Category: Past CAGE Events

For nearly 10 years, CAGE has been an active contributor to the global conversation on the role of methane in a changing Arctic and related environmental issues. CAGE’s main goal is to quantify methane release beneath the Arctic Ocean, and to assess its potential impact on marine environments and global climate in the past, present and future. As CAGE entered its last months of a Norwegian Centre of Excellence, we invited scientists from all around the world to join us for the final international conference that CAGE would host, on ‘Methane in a Changing Arctic’.

Text: Mariana Esteves

Held between 14-16th September at UiT the Arctic University of Norway, the conference brought together more than 140 scientists, from 14 different countries, to discuss all aspects of Arctic methane and its role in the global carbon cycle. Our goal was to provide interdisciplinary forum for discussion and exchange of knowledge relating to our current understanding of these complex systems and their response to and impact on, the rapid environmental and climatic changes that characterise the Arctic.

In total we had eight sessions, with over 90 presentations (both oral and poster):

1. Methane in the geosphere: subsurface thermogenic, (a-)biogenic and methane stores and sinks
2. Methane in the hydrosphere: methane processes and budgets in marine and lacustrine settings
3. Methane in the cryosphere: methane dynamics in ice sheets and permafrost
4. Methane in the atmosphere: methane source, sinks, and budget in the atmosphere
5. Microbial cycling of methane: the role of microbes in methane budgets
6. Past methane histories: past methane processes and budgets as analogues for future climate scenarios
7. Science and Art
8. Outreach and Education

We would like to thank all who participated and attended the CAGE International Conference on Methane in a Changing Arctic. This conference was a success, promoting important discussions regarding Arctic methane and the global carbon budget.

Conference participants. Photo: Kai Mortensen/UiT

 

The organising committee and Master student volunteers. Left to right – Péter Paloczy (Master student), Zeynep Sancak Sert (CAGE Administrative advisor; Co-lead organiser), Freya Sykes (PhD Candidate), Karin Andreassen (Director of CAGE), Marie Stetzler (PhD Candidate), Luke Simmons (Master student), Mariana Esteves (Lead organiser; Project leader for CAGE), and Isaiah Olayiwola (Master student). Photo: Kai Mortensen/UiT

 

To read more about the conference: https://site.uit.no/methane-in-a-changing-arctic/ 

More photographs from the conference on the CAGE Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cage.coe/

 

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated and to those who presented their research for the stimulating and important talks and posters during the CAGE Invites Conference on the Changing Arctic: Ocean, Ice, and Climate, last Tuesday, 31st May 2022.

To understand the changes occurring in the Arctic we require collaborative, transdisciplinary action. For this reason, CAGE which is now in its final year, invited numerous Tromsø scientists from the Arctic research community to provide a platform for discussions and the formation of potential synergies between the different Tromsø research institutes and centres. By bringing together the Tromsø Arctic research community to raise awareness of the changing Arctic through a variety of perspectives, we were able to get an overview of the key physical changes, societal implications, and mitigation efforts.

Below are some photos from the day taken by Kai Mortensen (IG, UiT).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE) at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway welcomes your participation in the International Conference on Methane in a Changing Arctic, to be held in Tromsø, 14-16th September.

This conference aims to bring together scientists working on all aspects of Arctic methane and its role in the global carbon cycle. It will provide an interdisciplinary forum for discussion and exchange of knowledge relating to our current understanding of these complex systems and their response to and impact on, the rapid environmental and climatic changes that characterise the Arctic.

The conference will address themes including the formation, storage, cycling, transport, release and budgets of methane through the Arctic geo-, hydro-, cryo- and atmosphere since the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation and towards the future. The Conference will have a strong emphasis on integration of these themes, and we encourage all relevant contributions to the following topics:

• Methane in the geosphere: subsurface thermogenic, (a-)biogenic and methane stores and sinks
• Methane in the hydrosphere: methane processes and budgets in marine and lacustrine settings
• Methane in the cryosphere: methane dynamics in ice sheets and permafrost
• Methane in the atmosphere: methane source, sinks, and budget in the atmosphere
• Microbial cycling of methane: the role of microbes in methane budgets
• Past methane histories: past methane processes and budgets as analogues for future climate scenarios

FOR UPDATED INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR NEW CONFERENCE WEBSITE: https://site.uit.no/methane-in-a-changing-arctic/

IMPORTANT DATES
Abstract submission deadline:
20th June 2022

Registration deadline:
14th August 2022

 

 

Do you have any questions?

If so, contact Mariana Esteves (mariana.esteves@uit.no)

In its final year as a Centre of Excellence, the Centre for Arctic Gas hydrate, environment and climate (CAGE) will organise the CAGE Invites Conference (Tuesday 31st May 2022) to put a focus on the ‘Changing Arctic: Ocean, Ice, and Climate’.

