"The Sudden Stratospheric Warming 2018" by Daniela Domeisen, ETH Zurich

DISTINCTION FOR CATEGORY 4

 

Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND: Daniela Domeisen

 

Description of the author:

 

The video captures the sudden stratospheric warming on 12 February 2018 about 30 km above the Earth’s surface. Such events can lead to cold spells over Europe lasting for several weeks. It is currently still an unresolved question whether their frequency will increase or decrease with climate change. This will have a significant impact on the frequency of cold and snowy winters in the future. Details: The event is visualised here through potential vorticity above the North Pole at the 10hPa level above Earth’s surface. It consists of a split of the winter polar vortex into two separate vortices that continue to interact with each other with beautiful filamentation.

 

Comment of the Jury:

 

This stunning visualisation is complex but can be readily understood by the viewer, in particular thanks to a layering technique using semi-transparent modelling over a three-dimensional object. This choice underlines the physical processes behind the movie: that weather is determined by the interaction of many layers, from the ground to the stratosphere.

 

Kommentar der Jury:

 

Diese fantastische Visualisierung ist komplex, doch die Zuschauer können sie dank der Verwendung einer halbdurchsichtigen Modellierung über einem dreidimensionalen Objekt leicht verstehen. Diese Darstellung unterstreicht die physischen Prozesse, die dem Film zugrunde liegen: Unser Wetter wird durch das Zusammenwirken verschiedener Schichten von der Erdoberfläche bis in die Stratosphäre bestimmt.

 

Commentaire du jury:

 

Cette visualisation étonnante est complexe mais facile à comprendre, en particulier grâce à une technique de calques qui utilise une modélisation semi-transparente par-dessus un objet à trois dimensions. Ce choix souligne les processus physiques décrits dans la vidéo: la météo est déterminée par l’interaction de nombreuses couches, du sol à la stratosphère.

 

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Uploaded on April 29, 2019