A lot happened in 2024. World leaders gathered in Baku to reach a new agreement on climate change, and the global heat record broke for a second year in a row.Things were busy at the Bjerknes Center as well. Stefan Sobolowski became our new research leader for Global Climate, and Margit Simon, researcher with the Bjerknes Center and NORCE received the prestigious research ERC Consolidator Grant.
Here are some of the highlights of 2024:
Machine Learning and AI
In 2024, the Bjerknes Center placed a strategic focus on the use of AI and allocated four new positions with a specific emphasis on artificial intelligence, one for each partner institution. Among them is Silvana Gonzalez at the Institute of Marine Research. Gonzalez utilizes AI in her research work on marine heat waves along the Norwegian coast.
Another important area in the use of artificial intelligence is weather prediction. AI-driven models are preforming much faster than conventional models, and described as a game changer by Sigrid Passano Hellan, one of the newest members of the Bjerknes Center. Hellan started as a researcher at our partner institution NORCE in August, where she works on how machine learning and artificial intelligence can be used in climate research.
From Pole to Pole
In the early weeks of 2024 Professor Elin Darelius could finally set foot back on solid ground after camping five weeks on the Fimbul Ice Shelf. Darelius spent a whopping seventy-two days living in Antarctica. During the weeks on the ice Darelius, along with her coworkers, deployed three rigs – which is no easy feat. The rigs are a part of a larger infrastructure project, the Troll Observation Network (TONe), and will replace similar rigs deployed back in 2009.
In November two small buoys started their own polar adventure on the other side of the planet. The buoys “Knoll” and “Tott” were released into the wild Arctic Sea. With no motors attached, the buoys are forced to follow the currents, and who knows which route they will take? This mission is especially important as few observations in the area currently exist. Both the Arctic and Antarctic offer some truly challenging conditions, and getting observations is both a result of skill, persistence and chance.
Investing in Climate Science
Proposals and grants are a necessary part of any science, and climate science is no different. In 2024 The Bjerknes Center received approval for continued funding, and several Bjerknes Members received new funding as well.
Among them was researcher Margit Simon who received 2,17 million euros in the ERC Consolidator Grant. Margit’s research will reveal how climate and environmental changes have affected human evolution. The research is a part of the PIONEER project which seeks to understand whether climate variability in North and South Africa influenced cultural innovations in the period between 125,000 and 50,000 years ago.
Another Bjerknesian who received funding in 2024 was Tom Langbehn who received a TMF Starting Grant from the Trond Mohn Research Foundation to investigate hidden trophic interactions in the ocean. His research aims to challenge perceptions of the open ocean as a barren environment, focusing on understanding individual-level mechanisms that drive macroecological patterns, with a particular emphasis on light's role in marine ecosystems, polar regions, and the ocean's twilight zone.
The Bjerknes Stamp
Yes, the Bjerknes Center truly put its stamp on the world of climate science in 2024, and we mean that quite literally. In 2024 the Bjerknes Center received its very own official stamp. The stamp is a part of the series "Research, Innovation, Technology" from the Norwegian Post Office, which aims to highlighting Norwegian discoveries and inventions.
The Bjerknes Centre stamp includes an illustration of the Norwegian Current, an extension of the AMOC, as it transports warm water northward along the coast of Norway. The design is based on a map created by oceanographers Bjørn Helland-Hansen and Fridtjof Nansen in 1909.
New PhDs in 2024
After years of back-breaking research, late nights and in some cases weeks and weeks in faraway locations on scientific expeditions, ten dedicated students received their hard-earned PhDs.
Eivind Hugaas Kolås: defended his thesis "Atlantic water inflow into the Arctic Ocean: studies of pathways, transport and mixing processes using observations from ships and autonomous underwater vehicles" in January.
Jacob Dörr: Jacob defended his thesis “Present and future drivers of Arctic sea ice variability” in March.
Ashneel Chandra: also in March, Ashneel defended his thesis: “The Role of Ocean Heat Content on the Madden-Julian Oscillation”.
Kjersti Konstali: defended her thesis "Connecting the drops: Exploring precipitation changes from a process and weather perspective" in March.
Christiane Anabell Duscha: defended her thesis "Characterizing the convective boundary layer with wind-profiling and scanning Doppler lidar" in April.
Kristine Steinsland: in May, Kristine defended her thesis "Sea Ice Variability in a Warmer Past: Last Interglacial Paleoceanography of the (Sub)Arctic Oceans."
Maaike Zwier: defended her thesis "Winds of change. A multi-proxy approach to constrain Holocene climate and wind dynamics in the sub-Antartic.” in September.
Lillian Carolina Garcia Oliva: defended her thesis "Coupled data assimilation for climate prediction: a focus on ocean-atmosphere coupling." in October.
Talin Tuestad: defended her thesis "Late Glacial-Holocene glacier fluctuations on sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Archipelago (49°S) based on surface exposure dating with in situ cosmogenic nuclides" in December.
Vår Dundas: also in December, Dundas defended her thesis "Ocean heat transport across Antarctic continental shelves in response to atmospheric forcing".
Congratulations!
25 Years of Climate Science
In 2025 the Bjerknes Center celebrates 25 years of scientific achievements. Our goal is to understand climate for the benefit of society, in the firm belief that understanding the climate we live in is immensely powerful, and necessary in order for us to continue to live, create and prosper together with our beautiful and diverse planet.
As we leave 2024 behind, we look ahead to 2025 and what we may achieve in the new year, and the next 25 years! Wishing you all a joyful and productive new year!