Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
Climate Observations Department
P.O. Box 201, 3730 AE De Bilt, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 30 2206 420
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Clouds play a central role in the Earth's atmosphere by modulating the radiation budget and generating precipitation. Observations of clouds are important for a variety of applications, such as climate and weather model evaluation and nowcasting.

My research focuses on the retrieval and validation of cloud properties from satellite instruments, mainly passive imagers such as SEVIRI on Meteosat and AVHRR on NOAA and Metop satellites. Apart from cloud properties like optical thickness and liquid/ice water path, we derive precipitation and surface incoming radiation.

I'm involved in the following projects:

CM-SAF (EUMETSAT) generates high-quality climate datasets of variables describing the energy and water cycle. A global AVHRR-based dataset (CLARA-A1) starting in 1982 was recently released, while a SEVIRI-based dataset (CLARA-S1) starting in 2004 is under construction.

Cloud_CCI (ESA) focuses on the generation of consistent multi-instrument global cloud datasets. The KNMI contribution centers around characterization of the diurnal cycle of cloud properties.

EURO4M (EU) combines observations from satellites, ground-based stations and results from model-based regional reanalyses to characterize the state and evolution of the European climate. We contribute with SEVIRI-based datasets of precipitation and surface incoming radiation.

In MSG-CPP (KNMI) a near-real time retrieval and visualization system of SEVIRI observations has been set up. See here for more information in Dutch.

CREW (EUMETSAT) is an international cloud property retrieval inter-comparison effort.

Previously, I worked as a Post-Doc at KNMI and IMAU (Utrecht University). Both projects were related to the global modelling of atmospheric methane (CH4), the interpretation of satellite and ground-based CH4 measurements, and the combination of model and measurements to infer the location and magnitude of CH4 sources and sinks. In my Ph.D. research, from 1997 to 2001 at KNMI, I studied the role of water waves and sea spray in air-sea interaction.

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