Rúna Magnússon, PhD

What’s the work that you do?

I work as a lecturer and researcher at a plant ecology institute and I study relations between climate change (rainfall extremes in particular), tundra vegetation growth and permafrost degradation in Siberia and Svalbard. I use field experiments, remote sensing and dendrochronology.

What keeps you going?

The beauty and stillness of polar ecosystems is tremendously inspiring and important to me. I want to contribute to conserving it by studying the impact of future climate changes and extremes in the field and sharing my research and stories with students and a general audience.

What’s your message to the world?

Just like with people, the toughest ecosystems can also be the most sensitive ones.