New Climate Simulations Identify Key Drivers of Past Megadroughts in Northeast America

Combining new machine learning-based hydroclimate (water balance) reconstructions with new climate simulations, an international team of researchers has now resolved a long-standing issue on identifying the drivers behind millennial-long megadroughts in Northeast America. As confirmed by the new set of reconstructions, the landscape of the vast prairies, extending from the Rocky Mountains to the North Atlantic in Northeast America, was much drier for most of the past 12.000 years.

Tarfala Research Station (TRS) Anniversary Conference

Save the date: Tarfala Research Station (TRS) Anniversary Conference, Stockholm University, 25-26 August 2025, and post-excursion conference to Tarfala Research Station, 28-29 August 2025

Greenland’s Ice Shelf is Melting in Previously Unknown Ways

A new study reveals alarming findings about Greenland’s second-largest ice shelf, the Petermann Ice Shelf.

Migratory birds are arriving earlier each spring

When migratory birds return to Sweden after a long winter it signals the arrival of spring for many people. However, climate change is affecting how and when birds migrate. Research shows that many migratory species are now arriving earlier than they did just a few decades ago, which can have consequences for both the birds themselves and the ecosystems they depend on.

Clouds Are Highly Sensitive to Changes in Aerosol Particle Concentrations

Clouds in the lower atmosphere are much more sensitive to changes in the concentration of atmospheric aerosol particles than previously thought. This is shown by an international study published in Nature Geoscience. The discovery affects, among other things, the assessment of how much human emissions of fine particles have slowed global warming caused by greenhouse gases.

We analyse million-year-old DNA to predict the effects of climate change

"Of course, the most exciting thing is when you make a discovery and you know you are the first to see it. Like when we realised that we had managed to map the world's oldest DNA. Such moments are hard to beat."

RT1 Retreat at Villa Källhagen

On the 19th of February, members of Research Theme 1 (The physical-chemical climate system) gathered at Villa Källhagen for a full-day retreat.

Workshop for ECRs on science communication

On the 27th of January, the Bolin Centre and the SU Press Office co-organized a workshop on science communication with author and former researcher Jonas Enander. The workshop, titled “Your Science Story” was aimed towards our Early Career Researchers, with about 15 of them in attendance.

Swedish radio: The Climate Disaster – United Nations and the Overstatements

Thorsten Mauritsen was interviewed by Swedish Public Radio.

Compilation of depth data increases knowledge of the Arctic seabed

The seabed of the Arctic Ocean is still largely unknown. But over the past four years, a seabed area three times the size of Sweden has been mapped. A significant part of the work has been carried out by Swedish researchers on the icebreaker Oden.

Hans Adolfsson takes up office as President of Stockholm University

Today, February 3, Professor Hans Adolfsson begins his appointment as President of Stockholm University.

Sounding rockets for MISU’s project ORIGIN will be launched to study nightglow in Earth's atmosphere

The ORIGIN sounding rocket project studies a light phenomenon in the Earth´s middle atmosphere called “airglow” (dayglow during the day; nightglow at night). Between January 24 – February 3 and February 16 – March 4, two sounding rockets will be launched from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden to investigate these emissions.

How clouds in polar regions impact climate

Clouds play a key role in the Earth’s climate, but are also a source of uncertainty in climate models. Annica Ekman is developing a new model to describe cloud formation at the Earth’s poles, with the aim of making more reliable predictions about our future climate.

Permafrost under the Arctic Ocean set to accelerate climate change

Deep in the Arctic Ocean, the seabed is frozen, but now that the permafrost is thawing, large quantities of methane gas may rise to the surface. Birgit Wild wants to find models to predict what this means for the climate.

ARTofMELT2023 expedition studies the arrival of summer in the Arctic

The fast-changing Arctic climate is determined by a balance between heat imported from the south, most of it in the atmosphere, and energy lost to space by radiation at the top of the Arctic atmosphere. The expedition ARTofMELT2023 (Atmospheric Rivers and the Onset of Sea Ice Melt 2023), led by researchers from Stockholm University has collected unique observations of the processes that govern the transition from winter to summer in the high Arctic, the time when the Arctic ice starts melting.

RT2 workshop: A success in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across career stages

RT2 “Water, biogeochemistry and climate” organized the workshop “Current Challenges in Surface and Groundwater Research in the Context of Climate Change and Sustainability” from December 10–12, 2024 at Lejondals Slott near Stockholm.

Bolin researcher among the world’s most cited!

Each year, the analytics firm Clarivate issues a list of selected researchers that have authored multiple Highly Cited Papers. This year, deputy director of the Bolin Centre for Climate Research Gustaf Hugelius was once again selected to be on the list. Congratulations Gustaf!

Isoprene nitrates drive aerosol formation in the upper atmosphere in the tropics

In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers from the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University have been at the forefront of uncovering the critical role of isoprene nitrates in forming new particles in the upper troposphere over the Amazon rainforest.

Faculty of Science is recruiting Assistant Professors in Biodiversity

Stockholm University is recruiting up to three Assistant Professors in Biodiversity to tackle the critical global issue of biodiversity loss caused by human-driven factors such as climate change, habitat alteration and pollution.

