Interview: "We are maintaining long-term climate records using moored instruments beneath floating ice shelves"

InIn this interview, Tore Hattermann explains how his observational and modelling work contributes towards estimating future sea level rise and understanding Southern Ocean ecosystem dynamics, and why postdoctoral researchers should consider joining the iC3 Polar Research Hub.

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What are you researching at the moment?

My focus is on polar regions, particularly ice-ocean interactions, with a specific emphasis on the Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelf ocean interactions. This also touches on ice dynamics, although my background is in physical oceanography. So, while I approach this from the ocean side, I study the coupled system as a whole. 

At the moment, I’m working on a couple of things, primarily related to proportional feedback and polar oceanography circulation.

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Can you give me an example of the questions you’re trying to answer? What are the most urgent ones in your field?

One of the biggest overarching questions is about future sea level rise and its connection to climate change and warming. 

This branches into specific topics like: How does heat from the deep ocean reach the continental shelf and the coast? How does it interact with and heat the ice? On smaller scales, I’m looking at turbulence at the ice-ocean boundary layer.

Another important topic is the exchange processes between the deep ocean and the continental shelf, including the dynamics of fronts. These processes are also critical for ecosystem dynamics in the Southern Ocean, which play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. 

So, while one area focuses on sea level rise, another relates to the global carbon cycle.

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Is this observational or modeling work?

My work involves both observations and modeling.

On the modeling side, I’m supervising a postdoc who is running a global climate model, NorESM. We’re also collaborating on high-resolution, fine-scale modeling of ice shelf cavities and ice-ocean interactions.

On the observational side, we’re focused on maintaining long-term climate records using moored instruments in the open ocean and beneath floating ice shelves, which requires drilling through the ice shelf to study the ocean below.

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You mentioned the biological aspects of ice-ocean interactions in Antarctica. Do you directly work on these, or does your research merely feed into this area?

I do touch on the biological aspects, but they’re not as strongly developed in my work as the sea level rise questions. 

My focus is on the physical processes that impact ecosystem dynamics, such as how the ocean transports nutrients and how these nutrients reach the surface, enabling biological blooms. This often involves collaboration with biologists, but my contribution is primarily on the physical oceanography side.

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One thing that surprises me about academia is how many roles researchers seem to juggle. Many do fieldwork, modeling, admin, proposal writing, and management. Is this true in your job? Do you need all these skills to succeed?

Yes, that’s quite accurate. At our institute, we’re a small team, so we can’t outsource many responsibilities. In my position, which includes project responsibilities, I have to cover a broad spectrum of tasks. 

It’s both exciting and challenging because the job is far from monotonous. However, sometimes the administrative and non-research aspects can feel overwhelming, leaving less time for the creative parts of research.

That said, collaboration is key. I work with inspiring people, including postdocs and colleagues, which makes the workload more manageable and enjoyable.

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How does working at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) differ from working at a university, particularly from a postdoc’s perspective? 

[Note: iC3 is a partnership between Tromsø university, NPI and NORCE. Different members of the iC3 team are employed by different institutions.]

One major advantage at NPI is the hands-on experience and responsibility you gain. As a postdoc here, you might lead a field campaign or take responsibility for a significant part of it.

For example, I recall a postdoc who joined NPI and was immediately sent to lead an oceanography team during a dark period in the Arctic, dealing with breaking ice floes and instruments that were literally disappearing into the sea. It was a steep learning curve but invaluable experience. 

On the downside, NPI is a smaller institute, so we don’t have the kind of postdoc networks that universities often provide. However, we collaborate with iC3, which has university foundations and provides ways to build these connections.

Ultimately, the core tasks of producing and publishing science are similar to those at a university.

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Why should someone choose to come and work with you at NPI and iC3? 

We offer a collaborative, inclusive, and fun working atmosphere. Despite being a small institute, we address highly relevant and exciting science questions. I personally find it an inspiring place to work, and I hope others will feel the same enthusiasm about our research.

There is also the option of joining field campaigns and research cruises in the Southern Ocean.

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When you say small, how small is NPI? 

NPI has about 160 to 200 staff members, but our research department is only around 80–85 people, including both permanent researchers and temporary contracts.

Our team covers a wide range of natural science disciplines, from terrestrial ecology to ocean physics, all focused on the polar regions.

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Final question: What do you do for fun? 

This weekend, I went skiing! (Laughs.) I love being outdoors and enjoying the natural landscapes here. Aside from that, I have three small kids and sometimes I spend long periods away from them in Antarctica, which leaves not much time for personal hobbies. Instead, I try to make their hobbies as fun as possible for all of us.

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If you want to find out more about Tore's work, please see his list of publications.