oppklaring

Oppklaring is a Norwegian noun that denotes the act of making something clear or the result of such clarification. The term has two primary senses. In meteorology and everyday usage it refers to the clearing or clearing up of weather, i.e., the transition from cloudy or rainy conditions to clearer skies. In criminal justice and public administration it describes the clarification or solving of a case, that is, establishing the facts, identifying suspects, or determining responsibility. In police reporting the word is commonly used together with prosent, as in oppklaringsprosent, the percentage of crimes that are solved or clarified.

Etymology: The word is formed from opp- meaning “up, open” and klar meaning “clear.” The sense of making something clear predates its meteorological usage, and the weather sense arises from the image of clouds clearing to reveal clear conditions.

Bruksområder: In weather forecasts oppklaring signals that cloud cover or precipitation is breaking up, with phrasing such as oppklaringen ventes i dag. In law enforcement, oppklaring covers the identification of the perpetrator, collection of evidence, and arrest, effectively clarifying what happened. The term can be used in both formal and informal contexts and is common in official police statistics when discussing oppklaringsprosent as a measure of case solvability or public safety performance.

Historisk sett har oppklaring vært viktig i forsknings- og politisk diskurs, hvor oppklaringsstall ofte behandles i debatter om ressurser, prioriteringer og utviklingen i kriminalitet.