Scientific Programme

Contributions can be submitted to the sessions listed below. Abstract submission will start in July. In case you would like to participate in ICAM-X but think that your research does not fit to any of the proposed sessions, please consider submitting your work to the open session (see below). Please note that the session structure is still preliminary and may be subject to changes.

SESSION 1: EVOLUTION & STRUCTURE OF THE CRUST AND LITHOSPHERE IN THE ARCTIC

Convener: Christian Schiffer (Uppsala University), Karolina Kośmińska (AGH Krakow), Marie-Andrée Dumais (Geological Survey of Norway), Peter Klitzke (BGR Hannover), Nikola Koglin (BGR Hannover), Antonia Ruppel (BGR Hannover).

Description: Over recent decades, new geological and geophysical data provided crucial constraints on the structure and tectonic evolution of the Arctic. Yet, our understanding of the tectonic events and their spatio-temporal relationships in this remote region has perhaps become even more complex. In order to fully decipher the complex tectonic systems, it is key to study this remote, sparsely explored region using integrated, multi-scale and multi-disciplinary analyses from the surface to the crust and into the mantle. In this session, we aim to review our knowledge of the formation, evolution, tectonics and current structure of the crust in the Arctic. This includes, for example, the timing and conditions of various orogenic, rifting and igneous events, spatio-temporal relationships of different terranes and orogenies, formation, reworking and current structure of the lithosphere, as well as the role of inheritance in tectonic evolution. We also want to discuss the need for additional experiments and key future research targets in order to develop better, well-constrained models of the tectonic evolution in the Arctic. We welcome contributions from all relevant disciplines, including, but not limited to, plate tectonics, geophysics, geodynamic modelling, igneous, metamorphic and structural geology, palaeomagnetism, sedimentology, geomorphology, geochronology, thermochronology, geochemistry and petrology.

Invited Speaker: Fiona Darbyshire (Centre de Recherche Geotop / Département des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal), Expert on Lithospheric structure of northern Canada and environs from natural-source seismology.

Prof. Dr. Fiona Darbyshire is a full professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada. Her research focuses on using a variety of natural-source seismic methods to study the lithospheric structure of the Canadian Shield and its surroundings, with the aim to understand the processes of continental formation and evolution. Current research includes the use of surface wave tomography, receiver functions and shear-wave splitting to constrain crust and upper-mantle structure and dynamics.


SESSION 2: DIGITAL ARCTIC

Convener: Carmen Gaina (University of Oslo), Kim Senger (University Centre in Svalbard, UNIS)

 

Description: The last three decades have seen an increase in knowledge about the northern polar region for economic and / or political reasons, and geoscientific data is now available in various formats on multiple locations and platforms. In such a data-sparse region it is imperative that the geoscientific community has a full overview of what data have already been collected and where data gaps remain. In the same time, it is crucial that scientific research, activities and their outcome are visible to the broader scientific community and extend to the wider public. In the last years considerable effort has been invested by several groups and institutions to make various data and results available online and to use it for further research, education and outreach. This session is an opportunity to share experiences in assembling and maintaining such data repositories and a forum for discussing the future of Digital Arctic.

 

Invited Speaker: Martin Jakobsson (Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden), Expert on Glacial history, ice sheets, ice-ocean interaction, submarine glacial landforms and geophysical seafloor mapping using acoustic methods.

Prof. Dr Martin Jakobsson is a Full Professor of Marine Geology and Geophysics at the Stockholm University in Sweden. Martin's current research interests include the oceanographic and geological history of oceans, with a focus on the Arctic Ocean glacial history, the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, ice-ocean interaction, submarine glacial landforms and geophysical seafloor mapping using acoustic methods. He has served as the Vice Chair of the UNESCO-IOC-IHO General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) and was the lead author of the Road Map for Future Ocean Floor Mapping that led to the global Nippon Foundation - GEBCO Seabed 2030 project, with the mission of mapping all of the World Ocean until year 2030 (https://seabed2030.gebco.net/ ).


SESSION 3: DEEP-TIME CLIMATE ARCHIVES & THE IMPACTS ON LIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Convener: William Foster (Universität Hamburg), Denise Kulhanek (Universität Kiel), Kasia Śliwińska (Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland), Morgan Jones (Umeå University, Sweden), Aleksandra Smyrak-Sikora (Norwegian University of Science and Technology).

