Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth

The section for the Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute studies the elements of the Earth and climate system – the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets and glaciers, sea ice, and the solid Earth itself – and the interactions between them.
Research in Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute. Research in Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute. Research in Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute. Research in Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute. Research in Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute. Research in Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute. Forskning i Is, Klima og Geofysik på Niels Bohr Instutet. Research in Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The research in the section for Ice, Climate and Earth deals with all elements of the climate system and the processes and feedbacks that connect them.

We perform field work to obtain samples and data and employ a combination of state-of-the-art measurements, computational methods, and novel theoretical approaches to improve our knowledge of past, present, and future climate. Choose a topic below to learn more.

Ice and Climate
We study the ice caps and the climate by drilling and analysing ice cores from Arctic and Antarctica. We investigate the physical properties of ice on all scales from the individual crystals to the entire ice sheet. We analyse greenhouse gasses and impurities caught in the ice to understand the climate of the past, present, and future. Our research combines field work and glaciology with computer modelling, laboratory work, and mathematical data analysis.

Climate Theory
The Climate Theory group is engaged in understanding the Earth's climate. The surface temperature on the planet depends on solar radiation, composition of the atmosphere, heat flow in the atmosphere and oceans, ice masses and many other factors. Further, fundamental research in turbulence, multi scale processes, bifurcation theory, critical transitions and complex systems is conducted.

Weather and Climate
We study and develop models of the physical processes of the atmosphere, e.g. for numerical weather prediction. Other topics are air quality and pollution.
 

Ocean Dynamics and the Carbon Cycle
The research is focused on ocean processes that contribute to water mass transformations and the large climate fluctuations observed in the last million years. 
  

Solid Earth Physics and Computational Geoscience
We study the solid Earth using field experiments, theory and numerical modelling based on seismic data and satellite measurements of gravity and magnetism.
  

Computing at Danish Center for Climate Computing
The DC3 (Danish Center for Climate Computing) provides High Performance Computing (HPC) resources to scientists and students at the Physics of Ice, Climate, and Earth section.DC3 web-page. 

PRECISEPREdicting Changes in Ice Sheets on Earth
In this 6-year research project, the researchers at PRECISE will develop and improve models for how the ice sheets contribute to raising the sea level in the world’s oceans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The diverse research in the section Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth is funded by the Niels Bohr Institute and a number of grants from both public and private foundations in Denmark and abroad.

List of current projects:

  • Arctic Science Partnership
  • Balzan Prize - Modelling the Mueller Ice Cap [01-08-2023 - 31-07-2025]
  • Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice [01-06-2019 - 31-05-2026]
  • CF Forskningspris [07-09-2022 - 06-09-2027]
  • CF Reintegration grant [01-09-2023 - 31-08-2025]
  • Chasing a Moving Target: Early Warning [01-09-2022 - 30-06-2026]
  • CLUVEX
  • Constraining rates in Earth's sediment [02-09-2022 - 02-09-2025]
  • CriticalEarth [01-03-2021 - 28-02-2025]
  • DEEPICE [01-01-2021 - 31-12-2024]
  • EastGRIP [01-04-2015 - 31-12-2024]
  • GEOAfrika [01-03-2021 - 28-02-2025]
  • GIOS [01-04-2021 - 31-12-2025]
  • GreenFeedBack [01-07-2022 - 30-06-2026]
  • GreenPlanning [01-01-2021 - 30-06-2025]
  • Green2Ice When was Greenland ‘green’? [01-04-2023 - 31-03-2029]
  • Highest resolution trace gas measurements from ice [01-04-2021 - 31-03-2024]
  • Holocene sea ice variability in the Arctic [01-12-2022 - 01-12-2025]
  • IceFlow [01-09-2017 - 31-08-2024]
  • Innovative tools for decrypting a 1 million years old ice core from East Antarctica [01-02-2022 - 31-12-2025]
  • Isaaffik
  • Iso-DeepIce [01-01-2023 - 30-04-2026]
  • Mapping of Greenland Surface Temperature [01-12-2021 - 30-11-2024]
  • Metoder til klimatilpasning af det byggede miljø [01-09-2022 - 31-12-2025]
  • NextGEMS (Next Generation Earth Modelling Systems) [01-09-2021 - 31-08-2025]
  • Nonlinear-viscous flow with an evolving anisotropy [01-09-2022 - 31-08-2025]
  • OsteoMorph [01-09-2022 - 31-08-2024]
  • Outcrop Analog Studies of Chalk
  • Planetary Vision [01-07-2023 - 30-06-2025]
  • PRECISE (PREdiction of Changes in Ice Sheets on Earth) [01-09-2023 - 31-08-2029]
  • Prediction of atmospheric dispersion ... [01-02-2021 - 31-01-2024]
  • Probabilistic approach for risk assessment of CO2 Storage


Read more about current projects or former projects here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit us
High school classes and other groups can request a visit at the section. The most common topic is climate change with focus on ice-core science, but other topics are possible.

