Cold air outbreaks, where cold polar air flows over warmer oceans, help restore midlatitude atmospheric temperature gradients near strong ocean currents, supporting storm formation. Using a novel method, we show that moderate outbreaks cover less than 15 % of the Gulf Stream region but explain up to 40 % of near-surface variability. In the North Pacific, they are more extensive and still account for a large share of variability, highlighting their key role in shaping storm tracks.

Strong low-altitude winds, known as low-level jets (LLJs), significantly impact offshore wind turbines. We analyzed LLJs at the FINO1 site using LiDAR observations and reanalysis data. Our results show that models tend to underestimate LLJ intensity. To address this, we introduced a new method to characterize wind profiles and applied a correction to 50 years of reanalysis data, yielding a more accurate long-term representation of these wind features.

The SAMURAI-S system is an innovative measurement tool combining a high accuracy wind sensor with a multi-rotor drone to improve atmospheric turbulence observations. While traditional methods lack flexibility and accuracy in dynamic environments, SAMURAI-S provides high maneuverability and precise 3D wind measurements. The research demonstrated the system's ability to match the data quality of conventional methods, with a slight overestimation in vertical turbulence under higher wind conditions.

This study analyses wind speed data at heights up to 500 m to support the design of future large offshore wind turbines and airborne wind energy systems.  We compared three wind models (ERA5, NORA3, and NEWA) with lidar measurements at five sites using four performance metrics. ERA5 and NORA3 performed equally well offshore, with NORA3 typically outperforming the other two models onshore. More generally, the optimal choice of model depends on site, altitude, and evaluation criteria.

The transport of moisture from warmer and moister to colder and drier regions mainly occurs in brief and narrow bursts. In the mid-latitudes, such bursts are generally referred to as atmospheric rivers; in the Arctic they are often referred to as warm moist intrusions. We introduce a new definition to identify such bursts which is based primarily on their elongated structure. With this more general definition, we show that bursts in moisture transport occur frequently across all climate zones.