Data Analysis and Model Evaluation Tools in Environmental and Climate Science

The course “Data Analysis and Model Evaluation Tools in Environmental and Climate Science” has just been held 8-18 of June 2026 at Kristineberg Marine Research Station, Sweden. The next course will be given in 2028. Stay tuned.

Kristineberg Marine Research Station. The station is operated and developed jointly by Chalmers University of Technology, University of Gothenburg, IVL Swedish Environmental Institute, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. Photo: https://www.polar.se/en/research-support/kristineberg-marine-research-station/

Course Content

The course in 2026 will introduce Earth system analysis as well as data analysis with practical exercises. The course will make use of existing infrastructures, such as climate models (e.g., NorESM, EC-EARTH), model databases (e.g., AeroCom, CMIP6), model data evaluation portals (e.g., AeroCom), and atmospheric and oceanic databases (e.g., EBAS, ORA-IP). Practical work is initiated and accompanied to apply modern visualization, data analysis and statistical tools (e.g., Jupyter notebooks, AeroCom tools). Introductions will be given on the role of aerosols and clouds, observational techniques, Earth system models, climate forcing and climate model evaluation. The course involves a set of relevant lectures and tutorials, with the main emphasis placed on intensive group work and a final report that will be written during and after the course by each student. Before the course, the selected students will be asked to practice the tools to be used on the course (mainly Github, Python and Jupyter notebook).

The course is primarily aimed at PhD students in atmospheric and biospheric sciences (also advanced MSc students are welcome to apply). During the course the students utilize provided model data together with long-term aerosol, air, ion, trace gas, meteorological data measured at field stations. Topics for practical work will be suggested depending on student’s background and will be distributed before the course starts. This year, the topics will relate to the core themes identified in the CleanCloud project. Related introductory lectures will be given by researchers from the CleanCloud consortia.

A successful course participation is covering 5 ECTS/HEC credits.

For master or PhD students from UiO the course is part of the GEO4992 and GEO9992 course, respectively. Students at SU can take this course as part of a master course MI7025 (7.5 ECTS).

Detailed course content

Introductory lectures on:

Lectures on core themes of CleanCloud
Climate model evaluation & climate model diagnostics
Observational methods (in-situ and remote sensing techniques)
Model analysis tool introductions
Model data base structures
Tips & Tricks with Python, GitHub, Jupyter and other tools

Practical work

Students are asked to cooperate in small groups (3-4) with an assistant on individual topics of interest in the realm of climate model evaluation and analysis. Jupyter notebooks shall be compiled to document the work and results. Two presentations are expected during the course to report on progress. A final report will be delivered at the end of the course.

The learning outcomes

In the end of the course the student will have:

skills to analyze a scientific problem within the Earth system;
skills to set up small python-based data analysis projects;
knowledge about existing online databases containing atmospheric and ecosystem data;
the ability to understand, evaluate and visualize model output;

Some of the transferable skills the course strives to improve

statistical analysis of model and field measurements;
multidisciplinary approach;
project management; and
collaborative learning.

Prerequisites

The participants are expected to be able to write scripts using a structural programming language. Basic data analysis skills are also expected. The main programming language to be used on the course will be Python. The main tool for visualization and online publishing will be Jupyter notebook. Students without knowledge in Python are asked to self-prepare before the course with web-based online tutorials.

Course Fees

The course fee is approx. 15 000 SEK (~1500 EUR).

Some funding/support will be available for students enrolled at Stockholm University/Bolin Centre for Climate Research and who are part of CleanCloud. Students participating in the course GEO4992 will be covered by the University of Oslo (UiO). There will be additional funding available for students without own funding (please note your request in the application).

This fee covers:

all academic and social program during the course
access to the electronically provided course material
accommodation (shared rooms) and food during the course, except a daily contribution to excursion costs requested by universities sending students

The fee does not cover:

travel expenses to and from Kristineberg
personal health and civil liability insurance
personal expenses such as drinks, telephone, photocopies, laundry etc. during the course

We encourage all participants to take public transport to Kristineberg.

Registration

Link for registration: https://forms.gle/9kzzPF97qFJ2XTzZ8

Deadline: 6th of March (Friday) 2026

Maximum number of participants: 25

Successful applicants will be notified by the end of March.

Previous courses

2017 at Hyytiälä, Finland. (Course title: “Climate science at high latitudes: Online data storage and visualization tool”). A short report and some impressions can be found here.
2018 at Andoya Space Center, Norway (“Climate science at high latitudes: Modeling and model evaluation”). A short report and some impressions can be found here.
2019 at Abisko Research Station (“Climate science at high latitudes: eScience for linking Arctic measurements and modelling.“). A short report and some impressions can be found here.
2020 The course (originally scheduled for Tjärnö) was given as a virtual course (4-13 and 20 November 2020).
2021 at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory (1-8 and 20-22 November 2021). Some impressions can be found here.
2023 at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory (31 October – 11 November 2023 and 28-29 November 2023).
2024 at Kristineberg centre for marine research and innovation (May 2024)
Impressions from the course in 2024 at Kristineberg can be found here:
"Climate science education takes center stage at Kristineberg Marine Station"
2025 at Kristineberg Centre for Marine Research and Innovation, Sweden (5-16 of May 2025, plus 27 & 28 of May with half-day session online)

Contact

Course coordinator

Paul Zieger, ACES (paul.zieger@aces.su.se)

Last updated: 2026-08-26

Source: Department of Environmental Science