Jun.-Prof. Dr. Marlene Kretschmer

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Marlene Kretschmer

Junior Professor

Klima-Kausalität
Institutsgebäude
Talstraße 35, Room 1-13
04103 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97-32846

Abstract

I am an assistant professor of climate causality at the Leipzig Institute for Meteorology. My research focuses on the causal drivers of extreme weather events. I investigate which large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns and 'teleconnections' are responsible for the occurrence of extreme weather events and how they change in a warmer climate. Answering these questions is important to improve (sub-)seasonal forecasts of extreme events and reduce uncertainties in regional climate projections. In my research, I use a variety of new statistical methods from the field of machine learning and, in particular, methods of causal inference. I am interested in how such new data-centric methods can be optimally combined with classical climate physics approaches to extract useful and interpretable climate information from climate data.

Professional career

  • 05/2018 - 09/2019
    Postdoc, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
  • 10/2019 - 09/2022
    Postdoc, University of Reading, UK
  • since 10/2022
    Junior Professor for Climate Causality (with Tenure Track to W3)Institute for Meteorology, University of Leipzig

Education

  • 10/2008 - 04/2014
    MSci in Mathematics, Humboldt University Berlin
  • 05/2014 - 04/2018
    PhD in Climate Physics, Potsdam University & Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
  • Large-scale atmospheric circulations and teleconnections and their role in causing extreme weather events
  • Effects of Arctic changes on weather in the mid-latitudes
  • Detection and attribution of extreme events
  • Uncertainties of regional climate projections
  • Subseasonal to seasonal predictions (S2S)
  • Impacts of extreme weather events (e.g. for renewable energies)
  • Statistical and machine learning methods and their application in climate research with a focus on causality methods (causal inference and causal discovery) and explainable AI (XAI)
  • Kretschmer, M.; Zappa, G.; Shepherd, G.; Shepherd, T. G.
    The role of Barents–Kara sea ice loss in projected polar vortex changes
    Weather and Climate Dynamics. 2020.
    show details
  • Kretschmer, M.; Adams, S.; Arribas, A.; Saggioro, E.; Prudden, R.; Robinson, N.; Shepherd, T.
    Quantifying causal teleconnection pathways (2021)
    Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 2020.
    show details
  • Kretschmer, M.; Coumou, D.; Agel, L.; Barlow, M.; Cohen, J.; Tziperman, E.
    More-Persistent Weak Stratospheric Polar Vortex States Linked to Cold Extremes
    Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 2018. pp. 49–60.
    show details
  • Kretschmer, M.; Cohen, J.; Matthias, V.; Runge, J.; Coumou, D.
    The different stratospheric influence on cold-extremes in Eurasia and North America
    npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. 2018.
    show details
  • Kretschmer, M.; Coumou, D.; Donges, J. F.; Runge, J.
    Using Causal Effect Networks to analyze different Arctic drivers of mid-latitude winter circulation
    Journal of Climate. 2016. pp. 4069–4081.
    show details

more publications

  • Teleconnections and large-scale circulation
  • Climate variability and extreme events
  • Methods for attribution of trends and extreme events in meteorology and climate science
  • Statistical and machine learning methods in meteorology, climate and earth system sciences
  • Causal inference


For possible theses (B.Sc., M.Sc.) please feel free to email me.

  • Introduction to Data Science

    Introduction to Advanced Data Analytics (5 ECTS)

    • Lecture Introduction to Data Science. Thursday, 9.30 - 11.00, HS2 (1.12), Talstr. 35
    • Practicals Introduction to Data Science. Thursday, 11:15 -12:45, CP III, Talstr. 35


Research fields

Climate

Specializations

 

Contact for media inquiries