
Climate Hazards
Extreme events and abrupt changes to the climate system.
Research focus
We focus on understanding the causes and dynamics of extreme events and abrupt changes in the climate system, including identifying critical thresholds, understanding how such events develop, and what consequences they have. Furthermore, we are working towards improving predictions of the likelihood, extent and impact of climate hazards, and are collaborating with stakeholders in private and public sectors.
Some of our research questions are:
- How will gradual climate change and thresholds in the climate system impact the frequency and severity of climate hazards?
- How does internal climate variability contribute and influence the extremes? How does model bias influence the prediction of extremes?
- Will the current committed warming trigger abrupt changes in sea level rise due to ice sheet collapse?
- What can we learn from extreme events, circulation changes, and warm climates of the past?
- To what extent can society and industry adapt to extreme events, including flooding, sea level high stands, landslides and storms?
Keywords: Tipping points, extreme weather, sea level rise, abrupt climate changes, glacier stability.
Strategic projects
RISES, Quantifying and understand rates of ice sheet change. Leader Petra Langebroek and Anna Hughes.
CHEX, Climate hazards and extremes. Leaders Asgeir Sorteberg and Lu Li.

Outlook
“The complexity of the climate system makes it challenging to predict climate hazards such as floods, storms, sea-level rise and ecosystem changes”, says Nele Meckler, leader of our Climate Hazard research theme.
“To get a solid understanding, we merge all available information from observations, reconstructions of past climate and climate models run at smaller and smaller scales.”
Climate Hazards research group
Research leader
Nele Meckler
Co-leader
Stephen Outten
Members
Øivind Bergh
Antonio Bonaduce
Rocio Castaño-Primo
David Chandler
Francois Counillon
Basile de Fleurian
Laura Dietrich
Trond Dokken
Vivian Felde
Heiko Goelzer
Haflidi Haflidason
Jenny Sjåstad Hagen
Paul Halas
Johannes Hardeng
Karita Kajanto
Erik Kolstad
Kjersti Konstali
Petra Langebroek
Lu Li
Henriette Linge
Jan Mangerud
Fabio Mangini
Yiwen Mao
Stephanie Mayer
Atle Nesje
Øyvind Paasche
Marie Pontoppidan
Kristin Richter
Sunniva Rutledal
Annette Samuelsen
Alistair Seddon
Rannveig Skoglund
Asgeir Sorteberg
Jørund Strømsøe
Eivind Støren
John-Inge Svendsen
Thomas Thuesen
Tamara Trofimova
Talin Tuestad
Kristian Vasskog
Sonja Wahl
Daniele Zannoni
Tobias Zolles