Achim Stössel
  • Associate Professor Emeritus

Biography

Courses

  • Oceanography (OCNG 251)
  • Introduction to Physical Oceanography (OCNG 410)
  • Mathematical Modeling of Ocean Climate (OCNG 451)
  • Physical Oceanography (OCNG 608)
  • Dynamics of Ocean and Atmosphere (OCNG 614)
  • Numerical modeling of ocean circulation I (OCNG 615)
  • Numerical modeling of ocean circulation II (OCNG 616)

 

Additional Information

Former and current students

  • Seong Joong Kim, Ph.D. in 1998; 0.5 year as postdoc
  • Kun Yang, Ph.D. student (2 years)
  • Joong Tae Kim, Ph.D. in 2007
  • Nadja Lönnroth, Ph.D. student (1 year)
  • Christina Stover, M.S. in 2006 (co-chair)
  • Woo Geun Cheon, Ph.D. in 2008
  • Who Myung Kim, Ph.D. in 2013 (co-chair)
  • Zhaoru Zhang, Ph.D. in 2013 (2 years)
  • Benjamin Morgan, M.S. in 2011 (co-chair)
  • Prajvala Kurtakoti, Ph.D. in 2019
  • Amanda Walker, B.S. in 2015
  • Xiliang Diao, Ph.D. in 2022

 

Research Interests

Topics:

  • Southern Ocean high-latitude processes in global climate models
  • Impact of Antarctic sea ice and convection on deep-ocean properties and circulation
  • Convection induced variability along deep-western boundary
  • Atmospheric boundary layer over heterogeneous sea ice
  • Simulation of plume convection in sea-ice – ocean models
  • Impact of Antarctic orography on simulated coastal polynyas
  • Representation of open-ocean polynyas and Antarctic slope front in high-resolution Earth System Models (ESMs)

 

Current and recent Projects/Collaborations:

  • Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL): “Weddell Sea polynyas and propagation of Antarctic Bottom Water anomalies in preindustrial high-resolution Energy Exascale ESM version 0.1 (E3SMv0) simulation”. Collaborators: Milena Veneziani, Prajvala Kurtakoti (former Ph.D. student), Wilbert Weijer, Mathew Maltrud.
  • Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M): “Representation of mesoscale processes in high-latitude Southern Ocean of high-resolution MPI-ESMs”. Collaborators: Johann Jungclaus, Helmuth Haak, Oliver Gutjahr, Jin-Song von Storch.
  • International Laboratory for High-Resolution Earth System Prediction (iHESP): “Analysis of open-ocean polynyas and Antarctic slope fronts in long-term preindustrial and historical/future CESM1.3 simulations”. Collaborators: Ping Chang, Xiliang Diao (former Ph.D. student), Gokhan Danabasoglu, Abishek Gopal.

Educational Background

  • Ph.D. Physical Oceanography, University of Hamburg, Germany, 1990, Dissertation at Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg.
  • M.S. Physical Oceanography, University of Hamburg, 1985, Thesis at German Hydrographic Institute, Hamburg.
  • B.S. Physical Oceanography, University of Kiel, Germany, 1977. 
  • Unlimited Master and Chief Mate certificate for Merchant Marine, Hamburg, 1986.
  • M. Eng. Nautical Engineering, Maritime College, Hamburg, 1982.

Industry Experience

    • Associate Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Oceanography, TAMU, since 2022
    • Associate Professor, Dept. of Oceanography, TAMU, 2000-2022
    • Assistant Professor, Dept. of Oceanography, TAMU, 1994-2000
    • Research Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M), 1990-1994
    • Graduate Research Assistant, MPI-M, 1986-1990
    • Visiting Scientist at:
    • MPI-M, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2011-2019 (20 months total)
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM, 2013-2018 (1 month total)
    • Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, 2010, 2011, 2013 (2 months total)
    • Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, 1997, 1998, 2013 (1 month total)
    • Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Helsinki, 1986, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008 (5 months total)
    • of Geophysics, University of Helsinki, 2000-2002 (3 months total)
    • Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, 1999 (2 months)
    • German Climate Computing Center, Hamburg, 1996, 1997 (4 months total)
    • Nautical Officer, German Merchant Marine, 1982-1986 (2 years total)
    • Deckhand/Cadet, German and Finnish Merchant Marine, 1975-1981 (2 years total)

