»I can't stop thinking about this one question.«
Jin-Song von Storch
Prof. von Storch, how did you end up in oceanography?
Not by choice, initially. When I was not quite 20, my home country China began opening up a bit. I received a scholarship with very clear rules: You’re going to go to Hamburg, learn German, and study oceanography. No discussions. At first, I wasn’t very happy, since I wanted to study physics.
What was coming to Germany like?
Exciting, but also a major change. I was most surprised that I could decide for myself which courses to take and when to take my exams.
Your focus is on the physics of the climate system and the ocean. How did you choose it?
Indirectly. I got seasick during my first cruise on a research ship and thought to myself that I would need to look elsewhere for my career. Then I started learning about meteorology and climatology and did a Ph.D. in them. But then I was offered a job at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in what was called the Ocean in the Earth System department back then. I was fascinated by some fundamental theories on the ocean system that still haven’t been fully proven to this day. I started digging into the subject matter, and later I developed my own view and began seeing the ocean and atmosphere as physical systems. That’s how I got into the field. Today I’m very happy about it.
How would you explain your job to someone with no scientific background?
I run experiments with computer models to better understand the ocean. Here, we simulate various scenarios by selectively changing external conditions like wind intensity on the sea surface or the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere and observing how the ocean reacts. That may sound simple, but every model has its limitations. Correctly interpreting the outcomes is a huge challenge. We always have to ask ourselves whether they reflect the reality or are just due to a flaw in the model.
Why’s that important?
Simple: so that we can find out how the world works.
What fascinates you the most about the ocean?
That it’s so incredibly complex and has so many degrees of freedom. It reacts to a broad range of external influences like wind, temperature, or rising CO₂ levels. These reactions are extremely hard to predict because, as a physical system, the ocean operates on various scales. There are currents that are thousands of kilometers long, and eddies that are only a few meters wide. This spectrum of processes makes my work challenging but very rewarding.
What was your greatest discovery so far?
20 years ago, I ran into a problem. I had discovered a discrepancy between the angular momentum and torque of the atmosphere, which should be in a similar relation to momentum and force. My first thought was: It’s an error in the model. But then I found indications that it was simply due to chaos, i.e., to pure chance. A coincidence that the atmosphere itself creates. Though I was able to describe my discovery, I hit a wall when I tried to generalize the problem and publish my findings in a physics journal.
Why?
I simply couldn’t offer enough proof. It was pretty discouraging, but it also taught me how important it is not just to claim you have new scientific findings, but to prove it. Over time, I learned to be persistent and patient. For a long time, I simply dropped the topic. It wasn’t until the pandemic that I found time to come back to it.
Are you closer to solving it now?
Every morning I spend two hours working on the problem. I have a hard time letting go; it still preoccupies me. I’m convinced that both the atmosphere and the ocean are inherently chaotic and random. But why and how? I need more time and resources to answer that question once and for all.
What does the ocean mean to you personally?
For me, it mainly has a scientific meaning. It’s not so much a magical place as it is a riddle that I absolutely have to solve.
In the course of your career, have you run into unique obstacles as a woman?
I haven’t personally experienced much in the way of direct discrimination or obviously unfair treatment. However, I have often met with skepticism when presenting new or interdisciplinary ideas. Especially when it comes to specialized physics groups, I’ve sometimes seen that my suggestions, as a non-physicist, aren’t initially taken seriously. But it’s hard to say whether it’s due to my gender or my unconventional approach. Generally speaking: The more you call into question common knowledge, the harder you have to fought to be heard.
What would you like the public to know about the ocean?
The ocean is a complex system, one that is tremendously important for our climate and our ecosystem.
What advice would you give to young people interested in a research career?
Stay curious, question the theories you’re given, and be brave enough to go your own way. Researchers need to have the courage to start from scratch and have to be ready to overcome resistance. Setbacks are often where the best ideas and greatest breakthroughs come from.
☸
Prof. Jin-Song von Storch, born in 1961 in Peking, is Assistant Director of the Climate Variability department and head of the Climate Energetics group at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg.
