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The University of Copenhagen's Climate and Sustainability Research and Researchers

There is a strong focus on climate and sustainability research at the University of Copenhagen.

The University of Copenhagen's Climate Panel identified twelve key areas where the University has especially strong competencies.  

The areas in the below present an overview of the wide range of climate research areas at the University of Copenhagen. A list of contact persons who can provide you with further information is also provided for each competence.

1. Earth System Science
2. Atmospheric Science
3. Global warming and the Cryosphere
4. Natural Resources Management
5. Agriculture, Environment and Food Security also in Developing Countries
6. The Food System
7. Bioenergy
8. Water Resources, Stability and Human Health
9. Biodiversity and Ecology
10. Human Health
11. Environmental Governance
12. Security, Risk Analysis, Migration 

1. Earth System Science

Earth System Science ranges from studying the bio-geo-chemical cycles in nature to making models of the earth system.
Areas of main interest:

• GCM-models which simulate the basic dynamic and bio-geo-chemical processes in the atmosphere, oceans and on land. The models are used for simulating the past, the present, and the future climate.
  
  
• Field campaigns and theory of the effects of surface fluxes of the greenhouse gasses CO2, CH4, and N2O. 
  
  
• Impact of the structure of the soil environment on greenhouse gas exchange soil atmosphere.
  
  
• Human-environment interaction: land use change, resource management and economies under changing climate.

2. Atmospheric Science 

Atmospheric Science is studied at the Copenhagen Centre for Atmospheric Research (CCAR).

The following areas are studied:

• How new and more climate friendly compounds can be developed, and how they are degraded in the atmosphere.
  
  
• How different cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are formed and why some particles are much better at forming clouds than other particles.
  
  
• The interaction of stratospheric trace gases with climate change and chemical agents. Studies include determining the atmospheric sources and sinks of other greenhouse gases than CO2, and calculating the implications for the Earth's energy balance such as how the stratospheric ozone is changing as the quantity of ozone-destroying chemicals decreases.
  
  
• The effects of regional pollution on the global atmosphere and the effects of global climate and chemical change on regional air quality and ecosystems.
  
  
• The origin and interpretation of isotope effects on gas-phase reactions.

3. Global warming and the Cryosphere

Climate changes in the past and global warming in the future are strongly connected to the evolution of ice sheets, sea ice and permafrost. The following areas are studied:

• The evolution of the Greenland ice sheet and the related sea level rise.
  
  
• Reconstruction of climate records and greenhouse gas concentrations back in time.
  
  
• Comparison of palaeo climate records from Antarctica and Greenland deep ice cores to gain understanding of the Earth System.
  
• Prediction of the future evolution of ice sheets, sea ice and permafrost in relation to global warming.

4. Natural Resources Management 

In this field of research attention is on the strategies for natural resources management for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The main areas are:

• Environmental planning and regulation.
  
  
• Land use planning/ management and ecosystems services in different landscapes. This includes city regions, cultural and forest landscapes.
  
  
• Sustainable water management and catchment hydrology.
  
  
• Marine ecosystems management.

5. Agriculture, Environment and Food Security also in Developing Countries 

Climate changes require new kinds of human adaptation and mitigation strategies especially in the developing countries, where climate changes some places have huge effects.

Areas of main interest:

• Relation between ecosystems services and livelihoods.
  
  
• The functioning of agro-ecosystems (incl. impact on water management and land degradation).
  
  
• Economic, cultural and institutional conditions for development. 

6. The Food System

The world's food system is highly affected by the climate changes taking place. For example the food production, the economy and the nutritional quality of food are all areas which are studied in order to find out how climate changes affect them:

• Food security and the factors affecting the vulnerability of people to access food.
  
  
• Food, diet and obesity: the measurement of the food structure.

7. Bioenergy

In the field of bioenergy there is focus on four main areas of research:

• The impacts of climate change and climate variation on food production and quality.
  
  
• Reducing the losses of nutrients, greenhouse gases and agrochemicals to the environment.
  
  
• The development of greenhouse gas neutral agriculture.
  
  
• Making models and predicting the relevant agro-biological processes for food, non-food and energy production in conventional and organic production systems.
  
  
• Plant biomass production and processing for bioenergy i.e. heat, power and liquid fuels.
  
  
• Conversion technology from biomass to liquid fuels.
  
  
• Breeding of biomass crops.

8. Water Resources, Stability and Human Health

Water resources are very strongly affected by climate change. This includes quantities, distribution and quality of the water - all of which have a strong impact on ecosystem stability and human health. The research areas includes:

• Water, biomass production and food (local to regional scales, inventories, modeling, forecasting).
  
  
• Hydrology, water balances and geochemistry.
  
  
• Water disasters (flooding, droughts).
  
  
• Water saving technologies (recycling, filtration, irrigation, use of wastewater and water management in the cities).
  
  
• Climate change and water quality as affected by pathogens, fertilizers and pollutants.
  
  
• Water, hygiene, and human diseases.
  
  
• Water, trade, power and policy.

9. Biodiversity and Ecology

The impact of historic, contemporary and future climate on temporal and spatial distribution of life and biological activity on Earth. Distribution of individual species, species assemblages, communities and diversity in the past, today and in the future. The activity of these organisms and consortia under climate change.

• Distribution of life - how does climate interact with evolutionary and ecological mechanisms and processes and what is their relative impact.
  
  
• What will Danish nature look like in the future given climate change - and what will be the species-composition of the Danish fauna and flora.
  
  
• Maintenance of biodiversity (species and communities) - in light of the main negative factor (global land-use change, habitat-destruction, and human resource consumption) what are the relative impact of climate change and how conservation strategies can mitigate such effects. 
• How climate change affects ecosystem functioning and the relationship between organisms and processes. 
• How to change from static plans and strategies to dynamic management with regard to management of Danish nature and species today and in the future.
  
  
• Impact of climate change on the relative impact of invasive species, pest animals and diseases on Danish nature, species, and communities.
  
  
• Ecological mismatch related to climate-induced phonological changes (e.g., non-synchronic changes in arrival of migratory birds and their food resources)

10. Human Health

Human health is deeply affected by climate change. Within this field it is studied how current, emerging and estimated future risks associated with climate change and adaptive strategies affects humans. 

Areas of main focus:

• Health impacts related to energy use and transport systems.
  
  
• Changing patterns of environmental exposures.
  
  
• Changing patterns of infectious diseases.

11. Environmental Governance 

Laws, legal and economic regulatory mechanisms, and processes that affect the way powers are exercised at the global, European and national levels in the field of environmental policies, including climate, energy, trade, natural resources (e.g. water, fish and forest), transport and agriculture.

It embraces the institutional set up as well as action by executive bodies, assemblies (e.g. national parliaments) and judicial bodies (e.g. national courts and tribunals), but also the corporate and citizen context e.g. through participation in the regulatory process.

12. Security, Risk Analysis, Migration

Climate change means new security threats, new risks and migration routs.

• It is important to determine when and where climate change becomes treated as a security issue and which effects it has. This includes establishing what counter actions that are justified through the ‘securitisation' of climate change.
  
  
• The types of risk thinking and threat assessments, which are directly related to climate change issues, must also be established.
  
  
• And determining how climate ‘risks' are compared and connected to other kinds of risks, dangers and threats and through what social and political processes.
  
• Links between climate change and armed conflict. Other military aspects of climate change.
  
  
• The affect climate change has on migration patterns. When migration becomes a security issue for economic, identity or political reasons - risks of violent conflict.