With several keynote speakers from the Tromsø Arctic research community, this conference will present work related to the changing Arctic, from identifying the physical changes (past, present, and future), to the societal implications, and mitigation efforts.

Understanding the changes occurring in the Arctic requires collaborative and interdisciplinary action. We, therefore, would like to invite and encourage all those interested, to contribute to the discussion, either by attending and/or presenting a poster.

More information below.

 

Click to expand the flyer and view it in full resolution. 

More information

How can I sign up?

Sign up to attend using the registration form link below.
Registration form (deadline extended to 22nd April!): https://nettskjema.no/a/239415

You can provide information regarding

Registration fee

There is no registration fee for this event. This also includes those who have registered to have lunch/finger food.

Can I attend without presenting?

Yes! Of course, we welcome everyone to join us! Just sign up through the online registration form (deadline extended to 22nd April!): https://nettskjema.no/a/239415

Will the presentations be streamed online?

Yes! Please register by the deadline and we will send the link to the event nearer the day.

Do you have dietary requirements or allergies?

Please notify us using your registration form.

 

Information and deadlines for presenters

Please upload your abstracts using the attachment link on the registration form by the 31st March. If you have difficulties with this, send the abstract to Mariana Esteves (mariana.esteves@uit.no).

Keynote speakers

Please send your completed presentations to Mariana Esteves (mariana.esteves@uit.no), no later than 23rd May.

Each presentation should be less than 15 mins to allow time for questions.

Poster presentations

There is no restriction on the size of the posters, although ideally no bigger than A0. If you use something that cannot be put up using tape or white tack, please bring your own stand/attachments. We will have volunteers who can help you put these up. The posters should be put up before the start of the conference (10am, 31st May). There will be volunteers to help at Solhallen (outside of Auditorium 1) from 08:30.

 

Do you have any additional questions?

If so, contact Mariana Esteves (mariana.esteves@uit.no)

The new permanent exhibition at The Arctic University Museum of Norway tells the story of our planet from a geological perspective, including pioneering research conducted at CAGE

From a scientific standpoint, the most reliable way to predict the future is by examining the past. Geological remnants help us to paint a picture of evolutionary processes that we are only beginning to understand, and many of these are on display as part of a new, permanent exhibition aimed at school-aged children at the Tromsø Museum called ‘TellUs – from stardust to modern technology.’ Evolution, in terms of ice sheet migration and its potential effect on climate change, is also a big theme at the Center for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. The center is featured in the TellUs exhibition as part of the ‘modern technology’ portion of the story.

A journey through time

The TellUs exhibition leads the viewer on a journey that begins with the Earth as a ball of fire some 4,540 million years ago. This unimaginable expanse of time is brought into perspective by a 2.3-meter stack of A4 paper, using various colors to represent different periods of development in the Earth’s lifespan.

Other abstract concepts in geological history are made relatable by presenting them in a local context, while encouraging physical interaction with various touchscreens, rocks, fossils, minerals, and models. This is done especially well through several exhibits covering geological processes amongst the four most prominent mountain peaks of the Tromsø area: Store Blåmannen, Soltindan, Tromsdalstind, and Bentsjordtind.

CAGE research highlighted

Research performed at CAGE regarding Arctic gas hydrates becomes a major focus in the exhibit as we enter present day in the timeline. A gas hydrate is essentially methane ice, a solid form of a potent greenhouse gas. These crystalline structures are found in and under the seabed in the Arctic. They are stable in cold conditions and under high pressure, such as under the frigid Arctic ocean. Ice sheets in areas such as Greenland and west Antarctica help to keep the gas hydrates stable. But as these ice sheets begin to melt and recede at a much quicker rate, there is a growing concern that large quantities of methane gas could be destabilized and released abruptly.

Quantities of methane gas in the atmosphere have greatly escalated on a global scale in the recent past, with 70% of the increase credited to industrial and agricultural expansion. However, natural sources of methane – which is a greenhouse gas with 30x the power of CO2 – are still to be better understood.

Fortunately, scientists have discovered that an abrupt release of methane happened about 12000 years ago, as evidenced by giant craters found in the ocean floor offshore Svalbard and on land in the Siberian permafrost. By studying the evolution of ice sheet dynamics of the past as well as current conditions at gas hydrate and crater sites, scientists hope to understand how rapid climate change will effect these huge stores of methane.

A digital experience

There are several items to investigate at the CAGE part of the exhibition, most of them delivered visually. These include two explainer videos summarizing the risks and scale of the methane problem, a video featuring remotely operated vehicle (ROV) footage from a research expedition to the Barents Sea, and 10 additional videos of CAGE scientists explaining various elements of this important research. Also in place is an unusually well-preserved methane chimney carefully delivered to the museum from Italy.