Sea ice - polar art exhibition and lecture

Ida Rödén and Ian Brooks

Three MISU scientists receive financing from The Swedish Research Council

Three professors at the Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University (MISU) have received funding from the Swedish Research Council for Meteorology and Atmospheric research.

COP16: “We need to bend the curve for biodiversity loss”

How should biodiversity be monitored, measured and financed to protect our planet? Researchers from Stockholm Resilience Centre and the programme Swedbio are attending the ongoing COP16 in Colombia to help shape the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

The Bolin Centre RT3 retreat 2024 on Djurgården

Just before the summer vacation, a full-day workshop for RT3 members was held off-campus at Villa Källhagen, Stockholm on the 10 June. It was the first joint retreat of the former RA6 and RA5 research area members and the added value of finally being united as “Past Climates” became obvious as many work on several timescales.

Extremer i europeiskt sommarväder kartlagda tillbaka till medeltiden

Ett team av internationella forskare har med hjälp av årsringar i träd rekonstruerat jetströmmens variationer i Europa under de senaste 700 åren, något som också kan förbättra möjligheten att förutsäga framtida klimat. Resultaten publiceras nu i tidskriften Nature.

Heavy melting on Kebnekaise's southern peak

The summit glacier on Kebnekaise's southern peak continues to shrink. The annual altitude measurement at the end of the summer shows that Sydtoppen (the South Peak) – Sweden's former highest point – is now 3.3 meters lower than last year and also 6.9 meters lower than Kebnekaise's north peak.

Arctic expedition has entered remote Greenland fjord

Icebreaker Oden has as the first vessel ever now reached the remote and uncharted Victoria fjord at northern Greenland. Read an update from the GEOEO North of Greenland 2024 expedition on its challenging battle against multiyear sea ice and pressure ridges.

Warming increases ecosystem carbon emissions – but only with sufficient rain

The emissions of carbon dioxide from ecosystems are known to be higher in warmer climates. Therefore, global warming can speed up emissions, causing a stronger greenhouse effect that worsens climatic changes. But only in sufficiently moist environments where plants and soil organisms are not limited by water availability, as shown in a Nature Ecology & Evolution article with four co-authors from Stockholm University.

GEOEO expedition heading northwards in the Arctic

August 7, 2024, Johan Nilsson. Oden has just begun its journey northwards from Pituffik (formerly Thule). Oden was anchored in the fjord outside Pituffik Air Base, which is the northernmost location with permanent residents in western Greenland.

The 5th International PalaeoArc Conference and the Bolin Centre RT1-RT3 workshop at KVA

The 5th International PalaeoArc Conference was organized at Stockholm University, The Swedish Museum of Natural History and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences over three days (Monday May 27–Wednesday May 29). It attracted 103 scientists (28% early career) from 17 countries, mainly from Europe but also North America and Asia. The conference was organized by staff from the Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University and The Natural History Museum. The conference was co-sponsored by the Bolin Centre Research Theme 3 “Past Climates” as well as Arctic Avenue, a spearhead Arctic research collaboration between the University of Helsinki and Stockholm University.

Future Heavier Summer Rainfall and Its Impact on Permafrost Thaw

Understanding the Link Between Precipitation and Permafrost Carbon Feedback.

Heading for Greenland to study melting glaciers

In August, the icebreaker Oden will go to northern Greenland's hard-to-reach waters. Researchers on board will study how much and how rapidly melting glaciers can contribute to raising global sea levels.

Wild birds possess genetic predispositions to learn population-specific songs

Genetic predispositions guide population-specific song learning in wild birds, shows new research from Stockholm University. By studying adult pied flycatchers that had been translocated as eggs from the Netherlands to Sweden, the researchers found that the songs of translocated birds resembled both their social environment in Sweden as well as their ancestral Dutch population. These results show how genetic differences can impact cultural change in birdsong and how they can together, contribute to mating barriers between bird populations.

Prehistoric storms and people in the Inner Hebrides

A small team of geologists and archaeologists from Stockholm University have just finished a field expedition to the Scottish island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides to look at the peat.

"ARTofMELT WP 10 insides" by Julia Muchowski

The expedition ARTofMELT2023 (Atmospheric Rivers and the Onset of Sea Ice Melt 2023), led by researchers from Stockholm University, is embarking on a research expedition to the central Arctic Ocean. The aim is to gather unique observations of the processes that govern the transition from winter to summer in the high Arctic.

Stockholm researchers one step closer to large satellite project

The European Space Agency ESA is set to select the next major satellite program. Researchers at Stockholm University are behind one of the four main candidates.

1st ARTofMELT 2023 Open Science Conference

April 22-24, 2024 at Stockholm University, DeGeer Salen, Geohuset

Welcome to our three new Bolin Fellows!

The Bolin Centre would like to welcome Jingyuan Li, Mohammad Razmjooei, and Marc Fradera-Solar to the community, as they will be joining us this spring as Bolin Fellows. We are very much looking forward to having you be part of the organization.

Research Project Spotlight: Putting Locals First in River Conservation

In today's world where environmental conservation is acknowledged as a top priority, it's vital to recognize the close ties between communities and their rivers for achieving sustainable development.

