Revolution at Sonnblick: AI measures aerosols for the climate in real time!

Revolution at Sonnblick: AI measures aerosols for the climate in real time!

Sonnblick, Österreich - At the Sonnblick Observatory, which is located at around 3,100 meters above sea level in the Hohen Tauern, a new measuring system is introduced that analyzes bioaerosols with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). According to Kleine Zeitung are bioaerosole Winzigen, natural Air such as pollen, mushroom spores and bacteria, the type and concentration of which have a decisive influence on the weather, the climate and vegetation. This is particularly relevant against the background that such aerosols also have a say in the development of clouds and precipitation and are therefore of great importance for climate research.

The conventional methods for measuring pollen based on pollen traps require manual evaluation and can therefore cause temporal delays when providing data. The new technology at the Sonnblick Observatory, on the other hand, enables automated distinction between different types of aerosol, which significantly accelerates the evaluation. Julia Burkart, the project manager and physicist of Geosphere Austria, confirms that the use of AI should be available online almost in real time.

relevance for climate research

The meanings of these aerosol measurements are diverse. Long-term changes in the type and number of aerosols can have a significant impact on rain and snow conditions. These findings are crucial for the development of climate models, especially in times when climate change leads to changes in high alpine regions. Research aims to examine the effects of climate change on the concentration and type of pollen, fungal spores and other bioaerosols.

The role of AI in climate research is also the subject of a lecture by Christopher Kadow, a climate formatist at the German Climate Top Center. In his lecture entitled "Artificial Intelligence Reconstructs Klima", ÖAW is explained to how KI is used and thus fully comprehensible and thus Close gaps in the data records. Advanced technologies are used here, which can be used, for example, for high-scaling processing of climate data or for virtual repairs of defective rain radar data.

KI and their future in climate research

The transformative influence of AI on climate research is also evident in the ability to predict extreme weather events more precisely. A Report Deepmind and Openai are in the development of new AI models that can analyze large amounts of data faster and more precisely than traditional climate models. These progress not only promote the analysis of CO₂ emissions, but also enable faster calculation of climate simulations, which in many cases even minimize sources of error.

However, these technologies also bring ethical questions. The question of who has access to the data and how they are used to an advantage is becoming increasingly important, since unequal data distributions can lead to distortions in the predictions. Therefore, transparency in the AI models is required to prevent abuse and misinterpretation of data. The responsible handling of these technologies will therefore be crucial for the future of climate research.