Biogeochemistry

Biogeochemistry is the science of the processes that govern the distribution of the elements and their compounds throughout the Earth system. Marine biogeochemistry is linked to the other Earth system reservoirs (land, atmosphere, cryosphere). Ocean biogeochemistry plays an important role in climate and sustainability science through the cycling of greenhouse gases, through the marine sediment core record, and through the cycling of nutrients and oxygen. Marine biogeochemistry also studies the distributions of various tracers (dissolved, particulate) in order to learn more about ocean circulation and its time scales. Biogeochemistry is a highly interdisciplinary science, involving biology, chemistry, oceanography and geology, and deals with issues unfolding across several temporal and spatial scales. Our science relies on model simulations as well as field and experimental data.

Affiliation

About the research group

What is the role of the ocean in regulating the atmospheric CO2 concentration and global climate? How do changes in ocean currents, oxygen concentration and pH impact marine ecosystems? How does riverine input of nutrients and carbon influence our coastal seas and fjords? These are some of the questions that the biogeochemistry group at the Geophysical Institute seek to answer. Through work at sea, and with numerical models run at supercomputers, we advance the scientific understanding of marine biogeochemical cycles and their critical roles for global climate, marine ecosystems, and environmental sustainability.

Research activities

Our research focuses on

Projected trends and abrupt changes in marine biogeochemistry and their cascading impacts in the Earth System
Processes that regulate ocean uptake and storage of man-made CO2 in the ocean
Variability and predictability of air-sea CO2 fluxes, marine primary production, and ecosystem drivers

in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Nordic Seas, as well as on global scales.

Field work and numerical models

Measuring the ocean

Ocean CO2 uptake and ocean acidification are quantified through measurements from research vessels, at time series stations and from commercial ships equipped with advanced autonomous instruments. These data are used for our own research and also made available for scientists worldwide through the data synthesis products SOCAT and GLODAP.

Numerical modelling

We take part in the development of the Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM) and Norwegian Climate Prediction Model (NorCPM). These are fully coupled Earth System Models integrating atmospheric, ocean, sea ice, land and ocean biogeochemical components. With these models we contribute to assessments of the state of the climate system.

Want to join us?

We the lecture in the following courses that can be taken individually or as a part of engineering or master degrees with specialisation in marine biogeochemistry:

Bachelor level courses:
- GEOF100: Introduction to the atmosphere, ocean and climate
- GEOF236: Chemical Oceanography
Master level courses:
- GEOF336: Advanced chemical oceanography
- GEOF347: Seminar on ”Earth system science for sustainability studies”
- GEOF399: Master thesis in Meteorology and oceanography
- GEOF337 Physical Oceanography in Fjords ·
Master and internship projects