Dominik Cyran is one of the beneficiaries of the competition for funding student and PhD candidates mobility within the HarSval project. He received 5900 PLN funding for the “Karthaus Summer School on Ice Sheet and Glaciers in the Climate System 2024”.

Enjoy reading his report below:

In May, I had the honor of attending a prestigious summer school on glaciological modeling, so the use of mathematics, physics and programming in the science of glaciers and their interactions with climate. The course was organized by the University of Utrecht from Netherlands, and the classes took place in the picturesque town of Karthaus, located in the heart of the South Tyrolean Alps.

I was surprised by the truly global approach of scientists. We focused on topics related to the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, their interaction with the climate and possible scenarios depending on climate change. In addition to lectures, we engaged also in project work, where, under the supervision of instructors, we applied the acquired knowledge and later presented the results of our activities.

The classes were conducted by: climatologists (Hans Oerlemans), mathematicians from Oxford (Ian Hewitt), glaciologists (Frank Pattyn, Erin Pettit, Nanna B. Karlsson), geophysicists and many other specialists. It was an amazing experience to talk with people who published their PhD thesis in “Nature” or who carried out research work in Greenland or Antarctica.

The course was attended by 32 students from all over the world: from New Zealand and Tasmania through China, Europe and the USA. That’s why I’m very grateful for the opportunity to meet so many unique people and satisfy my curiosity about the world.

Why study glaciers? Because my intense experiences in the mountains and traveling give me the opportunity to combine my passion with research and doing something good for our planet.