Research strategy
The laboratory studies climate, air quality, and changes in planetary atmospheres, through a combination of theoretical approaches, instrumental innovations, collection of observations, analysis of data, in particular satellite data, conceptual developments, and numerical modeling. It is at the cutting edge of research on dynamic and physical processes.
The main current axes of research relate to:
►The development of a new version of the general circulation model for numerical experiments that will contribute to the 6th IPCC Report, alongside analysis of the results of the experiments conducted for the fifth report,
►Modeling of planetary atmospheres, in particular the gas giants, but also Pluto,
►Preparation of space missions, particularly Merlin, Iasi-NG, Flex, EarthCare, and in the longer term Mescal, and exploitation of available data (Calipso, Megha-Tropiques, and IASI),
►Study of the stratosphere with preparation of the Stratéole Phase II balloon flight program ,
►Instrument development for the measurement of atmospheric CO2 with LIDAR or balloon-mounted instruments,
►Analysis of the HyMEx and CharMEx programs in the Mediterranean,
►Development of renewable energy related activities, in association with Sirta.
Research positioning
►LMD is organized into five scientific teams (plus the administrative team, the IT group, and the technical unit for instrument development):
►Atmosphere - Biosphere - Climatology (remote sensing): study of global climate and climate processes from radiation emission and diffusion, linked with atmosphere and surface composition and dynamics;
►Atmospheric and Oceanic Dynamics and Physics: study of the fundamental dynamical and physical mechanisms of geophysical fluids (atmosphere and ocean), from local turbulence to planetary scale;
►Study and Modeling of Climate and Climate Change: seeks to improve our physical understanding of the climate system and our anticipation of future climate trends;
►Interfaces and troposphere: regional level study of fine-scale (typically below 10 km) physio-chemical processes in the troposphere;
►Planetology: study of planetary atmospheres.
Director: Philippe Drobinsky
Oversight: ENS, École Polytechnique, Sorbonne Université, CNRS (UMR 8539)
Partner: École nationale des ponts et chaussées