BEPSII* Sea Ice School – Educating a new generation of sea-ice scientists at times of rapid changes in polar regions

One of the goals of BEPSII is to educate and support Early Career Scientists (ECS). With the first BEPSII Sea-Ice School we aimed to teach the students different aspects of sea-ice biogeochemistry, from theory to lab work to fieldwork. The school took place in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada, from May 14th to the 23rd. Organized by BEPSII SSC members Letizia Tedesco of the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE (Finland), Bruno Delille and Odile Crabeck of the University of Liège (Belgium), and with the support of CliC, IASC, NSF, Polar Knowledge, SCAR, SCOR, SOLAS, it was the first initiative of its kind within the BEPSII network. 29 participants from Canada, the U.S., South Africa, Japan, Finland, Germany and the UK, just to mention a few of the represented countries, gathered together at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) for a full immersion into sea ice. CHARS served as the headquarters of the school, providing accommodation for students and lecturers alike, as well as spaces for frontal lectures and presentations, poster sessions, and lab work – all in a unique setting decorated with local ornaments, paintings, and cultural artifacts. Lectures were one of the highlights of the 2022 BEPSII School. Every day, students gathered in the CHARS main meeting space for a series of lectures that focused on a wide range of topics, including basic sea-ice physics, gas exchange, nutrients, ice algae, land – sea ice - ocean Interaction, sea-ice optics, ecology and biogeochemical modelling. They also had the opportunity to attend a class on effective communication for ECSs. Furthermore, the location of the school allowed all master students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and lecturers to head out on the ice, which was located just a couple of hundred meters from CHARS. There, they had the opportunity to experience fieldwork, for some of them it was the first time on the sea ice. On the last day of the school, the students presented in small groups a topic they decided to develop further. They all excelled, showing on the one hand that the school was successful, and on the other hand the students’ excellent learning skills.

Highlights: 

• The BESPII Sea-Ice School was the first initiative of its kind within the BEPSII network.

• The school format included frontal and interactive lectures, lab and field work, poster sessions, and group work final reporting

• The school focused on a wide range of topics, from basic sea-ice physics to gas exchange, nutrients, ice algae, land – sea ice - ocean Interaction, sea-ice optics, ecology, biogeochemical modelling and a target class on effective communication for ECSs

More info: BEPSII Website