13 Wallenberg Scholars to Stockholm University

Stockholm University has been awarded 13 Wallenberg Scholars, 5 new and 8 with extended funding, by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Eutrophication expert on the HELCOM 50-anniversary: “Unique cooperation well worth celebrating”

22 March 2024 marks the 50-year anniversary of the first Helsinki convention that led to the formation of the Helsinki Commission – HELCOM. “Without the successful cooperation in HELCOM, the Baltic Sea would likely be in a much worse shape today”, comments researcher Bo Gustafsson, whose modelling team has made important contributions to the development of Baltic Sea Action Plan.

Lakes are getting drier in southern Sweden

How does climate change and human activities affect lakes in Sweden? A new study from Stockholm University reveals changes in water levels across 144 lakes in Sweden using satellite data and water level stations.

Professor Örjan Gustafsson joins prestigious Pontifical Academy of Sciences

In acknowledgment of his groundbreaking work in environmental science, Örjan Gustafsson, Professor of Biogeochemistry at the Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, has been appointed by Pope Francis to join the illustrious ranks of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS), the Vatican announced on 8 March.

The sun rises over the Barents Sea

During the four weeks I have followed the CAESAR field campaign in Kiruna, the meteorological conditions have still not been ideal to study the phenomena we are interested in – Could Air Outbreaks. But we still have got six flights and now conditions are turning more favorable.

Swedish national citizens’ assembly on climate kicks off

How should Sweden lower its emissions to be in line with the Paris Agreement? This question is at the core as Sweden’s first national citizens’ assembly on climate starts in March 2024.

Gia Destouni elected as a member of the Academy of Athens

Gia Destouni, Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources at Stockholm University, has been elected as a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens.

The Gulf Stream | New study questioned

Frederik Schenk and Léon Chafik explain, on SVT Rapport, why the results of the new study are questioned.

Flying laboratory has landed in Kiruna

An American Hercules airplane visits Kiruna until the beginning of April. The visit is part of a research project to better understand outbreaks of cold air over the Arctic.

Winners of climate and health competition

The winners have been determined for the climate and health competition within the Stockholm Trio collaboration.

Bridging skies and fields: two Indian students’ journey to empower farmers with accurate forecasts

In the lush landscapes of India, where over 50% of the population depends on agriculture, weather forecasts can mean the difference between prosperity and devastation. Two Indian PhD students, Rahul Ranjan and Shubham Singh, friends with a shared passion for meteorology, are pioneering a transformation in weather forecasting to support these farmers. Their journey, from the halls of Stockholm- and Lund Universities in Sweden back to the rural heartlands of India, is a story of creativity, dedication, and hope.

Stop raising the alarm that the Gulf Stream is collapsing

Melting glaciers add fresh water that could cause the Gulf Stream to change direction, according to a computer simulation. But it is far from certain that it will happen in reality, writes Léon Chafik in Forskning & Framsteg.

Project Grant 2022 – Feedbacks between a changing climate and vegetation

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has published a report on Ilona Riipinen's project Mapping the unexplored impact of forest on climate.

IGV researchers in Vetenskapen värld on SVT

Malin Kylander and Jenny Sjöström in SVT Vetenskapen värld.

Registration is now open! Three questions to David Wårlind about Swedish Climate Symposium

On 15–17 May, the second edition of the Swedish Climate Symposium will take place in Norrköping. The symposium offers is a unique opportunity for scholars and societal actors to seek greater scientific understanding of climate change and its consequences for the environment and society. David Wårlind is part of the steering group for the symposium, and we asked him three questions about why you don't want to miss the opportunity to participate.

New study sheds new light on forests' role in climate and water cycle

Forests, which cover a third of Earth's land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from Stockholm University and international colleagues provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle.

Aerosol-cloud project will increase reliability of climate models

There are large gaps in the knowledge of the relationship between aerosols and clouds, which makes it the largest uncertainty factor in climate models. Annica Ekman, Department of Meteorology, and Paul Zieger, Department of Environmental Science, have received funding for the project ”Clouds and climate transitioning to post-fossil aerosol regime: CleanCloud” from Horizon Europe. The project aims at substantially increasing the knowledge about the interplay between aerosols and clouds and improving the representation of related processes in climate models.

Kevin Noone's Journey: A call for scientists to shape the future of climate research

An insight into Professor Noone's involvement with Bolin Centre

Student Competition

Climate and Health: A Vision for Stockholm 2029

2023 ett rekordvarmt år globalt

Erik Kjellström och Kevin Noone i en intervju gällande Copernicus rapport om att 2023 var ett rekordvarmt år.

Can COP28 be considered a success?

The UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties 2023, commonly referred to as COP28, just wrapped up in Dubai, UAE. Director Gustaf Hugelius attended the conference, representing the Bolin Centre and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), who hosted two Cryosphere Pavilions – one Exhibition Pavilion and a Side Event Pavilion, sponsored by the center.

The 15th Bolin Days – Three days of knowledge sharing and opportunities for collaboration

The Bolin Centre for Climate Research just wrapped up its 15th Bolin Days, an annual internal conference for our members. With over 200 members registered, the conference started off on November 28th with a day dedicated to early career researchers, called the ECR Day.

