Universitat Rovira i Virgili

"I am working on a system for improving predictions
about the effects of climate change on polar ecosystems"

DÍDAC PASCUAL

PhD student in the Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Sciences at Lund University, Sweden.

The word "geography" is often quite simply associated with the spatial distribution of the elements that structure the physical environment of the earth, as well as with the organization and distribution of human structures on the land. While these are geographical elements, it is a science that goes far beyond this. "What role does each of the elements of the environment (relief, hydrology, vegetation, soil, fauna ...) play on Earth? How are they interrelated? What influence do humans have on the space we occupy on a local, regional, and global scale? How can we reduce our footprint on the planet?" These are just some of the questions that Geography aims to answer. It was the search for these answers that personally led me to take the degree of Geography and Territorial Planning at the URV.

The degree provided me with very relevant insights into these topics and many others, which allowed me to understand the Earth system in a holistic way.

In my undergraduate studies I was a visiting student at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) studying Climate Change and Sustainability, where I took subjects and did an internship. During this period I studied many environmental processes, both naturally and human induced, that occur at high latitudes. The profound importance of these processes on a global scale, on a rather short time scale, made a large impact on me.

At the end of my bachelor's degree, I completed the master's degree in Territorial Analysis and Management: Planning, Governance and Territorial Leadership at the URV. These studies allowed me to better understand the development of society over the land and its interaction with the environment. However, I was truly impressed by the enormous influence of polar environments on the global climate, and I decided to study this subject further by doing a master's degree in Glaciology and Polar Environments at the University of Stockholm.

The desire to contribute to scientific knowledge and dissemination has led me to begin a PhD at Lund University. In this project, which aims to improve predictions about the effects of climate change on polar ecosystems, I will need to use all the knowledge and tools that the URV and the SU have given me.