At Arctic Frontiers 2025: Beyond Borders, there will be seven science themes. These represent the latest developments in Arctic research and span the physical and social sciences, as well as technological developments and innovative methods.
Each theme is co-organised by a session committee and led by scientists from our partner organisations.
Maritime activities play a major role in most Arctic and sub-Arctic countries. Shipping is one of the most energy-efficient modes of transport, but it is also a source of greenhouse gas emissions and a pressure on the marine environment. Shipping operations in the Arctic have increased significantly in recent years and for them to be sustainable in an environmentally safe and green way, energy-saving and carbon-neutral propulsion techniques with flexible power management systems are crucial. Many technologies are available or being developed but implementation challenges are often limited by policies, incentives, and lack of infrastructure. Digitization, AI driven technologies, and smart energy systems can address maritime needs, but require cross-border adaptations to fit user requirements.
The aim of this Session is to explore the potential and challenges of sustainable knowledge-driven green shipping in Arctic waters, including stakeholders engaged or potentially affected by Arctic maritime activities. The Session is also intended to foster quintuple helix interactions (academia-industry-government-public-environment) and facilitate the exchange of information and best practices as well as collaboration between maritime actors, Indigenous peoples, and research.
We welcome abstracts and contributions focusing on (but not limited to)*:
- How maritime activities can promote economic growth whilst safe-guarding the environment.
- Green technology innovation for maritime development and innovation barriers, cleaner fuel for shipping, and user needs.
- How to develop a robust supply chain of green/blue fuels
- Electrification and digitization of harbours and ships, and deep-sea fishing energy supply
- Cutting-edge technological advancements towards maritime activities and collaborative initiatives with stakeholders
Photo Credit: Vidar Nordli Mathisen, unsplash.com
Session Committee:
- Ekaterina Kim, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Stefan Kowalewski, DLR Maritime Safety and Security Lab
- Penny Wagner, Meteorological Institute of Norway
- Asgeir Sørensen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Gesa Ziemer, DLR Maritime Energy Systems
- Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group of the Arctic Council
Photo Credit: Willian Justen de Vasconello, unsplash.com
Session Committee:
- Malgorzata (Gosia) Smieszek-Rice, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
- Jon Børre Ørbæk, Research Council of Norway
- Jennifer Spence, Arctic Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School´s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs/ Co-Chair of ICARP RPT on Arctic Research Cooperation and Diplomacy
- Tom Barry, University of Akureyri/ Co-Chair of ICARP RPT on Arctic Research Cooperation and Diplomacy
- Robbie Mallett, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
- Bjørg Risebrobakken, NORCE
- Jan Rene Larsen, AMAP and SAON Secretariat
In acknowledgement of heightened geopolitical tensions and accelerating Arctic change, the Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) identified Arctic research cooperation and diplomacy as a new research priority. Scientific cooperation will also be essential in the development and implementation of the next International Polar Year (2032-2033). Existing tools for science diplomacy are being tested, and new methods of cooperation are being developed.
A key aspect of all IPYs is observations and sharing of data. Integrated observing systems are vital for our ability to understand, reconstruct and predict future climate dynamics and ecosystem responses, as well as managing a sustainable green social and economic development. Integrated observing system of systems is needed in the Arctic to support high quality research, environmental policy and resilient societies. While AI-technology further enables new powerful services and capabilities, the integrated and operational provision of in-situ data is not yet sufficiently developed to feed into digital twins and earth observation data services.
We invite contributions from scholars, scientists, knowledge-holders, practitioners, and decision-makers from diverse fields addressing challenges and proposing solutions that will feed into the ICARP IV process and the next IPY. This includes:
- Existing tools for Arctic research cooperation.
- Funding of Arctic science collaboration and integrated Arctic observing systems
- Supporting braiding Indigenous knowledge and science through international cooperation.
- Enhancing resilience of Arctic scientific research and collaboration.
- State of play of FAIR and CARE observations.
