Prof. Dr. Detlef Stammer
Universität Hamburg
Zentrum für Marine und Atmosphärische Wissenschaften
Institut für Meereskunde
Bundesstr. 53; 1. Stock; Raum 140
D-20146 Hamburg
Germany
phone: +49 (0)40 42838 5052
FAX: +49 (0)40 42838 7471
email: detlef.stammer@zmaw.de
The ocean general circulation, its space-time variability, associated transport properties of the ocean and their climate relevance. Those problems are investigated by using satellite observations and numerical models, either separately or combined through state estimation procedures (data assimilation). Present work is focussed on satellite oceanography and data assimilation. For this purpose the MIT ocean circulation model and its adjoint is used in a global configuration and constrained by absolute and time-varying sea surface height observations, SST fields, scatterometer wind fields, Levitus climatology, and NCEP surface momentum, heat and freshwater fluxes as well entire suit of in situ observations. Observational studies are based primarily on satellite altimetry, surface temperature and new GRACE gravity data, but take also into account wind stress and color. Incerasing interest is growing for studies of ice and snow cover as well as thickness measurements of both. Those variables are important variables for th eglobal hydrological cycle, determine freshwater import from the Artic in the sub-polar oceans and are increasingly important quantities for local water management such as California.