30 eager European and US-based PhD students and PostDocs joined some 10 lecturers in Laugarvatn, Iceland, to spend two weeks together delving into this year’s topic ”Climate and Volcanism”.
The diverse background of the lecturers and students reflected the interdisciplinary nature of the topic, bringing together atmospheric science, aerosol chemistry and physics, geology, glaciology, oceanography and paleoclimate.
The most challenging but exciting aspect of the theme proved to be linking the wide range of time scales involved, from Earth’s mantle processes, via the glacial cycles and mid-ocean ridge volcanism to the rapid sequence of events following a single volcanic eruption.
When not listening and discussing the latest scientific buzz about how volcanoes affect climate and vice versa (!), students were working hard on group projects on tephra, lake sediments, mid-ocean ridges and sea level, causality and volcanic aerosols.
Throughout the two weeks, we were blessed by unbelievably good weather. This provided great conditions for several field excursions around central and southern Iceland, including vast lava fields, natural hot springs and glaciers.
The Bjerknes Centre was well represented by Kerim Nisancioglu, Tore Furevik, Øyvind Paasche, Haflidi Haflidasson, Bjarte Hannisdal (lecturers), Ragna Breines (head of logistics), Lander Crespo, Erwin Lambert, Nora Loose, Henning Åkesson and Lea Oppedal (students).