Kort præsentation

I am an Associate Professor at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. Through my work as a physicist I have focused on the study of past climate using polar ice cores, stable isotope geochemistry, instrumentation and numerical modelling. My interest in earth systems, and in particular in the climate history of the polar regions, resulted in a research profile centered on the use of stable water isotopes as tracers of past temperature, hydrological change and ice-sheet dynamics. At the Niels Bohr Institute I work on both the development of new analytical techniques and the interpretation of high-resolution isotope datasets from Greenland and Antarctica. A recurring theme in my work is the way new types of measurements can constrain physical models, and in turn how modelling points to the need for new types of measurements.

Primære forskningsområder

My primary field of research is paleoclimatology with emphasis on ice-core science, stable isotope geochemistry and the physics of firn and ice. I am particularly interested in the use of the isotopic ratios of water isotopologues as proxies of past climatic parameters and in the physical processes that alter, smooth or preserve the climate signal from the time of snow deposition to its eventual burial in the ice sheet. This includes the study of firn densification, water isotope diffusion, gas transport in porous snow and firn, and the broader problem of how to extract quantitative climatic information from complex cryospheric archives.

A significant part of my research has been devoted to the development of high-resolution and high-precision measurement systems for isotope analysis on ice cores. In this context I have worked extensively with laser spectroscopy, including the development, calibration and application of spectroscopic systems for water isotope measurements in ice-core science. This has involved continuous-flow and discrete isotope measurements, instrument optimization, signal treatment and the integration of laser-based methods with broader analytical workflows. More broadly, I am interested in the interaction between measurement science, physical chemistry and climate interpretation, especially in cases where the traditional isotope-temperature framework is not sufficient and where a more process-based and physically grounded approach is needed.

Aktuel forskning

My current research focuses on the development and application of new approaches for obtaining and interpreting high-resolution water isotope data from polar ice. One branch of this work concerns the use of laser-based techniques for precise and potentially ultra-high-resolution isotope analysis, including applications to deep and basal ice where sample availability, heterogeneity and structural disturbance make conventional approaches difficult. Another branch concerns the modelling of diffusion and transport processes in firn and solid ice, with the objective of obtaining improved reconstructions of past temperatures and a better understanding of how climate signals are modified within the ice-sheet archive.

At present I am particularly interested in deep and basal Greenland ice as an archive of ice-sheet history, climate variability and ice-sheet stability under warmer conditions. This involves work on basal and disturbed ice, on the interpretation of steep isotope gradients and fold structures, and on the possibility of turning such features from a complication into a source of physical information. I am also involved in the production, calibration and interpretation of high-quality isotope datasets from major ice-core projects, including datasets connected to NEEM, Greenland deep ice records, and ongoing activities around Beyond EPICA and basal ice studies. In general, my current work attempts to connect instrumentation, laboratory experiments and modelling in order to obtain a more robust and detailed picture of past climate and cryosphere evolution.