Announcement 2nd European Hail Workshop

19 -21 April 2017, University of Bern, Switzerland

In several regions of Europe, including Switzerland, south-west Germany and Austria, hail damage has increased substantially in recent years with the consequence that hail is now one of the major atmospheric risks. The Mobiliar Lab, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), MeteoSwiss, and the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) are jointly organizing a workshop for researchers and professionals to discuss different aspects of hail.

Scope of the conference

Despite the large damage potential, there is a substantial lack of knowledge about hail climatology and risk, hail forecasting, cloud microphysics, and the relationship between hail probability and climate change. This workshop will bring together researchers studying different aspects of hail and representatives from insurance, business, and agriculture.

Format and Sessions

We will have invited lecturers covering the key themes listed below. In addition, there will be ample time for contributed talks and poster sessions. Thematic sessions will address issues including:

  • Convection and hail in a changing climate
  • The microphysics and dynamics of hail storms
  • Modelling of hail
  • Hail damage and hail damage prevention
  • Local probabilities and long-term statistics of hail
  • Nowcasting and forecasting of hail

More details are available in the programme overview.

Support

We thank the Mobiliar Lab and the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change research for financial and administrative support. 

Confirmed Invited Speakers

  • Urs Germann, MeteoSwiss
  • Andrew Heymsfield, NCAR
  • Ulrike Lohmann, ETH Zurich
  • Pieter Groenemeijer, ESSL
  • Heinz-Jürgen Punge, KIT
  • Stephan Ritz, Tokio Millenium
  • Jose Luis Sanchez, University Leon
  • Rebecca Adams-Selin, Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc
  • Jeff Trapp, University of Illinois

Deadlines

  • Abstract submission 31 January 2017
  • Registration 15 March 2017