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Director's note
«It is time to realize that, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change, we urgently need collective action to revitalize the ocean. That means finding a new balance in our relationship with the marine environment»
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
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Celebrating World Ocean Day 8th of June
This year marks the 30th anniversary of World Ocean Day. Canada initially proposed the concept at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The event was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008. This International Day of Action supports the implementation of worldwide sustainable development goals. The aim is to foster public interest in the protection of the ocean and sustainable management of its resources. “Revitalization: collective action for the ocean" was the theme for World Oceans Day 2022, a year framed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the celebration of the United Nations Ocean Conference, two years after being cancelled because of the pandemic. World Oceans Day reminds every one of the major roles the oceans have in everyday life. They are the lungs of our planet and a major source of food and medicine and a critical part of the biosphere. The purpose of the Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world's oceans.
Ocean awareness and celebration started at BCCR already on Wednesday June 1, when Natalya Gallo and colleagues on the HypOnFjordFish and CLIFORD research projects organized a webinar titled "The science we need for the healthy fjords we want: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable management of productive fjord ecosystems". The event was part of the UN Ocean Decade Productive Ocean laboratory and involved a scientific overview from scientists working in 6 different fjord regions around the world as well as perspectives from policy makers, managers, and industry representatives on needs and knowledge gaps.
On World Ocean Day, the Aquarium in Bergen announced “the new Aquarium” with the provocative name «O» with bold ambitions to become a world ocean center and relocate to the current harbor in Dokken. I spoke to the Aquarium designers that had big ambitions on exhibiting, exploring, and unravelling the global ocean, climate change, and ocean change. It will be interesting to follow, and it has potential to be an arena to showcase Bjerknes research.
Summer is almost here, looking back on 10 busy months
It’s soon summer and I have enjoyed a little over 10 months in the Bjerknes director’s chair. It’s been a steep and fast learning curve, it's been challenging, a bit crazy, fun, a little frustrating, but most of all it’s been very rewarding. I have enjoyed many visitors and proudly represented Bjerknes at small and big venues, in media and in debates. I have secretly sat and memorized names on PhD’s, post docs and researchers, read door signs and tried to familiarize myself with all partners. And I still have people that I need to meet and greet!
I want to say thank you to the Bjerknes leader group for fair and open discussions and for your insight and passion to help the Centre grow whilst maintaining our identity. Specifically, I want to thank you for discussions, suggestions and strategic thinking that led to our new 5-year strategy and our first action plans. I look very much forward to roll out the new strategy in a Bjerknes-fall-kick-off-meeting after the summer holidays.
Furthermore, I am in awe of the willingness and professionality with which you all want to promote and discuss your research to our visitors or in media, and the breadth of climate research topics within the Centre. I welcome more voices and a broader representation and please remember that my door is always open (it is most of the day anyway) if you have suggestions or want to contribute to outreach or dissemination.
Honestly, I can say that every day at Bjerknes has been a good day, and that most of them also have been very fun and fulfilling days! This is very much thanks to Ragnhild, Gudrun, Ellen x 2, Beatriz, Andreas, and Siri (and until May, also Øyvind). You have made me feel welcome and included from day one. You have (some of you more than others) a unique ability to nudge me in the right direction when I am veering off a bit and offer insightful advice and suggestions. Thank you for the great collaboration so far, you are 100% professional and the glue of the Centre.
Finally, I wish you all a very nice summer. I hope many of you will be able to see your family and loved ones. That your planned field work and cruises will run smoothly and that you are able to wrap up your work and take a break and enjoy well-deserved time off.
My warmest summer greetings,
Kikki
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Early Career Researchers’ Workshop on High Latitude Oceans and Cryosphere with Fiamma Straneo
Thursday June 9th 2022
On June 9th, early career researchers from the Bjerknes Centre working with high latitude oceans and cryosphere spent a day with visiting professor Fiamma Straneo. Participants represented broadly different partners and disciplines of the Bjerknes Centre. We started the day with an inspiring conversation with Fiamma about careers in academia, specifically discussing inclusivity and having an holistic approach to recruitment, how to use our personal skills in our work, research motivation, outreach, and connection to policy.
