Thomas Jung

Prof. Thomas Jung is a leading climate scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany. As a Professor of Climate Dynamics, he holds key roles including Head of the Climate Dynamics Section, Vice-Director of AWI, and Spokesperson of the Research Programme "Changing Earth – Sustaining our Future". His work focuses on analyzing, modeling, and predicting the climate system with an emphasis on polar regions, ocean dynamics, and extreme weather events. He coordinates major initiatives such as the Polar Prediction Project (YOPP) and the ESM project, advancing high-resolution Earth system modeling (e.g., nextGEMS) and digital twin technologies for climate adaptation.

Research interests include Arctic Ocean circulation (Beaufort Gyre, sea ice dynamics), mesoscale eddies in polar seas, and the impact of climate change on extreme weather. He leads development of coupled models like AWI-CM3 and FESOM2, emphasizing kilometer-scale simulations to capture critical climate processes. Notable contributions include real-time climate attribution studies (e.g., storm Boris rainfall intensification) and advancing climate services via projects like Destination Earth.

Prof. Jung’s expertise spans ocean-atmosphere interactions, cryosphere dynamics, and climate model validation using observations from expeditions like MOSAiC. He actively collaborates internationally through networks like IDEA-S4S and chairs global initiatives to improve Arctic weather prediction and climate adaptation strategies.