Foto vom Storch




Dr. Hans von Storch

Director emeritus of Institute for Coastal Systems (previously Institute of Coastal Research) of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Geesthacht (previously: Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht - Zentrum für Material- und Küstenforschung, and even earlier: GKSS Research Center)
Professor at the Meteorological Institute
and member of the Faculty of Social Sciences
of the University of Hamburg
Foreign member of
Polish Academy of Sciences
Doctor honoris causa
of Göteborgs Universitet
Guest professor
of Ocean University of China
Editor in Chief
of Oxford University Press Research Encyclopedia on Climate Science
Recipient of
Östersjöfondens pris 2014
Lead author of the IPCC
WGI of AR3, and WGII of AR5
Recipient of the
Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
(Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse)



News peer reviewed publications conferences, public talks
on Hans von Storch other publications books
intellectual achievements Brückner-Preis Beiträge in Zeitungen
adresses story of the Climate Research affair in 2003 Weblog Klimazwiebel
中文简介 ResearcherID J-4165-2012: h = 60 Kolumne Globkult: Zur Sache Klima
Academia.edu ORCID
Speaker Agentur Der digitale Hamburger Donaldist Statements




News
Books of Hans von Storch
  • 17 November 2023 -The manuscript On frequently used terms related to climate change coauthored by Gouyo Ren (任国玉) and Hans von Storch has been accepted for publication by Oxford University Press Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science
    The abstract reads: Using terms with the same meaning is a precondition of academic exchange and coordinated international actions to cope with the global climate issue. However, the understanding and usage of some terms in climate change field are incompatible among researchers, policy-makers and publics. In particular, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have used significantly different definitions of "climate change", which may bring some hidden troubles in coping with the global climate issue. Also, when referring to future changes, the terms climate change projection and climate prediction are frequently used inconsistently. Other terms, which are not always used with the same meaning are global warming, global change, global climate change, abrupt climate change, climate change monitoring, climate change detection, and climate change attribution.
    With respect to the term "climate change", we suggest to use in academic circle for a change in any key climate variables or climate extremes on time scales of multi-decades or longer periods caused by whatever drivers (natural or human, and external or internal); on the other hand, the term "climate variability" is used to refer to variations on all the spectrums of frequency provoked by natural internal reasons or on high-frequency spectrums caused by natural external drivers. Following the IPCC terminology, we suggest to define climate change projection as estimating possible evolutions of the climate state in the future on scales of decades or longer period, based on development scenarios and climate models, with the estimate considered possible, internally consistent, but not necessarily probable. We also suggest to face up to the call for using anthropogenic climate change to express large-scale climate change caused by various human activities, especially global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and the corresponding changes in other components of the climate system, in the IPCC reports and the international climate negotiations.

  • 13. November 2023 - The paper Link between the internal variability and the baroclinic instability in the Bohai and Yellow Sea coauthored by Lin, L.(林璘), H. von Storch, Chen X. (陈学恩), Jiang W. (江文胜), Tang S.(唐声全) has published open access by Oc. Dyn. DOI 10.1007/s10236-023-01583-7/
    The abstractreads: A regional ocean ensemble simulation with slightly different initial conditions demonstrates that internal variability is formed (not only) in the Bohai and Yellow Sea. In this paper, we analyze the relationship between the internal variability and the baroclinic instability, (represented by the Eady predicted theoretical diffusivity Kt; the larger the Kt, the stronger the baroclinic instability level). In the ensemble, with tidal forcing, the spatial correlation between the Eady predicted theoretical diffusivity and the internal variability amounts to 0.80. Also, the time evolution trends of baroclinic instability and internal variability are similar. Based on this evidence, baroclinic instability may be a significant driver for internal variability. This hypothesis is validated using an additional ensemble of simulations, which is identical to the first ensemble, but this time the tides are inactivated. This modification leads to an increase in internal variability, combined with the strengthening of variability variation co-vary consistently when comparing summer and winter seasons, both with and without tides. Our interpretation is that a stronger baroclinic instability causes more potential energy to be transformed into kinetic energy, allowing the unforced disturbances to grow.
    It is a companion paper, dealing with the process level, by Lin L. (林璘), H. von Storch, and Chen X. (陈学恩), 2023: The Stochastic climate model helps reveal the role of memory in internal variability in the Bohai and Yellow Sea. Communications Earth & Environment, doi 10.1038/s43247-023-01018-7, which is examining the issue at the system's level.

