Advanced Climate Education and Research

Climate change is increasingly referred to as the greatest challenge of our time. The former President of the United States, Mr. Obama stated that "no challenge poses a greater threat to our future and future generations than a change in climate". Informed decision-making hinges on the availability and the production of new and trustworthy knowledge about the issues at stake. Helping to educate and motivate some of the best young scientists from across the world is clearly of benefit to society, and perhaps especially so for climate-science, as many of the issues are inherently inter-generational and will need to be addressed through on-going observations, research, and education. The Advanced Climate Education and Research project (ACER) will maintain and further develop world-class climate research and education in Norway. This primary objective will be reached by expanding cooperation between US, Canadian and Norwegian universities and research groups at the international forefront of climate sciences today. ACER will increase transatlantic mobility of master students realized through a master exchange program, enhance and deepen the current understanding of central climate issues of high-relevance through an annual high-level summer school, create networking opportunities for young and upcoming talents, initiate new collaborative efforts that will lead to cross-cutting scientific papers and proposals, a set of special arts and science sessions targeting the Sustainable Development Goals. The Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research at the University of Bergen is the Norwegian host institution, and key partners in ACER include Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Washington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, McGill University and the Institute of Climate Physics (South Korea).

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The Advanced Climate Education and Research project (ACER) will strengthen and further develop world-class climate research and education in Norway. This will be achieved by expanding cooperation between universities and institutions at the international forefront. This specifically entails student and faculty exchanges, joint courses, research projects and summer schools. The key US and Canadian partners in ACER are Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Washington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and McGill University. The Institute of Climate Physics in South Korea is an affiliated partner. The Bjerknes Centre at the University of Bergen and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University will run ACER jointly. ACER will: Increased transatlantic mobility of master students, an enhanced and deeper understanding of central climate issues of high-relevance through an annual summer school (the Advanced Climate Dynamics Courses; ACDC) and joint field course, networking opportunities for young talents, initiation of new collaborative efforts that will lead to submission of scientific papers and proposals, and develop joint courses and special sessions targeting three Sustainable Development Goals that relate to climate awareness and action. ACER highlights transatlantic collaborative research and education in the climate sciences, including: (1) Glacier- and flood reconstructions across multiple time scales, (2) Multidecadal climate variability and North Atlantic ocean dynamics, (3) Teleconnections and ENSO dynamics, (4) Orbital forcing of climate and the dynamics of glacial cycles, (5) Ice-ocean interactions and sea level change, (6) Integrating observational and proxy data with dynamical models, and (7) Abrupt climate change and sea ice instabilities.