Researcher Spotlight - Meet Dr. Henning Franke: Small-Scale Ocean-Atmosphere Coupling in Tropical Convection and Precipitation

In this interview, he talks about what motivates him in climate research, how his background in classical meteorology shapes his bottom-up, process-oriented approach, and his focus on the drivers of tropical deep convection and precipitation. He also explains why collaboration across institutions and disciplines is key for improving models and addressing uncertainties, and shares advice for students and young researchers interested in pursuing a career in climate science.

What motivates you to work in this field?
“The greatest motivation for my work is the simple fact that I really enjoy what I do. Since my childhood, I have been fascinated by the weather and how it can be predicted. In particular, thunderstorms, the most dramatic form of atmospheric convection, have captivated me. To work on topics that I am naturally passionate about and to contribute to scientific progress in these fields is very rewarding.”

How has your background and career path shaped your approach to climate science?
“My approach to climate science is deeply rooted in my passion for the weather and my background in classical Meteorology. Since the climate is ultimately the statistical expression of weather, I believe that understanding the weather and the processes that govern it is essential to comprehending the climate system as a whole. Consequently, I adopt a process-oriented bottom-up approach to climate science: instead of trying to understand the climate system altogether, which is often only possible by substantial idealizations, I aim to understand certain processes of the climate system, in some sense its building blocks, at a detailed mechanistic level. My preferred tool to do so is high-resolution climate models, which is probably due to my training at the MPI-M, one of the leading climate modelling centers in the world.”

What are your primary research interests? 
“My overarching research interest lies in the dynamics of the atmosphere across various scales, and how dynamics at different scales interact with each other. Currently, I am particularly interested in what drives atmospheric deep convective systems, a small-scale yet critical manifestation of atmospheric dynamics, over tropical oceans. It is still unclear whether these convective systems are driven primarily thermodynamically via locally enhanced surface fluxes or mostly by dynamic processes, such as small circulations at scales of about 100 km, which can arise from quasi-random fluctuations in sea surface temperature.”

What do you believe are the most pressing challenges in climate science today, and how does your work contribute to addressing them?
“I think that climate science still faces many challenges, and for me it is hard to identify the most pressing ones. Nevertheless, one of the most significant current challenges is certainly our ability to project local climate change, or weather change, under ongoing global warming. While the basic response of the climate system to greenhouse gas emissions is well understood and the general theories for fundamental aspects of climate change are well established at a system level, it is still highly uncertain how this plays out on a regional scale. This is, in part, because until quite recently, climate models were not able to explicitly represent local weather processes, such as atmospheric deep convection. Another related problem that I come across repeatedly in my work is the fact that coupled atmosphere ocean models still fail to represent tropical sea surface temperature patterns, independent of the resolution and fidelity of the model. This points to a fundamental lack of understanding of air sea coupling at the process level, and it greatly affects our ability to project local changes in tropical precipitation under global warming.”

How does collaboration across different institutions and disciplines enhance the impact of your research?
“In my opinion, collaboration across different institutes and disciplines is crucial for conducting high-quality science and, thus, for ultimately being successful as a researcher. I have made the experience that I often got a new perspective on a scientific problem I was working on when I exchanged with colleagues from other institutes, as different institutes often approach the same scientific problem with a different view. The same holds for the exchange with colleagues from other disciplines. Within my TRR 181 subproject, I often exchange and collaborate with oceanographers. This is very fruitful, and I always learn new things, which also regularly sparks new research ideas. That’s one of the many benefits of working in the TRR 181!”

What advice would you give to students or young researchers interested in pursuing a career in climate sciences?
“All the hard work pays off! I know that studies in climate science, meteorology, and related fields can be at times hard due to the high share of applied mathematics and physics, and I have seen many of my fellow students dropping out because of that. Later on, during your PhD studies, you will probably also experience several moments when you doubt your decision and ask yourself whether all the effort and struggle is actually worth it. So, a certain amount of resilience is key to being successful! However, given you are genuinely interested in the field, you will be rewarded later on with an exciting job where you can be creative, work independently, and pursue your own interests!”

What is the best way to connect with you for potential research collaboration? 
“The easiest way is probably to simply send me an email at henning.franke[at]mpimet.mpg.de. Otherwise, feel free to approach me at conferences or drop by my office in Hamburg!”