At the Niels Bohr Institute's section for the Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth, we are world leaders in drilling deep ice cores from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. We analyse the ice samples in our laboratories and study water stable isotopes, greenhouse gas, impurity concentrations, and ice properties. We interpret the data together with results from computer models of all parts of the climate system, including general circulation models and models of ice flow. We also work with theoretical aspects of meteorology, oceanography and complex system dynamics to understand both gradual and abrupt climatic changes of the past, present, and future. We study the physics of the solid Earth with seismic data, gravity and magnetic observations from satellites, inverse method theory and numerical modelling.
The Niels Bohr Institute’s section for the Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth (PICE) was created in 2019 by merging the former sections for Ice and Climate and Climate and Computational Geophysics. It includes the Centre for Ice and Climate which encompasses the section's research in ice-core-related climate physics. Centre for Ice and Climate builds on a long tradition that goes back to the birth of ice-core palaeoclimatology. The Centre for Ice and Climate home page contains extensive data and publication collections within ice and climate research. During the period 2007-2017 the center was funded by the Danish National Research Foundation.
The research in the section for Ice, Climate and Earth deals with all elements of the climate system and the processes and feedbacks that connect them.
We perform field work to obtain samples and data and employ a combination of state-of-the-art measurements, computational methods, and novel theoretical approaches to improve our knowledge of past, present, and future climate. Choose a topic below to learn more.
Ice and Climate
We study the ice caps and the climate by drilling and analysing ice cores from Arctic and Antarctica. We investigate the physical properties of ice on all scales from the individual crystals to the entire ice sheet. We analyse greenhouse gasses and impurities caught in the ice to understand the climate of the past, present, and future. Our research combines field work and glaciology with computer modelling, laboratory work, and mathematical data analysis.
Climate Theory
The Climate Theory group is engaged in understanding the Earth's climate. The surface temperature on the planet depends on solar radiation, composition of the atmosphere, heat flow in the atmosphere and oceans, ice masses and many other factors. Further, fundamental research in turbulence, multi scale processes, bifurcation theory, critical transitions and complex systems is conducted.
Weather and Climate
We study and develop models of the physical processes of the atmosphere, e.g. for numerical weather prediction. Other topics are air quality and pollution.
Ocean Dynamics and the Carbon Cycle
The research is focused on ocean processes that contribute to water mass transformations and the large climate fluctuations observed in the last million years.
Solid Earth Physics and Computational Geoscience
We study the solid Earth using field experiments, theory and numerical modelling based on seismic data and satellite measurements of gravity and magnetism.
Computing at Danish Center for Climate Computing
The DC3 (Danish Center for Climate Computing) provides High Performance Computing (HPC) resources to scientists and students at the Physics of Ice, Climate, and Earth section.DC3 web-page.
The diverse research in the section Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth is funded by the Niels Bohr Institute and a number of grants from both public and private foundations in Denmark and abroad.
List of current projects:
Read more about current projects or former projects here.
The personal profile page of each scientists in the section (find the staff list below) features a personal list of published scientific papers.
Click on the picture for a list of scientific published publications produced by staff from the section for Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth.
Click on the picture for a list of thesis and dissertations written by students and staff from the section for Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth.
The Niels Bohr institute has many B.Sc, M.Sc. and PhD students. The students are closely attached to the research groups and supervisor, and have many social activities for International and Danish students.
If you are interested in studying Geophysics or Climate Change, consider looking at these pages:
General information about the Physics education, application, living in Denmark etc.
You can find a list with inspiration/suggestion for projects here: student projects at PICE.
A list of theses and dissertations from previous students is also available.
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Do your bachelor or master thesis project at the section for Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth. As a bachelor or master student at the section, you will work in active and dynamic groups on a real research project. We offer both 30 or 60 ECTS points projects. You are also very welcome to come by the section and ask the researchers for further options or present your own idea that we can develop together. You are also welcome to contact the section for hear more about options for doing your project at the section. |
Visit us
High school classes and other groups can request a visit at the section. The most common topic is climate change with focus on ice-core science, but other topics are possible.
Please fill in the form in Danish or write an e-mail to the section secretary at pice@nbi.ku.dk
Under Research you will find A lot of the section’s ice-core-based climate research described for non-specialists. You can also find information about our available high-school projects “studieretningsprojekter”. Finally, we provide a list of popular science texts in Danish.
Willi Dansgaard founded the world’s first research group focused on climate research based on ice-core analysis (read a short version of the background story here).
After his retirement in 1992, Willi Dansgaard wrote an autobiograhic book in Danish, Grønland i Istid og Nutid (Rhodos, 2000, ISBN 8772457996). It is available for download here (note the file size: ~180 MB) Later, he compiled an English version, Frozen Annals, which focuses more on the scientific part of the story. The book can be downloaded here as a pdf file or viewed online here (opens in a new window)
Section for the Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth (PICE)
Niels Bohr Institute
University of Copenhagen
Tagensvej 16
DK-2200-Copenhagen
Fax: +45 35 32 06 21
VAT.no./CVR. no.: 29979812
General inquiries and press contact: pice_secretary@nbi.ku.dk
Contact persons:
Section leader: Thomas Blunier
Deputy section leader: Jørgen Peder Steffensen
Section secretary (web, communication, guests): Maria Caso Bramsen
Section secretary (finance): Ellen Chrillesen
Inquiries about EastGRIP field work: Marie Kirk and Iben Koldtoft
School and high school visits: See the “outreach” tab above.
| Name | Title | Picture | |
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| Alexandre Desaix | Gæst MSc. student |  |
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| Alfred Bendtzon Hansen | MSc. student |  |
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| Andrea Vang | MSc. student |  |
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| Atlas Varsted | MSc. student | ||
| Aymeric Lévy Dauchez | Guest MSc. Student | ||
| Bettina Loy | MSc. student |  |
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| Carl Rosenberg | MSc. student | ||
| Davide Iazzetta | Guest MSc. student |  |
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| Delphine Villeminot | Guest MSc. student |  |
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| Felicia Carlborg | MSc. student |  |
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| Jakob Skyggebjerg Kjær | BSc. student | ||
| Jesper Ejlebæk Holm | MSc. student |  |
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| Johanna von Drachenfels |
MSc. student |
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| Jonathan Ortved Melcher |
BSc. Student |
jonathan.melcher@nbi.ku.dk |  |
| Josephine Linsey-Clark | Msc. student | ||
| Julia Gonzales San Juan | Msc. student | vcw399@alumni.ku.dk | |
| Klaus Ortving Lindholmer | MSc. student | pvk292@alumni.ku.dk |  |
| Mads Andersen | MSc. student | ||
| Magnus Quaade Oddershede | MSc. student |  |
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| Marie Cecilie Boysen | Msc. student |  |
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Matea Marinkovic |
MSc. student |  |
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Niels Schøtt Hvidberg |
MSc. student | ||
| Palmira Cortés | MSc. student | ||
| Rebekka Johansen | MSc. student | fkq732@alumni.ku.dk |  |
| Rasmus Ranum Hansen | MSc. student | rasmus.hansen@nbi.ku.dk |  |
| Yann Le Péru Morvan | Guest student |  |
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| Yannick Elias Heiser | MSc. student |  |
The section Physics of Ice, Climate and Geophysics welcomes visits from primary and high schools. Most often, an hour of lectures and subsequent visits are offered in our ice core freezer, where some of the precious ice samples are stored - but other topics will also be accommodated. To arrange a visit, fill out this form (in Danish).
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