Invitation to the C3SAR Summer School
6 – 12 July 2026
Lindenberg (Tauche), Germany
3d structure and variability of clouds on their radiative effects and remote sensing
This is the preliminary timetable of the summer school:

The research unit C3SAR (Cloud 3D Structure And Radiation) aims for a better understanding of the role of 3d structure and variability of clouds on their radiative effects and remote sensing. The summer school we are organizing falls within this field of research. It covers in-situ measurements, remote sensing, and modelling of cloud macrophysical, microphysical, and radiative properties. The program consists of a combination of lectures and hands-on practical exercises, which will be held by internationally renowned scientists.
We have 30 places available for participants. Thereby, we aim primarily at PhD students. The participant’s field of research/ study should be related to physics of the atmosphere. Basic programming skills are expected.
The summer school takes place at the Lindenberg Meteorological Observatory (Richard Assmann Observatory) of DWD in Lindenberg (Tauche). Thereby, it will be possible to get insights to the C3SAR field campaign, which runs in parallel to the summer school.
Travel costs must be covered by the participants. Cottages at the nearby Ferienpark Wendisch Rietz are available at the participants’ own expense. Each cottage has two bedrooms and is therefore occupied by two participants by default. The price per person in standard occupancy is between €94 and €98 per night. As each bedroom contains two beds, it is possible to share a bedroom in order to reduce accommodation costs. If desired, please indicate this at your registration. We charge no participation fee for the summer school. Coffee breaks and lunches during the classes will be provided free of charge. Scheduled free-time activities are included as well.
The following lecturers will contribute to the summer school:
| Lecturer | Affiliation | Title of Lecture |
|---|---|---|
| Prof. Dr. Sebastian Schmidt | University of Colorado Boulder | Flying through the Clouds – The Education and Research 3D Radiative Transfer Toolbox (EaR3T) |
| Dr. Kerstin Ebell | University of Cologne | Let’s start simple: clouds and radiation in a 1D world |
| Dr. Stefan Kneifel | LMU Munich | Passive and active remote sensing of clouds |
| Prof. Dr. Christine Chiu | Colorado State University | Seeing Clouds in 3D: From Synergistic Retrievals to Machine Learning Emulation of 3D Radiative Transfer |
| Prof. Dr. Philip Stier | University of Oxford | From 2D to 3D Clouds: Implications for Radiation in Climate Models |
| Dr. Konstantinos Doulgeris | Finnish Meteorological Institute | In-situ Observations of Clouds: From Ground-Based to UAV Measurements |
| Prof. Dr. Gunther Seckmeyer | Leibniz University Hannover | Techniques for the spectral measurement of radiative quantities |
| Prof. Dr. Andreas Macke | Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research | The role of cloud microphysics on 3D cloud radiative transfer |
| Dr. Fabian Senf | Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research | Introduction into Modelling of Cloud Microphysical Processes |
| Dr. Anja Hünerbein | Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research | EarthCARE Closure Study and Its Significance for 3D Cloud Effects |
| Dr. Hartwig Deneke | Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research | Characterizing the small-scale variability in solar radiation in ground-based and satellite observations |
| Dr. Martin Stengel | German Weather Service | Clouds as seen by passive satellite imagers |
| Dr. Vera Schemann | University of Cologne | Hectometer / cloud resolving simulations |
| Prof. Dr. Bernhard Mayer | LMU Munich | (Why) do we need 3D radiative transfer? |
