University joins 11-institution consortium in new European climate research project

Record high temperatures in recent decades have caused significant melting of glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland and Iceland, and a new consortium of European research institutions has set out to determine the magnitude and extent of these changes, how the ice might change in the future, and how these changes will impact local climates and ecosystems, guiding adaptation strategies for local communities 

The scientists from 11 institutions in 7 countries across Europe will connect sophisticated climate and ice flow models with field and satellite data to improve our understanding of the impact of climate change on land ice in the North Atlantic region. It’s a complex, interdisciplinary challenge that requires such international research initiatives to overcome.

The project’s launch was marked in February with a kick off meeting in Denmark, where some exciting discussions were had about the project’s ambitious objectives. ICELINK’s University of Iceland lead Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir said of the meeting, “It was great to see all the project partners together, ready to collaborate on this important project, after a few years of preparation.”

Scientists at the University of Iceland, including Eyjólfur Magnússon, will be collecting new data about how the ice flows and the nature of the bedrock topography under the ice. This information will then be used in computer models to predict how the ice will behave in the future.   “ICELINK is an amazing opportunity to collect critical new data to improve our understanding of glacier dynamics”, he added.

In addition to contributing to ICELINK’s science work packages, the University of Iceland is also leading the consortium’s ambitious outreach program that aims to bring ICELINK’s exciting science outputs to the project’s many identified stakeholders, including policy makers, the public, and other scientists globally.

Uniquely, ICELINK’s team includes visual communications specialist and filmmaker Kieran Baxter who will be documenting the project’s activities in the lab and in the field to share with the world at large. When describing his work on the project Kieran said, “We have an opportunity not only to uncover new knowledge about ice but also to make this globally significant science more visible and accessible. Visualisations will support ICELINK by sharing results with stakeholders, like other scientists, policy makers and the public, and supporting adaptation strategies.”

An important Icelandic contribution to the EU's Horizon Europe program

With a budget of about 7.5 million euros over the next four years from the EU’s Horizon Europe program, ICELINK represents a significant part of the University of Iceland’s contribution to the program’s Pillar II, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness.

The ICELINK consortium brings together universities, meteorological and research institutions from Iceland, Denmark, Greenland, Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Spain.

The institutions in the ICELINK consortium include: University of Iceland, University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Greenland Survey (ASIAQ), University of Liège, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Icelandic Met Office, Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), Environmental Earth Observation Information Technology (ENVEO) GmbH, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), and Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3).

More information about the ICELINK consortium is available by contacting the project’s Communications Lead, Timothy James (tdj@hi.is), on the project website, and on the EU’s public repository and portal, CORDIS.