When the temperature rises by one degree, the air can absorb around seven percent more water, thus producing more rain.
So why doesn't it rain more?Our Research Areas
Find an Expert
Our researchers are employed either at NORCE, UiB, the Nansen Center or the Institute of Marine Research. The researchers work together across various scientific disciplines. Find researchers with backgrounds in meteorology, oceanography, geology, geophysics, biology and mathematics, among others.
Projects
Researchers at Bjerknes are involved in several projects, both nationally and internationally. The projects are owned by the partner institutions, with the exception of our strategic projects.
Publications
Researchers at the Bjerknes Center publish more than 200 scientific articles each year.
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News
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21.08.25
"Perfect Storm" under the midnight sun triggered marine heatwave and explosion of salmon lice
On August 5, 2024, a marine heatwave began along the coast of Lofoten in Northern Norway. It lasted for 21 days, with sea temperatures measured at a record high. This caused salmon lice to thrive.
20.08.25
"Why doesn't it rain more?"
Climate change enhances extreme rains more than the ordinary drizzle. New research shows that frontal rain increases the most, and illustrates why extreme rains caused by other phenomena are not equally affected.
11.07.25
Loss of sea ice stabilizes Atlantic circulation
The risk of a slowdown of the overturning circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean is lower than previously thought. New research suggests increased deep water formation in ice-free regions of the Arctic Ocean will keep the wheel spinning.
Events
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28.08.25
Seminar: Can climate feedbacks explain the lack of regional temperature variability?
Name of speaker: Kira Rehfeld from the University of Tübingen Abstract: Stabilizing Earth’s surface temperature below 2°C above preindustrial (PI) levels reduces future climate risks. Climate models are used to explain past climate changes, to explore future climate impacts, and to investigate mitigation approaches such as carbon dioxide removal and geoengineering to address the slow pace of societal decarbonization. We established strong evidence that climate models simulate correct global climate variability, but underestimate regional variability on decadal to centennial timescales. This may mean that models equilibrate regional differences too quickly under stabilizing feedbacks and that regional assessments of technological climate mitigation may be biased. A key question is which climate feedbacks could enhance decadal-to-centennial regional climate variability, while maintaining global climate stability in the model world. The instrumental era provides is too short to constrain feedback balances. I will discuss two approaches we have been exploring in order to find answers: Spectral analysis of palaeoclimate records, explicitly considering the uncertainties of natural archives, and perturbed physics ensembles for climate models. Combining previously disparate lines of investigation provides new insights into climate feedbacks, sensitivity and variability that allow to better assess potential paths towards stabilizing Earth’s global mean temperature.
03.09.25
Stormtracks group meeting
This semester, we’ll be meeting at the same place (U105) but an hour earlier than before: every Wednesday at 1300 to 1400. Our first Stormtracks group meeting will be on September 3rd (Wednesday) from 1300 to 1400.
10.09.25
Storm tracks group meeting 10 September
Stormtracks group meeting