Training for climate scientists
Reconstructing and understanding past climate changes are critically needed for making robust predictions of future climate. However, the complex and cross-disciplinary nature of the field means that researchers often lack the range of skills needed to excel. To promote skills uptake in this important field, the EU-funded CASE project was conceived. Six universities and three small businesses collaborated to provide experience-based training for 12 early-stage climate researchers. CASE principally provided six training events for these researchers to improve their practical and technical skills in climate science, focusing on Arctic marine environments. The project also helped researchers advance their own work through collaborative research efforts. The courses covered training in scientific and technical skills related to experimental methods in climate reconstruction, as well as generic skills important to all researchers. One of the training events included an oceanographic research cruise in the Norwegian and Greenland Seas. Researchers funded by the project have advanced the field of climate science through several new methods and discoveries. These include the construction of an extensive database characterizing past ocean circulation in the Northern North Atlantic, model simulations of how melting ice sheets impact oceans and climate, and an improved calibration of sea ice and phytoplankton biomarkers. CASE also organised a conference (The changing Arctic and Subarctic environment: Proxy and model-based reconstructions) and a session (Inter-Ocean Gateways) at another international conference. Taken together, the project has contributed to the careers of several young researchers and moved the field of climate science forward.
Keywords
Past climate changes, oceanography, Arctic, Subarctic