Please fill in the form in Danish or write an e-mail to the section secretary at pice@nbi.ku.dk

Web pages, movies, popular science papers about our research

Under Research you will find A lot of the section’s ice-core-based climate research described for non-specialists. You can also find information about our available high-school projects “studieretningsprojekter”. Finally, we provide a list of popular science texts in Danish.

Frozen Annals

Willi Dansgaard founded the world’s first research group focused on climate research based on ice-core analysis (read a short version of the background story here).

After his retirement in 1992, Willi Dansgaard wrote an autobiograhic book in Danish, Grønland i Istid og Nutid (Rhodos, 2000, ISBN 8772457996). It is available for download here (note the file size: ~180 MB) Later, he compiled an English version, Frozen Annals, which focuses more on the scientific part of the story. The book can be downloaded here as a pdf file or viewed online here (opens in a new window)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section for the Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth (PICE)
Niels Bohr Institute
University of Copenhagen
Tagensvej 16
DK-2200-Copenhagen
Fax: +45 35 32 06 21
VAT.no./CVR. no.: 29979812
General inquiries and press contact: pice_secretary@nbi.ku.dk 

Contact persons:
Section leader: Thomas Blunier
Deputy section leader: Jørgen Peder Steffensen
Section secretary: Maria Caso Bramsen
Inquiries about EastGRIP field work: Marie Kirk and Iben Koldtoft

School and high school visits: See the “outreach” tab above.

 

Link to travel directions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff

Name Title Image
Search in Name Search in Title
Aksel Walløe Hansen Associate Professor Emeritus Billede af Aksel Walløe Hansen
Aleksandar Topic Research Assistant Billede af Aleksandar Topic
Anders Svensson Associate Professor Billede af Anders Svensson
Andrea Vang PhD Fellow Billede af Andrea Vang
Aslak Grinsted Associate Professor Billede af Aslak Grinsted
Bo Møllesøe Vinther Associate Professor Billede af Bo Møllesøe Vinther
Carl-Johannes Johnsen Postdoc Billede af Carl-Johannes Johnsen
Caroline Juelsholt Student Adviser Billede af Caroline Juelsholt
Christine Schøtt Hvidberg Professor Billede af Christine Schøtt Hvidberg
Dina Rapp PhD Fellow Billede af Dina Rapp
Dorthe Dahl-Jensen Professor Billede af Dorthe Dahl-Jensen
Eigil Kaas Professor Billede af Eigil Kaas
Eirini Malegiannaki PhD Fellow Billede af Eirini Malegiannaki
Eliza Cook Guest Researcher Billede af Eliza Cook
Gary Shaffer Emeritus Billede af Gary Shaffer
Grant Vernon Boeckmann Engineer Billede af Grant Vernon Boeckmann
Guido Vettoretti Assistant Professor Billede af Guido Vettoretti
Helle Astrid Kjær Associate Professor Billede af Helle Astrid Kjær
Iben Koldtoft Coordinator Billede af Iben Koldtoft
Iris Fernandes Postdoc Billede af Iris Fernandes
Ivanka M Orozova Bekkevold Associate Professor Billede af Ivanka M Orozova Bekkevold
Jacob Svensmark Postdoc Billede af Jacob Svensmark
Jade Omotoyosi Nina Brauns PhD Fellow Billede af Jade Omotoyosi Nina Brauns
Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen Professor Billede af Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen
Jeppe Brøndum Bach Laboratory Assistant Billede af Jeppe Brøndum Bach
Johanne Kristine Haandbæk Øelund PhD Student Billede af Johanne Kristine Haandbæk Øelund
Johannes Jakob Lohmann Assistant Professor Billede af Johannes Jakob Lohmann
Julien Westhoff Postdoc Billede af Julien Westhoff
Jørgen Peder Steffensen Professor Billede af Jørgen Peder Steffensen
Kasper Skjold Tølløse Industrial PhD Billede af Kasper Skjold Tølløse
Klaus Mosegaard Professor Billede af Klaus Mosegaard
Kolja Leon Kypke PhD Fellow Billede af Kolja Leon Kypke
Lamees Refat M Felemban PhD Student Billede af Lamees Refat M Felemban
Larissa Nora Van der Laan Postdoc Billede af Larissa Nora Van der Laan
Laura Lund Rysager Student Adviser Billede af Laura Lund Rysager
Maria Caso Bramsen Research Secretary Billede af Maria Caso Bramsen
Marie Kirk Coordinator Billede af Marie Kirk
Markus Jochum Professor Billede af Markus Jochum
Marta Agnieszka Mrozowska PhD Fellow Billede af Marta Agnieszka Mrozowska
Meg Harlan PhD Student Billede af Meg Harlan
Michael Döring Academic Research Staff Billede af Michael Döring
Miguel Angel Sánchez Moreno PhD Fellow Billede af Miguel Angel Sánchez Moreno
Mikkel Langgaard Lauritzen PhD Fellow Billede af Mikkel Langgaard Lauritzen
Mohammad Youssof Research Assistant Billede af Mohammad Youssof
Nanna Andreasen PhD Fellow Billede af Nanna Andreasen
Nicholas Mossor Rathmann Assistant Professor Billede af Nicholas Mossor Rathmann
Niels Fabrin Nymand PhD Fellow Billede af Niels Fabrin Nymand
Nils Bochow External, Ph.d Student Billede af Nils Bochow
Peter Ditlevsen Professor Billede af Peter Ditlevsen
Ruben Häberli PhD Fellow Billede af Ruben Häberli
Simon Hilding-Nørkjær Kitchen Assistant Billede af Simon Hilding-Nørkjær
Steffen Bo Hansen Research Technician. Billede af Steffen Bo Hansen
Sune Olander Rasmussen Associate Professor Billede af Sune Olander Rasmussen
Susanne Lilja Buchardt Special Consultant Billede af Susanne Lilja Buchardt
Svenja Frey Academic Research Staff Billede af Svenja Frey
Tamara Annina Gerber Postdoc Billede af Tamara Annina Gerber
Thomas Blunier Professor Billede af Thomas Blunier
Vasileios Gkinis Associate Professor Billede af Vasileios Gkinis

