Observing and Modeling the Atmospheric Water Cycle in the Tibetan Plateau region

This PhD project focuses on extreme precipitation from large convective storm systems in high mountain regions and their role in the water cycle. The aim is to improve our understanding of physical processes from large- to mesoscale that are relevant for the formation of such storms. The focus region is the Tibetan Plateau which together with its surrounding mountains represents the third largest freshwater storage in the world. While convective storms can influence ecosystems and downstream societies through flooding and other natural hazards, they also control summer water availability. We use high-resolution climate model simulations and various observations to understand current processes related to precipitation as a first crucial step to draw more robust conclusions about how climate change will affect these processes.