The PhD defence and trial lecture will be held in Auditorium 1 in The Geology Building. In some cases, it will be possible to attend the trial lecture and dissertation digitally, in that case a link to Zoom will be posted.
Trial lecture
Monday 20 April, 10:15-11:00, Aud 1, The Geology Building:
Impacts of land-use and land-cover changes on present and projected future central European climate
Conferral summary (in Norwegian)
Ekstremvær med svært mye nedbør og sever tørke kan bli vanligere fremover. Hvordan påvirkes slikt ekstremvær av et varmere klima? I sin doktorgradsavhandling viser Iris Mužić at ekstreme varme- og nedbørshendelser kan være mer intense på lokale og korte tidsskalaer i Nordisk Fennoskandia (Norge, Sverige og Finland). Studien viser at tørke kan forsterke ekstreme varmehendelser gjennom tilbakekoblingsmekanismer og skape utfordringer for landbruk og vannressurser. I tillegg øker ekstreme nedbørshendelser raskt i styrke med et varmere klima, noe som øker risiko for flom, skred og skader på infrastruktur.
Main research findings
Popular scientific article about Mužić’s dissertation:
Extreme heat and precipitation events can become more intense at local and short time scales in Nordic Fennoscandia
How are extreme precipitation events, such as “Hans” in 2023, affected by climate warming? Was the exceptional heat during the summer of 2018 intensified by drought conditions? In this PhD project Iris Mužić investigates why extreme heat and precipitation events can become more intense at local and short time scales in Nordic Fennoscandia (Norway, Sweden, and Finland).
The climate in the Nordic Fennoscandia is warming 2-4 times more quickly than the global average. Since the 1950s, Northern Europe has seen increases in heat and precipitation events, with high confidence that these changes are caused by humans. Climate change is intensifying extreme weather, which can also become more amplified locally.
The doctoral study by Mužić shows that during the exceptionally hot summer of 2018 in Sweden, heat intensified through a feedback loop in which high temperatures dried out the soil, which in turn led to even more warming. This increases risks for vegetation damage, agricultural productivity, and water demand.
The PhD study also examines recent extreme precipitation events in southern Norway, “Gyda” (Jan. 2022), “Hans” (Aug. 2023), and Bø (Jul. 2024). All show a substantial increase in intensity with warming, especially over short time periods of hours or minutes. Such rapid intensification raises the risk of landslides, flooding, and infrastructure damage.
Photo and other information:
Press photo: Iris Mužić, portrait; 1500px. Photo: Private
Other photo material: Photo with description and credit as specified in the article above, size 1000px.
