Michael Maier-Gerber

Michael Maier-Gerber

Research Assistant (PhD student)

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Biography

I am a PhD student in the working group Atmospheric Dynamics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), supervised by Andreas H. Fink and Michael Riemer (JGU, Mainz). As a member of the DFG Transregional Collaborative Research Center “Waves to Weather”, I am working in project C3 (”Predictability of tropical and hybrid cyclones over the North Atlantic Ocean”) on the development of statistical-dynamical models for probabilsitic predictions of sub-seasonal tropical cyclone activity. The aim of this work is to investigate a broad range of meteorologically relevant predictors, and to compare different model types and architectures with respect to their performance and physical interpretability.

Interests

  • Tropical Cyclones & Extreme Events
  • Dynamical & Tropical Meteorology
  • Statistical Forecasting & Machine Learning
  • Forecast Verification

Education

  • MSc in Meteorology, 2017

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany

  • BSc in Meteorology, 2014

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany


Sub-Seasonal Forecasting of
Tropical Cyclone Activity

PhD project on the development of a statistical-dynamical forecasting approach and its validation against a variety of benchmark models

10.1175/WAF-D-21-0020.1


Predictability of Tropical Transition

Master thesis on a multi-scale investigation of
ensemble forecasts for Hurricane Chris (2012)

10.1175/MWR-D-18-0188.1



Birth of the Biscane

Documentation of an unprecedented storm in the
Bay of Biscay exhibiting tropical characteristics

10.1002/wea.2995

Examination of Hurricane Ingrid (2013)

Application of a new DA technique to airborne measurements to elucidate how Ingrid could intensify under sustained shear

Research intership with NOAA's Hurricane Research Division

KITsonde

Development of a GUI for the interactive
evaluation of dropsonde measurements

Find out more





Transient Vortex Rossby Waves

Bachelor thesis analyzing VRWs on an idealized
tropical cyclone in vertical wind shear

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Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Research Visits

University of Colorado, University of Florida, State University of Albany and others

Apr 2018 – May 2018 USA
Funded by the Early-Career Scientist Grant of “Waves to Weather”
 
 
 
 
 

Research Assistant (PhD student)

WG Atmospheric Dynamics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Dec 2017 – Present Karlsruhe, Germany
 
 
 
 
 

Research Assistant

WG Atmospheric Dynamics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

May 2017 – Dec 2017 Karlsruhe, Germany
 
 
 
 
 

Student Research Assistant

WG Land Surfaces and Boundary Layer, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Feb 2015 – Dec 2016 Karlsruhe, Germany
 
 
 
 
 

Research Internship

Hurricane Research Division (AOML, NOAA)

May 2014 – Aug 2014 Miami, FL, USA

Awards & Honors

Selected for participation in the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings Jun 2021

Winner of the PhD Elevator Pitch Competition

Helmholtz Association, Helmholtz AI Virtual Conference 2021 Apr 2021

Winner of the Online Sciathon 2020 (Category: Capitalism After Corona)

Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings Jun 2020

Recent Publications

Michael Maier-Gerber, Andreas H. Fink, Michael Riemer, Elmar Schoemer, Christoph Fischer, Benedikt Schulz
October 2021 Weather and Forecasting

Statistical-Dynamical Forecasting of Sub-Seasonal North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Occurrence

PDF DOI
Enrico Di Muzio, Michael Riemer, Andreas H. Fink, Michael Maier-Gerber
January 2019 Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society

Assessing the predictability of Medicanes in ECMWF ensemble forecasts using an object-based approach

PDF DOI
Michael Maier-Gerber, Michael Riemer, Andreas H. Fink, Peter Knippertz, Enrico Di Muzio, Ron McTaggart-Cowan
January 2019 Monthly Weather Review

Tropical Transition of Hurricane Chris (2012) over the North Atlantic Ocean: A Multiscale Investigation of Predictability

PDF DOI
Michael Maier-Gerber, Florian Pantillon, Enrico Di Muzio, Michael Riemer, Andreas H. Fink, Peter Knippertz
January 2017 Weather

Birth of the Biscane

PDF DOI

Conference Talks and Posters

Michael Maier-Gerber, Andreas H. Fink, Michael Riemer, Elmar Schoemer, Christoph Fischer, Benedikt Schulz (2021). Statistical-Dynamical Forecasting of Sub-Seasonal North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Occurrence. American Meteorological Society, 34th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology, Online, 10-14 May 2021.

Michael Maier-Gerber (2021). Using machine learning to leverage subseasonal forecasts of tropical cyclone occurrence. Helmholtz Association, Helmholtz AI Virtual Conference 2021, Online, 14-15 April 2021.

Peter Knippertz, Maurus Borne, Andreas H. Fink, Michael Maier-Gerber, Martin Weissmann (2020). Equatorial waves as a key element for weather prediction in the tropics. Aeolus Cal/Val & Science Workshop 2020, Online, 2-6 November 2020.

Michael Maier-Gerber, Andreas H. Fink, Michael Riemer (2019). Statistical-Dynamical Forecasting of North Atlantic TC Activity on the Subseasonal Time Scales. Waves to Weather, 19th Cyclone Workshop, Seeon, Bavaria, Germany, 29 Septepmber-4 October 2019.

Michael Maier-Gerber, Michael Riemer, Andreas H. Fink, Peter Knippertz, Enrico Di Muzio, Ron McTaggart-Cowan (2018). Tropical Transition of Hurricane Chris (2012) over the North Atlantic Ocean: A Multiscale Investigation of Predictability. American Meteorological Society, 33rd Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology, Ponte Vedra, FL, USA, 16-20 April 2018.

Michael Maier-Gerber, Florian Pantillon, Enrico Di Muzio, Michael Riemer, Andreas H. Fink, Peter Knippertz (2018). Birth of the Biscane. American Meteorological Society, 33rd Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology, Ponte Vedra, FL, USA, 16-20 April 2018.

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