Researchers to COP28 participants: Include the role of the oceans in climate work

The ocean has a major impact on the development of the climate, and the ongoing climate summit is the time to highlight this until now undervalued resource. So writes three professors at Stockholm University in a newly published Opinion piece addressed to the participants of COP28.

Now you can submit your contribution to the Swedish Climate Symposium

In May 2022 SMHI co-organised the first ever The Swedish Climate Symposium. The symposium offered interesting sessions, opportunities to meet and a visit from HRH Crown Princess Victoria. In May 2024 it is time for a new symposium and now you can submit your abstract.

New State of the Cryosphere 2023 report from ICCI

The International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), of which vice-director Gustaf Hugelius is a part of, has recently released a new State of the Cryosphere report. The report underlines the urgency and importance of recognizing the fact that we cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice. It stresses that 1.5°C is the only option, and that the 2 °C target put forward by the Paris agreement is way too high.

Two Bolin Centre members on the Highly Cited Researchers list

Associate professor Stefano Manzoni as well as professor and vice-director Gustaf Hugelius have been selected on the list of Highly Cited Researchers 2023 – congratulations!

Revealing the Bolin Centre’s ambitious Strategic Plan for 2023-2027

The Bolin Centre for Climate Research are glad to share that the new strategic plan for 2023-2027 is now published and in effect.

Bolin Centre members granted funding from VR and FORMAS – Congratulations!

We are thrilled to announce that 16 members of the Bolin Centre for Climate Research recently got approved funding from the Swedish Research Council (VR) and the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS). In total, 20 projects were funded and a whopping 67 million SEK was granted to researchers affiliated with the Bolin Centre.

Strong impact on air quality by the Kagghamra fire revealed in new study

A recent study conducted by researchers from the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University has shed new light on the impact of the Kagghamra fire, which occurred south of Stockholm in December 2020, on the air quality of nearby residential areas.

Master Student Grant at Tarfala Research Station

Master students are welcome to apply to cover field work cost at TRS for a master thesis.

Interested in climate, oceans, and the environment?

Imagine a world where the climate is in balance, allowing rich ecosystems to thrive with a diversity of plants and animals.

Methane levels are rising – could it be nature's response to warming?

Jeremy Wilks from Euronews visits Askö research base in Sweden, and meets with scientists who are investigating a methane mystery!

Universities are needed in sustainability work

This year, we are halfway to 2030, when the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be achieved. Where do we stand today and what role should universities play? These questions were central to the Stockholm Trio's Sustainability Forum in Aula Magna.

Major Baltic Sea research initiative - 12 PhD positions open

Within a new graduate school in ocean, climate and environmental issues, 12 doctoral students will be admitted at several of Stockholm University's departments.

ForskarFredag 2023

Bolin Centre presents climate research to high school children in interactive exhibits

Transformative discussion: Investigating a gender perspective in climate research

The event, " Investigating a gender perspective in climate research" provided crucial platform for early-stage researchers in Bolin Centre for Climate Research to explore the intersection of gender and climate.

The smell of the sea – a key to understanding climate change?

How does the smell of the sea impact the world’s climate? This question lies at the heart of the Cyano-VOC research project. Within this endeavour, aerosol chemists collaborate with microbiologists to investigate the volatile organic compounds emitted by cyanobacteria and other plankton residing along the coastlines of the Baltic Sea.

Extensive methane gas leakage from the deepest seabed of the Baltic Sea

During a research expedition led by Linnaeus University and Stockholm University to the deepest parts of the Baltic Sea in the Landsort Deep researchers recently discovered an area with extensive emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane from the bottom sediments.

New project aims to fill in critical knowledge gaps in the global carbon cycle

The focus is on mapping carbon storage in permafrost and on modelling microbial responses to changes in environmental conditions.

Important insights on black carbon in Arctic clouds

For the first time, researchers can show directly over the course of all seasons, how much black carbon can be found inside Arctic clouds. These insights are important to better understand how clouds and aerosol particles interact in the Arctic environment.

Hans is "the perfect storm" & globalwarming contributed

Two storms have merged and created "a perfect storm", Hans, over Sweden and Norway. Frederik Schenk tells us about it.

Climate model “family trees” reduce biases in study results

MISU researchers Peter Kuma, Frida Bender and Aiden Jönsson have developed a computer-based genealogy of climate models, with focus on atmospheric processes, that will help researchers account for the code relationships among different models. By applying these statistical methods, biases in study results can be reduced.

Aerosol demasking enhances climate warming over South Asia – a potential climate overshoot process

In a new publication, observational constraints showed that removing aerosol air pollution led to climate warming (from Greenhouse Gases, GHG) over South Asia (aerosol demasking of climate warming).

Third report from ARTofMELT

We have now passed the expedition midpoint, and the first half brought a mix of experiences. The ice has been much harder and more difficult than expected.

Microbes key to sequestering carbon in soil

With implications for both mitigating climate change and improving soil health for agriculture and food production.

