CRiceS - how sea ice and snow affect our climate future

The Arctic and Antarctic are experiencing rapid, man-made climate changes that are different from those found elsewhere on the globe. Projections for the 21st century show a significant reduction of sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic, which is expected to affect people in the Arctic and society outside the polar regions. The project CRiceS, or "Climate-relevant interactions and feedbacks: the key role of sea ice and snow in the polar and global climate system", will investigate how the changes in polar regions affect the climate, and how new knowledge can be used to improve the global climate models.

CRiceS brings together 21 international research teams from Europe, Canada, South Africa, India and Russia, each of which is a leader in parts of polar and global climate research.

Norwegian researchers contribute.

"Participation in CRiceS reflects the breadth of Norwegian climate and polar research", says senior researcher at CICERO Marianne Tronstad Lund, who leads one of the work packages in CRiceS. "We have experts on atmosphere, ocean, snow and ice from three Norwegian research institutes: CICERO Center for Climate Research, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and the University of Bergen".

To understand the entirety of the global climate changes we are now experiencing, it is crucial to study the details of the polar climate processes, such as feedback mechanisms. "Models are our most important tool for understanding and predicting climate change," says Marianne Tronstad Lund. "CRiceS uses a unique interdisciplinary approach to deliver improved descriptions of polar processes and how they operate in the Earth system".

The rapid climate changes in the Arctic have major consequences for nature, ecosystems, and society. An important part of the project is therefore to translate climate projections into concrete information about future climate risk.

"Through CRiceS, we will map upcoming changes in nature and climate in the Arctic and find out the consequences for specific sectors and societies, in and outside the region" - says Bjørn H. Samset, senior researcher at CICERO and responsible for two of the new project's planned deliveries.

Cross-sectional research for more precise knowledge

CRiceS brings together a broad team of researchers, with backgrounds in climate physics, chemistry, biology and more, who will together study the role that the polar regions play in the climate system. "We believe that our integrated approach, including experts in both modeling and observations, will help us understand not only the polar processes, but also how the polar systems are linked to the global climate and society", says Risto Makkonen, coordinator of the project and research professor at FMI (Finnish Meteorological Institute)

CRiceS aims to improve how polar processes are described in climate models. “After all, global climate models are the most important tool for predicting future changes in polar and global climate systems. Improved models will be able to simulate detailed processes and especially the interactions and coupling of polar systems, such as the ocean, sea ice and atmosphere, emphasizes Risto Makkonen.

Research in support of a sustainable future and climate measures

The project will receive 8 million Euros from the EU and will be carried out in the period 2021-2025. The EU's research program Horizon 2020 finances projects that support the transition to a sustainable low-emission society, in line with the Paris Agreement.

The EU has taken an extensive role in polar research by coordinating joint Arctic and Antarctic cooperation initiatives, and finances polar research projects with a total of around 200 million Euros through Horizon 2020.

Read more and find news from the project here: Home (crices-h2020.eu)