Researcher Spotlight - Meet Prof. Dr. Nils Brüggeman

With a background in physics, Nils Brüggemann's work focuses on understanding ocean turbulence and its influence on the climate system, key factors in reducing uncertainties around heat and carbon storage in our oceans. His collaborative approach brings together insights from oceanography, atmospheric physics, and biogeochemistry to improve climate models and inform strategies for adaptation. 

What motivates you to work in this field?

"I am fascinated by ocean turbulence and I seek to better understand its role in the climate system. I love the collaboration with colleagues within and outside the TRR 181. In particular, I am excited about joint efforts in ocean model development where I work closely with researchers with many different perspectives and ideas."

How has your background and career path shaped your approach to climate science?

"I studied physics which gave a solid basis for understanding the laws of fluid motions and how they can be represented in numerical models. In my physics lectures, I also learned to appreciate how we can better understand physical systems when we try to reduce them to their essential elements. This reduction of complexity is particularly valuable for better understanding the turbulent ocean dynamics."

What are your primary research interests?

"I am interested in ocean turbulence, its representation in ocean models, and its influence on the climate system. Furthermore, I am curious about how a changing climate will affect the ocean and its interactions with communities living in coastal and tropical regions."

What do you believe are the most pressing challenges in climate science today, and how does your work contribute to addressing them?

"Our understanding of the ocean’s role in storing heat and carbon remains very limited. Quantitative estimates of these processes are still highly uncertain. By improving our understanding of turbulent ocean dynamics and air - sea exchanges, I aim to help reduce these uncertainties."

Furthermore, I seek to advance ocean and climate models in order to better assess how climate change will affect human societies, particularly in tropical coastal regions.

How does collaboration across different institutions and disciplines enhance the impact of your research?

"Developing, running and interpreting climate simulations requires a high level of expertise in different areas. I am happy that I can collaborate with atmospheric physicists, bio-geochemical scientists and other oceanographers to improve these models and our understanding of the climate system that we derive from them. Collaborations with scientists that observe the ocean and the atmosphere are also fundamental to my research since such observations provide a solid data basis for evaluating the performance of our model simulations.

In the future, I also hope to establish collaborations with socio-economic scientists to better align our natural based research with the needs and priorities of societies."

In your opinion, what are the biggest opportunities for positive change through climate research and innovation?

"In the past, much of the focus of climate research has been on global warming at a broad, global scale. In the future, however, research will increasingly emphasize detailed regional impact studies that clarify what climate change means for local communities. In this context, climate research can provide essential knowledge to help communities prepare for and adapt to a changing climate."

Can you share a recent project or discovery that you found particularly exciting or meaningful?

"I am involved in preparing a one-year simulation at 1.25 km resolution of the ocean, land, and atmosphere that also includes ocean biogeochemistry. This simulation will enable exploration of interactions among different components of the Earth system in a fundamentally new way. Assessing where such a simulation can yield new insights, and where it may still be prone to model errors, will be an exciting challenge in the coming months."

What advice would you give to students or young researchers interested in pursuing a career in climate sciences?

"Follow your main interests, seek out people from whom you can learn the most, and don’t become discouraged if things do not work out as planned. Be patient, watch for opportunities as they arise, and then try to make the most of them."