Students

Name Title E-mail Picture
Ajai Shyam Ej MSc. student

rln248@alumni.ku.dk

André Toft Jensen MSc. student

wht188@alumni.ku.dk

andre
Annika Stratidaki MSc. student

vzq776@alumni.ku.dk

Ask Hammer MSc student

ask.hammer@nbi.ku.dk

Chayton Keola Fox Bouwmeester MSc. student

rgc330@alumni.ku.dk

Gustav Stolberg-Larsen MSc. student

kgh142@alumni.ku.dk

Gustav
Ijiltsetseg Dorjsuren MSc. student

vmj150@alumni.ku.dk

Johanna von Drachenfels MSc. student

fzk160@alumni.ku.dk

Johanna
Jonathan Ortved Melcher MSc. student

xfk351@alumni.ku.dk

Jonathan
Laura Lund Rysager MSc. student

laura.rysager@nbi.ku.dk

Laura
Majbritt Kristin Eckert MSc. student

mxh200@alumni.ku.dk

Majbritt
Mathias Winther Kjeldsen MSc. student

zkt900@alumni.ku.dk

Rasmus Arentoft Nielsen MSc. student

dmz937@alumni.ku.dk

Rasmus
Rune Magnus Koktvedgaard Zeitzen MSc. student

wvf713@alumni.ku.dk

Rune
Sandra Maria Nygaard MSc. student

smp460@alumni.ku.dk

Simon Storvig Winther MSc. student

pkw125@alumni.ku.dk

Simon
Sune Halkjær MSc. student

sune.halkier@nbi.ku.dk

Sune Halkjær
Svenja Frey MSc. student

svenja.frey@nbi.ku.dk

Theo Häußler MSc. student

sdj837@alumni.ku.dk

Tobias Nørkjær Holmgaard MSc. student

vgt116@alumni.ku.dk

Tobias
Weiji Hu MSc. student

czg686@alumni.ku.dk

Wiji Hu
Weiyuan Chen MSc. student

wtx237@alumni.ku.dk

 


Travel directions to the section of Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth and useful information related to your visit to Copenhagen

Read about the current ice core drilling project in Greenland.

Field diaries, bloggs etc.

Link to field diaries, bloggs etc. from the camp life