Polar Winter School - Faculty of Environmental Sciences CZU Prague

About winter school
Collaborative Network
Practical information
Accommodation
Thematic lectures and trainings
Lecturers
Documents
Photo gallery

Past years

About winter school

The Polar Winter School, set against the stunning backdrop of Longyearbyen, Svalbard, offers an exceptional educational experience focused on the critical study of polar regions, which are currently facing dramatic changes due to climate change. This initiative, running from April 22nd to April 28th, 2024, aims to equip international university students with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to ongoing research efforts in these fragile environments.

Why Study Polar Regions?

The Arctic, a focal point of global climate change research, is experiencing rapid environmental transformations that have far-reaching impacts on global climate systems, ecosystems, and human societies. These changes include melting glaciers, shrinking sea ice, altered ecosystems, and increasing air and ocean temperatures, all of which underscore the urgent need for comprehensive research and informed action.

Learning Objectives of the Winter School

The Polar Winter School seizes the unique scientific infrastructure and natural environment of Svalbard to provide hands-on training in various disciplines related to climate change. The program is designed to foster the next generation of scientists equipped to tackle the challenges posed by these changes. Through thematic lectures, fieldwork, and practical training sessions, students will delve into critical topics such as air pollution, snow hydrology and physics, avalanche safety, and glaciology. These areas are pivotal for understanding the complex interactions and feedback mechanisms driving the Arctic's transformation.

Collaborative Network

The Winter School is supported by a network of prestigious partners, including the

Faculty of Environmental Sciences - Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague,

Faculty of Science - University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice ,

Nordic Snow Network,

UArctic Thematic Network on High Latitude Dust (HLD),

Norway grants within EEA funds , and

Summit Trade.

This collaboration ensures a rich educational experience, combining resources and expertise from across the scientific community.


Faculty of Environmental Sciences	Nordic Snow Network


Summit Trade	Faculty of Science


UArctic Thematic Network on High Latitude Dust (HLD)	Agricultural University of Iceland

Practical information

When:

4. – 28. 4. 2024

Where:

Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Costs:

Most of the costs are covered by organisers. Students have to pay their flight ticket and 500EUR will be refunded after the course (only for students from Faculty of Environment of the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague and students from universities of the Nordic countries. Board and lodging is covered by the organisers. You will need skis with you, but you can rent. See bellow.

Who can participate:

The Polar Winter School is designed for students pursuing a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in Earth Sciences. Especially for students of the Faculty of Environment of the Czech University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia and universities of the Nordic countries.

The maximum capacity is 16 students (8 Czech + 8 from Nordic universities/institutes).

How to apply and applications deadline:

First we need some basic information to select students, please fill this form.

Apply until 15. 3. 2024

For any info please contact the organisers:

Roman Juras - juras@fzp.czu.cz (czech students, main organiser)

Ali Nadir Arslan - ali.nadir.arslan@fmi.fi (nordic students)

Accommodation

Accommodation for students is reserved in Hostel 102. You will get a bed in a mixed dormitory room with shared bathroom facilities. These rooms will be occupied by four people.

Food and eating
The hostel offers breakfast and a self-catering kitchen. Some dinners we will cook together, but you can also order dinners from the hostel, which offers a small buffet with boiled rice and 2 meals (usually Asian). Lunch will usually be a sandwich, which will be eaten outside the hotel according to the program. The most important thing for you is that you have to partially cook for yourself. But don't worry, the shops are close to the hostel and the kitchen is fully equipped.

Thematic lectures and trainings

Air pollution

Arctic air pollution comes from both natural and anthropogenic sources having direct and indirect impacts on climate. Dust can cover snow and glaciers and thus causes lowering of albedo and fasten melt. In situ measurements of aerosol in Svalbard will allow the students to identify the particle types, sizes and concentrations. Gathered data will be analyzed and online models/remote sensing products will be used to determine the origin (sources) and long-range transport of the particulates in the Arctic. Models can be also verified comparing obtained in situ data with the available forecasts. Students will also analyze how air pollution can affect snow properties and glacier dynamics.

Snow hydrology and snow physics

Snow forms a very important part of the hydrological cycle and is also an important abiotic factor influencing energy flows in nature. Especially in the Arctic, snow is a key factor for all ecosystems, influencing river flows, groundwater supplies and dynamics of glaciers. Nowadays, less snow precipitation can be observed during the season and changing climate significantly affects the snow properties as well.

Snow supplies can significantly influence whether there is sufficient water or a drought in the summer. Last but not least, the presence of snow is an important economic aspect, as many industries and sports are linked to it. Students in the course will learn how to measure basic snow properties, analyze them and understand the context with other disciplines, such as air pollution, glaciology, avalanche activity and ecological links between organisms. To be more specific, students will learn how to read snow profiles, analyze snow crystals, effect of terrain on snow properties and many more.

Avalanche safety

Avalanche training is essential for safe movement in polar regions and for making scientific measurements. Students will learn how to behave in avalanche terrain.

Each student will learn what is necessary equipment when making field measurements. How this equipment works and how to care for it. After this training, they will gain real field experience and be trained in the use of avalanche equipment. They will also practice avalanche rescue in simulated avalanche situations. Planning of field trips will have two parts: the presentation will focus on how to recognize a potential avalanche field, and how to plan the safest possible hike in relation to the changing terrain and snow profile during the day and other aspects related to avalanche activity. The lecture will also provide comprehensive information on avalanche forecasting and what aspects are included in it. Avalanche activity in the Arctic region has its own specifics, mainly due to the different snow profile, which depends on low temperature, solar radiation and moisture from the ocean. Students will learn the differences of avalanche activity in polar versus non-polar regions. This portion of the program aims to increase safety in hazardous snow terrain, including theoretical and practical lectures and training.

