幸运飞艇计划

The SNOWISO-project comes with a 芦high risk/high gain禄-status, meaning that ERC conciders the hypotesis as a risk, but a risk worth taking, considering the solid background of聽the project leader聽and the potensial gain if the hypotesis is verified. If the project succeeds, it will give new and exciting perspectives to the field of climate research.

A major question for the five-year run of the project, is if it is possible to analyze聽so-called isotopes from ice cores to create a better understanding of past climate variations and therefore better climate models.

SNOWISO

Isotopes are, simply put, atoms with a specific聽composition. The isotopic composition varies, for instance due to temperature, and in this way the isotopes contain an "image" of the climate at a given point in time.

The use of ice core records as climate archives thus mainly relies聽on the assumption that the state of the climate determines the聽isotopic composition of precipitation, which is "stored" in ice, and can later be analyzed in ice cores. SNOWISO questions this view, with the聽hypothesis that the isotope record from an ice core is determined by a combination of聽the precipitation isotope signal and聽the atmospheric water vapor isotope signal above the snow surface.

With SNOWISO, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen will look at the processes in the hydrological cycle that influence the isotopic composition of聽the water, and establish聽how the water isotope signal is recorded in snow.听This聽will give a more accurate analysis聽of data from ice cores. In the project, Steen-Larsen and his team will combine聽laboratory and field experiments with observations of snow and water vapor isotopes in Greenland and Antarctica.听They will analyze ice cores from the past, perhaps so far back as 1,5 millions years if the new EU Horizon 2020 project Beyond EPICA - Oldest Ice is successful.

The larger picture

Steen-Larsen for a moment rests his eyes on the world map hanging on a聽wall聽of his office at the Geophysical Institute at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen.

"The map reminds me of how small we are as individuals. And how important it is to understand that we need to look further than our own backyard, to understand that our actions affects people and communities聽on a much larger scale", he says.听

He聽feels climate researchers have a responsibility to enlighten the public and decision-makers about the consequenses聽of climate change. That is why scientists need the best possible foundation for their research. In his quest to improve our聽climate models, Steen-Larsen聽has travelled to many of the most extreme environments on Earth, from Antarctica to Mount Everest. His聽research has also taken him to Bermuda, to study water vapor.听

In Steen-Larsens view, all this is closely linked聽together.

"I have an holistic approach, and aim to聽combine climate models with climate research on ice cores", he says, adding:

"When SNOWISO ends in five years, I hope to have聽built brigdes between the analysis of isotopes in ice cores and climate modeling. To present new ways to understand climate, and climate dynamics".

Cooperation in Bergen

SNOWISO聽builds on many years of research, but the ERC-project started in 2018. It will last for five years, and Ph.D.-positions will soon be in place at the university.听

Steen-Larsen appreciates the strong scientific community on climate research that already exists at the University of Bergen and the .

"Climate research in Bergen is internationally recognized, and聽I look forward to cooperating with these groups. That is one of the main reasons why I moved SNOWISO聽to 幸运飞艇计划", he says.听

The climate researcher looks forward to the challenges that awaits the next five years.

"The most exciting thing with getting an ERC-grant, is the possibility to build a team聽and investigate these potentially ground breaking questions聽with them, he says, underlining the word "potentially".

"There is no guarantee that the hypotesis is correct, but if it is, I believe this will聽be the beginning of something really interesting", he says.听