Franz Meixner

Main Focus

analytical methods fort the measurement of gaseous and particulate trace substances (SO2, H2SO4, SO4=, NO, NO2, HNO2, HNO3, NO3-, NH3, NH4+, O3)

airborne (aircraft, balloon) measurements of atmospheric trace gases (SO2, COS, CS2, DMS,  NO, NO2, O3)

development of micrometeorological methods and measurement of the turbulent flux of gaseous and particulate trace substances in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer: eddy-covariance, aerodynamic gradient, (relaxed) eddy-accumulation, boundary layer mass balance (SO2, H2SO4, SO4=, COS, CS2, DMS, NO, NO2, HNO2, HNO3, NO3-, NH3, NH4+, O3)

development of enclosure methods (static and dynamic chambers) and measurement of the (bi-directional) exchange between atmosphere, soil and vegetation, respectively (COS, CS2, DMS, NO, NO2, HNO2, NH3, O3)

laboratory experiments for the characterization of biogenic NO- und HNO2-emissions.

large-scale field experiments: biosphere-atmosphere exchange of (reactive) trace gases in agricultural ecosystems and – preferably – in (very) remote, natural ecosystems (savannah, rain forest, desert, high-altitude mountains) in temperate (Europe, China, Mongolia) and (sub-)tropical latitudes (Africa, Brazil)

Curriculum Vitae

1972    B.Sc.    (Vordiplom)    Physics, University Wuerzburg (Germany)

1976    M.S.    (Diplom; 1,0)    Meteorology, University Frankfurt/M (Germany)

1981    Ph.D.    (Dr.phil.nat., summa cum laude)    Geosciences, University Frankfurt/M (Germany)

1976 - 1981  Junior Scientist, Institute of Meteorolgy and Geophysics, Department of Meteorology,

                       University Frankfurt/M (Germany)

1981 - 1986  Senior Scienist, head of working group "Wet Chemistry", Research Center Juelich

                      (Germany), Institute of Atmospheric Chemistry

1986 - 1991  Senior Scientist, head of working group "Micrometeorology/Trace Gas Exchange"

                      Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental Atmospheric Research, Garmisch-

                      Parten-kirchen (Germany)

1991 - 2014  Senior Scientist, head of working group "Micrometeorology and Flux Measurement

                      Methodology", Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Biogeochemistry Department,

                      Mainz (Germany)

2014 -           Guest Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Atmospheric Chemistry

                      Department, Mainz (Germany)

1997 - 2011   Associate Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, University of Zimbabwe, Harare


1981             Environmental Protection Award of the J.W.Goethe University Frankfurt/M Germany


2000 - 2011  member, Editorial Board "Umweltwissenschaften & Schadstofforschung" (UWSF)

2004 - 2015  member, Editorial Board "Biogeosciences" (BGS)

2011 - 2018  member, Editorial Board "Atmospheric Measurement Techniques" (AMT)


1976 - 2006  member, Deutsche Meteorologische Gesllschaft (DMG)

1982 - 2014  member, American Geophysical Union (AGU)

1991 - 2014  member, European Geophysical Society (EGS)

1998 -          member, Zambezi Society (Zimbabwe)

2008 -          member, DesrtNet International


1983 - 1984  co-ordinator, French-German Aircraft Mission "STRATOZ II"

1987 - 1997  member, Steering Group, "Biosphere-Atmosphere Exchange of Pollutants (BIATEX-1)"-

                      subproject within the EUREKA En­vi­ron­mental Project EUROTRAC

1988 - 1991  co-ordinator, EU-project "Developement of automatic chemical sensors for deposition

                      measurements by the gradient method" (CEC-COST 611)

1998 - 1999  executive secretary, EU-project "European studies on trace gases and atmospheric

                      chemistry as a contribution to the large scale biosphere-atmosphere experiment in

                      Amazonia" (EUSTACH-LBA)

2001 - 2002  field coordinator, “Cooperative LBA Air-borne Regional Experiment” (CLAIRE2001)

2006 -2012  member, co-operative research project "Exchange Processes in Mountaineous Regions"

                     (DFG-EGER)

2008 - 2014 member, Scientific Council of the Max Planck Society (Chemistry-Physics-Technology-

                     Section, CPTS) as representative (elected) of scientific staff employees of the Max

                     Planck Institute for Chemistry

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