Stefansson Arctic Institute

On October 27, Joan Nymand Larsen and Helga Númadóttir from the Stefansson Arctic Institute traveled to the beautiful town of Ilulissat, Disko Bay, West-Greenland, where they joined fellow researchers for a productive week of fieldwork as part of the ILLUQ project.

ILLUQ is an EU-funded interdisciplinary permafrost research project (2024-2007), led by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. The project investigates the risks associated with thawing Arctic permafrost from a holistic and one-health perspective, including contaminant release, infrastructure failure, and ecosystem changes. Ilulissat is one of the project’s three case study regions, along with Svalbard and the Mackenzie River Delta in Canada.

A key aspect of ILLUQ is its emphasis on collaboration with local and Indigenous knowledge holders. The project builds upon the NUNATARYUK permafrost project (EU H2020) which ran from 2017 to 2023, and leverages prior knowledge and networks of local contacts already established by several of the researchers involved.

During their stay in Ilulissat, the ILLUQ researchers conducted field inspections, collected initial samples, and engaged in consultations with the local community to identify concerns, needs, and priorities related to permafrost thaw. This included hosting a public consultation meeting at City Hall and consulting with various community stakeholders from different sectors, private companies, and public institutions, including local schools, and different departments within the municipality of Avannaata.

In Ilulissat, permafrost thaw already has profound and complex impacts, and this initial week of fieldwork helped establish a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing between researchers and local stakeholders. During their stay, the ILLUQ team was consistently received with warmth and interest, which was sincerely appreciated and essential to the overall success of this first week of fieldwork.

For further information please visit us at:

ILLUQ - Home

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The Stefansson Arctic Insitute is honoured to welcome Professor Jules Pretty OBE, Emeritus Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Essex and Director of the Centre for Public and Policy Engagement, and a long time friend of the Institute. Among numerous honours Professor Pretty has received an OBE in the UK for services to sustainable agriculture. He is responsible for some 23 books, either as sole or co-author or editor and is particularly well-known as an authority on perspectives of climate change and the intersection between nature and people. Further information on Professor Pretty´s numerous accomplishments, accolades and interests may be found in his entry on the list of Senior Associated Scientists and in more detail on his website www.julespretty.com where he writes a regular series called The Climate Chronicles. Professor Pretty lives on the borders of Suffolk and Essex in eastern England but finds a spiritual home in Iceland.

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