The EXTREME team's contribution to the Norway-Singapore Science Week 2024.
A delegation of 20 researchers, academics, and leaders from UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, SINTEF Ocean, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), along with several industry representatives, visited Singapore to participate in the Norway-Singapore Science Week, which took place on November 4-5, 2024.Throughout the week, eight topic-specific sessions were held, culminating in the Science Conference that brought together over 100 participants from research, academia, and industry from both countries.
By Valentina Lanci, Giuliana Panieri, Ines Barrenechea
Professor Giuliana Panieri, the principal investigator of the EXTREMES project, and Dr. Ines Barrenechea from the Department of Geosciences at UiT participated in Singapore Science Week, which took place on November 4 and 5, 2024. During the event, Giuliana Panieri presented her team's research conducted in the Arctic. She particularly emphasized the unique challenges and opportunities presented by extreme environments in the Arctic. Additionally, she highlighted the innovative "Extreme Environment Course" offered as part of the project, which is available as an open and online course.
Ines also gave a presentation focusing on the work conducted in extreme environments, such as cold seeps and hydrothermal vents. She outlined the methodologies employed by the team and discussed recent findings. This presentation provided a comprehensive overview of the practical approaches and scientific techniques used in our research, highlighting the depth and scope of their study in these challenging conditions. Additionally, Ines introduced the use of sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) to assess biodiversity in extreme environments and to reconstruct past paleoceanographic conditions. This topic is particularly relevant today, especially in light of the recent open letter signed by several scientists (https://en.vedur.is/media/ads_in_header/AMOC-letter_Final.pdf)
Dr. Panieri and Dr. Barrenechea's presentations underscored the significance of their ongoing research and highlighted the global relevance of the EXTREMES project, funded by UArctic, in understanding and protecting some of the planet's most vulnerable ecosystems.
In this context, Singapore has expressed concerns about potential sea level rise, which the government has classified as an existential threat. Consequently, Norway and Singapore share many overlapping interests regarding the melting ice in polar regions; however, each country focuses on different effects. In Norway, the primary concern is how a warmer Arctic impacts local communities and how livelihoods and ecosystems are affected by the melting of sea ice and permafrost. In contrast, Singapore is primarily focused on the effects of melting glaciers and ice sheets. While climate change is the underlying cause, the consequences differ between the two regions.
Additionally, Giuliana and Ines's visit to Singapore was a valuable opportunity to strengthen collaboration with the Singapore Earth Observatory (EOS) and other prominent research institutions, including the Institute of Tropical Marine Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Located on John's Island, this institute offers a unique environment away from the urban development of Singapore. During their visit, they were able to engage with the research facilities and gain a deeper understanding of how these resources are applied to assess tropical marine biodiversity in shallow waters, which present both distinctive challenges and significant opportunities for research.