The two polar regions share a frigid reputation, but they are also a study of contrasts. Each Arctic summer, lands around a frozen ocean flush with green and teem with life. Whereas in Antarctica, we find a continent of ice, ringed by the raging Southern Ocean, with only small flecks of green at its margins.
This talk will explore the science of shifting climate in the polar regions, with a focus on how landscapes are being reshaped by vegetation change, animal behavior, and human influences. It will reveal cutting edge techniques in satellite and drone monitoring of landscapes, but also delve into the value and insights gained from expeditionary fieldwork.
This Science & The Flavour of Aarhus talk blends scientific lecture with photo narrative encompassing recent expeditions to Greenland and Antarctica, and their broader scientific context. Together, they reveal not only how these lands are responding to rapid climate change, but also surprising insights into the human story in these regions, past and present.
17:00 - 17:45 | Jeffrey T. Kerby: 'From Greenland to Antarctica: shifting contrasts in a time of change' |
17:45 - 18:15 | Panel discussion withJeffrey T. Kerby, Janne Flora, centre leader of AUNA (AU Centre for North Atlantic and Arctic Research) and Søren Rysgaard, centre director at Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University. Moderator: Andreas Roepstorff, director of AIAS. |
18:15 - 19:00 | Networking and Arctic refreshments (AIAS Hall). |
Jeff Kerby is Assistant Research Professor at the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, and a former fellow at AIAS and the Arctic Research Centre at Aarhus University. He studies ecological dynamics in polar regions, with a focus on vegetation change and ecosystem processes, and how they are shaped by large mammals and human influences.
He is also an accomplished science and expedition photographer whose work has featured in National Geographic magazine, BBC Natural History Unit productions, and in multiple films. His National Geographic Gelada Monkeys Feature, a photo essay on gelada monkeys in the Ethiopian highlands where Jeff lived and conducted research for a year, was the Grand Prize winner of the Banff Mountain Film - Mountain Photo Essay contest.
Jeff Kerby's work has also been awarded category prizes and honorable mentions such as at Por el Planeta, Mexico City, and various science photography events. In 2023, he co-produced an award winning extended reality (XR) experiences exploring climate change impacts on Qikiqtaruk-Herschel Island in Arctic Canada, with support from collaboration grants from the National Geographic Society and Meridian Treehouse. More information about this work at ArcticXR.com. In 2025, he was recognized by The Explorers Club among the 50 extraordinary people who are doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration.
The event is open to all interested and free of charge by prior registration.
Registration closes on 4 December 2025.
This third Science & the Flavour of Aarhus talk is organised by Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS) in collaboration with the Arctic Research Centre (ARC) at Aarhus University and Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) at University of Cambridge, UK.
