Sea Ice

Maximilian Ringel

Maximilian Ringel

University of Bremen
Institute of Environmental Physics
Otto-Hahn-Allee 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Building NW1, Room N3375
phone +49-421-218-62746

Curriculum Vitae and Research Interests

Maximilian Ringel received his Bachelor and Master of Science in Meteorology from the University of Hamburg in 2020 and 2023. During his studies he focused early on atmospheric remote sensing, working with satellite and airborne observations of clouds. Within his Masters he additionally focused on polar science by studying one semester at the University Center in Svalbard (UNIS). In his Master's thesis he developed a neural-network ice water path retrieval for airborne microwave observations of Arctic clouds during the HALO-(AC)³ campaign.

Following his graduation, Maximilian continued working on airborne observations, analyzing cloud liquid water paths from various Arctic campaigns at the University of Cologne. In September 2024, he joined the Remote Sensing of Polar Regions Group at the University of Bremen as a PhD candidate. His doctoral research, conducted within the framework of the transregional (AC)³ project (http://www.ac3-tr.de/), focuses on satellite remote sensing of Arctic sea ice albedo and melt ponds.

In his current project he investigates the dependence of Arctic melt pond reflectance and color on under-pond sea ice thickness. Based on this relation he aims to develop a retrieval method to derive the under-pond sea ice thickness from airborne RBG as well as spaceborne satellite imagery. 

Thesis Projects

  • Master's thesis: A Neural-Network-Based Ice Water Path Retrieval for Airborne Microwave Observations
  • Bachelor's thesis: Validation of Tropical Satellite Precipitation Observations by Ship Observations

Fieldwork

  • EUREC4A | January-February 2020: Student Assistant for the handling of radiosonde operations at the Barbados Cloud Observatory (BCO)
  • UNIS student courses | October 2021: Land- and sea-based fieldwork for meteorological as well as oceanographical measurements
  • HALO-(AC)3 | March 2022: Pre-flight calibration as well as in-flight operation of the passive microwave radiometers and the cloud radar of the DLR research aircraft HALO
  • CONTRASTS | July-August 2025: Expedition PS149 with RV Polarstern to the central Arctic ocean. Extensive hyperspectral reflectance measurements of melt ponds across different ice regimes. Ice thickness measurements along long transects in co-location with MagnaProbe snow / melt pond depth measurements. Cruise report.

Projects and Memberships

  • (AC)3 – Arctic Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and Surface Processes, Feedbacks, and Mechanisms [DFG] | Cluster C01: Effects of heterogeneous sea ice properties on radiative energy fluxes and its influence on Arctic Amplification
  • DMG - German Meteorolgical Society
  • APECS - Association of Polar Early Career Scientists: Active member of the german board