Study shows increased intensity of the atmospheric hydrological cycle in the Southern Ocean

Researchers have used a 30-year time series to analyze how surface salinity in the Southern Ocean has changed. By studying changes in ocean surfaces properties the researchers were able to trace back to the processes behind salinity changes.

Researchers from Europe meet at Store Mosse – for the sake of climate research

During three days, over 20 researchers from institutions across Europe came to Store Mosse National Park to discuss ongoing research in the park and nearby sites.

The effect of drought on the production of nectar

For the first time researchers at Stockholm University investigate the effects of soil amendments, i.e. compost, on floral resources in grasslands and the effects of drought.

Climate Arena hosts workshop on policy measures for a climate-responsible world by 2045

The Bolin Centre Climate Arena held a workshop on March 22nd, 2023, “Backcasting to our current reality” to identify policy measures and actions necessary for a climate-responsible world by 2045. Participatory backcasting, a normative approach that works backward from a desired endpoint, was used. "Must-haves" elements identified include new systems for the economy, education, legislation, politics, and communication.

Babies or beauty?

When resources are scarce, most animals have to choose. A new study reveals an ancient origin to how female butterflies invest.

Measurements reveal the impact of air pollution on climate and health in southern Asia

Researchers from the Department of Environmental Science are involved in the operation of two strategically placed measurement stations in the Maldives and Bangladesh, which capture air pollutants that affect people’s health and the climate. These pollutants come from diverse sources across the Indian subcontinent, which the research is seeking to pinpoint.

On contributing to landmark IPCC report:

“The more involved you are, the more you learn, the better a researcher you become”

Nina Kirchner – glaciologist in battle against time

Tarfala research station is one of the world's most beautiful workplaces, but also one of the most challenging. Nina Kirchner, new director of Tarfala, recently returned from the spring fieldwork season. Now, the next phase will begin, in which the research data is analysed.

Ulf produces parts for a polar expedition

After the closure of the Central Workshop at Frescati, some tasks have been transferred to the Technical Department at Fysikum. Ulf Ahlberg, a new employee at the department's mechanical workshop, is delivering parts for a lab container that will travel with the icebreaker Oden to the Arctic in the spring.

Flammable ice of profit and doom

Methane hydrate clogs pipelines, is difficult to extract profitably, and exists in quantities sufficient to screw up Earth’s climate. Brett Thornton and Christian Stranne, from the Department of Geological Sciences and Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University, consider this confounding cage compound.

A record number of arctic foxes were born in 2022

In 2022, a record number of arctic foxes were born in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The inventory, in which researchers at Stockholm University have a leading role, shows 164 new fox litters.

Multidisciplinary marine science effort to secure future sustainable water resources on Gotland

The Formas Scientific Council has awarded SEK 14.5 million to Inga Monika Koszalka, to lead a multidisciplinary project on forecasts of algae blooms, and their impact on water resources on Gotland.

New study: Methane emissions offset carbon uptake in Baltic macroalgae habitats

Bladderwrack in the Baltic Sea emits significant amounts of methane, which, to some extent, can offset the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by these algae. This is shown by a new study from Askö Laboratory, where the fluxes of greenhouse gases between surface waters and the atmosphere were measured continuously over several seasons.

Researcher wants to reach out with research results during COP27

Gustaf Hugelius at the Bolin Centre for Climate Research is one of the researchers participating in the COP27 summit. His hope is to be able to share important research results to decision-makers, officials and organizations.

Drylands: complex ecosystems under increasing climatic and anthropogenic pressures

New review article in Nature Climate Change, on recent advances in the study of dryland productivity and major outstanding debates on dryland responses to environmental changes.

The Bolin Centre asked high school students how they can minimize their own impact on the climate

On Friday, September 30, the Bolin Center participated together with the Baltic Sea Centre at Stockholm University in ForskarFredag.

Thawing permafrost missing from climate negotiations

On 28 February, the IPCC presented a new climate report. But what is required for adaptation measures to be perceived as legitimate and fair? That question is the focus of Lisa Dellmuth's research.

New base and new directors at the Bolin Centre

As of 1 January 2022, the Bolin Centre for Climate Research is based at the Department of Environmental Science. Professor Ilona Riipinen from the Department of Environmental Science and Associate Professor Gustaf Hugelius from the Department of Physical Geography are the Centre’s new directors.

Rettig Prize to Bolin Centre member Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist

The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities has awarded Associate Professor Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist the Rettig Prize 2022 for his “interdisciplinary works concerning climate and diseases in a long-term perspective that demonstrate the importance of humanistic and historical perspectives on crucial contemporary issues”. The prize sum is 250.000 SEK.

COP26 in Glasgow – there and back again

Alasdair Skelton was in Glasgow during the second week of COP26. A media team from Stockholm university followed in his steps to get a picture of what it is like to be a climate scientist, balancing the role of the researcher and the role of personal engagement for change.

Climate scientists present in Glasgow. How did the research contribute?

In what way did the research at Stockholm University contribute to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow? Several of Stockholm University's climate researchers were present during the climate meeting. What was it like to sit in on the negotiations? What did the researchers take home? See four filmed interviews with Karin Bäckstrand, Alasdair Skelton, Suanne Segovia and Ayşem Mert.

