– It’s a motivation to be able to improve estimates for sea level change

What attracted you to being a researcher and then to the SEAS programme?  

To be honest, the research was a bit of a coincidence: I wanted to apply my mathematical skills somewhere that gives meaning to me and where I can work independently and still working with other people. That brought me to the Earth and climate sciences.  

SEAS sounded very interesting, with the combination of writing my own project but having a connection to other postdocs from very different fields. That’s what I was missing before: a broad, but very relevant topic like “marine sustainability” studied and discussed with a lot of other clever fellows. 

Can you give a description in general terms of your SEAS project? 

I am studying ice sheets and sea level. Within SEAS, I am investigating how much the Greenland ice sheet is likely to change in the next 100 years and how these changes may impact sea level, with a special focus on sea level around Greenland and the Pacific Islands, like Fiji. 

Are you about to see results that might also give you a way forward on your future research?  

Yes, I can already improve some numbers provided by the IPCC report. The IPCC summarizes scientific findings, including estimates of sea level contributions. With my study, we can refine numbers for the ongoing Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level – especially for the changes around Greenland and Iceland. The IPCC’s sea level estimates are shared as global maps and used by politicians, city planners, civil engineers etc. around the world to address local sea level changes. Improving estimates on these numbers is highly motivating for me.  

I am also learning just how complex this topic is – as usual! So, I get some more ideas about what else to investigate. And I learn who is doing sea level in the Bjerknes Centre and how I can contribute. 

What kind of field work have you had during the SEAS programme and how would you describe the experience? 

No field work. I visited a research group in Montreal, Canada, for 4 months – maybe that’s my kind if “computer field work”. This was a really nice exchange - I learned a lot about sea level and still am involved in their regular group meetings and am planning future projects with them. 

Photo below: Konstanze in Montreal, QC, Canada during her research stay between January and April,2024, with McGill University in the background (standing on Mount Montreal)

Photo: Konstanze Haubner

What have been the pros and cons of the SEAS programme in terms of resources, in terms of community, or in terms of cooperation with industry and society at large? 

There’s a great potential for discussions, thought exchange and support between the postdocs. On top of this, having financial and advisory support by Liz and Kristin facilitates organizing meetings and workshops depending on our needs. This also enables us to participate actively in events like OneOcean or organize events for a larger audience.  

Cooperation with industry has been not very tangible to me, even though we have so many cooperation partners in SEAS. There were a few partner representatives visiting us during our bi-weekly meetings. In collaboration with FERD, SEAS organized a job-shadowing for a few of us that were interested to get insight into job structures outside of university.  

What has been your experience of being located in Bergen?  

I enjoy it a lot. The combination of mountains and ocean makes it cosy, and nature is so easily accessible. Plus, while Bergen is a smaller town, there are still quite some music and culture events.  

In what ways have you found the interdisciplinary aspects of the SEAS project to be a contribution to your project?  

This melting pot of people is affecting the way I reflect and approach my scientific topic. Discussing issues or thoughts with people from different backgrounds is much more enlightening than being in my own research group all the time. Even how each SEAS person talks and presents their science is so different. I really enjoy this. Plus, I think SEAS will have an effect on how we approach and address our future projects. 

In what ways does your project connect to the UN sustainability goals, or otherwise connect to the topic of marine sustainability? 

My project is connected to three UN sustainability goals: 

6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”;

11 “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”; and

13 “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”.

Sea level change affects local flora and fauna, drinking water, infrastructure, coastal lifestyles and traditions. My aim is to help inform and support adaptive planning for coastal communities as they deal with changing shorelines.

How do you spend your free time? 

In and on the water: either because it is raining or because I like swimming, saunas, and kayaking. I also like puzzles, listening to audiobooks or podcasts and chilling with my cat on the sofa. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 – 10 years? 

In Bergen! Hopefully working within a topic that motivates me and helps society, and in a well communicating team. Besides this, I am very open to wherever life takes me.