News

Visit from Arctic Forum students

On March 14, we had the pleasure of receiving a group of students participating in the Arctic Forum course as part of the EnCHiL Nordic MSc programme.

Former SAI staff member, Maria Wilke, defends doctoral dissertation in Planning at the Agricultural University of Iceland

Maria Wilke, a former staff member at the SAI defended her doctoral dissertation in the field of planning at the Department of Planning and Design at the Agricultural University of Iceland. Maria's dissertation is titled "Public participation in marine spatial planning in Iceland”.

Catherine Chambers and Árni Daníel Júlíusson presented at a Symposium about Icelandic Coastal Culture

Catherine Chambers gave the presentation "Coastal Culture Here and Now and the Future of Coastal Communities," and Árni Daníel Júlíusson gave a presentation on the History of coastal culture.

Webinar on the MARINE SABRES project

Catherine Chambers presented the Marine SABRES project on the webinar series Atlantic And Arctic Lighthouse Weekly Hour hosted by the BlueMission AA coordination hub. In the Webinar, Catherine and colleagues focused on the Arctic Northeast Atlantic case study.

New research on climate change and pollution impacts, and adaptation in Arctic coastal communities

New funding for fieldbased research on climate change and pollution will expand research on the human dimension of climate change at the Stefansson Arctic Institute (SAI).

Recent Ventures in Interdisciplinary Arctic Research: The ARCPATH Project

This paper celebrates Professor Yongqi GAO’s significant achievements in the field of inter-disciplinary studies within the content of his final research project Arctic Climate Predictions: Pathways to Resilient Sustainable Societies - ARCPATH. The disciplines represented in the project are related to climatology, anthropology, marine biology, eco-nomics, and the broad spectrum of social-ecological studies.

A framework introduced for the merger of the Vilhjálmur Stefánsson Arctic Institute and the University of Akureyri

The Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate has published on the Government Consultation Portal a proposal for the Vilhjálmur Stefánsson Arctic Institute to become part of the University of Akureyri.

New Article: Exploring social media as a tool for disentangling cultural ecosystem service values of whale-watching to inform environmental judgements and ethics: the case of Húsavík, Iceland

By Sílvia Gómez, Beatriz Patraca, Jade Zoghbi, Eduard Ariza, Maria Wilke, Níels Einarsson (SAI), Sveinbjörg Smáradóttir (SAI), Edward Huijbens & Catherine Chambers (SAI). This explorative study contributes to developing methods using social media data and social network theory in tourism studies to unravel cultural ecosystem values. Focused on the case of an emblematic village for whale-watching activity, Húsavík, in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland, this study explores the cultural ecosystem service values of individuals as expressed through social media (TripAdvisor and Instagram) related to the practice of whale-watching. The aim is to document the cultural ecosystem service values and environmental judgements which provide information that could be used in future marine planning efforts.

Impressions from the Seminar on “Arctic Cooperation in Difficult Times”

The seminar on 17 November was organized by the Stefansson Arctic Institute, the Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, and the University of Akureyri as part of the programme for the Arctic Days in Akureyri, Iceland, November 15-17, 2023. The focus for the day-long conversation was on the future of Arctic cooperation.

2023 Stefansson Memorial Lecture and Arctic Days in Akureyri. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Stefansson Arctic Institute

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Stefansson Arctic Institute, we joined hands with the Institute of Arctic Studies at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College in the US and the University of Akureyri in organizing and hosting the Arctic Days in Akureyri on November 15-17.