Each of the participants presented a 5-minute snapshot presentation of their work, roughly divided into three topical groups: “Glaciers and fjord systems”, “Circulation in the North Atlantic and Nordic Seas” and “Sea ice”. Each of the presenters were also challenged to consider the target audience for their research beyond researchers within their own discipline. The presentations were followed by a topical discussion. We concluded the day with a group exercise where the participants were divided into groups, and were instructed to find connection points between each of the group member's research. This led to interesting discussions, where participants were able to connect between institutes and disciplines and identify common interests. As a conclusion, the groups were able to paint a broader picture of high latitude science taking place at the Bjerknes Centre and place each participant into this picture.
Text: Karita Kajanto, Helene Asbjørnsen
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U.S. – Norway Artificial Intelligence: Joint Working Meeting 2022 (2-3 of June)
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
and the Ministry of Education and Research of the Kingdom of Norway (KD)
signed a memorandum of understanding on collaboration on artificial intelligence and its applications to science, climate energy and health.
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The aim is to further develop cooperation in the promotion of scientific and technological activities related to AI in a broad range of fields, with impacts on science, energy, climate, and health.
Last week, the Norwegian ministry of education and research and the DOE were hosting a joint working meeting at the Norwegian embassy in Washington D.C. to follow up on this agreement. Our minister of education and research, Mr. Ola Borten Moe gave an introduction speak about the MOU and I was super happy to hear him devote a lot of his talk to the importance of AI for climate models, regional modelling and downscaling as well as climate predictions. I can only conclude that he picked up a lot of important research points during his visit to Bjerknes in April.
The University of Bergen and the Bjerknes Centre participated in the working meeting along with other researchers and government representatives from Norway and the U.S.
I spoke on behalf of Bjerknes at the climate and energy session that was moderated by Darron Mollot at the U.S. Department of Energy and was followed by a lively discussion on shared themes of interest, such as the issue of applying AI to multidimensional phenomenon such as climate change. I want to take the opportunity to thank Asgeir, Jerry, Christian, Tore, Tor, the carbon group, and several NERSC researchers for providing research examples and examples of future possibilities for applied AI. Our talk weas well received and quoted through the meeting.😊
Going forward
As the meeting ended on Friday 3rd the U.S. and Norwegian participants concluded on concrete points from both sides that will be followed up. This included “Couple AI/Physics (Hybrid Systems)”, “Climate Initiative Effect”, “Drug Discovery” and “Model Sharing” – to name a few. The aim is to work on documents with suggested collaboration and organize a second meeting this fall in Norway to ensure progress on the development of AI collaborations between Norway and the U.S
Kikki
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The participants from Bergen:
From left: Scott Rettberg (UiB, LLE), Inge Jonassen (UiB, Dept. of Informatics), Jill Walker Rettberg (UiB, LLE), Kikki Kleiven and Annette Kathinka Servan.(UiB, FIA)
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Climate research terminology
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Are you writing a press release about your new exciting research and can’t find the right Norwegian word? Are you preparing a talk for a politician or students and unsure if there is a Norwegian word for an important scientific term?
Bjerknes researchers are collaborating with the Language Council of Norway making an online dictionary of climate related terminology in Norwegian. You can find the words we have already worked on here: http://www.termwiki.sprakradet.no./wiki/Kategori:Klima.
If you stumble upon a term you would like defined in Norwegian, let us know. Send an email to Lea Svendsen (lea.svendsen@uib.no) or Anne Bjune (anne.bjune@uib.no) with your missing words.
Lea Svendsen
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UN Ocean Decade Event: “The science we need for the fjords we want: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable management of productive fjord ecosystems”
This event was an official UN Ocean Decade Satellite Event organised by the University of Bergen, the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, and the Institute of Marine Research with partners in Canada, Chile, Germany, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands as part of the UN Ocean Decade (2021-2030) Productive Ocean Laboratory. Natalya Gallo (BIO, UiB) was a speaker and Elin Darelius and Anne Gro Salvanes were among the contributors. The event was online and can be watched again here.