  • 9. November 2023 - Our friend and colleague Andrzej witkowski has passed away on 17. September 2023. Now an obituary "In Memoriam Andrzej Witkowski (1955 - 2023)" by T. Radziejewska, T., M. Witak, J. Harff, and H. von Storch has been published on the Baltic Earth website


  • After one month, "news" are moved to this archive.

    Events
  • 30. November 2023 - "Talk im Hangar", ServusTV, Salzburg, 21:50-23:30

  • 5. Dezember 2023 - MITKlartext, Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion Krefeld
    Klimawissen und der Umgang mit dem Klimawandel

  • 8-12 January 2024 - Winter School Dealing Professionally with Climate Change Issues, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, online

  • 5 Februar 2024 - Vortragsreihe 'Klima und Energie Füssener Land', Hopfen am See
    Vortrag zur Frage der Klimakommunikation

  • 20 March 2024 - Baltic Earth winter school for young scientists, Zopot
    Detection and attribution (online, pptx)




  • Hans von Storch is interested in coastal climate and impact (wind, storm surges and waves) in recent times and in possible futures, and methodical issues of statistical climatology (such as detection and attribution of anthropogenic climate change, or utility of proxy data). He is also engaged in joint research with social and cultural scientists since many years.

    Hans von Storch has published 25 books, and more than 230 peer-reviewed articles. He is associate editor of Journal of Climate, and a member of the review board of Advances in Climate Change Research (the official journal of the Beijing Climate Center), and of the Advisory Board of Atmosphere. In Poland, he serves on the editorial boards of Oceanologia, and the "Papers on Global Change, IGBP", and in Italy on the Scientific Advisory Panel of CMCC.
    He chaired the publication of the 1st and 2nd BACC report and of the 1st and 2nd "Klimabericht für die Metropolregion Hamburg" (see here). After having served as a Lead Author for Working Group I of IPCC TAR, he acted as a Lead Author of Chapter 2 "Foundations of Decision Making" of Working Group II of IPCC AR5.

    Hans studied mathematics, physics and Danish at the University of Hamburg, and received a diploma in mathematics in 1976. While a student he also worked as a programmer at the Department of Oceanography. He went on to receive his Ph.D. from the Meteorological Department of the University of Hamburg in 1979, and his "Habilitation" in 1985. From 1987 - 1995, he was Senior Scientist and leader of the "Statistical Analysis and Modelling" group at the Max Planck-Institut for Meteorology (Hasselmann division). During 1996-2015, Hans von Storch was a director of what became later the Institute for Coastal Research at the GKSS Research Centre (now Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon, after many years as Helmholtz Center Geesthacht) and professor at the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg. Later he became also a member of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences at that university. Within the Institute for Coastal Research, he headed the division "Systems Analysis and Modelling" until September 2015. In October 2008, he was awarded a doctor h.c. by Göteborgs Universitet, and in May 2013 he was elected a foreign member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. His efforts in generating knowledge about climate dynamics and change, and in communication with the public was recognized by the bestowal of the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse) in 2019.

    He is married to Prof. Dr. Jin-Song von Storch (徐劲松).

    During his academic life, which began in about 1971, Hans von Storch made a number of intellectual achievements. (Werner Krauss wrote a nice subjective piece about his role and his achievements; see also Sven Titz' "Klimawissenschaft zwischen Skylla und Charybdis" in NZZ, 27. January 2010. An overview of work is also given by the citation of the IMSC achievement award "to recognize his key contributions to statistical downscaling, reconstruction of temperature series, analyses of climatic variability, and detection and attribution of climate change". Laudatio by Senator K. Fegebank on the occasion of presenting the "Bundesverdienstkreuz". The Hamburger Abendblatt included him in its series Menschlich gesehen in 2010. (See also Quotes.)
    See also the web-of-science based Researcher ID or the Google Scholar citation tool





    Address

    Kirchenallee 23
    20099 Hamburg
    Germany

    e-mail: hvonstorch(at)web.de
    cellular: +49-171 212 2046
    skype: hvonstorch

    Impressum: Hans von Storch, Kirchenallee 23, 20099 Hamburg, +49 40 41924472, hvonstorch(at)web.de
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