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Land-ATmosphere Interactions in Cold Environments – LATICE

The role of: Atmosphere - BiosphereCryosphereHydrosphere interactions in a changing climate.

The research group LATICE will bring a focus on cold-regions exchange processes within Earth System Sciences as an interdisciplinary initiative of collaborative research and education.

Land-ATmosphere Interactions in Cold Environments - LATICE: Photo: nrs_faabergstolgrandane

About LATICE

Climate change is impacting the high latitudes more rapidly and significantly than any other region of the Earth. A warmer climate has already led to thawing of permafrost, reduced snow cover and a longer growing season; changes, which in turn influence the atmospheric circulation and the hydrological cycle.

The LATICE research group aims to advance the knowledge base concerning land atmosphere interactions and their role in controlling climate variability and climate change at high northern latitudes through:

  • Improving parameterizations of processes in earth system models controlling the interactions and feedbacks between the land (snow, ice, permafrost, soil and vegetation) and the atmosphere at high latitudes, including the boreal, alpine and arctic zone.
  • Assessing the influence of climate and land cover changes on water and energy fluxes.
  • Integrating remote earth observations with in-situ data and suitable models to allow studies of finer-scale processes governing land-atmosphere interactions.
  • Addressing observational challenges through the development of novel observational products and networks.

The LATICE is recognized as a strategic research area by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo.

Short introduction to LATICE`s research (pdf).

LATICE's main focus areas

Sensors – Design

Small photo: Sensors - DesignThe development of new techniques for the measurement and characterization of ecohydrological fluxes including snow water, soil moisture, and water vapor at high spatial resolution is a key part of LATICE.

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Snow – Ice

Small photo: Snow - IceIncreasingly the role of snow and ice (permafrost and glaciers) in ESMs is recognized as a dominate variable in the regulation of energy and chemical exchanges at global and local scales through modulation of albedo, insulating cover, and providing an exchange surface for chemistry.

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Vegetation – Soil

Small photo: Vegetation - SoilVegetation plays an important role in the climate system in the boreal zone. LATICE will improve its representation in ESMs through field and modelling studies.

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Cooperation

The LATICE research group is an interdisciplinary research group which is hosted by the Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo and the most of the researchers comes from the Dept. of Geosciences. Also participating in the LATICE research group are researchers from the Department of Informatics and The Natural History Museum (NHM) at the University of Oslo.

Academic programmes and courses

LATICE is a key contribution to the National Research School on "Changing climates in the coupled earth system" (CHESS). 

Lectures, workshops and summer schools will be organized in diverse locations and funds will be available for PhDs in Norway to work and study abroad. CHESS will also support various "hands on" courses in proposal and article writing, presentation techniques and teaching.

CHESS – Research school on changing climates in the coupled earth system

LATICE launched in 2018 a new interdisciplinary MSc/PhD level course at GEO; UiO on ecological climatology. You may read more about the course at Dept. of Geosciences webpages for studies. The course give 10 credits.

GEO5915 – Ecological Climatology

Financing

LATICE is a strategic research area by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO. LATICE will get funding for five PhDs and one postdoc during the period 2015 – 2019. LATICE got in December 2018 an extension (LATICE-X) for a new period 2019 to 2022 with funding of two PhD positions and one postdoc position.

Resources and infrastructure

Finse Eco-Hydrological Observatory (Finse EcHO)

The LATICE-Flux Infrastructure Lab

The Cold Climate Container

Instagram feed: finsesnowcrew

 

Published Aug. 7, 2015 11:37 AM - Last modified Feb. 20, 2024 12:59 PM

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