“In a broad sense, Nunataryuk will study the Arctic coast and the effects of environmental change. We study the effects on the natural environment and on the people living there”, says Gustaf Hugelius, associate professor at the Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University.
He adds that the word “Nunataryuk”, freely translated, means “land to sea” on Inuvialuktun, a native language from northwestern Canada.
Together with Örjan Gustafsson, Professor at the Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry (ACES), he is responsible for the project Nunataryuk at Stockholm University. Gustaf Hugelius’s role is to study permafrost on land and how climate change can lead to the release of organic material, nutrients and environmental pollutants into streams and rivers. Örjan Gustafsson will focus on permafrost in the ocean floor to better understand its evolution and vulnerability under global warming.
Gathers researchers from various disciplines
The project brings together world-leading researchers from various disciplines including natural science, economics and social sciences.
“The research has a wide span and includes field work at land and sea, remote sensing from drones, airplanes, helicopters and satellites, interviews and risk assessments in Arctic societies and modeling with global models”, says Gustaf Hugelius.
What do you wish the project will lead to?
“We hope to formulate robust scenarios for how the Arctic coastal environment will change over the coming decades and centuries. We also hope to formulate societal strategies for how these changes can be met by the people in the area”, says Gustaf Hugelius.
The Horizon 2020 program allocates about 80 billion euros to research and innovation over the seven-year period 2014-2020. The Nunataryuk project is granted a five-year funding. The project, led by the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, includes 27 partners, including Kuopio University, University of Vienna, NordRegio and Max Plank Institute in Hamburg. Stockholm University is the second largest partner and project launch will take place in November.
More information about Nunataryuk
Pressrelease from Alfred Wegener Institute: “Retreating permafrost coasts threaten the fragile Arctic environment”
