Saroma Sea ice School 2026

Group photos from sea ice school. 

SAROMA SEA ICE SCHOOL 2026

Saroma-ko Lagoon, Hokkaido, Japan

From 28 Feb. to 9 Mar. 2026 

By BEPSII, CIce2Clouds, CATCH, and Hokkaido University

DESCRIPTION 

Saroma Sea Ice School 2026 is designed for early-career scientists interested in exploring the complex interactions between sea ice, snow, clouds, and aerosols in polar regions. 

Participants will engage in hands-on data collection such as sea ice coring, snow, seawater, atmospheric samplings, field experiments, and workshops led by experts, focusing on processes critical to the Arctic and Antarctic climate systems. Key topics include aerosol-cloud interactions, ice-atmosphere linkages, and cutting-edge observational techniques. 

The program combines classroom lectures, practical fieldwork, and data analysis, comprehensively understanding these vital Earth system processes and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Saroma Sea Ice School 2026 is preparation for next generation scientists for the International Polar Year. The BEPSII, CIce2Clouds, and CATCH working groups are organizing this winter field school. 

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

Frontal lectures, daily field and lab work on topics such as:

·        Sea ice and snow physics and biogeochemical processes

·        Sea ice biogeochemical modelling

·        Gas fluxes at the ocean–ice–atmosphere interfaces

·        Primary and secondary aerosols in the sea ice environment 

·        Atmospheric observation and modelling 

·        Clouds formation in polar marine boundary layer 

·        Interactions with underlying water

·        Communication/outreach 

·        Indigenous traditional knowledge

·        Safety training on ice

·        Sea ice one day cruise with ice breaker Aurora in Abashiri

TARGET and PARTICPANT

30 international Early Career Scientists

·        Ajay Bhadran (National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, India)

·        Alanah Chapman (University of Melbourne, Australia)

·        Anna Kangas (Finnish Environment Institute, Finland)

·        Anna Miettinen (UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Norway)

·        Axelle Brusselman (University of Liege, Belgium)

·        Camille Mavis (Colorado State University, USA)

·        Chelsea Bekemeier (Colorado State University, USA)

·        Christina Breitenstein (Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Germany)

·        Chuan Zhai (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), Australia)

·        Davide Mattio (Université Grenoble Alpes, France)

·        Dayna Collins (University of Cape Town, South Africa)

·        Emily Jones (University of Manitoba, Canada)

·        Gaël N'doutoume-Paquet (Laval University, Canada)

·        Gobishankar Sathiyamohan (Dartmouth College, USA)

·        Inge Deschepper (University of Alberta, Canada)

·        Kevin McGraw (University of Galway Ireland, Ireland)

·        Léna Chamiot-Bayard (LOCEAN-IPSL, France)

·        Lloyd Villanueva (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweeden)

·        Louis Castin (Université de Lille, France)

·        Maria de los Angeles Jaimes (Argentine Naval Hydrographic Service, Argentine)

·        Megan Malpas (British Antarctic Survey, University of Cambridge, UK)

·        Olivia Alcabes (California Institute of Technology, USA)

·        Pratiksha Deshmukh (National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, India)

·        Ryota Akino (Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Satyajit Singh Saini (Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India)

·        Tiantian Zhu (University of Michigan, USA)

·        Tumanako McLeod (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)

·        Wataru Nakamura (The University of Tokyo, Japan)

·        Yanbing Luo (Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany)

·        Yichen Lin (Sun Yat-sen University, China)

LECTURERS 

·        Daiki Nomura (Hokkaido University, Japan) 

·        Naoya Kanna (University of Tokyo, Japan) 

·        Takenobu Toyota (Hokkaido University, Japan) 

·        Jessie Creamean (Colorado State University, USA)

·        Rémy Lapere (LATMOS, France) 

·        Lisa Miller (Institute of Ocean Sciences, Canada)

·        Emelia Chamberlain (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA) 

·        Nadja Steiner (Institute of Ocean Sciences, Canada)

·        Letizia Tedesco (Finnish Environment Institute, Finland) 

·        Yannick Ilunga (Digital Communication and Marketing Expert, Finland) 

·        Bruno Delille (University of Liège, Belgium) 

·        Emiliano Cimoli (Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Odile Crabeck (University of Liège, Belgium)

·        Pat Wongpan (University of Tasmania, Australia)

·        Karley Campbel (UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway)

·        Megan Willis (Colorado State University, USA)

·        Eeva Eronen-Rasumus (Finnish Environment Institute, Finland)

·        Paul Zieger (Stockholm University, Sweeden)

·        Sakiko Ishino (Kanazawa University, Japan) 

·        Hakase Hayashida (JAMSTEC, Japan) 

·        Keiichiro Hara (Fukuoka University, Japan)

·        Matt Corkill (Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Liyang Zhan (Third Institute of Oceanography, China)

·        Anoop Mahajan (Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, India) (Online)

·        Markus Frey (British Antarctic Survey, UK) (Online)

STUDENT STAFF

·        Taichi Noshiro (Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Yuki Tsuda (Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Takashi Kawahara (Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Kota Ikariya (School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Masahiro Tomita (School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Mana Isobe (School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Maiko Takahashi (School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Hajime Nagasawa (School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Nanako Yamanaka (School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

·        Yuito Minami (School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan)

SCHEDULE (simple and detailed version) (Detailed link)

Photos from school participant.