XII Workshop APECS Portugal
The XII Workshop APECS Portugal took place in a hybrid format, on November 30, 2021. That year it focused on how polar science and scientists have adapted to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic: “An Unexpected Journey – Polar Science in a Pandemic crisis”. Our aim was to discuss both the negative and positive effects of the pandemic on polar expeditions, sample collection, science development, collaborations and education, as well as lessons learned.
During the event, we had national and international guests, from different areas and institutes, who shared their different experiences and points of view on the subject. This ended in a debate on the topic encouraging the active participation of all stakeholders, from young scientists, guests, educators and even the general public. In the end, we carried out an activity in a more relaxed context, in order to facilitate interaction between participants, guests, educators and APECS mentors.
It took place at the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR, Porto).
Invited Speakers
Philipp Assmy
Philipp Assmy has a broad scientific background in pelagic and sea ice ecology and biogeochemistry from both the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean with a particular emphasis on phytoplankton and ice algal ecology. He participated in several interdisciplinary research cruises and large international research projects such as the Nansen Legacy project and the Norwegian young sea ICE (N-ICE2015) and MOSAiC sea ice drift expeditions.
Pjotr Elshout
Pjotr Elshout is the Project Officer at the European Polar Board Secretariat. He has a background in Cultural Anthropology (University of Amsterdam) and Global Environmental Governance (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), where he focussed on analysing polar strategies and other policy concerning the polar regions. While working for the EPB, he has gained experience working on several projects and scientific initiatives. Examples are the organising of meetings for research projects during the COVID-19 to promote the exchange of experiences and best practices, and his participation in the EPB Action Group on Environmental Impacts of Polar Research and Logistics.
Maria Vargas
Maria Vargas graduated in Biotechnology and Master in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Pampa – UNIPAMPA. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Graduate Program in Biological Sciences also at the UNIPAMPA, linked to the Brazilian Antarctic Program (PROANTAR). She is a member of the Association of Early Career Researchers for the Sea and Poles (APECS-Brazil) since 2016 and currently serves on the executive board of APECS-Brazil (2020-2022). She works in the laboratory entitled Núcleo de Estudos da Vegetação Antártica (NEVA). He has experience in Plant Biotechnology, working mainly on the following topics: bryophytes, salinity, mosses, salt stress and Antarctica.
Irina Gorodetskaya
Irina is a polar meteorologist and climate scientist, studying the hydrological cycle in the Polar regions, including poleward moisture and heat transport and precipitation processes and impacts in the changing climate. She participated in expeditions in the Nordic Seas, Southern Ocean, and Antarctica, and currently she participates in the Year of Polar Prediction – Southern Hemisphere Task Team.
In the next summer season in Antarctica, Irina and her team will do precipitation and atmospheric profiling measurements at the Chilean Antarctic station (also known as Escudero) and will be preparing for the winter special observing period, the YOPP-SH. Moreover, she will participate in the HALO-(AC)3 expedition in the Arctic (Arctic Amplification project) between March and April 2022. In addition, Irina is a lead author of the group team 1 and the 6º Report of the Intergovernmental Scoreboard about Climate Changes.
Andres Barbosa
Andres Barbosa holds a PhD in Biological Sciences by the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, Spain. He is interested in the ecology of birds in extreme environments and the effects of global change. His work on extreme environments has been developed in Antarctica, the Arctic, Tierra de Fuego (Patagonia – Argentina), high mountains during winter and subdeserts. The research fields include ecophysiology, specifically immunology and oxidative stress, host-parasite interaction including diseases, foraging strategies, breeding behaviour, sexual selection, contamination and free radicals effects. The bird species Andres has studied include penguins, shorebirds and passerines. Currently, he is a Senior Researcher at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research in the Natural History Museum, Madrid. Additionally, Andres has taken part in several working groups of the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR), for example the Expert Group of Birds and Marine Mammals (2014-), Chair of the Working Group of Wildlife Health Monitoring of EGBAMM-SCAR (2014-). He is also a representative of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) in SCAR (2015-), among others.
Philipp Assmy
Philipp Assmy has a broad scientific background in pelagic and sea ice ecology and biogeochemistry from both the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean with a particular emphasis on phytoplankton and ice algal ecology. He participated in several interdisciplinary research cruises and large international research projects such as the Nansen Legacy project and the Norwegian young sea ICE (N-ICE2015) and MOSAiC sea ice drift expeditions.
Pjotr Elshout
Pjotr Elshout is the Project Officer at the European Polar Board Secretariat. He has a background in Cultural Anthropology (University of Amsterdam) and Global Environmental Governance (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), where he focussed on analysing polar strategies and other policy concerning the polar regions. While working for the EPB, he has gained experience working on several projects and scientific initiatives. Examples are the organising of meetings for research projects during the COVID-19 to promote the exchange of experiences and best practices, and his participation in the EPB Action Group on Environmental Impacts of Polar Research and Logistics.
Maria Vargas
Maria Vargas graduated in Biotechnology and Master in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Pampa – UNIPAMPA. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Graduate Program in Biological Sciences also at the UNIPAMPA, linked to the Brazilian Antarctic Program (PROANTAR). She is a member of the Association of Early Career Researchers for the Sea and Poles (APECS-Brazil) since 2016 and currently serves on the executive board of APECS-Brazil (2020-2022). She works in the laboratory entitled Núcleo de Estudos da Vegetação Antártica (NEVA). He has experience in Plant Biotechnology, working mainly on the following topics: bryophytes, salinity, mosses, salt stress and Antarctica.
Irina Gorodetskaya
Irina is a polar meteorologist and climate scientist, studying the hydrological cycle in the Polar regions, including poleward moisture and heat transport and precipitation processes and impacts in the changing climate. She participated in expeditions in the Nordic Seas, Southern Ocean, and Antarctica, and currently she participates in the Year of Polar Prediction – Southern Hemisphere Task Team.
In the next summer season in Antarctica, Irina and her team will do precipitation and atmospheric profiling measurements at the Chilean Antarctic station (also known as Escudero) and will be preparing for the winter special observing period, the YOPP-SH. Moreover, she will participate in the HALO-(AC)3 expedition in the Arctic (Arctic Amplification project) between March and April 2022. In addition, Irina is a lead author of the group team 1 and the 6º Report of the Intergovernmental Scoreboard about Climate Changes.
Andres Barbosa
Andres Barbosa holds a PhD in Biological Sciences by the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, Spain. He is interested in the ecology of birds in extreme environments and the effects of global change. His work on extreme environments has been developed in Antarctica, the Arctic, Tierra de Fuego (Patagonia – Argentina), high mountains during winter and subdeserts. The research fields include ecophysiology, specifically immunology and oxidative stress, host-parasite interaction including diseases, foraging strategies, breeding behaviour, sexual selection, contamination and free radicals effects. The bird species Andres has studied include penguins, shorebirds and passerines. Currently, he is a Senior Researcher at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research in the Natural History Museum, Madrid. Additionally, Andres has taken part in several working groups of the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR), for example the Expert Group of Birds and Marine Mammals (2014-), Chair of the Working Group of Wildlife Health Monitoring of EGBAMM-SCAR (2014-). He is also a representative of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) in SCAR (2015-), among others.