Science conducted in and around polar and high-altitude regions is critical to understanding the evolution of the Earth’s climate.
Due to the complex logistics, challenging access and difficult safety conditions in these extreme environments, the Swiss polar community requires specific competencies and dedicated support.
The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) offers tailored support to scientists based in Switzerland who work in polar regions and remote, high-altitude environments.

NEWS

GRöNLAND 08.05.2018 Disco Iland Prof. Konrad Steffen, Direktor des WSL und Pionier der Eisforschung
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SPI Scientific Director Konrad Steffen tragically died in an accident

On 8 August 2020, our Scientific Director Konrad Steffen passed away in an accident while on field work in Greenland at Swiss Camp. The SPI lost a generous leader who understood how to get the Swiss polar science community together and work towards the vision and implementation of the Swiss […]

EU Arctic Policy: Public Consultation

News

EU Arctic Policy: Public Consultation

The European Commission recently launched a public consultation in order to update its Arctic policy, including in the fields of research, technology development and climate change. Inputs are open to a broad range of stakeholders, including academia. The latter are invited to give feedback in order to suggest ways to enhance European […]

COVID-19 Update

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COVID-19 Update

SPI is happy to present our future events dedicated to the Swiss polar scientific community starting this autumn. This includes a revisited version of the traditional Swiss Polar Day initially scheduled in Spring. It will now be held on 16 October in Zurich, from 15:00 to 17:00. The event will […]

Polar to Global Online Interoperability and Data Sharing Workshop/Hackathon

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Polar to Global Online Interoperability and Data Sharing Workshop/Hackathon

On 30th June 2020 the polar data community gathered for the first online bi-monthly meeting to discuss and move forward with improving data sharing and interoperability. Brought together by the Arctic Data Committee, Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management, the Southern Ocean Observing System, the Arctic Observing Summit Working Group […]

SPI and BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation renew their partnership for Swiss polar science

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SPI and BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation renew their partnership for Swiss polar science

The two organisations have agreed to extend for another three years their collaboration on the co-funded Polar Access Fund, launched in 2018. The fund enables early career researchers to undertake a first fieldtrip to polar or remote high-altitude regions and thus gain critical experience on how to run a project […]

PolARTS

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PolARTS

Through PolARTS, the Swiss Polar Institute and Pro Helvetia, the Swiss arts council, enable an exchange between polar science and arts. An independent evaluation panel has now selected four interdisciplinary collaborations bringing scientists from disciplines such as snow physics, ice core research, glacier dynamics and Tundra ecology closer to writers, […]

Swiss Polar Class

Swiss Polar Class is a free educational programme made available to teachers, students or anyone interested in discovering polar regions. It has been developed for students from 8 to 12 years old. The programme introduces learners to polar topics, such as ice and snow, polar climate or geography of high latitudes. Discover the original content (available in French and German) adapted to Swiss teaching plans and dive into the polar universe!

Visit Swiss Polar Class

WHAT WE DO

red_or_dead — Funding
Funding for field access, logistics and technology

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Funding
Funding for field access, logistics and technology

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Expeditions
Expeditions and Flagship programmes

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Events
Information events, scientific workshops and conferences

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Outreach
swiss polar class educational programme

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Health and Safety
Courses and support measures for fieldwork

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Training
ACCESS TO FIELD AND SUMMER SCHOOLS

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Scientists onboard a Zodiac near Siple Island

SPI Gallery

Scientists onboard a Zodiac near Siple Island, Antarctica, during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) 2016-2017. The area was relatively ice-free at the time of the scientists’ visit, allowing an unexpected opportunity to collect vegetation and geological samples from nearby Lauft and Maher Islands. © Bradley Markle (CC BY 4.0)

© Parafilms/EPFL. Photographer: Noé Sardet (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Scientists returning to the ship from Mount Siple

SPI Gallery

Scientists returning to the ship from Mount Siple, Marie Byrd Land, after drilling an ice core during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) 2016-2017. © Parafilms/EPFL. Photographer: Noé Sardet (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Glacial lakes of the Bhutan Himalayas

SPI Gallery

Scientists need to improvise to reach some test sites in the Bhutan Himalayas. Sonam Wangchuck’s project “Bathymetric survey of glacial lakes; GPS measurements of lake shoreline; ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey of moraine dams and glacier tongues; turbidity and surface temperature measurements” was supported by the Polar Access Fund, 2018. […]

The Balleny Islands

SPI Gallery

Aerial view of the rarely-visited, volcanic Balleny Islands, taken during the second leg of the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE). Their location straddling the Antarctic Circle gave scientists the perfect opportunity to drill the first ice core from Young Island to better understand changes in circumpolar westerly winds. © Parafilms/EPFL. Photographer: […]

Marine invertebrate collected during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE)

SPI Gallery

Marine invertebrate collected from the sea floor during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) 2016-2017. Organisms living on the sea floor capture carbon by feeding on microscopic plankton and other animals, playing a key role in the carbon cycle. © Parafilms/EPFL. Photographer: Noé Sardet (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Maintenance at Swiss Camp Greenland

SPI Gallery

Maintenance of the scientific instruments is a daily task for the scientists at Swiss Camp Greenland. © Konrad Steffen

Bowdoin Glacier and recently-calved icebergs, Northwestern Greenland

SPI Gallery

View of the Bowdoin Glacier and recently-calved icebergs, Northwestern Greenland. Eef van Dongen’s project “Monitoring of the calving glacier Eqip Sermia, West Greenland, using UAVs” was supported by the Polar Access Fund, 2018. © Eef van Dongen

MOCCHA campaign guard

SPI Gallery

MOCCHA campaign guard ensures the safety of the crew, mainly against polar bears, as it is usual during fieldworks in the high Arctic. Andrea Baccarini’s project “Participation in the MOCCHA campaign in the high Arctic onboard of the ODEN icebreaker” was supported by the Polar Access Fund, 2018. © Andrea […]

Fieldwork on Himalayan glaciers

SPI Gallery

Fieldwork was carried out to measure the accumulation rates of Himalayan glaciers. Evan Miles’ project “Accumulation via Borehole teLeviewing at high Elevation (ABLE): proof of concept” was supported by the Polar Access Fund, 2019. © Evan Miles

Summer nights at Mount Nils Larsen

SPI Gallery

Shadows of Mount Nils Larsen do not cover the field camp, since the Sun does not set during these beautiful Antarctic summer nights. Akçar Naki’s project “DEAIS: Changes in the Drainage Pattern of the Eastern Antarctic Ice Sheet through Time” was supported by the SPI Exploratory Grant, 2018. © Akçar […]

Rocky and snowy Dronning Maud Land

SPI Gallery

Rocky and snowy Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, is a strategic location for collection of data and samples. Alfonso Ferrone’s project “Summer campaign at “Princess Elisabeth Antarctica” research station, in the Dronning Maud Land region of East-Antarctica” was supported by the Polar Access Fund, 2019. © Alfonso Ferrone

Launching of the autonomous submersible ROPOS

SPI Gallery

Launching of the autonomous submersible ROPOS, in the Southern Ocean, during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) 2016-2017. This technology was used to collect samples from the seabed and benthic organisms while filming the process simultaneously. © Parafilms/EPFL Photographer: Noé Sardet (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Swiss Polar Institute

SPI is funded by a consortium of Swiss universities – EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), ETH Zurich, the University of Bern and the University of Lausanne – and by Editions Paulsen. Officially supported by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the SPI creates synergies and offers services to the Swiss polar community.

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