Fifteen members of AEVO from five WUN institutions attended a two-day workshop at the University of Leeds, 12-13 September 2011, to launch this novel project which tackles the crucial issue of climate impacts on Arctic communities.
Many Arctic social and ecological systems are finely balanced and especially vulnerable to climate change. Interactions between different parts of the Arctic environmental system could lead to unexpected consequences and to potentially useful or dangerous feedbacks. The AEVO project aims to fill gaps in the current knowledge about such interactions by fostering interdisciplinary research
AEVO will explore the use of data visualisation technologies, particularly 3-D, to show data on changes in Arctic landscapes over time in a more accessible way. This will make a strong contribution to influencing policy and informing the public about social and environmental change in the Arctic. Specifically, the project will provide:-
- a stimulus to research by revealing what is not yet known about the landscape and its responses to changing climate
- a novel framework for detailed research in one (or more) particular arctic regions
- a powerful visual tool for communicating the results of environmental research in the region
- a route into key databases of environmental information
The AEVO group will be holding a field school in Åbisko, Sweden, in summer 2012. The focus will be to collect pilot data for project proposals, while training PhD students in Arctic science and fieldwork techniques.
