Reports

In August I had the privilege to travel to Oslo to attend the 12^th SCAR Open Science conference. If you are wondering why a conference should take place in August, when most European people are on vacation, just remember that in the southern hemisphere August is winter, and thus most people conducting fieldwork in Antarctic are not in the field. On the contrary, in Germany it is holiday time. This means that many construction works are carried out, including works along the train track. My journey started as a big adventure on how to get to Hamburg airport. Good that I decided to leave home four hours earlier than scheduled, so I made it to the the airport right in time. As usual, when traveling to big conferences, I keep meeting colleagues here and there during the trip. Sharing the journey from Hamburg to Oslo was a nice opportunity to get to know each other better and discuss exciting science already before the beginning of the conference. After a bit of a stressful journey, I finally made it to the airbnb in Oslo city center that I was sharing with a colleague. The morning after, I attended the opening ceremony, but I did not make it in time to find a seat in the main room, so I had to sit in an adjacent room where the main speeches were broadcasted. This has been a recurring experience during the conference: there was never enough space. If on one hand this would easily bring me to complain about the lack of organization, I am however amazed that the conference this year received many more submissions (almost double) than they expected: about 1400 participants, the biggest SCAR conference so far. This is probably not surprising though, considering how much attention Antarctica is receiving lately due to the recent abrupt climate-driven changes.

Despite the fact that I often had to sit on the floor or stand by the door to listen to presentations, I found the scientific program very exciting and the research presented absolutely outstanding.  SCAR brings together experts from many disciplines focusing on Antarctica. I really appreciate this holistic approach, it is a good change with respect to those conferences rather focused on a specific discipline. The program was pretty tight, with the plenary lectures starting every day at 8:30, the presentations and workshops going on during the entire day, and then evening events until 21:00. Afterwards I usually had the possibility to enjoy some breweries in the city center. But do not indulge, a beer in Norway easily reaches 15€!

On Wednesday I could present my poster. Initially, I was given a digital poster presentation, which was a bit disappointing to be honest, since I strongly believe in the benefits of discussing science in person, otherwise why should we join a conference? However, I was lucky to get an open slot last minute. I was informed about this change in plan just few days before my departure and I did not have the time to print the poster before leaving. Luckily, next to the conference I found a printing shop and I could get my poster ready to hang on Wednesday. The poster sessions have been as exciting as the presentations, and I had the chance to discuss interesting science, get feedback on my work, and initiate new collaborations. The conference provided snacks and drinks during the poster session, which definitely helped us keep up with the intense talking.

Oslo has been very welcoming, we always had great weather and I could enjoy a walk along the seaside every day on the way to the poster sessions, with a view on the very spectacular Oslo Opera House. The conference ended on Friday, however during the weekends before and after the conference, many workshops and side events took place. I joined a workshop on Saturday, but I also made sure to reserve some time for a sauna. I found a lovely place that offered 2 hours of sauna on a floating platform in the fjord right in front of the Opera House. What a great way to end my visit to this beautiful city!