Uarctic Summer School on marine plastics commences

By
Sabrina Sohail
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The University of Arctic, uarctic' Summer School on plastic in Marine Arctic
The University of Arctic, Uarctic began its Summer School on Plastic in Marine arctic.

Nuuk, 2 august 2022 (TDI): The University of Arctic, Uarctic started its summer school on plastic in marine arctic on Monday.

The course would last from the 1st of August till the 5th of August, 2022.

The objective of the Course:

The main objective of this Summer School on Plastic is to discuss the sources of plastic in the marine area and also recommend solutions to it.

The students attending the course would get first-hand knowledge about the sources and the extent to which plastic contributes to pollution.

The course will also help students learn about relevant preventive and mitigation actions against marine litter. It will include lectures, field trips, practical analyses, and interactions with local stakeholders.

Introduction to global issues caused by plastic pollution and its relevancy to the Arctic is also one of the agendas of the course.

Course Knowledge:

It is a Ph.D. level course but participants from local organizations are also welcomed. Although the course would last for only five days, it would certainly help participants gain knowledge about plastics.

Many international students are also joining the course.

Learning Outcomes:

The students will get basic but sound knowledge about marine plastic pollution covering sources, occurrence, impacts, and insights into relevant management plans. They will also learn about environmental science methodologies to characterize the amounts and composition of plastic pollution.

The course will help them look at plastic pollution from various perspectives and make connections between the environment and human activities. They will also understand the importance of science in policy-making.

The students will also be able to identify and communicate with relevant stakeholders, including local knowledge holders. They will not only learn from them and discuss solutions on how to reduce the amount of waste ending up in nature.

Students will also discuss waste management challenges and solutions specific to the litter found on Greenland beaches with invited environmental managers and other local stakeholders.

Plastic Knowledge:

Plastic is a big source of pollution worldwide, and the marine environment is polluted by it too. The Arctic region is also facing severe problems due to pollution by plastics.

The Uarctic summer school is helping raise awareness on the issue. It will contribute to the participant’s understanding of the sources of plastics and the extent to which they harm the environment.

Macro and microplastics originating from different sources and being transported to rivers and seas are causing great harm to everyone. There is a need for immediate action to be taken to reduce plastic in the environment. Moreover, the reforms already working against plastic should be implemented more effectively to conserve planet Earth.

Experience in the Summer School:

Maeva Gauthier, a Ph.D. candidate from Canada and co-founder of live it Earth, an online Candian learning company, announced on Saturday that she would be attending this Summer School too.


On Tuesday, she shared her experience on the first school day on Twitter. She explained that they learned about the global Arctic plastic issue and the Greenland marine ecosystems on the first day.

They also learned about policies within the Arctic and monitoring measures against plastic. The lecture also introduced them to fieldwork in the domain of plastic. In this context, a boat trip to collect plastic was also planned.


On Tuesday, Maeva also expressed on Twitter that she was very excited to be doing fieldwork for collecting plastic on beaches.