere, ocean and land. The circulation and associated feedbacks influence exchanges of energy and materials between compartments of the climate system, and create teleconnections and natural climate variability.

Image: Ines Jakobsson/Stockholm University

Clouds, airborne particles and gases

A continued change in the atmospheric content of greenhouse gases and particles is estimated to result in future warming well above 1.5°C, compared with pre-industrial levels. It is uncertain how much heating is masked by the cooling effect of the particles, especially the effect of the particles on the distribution and properties of the clouds.

Clouds. Photo: Marianne Lagerklint/MISU/Stockholm University

Dynamic Meteorology

How and why the atmosphere moves is studied within dynamic meteorology. The atmosphere is never still and its movement can be described by partial differential equations which describe how changes in speed, density, pressure and temperature occur. We study these movements from the smallest scale of turbulence to planetary waves.

Figure of atmospheric processes. From Albert A.M. Holtslag,2003: Atmospheric turbulence

Middle and Upper Atmosphere

Middle atmosphere research at MISU focuses on altitudes between about 10 and 130 km. We use satellites, sounding rockets and ground-based instruments to explore this fascinating part of our planet. As a current highlight, we launched Sweden’s new research satellite in November 2022: MATS.

The MATS satellite. Photo: Linda Megner/Stockholm University

Polar Meteorology and Oceanography

The global warming is not uniformly distributed over the Earth. The polar regions are especially sensitive for climate change and the warming in the Arctic is more than twice as fast as for the Earth on average. The effects of this warming are large, with a dramatic loss of sea ice as an example.

The icebreaker Oden on expedition in the Arctic. Photo: Michael Tjernström/MISU/Stockholm University

Courses and programmes

Departments and centres

Interdepartmental and international collaboration is a key factor for research. Researchers at the Department of Meteorology, the Bolin Centre for Climate Reseach and the Baltic Sea Centre collaborate with SMHI, KTH The Royal Institute of Technology and other Swedish and international universities and organisations.

The Department of Meteorology also administrates The International Meteorological Institute in Stockholm which works towards increasing the exchange and collaboration between scientists in different countries.

Department of Meteorology Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre