Presentations of projects which our researchers are leading or participate in. Not all projects have a description on web. See also projects in the Project Databank/ Research Council of Norway.
The Arctic is warming much faster than the rest of the world, and may be seen as a warning system for the climate, however there are not sufficient knowledge about the consequenses this warming may cause. In the ACT-Pilot project we will implement studies of the Arctic Climate Transitions (ACT) initiative on fusing space laser measurements with atmospheric- and cryospheric models to simulate the future Arctic.
The aim of the ANIMA research project is to evaluate the importance of anisotropic viscosity and olivine texture formation for multi-scale geodynamics processes in the Earth’s mantle .
The ICO2P-project is a study appointed by CLIMIT and researches whether noble gases are suitable monitoring tracers for long-term, safe storage of CO 2 on the Norwegian continental shelf. It is a continuation of a feasibility study and runs for 3.5 years (2018-2021).
Hydropower has a significant role in the Norwegian energy system, and deliver green energy to the society. Snow is the largest reservoir in many hydropower systems. A snow reservoir is leaking water to the air by a process known as sublimation, which result in that the snow is lost from hydropower production. But what is the actual amount of “lost snow”? The SnowSub project aims to answer this question.
The reliability of predictions of future climate change is currently limited by the poorly constrained climate sensitivity (CS), which is still estimated to lie in the range of 1.5 - 4.5 °C, the same as in the Charney report (1979). The CS is a critical parameter for predictions of the economic consequences of climate change, which also currently calculate climate-related economic damage as a simplistic function of surface temperature alone. The primary objective of the project is to improve predictions of future climate and its economic impacts. This will be achieved through the secondary objectives of (i) reducing the uncertainty associated with Earth's climate sensitivity through a cross-disciplinary approach in which econometric analysis is applied to climate observations, and (ii) coupling a state-of-the-art global climate model with a recently developed gridded macroeconomic model of climate change that adopts a richer economic damage function.
Norway’s strong standing with respect to subsurface CO2 storage is closely related to a high-level competence in characterization of sub-surface reservoirs. In the COPASS project we aim to understand the CO2 flows and storage behaviour, studying two field cases. We use 3D geo-models and simulations to understand CO2 flows including leakeage.
CO2Basalt: Flow and mineral sequestration of carbon dioxide in basalts offshore Norway received funding for three early career positions funded by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo. The main goal of CO2Basalt is to evaluate the hypothesis that the multiscale flow pathways in basalts can host voluminous flows of carbon dioxide mixed with water that will react with the host rock to produce carbonate minerals.
The 'JellyFarm' project is an ecosystem project which focuses on the combined impact from fish farming and jelly fish falls on benthic communities in Norwegian fjords.
Urban development often involves increased use of the underground for infrastructure and other purposes. In this project, we will study geological processes relevant for better understanding the challenges involved. Sustainability in urban environments is also a focus. We use Oslo as a case area due to numerous ongoing development and infrastructure projects involves the urban subsurface.
'Constraining climate sensitivity and near-term climate response' is the name of a work package in the research project 'Constrained aerosol forcing for improved climate projections (FORCeS)' financed by EU through the Horizon 2020 research programme. The overall aim of FORCeS is to get further knowledge about how air pollution affects the climate.
Science of sub-surface CO 2 storage derives mainly from small scale projects with injections in human time-scales. Projects not been operational long enough to fully assess flow and/or seepage at longer time scales relevant for subsurface CO 2 sequestration (e.g. > 10 kY). A critical concern in CCS is how to account for features that are detrimental to subsurface storage containment and are at scales below seismic resolution, such as seeps along faults. With COTEC we aim to get better knowledge about CO2 containment and monitoring techniques.
Accurate time and rates at which processes occur, e.g. volcanism, are critical for the interpretation of evolution of planets. Absolute time scales for planetary surfaces evolution (except the Earth and the Moon) can only be derived by linking the lunar cratering frequencies with isotopically dated samples from the Moon's surface. In the Crater Clock project we aim to develop a unique cratering chronology model.
The stability of steep slopes and rock walls is a major point of concern in relation to a changing climate, and is important for society, transport and more. Permafrost is a factor which can stabilize steep sloops. Rock wall permafrost has been intensively investigated in mountain areas like the Alps, but there is little knowledge about the topic in Norway. CryoWALL aims to investigate permafrost on rock walls in Norway.
Volcanism represents fundamental forces (heat and mass transfer) through the Earth’s crust that shape the Earth’s surface, influence the global climate and trigger mass extinctions. Most existing models of Volcanic plumbing systems (VPS) in sedimentary basins are too simplistic on critical aspects: (i) they ignore the magma dynamics, although magmas of contrasting viscosities give rise to very different conduit shapes; (ii) the modeled host rocks are elastic, whereas geological observations and seismic images reveal substantial visco-plastic deformation associated with intrusions; (iii) the mechanical coupling between the viscous magma and the deforming host rock is lacking.
In DIPS we aim to build a new comprehensive mechanical model of VPS in sedimentary basins that integrates (i) the realistic complex rheology of the host rocks with (ii) the viscous dynamics of compositionally diverse magmas.
Through a series of experiments we aim to improve our understanding of the mechanisms and processes that drive and limit benthic foraminiferal dispersal and colonization.
EMERALD is an interdisciplinary and nationally coordinated research project. Emerald will improve the representation of high latitude ecosystems and their climate interactions in The Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM) by integrating empirical data and knowledge in model development.
With this research we aim to identify precursory signals of failure embedded in the characteristics of localizing fracture and strain networks. Our ultimate goal is to recognizing the signals that indicate the timing of catastrophic failure in the Earth, such as earthquakes.
The plate tectonic theory gave us the framework to understand the deformation and volcanism at plate boundaries. It allowed us to understand surface plate motions, but did not include a mechanism to explain the dynamics of the underlying convective system caused by heat escaping from the core and mantle, and origin of intra-plate volcanism such as hotspots and Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). Beyond Plate Tectonics explores the mechanisms linking surface volcanism and deformation with processes in the mantle. A main hypothesis is that mantle plumes from the edges of stable areas with low seismic shear velocity above the core-mantle boundary can explain the surface distribution of most hotspots, LIPs and kimberlites.
This project will investigate how mechanical stress affects fluid migration and transformation processes in the various rock units comprising the Earth’s crust and upper mantle (the lithosphere) in situations far from thermodynamic equilibrium.
Major parts of the lithosphere do not contain liquids or gases (fluid phases) and will react too slowly to reach a state of equilibrium when subject to temperature and pressure changes imposed by plate tectonics. Addition of fluids to such volumes will cause dissipation of energy in the form of heat and irreversible deformation. These processes may in turn affect plate tectonics. Fluid-driven transformation processes may in addition, change the physical and chemical properties of the lithosphere. The consequence of this will be a dynamic coupling between large-scale plate tectonic processes, and small-scale chemical processes in the various rocks comprising the lithosphere.
Clouds are important for the climate on Earth. They reflect both radiation from the sun, and they trap thermal infrared radiation emitted from the ground. With a warmer climate, how does this affect the clouds? With STEP-CHANGE, we want to understand how clouds will change with global warming, to what extent these changes will further amplify warming, and whether this could result in abrupt climate change.
This project seeks to determine the nature of dramatic changes seen in records of Earth’s geomagnetic field from ~650 to 550 million years ago. These changes imply something highly unusual was occurring either in the solid Earth and/or Earth’s core, at the same time that immense climatic, geochemical and biologic changes were unfolding on Earth’s surface.
The spectacular Lusi eruption started in northeast Java the 29 of May 2006 following to a 6.3 M earthquake striking the island. Initially, several gas and mud eruption sites suddenly appeared along a reactivated fault system and within weeks several villages were submerged by boiling mud. The most prominent eruption site was named Lusi. To date Lusi is still active and erupting gas, water, mud and clasts. Despite the work done, still many unanswered questions remain. The objective with this project is to use the newly born and currently ongoing Lusi eruption to better understand the processes ongoing in the eruption conduit, and to understand the interaction between seismicity, faulting and magmatic volcanism.
The project aims to better understand the role that clouds play in global climate change, with a particular focus on cold clouds that can consist of both ice and liquid water. Such clouds are common at high latitudes and can be affected by both pollution and rising temperatures in the atmosphere.
Climate change has a significant impact on the prevalence and duration of seasonal snow cover. A goal in the ESCYMO project is to develop new models and improve education and competance to meet challenges with changes in snowhydrology and effects on water resources and power production.
The Glaciers_cci project attempts to establish a service for glacier monitoring from space, which aims at establishing a global picture of glaciers and ice caps, and their role as Essential Climate Variables.
