IRTG Travel Grants Programme

PhD candidate Iris Papakonstantinou-Presvelou joint the winterschool on “Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Interaction Processes” in Svalbard

In spring 2022, I attended the winter school on “Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Interaction Processes” in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. I never could have imagined, when I was first applying for this PhD position,  that I would actually be able to see the Arctic region with my own eyes! Especially from the perspective of a modeller, there are very few opportunities to participate in the action field. This trip gave me so many fascinating pictures and memories that will remain in my mind forever. The chuncks of sea ice floating on the sea surface and the shrinking glaciers in such short distance that we witnessed during our cruise in the Fjord were just some of them! The school was taking place in an exciting environment, under the constant presence of daylight, where everything around was cold and frozen except indoors! During our time there, there were many opportunities for scientific interaction, during the poster and lecture sessions, but also the coffee/lunch breaks, which created a relaxed environment for productive discussions and exchange. I would heartly encourage anyone who is investigating the Arctic climate to visit the Arctic at least once in her/his life!

A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.