28 March 2025 | 10:30 - 12:00 (MDT)
Open Session - HYBRID
Room: UMC Fourth Floor - 415 / 417
Organisers: Amy Macfarlane (UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway); Maddison Smith (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA); Elaine Runge (Danish Hydrological Institute, Denmark)
Session Description:
The Arctic is one of the most vulnerable regions on our planet, facing unprecedented challenges due to climate change and human activity. As scientific interest in the Arctic intensifies, it becomes crucial to ensure that fieldwork conducted in this fragile environment adheres to the highest standards of environmental protection and ethical responsibility. This session aims to explore the development of sustainable and ethical scientific fieldwork practices that prioritize the preservation of the Arctic.
We plan to discuss strategies for minimizing the footprint of research activities using environmental science, indigenous knowledge, and fieldwork ethics. Discussion topics will include an overview of the latest guidelines and best practices for conducting research in the Arctic, recommendations to implement impact assessments of scientific expeditions/fieldwork, innovative technologies, waste management protocols, and the importance of obtaining informed consent from Indigenous communities. The session will also highlight case studies of successful collaborations between scientists and local populations, showcasing how indigenous knowledge and scientific methods can be braided to achieve more comprehensive and respectful research outcomes. We hope to learn from case studies in the Antarctic and other remote regions that have successfully implemented innovative sustainable measures.
Instructions for Speakers: Oral presentations in this 90-minute session should be at most 15-minutes in length, with an additional 5 minutes for questions (unless more detailed instructions are provided by session conveners). See more detailed presenter instructions here.
Oral Presentations:
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unfold_moreBridging the Gap in Environmental Protection: The Need for Impact Assessment Protocols in Arctic Research — Amy Macfarlane
Amy Macfarlane 1; Madison M. Smith 2; Ségolène Vandevelde 3; Radiance Calmer 4; Elise Droste 5
1 UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Northumbria University, Newcastle; 2 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; 3 University of Québec in Chicoutimi; 4 EPFL Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne; 5 AWIFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are critical tools in safeguarding the environment during research activities in the field. Field activities are required for many disciplines, such as archaeology, oceanography, and cryology, that address scientific interests in remote parts of our planet, such as the polar regions. While the Antarctic region has established protocols under international agreements for conducting EIAs, the Arctic remains largely unregulated, with no mandatory requirement for environmental impact assessments. Institutions with experience in Antarctic research often fail to apply best practices for environmental protection in the Arctic, despite their familiarity with structured EIA protocols. This disconnect highlights a broader issue: science conducted in the Arctic is not adequately aligned with environmental protection standards. In this session, we will explore the responsibility of independent scientists, research institutions, policymakers, and international bodies in enforcing uniform environmental guidelines across the Arctic. The presentation will focus on developing and implementing robust frameworks to ensure that environmental science and environmental protection are not independent of one another.
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unfold_moreCO2 emissions calculator for Swiss polar projects: one step towards a positive change — Konstantin Gavazov
Konstantin Gavazov 1; Ólafur Stitelmann 1; Basil Fahrländer 1
1 Swiss Polar InstituteFormat: Oral virtual
Abstract:
The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) funds and supports polar and high-altitude research in Switzerland. Although it is not an infrastructure operator per se, through its activities in support of researchers in the field, SPI has an indirect environmental footprint on the polar regions.
Aligned with its mission to promote long-term societal impact through excellent science, SPI has thus prioritised reducing its environmental footprint. SPI addressed the latter with a bottom-up approach and conducted a survey among the Swiss polar science community, identifying CO2 emissions as a principal concern.
Beginning with its 2024 annual calls for proposals, SPI requires applicants to submit a CO2 emission estimate of their project – a non-trivial task requiring reference to accurate sources. Since no ready-made tools exist yet, SPI developed a comprehensive, user-friendly spreadsheet calculator based on publicly available emission data for research stations and vessels, commercial flights and hotel stays during transfer, freight, consumables, etc. The presentation provides an overview of the main functionalities, shortcomings in certain aggregated estimates, and most importantly the lack of information for some emission sources. The latter is most prominent for Arctic terrestrial research stations, for which there are practically no CO2 emissions data available. In conclusion, SPI advocates for more transparency in polar research and urges more polar infrastructure operators to report their estimated or measured CO2 emissions, such that polar scientists can make informed decisions on where they can make a difference and ultimately reduce their environmental footprint.
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unfold_moreHolistic approaches to decarbonising polar science delivery — Pilvi Saarikoski
Pilvi Saarikoski 1,2; Nopi Exizidou 1; Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley 1; Jonathan Smith 1; Ellen Bowler 1
1 British Antarctic Survey, 2 Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative (DiPSI), SCAR EDI Action GroupFormat: Oral virtual
Abstract:
At British Antarctic Survey we are committed to delivering fundamental scientific evidence to underpin strategy decisions to reduce and mitigate carbon emissions across our operations in both poles, starting with those from our owned operations. Our Net Zero programme brings together a series of projects and activities that will transform our organisation and aims to help us and others to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2040. We are implementing renewable energy solutions where possible in all of our stations, but in addition to technological advances, our different strategies must include supporting behavioural changes and increasing learning through knowledge exchange.
In our talk we will feature a few key projects that reflect our holistic approach to this enormous challenge. We will start by sharing learnings from the IceNet (trialled in the Canadian Arctic) and Polar Route planner tools. The second example, our Carbon Literacy training and Climate for Change programmes, will showcase the importance of creating a common language around Net Zero and engaging the whole science community (including scientists, engineers and all the support functions) as change enablers. Finally, we will talk about the creation of an international discussion forum for decarbonising polar science delivery. The forum offers a community of practice for decarbonising projects and low-carbon approaches in Polar research and operations, aiming to accelerate progress through knowledge exchange and creating space for organic community building across nations, in constructive interplay with established organisations in this space.