2026 Thomas Birner: Environmental Sciences Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Environmental Sciences	50	5029	4818	343	335	162	8589

Overview

Thomas Birner is affiliated with Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany. Their research focuses on Earth and Planetary Sciences, with a primary emphasis on Environmental Science. The main subfields of their work include Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Oceanography, and Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics.

Birner's research covers a range of topics, notably Climate variability and models, Atmospheric Ozone and Climate, Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations, Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics, Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols, Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics, and Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes.

They have published extensively in several scientific venues. The most frequent publication outlets are:

Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Geophysical Research Letters
Journal of Climate
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Weather and Climate Dynamics

Birner has collaborated frequently with a core group of co-authors, including:

Hella Garny
Philip Rupp
Patrick Jöckel
Jonas Spaeth
Chaim I. Garfinkel

Among recent papers, some notable publications are:

Sudden Stratospheric Warmings (2020), published in Reviews of Geophysics
Stratospheric water vapor affecting atmospheric circulation (2023), published in Nature Communications
Tropical Temperature Variability in the UTLS: New Insights from GPS Radio Occultation Observations (2020), published in Journal of Climate
Importance of Gravity Wave Forcing for Springtime Southern Polar Vortex Breakdown as Revealed by ERA5 (2021), published in Geophysical Research Letters
The Efficiency of Upward Wave Propagation near the Tropopause: Importance of the Form of the Refractive Index (2021), published in Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

Best Publications

Defining Sudden Stratospheric Warmings

Amy H. Butler;Dian J. Seidel;Steven C. Hardiman;Neal Butchart

545
Citations
Sudden Stratospheric Warmings

Mark P. Baldwin;Blanca Ayarzagüena;Thomas Birner;Thomas Birner;Neal Butchart

505
Citations
THE EXTRATROPICAL UPPER TROPOSPHERE AND LOWER STRATOSPHERE

A. Gettelman;P. Hoor;L. L. Pan;W. J. Randel

488
Citations
On the Lack of Stratospheric Dynamical Variability in Low‐Top Versions of the CMIP5 Models

Andrew J. Charlton-Perez;Mark P. Baldwin;Thomas Birner;Robert X. Black

379
Citations
Introduction to the SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) and overview of the reanalysis systems

Masatomo Fujiwara;Jonathon S. Wright;Gloria L. Manney;Lesley J. Gray

352
Citations
Fine‐scale structure of the extratropical tropopause region

Thomas Birner;Thomas Birner

308
Citations
How sharp is the tropopause at midlatitudes

Thomas Birner;Andreas Dörnbrack;Ulrich Schumann

260
Citations
Multimodel assessment of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere: Tropics and global trends

A. Gettelman;M. I. Hegglin;S.-W. Son;Jung-Hyun Kim

252
Citations
Re-examining tropical expansion

Paul W. Staten;Jian Lu;Kevin M. Grise;Sean M. Davis;Sean M. Davis

227
Citations
Residual circulation trajectories and transit times into the extratropical lowermost stratosphere

Thomas Birner;Harald Bönisch

215
Citations
Vortex Preconditioning due to Planetary and Gravity Waves prior to Sudden Stratospheric Warmings

John R. Albers;Thomas Birner

202
Citations
A Global Survey of Static Stability in the Stratosphere and Upper Troposphere

Kevin M. Grise;David W. J. Thompson;Thomas Birner

174
Citations
Recent Tropical Expansion: Natural Variability or Forced Response?

Kevin M. Grise;Sean M. Davis;Sean M. Davis;Isla R. Simpson;Darryn W. Waugh

163
Citations
Evidence for inertia gravity waves forming polar stratospheric clouds over Scandinavia

Andreas Dörnbrack;Thomas Birner;Andreas Fix;Harald Flentje

157
Citations
On the structural changes in the Brewer-Dobson circulation after 2000

Harald Bönisch;Andreas Engel;Thomas Birner;Peter Hoor

150
Citations
The Tropical Tropopause Layer 1960–2100

Andrew Gettelman;Thomas Birner;Veronika Eyring;H. Akiyoshi

148
Citations
Sudden Stratospheric Warmings and Anomalous Upward Wave Activity Flux

Thomas Birner;John R. Albers;John R. Albers

143
Citations
Quantifying transport into the lowermost stratosphere using simultaneous in-situ measurements of SF 6 and CO 2

Harald Bönisch;Andreas Engel;Joachim Curtius;Thomas Birner

143
Citations
Residual Circulation and Tropopause Structure

Thomas Birner

130
Citations
The effects of mixing on age of air

Hella Garny;Thomas Birner;Harald Bönisch;Felix Bunzel

117
Citations
Evidence for inertia gravity waves forming polar stratospheric clouds over Scandinavia : SAGE III-Ozone Loss Validation Experiment and Third European Stratospheric Experiment on Ozone-2000 (SOLVE/THESEO)

Andreas Dörnbrack;Thomas Birner;Andreas Fix;Harald Flentje

0
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Felix Ploeger Forschungszentrum Jülich

William J. Randel National Center for Atmospheric Research

Michaela I. Hegglin University of Reading

David W. J. Thompson University of East Anglia

Paul Konopka Forschungszentrum Jülich

Mark P. Baldwin University of Exeter

Rolando R. Garcia National Center for Atmospheric Research

Douglas E. Kinnison National Center for Atmospheric Research

Rolf Müller Forschungszentrum Jülich

Amy H. Butler National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

External Links

Personal website of Thomas Birner

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For those passionate about Environmental Sciences, expanding your education through online degrees offers flexible pathways to enhance your career. Many professionals explore advanced options like eds to edd programs online, allowing educators and specialists to deepen their expertise while managing other commitments.

Certain fields connected to environmental policy and community work, such as social work, also present opportunities with programs like fully funded dsw programs. These can be invaluable for those aiming to influence environmental justice and public health on a larger scale.

If affordability or exploring multiple disciplines is a priority, consider the low cost online general studies degree. This degree serves as a versatile foundation, opening doors to varied environmental careers or further specialization.

For learners seeking to start with a less intensive commitment, reviewing the easiest degree to get options online can help identify accessible programs that fit individual needs and schedules while maintaining focus on environmental fields.