The topics available on the screen are as follows:

CAGE: Gas hydrate Research (menu)

• Frozen gas within the sea floor
• The Arctic sub-sea rover to the bottom
• Scientists explain
  • CAGE research (Jürgen Mienert )
  • Gas hydrates from the ocean floor (Stefan Bünz)
  • Ice sheets (Alun Hubbard)
  • Tracking ice sheets (Monica Winsborrow)
  • Methane and climate change (Bénédicte Ferré)
  • Secrets in a shell (Giuliana Panieri)
  • Organisms feed on methane (JoLynn Carrol)
• Methane blow-outs from the sea floor
• More scientific explanations
  • Methane ice and climate (Joel Johnson)
  • The chemistry of permafrost (Pavel Serov)
  • Submarine landslides (Giacomo Osti)

Big plans for The Arctic University Museum of Norway

Throughout most of its history, The Arctic University Museum of Norway (formerly Tromsø Museum) has featured a geological exhibition, initially due to the influence of famous geologist and co-founder Karl Pettersen.  The exhibition preceding TellUs was erected in the late 70s and faced renovations several times until 2014, when it was entirely dismantled to make room for the new exhibit.

In 2016, plans for a new building to house the museum were approved. The project is expected to be finished in 2025 and will include a 19,700 square meter museum in immediate proximity to Tromsø city center.

Workshop focuses on knowledge-sharing and collaboration

The Sedimentary Gas Hydrate Workshop, held in Tromsø from March 26th-March 28th 2019, was hosted by the Arctic Marine Geology and Geophysics Research School (AMGG), Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrates (CAGE), UiT The Arctic University of Norway (UiT), the Petroleum Research School of Norway (NFiP) and the University of Bergen (UiB). The aim of the gathering was to share knowledge on gas hydrates and facilitate an opportunity for networking across institutions.  The workshop application process was highly competitive, resulting in 24 participants originating primarily from UiT, UiB and NTNU, with a few attendees from organizations such as Equinor (formerly Statoil) and UNIS. The workshop even drew a handful of international participants from both Europe and the US.

US Geological Survey’s William Waite provides fascinating perspectives

Presentations were given by both expert researchers in gas hydrates as well as PhD students just beginning their careers. We were especially excited to welcome distinguished expert William Waite from the U.S. Geological Survey. He is the leader of the Gas Hydrate Project’s Laboratory Program and co-author of over 30 papers on gas hydrates and geophysics. At the workshop he gave several lectures on gas hydrates, ranging from finding them in nature, to quantifying the size of the hydrate, to harvesting methane.

New connections, new opportunities

There were also plenty of chances to network at the Tromsø workshop. Participants were invited to bring posters to facilitate discussion on their research, and dedicated sessions were planned for working together on new ideas and seeking opportunities for collaboration. And there were, of course, many productive coffee breaks as well as a delightful networking dinner.

AMGG, CAGE, UiT, NFIP and UiB thank all of the attendees for their participation and look forward to future interactions!

Text: Jessica Green

Photos: Jessica Green & Giuliana Panieri

CAGE is arranging a MagellanPlus workshop in June, to develop a comprehensive proposal for International Ocean Discovery Program. The aim will be a scientific drilling expedition to the Fram Strait.

Text: Maja Sojtaric

(more…)

CAGE is proud to host the 13th conference on Gas in Marine Sediments in Tromsø, the Gateway to the Arctic. You can now register and submit abstracts for the conference that will take place 19-22 September 2016.

Text: Maja Sojtaric

(more…)

Gordon Research Conferences are a group of prestigious international scientific conferences covering frontier research in a range of topics. CAGE is one of the contributors for the 2016 conference on natural gas hydrate systems to be held in Galveston, Texas.

Text: Maja Sojtaric

(more…)

Advisory Board for CAGE is composed by accomplished international scientists. Yesterday three of them visited the centre for an update on our recent activities.

(more…)

Associate Professor Giuliana Panieri has been invited to the internationally acclaimed research institution, Niels Bohr Institute,  to give a talk about tracking past methane emissions.

Text: Maja Sojtaric

(more…)

This years conference on gas in marine sediments (GIMS12) in Taiwan was successful for two CAGE-students who won awards for their effort. Next conference will be held in 2016 and organised by CAGE in Tromsø. 

Text: Maja Sojtaric

(more…)

Natural Gas Hydrate Systems Gordon Research Conference was held on March 23-28, 2014 in Galveston, Texas.

The focus of the meeting was current major topics in hydrate systems including earth science and engineering aspects of methane hydrate production, hydrates in and under marine systems and permafrost including potential roles in paleo- and modern climate change, and hydrates in engineered systems such as pipelines.

From CAGE participated: Jürgen Mienert, Giuliana Panieri, Karin Andreassen, Bénédicte Ferré, Michael Carroll and Joel Johnson.