The International Arctic Research Center (IARC) of the University of Alaska Fairbanks announces a summer school on climate change in the Arctic Ocean. The class is intended for PhD students, postdocs, and early-career scientists. It will be conducted jointly with an arctic expedition as a part of the Nansen and Amundsen Basin Observational System (NABOS) project onboard the Russian research vessel "Akademik Fedorov." The National Science Foundation funds both the summer school and NABOS expedition.
The one-month summer school will bring graduate students and young scientists together with specialists in arctic oceanography and climate to convey to a new generation of scientists the opportunities and challenges of arctic climate observations and modeling. Specifically, young scientists will gain:
- Hands-on experience during the field campaign;
- Perspectives on the key issues in arctic climate from observational, diagnostic, and modeling perspectives; and
- Exposure to the methods used in addressing arctic climate and climate change.
The summer school will consist of background lectures, participation in fieldwork, and mini-projects. The mini-projects will be performed in collaboration with summer school instructors and members of the expedition. Key topics to be covered in the lectures include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Arctic climate: key characteristics and processes;
- Physical processes in the Arctic Ocean;
- Sea ice and the Arctic Ocean;
- Trace gases, aerosols, and chemistry: importance for climate changes;
- Feedbacks in the arctic system (e.g., surface albedo, clouds, water vapor, circulation);
- Arctic climate variations: past, ongoing, and projected; and
- Global climate models: an overview.
The 33-day long NABOS expedition will start on 22 August 2013 from Kirkenes, Norway, and return to Kirkenes on 23 September 2013. Participants will need to arrive at least one day before the departure and book return tickets at least one day after the ship's scheduled return. All participants will be accommodated onboard Akademik Fedorov in cabins for 2 or 4 people. IARC will issue partial travel grants for travel to/from Kirkenes, with amounts determined through an application process.
Application packages should include a curriculum vitae, a letter of interest, and a letter of support from the applicant's supervisor. The cover letter should include estimates for the participant's travel expenses to/from Kirkenes (including lodging in Kirkenes).
Application deadline: Wednesday, 15 May 2013.
Please send applications electronically, to: Tohru Saito Email: saito [at] iarc.uaf.edu