Alexander J. Winkler – short introduction
The image above captures the interface between the atmosphere and the biosphere in the tropics — and it is exactly these interactions that lie at the heart of my research. I am an Earth system modeller focusing on these atmosphere-biosphere interactions at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, where I lead the research group Atmosphere–Biosphere Coupling, Climate and Causality (ABC).
My research centres on understanding how the land surface and the atmosphere above interact, and what role these interactions play in the integrated climate system. To study them, I take a coupled perspective — from conceptual single-column models of the atmosphere–biosphere system to fully coupled Earth system models — and infuse observations along the way ranging from tree-ring data, ground-based flux measurements to satellite observations, each capturing different processes and scales of the system.
The research questions driving my work are fundamental: how does this coupled atmosphere–biosphere system change with rising CO and associated climatic changes? Carbon and water cycles are being pushed out of balance, radiative and energy fluxes at the surface to the top of the atmosphere are shifting, and with them the environmental conditions that sustain ecosystems, food production, and ultimately the long-term trajectory of Earth’s climate. The work of the group is addressing these questions, both from a basic research perspective and with a clear aim to inform society about actionable insights for the climatic changes in the atmosphere–land realm, where we live, for the decades ahead.
A central part of my work is to supervise and engage in teaching, to help to train the next generation of researchers and form a team to tackle the research questions together!
News from the ABC group
📢 New paper alert! 📢 New paper with contributions from our group! Wenli Zhao et al. investigate the mechanisms underlying evaporative fraction dynamics using an explainable ML model that explicitly incorporates the system memory. Full paper: hess.copernicus.org/articles/30/...…
29 September 2026 · Read on Bluesky
Wrapping up our #EGU26 with two talks and one poster presentation tomorrow! Details in the comments⬇️
7 May 2026 · Read on Bluesky
Our #EGU26 contributions for tomorrow! ⬇️ Three exciting talks & posters—details in the comments 👇
6 May 2026 · Read on Bluesky
Our #EGU26 contribution for tomorrow🌍 🗓️ Wed 06 May | 17:30–17:40 CEST |📍 Room L3 Mixed Land Cover Maximizes Surface Cooling in India: An ICON Model Energy-Balance Attribution Study Talk by Jyoti Sharma et al. | EGU26-12652
5 May 2026 · Read on Bluesky
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