Andreas H. Opsvik
Photo: Natalya Gallo/UiB
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Climate Futures general meeting
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Photo: Gunn Janne Myrseth
On June 1-2, the Climate Futures General Meeting was held with presentations of the center and many of the ongoing projects within. The event was livestreamed, and can be seen again on the CF website. It is mostly in Norwegian with contributions from NORCE and NERSC researchers and partners in the SFI, but Day 2 starts with two English presentations from Tom Hamill (ex-NOAA, now IBM) and Tim Woolings (University of Oxford).
Andreas H. Opsvik
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An oceanographer's journey to the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet through collaborative, inclusive, interdisciplinary science
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On occasion of her being awarded an honorary doctorate at UiB, Fiamma Straneo held an inspiring guest lecture on June 3rd at VilVite – Bergen Science Center on "An oceanographer's journey to the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet through collaborative, inclusive, interdisciplinary science”. The attendees got a journey through Fiammas beginnings and how she ended up where she is today.
Andreas H. Opsvik
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New face: Philipp Voigt is a new PhD student at GEO. He is Norwegian an has a degree in physics. He wil be a part of the Polar climate research theme at Bjerknes.
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The portrait
Name:
Thomas Hagen Thuesen
Position:
PhD candidate
How long have you been at BCCR?
Since November 2019
Education:
BSc in Geoscience and MSc in Petroleum Geology from UiB
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Background:
I grew up in Fyllingsdalen just outside Bergen and after “Førstegangstjeneste” I wasn’t sure about what I wanted to do. So, I sat down on my computer and researched everything the University of Bergen had to offer and ended up starting my bachelor’s degree in Geology in 2010 as it involved a lot of fieldwork!
I believe my initial curiosity towards climate and glaciers was trigged by my French teacher in Upper Secondary School (Videregående) when she showed me a graph of past glaciations.
What is it you do exactly at work?
I am trying to get a good understanding of how much sediments were deposited in a western Norwegian fjord-valley since the last glacial ice sheet melted. I then try to divide the sediments into different processes to gain an understanding of how much of the sediments are deposited by the ice melting, and how much consists of rock avalanches and floods etc. To do so I collect and process marine/lake sediment cores, seismic data, GPR data, river samples and sediment traps.
Why climate research?
When I was young, we always went on a lot of mountain hikes in Bergen, and I always wondered what I was walking on more specifically then just a “mountain”. The same came to why the landscapes was formed and shaped as it was, and why everything looked like it did. Climate is a major factor in how everything is formed, and it is truly fascinating.
What extracurricular activities do you have?
I enjoy mountain hikes and riding my bike, as well as a few days at the gym a week. Other than that, I can usually be found at a local playground running after my kid 😊
Do you have a favourite song, band or artist?
Its very mood dependent so I listen to most things, everything from MGMT to Five Finger Death Punch. However, these days it’s mostly “Kaptein Sabeltann”!
Your favourite food?
Oof, this is a hard one. First thing that pops into my head is veggie nachos! (yes, I think its better than regular nachos, hit me up for the recipe!)
The best and worst about Bergen?
I really enjoy how everything is so integrated with the city center, and when the weather is nice! Worst? Precipitation is a bit on the heavy side! 😉
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BCCR Seminar
Next upcoming seminar:
Monday, 13th June at 14:15 pm, Precious Mongwe will give a BCCR Seminar titled "The impact of anthropogenic forcing on the Southern Ocean CO2 sink".