FORCeS: Towards narrowing uncertainty of aerosol forcing on climate

On a crisp morning in October 2019, some of Europe’s most prominent climate scientists gathered inside Geovetenskapens hus at Frescati Campus, Stockholm University, to attend the inaugural meeting about FORCeS (Constrained Aerosol Forcing for Improved Climate Projections).

Earth orbit variations effect on climates and biomes during one major climate transition

By comparing the results of simulations of the climate of the Eocene and Oligocene epochs, describing different configurations of the Earth's orbit, a study published in the journal Science Advances, shows the role of these orbital variations in the ancient climate variability and their influence on the vegetation cover. Scientists from IPGP, CEREGE, CNRS, University of Paris and their colleagues identify major environmental changes in tropical areas and along certain dispersal corridors, which may have had an implication in the migration of fauna at the time. Bolin Centre researcher Natasha Barbolini is co-author in the study.

Mountain and Polar Groups Seek Urgent COP-26 Decision

Climate talks lacking knowledge of permanent global impacts from glacier and ice sheet loss.

Eos article show-casing the Bolin Centre-supported 'Miocene Temperature Portal'

Helen Coxall (Department of geological sciences) and Margret Steinthorsdottir (the Natural History Museum), together with collaborators from the UK and USA just published an article in the Journal Eos describing their latest collaborative effort to build an interactive platform for cataloguing palaeo ocean temperature proxy data.

Urban butterflies and moths have evolved adaptations that extend their flight season

A new study shows that butterflies and moths tend to be active later in the fall in urban than in rural environments. Experiments demonstrate that their response to seasonal variation in day length has evolved, resulting in a later start of the overwintering state, called diapause, in urban populations.

European forest microclimates mapped at high resolution

A new paper, published in Global Change Biology and co-authored by researchers from the Dept. of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences at Stockholm University, provides novel high-resolution Europe-wide maps for monthly sub-canopy temperatures. These maps are very valuable for ecological modelling and research on climate change impacts on biodiversity. The study utilized a newly established global microclimate database (SoilTemp), for which new contributions are always welcome.

Climate modelling at the Bolin Centre

Numerical models of the global climate system are essential tools in research carried out at the Bolin Centre. Earth system models are used across the research areas to study topics covering deep ocean circulation, land surface processes, atmospheric composition and dynamics and upper atmospheric physics. Bolin Centre researchers also participate in the development of the next generation of Earth System Models. The modelling coordination team at the centre ascertains that the necessary computational resources are available for the Bolin Centre researchers to be able to carry out this work.

The rocky road to accurate sea-level predictions

– dirt and water under Greenland control future sea-level rise

Reports from SAS polar expedition 2021

Aerosols and climate modelling – meet new Bolin member Sara Blichner

In May this year, Sara Blichner started as a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Environmental Science. Earlier, when working on her PhD in meteorology at the University of Oslo, she had been in contact with Ilona Riipinen, and Stockholm University became an attractive next step. She has contributed to the latest IPCC report and is now involved in EU’s FORCeS project, which tries to understand and reduce the long-standing uncertainty in anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing.

Kebnekaise’s south peak continues to melt – two metres lower than last year

On August 14, 2021, the southern peak of Sweden´s highest mountain Kebnekaise was measured at 2 094,6 meters above sea level by researchers at Tarfala Research Station. This is the lowest height that has been measured since the measurements started in the 1940s, and almost two meters lower than the corresponding time last year.

AI for Energy and Climate Security Award to Stockholm University, KTH & Uni. of Illinois Consortium

The award has been granted to Stockholm University (Bolin Centre for Climate Research; Navarino Environmental Observatory) researchers Zahra Kalantari (also at KTH), Carla Ferreira and Gia Destouni at the Department of Physical Geography and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the project “Optimization of Agricultural Management for Soil Carbon Sequestration Using Deep Reinforcement Learning and Large-Scale Simulations”.

New study maps out how fast the ice retreated in the region Skåne-Småland-Öland during 725 years

By using newly collected cores of sediments from the sea-bottom in the region between Öland and the Swedish mainland, new onshore samples in Blekinge and Skåne, and digitizing unpublished varve data from 1900-1985, researchers have mapped out how fast the ice retreated during the last ice age. The results suggest rapid ice retreat around 15000 years ago. The retreat was 3-5 times faster offshore compared to onshore.

AI-powered knowledge integration to carbon-neutral cities

New funding to researchers at Stockholm University from Formas for the four-year project "AI-based knowledge integration for the conversion of cities and communities to climate neutrality".

Methane releases from the East Siberian Arctic Ocean

Extensive release of methane from sediments of the world’s largest continental shelf, the East Siberian Arctic Ocean (ESAO), is one of the few Earth system processes that can cause a net transfer of carbon from land/ocean to the atmosphere and thus amplify global warming on the timescale of this century.

New study: Thick sea-ice warms Greenland fjords

A new study shows that thick sea-ice can increase the sensitivity of Greenlandic fjords to climate warming. Understanding the factors that control how fast glaciers move, break up and deposit chunks of ice (icebergs) into the fjords—and eventually the sea—is vital for predicting how the Greenland ice sheet will change under a warming climate and for predicting global rates of sea-level rise.

