About the research topic
In a future warmer climate, we expect atmospheric and hydrological extremes to become more intense, with stronger winds, more winter precipitation, and more severe summer droughts. The Group in Physical and Environmental Geography studies both modern atmospheric and hydrological processes and the changing frequency of geohazards in the past, to better understand the connection between geohazards and natural and anthropogenic climate change. Some of the most devastating natural disasters in Norwegian history were caused by rock avalanches triggering tsunamis in fjords and lakes, and these types of extreme events can be difficult to predict without knowledge of local bedrock geology and long-term landscape development. Similarly, to understand the trigger mechanisms behind quick-clay landslides, we need to examine the full history leading up to the event, from the deposition of marine clay during deglaciation to modern human activities. In Physical Geography, we seek to understand these connections by combining knowledge of geology with the processes that shape Earth’s surface across different timescales.
Sediments and related landforms deposited by wind, along with evidence of wind erosion (deflation), are very useful for reconstructing changes in the strength and direction of the prevailing wind and extreme storms. The group in Physical and Environmental Geography studies aeolian sand and related dune systems, as well as the origin (provenance) of fine-grained wind-deposited sediments dominated by silt (loess), to understand how the prevailing winds have changed from the end of the last ice age to the present.