The seminar will take place in the Bjerknes lecture room (4th floor, room 4020) – in addition, there will be the possibility to join on zoom:
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New publications
Barker, S., Starr, A., Lubbe, J.v.d., Doughty, A., Knorr, G., Conn, S., Lordsmith, S., Owen, L., Nederbragt, A., Hemming, S., Hall, I., Levay, L., Berke, M.A., Brentegani, L., Caley, T., Cartagena-Sierra, A., Charles, C.D., Coenen, J.J., Crespin, J.G., Franzese, A.M., Gruetzner, J., Han, X., Hines, S.K.V., Espejo, F.J.J., Just, J., Koutsodendris, A., Kubota, K., Lathika, N., Norris, R.D., Santos, T.P.d., Robinson, R., Rolison, J.M., Simon, M.H., Tangunan, D., Yamane, M., Zhang, H., 2022. Persistent influence of precession on northern ice sheet variability since the early Pleistocene. Science 376, 961-967. DOI: 10.1126/science.abm4033
Send us information about new publications: publications@bjerknes.uib.no
Older publications
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Vacant positions
Head Engineer
Geophysical institute, UiB
Deadline: 19 June 2022
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Upcoming events
June 13-15 2022, Norway
SOLAS Summer School 2022
13-17 June virtual school
NVP International Summer School 2022 – The Global Arctic
17th – 26th June 2022 The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Longyearbyen, Svalbard.
1st MedCyclones WORKSHOP and TRAINING SCHOOL
Training school: Monday 27 June to Saturday 2 July 2022. The Workshop will take place within a three-day period from 27 to 29 June
Both in Athens, Greece
WCRP Sea Level Conference
12-16 July, Singapore
Summer School on Land-Atmosphere Interaction Processes and Convection
24-31 July, National Norwegian Gliding Centre, Elverum, Norway
Urbino Summer School in Paleoclimatology 2022
8th to the 20th July 2022 University of Urbino, Italy
14th International Conference
on Paleoceanography
29 August–2 September 2022, Bergen, Norway
2022 IS-ENES3 Summer School on Data Science for Climate Modelling
1 - 7 September in Athens, Greece
International symposium in remembrance of Prof. Yongqi Gao
7-9 September, The Grand, Bergen
The International Conference for YOUNG Marine Researchers - ICYMARE
13 to 16 September 2022 at the University of Applied Sciences Bremerhaven, Germany
Third WMO Workshop on operational climate prediction
20–22 September 2022,Lisbon, Portugal
SOLAS Open Science Conference 2022
25 - 30 September 2022, Cape Town, South Africa
Forskningsdagene
21. September - 2. October 2022
Arctic Processes in CMIP6 Bootcamp
5-14 October 2022, Helgoland Germany
GCOS Climate Observation Conference
17-19 October 2022, Darmstadt Germany
6th WGNE Workshop on Systematic Errors in Weather and Climate Models,
31 October to 4 November 2022. ECMWF, Reading.
Bjerknes Annual Meeting
25-26 October 2022, Hotel Terminus, Bergen
Effects of Climate Change on the World's Ocean
17-21 April 2023, Bergen
Bjerknes Getaway 2023
11-13 January, Geilo
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BJERKNES TIMES WILL BE BACK IN AUGUST
UNTIL THEN, HAVE A NICE SUMMER!
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Contribute to the Bjerknes Times!
Bjerknes Times is our internal bi-weekly newsletter. Send an email for all registering of lectures, publications, meetings, and other tips to post@bjerknes.uib.no
Join the Bjerknes Outreach Group!
Would you like to be involved in outreach activities? Join the Bjerknes outreach group, and you’ll get the opportunity to discuss your ideas with other enthusiastic outreachers. Whether you have plans for big or small projects, large or small audiences, traditional or innovative formats – or so far no specific plans at all – you’re very welcome.
Please, send an e-mail to gudrun.sylte@uib.no or ellen.viste@uib.no if you would like to have more information about the group.
BCCR on Flickr for photo sharing
We have many good photographers here at the Bjerknes Centre.We have a Flickr account for sharing good photos and possibly also illustrations. This can be useful when you need an illustrative photo. Check out our photostream
Send an e-mail to gudrun.sylte@uib.no or ellen.viste@uib.no if you would like to contribute.
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