Water availability is expected to be highly sensitive to climate change and severe water stress conditions may cause major social, economic and environmental problems. This requires better knowledge on the drought generating mechanisms, its impacts and mitigation options.
The aim of the DROUGHT-R&SPI project is to improve drought preparedness in Europe through increased knowledge of drought generating processes, drought early warning and management plans, and improved science-policy interfacing.
A Scientific Working Group of the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) and the International Permafrost Association (IPA)
Note: the up-to-date version of this site can be found under gaphaz.org
The 'Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS)' is a research initiative and project designed to monitor the World's glaciers primarily using data from optical satellite instruments.
In HyCAMP we address the impact of Short Lived Climate Forcers (SLCF) on cryospheric and hydrologic systems in the Himalayas, India, and Norway. The research is done in cooperation with The Department of Science and Technology, India.
Clean offshore energy by hydrogen storage in petroleum reservoirs
The cryosphere is changing at a rapid pace, and at the same time Earth observation is revolutionized through lower thresholds for space access. Consequently, it is only recently that constellations and fleets of Earth observation platforms sense the cryosphere with both very high spatial and temporal resolution. The aim of the ICEFLOWproject is to highlight the potential of Earth observation to monitor movements in the Cryosphere.
Drones and small aircraft are used for a wide range of purposes all year round. With the IceSAFARI project we aim to better understand icing conditions in clouds with the general goal of reducing the risk of technical failures of flights of drones and small aircraft caused by cold season icing conditions.
The Imagine project builds on the capabilities we now have to more dynamically predict climate change and the associated economic consequences using the interdisciplinary modeling tool NorESM2-DIAM
One of the main tasks of NBIC is to provide the public with updated and accessible information on Norwegian species and ecosystems to raise the public interest and focus on national species’ existence and specific ecosystems.
In the INES-project we aim to develop The Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM) to better include and cover the challenge of climate change in the model predictions. INES will build on the work and efforts from a network of scientists from Norwegian institutions, and build up a virtual laboratory for all involved partners – An e-infrastructure for Norwegian Earth system modelling effort.
The objective of the KeyCLIM project is to develop The Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM) to assess performance, develop and evaluate physical processes in the modell. A special effort is addressed to the near and long term future climate for the Artic, northern latitudes and Norway. Open data from the project will be provided to the climate mitigation and climate impact community.
The MAGPIE research project is an international and interdisciplinary research collaboration to investigate glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) processes in Greenland. Our goal is to improve estimates for current and past melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Sliding of ice is a major player in controlling the glacier contribution to sea-level rise, yet it is poorly understood. In the research project MAMMAMIA we will conduct a Multi-method-multi-scale analysis of mechanisms causing ice acceleration.
With this project we aim at better understanding processes and scales of contamination between sills and sedimentary host-rocks of different lithologies. This is done by quantifying element exchanges, entrapments and escapes, from a within-sill perspective and by case studies.
Machine learning is currently revolutionizing everyday life. In the research project MASSIVE we will make use of the latest evolution in machine learning, deep learning, and satellite data to investigate glaciers and their dynamics worldwide in a big data approach.
MATNOC’s main aim is to aid the aquaculture industry in reducing the spreading of sea lice, a main problem for the industry with large economic consequences.
Sloping aquifers hold great potential for migration assisted CO 2 storage. In the CO 2-Upslope project the main objective is to improve reservoir characterization schemes and optimize storage. Coupled modelling is applied to estimate trapping efficiency and migration distances in order to adapt suitable injection schemes to ensure safe storage in open-boundary, prospective reservoirs.
OASIS (Overburden Analysis and Seal Integrity Study for CO2 Sequestration in the North Sea) is a research project funded by the Research Council of Norway under the CLIMIT programme. The CLIMIT programme is a Norway's national programme for research, development, piloting and demonstration of CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) technologies for power generation and other industrial sources.
The knowledge of the Paleogene development of the Vøring and Møre basins on the coastline of Norway is limited. In 2021 an IODP-expedition sampled several sediment cores from the ocean floor of the basins. In this project we want to investigate the cores and related data and get a better knowledge about the geological history of the basins.
Thawing of permafrost in peatlands on the border of permafrost regions in the Northern Hemisphere, can release greenhouse gasses, but can also open up for formation of new peat that stores carbon. Thawing permafrost peatlands may either complicate or support reaching and maintaining the 2°C target, but we do not have a good understanding of this effect or have reliable projections. With PEAT-THAW, we aim to gain a better understanding of the role of permafrost peats in the carbon cycle and for the climate.