Climate change is having profound impacts on the Arctic, including the rapid retreat of glaciers, shifts in catchment hydrology and hydrochemistry, expansion of glacier forefields, permafrost thaw, sea ice loss, and changes in ocean circulation. These changes result in the transport of water, sediments across land-ocean and national borders. A poorly understood dimension to trans-boundary flows of water and sediment is their association with potentially toxic metals, with bio-accumulation and toxicity effects (e.g. mercury, arsenic, lead) in fish, birds and mammals. Potential secondary effects of metal pollution within Arctic ecosystems include implications for human health, traditional and Indigenous hunting patterns, and food systems.
Unravelling the specific causes of metal toxicity is highly challenging. Resolving this uncertainty is critical to future Arctic management and policy, and to mitigate future potential impacts on local communities. This session provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the causes and impacts of metal pollution and toxicity in a changing Arctic. We welcome contributions from researchers and Indigenous knowledge holders studying relevant environments (e.g. atmosphere, snow, glaciers, permafrost, soils and tundra, sea ice, fjords and coasts) and/or the implications for human and animal health, Arctic communities and environmental management.
Photo Credit: Leonard Magerl, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
Session Committee:
- Jemma Wadham, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
- Sarah Tingey, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
- Philipp Assmy, Norwegian Polar Institute
- Jon Hawkings, University of Pennsylvania
- Rolf Rødven, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) Working Group of the Arctic Council
Photo Credit: Erling Svensen
Session Committee:
- Hanne Johnsen, Norwegian Polar Institute
- Igor Eulaers, Norwegian Polar Institute
- Gro van der Meeren, Institute of Marine Research
- Eva Degré, Norwegian Environment Agency
- Louise Kiel Jensen, Norwegian Polar Institute
- Janne Haugen, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Ecosystem-based management (EBM) supports value creation through the sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystem services, including preserving ecosystem structure, functionality, productivity, and biodiversity. Implementation of EBM shows variable success across sectors, Arctic states and beyond. An urgency for integrated use and synthesis of knowledge, methods and approaches from different scientific disciplines, as well as for integrated cross-sectorial management approaches is needed considering the upcoming 2030 conservation and sustainability goals.
In this session, our goal is to explore the current progress on implementation of EBM in the Arctic, through increased use of integrated methods across its value chain, from knowledge production to policy development and management. We address the following questions: How can inter-disciplinary science and integrated monitoring increase implementation of EBM? Across the value chain, what lessons have been learned, what barriers have been encountered, and what opportunities have emerged from Arctic EBM practices? Additionally, we invite contributions that demonstrate how implementation of EBM, and a changed management system, have benefited the ecosystem health. We particularly welcome ongoing research projects and case studies that advance our knowledge on cross-sectoral pressures, their impact and risk, as well as their management to ensure the health of marine ecosystems.
The environmental impact of geopolitical unrest and war covers various aspects of the earth system, from the seabed to the atmosphere. Sunken warships, enhanced greenhouse gas emissions, pollution of waterways and chemical spillages all have consequences, mainly negative, on the Arctic environment and ecosystem, from both previous wars and current geopolitical conflicts. Warfare diverts resources and distracts people, reducing environmental management but also potentially allowing informal rewilding to occur.
The issue is global, with research being undertaken in the Baltic and North Seas and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The Barents Sea and Arctic coastlines were particularly affected during WWII, where over 100 vessels sank. Military exercises, even in times of peace, have additional environmental impacts in many remote and northern regions. Currently, reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from the military is voluntary and very few nations do this, but research on this topic is increasing.
In this session, we welcome interdisciplinary contributions including science, technology, archaeology, historical research and outreach and education. Abstracts can focus on both previous conflict and current geopolitical ramifications on the environment. Archaeological and heritage studies are also welcome, as well as studies focusing on legacies and recovery of the environment following cleanup policies and green management.