Glaciology and climate

Glaciers are the most distinctive landscape features of the Arctic representing also a long-term record of climate and environmental conditions in general. They act as an essential geomorphic agent of the polar landscape shaping its forms into large glacial valleys, steep mountain slopes and predisposing the hydrological network. Winter conditions with below zero temperature represent perfect conditions for studying internal structure of the glaciers including englacial and subglacial channel network due to absence of a meltwater. Two localities around Longyearbyen offer the opportunity to explore the internal glacier environment where the channel network itself but also the structural features can be visited. Some of the local glaciers are also equipped with network of ablation stakes, the classical glaciological tool for surface mass balance monitoring – these will be visited, monitored and comparison with summer readings will be processed to demonstrate this observational approach. Apart these classic glacier localities, students can visit also pingos in the Adventdalen, where the groundwater recharge beneath the pingos ice core is often apparent even during winter season. Another characteristic feature of the Arctic is the sea ice, which usually forms in the adjacent Adventfjorden. Here we will have a chance to explore different stages of sea ice formation ranging from early stages of pancake ice to the solid pack ice. Excursion to these localities will be complemented by presentation of the automatic weather stations focused especially on snow properties or albedo measurements. We will use existing research infrastructure of Norwegian Polar Institute (ablation stakes), UNIS (weather stations) and Czech Arctic Research Station (weather stations + logistics).

Lecturers

Roman Juras

Roman works as a hydrologist at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague. He is mainly interested in the hydrology of snow, but also in other issues related to snow and its importance for nature. His research focuses mainly on the dependence of water resources on snow water, water retention in snow and avalanches. Recently, however, he has also been working on the sustainability of artificial snowmaking. In his career so far, he has worked in Davos, Switzerland, Innsbruck, Munich and the Arctic. As he is also a keen skier, he is also interested in the future of snow from a sporting perspective. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Roman-Juras

Pavla Dagsson Waldhauserová

Pavla is a researcher at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, focusing air pollution, and received joint-degree PhD from the University of Iceland and the Agricultural University of Iceland focusing dust aerosol and dust storms in Iceland in combination with dust-cryosphere interactions. Pavla is the head of the Icelandic Aerosol and Dust Association and of the UArctic Thematic Network on High latitude Dust, NORDSNOWNET member, and published >50 scientific papers. Her research localities include both the Arctic (Iceland, Finland) and Antarctic (James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula) and Greenland. Pavla is a coordinator of the Icelandic Aerosol and Dust Association (ICEDUST) and took part in several international research projects related to snow and snow/ice impurities. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pavla-Waldhauserova

Jan Kavan

Jan is involved in polar research based especially in Svalbard, Antarctica or Iceland. His main research topics include glacier dynamics and its consequences on proglacial hydrology, sediment budget, coastal dynamics and environmental impacts of glacier retreat in general. He is currently affiliated with Centre for Polar Ecology (University of South Bohemia), but he also worked within the Czech Antarctic Research Programme (Masaryk university) and Alfred Jahn Cold Regions Research Centre (University of Wroclaw, Poland). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jan-Kavan

Pavel Krajčí

Pavel is an avalanche specialist of the HZS (Mountain rescue service Slovakia), he has been working at the Avalanche Prevention Centre since 2017, before that he was a volunteer rescuer of the HZS in the Western and Low Tatras. He is a long-time member of the JAMES mountaineering association (ski mountaineering instructor since 2021). During his master's and doctoral studies, he has been researching avalanches and snow cover. As part of his studies, he had several internships abroad, during which he had the opportunity to collaborate with experts in the field of snow cover processes. He is also a member of the organizing team of Bokami Western Tatras. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pavel-Krajci

Ali Nadir Arslan

Dr. Ali Nadir Arslan received the D.Sc. (Tech.) degree from the Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, Finland, in 2006. He worked in Nokia Corporation between 1999 and 2009 holding principal scientist title. He is currently a Senior Scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and has been employed since 2009. His research interests are remote sensing methods and applications for cryosphere, microwaves, electromagnetics theory & computational modeling and EMC; Signal & Power Integrity. Dr. Arslan has directed several research projects including European Union and some university collaborations. He has authored over 50 scientific papers and reports and he has 3 patents. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ali-Arslan-12

Leena Leppänen

I have been working as researcher at the Arctic Space Centre of Finnish Meteorological Institute in Sodankyla since 2012. In January 2020, I completed my PhD in the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) at University of Helsinki in geophysics. Since January 2021, I have had a postdoc position at the Arctic Centre in Rovaniemi in CHARTER project. My current research is related to snow properties, microstructure and citizen science snow observations. My work includes also field measurements in Finland and in Antarctica. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Leena-Leppaenen

Outi Meinander

Outi is a researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Helsinki, Finland, in the aerosols and climate research group. Her work focuses on understanding cryosphere-atmosphere interactions and feedbacks in the polar regions. This includes changes in snow albedo, black (soot) and organic carbon in snow (originating from various anthropogenic and natural sources like transport, industry, wild fires) and dust (e.g., natural high latitude dust sources, citizen science campaign of Saharan dust in Finland, new: mining dust). She is an adjunct professor at the Arctic Centre, Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland, and gained her PhD from Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki (ATM-DP of INAR). She has conducted research in Arctic (Iceland, Finland, also H2020 EU-Interact Faroes, Scotland and Sonnblick) and has solar instruments in the Antarctic Peninsula (Marambio), snow samples include also Greenland. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Outi-Meinander

Documents

Here you will find documents to download, which we will be adding to this section over time.

Photo gallery

Photos from previous winter school in Spitsbergen.