Norwegian explorer Knut Espen Solberg (born 1973) has been working the past few years in a project called “Roald Amundsen footsteps – 100 years later”. Purpose of the project was to sail the Northwest Passage from Europe to Asia through the Arctic waters. Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer of Polar Regions, is known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage 100 years ago. The new expedition started from Oslo in 2003. The modern expedition crew faced challenges on the Canadian shore and the expedition boat got caught on thick ice for nearly three years.

Knut Espen Solberg’s lecture “The Melting Arctic” doesn’t present only sailing and challenges on the Arctic waters. He also describes the life with indigenous Arctic people who offered the shipwrecked explorers their home to share and took them into their daily life. Stories about polar bear and whale hunting are combined with the fact that this lifestyle and society is going to be vanished. Globalization and climate change are determined “melting the Arctic” and life in the Arctic in many different ways.

The lecture is given on Thursday, 31 March 2011 at 5 pm at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, Arktikum building, Aurora hall (address: Pohjoisranta 4, Rovaniemi, Finland).. The lecture is in English. You are warmly welcome!

The lecture is organized by the Embassy of Norway and the Arctic Doctoral Programme Arktis.

After the lecture the Embassy of Norway will organize a reception in the Arktikum Café to all lecture participants.

At the same time, it is possible to visit the photo exhibition “Fridtjof Nansen: Humanitarian” which presents Fridtjof Nansen’s humanitarian work and life during 1920–1930. Nansen (1861–1930) was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel laureate. Exhibition includes 25 impressive photo enlargements. The exhibition has been before this for example in the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, US, where Nansen Refugee Award ceremony was also organised in 2009. The exhibition in Arktikum is open at the Aurora hall 22.3–3.4.2011 and it’s free of charge. Warmly welcome!

For more information:
Arktis coordinator Päivi Soppela, phone 0400 138 805
Arctic Centre’s event coordinator Raija Kivilahti, phone 040 568 4890
Arktis Graduate School at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland