Research

Ulrike Lohmann is distinguished for many important contributions to atmospheric physics. The majority of which have been conducted at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, which she led from 2006 to 2014. She made major contributions to research on cloud microphysics, ice nucleation and impact of aerosol particles and clouds on climate.

She is best known for her pioneering work on the radiative forcing of aerosol particles due to aerosol-cloud and aerosol-radiation interactions since pre-industrial times and therefore was asked to be a lead author in the 4th and 5th Assessments Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She studies aerosol particles, cloud droplets and ice crystals in the laboratory, in field experiments and in various numerical models ranging from process models to global climate models. Her approach is unique because she uses theory, modeling and empirical approaches to answer key questions related to aerosol-cloud interactions.