Selected Publications

    • Diao, X., Stössel, A., Chang, P., Danabasoglu, G., Yeager, S.G., Zhang, S., and Wang, H. 2022. On the intermittent occurrence of open-ocean polynyas in a multi-century high-resolution preindustrial Earth System Model simulation. Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 127, e2021JC017672.
    • Kurtakoti, P., Veneziani, M., Stössel, A., Weijer, W., Maltrud, M. 2021. On the generation of Weddell Sea polynyas in a high-resolution Earth System Model. Journal of Climate 34, 2491-2510.
    • Chang, P., Zhang, S., Danabasoglu, G., Yeager, S.G., Fu, H., Wang, H., et al. 2020. An unprecedented set of high-resolution Earth system simulations for understanding multiscale interactions in climate variability and change. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 12, e2020MS002298.
    • Gutjahr, O., Putrahasan, D., Lohmann, K., Jungclaus, J., von Storch, J.-S., Brüggemann, N., Haak, H., Stössel, A. 2019. Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM1.2) for the High-Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP). Geoscientific Model Development 12, 3241-3281.
    • Kurtakoti, P., Veneziani, M., Stössel, A., and Weijer, W. 2018. Preconditioning and formation of Maud Rise polynyas in a high-resolution Earth System Model. Journal of Climate 31, 9659-9678.
    • Stössel, A., von Storch, J-S., Notz, D., Haak, H., and Gerdes, R. 2018. High-frequency and meso-scale winter sea-ice variability in the Southern Ocean in a high-resolution global ocean model. Ocean Dynamics 68, 347-361.
    • Weijer, W., Veneziani, M., Stössel, A., Hecht, M., Jeffery, N., Jonko, A., Hodos, T., and Wang, H., 2017: Local Atmospheric Response to an Open-Ocean Polynya in a High-Resolution Climate Model. Journal of Climate 30, 1629-1641.
    • Zhang, Z., Uotila, P., Stössel, A., Vihma, T., Liu, H., and Zhong, Y., 2017: Seasonal southern hemisphere multi-variable reflection of the southern annular mode in atmosphere and ocean reanalyses. Climate Dynamics 50, 1451-1470.
    • Stössel, A. 2017. Ice mechanics and structures. Encyclopedia of Marine and Offshore Engineering. Wiley, U.K., 1-9.
    • Zhang, Z., Vihma, T., Stössel, A., and Uotila, P. 2015. The role of wind forcing from operational analyses for the model representation of Antarctic coastal sea ice. Ocean Modelling 94, 95-111.
    • Stössel, A., Notz, D., Haumann, F.A., Haak, H., Jungclaus, J., and Mikolajewicz, U. 2015. Controlling high-latitude Southern Ocean convection in climate models. Ocean Modelling 86, 58-75.
    • Stössel, A., Zhang, Z., and Vihma, T. 2011. The effect of alternative real-time wind forcing on Southern Ocean sea-ice simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research 116, C11021.
    • Cheon, W.G., and Stössel, A. 2009. Oceanic response to interactive momentum flux over southern hemisphere sea ice. Journal of Geophysical Research 114, C12002.
    • Stössel, A., Cheon, W.G., and Vihma, T. 2008. Interactive momentum-flux forcing over sea ice in a global ocean GCM. Journal of Geophysical Research 113, C05010.
    • Stössel, A. 2008. Employing satellite-derived sea-ice concentration to constrain upper-ocean temperature in a global ocean GCM. Journal of Climate 21, 4498-4513.
    • Stössel, A., Stössel, M.M. and Kim, J.-T. 2007. High-resolution sea ice in long-term global ocean GCM integrations. Ocean Modelling 16, 206-223.