Scientists from Research Area 6 launched the Miocene Temperature Portal

On the 26the April 2021, scientists from Bolin Centre Research Area 6 (Deep Time Climates) and international collaborators launched the Miocene Temperature Portal (https://bolin.su.se/data/miocene-temperature-portal), which allows investigators interested in the Miocene to access and share published proxy temperature records from the marine realm. The portal is now open and ready for use.

Welcome to use the data in the newly installed Rossby and Bolin Centre data libraries

The Rossby Centre has a large CMIP model-data library, which is continuously expanded with more datasets. Bolin Centre members outside the Rossby Centre are welcome to access and use this data. The Bolin Centre library contains ERA5 reanalysis data, currently close to 10 years of 6 hourly atmospheric vertically resolved fields.

Two Bolin Centre scientists on Reuters Hot List of the world’s top-1000 climate scientists

Bolin Centre researchers Erik Kjellström and Gia Destouni are on Reuters Hot List of the world’s top-1000 climate scientists. The list ranks climate academics according to how influential they are. Erik Kjellström ranks 765 and Gia Destouni ranks 908.

New study on lockdown measures, greenhouse gas emissions and quality of life

Together with colleagues at Karolinska Institutet, Bolin Centre scientists Alasdair Skelton and Kevin Noone just published an article titled “Lockdown measures which reduced greenhouse gas emissions with little negative impact on quality of life”.

New study for the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) by Bolin researcher

A new study by Bolin Centre scientists Fernando Jaramillo and colleagues assesses the potential slow onset risks occurring in Sweden due to climate change by the year 2050 and map these risks spatially.

New report released to the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Arctic States

Gustaf Hugelius is lead author for a new report titled Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands. It was released in May to the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Arctic States.

Patterns Identification and Data Mining in Weather and Climate

Bolin Centre scientist Abdelwaheb Hannachi have published a new book titled Patterns Identification and Data Mining in Weather and Climate.

New report: Impacts of Short-lived Climate Forcers on Arctic Climate, Air Quality, and Human Health

Bolin scientists Annica Ekman, Srinath Krishnan and Hans Christen Hansson, together with international colleagues, have contributed to a Summary for Policy Makers published by The Arctic Council’s working group Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program.

The complexity of Arctic wetland systems in a changing climate

A recent scientific paper published in the journal WIREs WATER investigates the structure and functioning of Arctic wetland systems in order to understand the process chains and feedback mechanisms caused by climate change.

Succeeding at home and abroad: accounting for the international spillovers of cities’ SDG actions

Cities are vital for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). However, different local strategies to advance on the same SDG may cause different ‘spillovers’ elsewhere, writes Bolin Centre scientists David Collste, Sarah E. Cornell, Fernando Jaramillo, Georgia Destouni and colleagues. These spillovers have remote impacts on SDG progress outside national borders. The article presents an example of this.

Time lapse imagery of Ryder glacier

Calving processes at marine terminating glaciers are poorly understood, hindering efforts to reduce the uncertainty of future sea level rise estimates. Observational data is often low resolution and satellite-based, meaning individual calving events cannot be identified. During the Ryder 2019 expedition, a time lapse camera was set up overlooking the calving front of Ryder glacier in order to create a high resolution data set of calving events during a 12-day period.

The forest is a buffer against warming

Understanding how the microclimate varies in space and time is important to predict the effects of climate change, with everything ranging from the distribution of species and how much carbon storage forests can contribute with. This shows a new review published in Global Change Biology.

Time lapse imagery of Lake Tarfala – a new dataset in the Bolin Centre Database

The Bolin Centre Database is a repository for data and source code collected and collated at the Bolin Centre. Recently a new type of dataset, a digital image collection, was published and visualized in the database.

Scientific methods, media coverage, public awareness and climate change

In a Tellus editorial, Bolin researchers Abdelwaheb Hannachi and Hans Christen Hansson discusses a Tellus letter by Caserini et al, that attempts to investigate claims made by a group of scientists and their supporters/signatories by analyzing their scientific credentials.

A new warming phase in the Subpolar North Atlantic

The waters in the Subpolar North Atlantic – the area between Greenland, Iceland and Scotland – are an important part of the Atlantic overturning circulation (popularly known as the Gulf stream) that keeps it running. The area is known for its temperature variations, and data available from the 1950s show that some decades are warmer, other cooler. 2005–2015 has been a cool period, but since 2016 and onwards, scientists now can see the first signs of a new warming period. The results are presented in a new article published in Communications Earth & Environment.

A better understanding of how soil carbon is distributed in the Arctic

Two scientific articles bring a better understanding of the spatial variability of soil organic carbon in the Arctic permafrost region. One article published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles led by Umeå researcher Matthias Siewert, and with Gustaf Hugelius as co-author, is describing how permafrost and periglacial landforms cause a unique variability in Arctic soils. A second article in Science Advances provides a new map for the soil organic carbon stored in the circumpolar permafrost region.

