Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

While the psychological well-being of Antarctic crews has been investigated previously, Arctic crews have received little attention. Antarctic stressors include the permanent darkness of polar night, cramped quarters and harsh weather conditions which demand that the crews work together to survive. These stressors are also present for Arctic crews with the addition of dangerous polar bears. In this study, these psychological stressors were explored at the Polish Polar Station, Svalbard. Nine crew members three of whom were women, took part in the study. They filled in the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) after their arrival, at equinox, during polar night, in spring and during the midnight sun. Depression and hostility were highest in the spring following the isolation of polar night. Vigor reached its lowest point in spring and remained low until mission completion. Confusion continued to decline throughout the mission. The Polish crew adapted by monitoring their feelings to work together and ensure survival. Up until and during the polar night, negative feelings were low. Following the isolation period, depression and hostility increased while vigor declined. This suggests adaptation paradigm wherein the participants stopped to monitor their own feelings as closely after the polar night.

The Arctic is changing; it is ever changing in many social, cultural, economic and environmental ways. This chapter will look specifically at tourism in the Arctic: how has it changed? And how might it change in the future? Since the International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007–2008 there has been a rise of interest in tourism from academia, industry and local communities. Many authors have provided a look into the “deep” past of tourism development; with a number of books and article coming out around 2010, and some have offered thoughts on the future. This chapter will gaze further into the future, to the year 2030. What might the growth in tourism look like, based on the trajectory since 2008 or 2010? What will be the priorities for tourism growth or tourism research in the region?

The Yukon Territory, in Canada’s western Arctic, has tremendous potential for tourism. The territory has abundant natural beauty, and a historical mystique that naturally draws people to the destination. The Yukon has already established itself as an adventure tourism destination for activities such as paddling (canoeing, kayaking and rafting) and dog-sledding. However, mountain biking is a new segment of the Yukon tourism industry. A greater understanding of tourism in the Arctic can be developed through an examination of the destination attributes that draw mountain bike tourists to the Yukon.

This chapter discusses the potential of design research and education practice to contribute to Polar/Arctic tourism studies. With the geographical reference to the Russian Far North, it is explored what involves in being a human in severe environmental conditions, and what kind of design, clothing, dwelling, transportation it fosters. As a key argument, a perspective is developing of the arctic tourism as an embodied way of (short-term) living in the extreme environment. The discussion is continued by outlining the design approach to Arctic tourism development and based on existing variety of tourism resources in the Russian North two modes of their representation by design – static and dynamic – are suggested. Each mode is further illustrated with a case study of design projects conducted at the Arctic Design School, Yekaterinburg, Russia. To conclude, this chapter offers new ways of understanding and using design as a tool to respond to challenges and opportunities that today’s Arctic uncovers not only for tourism, but also for other sectors of Arctic-based and oriented industry.

Emergencies on large passenger ships in the remote High North may lead to a mass rescue operation with a heavy strain on the emergency preparedness systems of the Arctic countries. This study focuses on the need for competencies related to large-scale Search and Rescue operations (SAR operations) amongst the shipping companies, vessels and governments involved. A SAR operation is the activity related to finding and rescuing people in distress. Several international standards, in particular the conventions by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), provide direction for education and training of seafarers and rescue staff. This study elaborates on the operational competence requirements for key personnel involved in large scale SAR operations. Findings from real SAR incidents and exercises provide in-depth understanding on the operational challenges. The chapter gives directions for competence programs, beyond obligatory international standards, and recommendations for further research.

The IMO Polar Code states that equipment and systems providing survival support for passengers/crew should have adequate thermal protection for a minimum of 5 days. Based on participant workshops where suppliers, regulators, users and academia were present, the following three functionality requirements were identified as essential for survival: Maintaining cognitive abilities; No uncontrollable body shivering and Functionality of extremities.

Following the participant workshops, a field trial was conducted in Wood Fjord, Northern Svalbard, during the last week of April 2016. The goal of the trial was to identify the gaps in functionality provided by life-saving equipment currently approved by SOLAS and the functionality required to comply with the minimum requirement of 5 days survival, according to the IMO Polar Code.

The trial demonstrated that when utilizing standard SOLAS approved equipment, compliance with the functional Polar Code requirement of protection from hypothermia cannot be expected beyond 24 h of exposure.

