Prosjekt
Climate change and sustainability in Norwegian fjords (CLIFORD)
The anthropogenic pressure on Norwegian fjords is increasing, and there are repeated reports on deteriorating conditions in the deep fjord basins. Meanwhile, climate trends in the offshore waters affect the renewal of these deep-basin waters.
To sustainably manage our fjords, we need to understand how present and past changes in the physical and geo-chemical environment impact the fjord ecosystem.
The main objective of CLIFORD is to study how climate change will alter the carrying capacity of Norwegian fjords and improve modelling tools.
Status
Active
Duration
2022-2025
Owner
Bjerknessenteret
Project lead
Mari Myksvoll
Funded by
BCCR
Workshop May 2-5, 2025: Fjords in a Changing Climate
Welcome to an interdisciplinary workshop on the physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, and biology of fjords in the past, present, and future.
Location: Stalheim, Gudvangen
The goal is for all participants to collaborate on integrating the results from presentations and group discussions into a review article that provides recommendations for future fjord research.
Oxygen loss in fjords, coastal areas, and open ocean systems
Oxygen depletion is affecting the ecology in the open ocean as well as near the coast. Anne Gro Vea Salvenes and Elin Darelius write about a recent study aiming to learn more about deoxygenation and its impact. Masfjorden in Western Norway is one of the fjords studied.
Loss of oxygen and expansion of oxygen depleted environments have been witnessed in both coastal and open-ocean systems since the middle of the 20th century, and ocean modelling predicts continuing decease by the year 2100. Oxygen depletion occurs thus during the same time epoch as global warming. Increased knowledge on how and why oxygen varies in space and time shapes the biogeochemical and ecological structure of marine systems and will be needed for future predictions of marine productivity. In coastal systems deoxygenation is also linked to human activities that lead to increased loadings of nutrients and organic matter, and to regional effects of climate induced changes in wind and precipitation patterns.
Masfjorden is one of the fjords showing recent oxygen depleted basin water and is part of a case study of the global review paper on “System controls of coastal and open ocean oxygen depletions” (Pitcher et al. 2021, Fig. 1) aiming to improve the understanding of deoxygenation and its impact using a global and multidisciplinary perspective.
Researchers from Bjerknessenteret
Mari Skuggedal Myksvoll
Forsker / Researcher - Climate Hazards, Havforskningsinstituttet
Agnes Weiner
Seniorforsker / Senior Researcher - Polar Climate, NORCE
Joao Bettencourt
Postdoc - Climate Hazards, UiB
Other projects
Climate Futures
Climate Futures is a Centre for Research-based Innovation (abbreviated SFI in Norwegian), funded by the Research Council of Norway. Climate Futures will co-develop better methods and practices for climate risk management by working with nearly 40 partners in a consortium.
The work in Climate Futures is organized in user-driven projects, ranging from short pilots lasting a few weeks or months to long-term strategic programmes over several years.
Infrastructure for Norwegian Earth System Modelling phase 2
NorESM is the Norwegian Earth System Model and is an essential tool for researchers to be able to simulate the climate in the past, present and future. The infrastructure project INES2 will upgrade NorESM with new and updated functionality by incorporating research-driven development in a nationally coordinated manner.