Stefan Partelow

The course on Interdisciplinary Marine and Coastal Sustainability was started in Bodo, Norway for 3 days, proceeded on the Hurtigruten Nordic coastal cruise for 1 day to the city of Tromso, Norway for the remaining 3 days of the course. Future Earth Norway, Nord University and The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) collaborated in organizing and facilitating the course. The course was attended by marine oriented PhD candidates from all over the work from nearly all different disciplines including law, political science, economics, biology, ecology, anthropology and biogeochemistry. With such a diverse background of students, the course provided general lectures on integrated approaches to the challenges marine and coastal areas face in relation to sustainability, and then proceeded into more specific lectures and activities with a focus on specific topics relevant to certain problems such as aquaculture development, climate change, arctic sea ice, indigenous communities, and political efforts in Norway relating to small-scale fisheries, oil development and climate change. The course was designed to create a space for discussion and learning between students with different backgrounds and to build a network of early career scientists interested in interdisciplinary research related marine and coastal sustainability.

The course was very well organized and beneficial in creating a network of early career scientists working in similar fields. Besides the course content, the location and traveling associated with the course was a wonderful way to experience life and landscapes above the Arctic Circle while discussing the many challenges it faces for the future. Overall, I very much enjoyed participating in the course and meeting those who attended and provided lectures. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend the course due to GLOMAR, Future Earth, ZMT, and the host universities.