The FreshNor project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers' Arctic Co-operation Programme. It addresses the need for a co-ordinated effort within the Nordic countries to improve the understanding of the hydrological cycle in the Nordic Seas and in climate change model simulations for the Nordic countries and the Arctic region.

Results of the FreshNor project will be presented during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen.

At the stand of the Nordic Council of Ministers in the "Bella Center" on 11-12 December 2009.

At the stand of the Nordic Council of Ministers at the "Arctic Venue" side event, Nordatlantens Brygge, on 14-18 December 2009.

Furthermore, there will be an oral presentation by FreshNor project leader, Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen, at 15.00 on 17 December 2009 at the "Arctic Venue" side event.

FreshNor results

Click on the links below to download:

FreshNor leaflet presented at COP15 (pdf, 2.3M)

Handout presented at COP15 (pdf, 3.3M)

Project report, 2009 (pdf, 5.3M)

 

White Paper on Nordic Climate Modelling

During FreshNor, Nordic climate modellers have realised that the high degree of complementarity in research agendas offers an opportunity for much stronger collaboration on modelling beyond the FreshNor activities. This has resulted in a Nordic white paper on climate modelling issued and meant to serve as a background paper for the recent Toppforskningsinitiativet.

The white paper can be found here (link).

Introduction

The global water cycle is an integral part of the Earth system. It plays a central role in global atmospheric circulations, controlling the global energy cycle (through the release of latent heat) as well as the carbon, nutrient and sediment cycles. Increasing CO₂ levels and temperatures are intensifying the global hydrological cycle, with an overall net increase of rainfall, runoff and evapotranspiration, and are projected to increasingly do so. This may in turn lead to more droughts and large-scale flooding events, while the ocean will be affected by changes in runoff, surface fluxes and ice cover.

About FreshNor

The FreshNor project is a co-ordinated effort within the Nordic countries to improve the understanding and description of the hydrological cycle in the Nordic Seas, in climate change model simulations for the Arctic region, and for the Nordic countries in climate change scenarios. This work involves improving existing atmospheric regional climate models (RCMs) for the Nordic regions as well as for the Arctic. The intention is to enhance the ongoing development of a regional modelling system with components of the entire climate system, e.g. incorporating all of the following components:

• Atmosphere
• Oceans
• Sea ice
• Cryosphere
• Biosphere
• Lakes and rivers
• Soils

The figure to the left shows a sketch of the regional coverage adopted in FreshNor. A list of the objectives can be found here (link).