Årsetdalen, Møre og Romsdal. Photo by Gunnar Wangen.
The UiT Climate Change Adaptation Research Group (Est. 2021) is an interdisciplinary Research Group that explores the topic of climate change adaptation from both a natural and social science perspective.
The research group consists of researchers interested in the theme of climate change adaptation, participates in relevant research projects, and contributes to research-based education in the field at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Current projects include research within topics such as flash flooding, natural hazards, place attachment, ocean temperature changes and impacts on aquaculture.
The Research Group is hosted by the Department of Technology and Safety, Faculty of Science and Technology.
News
22.10.2024
New paper on anticipating climate risk in Norwegian municipalities out now!
03.10.2024
Snow and avalanche risk management in a changing climate - ISSW2024
06.09.2024
Exploring Climate Impact and Risk Management in the Italian Alps
New paper on anticipating climate risk in Norwegian municipalities out now!
Our most recent paper from the Climate Change Adaptation research group is finally published, in the journal Climate Risk Management! A collaboration between Leikny Bakke Lie, Vilde Lysgaard, and Are K. Sydnes, we focus on the anticipation of climate risk in Norwegian municipalities through a systematic literature review combined with empirical findings from an Arctic context.
Abstract:
Climate change is increasingly being coupled to extreme weather and climate events, with an observed increase in intensity and occurrence of climate-related events. Norway is no exception. Though generally considered quite resilient to climate risk, with favorable conditions for adapting on a national level, studies point to regional and local differences. Applying a mixed methods approach we combine a literature review on climate adaptation in Norwegian municipalities showing patterns and trends, with a small-N case study allowing for an in-depth exploration of four Arctic municipalities, where warming occurs faster. We investigate how Norwegian municipalities observe, identify, and prepare for climate-related hazards, by applying the anticipation stage of resilience as an analytical approach. Findings demonstrate how municipal anticipatory capabilities largely rely on external expertise to gather information and/or reduce uncertainty. Experience and familiar hazards form the basis for preparing for future risk. This leaves municipalities running the risk of adapting to present risks while neglecting future developments in vulnerability and exposure to weather and climate events. Climate adaptation has been embedded in the existing processes for risk management, applying statutory risk- and vulnerability assessments as the primary tool for identifying climate risk. We find that this framing leaves a significant imprint on the municipal adaptation efforts. Based on our findings we recommend that municipalities look to strengthen in-house competency on climate adaptation and implement the use of distinct climate risk assessments to better capture long-term risk and identify local adaptation needs and measures.
Snow and avalanche risk management in a changing climate - ISSW2024
Last week, Tromsø was host to the world’s largest conference on snow science – the International Snow Science Workshop, ISSW 2024. The idea of the conference is to uphold an interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and experience, where researchers, practitioners, recreationalists, and other stakeholders meet over a jam-packed program containing all things snow and avalanche!
The program covered everything from snow mechanics, modeling, instrumentation and detection, to decision-making, forecasting, education and learning, with snow and avalanches as the common denominator. Our favorite parts of the program were of course the session on avalanches and snow in a changing climate, as well as risk communication and risk management. Several presentations put focus on some avalanche challenges that very much relates to a changing climate, such as slush flow and glide snow avalanches, and the challenges relating to prediction and management of such events.
Feeling humble to be among so many highly competent and dedicated professionals within the field of snow science, it was a valuable learning experience and made for many good discussions on topics relating to climate change adaptation. We also participated in the poster session with a small contribution to NGI’s poster on Northern Norway Avalanche Surveillance program.
If you want to read more about the conference you can have a look at their website: ISSW2024. The next ISSW will be in 2026 in Whistler. And if you are interested in hearing a bit more about the topics from this years ISSW, you can check out CARE UiT Center for avalanche research and education, they have published several podcasts talking about the conference and interviewing several of this year’s presenters: Skredpodden.
Exploring Climate Impact and Risk Management in the Italian Alps
A letter from the 3rd Summer School of The International Association for Engineering Geology (IAEG), in Aosta Valley, Italy.
This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to join the 3rd Summer School of IAEG (The International Association for Engineering Geology), hosted by the University of Aosta. Located in Aosta, in the breathtaking landscape of the northern Italian alps, we had firsthand access to several interesting sites concerning slope stability and risk management. We even arrived in the midst of a torrential rain episode causing flooding and flood slides in several valleys, resulting in the isolation and evacuation of the valley of Cogne, as well as large damages due to flooding in the village of Cervinia. This was a firsthand experience of how climate change is impacting the mountainous regions in Italy. Reports from Meteo Valle d’Aosta point to a combination of torrential rain, saturated ground due to snowmelt, extreme heat periods in the recent years causing melting of permafrost and more unstable slopes, finding that climate change contributes as a fundamental factor to explain and exacerbate such events in this area.
The topic of this year’s IAEG summer school was natural hazards, societal impact, and risk, from theory to practice: identification, assessment, and remediation, and spot on for my own ongoing PhD research on risk management and adaptation to climate-related natural hazards. For ten days we had theoretical lectures and discussions about slope instabilities relating to avalanches, landslides, and rockfall, as well as flooding and risk assessments (to name but a few of the comprehensive list of topics covered), participated in hands-on workshops trying out tools for rockfall modelling and image correlation, and of course field trips to visit onsite several areas of interest from both a geological and a risk management point of view, such as the large slope instability issue at the Beauregard dam and the continuous monitoring systems in the Grandes Jorasses area (Whymper and Planpincieux glaciers) and the La Saxe landslide in the Courmayeur-area.
Through this course I gained invaluable insight into the current knowledge and research on slope stability, dynamics, monitoring, and risk management, and I am looking forward to applying my new knowledge to further bridge the natural and social sciences in my research oriented towards a holistic approach to climate adaptation.
- Leikny
Cervinia was another village badly hit by the torrential rain episode causing flooding and mud slides. Here, the aftermath is clearly visible, several stores and restaurants located along the river were badly impacted. Foto: Leikny Bakke LieIAEG field visit to the Beauregard Dam, here looking towards the deep-seated gravitational slope deformation looming above the reservoir. Foto: Leikny Bakke LieThe Beauregard Dam, Valgrisenche. Foto: Leikny Bakke LieField visit to the headquarters of Fondazione Montagna Sicura (FMS) and the monitoring system (seen to the left) covering Mont de La Saxe landslide (visible to the right), looming above the main road and several houses. Physical protection measures in the form of an embankment wall currently being installed, visible behind the houses. Foto: Leikny Bakke Lie Published: 06.09.2024
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Abdel-Fattah, D., Trainor, S., Kettle, N. & Mahoney, A. (2022). (Research): Sea Ice Hazard Data Needs for Search and Rescue in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. In: Berkman, P.A., Vylegzhanin, A.N., Young, O.R., Balton, D.A., Øvretveit, O.R. (eds) Building Common Interests in the Arctic Ocean with Global Inclusion. Informed Decisionmaking for Sustainability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89312-5_23