As Arctic regions faces the accelerating effects of climate change, knowledge about permafrost is becoming more critical. Thawing permafrost presents unique challenges for Arctic societies which requires more demand for professionals trained in permafrost science. To address this, the Nordic branch of the Thematic Network on Permafrost has conducted an assessment of permafrost higher education across the Nordic countries, resulting in a new roadmap for advancing permafrost studies in the region. The full paper can be found here: Roadmap for Permafrost Education in the Nordic Countries.

The paper is the first Nordic permafrost curriculum mapping which covered 11 universities, representing all the Nordic countries. The paper showed that permafrost is taught within bio- and geosciences and engineering disciplines, however, only five dedicated courses on permafrost science and engineering are currently available in the region. In addition, 23 bachelor’s and 25 master’s courses include permafrost content ranging from 1% to 50%. At this time, there is no specific course offered at a PhD level on permafrost in Nordic countries. The curriculum mapping is the first roadmap that overviews all permafrost educational activities in Nordic countries.

Distribution of the permafrost content (%) in all the mapped bachelor and master courses. All permafrost-specific courses form the category ˃ 50% for both bachelor and master courses.

The outcome of the mapping suggest a list of ways to increase the collaboration among the Nordics and enhance permafrost education:

  1. Creating an online, collaborative Nordic-specific course on permafrost, allowing universities to share their expertise and make use of digital teaching tools.
  2. Developing collaborative PhD courses on permafrost across Nordic institutions to address the current gap at the doctoral level.
  3. Creating a lifelong education in permafrost.
  4. Establishing internship programs as part of permafrost education, preparing students with practical skills that meet the needs of future employers and society.

Among authors of the paper are Hanne H. Christiansen UArctic Chair in Permafrost Physical Processes and Mimir (University Centre in Svalbard), Ylva Sjöberg, Lead of the Thematic Network on Permafrost (Umeå University), Gesche Blume-Werry (Umeå University), Ellen Dorrepaal (Umeå University), Bernd Etzelmüller (University of Oslo), Wesley R. Farnsworth (University of Copenhagen and University of Iceland), Jan Hjort (University of Oulu), Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen (Technical University of Denmark), Julie Malefant-Lepage (Université Laval), Rickard Petterson (Uppsala University), Britta Sannel (Stockholm University), Matthias B. Siewert (Umeå University), Sonia Tomaskovicova (Technical University of Denmark, and Minna Väliranta (University of Helsinki). 

Students actively learning permafrost in the field in Norden.

A) Studying initial rocksliding in the Kilpisjärvi region, N Finland (photo: Jan Hjort);
B) Studying a palsa in Tavvavuoma, N Sweden (photo: Britta Sannel);
C) A student doing GPS of a resistivity line in the Sisimiut area, Greenland (photo: Sona Tomaskovicova);
D) Students doing permafrost coring in Adventdalen, Svalbard (photo: Hanne H. Christiansen);
E) Students visiting the Solheimajökull, Iceland discussing glacial and periglacial processes and permafrost and slope stability (Photo: Olafur Ingolfsson);
F) Students mapping the active layer and doing soil characterisation in the Sisimiut area, Greenland (photo: Sona Tomaskovicova).