 

Description: The most distinct and widely acknowledged causes of extinction today are pollution, habitat loss, overexploitation, introduction of invasive species and climate change. Understanding how these threats will reduce populations or drive species to extinction is a core component of modern-day policymaking. One issue is that horizon threats, like climate change, occur on global and centennial scales that are much broader in scope than knowledge that can be acquired using modern-day datasets alone. Marine sediments provide the only long-term paleoclimate record that can reveal how life and the planet responded to past major climate change events. These records can help to resolve the impact of climate change on life, which is a priority for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. We can, therefore, use different past climatic events and transitions, to provide key information on how horizon threats operate at regional, ecosystem, and even biome levels. Currently, much of our understanding of deep time climate evolution comes from low- and mid-latitude regions and the Southern Ocean. This may be one of the reasons behind the proxy-model mismatch when reconstructing past climate for the Northern high-latitude regions. This session will showcase the outstanding research focused on climate, evolutionary, ecological, environmental, and geologic processes in the Arctic. Contributions are encouraged from work focusing on any interval of the Phanerozoic, including outcrop, core, and modern analogue studies.

 

Invited Speaker: Stephen Grasby (Geological Survey of Canada, and University of Calgary in Canada), Expert on Paleoenvironments in the High Arctic.

Prof. Dr. Stephen Grasby is a senior research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada and adjunct professor in the Geosciences Department at the University of Calgary in Canada. His research focuses on application of geochemical tools to unravel the dynamic changes in paleoenvironments throughout the Phanerozoic, focused largely on records preserved in the High Arctic. His work extends to understanding many unique modern extreme environments as windows into the past.


SESSION 4: ARCTIC EDUCATION & OUTREACH

Convener: Kim Senger (The University Centre in Svalbard), Sophie Weeks (Polar Educators International), Rainer Lehmann (German Society for Polar Research & University of Flensburg) Marie van der Kloet (University of Bergen), Grace Shephard (University of Oslo), Aleksandra Smyrak-Sikora (Norwegian University of Science and Technology). Rafael Horota (The University Centre in Svalbard).

 

Description: The Arctic is one of Earth’s last remaining frontiers, with many unanswered geoscientific questions. The region is largely difficult to access, relying on major and expensive offshore and onshore expeditions to even reach the field sites. Regular field teaching in the High Arctic is rare, except for, e.g., the year-round education offered by the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. There are nonetheless many excellent examples of how scientists working in the High Arctic communicate their research projects to the wider audience, be it through museum exhibits, webinars, popular science articles, educational material for schools, or other storybuilding efforts. Emerging digital geoscientific tools, in addition, facilitate bridging the gap from the High Arctic to lower latitude classrooms, museums and universities. In this multi-disciplinary session, we welcome all contributions that address education and outreach in an Arctic perspective.

 

Invited Speaker: Lene Liebe Delsett (Natural History Museum in Oslo, Norway), Expert on Palaeontology of whales, ichthyosaurs, and reptiles from the Arctic.

Dr. Lene Liebe Delsett is a vertebrate palaeontologist currently employed at the Natural History Museum in Oslo, where she leads the research project ECHO - Evolutionary convergences in historical oceans - The case of whales and ichthyosaurs. She has worked for several years on Mesozoic marine reptiles from the Arctic, including Spitsbergen, Greenland and Ellesmere Island, studying their evolution, relationships, anatomy and physiology. In addition, she has studied collection biases and processes in Nordic museum collections of recent whale specimens in a transdisciplinary project. Lene cares deeply about public outreach, and establishing connections between society and the natural sciences, and was recently awarded the outreach award from the Geological society of Norway.


SESSION 5: THE OPENING OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN

Convener: Thomas Funck (Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland), Bernard Coakley (University of Alaska, Fairbanks)

 

Description: There are still many open questions regarding the opening history of the Arctic Ocean despite decades of geophysical mapping and geological sampling. Within the Eurasian Basin, there is agreement on the general timing of the opening but there is very little information on spatial and temporal variations in magma production, margin architecture in the continent-ocean transition zone, or the formation and volcanism on the Morris Jesup Rise and the conjugate Yermak Plateau. Within the Amerasia Basin, it is generally accepted that there was seafloor spreading within the Canada Basin although there is no general agreement on the timing. How the adjacent Alpha Ridge, Mendeleev Rise and Chukchi Borderland fit into this opening model is still controversially discussed. With decreasing sea-ice, the Arctic Ocean becomes more accessible allowing for easier geological sampling and for improved seismic experiments with longer streamers or the use of ocean bottom seismometers for crustal scale structures. Presentations on geophysical and geological data that put constraints on the opening history of the Arctic Ocean are encouraged.

 

Invited Speaker: Grace Shephard (University of Oslo, Norway), Expert on Opening kinematics of the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans.