Photo Credit: UiT – Arctic University of Norway, Tirpitz Site Project
Session Committee:
- Bryan Lintott, UiT – The Arctic University of Tromsø
- Gareth Rees, University of Cambridge
Ilona Kater, Scott Polar Research Institute
- Sophie Weeks, Polar Educators International
- Morgan Ip, Scott Polar Research Centre, University of Cambridge
Photo Credit: Chase Davidson
Session Committee:
- Priscilla Mooney, NORCE
- Erik Sandquist, University of Bergen
- Nadine Johnston, British Antarctic Survey
In recent years, the volume of climate data available for impact assessments and supporting climate adaptation and mitigation has increased exponentially. At the same time, polar climate models have made substantial progress in lowering barriers to using climate models in support of climate adaptation and mitigation. Higher resolution models (up to 1km) and an increasing confidence in projections has led to more success in using climate model data for assessing various polices.
Climate model data can be used to assess the impact of climate change, and associated mitigation and adaptation plans, on various aspects of Arctic society and the earth system. By exploiting this novel data, we can now assess the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems, Arctic wildfires, and permafrost thaw; impacts that reverberate across the Arctic regardless of political boundaries. However, such models should also be adaptable to the end users’ needs, and this can be achieved through co-designing climate projections.
This session invites submissions that either 1) use data from climate models to assess the impact of climate change (including proposed mitigation and adaptation policies) on society and the environment, or 2) novel approaches or methods to using climate models, including managing uncertainty in climate projections.
The demographic continuity and security of villages and towns in the circumpolar Arctic depend on a global situation which scholars and scientist are grappling to monitor and analyze. Cross-border dialogue is crucial, not least in times of distrust and war. We need to bridge times of unrest and political turmoil imposed on, but seldom generated in the Arctic. Geopolitical unrest has led to geoeconomic consequences and instability, which has rippled across the Arctic. How this looks is vastly different, acting as a reflection of national and international politics, demographics and industrialization.
Borders are everywhere in the Arctic and deserve more analysis. Much fraction is caused or at least burdened by historical and economic momentum of issues at play. Indigenous peoples experience divisions of land and ways of life by borders of colonial empires and nation states. We invite discussions on whether an epistemological assessment of Artic life and nature is due by reflecting on its plurality, diversity and complexity. We invite discussion on differences of sustainable life-forms by encouraging place-oriented, place-based R &D, receptive to ideas and demands emerging from political and economic history, memory studies, and long-term, continuous fieldwork in Arctic areas.
Specifically, we invite contributions from the following fields:
- Arctic urban and rural places under geopolitical uncertainty
- Socio-economic sustainability, infrastructural investments and demographic continuity in times of geopolitical unrest and climate change
- Toward regional-national wealth distribution and governance
- Cross-border Indigenous and heritage research
Photo Credit: Chase Davidson
Session Committee:
- Urban Wråkberg, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
- Heather Nicol, Trent University
- Svein Vigeland Rottem, Fridtjof Nansen Institute
- Diane Hirshberg, University of Alaska Anchorage & Board Member for U.S Arctic Research Consortium
- Marc Lanteigne, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
What next?
The abstract submission period is now open. The deadline is September 27th. Please submit your abstract via our submission portal Oxford Abstracts.
What is an abstract?
An abstract is a short description of what you will present at the conference. It should include the motivation of your study – why are you asking the scientific question? Some background information about your study location, method or results can put it into context. Are you investigating glaciers in Greenland? Why? Is it because of sea level rise, freshwater input to the ocean, or loss of clean water? You should let the audience know why your science is necessary.
You should include key results and conclusions in your abstract. Abstracts are normally submitted a few months ahead of the conference, which means you may not yet have your results. Don’t worry, you can include the likely conclusions or outcome of your study, as well as any preliminary results. If your work focuses more on method development or a new technology or technique, then you should describe why it is needed and what it will achieve.
Abstracts are roughly 2-3 paragraphs and a maximum of 400 words for the Arctic Frontiers 2024 conference. If you are from industry or applied science and technology and haven’t written an abstract before, don’t panic. It is important that you make it clear to the session committee what you will talk about and why you fit into their session. The abstract will be reviewed by the session committees, and you will be informed whether you have been assigned an oral or poster presentation. In very few cases, your abstract may be rejected or moved to a different session if it doesn’t fit into the session you chose.
