French polar sciences, at the heart of the issues | Polarjournal
Under the high ceilings of the Climate Academy’s Great Hall, polar scientists chat during the break (Photo: Camille Lin)

A hundred or so French polar scientists descended on Paris from 3-5 May to present and discuss their research and how it is feeding into contemporary issues. It was an opportunity for them to take stock of the state of research and to recall its history. PolarJournal was there to meet them

In a very J’aime Paris au mois de mai manner, one enters the former town hall of the the 4th Arrondissement (a building with a courtyard commissioned by Baron Haussmann and built in 1868) through the large porte cochères of the current Académie du climat. Last week, scientists from the Comité National Français des Recherches Arctiques et Antarctiques presented a three-day panorama of French-language studies in these latitudes, the coldest on Earth, in this community where workshops are held throughout the year on climate issues. The CNFRAA is currently chaired by Anne Choquet, a polar lawyer, after having been directed by Catherine Ritz, a climatologist.

Under the chandeliers dating from the 19th century, social scientists talked about the indigenous communities of the Arctic. Anthropologists are studying Nunavik’s Family House, a social refuge and a place of exchange in this region that, like the rest of the Canadian Arctic, lacks housing. Some are looking at shelters where abused women find respite, still others the places where their voices are heard. Indeed, another on-going study is looking at the possible over-representation of women in environmental struggles, such as the Sámi blockade of the Norwegian oil and energy ministry. While in that great frontier power, Russia, the Dolgans pass on their knowledge orally, sometimes in song, a practice that is disappearing. Finally, when the heart is set on sports, all the communities of the Arctic gather for a major international sporting event: the Dene Games, an event where the stakes and rules differ from the Olympic vision.

Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, France’s ambassador for the poles, came to outline the country’s polar ambitions and the difficulties encountered in financing research there. A French polar strategy is currently being discussed. He called on scientists to take advantage of the means of communication at their disposal (Photo: Camille Lin)

It was also an opportunity to recall that the CNFRAA is celebrating its 65th anniversary and is associated with all of the big names in the field, such as Claude Lorius, a glaciologist, and Paul-Émile Victor, an ethnologist. “Initially, this learned society was more dedicated to Antarctica, representing France at Scar (the international committee for Antarctic research, ed), and then it moved northwards. The humanities and social sciences are on the rise, while the life sciences dominate, along with the geosciences and physics,” said Ms Choquet shortly before the opening a roundtable discussion about the behind-the-scenes work of polar missions, from logistics to research.

In order to carry out studies in the cold and sometimes in total isolation, the Institut polaire français provides the logistics in the form of equipment and skills. It sets up an essential discussion with the scientists. Ms Ritz explained: “When you do research, you have to look at how you can do it, it’s a constant back and forth between what the engineer wants and what the researcher wants.”

The gathering provided an opportunity to open up the debate slightly on the question of more opportunistic forms of polar logistics. Since tourist companies offer trips to the poles, scientists can use this route to access isolated areas. However, this raises ethical questions. Companies use it in marketing to make them look more appealing to customers. Some scientists reject this solution and others think that it should be strongly regulated. A legal and economic study on the subject is currently underway to clarify the issue.

Other ways of accessing these isolated places are the southern elephant seals. They are equipped with devices to measure the thickness of the ice or detect schools of fish. Another method is using seabirds indicate the presence of pollutants. Next year, marks the 20th anniversary of the CNFRAA science days, with around fifty topics of discussion, as this year.

Camille Lin, PolarJournal

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