Prof. Dr. Grace Shephard is a Senior Researcher at the University of Oslo and holds an Honorary position at the Australian National University. Her background is in plate reconstructions and geodynamics, with an interest in linking the surface and deep interior of Earth. Her recent research focuses on the opening kinematics of the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans, and mantle plume dynamics of Arctic LIPs, including HALIP. To do this, Grace works with multiple datasets developed by the wider community including geology, geophysics, seismic tomography, and geochemistry. She is currently funded by the Norwegian Research Council for her project POLARIS: Evolution of the Arctic in deep time.


SESSION 6: ARCTIC GEOPOLITICS, GOVERNANCE & SOCIETY

Convener: Volker Rachold (German Arctic Office, Potsdam), Christoph Humrich (Arctic International Relations and Governance, University of Groningen)

 

Description: During the last decades, the Arctic has become the epicentre of climate warming and at the same time a hotspot of economic and geopolitical interests. Motivated by economic opportunities that involve commercial shipping, oil and gas development, mining, fisheries and tourism, both Arctic and global actors show increasing interest in the Arctic region - with respective need for coordination, cooperation, and regulation. At least since the Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine and the consequent NATO admission of Finland and Sweden also strategic and security issues have substantially gained in importance. In light of increasing challenges, interest and awareness of the global significance of the Arctic, adequate stewardship and governance structures for the region are at the same time of paramount importance and under pressure. The Arctic is governed by both domestic and international laws and policies. Science plays an important role in shaping the various regulations and recommendations in treaties and soft-law. An example of how science is used for decision-making is the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf which facilitates the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). But also on the national level science and politics of Arctic margins are closely related. This session invites contributions related to Arctic geopolitics, governance and society in the Arctic margins context. Both submissions from natural sciences contributing to these topics and submissions from political sciences, international law and jurisprudence, as well as other social sciences fields are encouraged.

 

Invited Speaker: David Cole Mosher (United Nations, Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf), Commissioner, Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Prof. Dr. David Mosher is an emeritus research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada and Commissioner with the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf at UN headquarters in New York since 2017. In his early career, he worked on the Canadian Ice Island in the Arctic from 1985 to 1990 and was aboard the FS Polarstern on its first voyage to the North Pole in 1991. His most recent work has involved mapping Canada’s Arctic and Atlantic margins for determination of the limits of Canada's extended continental shelf, which involved leading numerous icebreaker expeditions to the North. Engagement on extended continental shelf issues has led to his research interests on continental margin morphologies; their quantification and underlying geologic causal mechanisms.


SESSION 7: SCIENTIFIC DRILLING ON ARCTIC MARGINS: PAST ACHIEVEMENTS & FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Convener: Lara F. Pérez (Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland), Stephen Jones (University of Birmingham), Matthew O´Regan (University of Stockholm)

 

Description: The current trend on global climate change is pushing the Arctic system to unprecedented limits. With warming rates twice that of the global average, modern process studies and paleoenvironmental reconstructions from the Arctic can provide insights on the sensitivity and possible fate of the Arctic in a warming climate. Shallow marginal seas account for over 50% of the Arctic Ocean. They contain vast regions of sub-sea permafrost, host poorly constrained reservoirs of gas hydrates and are believed to be an important region of submarine groundwater discharge. Across much of the Arctic, margin sediments are composed of prograding shelf edge deposits from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic that can provide valuable insights into paleoclimates and tectonics. In some regions rapid sedimentation rates provide the opportunity to recover high-resolution time series of past environmental change. Despite their potential, there has been only limited scientific drilling on the Arctic margins. Within the framework of IODP3 and ICDP there remains significant potential for developing innovative new drilling proposals for Arctic margins that can make use of the diverse drilling platforms and flexible expedition duration existing within these programs. In this session, we welcome contributions synthesising past achievements of scientific drilling on Arctic margins (e.g., IODP, ICDP) as well as new ideas or initiatives for future proposals.

 

Invited Speaker: Judith Schicks (GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, and University of Potsdam), Expert on Gas Hydrate Research.

Prof. Dr. Judith M. Schicks studied chemistry in Duisburg and received her doctorate in applied physical chemistry in 1999. In 2001, she joined the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences as a Potsdoc. Since then, the focus of her scientific work has been in the field of gas hydrate research, from the investigation of fundamental processes at the molecular level to applications on a pilot plant scale. In 2013, she completed her habilitation in physical chemistry at the University of Potsdam on the subject of gas hydrates and was appointed professor in 2021. Her current research focuses on the degradation behavior of gas hydrates in sediments as a result of climatic changes.


SESSION 8: OPEN SESSION

Convener: Wolfram Geissler (Alfred-Wegener-Institute Bremerhaven), Lara F. Pérez (Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland).

 

Description: The Open Session welcomes any contribution from the broad spectrum of circum-Arctic geosciences, interdisciplinary contributions, and contributions that does not fit the scope of the more specialized sessions.