Hamburg Climate Researcher Erich Roeckner Has Died

14 February 2026, by Max Planck Institute for Meteorology

Photo: MPI-M

Erich Roeckner, one of the most influential researchers in the history of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, passed away in February 2026, at the age of 84.

The Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) mourns the loss of one of the most influential researchers in its history. “The news of Erich Roeckner’s death makes us all very sad,” says Jochem Marotzke, Managing Director of the MPI-M. “Erich Roeckner was one of the protagonists in establishing climate modeling here at the institute, a mentor to many whose careers began here, and a colleague who was greatly appreciated by all. His modest, wise manner left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him. Roeckner’s influence continues to be felt at the institute and will remain with us in the future.”

Erich Roeckner studied meteorology in Hamburg and received his doctorate in 1971 from the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, with a thesis on the atmosphere of Venus. During his doctoral studies, he was a visiting scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. From 1973, he worked on cloud processes at the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg, where he also obtained his habilitation. He also began adapting the numerical weather prediction model of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for climate modeling. This model was given the name ECHAM.

In 1991, Roeckner moved to Lennart Bengtsson’s newly founded Department of Theoretical Climate Modeling at the MPI-M, where he further developed ECHAM into the famous atmospheric model that formed the basis for many generations of climate models used at the MPI-M, leading the institute to the forefront of climate research worldwide. For instance, the models enabled a team led by MPI-M founding director and later Nobel laureate Klaus Hasselmann to prove the human influence on the climate, and they were included in all assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The development of the ICON model, the most important research tool at MPI-M today, can also be traced back to Roeckner. Although Erich Roeckner never sought the limelight, he will nevertheless be remembered by the climate research community – as one of its leading figures and as a perfect gentleman.

Contact
Prof. Dr. Jochem Marotzke
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
jochem.marotzke@mpimet.mpg.de( jochem.marotzke"AT"mpimet.mpg.de)

Prof. Dr. Bjorn Stevens
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
bjorn.stevens@mpimet.mpg.de( bjorn.stevens"AT"mpimet.mpg.de)