This pillar will focus on the fundamental understanding of the processes, forcings and feedbacks in the climate system that set the magnitude, patterns, and timescales of climate change and variability. Both forcing of natural and anthropogenic origin will be considered at global, regional, and local scales.

The research is based on physical, chemical, geological, and biological processes important for climate change. We use field measurements and sample collection, laboratory analyses and experiments, monitoring incl. satellite data, climate models and atmospheric chemistry transport modelling of short-lived climate forcers.

Study areas include the North Atlantic and Arctic regions, with special focus on the Greenland, Faeroe Islands, and Denmark.

Research themes include:

• Atmosphere-ocean-land-ice processes in past, present, and future climates.
• Variability of ocean and atmosphere circulation.
• Greenland ice sheet and glacier changes.
• The freshwater budget and hydrological cycle.
• Vertical distribution of short-lived climate forcers in the Arctic atmosphere.
• Aerosols and cloud interaction, incl. bio-aerosols.
• Greenhouse gas dynamics in the atmosphere.
• Climate-biosphere-ecosystem interactions, biogeochemistry, and the carbon cycle.
• Teleconnections and Arctic-mid- and low latitude coupling.
• Atmospheric and ocean transports of heat, moisture, and pollutants.
• Planning and organizing fieldwork/expeditions.

Contacts:

For inquiries relating to our research within climate drivers, please do not hesitate to contact pillar coordinator Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz or co-leads Henrik Skov and Christoffer Karoff. For other inquiries, please look under contact.