Industrial development in the Arctic enhances the potential risk of accidents occurring under severe conditions. Detailed knowledge of the physical environment and understanding of risk reduction methods are necessary for technical experts and young specialists planning to work in companies dealing with the Arctic. The Arctic is a place of close contact between many countries, where harsh and fragile environment demands the most advanced technology for sustainable development and international collaboration to ensure safety of industrial activity. The SITRA (Safety of Industrial Development and Transportation Routes in the Arctic, 2015–2018) project focuses on organizing an international research and educational network of High North experts for joint investigation and teaching of Arctic engineering courses. SITRA is funded by the Norwegian Centre for International cooperation in Education (SIU). The project is a part of the High North Program. It continues the more than 20-year-long Norwegian-Russian collaboration in the field of Ice Engineering and expands it overseas by means of students and staff/professors exchange and joint field work. Canadian and US universities have also joined the team. The SITRA project multiplies the understanding and awareness of the Arctic problems through education and outreach.

Snow and ice are the key elements in winter tourism, especially in the Nordic countries. Finnish Lapland has a multitude of attractions that provide visitors unique arctic experiences in snow and ice constructed environments. In Finland, snow and ice operators and builders are usually small and medium size enterprises (SME). There is lack of knowledge on using snow and ice as construction material. This article will provide basic knowledge on using snow and ice as construction material in safe structures.

The chapter focuses on justification of the psychological safety model of oil and gas workers in the Arctic. The safety in industrial activity depends firstly not only on the employee, on his attitude toward observance of occupational safety and health regulations, but also on the personal attributes of the specialist, his subjective perceptions and effectiveness of his psychological self-regulation. The study was conducted at an oil and gas facility with a watch-based method of labor organization in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (duration of a rotation shift is 30 days). The study involved 70 persons at the ages from 24 to 60 years (average age 38.7 ± 1.3). The methods were as follows: study of documentation, monitoring of work process, questionnaires, psycho-physiological and psychological testing, and statistical methods of data analysis. The study verified the concept of psychological safety as a mental state of a subject who has control over a set of internal and external factors of the ergatic system providing updating of internal resources of the individual for efficient professional activity on the psycho-physiological and psychological levels. As a result, the model of psychological security of oil and gas workers in the Arctic was introduced and evidence based. It includes the following components: (1) The psycho-physiological level of functional status (reduced or optimal); (2) The psychological level of functional state (emergency or economical); (3) The image of the labor object (low undifferentiated hazard assessment or high differentiated hazard assessment); (4) The perception of the subject (high undifferentiated or moderately high differentiated self-assessment); (5) The perception of the subject-object and subject-subject relations (neutral, negative, or positive). In this research, the components of psychological safety of oil and gas workers of different professional groups (operators of oil and gas, boiler operators, drivers, engineers and technical workers, maintenance specialists) in the Arctic were empirically studied and characterized. The psychological level of functional state was expressed in economical adaptive strategy mainly on the basis of results gained from the study of operators of treatment facilities and boiler houses, engineering and technical staff and maintenance staff. On the contrary, the emergency strategy was defined in the course of the study of oil and gas operators. Low psycho-physiological levels of functional states were noted among drivers and operators of treatment facilities and boiler houses. Higher rates of this component of psychological safety were found among engineering and technical personnel, oil and gas operators, as well as maintenance specialists. Among the components of psychological safety related to the mental structure of the regulation, there are no strong differences between workers belonging to one group or another, depending on job. In all occupational groups there is a predominance of a higher and more differentiated assessment of the impact of adverse factors and potential hazards during the rotation shift and moderately high self-assessments of competence. However, the composition of the subject-object and subject-subject relations shows a predominantly negative evaluation of socio-psychological environment mostly among drivers, in other groups of specialists the attitude was neutral or positive.

The following chapter examines multiple aspects of including gender perspectives in Arctic research. In the chapter I discuss the definition and understanding of the concept of gender, and then move to the concept of “intersectionality” which recognizes the important linkages between multiple identities of gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, and other social categories. I then discuss both the ways in which gender has been addressed, though still minimally, in Arctic research, as well as some of the ways in which Arctic research is itself gendered. I then discuss how gendered perspectives add important insights into understanding security, and more specifically human security, in the Arctic.