Setting up the “laughing gas” budget
From the NILU Annual Report 2017: “Laughing gas” sounds harmless enough. Known also as nitrous oxide, it is in fact the third most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and no laughing matter.
NILU to lead EEA’s topic center on air quality and noise problems
Air quality in Europe is getting better. However, a significant proportion of Europe’s population still lives in cities and areas where at times, noise and air pollution may lead to health problems. Norwegian scientists are now tasked with leading the work of compiling the knowledge base the decision-makers in Europe need to give us better air and quality of life.
Data revolution in urban atmospheric research
From the NILU Annual Report 2017: During the last decade, the need for information and data has exploded, and this “data revolution” has not stopped short of science. In environmental research, data have become more and more important – to the point that scientists now even know what your fireplace looks like.
What can happen when flying through volcanic ash?
New PhD at NILU: Volcanic ash in the atmosphere poses a risk for air traffic. In addition, it causes health risks to both humans and the climate.
Environmental forensics – chasing environmental offenders
From the NILU annual report 2017: Oil spills, tanker accidents, chemical disasters – suddenly materials are released into the environment, potentially harming both humans and nature. Is it possible for scientists to trace the environmental offenders?
How to measure air quality at the ends of the World
From the NILU Annual Report 2017: From the Zeppelin Observatory at 79 degrees north to Trollhaugen at 72 degrees south – NILU measures air quality at some of the world’s most inaccessible places. Why so far away?
Lead pollution in Greenland ice shows rise and fall of ancient European civilizations
Ice-core study finds evidence of plagues, wars and imperial expansion
Thousands played soccer for science
From the NILU Annual Report: What engaged 12624 students from 286 schools in 144 Norwegian municipalities in 2017? That would be the research campaign “Check your artificial turf soccer field”!
The peat fires in Greenland: A harbinger of accelerated ice melting?
Between 31 July and 21 August 2017, after a period of warm and sunny weather, open fires started burning in Western Greenland. The fires burned on peat lands that had become vulnerable to fires by permafrost thawing, and led to black carbon from the fires depositing on the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Vegetation takes up mercury, lowers global air pollution
NILU scientists have participated in a new study that shows that leaf uptake of mercury is a globally important pathway of atmospheric mercury deposition.
Trollhaugen: NILU’s Observatory in Antarctica
Feeling cold? In Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, the temperature is currently between minus 27 and minus 33 degrees Celsius.
Ethane and propane help scientists understand the greenhouse gas methane
A new study in Nature Geoscience unveils a need of revising previous ethane and propane emissions studies, as these emissions have been underestimated by more than 50%. Such revision could in turn improve our understanding of the forceful and related methane emissions, still largely enigmatic to atmospheric sciences.
Thousands of plastic pieces are headed towards the Arctic
Marine litter knows no borders. Ocean currents carry plastic debris from all over the world towards the Arctic, but we cannot blame it all on others. Local sources also add to the floating plastic debris in the northern seas.
A big step forward for the international research cooperation in Svalbard
In January, 24 institutions from 9 countries formally joined forces in an extra-ordinary initiative towards long-term research cooperation – the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS).
Forcing your shampoo to “go greener”
The EU has decided: From 1 February 2020 in Europe, industries are no longer allowed to use more than 0.1% of siloxanes D4 and D5 in skin and hair care products that are washed off during normal use.
How is the European bioeconomy coming along?
There is great potential in a sustainable, circular bioeconomy. However, bioeconomy alone cannot work miracles, experts state; lifestyle, dietary and food choice behaviours must also play a role.
Looking into volcanic emission
Volcanic gas emissions can affect the climate, environment and society, not only in the case of violent eruptions but also under quiescent degassing conditions.
Modelling and environmental pollutants
Storvannet is a small lake close to Hammerfest. It looks idyllic, but the reason why NILU scientist Dr. Ingjerd Sunde Krogseth and colleagues are so interested in it is what lies below the lake’s surface. At the lake’s bottom, scientists have found that sediment and aquatic animals contain large amounts of chemical ingredients from cosmetic products called siloxanes.
Norwegian Polar Research: Of great quality
Polar research receives increasing interest internationally due to the large environmental changes occurring in the Polar Regions. Thus, in late 2016, the Research Council of Norway (RCN) initiated an evaluation of Norwegian polar research, and NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research was among those institutes included in the evaluation.
Halfway to doubling of CO2 radiative forcing
We are now halfway to doubling the radiative forcing of CO2 since pre-industrial times, although CO2-concentrations are not halfway to doubling.
ACTRIS — a new infrastructure for atmospheric research
From the NILU Annual Report 2016: ACTRIS is an infrastructure enabling observation-based research to improve understanding of climate and air pollution. The main focus is aerosols, clouds and reactive gases in the atmosphere, and their physical, optical and chemical properties.
Hunting microplastics off the Svalbard coast
From the NILU Annual Report 2016: The fact that plastic waste pollutes the oceans is well known and has attracted a lot of media attention both in Norway and internationally. The visible plastic waste is what most people notice – but most of the plastic in the sea cannot be seen by the naked eye.
NILU’s Annual Report 2016
NILU’s Annual Report for 2016 is ready. Read about our research on, among other things, microplastics, nanomaterials and air quality measurement. Read it in digital format (ISSUU), or download the pdf
From monitoring stations to microsensors – air and health
From the NILU Annual Report 2016: New technology brings new opportunities. So why haven’t we discarded those large monitoring stations and started using microsensors yet?