Throughout 2021, SAGES hosted a series of online events on the exciting science happening throughout the themes and fora, open to anyone wanting to find out more. You can rewatch all previous events below, from a journey through Scotland’s landscapes to adventures in Antarctica.
September: SeaTember
“Understanding our shifting coastline”
Martin Hurst, Lecturer in Physical Geography, University of Glasgow. A fantastic opportunity to learn more about research and projects happening across Scotland to adapt and build resilience to climate change. If you missed the event or would like to revisit it, the full event is now available to watch on our YouTube channel;
“What has the sea ever done for you?”
Katie Gilham, Head of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Use, NatureScot. A fun and engaging talk by Katie on the importance of the oceans in the fight against climate change. How can we work with nature? If you missed the event or would like to revisit it, the full event is now available to watch on our YouTube channel;
“Voices from the Sea – What Does a ‘marine’ Just Transition look like?”
Tavis Potts, Director for the Centre for Energy Transitions, University of Aberdeen. Tavis will give a high-energy, exciting talk on future energy transitions for Scotland. If you missed the event or would like to revisit it, the full event is now available to watch on our YouTube channel;
July: Bog Tales
On Bog Day, we dug deeper into one of our most carbon-rich resources to find out more! Even if you missed our magical event, it is still possible to listen as scientists tell tall tales of beautiful bogs, from Scotland to South America. Learn about the hidden magic below the soil, and why there is so much work being done to protect these special landscapes. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we will begin…
June: The Carbon Conundrum
From greenhouse gas to soil sequestration, understanding the role of carbon is central to the climate change conversation. A fundamental process is the carbon cycle, the biogeochemical mechanism by which carbon is exchanged among the water, land, atmosphere and organisms of the Earth. But how does it move between being a sink and a source, where in the landscape are our greatest stores, and how can we use this understanding to engineer climate solutions?
We hosted a live event on 30 June at 19:00, with the Centre for Sustainable Solutions (University of Glasgow). If you missed the event or would like to revisit it, the full event is now available to watch on our YouTube channel;
May: Oceans to Atmosphere
Our climate is rapidly changing in response to the increasing pressure by human activities. We understand the causes of climate change, but how these changes affect our planet is influenced by complex interactions between the atmosphere, ocean, land, and sea ice across time and space.
Understanding the whole “earth system” is an immense task tackled by climate researchers across the globe. Cutting-edge scientific developments in observations and computer models are bringing us closer to being able to not only understand these processes, but actually predict our future.
We hosted a live event on 27 May at 19:00, with speakers from across SAGES and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science sharing their science stories. If you missed the event or would like to revisit it, the full event is now available to watch on our YouTube channel;
April: From Ice Age to A83
Travel back in time to explore a land of ice and rock, and learn more about how Scotland’s landscape was carved and shaped by the last age. Move forward to the future, to discover how scientific understanding can help build climate-resilient road networks of the future. Travel alongside Scotland’s geoscientists through the glens, and view the country from a different perspective.
We hosted a live event is on 20th April at 19:00, with speakers from across SAGES sharing their stories. If you missed the event or would like to revisit it, the full event is now available to watch on our YouTube channel;
March: Waterwall in Motion
From waterfalls to lochs, hydroelectric power to fisheries, Scotland is a country shaped by and built on its water resources. In this exciting new campaign kicking off on 22nd March, World Water Day 2021, we invite the water community across Scotland to come together virtually to share experiences, knowledge and expertise of our water environment.
All organisations or individuals working to monitor, research, manage, conserve or simply enjoy our water resources are invited to submit short videos highlighting their work as part of the open access WaterWall. Winning entries will be edited into a short, engaging film tour of Scotland’s exciting world of water, showcasing the best of the country’s passion and expertise in the run up to hosting COP26 in Glasgow. Visit our Waterwall in Motion page for video competition entry details;
February: Antarctic Adventures
Antarctica is a continent of extremes – temperatures drop to 80 degrees below freezing, intense storms rage, and breathtaking mountain ranges transect the expansive ice-scape. Yet, even here, the Thwaites Glacier stands out. Almost the size of Britain, this vast, flowing ice body has been dubbed the “Doomsday Glacier” due to the substantial impact its melt and retreat will have on global sea level rise.
Since 2018, UK and US scientists have been collaborating to investigate The Thwaites Glacier, one of the most important and unstable glaciers in the world. From icebreaker ship surveys and satellite imagery to complex computer models, the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) has been working to understand the physical processes affecting the glacier, and better predict what will happen to it in the future.
We hosted an event on 24th February 2021, where scientists from the ITGC who are based in Scotland explained the significance of Thwaites Glacier, our current scientific understanding of the glacier, and the next steps for the research programme. We were joined by researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews for a lively, interactive discussion event focused on the excitement and challenges of this vital research that is directly impacted by climate change.
If you missed the event or would like to revisit it, the full event is now available to watch on our Youtube channel;