Overall the course covered the following topics:
  • Long-term environmental changes (climate, permafrost, feed-back mechanisms, ecology)
    Teachers: Prof Terry Callaghan, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Dr Margareta Johansson, Lund University & Prof Bo Svensson Linköping University
  • Changes in snow, what snow and ice means to Sámi and impacts of changes in snow
    Teachers: Dr Jan Åge Riseth, NORUT, Norway & Dr Cecilia Johansson, Uppsala University, Sweden
  • People’s health and wellbeing (infections, injuries and security, genetics)
    Teachers: Prof Birgitta Evengård, Umeå University, Sweden, Prof Ulf Gyllensten, Uppsala University, Sweden & Prof Arja Rautio, University of Oulu, Finland
  • Adaptation to the climate change and adaptation to climate change, sustainable land and resource use
    Teachers: Prof Terry Callaghan, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Ass Prof Christer Jonasson, Abisko Scientific Research Station
  • See full backgrounds of teaching staff

Cecilia Johansson

 Cecilia Johansson instructs students
In addition to the lectures, discussions and group assigments, students learned to make snow profiles and measure different parameters of snow. Students were also introduced to the 18 Sámi categories of snow though by Jan Åge Riseth who is a researcher but also Sámi himself. The course also included outdoor activities such as making snow profiles, studying snowflakes, and snow hardiness. These field elements were seen as the best parts of the course,  as they were new lessons for many. Many participants said afterwards that they,  “learned a lot from other disciplines and research topics” and that the atmosphere and the venue of the course were the best possible.

The course was funded by Nordforsk Top-level Research Initiative, “Effect studies and adaptation to climate change” as the fourth course organized by the Nordic Network “People and Ecosystems in a changing environment”. The Nordic TRI network is lead by Thule Institute at the University of Oulu, Finland and a joint effort of the Thematic Network on Health and Well-being in the Arctic and Thematic Network on Global Change.

More information: Coordinator Kirsi Latola, Thule Institute, email kirsi.latola (at ) uarctic.org