Activities in CRES are centered around six focused science work blocks (WBs) plus one management WB.

The core of CRES is formed by four major research WBs. Three of these provide improved understanding and reduction in uncertainty of future change with respect to: climate and sea level (WB2), hydrology (WB3) and biosphere (WB4), while the fourth, by assembling and utilising a new regional change tool (WB7) throughout the centre’s lifetime, will be provisioning the CRES knowledge base with new products. An adopted common methodology will utilise paleostudies to provide (i) ‘back-casting’ tests of our regional models and (ii) hint at the processes that need to be included into improved models.

Besides the strategic need from a Danish user viewpoint, a regional focus is required because (a) it allows for better validation, (b) it is closer to the scale at which actual climate change related management occurs, and (c) some regions are more vulnerable in biophysical and /or socio-economic terms than are others (hotspots).

The main region of interest will be ‘our region’ from Greenland to the Baltic.

One work block (WB5) is thematic driven and supportive in nature and deal with generic issues that occur in each of the main blocks, but require dedicated efforts to ensure progress. A second thematic work block (WB6) will draw upon the expressed needs defined by the CRES practitioners and formulate cases that by introducing integrated assessments will use and feed back on activities in the main research WBs. Finally, given the diversity of research agendas and needs for coordination to meet some of the emerging user requirements, managing CRES requires special attention deserving an entire work block in itself (WB1). This WB will ensure that the most important outcomes of CRES reach those in need of updated scientifically based understanding, of climate change issues, and quantitative scenarios as well as further assistance on the interpretation of these. Also, WB1 focuses on international collaboration between the CRES community and top researchers in the relevant fields, primarily in the Nordic region, a wider Europe, as well as North America. Finally, it ensures effective and timely communication though workshops, networks, joint research programs and guest programs and exchange of data and expertise between CRES components, partners and the external user community.