Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research

Oeschger Center for Climate Research
founding	2007
place	Bern , Switzerland
management	Fortunat Joos
Website	www.oeschger.unibe.ch

The Oeschger Center for Climate and Climate Change Research (OCCR) is the University of Bern's interdisciplinary competence center for climate research.

history

It was founded in 2007 and bears the name of Hans Oeschger (1927–1998), a pioneer of modern climate research who was active in Bern . The OCCR brings together researchers from nine institutes and four faculties. There are over 200 members and 26 research groups operating. The OCCR conducts research in various areas internationally at the forefront. Researchers at the University of Bern have worked as co-chairs, coordinating lead authors or lead authors in all the status reports of the IPCC that have appeared so far . Many of them are now doing research in the OCCR. In addition to disciplinary research, a special focus of the OCCR is on interdisciplinary projects. Through the collaboration of natural, human, social, economic and legal sciences, the OCCR wants to show ways in which global climate change can be countered on various levels: regionally anchored and globally networked. The OCCR is not only active in research, but is also dedicated to teaching and runs the Graduate School of Climate Sciences.

overview

research

With the help of ice cores, the Department of Climate and Environmental Physics at the Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research (OCCR) reconstructs the climate of the last 800,000 years, in particular the concentrations of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

On the one hand, the association examines the long-term development and dynamics of the climate system as well as the climate of the present and the future. On the other hand, the effects of climate change on important terrestrial ecosystems, but also on the economy and society, are researched. In particular, strategies for adapting to the changing climate and for mitigating climate change are being developed. Research at the OCCR focuses on the climate system and its interactions with society and the economy.

The specific research focuses include:

the climate system with the various interactive components in the oceans, continents (especially vegetation, cryosphere , aquatic systems, etc.) and in the atmosphere
Energy and material cycles (e.g. water, carbon and greenhouse gases) from the global to the local scale.
the climate and environmental dynamics on long time scales ( paleoclimatology , paleoecology ) from the late Pleistocene , Holocene , the present to the near future
the interaction of climate and environmental changes with the economy and society, in particular the economy of climate change and the consequences of extreme events on the economy and society

The association uses models of different types and complexity on the one hand, and measurements and reconstructions of important climate variables (e.g. natural and anthropogenic radiative forcing) are carried out on the other.

Teaching

The association operates the Graduate School of Climate Sciences at the University of Bern and offers academic training at the master's and doctoral level. Applicants must have special qualifications for the specialized Master’s program “MSc in Climate Sciences” (120 ECTS). The students put together their own tailor-made program from a range of courses across faculties. The selection can lead to one of five specializations. The main research areas of the Oeschger Center are reflected in the curriculum of the degree programs at the Graduate School of Climate Sciences.

The teaching of the OCCR is markedly international and takes place in close cooperation with the ETH Zurich. More than a third of the students come from abroad and all courses are held in English. The doctoral program is strongly research-oriented and lasts three to four years. Graduates of the Graduate School of Climate Sciences pursue a scientific career, work in the private sector, for example for banks and insurance companies, or work in the environmental sector for administration and non-governmental organizations.

structure

organization

The OCCR is an interdisciplinary center of the University of Bern and consists of research groups from the participating institutes. Administratively it is assigned to the Faculty of Philosophy and Natural Sciences. The university management gives the OCCR a performance mandate. The strategic management of the OCCR is carried out by the President, the Director and the Scientific Committee, in which the relevant faculties and departments are represented. The OCCR operates a management center that promotes collaboration among the research groups, provides services for the researchers and makes the OCCR known to the public.

Research groups

The OCCR consists of the following research groups:

Analytical Chemistry (Margit Schwikowski)
Aquatic paleoecology (Oliver Heiri)
Atmospheric radiometry and processes (Niklaus Kämpfer)
Dendroclimatology (David Frank)
Earth system modeling: biogeochemical cycles (Fortunat Joos)
Earth system modeling: Atmospheric and ocean dynamics ( Thomas Stocker )
Hydrology (Rolf Weingartner)
Isotopes and gases in the environment (Markus Leuenberger)
Climatology (Stefan Brönnimann)
Climate change, trade and environmental economics ( Thomas Cottier )
Laboratory for the analysis of radiocarbon with AMS (LARA) (Sönke Szidat)
Air hygiene / climate (Jürg Fuhrer)
Mathematical Statistics and Insurance Studies (Jürg Hüsler)
Mobiliar Group for Climate Impact Research (Olivia Romppainen-Martius)
Paleoclimatic and biogeochemical investigations on ice cores (Hubertus Fischer)
Plant nutrition and ecophysiology (Urs Feller)
Plant Ecology (Markus Fischer)
Policy analysis with focus on environment (Karin Ingold)
Lake sediments and paleolimnology (Martin Grosjean)
Terrestrial paleoecology (Willy Tinner)
Environmental and Climate Economics (Ralph Winkler)
Environmental and Climate Economics (Gunter Stephan)
Environmental and climate history ( Christian Rohr , successor to Christian Pfister , who has retired)