On Friday, Desember 2nd, Arndís Dögg Jónsdóttir will give the talk "Community participation in the Westfjords of Iceland".

This lecture is about community participation in the Westfjords of Iceland. How people contribute to cultural diversity in small towns and the importance of the individual initiative to maintain an active social life. This is a part of a study carried out in the summer of 2022 called The full story: Dynamic cultures of the Westfjords. The project is a collaborative project between the University of Iceland's Research Laboratory in Strandir/ Institute of Ethnology and Fine foods Íslandica ehf and was sponsored by the Students' Innovation Fund. 

The goal of the study was to examine people’s perspectives on life in the Westfjords and how the region affects it. In this lecture, Arndís will discuss the research as well as a recurring theme in the interviews that are how important individual initiative and community participation are in smaller municipalities. This subject matter was discussed in one way or another in every interview. Inhabitants point out the necessity for residents to participate in available programs so that social and cultural activities can be maintained within the communities. The individual's contribution to culture and social life within a community can have a positive effect on how an individual sees their worth in society. That contributes to increased activity for the community which in turn strengthens the community to which they belong.

Svava Þorsteinsdóttir is studying product design at the Icelandic University of Arts and lives in Reykjavík. In her previous work, Svava has often cultivated a poetic approach to her subjects, focusing on what often misses the eye, hidden in the space between words.

Arndís Dögg Jónsdóttir is a folklorist, and adventure guide and recently graduated with a Master's degree in Information science. Raised in the Westfjords of Iceland, she moved away in her early 20s to pursue her dream of traveling the world and working as an adventure guide. For 8 years she studied and worked as a guide, traveled, and lived by the minimalistic philosophy that if you own more stuff than you can fit in your car, you own too much. In 2020 she felt the need to move back to the Westfjords, slow down and simplify her life. Now she lives in Bolungarvík with her husband and two sons.

The Lunch Lecture is open to everyone and starts promptly at 12:10 in the cafeteria of the Vestfjörður University Center on the 2nd floor. The talk is in Icelandic. 

Lunch Lecture event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/32iKNaeW7
Webinar link: https://eu01web.zoom.us/j/69264952439

Lunch Lecture topics are extremely diverse, and those who are interested in giving a talk or have ideas or suggestions about interesting topics or people are kindly requested to contact us by email - sissu@uw.is

All are welcome.

On Friday, December 9th, Catherine P. Chambers will give the talk "Extreme weather and its impact on fisheries and coastal communities".

Climate change research on marine social-ecological systems is often focused on understanding how commercial fisheries will be impacted by species abundance and distribution changes, or how sea level rise will affect coastal infrastructure. An additional concern which is less often discussed is how severe weather events may impact fisheries or aquaculture. The latest generation of climate models indicate that storm frequency and intensity may increase in the North Atlantic; however, uncertainties are still large and the potential consequences for regional climate in Iceland are not well studied. 

This research represents a first attempt to create a better understanding of local to regional implications of storminess on the fisheries industry of Iceland. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the analysis 1) provides regional future wind speed projections in Iceland and surroundings under the SSP3-7.0 scenario; 2) documents current local experiences using semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders in fisheries and aquaculture; and 3) introduces a research priority list that will aid in future efforts to explore climate change adaptations for fisheries-dependent communities. 

Together, the results suggest a need for future research on local variations of climate change impacts in Iceland with increased focus on the impact of changing precipitation patterns. Future research should also support the development of adaptation strategies by focusing on refining climate models and by gathering necessary socio-economic data. Potential adaptations that require further research include a flexible management system that does not punish fishers for lost time due to bad weather, cooperative market arrangements among large and small boat fisheries and processing, and job security considerations for fishers and fish processing workers. Future research is also needed both for climate models and socio-economic studies that address the predictions and impacts of storminess on the fishing industries at local to regional levels in Iceland.

Catherine is the research manager at UW and a senior scientist at the Stefansson Arctic Institute. She holds a PhD in Fisheries from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and previously worked at Þekkingarsetur á Blönduós as a coastal cultures specialist and at Hólar University College Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology and Department of Rural Tourism. She is vice-chair of the UArctic Thematic Network on Ocean Food Systems, and co-vice-chair and the Icelandic representative of the IASC Human and Social Working Group. She is currently working on two Horizon Europe projects on Justice in the Arctic, and Socio-economic impacts pelagic fish stock movements in the North Atlantic.

The Lunch Lecture is open to everyone and starts promptly at 12:10 in the cafeteria of the Vestfjörður University Center on the 2nd floor. The talk is in Icelandic and English, slides in english. 

Lunch Lecture event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/2757OceDQ
Webinar link: https://eu01web.zoom.us/j/69264952439

Lunch Lecture topics are extremely diverse, and those who are interested in giving a talk or have ideas or suggestions about interesting topics or people are kindly requested to contact us by email - sissu@uw.is

All are welcome.