Katharina has recently finished her studies in earth sciences with emphasis on atmospheric and climate science at ETH Zürich. In her master’s thesis she analysed the role of cold (CAA) and warm air advection (WAA) for freshwater fluxes in the South Indian Ocean. Next to developing a climatology of strong CAA and WAA in this area she analysed measurements of stable water isotopes to investigate the influence of CAA and WAA on the moisture source regions.

“Understanding the atmospheric processes behind extreme seasons in the larger context of climate dynamics is the key motivation for me working on the INTEXseas project”, Katharina says. Her INTEXseas-related research will be focused on extreme seasons in polar regions. The main emphasis will be the analysis of the processes leading to them, their representation in global climate models and if they reflect a possible climate change signal.