»Das Meer ist keine Landschaft, es ist das Erlebnis der Ewigkeit«¹ – Thomas Mann
I studied meteorology at Leipzig University between 2011 and 2017. The curriculum covered alot of topics – from field observations to modelling, from theory to synoptics, but somehow field observations got me hooked. As a student assistant, I started sondes in rural saxony, went on Polarstern, supported an observation campaign in Lindenberg, and started to develop a toolkit for visualizing remote sensing data. After handing in my Masters thesis I got the opportunity to start a PhD on observing clouds with active remote sensing at TROPOS, Leipzig. With the great detail, that I could propose the topic and the associated campaign. We went for a major (long-term) deployment of the ground-based remote-sensing supersite LACROS to Punta Arenas, Chile. In total I spend more than half a year there, organizing the campaign, taking care of the measurements and getting a first-hand view on clouds in the southern hemisphere mid-latitudes. Before and after there was enough opportunity to join Polarstern for another Atlantic transect, a short visit to summertime Arctic and finally infamous MOSAiC Leg 3.
Having handed in my PhD thesis in late 2021, the question arose what venture to pursue next. The logistic and funding gods were generous and allowed me to bring ‘our’ remote sensing equipment to Neumayer III, Antarctica for a whole year. Maybe, I like water and ice more than I want to admit. Coding, data, servers and writing are my daily struggle (and occasional joy). Free time is best filled with boats, books, maps or coffee.
Media appearances: Outreach
Mastodon: fediscience.org/@martin_rdz
Still tweeting at: twitter.com/_martin_rdz_
Pieces of my programming: github.com/martin-rdz
¹ The sea is not a landscape, it is the experience of eternity