Information Officer at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
All international collaboration is important in this area. What we want is to give a possibility for young researchers to collaborate, and we hope to receive more French people here at the Swedish research platforms.
How does the climate change affect your work?
Since the interest for climate change has increased, there is more focus on these areas where climate change is going faster than in others. I see also that the incoming questions of people have changed. Before, they asked what it was like to be at an expedition, now they are worried about the polar bears and the melting ice.
PhD student at the department of Geography in Umeå University
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
I’m very optimistic. I’ve met much French researchers and I think they are good at the anthropological, social point of view. I think the Swedish people could learn a lot from them. It would be nice if they invite the French people to study the area.
How does the climate change affect your subject?
It affects it a lot. Climate change affects the tourist product, how the landscape looks, but tourism also causes climate change.
Deputy-director of the French Polar Institute (IPEV)
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
I hope it will develop more, starting from collaborating studies in Abisko and sub-antarctic islands, to compare the evolution of the ecosystems in these two regions.
How does the climate change affect your subject?
The majority of research programs in Polar Regions are linked to climate change nowadays. They are very sensitive to changes due to human activity.
Professor of hydrosphere sciences at the department of Chemistry in Gothenburg University , chairman of the Environmental Committee of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences and chairman of the nomination committee of the Stockholm
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
This summer school is a good initiative for improving the collaboration. Good not only for the students but also for the lecturers as it enable them to expand their network.
How does the climate change affect your subject?
I’m studying the CO2 system, and it’s because of CO2 that we have a climate change. My focus is in the Arctic Ocean, the ocean where we’ve seen the largest changes and it’s a fantastic scientific challenge (even if it isn’t fantastic for mankind) trying to understand the feedback of the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle to climate change.
Director of the French Polar Institute (IPEV)
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
In France Spitsbergen , but since that’s not enough we also want to collaborate with Arctic countries. Of course Sweden
How does climate change affect your work?
Climate change is one of the major issues when the IPEV elaborate its program. Most of the research by the IPEV is connected to climate change.
Professor at the Laboratory of Glaciology and Environmental Physical Geography (LGGE)
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
I found the initiative really good, even if I’m not directly concerned, since my subject isn’t sub-arctic or sub-antarctic areas. What could be interesting for me is an exchange between the research of the glaciers in the Alps and the glaciers in Scandinavia .
How does climate change affect your subject?
We measured some kind of changes in the glaciers on the Antarctic coast. They don’t melt because of the increasing temperature, since it’s still cold enough, but probably because of climate change in some other way. The warming of the ocean is maybe one part of the explanation.
Professor of Physical Geography at Stockholm University
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
Exchange between young scientists is always good. Abisko and Tarfala are good platforms for such an exchange.
How does climate change affect your subject?
Significantly. Swedish glaciers are responding to present warming. They are very sensitive to temperature increase.
Senior researcher at the French Institute for Agricultural and Food Research (INRA)
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
For me, it could be very interesting to work in this area. There are species in Scandinavia which are likely to be the origin of Svalbard colonisation. To collaborate, there are two ways to work. The first way is without direct collaboration; for example to give easy access to the Swedish Research Platforms for the French researchers. The second one would be in establishing joint collaborative programmes.
How does climate change affect your subject?
In two ways, depending on if we are in sub-antarctic or in the Arctic . In Arctic there will be a negative effect on aphid species but on sub-antarctic territories we are expecting the positive effects on aphids as temperature increase permits the aphids to multiply. On the other hand, an increase of aphids will result in a negative effect on plants, as aphids damage plants.
Researcher at CNRS (UMR EcoBio)
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
Comparing sub-arctic and sub-antarctic research could be very valuable. Studying only one ecosystem would not be enough to understand how ecosystems may respond to climate change.
How does climate change affect your subject?
Climate change is the origin of my subject.
Director of Research in Anthropology, CNRS
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
I’ve already collaborated a lot with people from different countries. On this course, though, I was the only one from social science, so I couldn’t find anyone to collaborate with.
How does climate change affect your subject?
I work with indigenous people in subpolar regions and climate change affects them a lot. Climate change is adding to a long line of changes – social, economic, environmental…
Professor of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Department in Umeå University and director of the Climate Impact Research Centre (CIRC)
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
Of course, it’s very good with a future collaboration. I look forward to an invitation to visit Kerguelen and the other French islands.
How does climate change affect your subject?
At present, we can see climate-related effects in the sub-arctic.
Responsible of the program Ecobio 136, CNRS
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
A good thing to do. It's very interesting for some researchers. For me it's more complicated. Kerguelen is an island and it hasn't so much in common with for example Abisko.
How does climate change affect your subject?
Climate change is a part of our subject. We think there is a strong link between invasive species and climate change. We see a close connection. In South Georgia we have seen a glacier retreat resulting from climate change. The glacier retreat allows reindeer to colonize new parts of the island, and that has a big impact on the vegetation.
Professor emeritus at Lund University and Professor at the South China Normal University in Guangzhou
What do you think of the future French-Swedish collaboration?
It’s always good to collaborate, and this course can stimulate a further collaboration. I appreciate that they have chosen English as language on the course.
How does climate change affect your subject?
Since I regard ultraviolet radiation which is connected with climate change, it’s very relevant.
