by Elinor Spencer
As a first-year SUPER DtP PhD researcher with UHI Shetland, it was special to have the opportunity to attend the international conference, Arctic Frontiers, at the end of January. This conference brought together delegates of varying backgrounds, such as science, social sciences, policy and geopolitics, engineering, economics, and architecture. The interdisciplinary presence at this conference demonstrated the will to collaborate to effectively address current and future climate and geopolitical crises. As an early-stage PhD researcher, it was an incredible experience to network with and researchers in and out with my field, which served to broaden my ideas for my PhD research. An unforgettable moment was having the pleasure to learn from the indigenous peoples who were attending and participating at the conference.
With Arctic Frontiers commencing on the Monday, I arrived at the venue and was happy to bump into one of my PhD supervisors, Dr. Lauren McWhinnie, who was presenting later that day in an Arctic marine mammal session. I attended the International Polar Year (IPY) session to learn more about the ambitions and decision making needed for the next IPY, to address amplified climate change in the Arctic and associated ecological and social issues. I then attended the climate modelling session, which targeted the potential and the current limitations of the Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM) as well as demonstrating where it excels. There were some extremely informative and remarkable presentations on sea ice modelling, cloud cover interference with climate predictions, machine learning, aerosols, impact assessments and tipping points. Although climate physics forecast a concerning future, I enjoy this component of science, and it was special to hear from the researchers who specialise in Arctic climate systems.
In the early evening, I presented a poster at the early career researchers’ session. The poster gave an overview of the current and previous invasive non-native species monitoring work being carried out in the Shetland Islands. The connectivity between Scotland, particularly the northern islands, and Arctic states was emphasised. Scotland could potentially act as an early warning system for the arrival of invasive non-native species to Arctic states, and vice-versa. I had the opportunity to talk about better data sharing practices, more regular monitoring in Scotland and the Arctic, and the pan-Arctic biosecurity threat that INNS pose. It was an enriching experience to interact with those who were interested to hear more about invasive-species and about the connectivity between the Shetland islands and Arctic states.
The second day started with an Ecosystem Based management session which emphasised trans-boundary sharing of data and the sharing of visions when it comes to assessing and protecting the Arctic zones. This was a particularly relevant session for myself, as I had presented the poster the previous day which outlined the necessity of sharing data across borders. At mid-day, a panel discussion about geopolitics was a popular event, with a full conference hall of attendance. The discussion included the obvious, the concerns regarding Russia and the US president, Donald Trump’s, desire to buy Greenland. It was good to hear from Sara Olsvig, the chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, from Greenland. A quote from Olsvig that will stay with me was ‘there is no such thing as a good coloniser’. Something that is important when navigating international issues, be it climate change, war, and economic turmoil. The solutions need to respect the rights and the infrastructure for indigenous peoples. For many Arctic indigenous peoples, as Olsvig stated, ‘the ice desert is their infrastructure’, which they rely upon for hunting and living. The afternoon session extended the previous day’s climate modelling presentations, touching upon impacts on society and human health, as well as using architecture as a tool for climate adaptation.
I was very lucky to be staying with a resident, born and raised in Tromsø. She took me for a tour to see some of the beautiful fjords at the north. It was incredibly special to see the nature of the Arctic circle, the vast mountains with fjordic channels extending into the distance, further than the eye could see. I also had some time to fit in some running around Tromsø. I had a pair of ice spikes so that I could run fear-free, around the island. I try to run when I travel somewhere new as it is an eco-friendly way of sight-seeing, whilst getting the legs moving after being sat down in conference sessions all day.
My take-aways from this conference were hugely positive, as I have some fresh ideas for my PhD research, and I have made some friends who I will hope to see at future Arctic events. I want to thank ScAN and British Antarctic Survey for funding my attendance at Arctic Frontiers, ensuring that I could present the work carried out by UHI Shetland on invasive non-native species and additionally present the aims of my PhD research. I hope to attend again in the future when I have results from my work.
