ARC Special Seminar was held on January 30, 2024, with Prof. Jason Amundson, who was invited by the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, and Prof. Shin Sugiyama of the same institute as lecturers.
On January 30, 2024, the ARC held a special seminar, a hybrid of both in-person and online, with invited Professor Jason Amundson of the Institute of Low Temperature Science and Professor Shin Sugiyama of the Institute as lecturers. Professor Amundson presented “Southeast Alaska: A Cultural and Physical Landscapes Shaped by Glaciers,” showing how glacial ice sheets have influenced people’s lives and activities in Southeast Alaska during the expansion/recession periods and in modern times. The lapse video showing the seasonal rise of the glacier and the riverbank erosion caused by glacial melt floods and the resulting house collapses were particularly impressive and frightening. Professor Sugiyama introduced his research activities in Greenland, especially in Qaanaaq, within ArCS II, an Arctic Research Acceleration Project of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT), titled “Changes in Coastal Environments and their Impact on Society in Qaanaaq, Northwestern Greenland.” He introduced not only the results of glaciological and oceanographic research, but also research results on road destruction caused by glacial melt water floods, pollution of garbage dumps, and landslides that affect the lives of local people. He also introduced the cooperation with the local communities in the research and the workshop on the research results.