    • Stössel, A. and Kim, J.-T. 2006. Enhancing the resolution of sea ice in a global ocean GCM. Ocean Modelling 11, 28-48.
    • Powell, D.C., Markus, T., and Stössel, A. 2005. Effects of snow depth forcing on Southern Ocean sea ice simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research 110, C06001.
    • Haapala, J., Lönnroth, N., and Stössel, A. 2005. A numerical study of open water formation in sea ice. Journal of Geophysical Research 110, C09011.
    • Stössel, A. and Markus, T. 2004. Using satellite-derived ice concentration to represent Antarctic coastal polynyas in ocean climate models. Journal of Geophysical Research 109, C02014.
    • Stössel, A., Yang, K., and Kim, S.-J. 2002. On the role of sea ice and convection in a global ocean model. Journal of Physical Oceanography 32, 1194-1208.
    • Stössel, A. and Kim, S.-J. 2001. Decadal deep-water variability in the subtropical Atlantic and convection in the Weddell Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research 106, 22,425-22,440.
    • Kim, S.-J. and Stössel, A. 2001. Impact of subgrid-scale convection on global thermohaline properties and circulation. Journal of Physical Oceanography 31, 656-674.
    • Stössel, A., Kim, S.-J., and Drijfhout, S.S. 1998. The impact of Southern Ocean sea ice in a global ocean model. Journal of Physical Oceanography 28, 1999-2018.
    • Stössel, A. and Kim, S.-J. 1998. An interannual Antarctic sea-ice - ocean mode. Geophysical Research Letters 25, 1007-1010.
    • Kim, S.-J., Crowley, T.J., and Stössel, A. 1998. Local orbital forcing of Antarctic climate change during the last interglacial. Science 280, 728-730.
    • Kim, S.-J. and Stössel, A. 1998. On the representation of the Southern Ocean water masses in an ocean climate model. Journal of Geophysical Research 103, 24,891-24,906.
    • Stössel, A., 1997. On the impact of sea ice in a global ocean circulation model. Annals of Glaciology 25, 111-115.
    • Legutke, S., Maier-Reimer, E., Stössel, A. and Hellbach, A. 1997. Ocean - sea ice coupling in a global general ocean circulation model. Annals of Glaciology 25, 116-120.
    • Stössel, A. 1996. On the ocean's upper boundary conditions in regions influenced by sea ice. Physica D 98, 614-624.
    • Stössel, A., Oberhuber, J.M. and Maier-Reimer, E. 1996. On the representation of sea ice in global ocean general circulation models. Journal of Geophysical Research 101, 18,193-18,212.
    • Cubasch, U., Santer, B.D., Hellbach, A., Hegerl, G., Höck, H., Maier-Reimer, E., Mikolajewicz, U., Stössel, A., Voss, R. 1994. Monte Carlo climate change forecasts with a global coupled ocean - atmosphere model. Climate Dynamics 10, 1-19.
    • Stössel, A. and Claussen, M. 1993. On the momentum forcing of a large-scale sea-ice model. Climate Dynamics 9, 71-80.
    • Stössel, A. 1992. Sensitivity of Southern Ocean sea-ice simulations to different atmospheric forcing algorithms. Tellus 44A, 395-413.
    • Stössel, A. 1991. Application of an atmospheric boundary-layer model to a large-scale coupled sea-ice - oceanic mixed-layer model for the Southern Ocean. Annals of Glaciology 15, 191-195.
    • Stössel, A., Lemke, P. and Owens, W. B. 1990. Coupled sea ice - mixed layer simulations for the Southern Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research 95, 9539-9555.
    • Stössel, A. 1985. Thermodynamic calculations of ice production in the northern Baltic proper. Ocean Dynamics 38, 261-284.