Top 10 insights in climate science in 2020 selected by 57 leading global researchers

The peer-reviewed article 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2020 – a Horizon Scan, published in the journal Global Sustainability summarizes some of the past year’s most important findings within climate change-related research.Gustaf Hugelius at Bolin Centre for Climate Research is lead author on the part on greenhouse gas emissions from permafrost.

SMHI: Revised definition of the climatological normal, most recent one becoming 1991–2020

As from January 1st, 2021, a new climatological normal is applied, which refers to the years 1991–2020. Climatological normal are used for describing the present climate and how it has changed compared to earlier climatological normals.

Demise of a glacier, uncovering a fjord

When the last ice age was over, a large glacier covering the 1000 meter deep Hardangerfjord collapsed. These events at the end of the ice age in Norway, resemble what we are about to witness in today’s Greenland.

Skewness of Temperature Data Implies an Abrupt Change in the Climate System Between 1985 and 1991

In a new study, Bolin scientists Alasdair Skelton and Nina Kircher, and Ingrid Kockum at Karolinska Institutet find evidence of a sudden change in the climate that affected Europe and probably occurred between 1985 and 1991.

New study highlights shortcomings in current modelling of water uptake by aerosols

Atmospheric aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the air that represent one of the greatest uncertainties in our knowledge about climate change. Earth system models are the scientists’ best tool to forecast future scenarios of climate change but they require accurate information to produce reliable predictions.

Large local effect but small global climate impact of Nord Stream

The leakage of methane gas from the Nord Stream pipelines has a large local effect on ocean chemistry, but the global climate impact is likely to be small. This according to geochemist Volker Brüchert at Stockholm University.

Funding of small grants (seed money) from RT4 | Climate, Ecosystems and Biodiversity

We hereby announce an open call for applications of the 2022th seed money from RT4

Plants can resist climate change challenges and recover by adjusting lignin “chemical code"

A new study shows that we can create and/or select plants that can better recover from drought without affecting the size of the plant or seed yield by genetically modifying their lignin chemistry. These results could be used in both agriculture and forestry to tackle future climate challenges.

Launch of the MATS satellite

The new Swedish research satellite MATS will be launched by RocketLab from the space port in Mahia, New Zealand, in November 2022. After several years of development and delays, lastly due to a cancelled Russian launch, the MATS satellite will finally get into orbit and start collecting data.

CoastClim partnership signed at the Askö Laboratory anniversary in presence of the Crown Princess

An anniversary is of course about looking back, but just as much about looking forward, stated Stockholm University President Astrid Söderberg Widding at the recent 60th anniversary of the Askö Laboratory. One important composition of the future Baltic Sea science is the foundation of the CoastClim centre, that binds together both climate and marine research and the universities of Stockholm and Helsinki.

Extreme variability in coastal methane emissions could have large effects on carbon budgets

Carbon uptake by coastal ecosystems is a hot topic. The so-called ‘blue carbon’ is considered an essential part of nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change and offers opportunities for carbon trading and offset schemes. But new research on methane emissions from coastal ecosystems raises caution – the variability of these emissions is much larger than previously assumed, which implies that upscaled global carbon budgets may be far from realistic.

Aiming for fair climate adaptation

On 28 February, the IPCC presented a new climate report. But what is required for adaptation measures to be perceived as legitimate and fair? That question is the focus of Lisa Dellmuth's research.

Study finds airborne microplastics can impact climate change

Airborne microplastics may have a minor cooling effect on the climate by reflecting solar radiation. However, as plastic continues to accumulate, a stronger climate effect could be exerted in the future.

Forskning från Stockholms universitet bakom IPCC:s rapport

Det finns en starkare koppling mellan klimatförändringar och extremväder än man tidigare kunnat påvisa. Utvecklingen går också snabbare än väntat och vi riskerar att nå 1,5 graders uppvärmning redan i början av 2030-talet. Det visar första delen av FN:s klimatrapport från IPCC, som bygger på forskning från bland annat Stockholms universitet.

New research centre brings marine and climate researchers together for more accurate climate models

A major research funding initiative from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation will enable Finnish and Swedish climate and marine researchers to bring together their expertise and infrastructure. Within CoastClim, the aim is to find out more about ocean–atmosphere interaction and its effects on the climate.

New research centre brings marine and climate researchers together for more accurate climate models

A major research funding initiative from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation will enable Finnish and Swedish climate and marine researchers to bring together their expertise and infrastructure. Within CoastClim, the aim is to find out more about ocean–atmosphere interaction and its effects on the climate.

Donation in support of Tarfala Research Station

A fundraising campaign by employees at Google in the USA and Sweden has led to a donation of 101,000 SEK to research at Tarfala Research Station.

Paul Crutzen – en enastående forskare

Nobelpristagaren Paul Crutzen har gått ur tiden. Han studerade, disputerade och forskade inom meteorologi vid Stockholms universitet fram till 1970-talet. År 1995 tilldelades han Nobelpriset i kemi för sina upptäckter om jordens ozonlager.

Humanitarian needs crucial for UN disaster relief after climate disasters

A new study published in PNAS finds that aid provided by the United Nations (UN) in the aftermath of climate-related disasters is driven by humanitarian need rather than by strategic donor interests. The results underline the importance of climate-related hazards for understanding aid disbursements.