In the PERMANOR project we want to get knowledge about the local-scale processes of a thewing permafrost, and how this affect the global climate system. The research is cross disclipinary between permafrost researchers and meteologists. Of particular interest is the warming potential of this so-called “permafrost-carbon feedback”. The aim is to give input to the Earth System Models (ESMs) used for climate predictions, including the Norwegian Earth System Model NorESM.
A new and exciting era of planetary space exploration started in 2000 with a plethora of in-situ and orbital missions in operation at terrestrial planets and small Solar System bodies. The characterisation of the surface of these planetary objects is one of the major goals of space exploration. In order to support these operations, reduction and analyses of the space mission data, the PTAL project aims to build and exploit a multi-instrument spectral data base and joint spectral interpretation tools.
The purpose with the ReSource project is to expand and integrate the existing work carried out by UiO, Dept of Geosciences on compaction and rock property evolution of Jurassic Cretaceous sandstone in the Central North Sea. That includes mudstone and shale units, and regional/semi-regional tectonostratigraphic mapping.
The aim of the REQUBE project is to achieve geological knowledge about the configuration and evolution of the Quaternary North Sea Basin overburden. Studies of this upper-layer is of interest for further exploration and recovery of deeper hydrocarbon systems in the North Sea Basin.
Solid and Salt Precipitation Kinetics during CO2 Injection into Reservoir
Permafrost is found in about a quarter of the land area in the northern hemisphere. Unlike snow and ice cannot permafrost be "observed" with remote sensing techniques. However satellites collect data regarding permafrost from sensors in field, and permafrost can be modelled numerically using above-ground data sets of temperature and snow depth. We aim in SatPerm to see if such data sets can be used for modelling of permafrost.
Implementation of the Long-Term Cooperation Agreement between University of Oslo and Wuhan University.
Snow in the mountains is a source for drinking water, hydropower, irrigation, but can also cause floods and geohazards. There are currently no efficient methods to measure depth of snow in mountains and remote areas. The first aim of this project is to combine snow depth measurements from satellite data with elevation data, climate data and statistical methods to get currently lacking global snow depth maps. The second aim is to use the novel maps to improve global climate reanalyses and our knowledge on high-mountain precipitation and permafrost.
CEED participates in the SUBITOP - European Training Network (ETN) with several other institutions. The network will provide a framework for training and career development of young researchers from different institutions in Europe, for research in geodynamics, geophysics, geology and geomorphology.
Sedimentary Response to Growth of Major Extensional Fault Systems
These studies aim to explore if the diversity patterns of taphonomically impacted benthic foraminiferal assemblages, where all calcareous taxa are dissolved (i.e., only agglutinated forms left), mimic the diversity patterns of the whole, original assemblages.
The Goldschmidt Laboratory is a national high-level infrastructure within the field of geochemistry. The infrastructure comprises a cluster of advanced laboratories for high precision age determination of minerals and rocks, and for high resolution imaging of geological materials.
This is a novel and holistic Arctic research project that provides the integrated scientific knowledge base required for future sustainable management of the environment and marine resources of the Barents Sea and adjacent Arctic Basin.
Preliminary studies of the Ritland structure shows mineralogical evidences that prove it is an impact structure. This opens up for an in-depth investigation of the crater, studies which will offer new impact information of great international interest.
The research project Rough Ocean is a joint physical oceanography and marine geology effort to study how rough bathymetry affects the fundamental dynamics of oceanic flows.
The Arctic Ocean is one of the less understood ocean regions on the planet. This project aims to improve the situation by taking a closer look at the impact of mesoscale eddies (oceanic 'weather') and variable bottom topography on the large-scale circulation.
The sedimentary rocks in the Barents Sea from the Triassic Period (250-200 mil years ago) may contain petroleum reservoirs, but our knowledge of the geological history of this area is limited. Along the Norwegian coastline some areas have been explored, while others have not. Trias North is a knowledge-building project aiming to investigate the geological development of rocks in and around the Barents Sea.
The UiO – Hive project, is an eInfrastructure initiative to establish a hub and nurture the collaboration across departments at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo, for projects integrating technological development and Natural Sciences.
Flux processes between the land surface and the air plays an important role for weather and climate. In the 'Spot-On'-project we aim to develop methods to better account for the land surface flux heterogeneity in validations of climate models.