Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen
The Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen is a marine research facility located in Bergen, Norway. Founded in 1917 by Bjørn Helland-Hansen, the institute studies the field of oceanography dealing with the patterns of the weather in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norway. Within recent years, focus has been increasingly on geophysics and environmental research. The research activities at the institute span from small scale measurement of turbulence up to studies of the large scale ocean currents, from local air and noise pollution up to studies of global scale climate change.
Areas of research focus on the Norwegian Current, the West Spitsbergen Current and the Norwegian Sea. Shifts and fluctuations in these currents are monitored, as they are thought to be indicators for climate change. Research has included sequestration and related matters dealing with Carbon capture and storage.The director of the institute is Dr. Peter M. Haugan.
The Bergen School of Meteorology, which led to modern weather forecasting, was developed at the Geophysical Institute by Vilhelm Bjerknes and collaborators beginning in 1917.
