Arendal is a small and quiet coastal city in the southern part of Norway. For five days in mid-August, the population multiplies when 100 000 people gather for the Arendal week (Arendalsuka). This is the largest political gathering in Norway, and the stated mission is to “strengthen the belief in political empowerment and democracy through open debate and involvement”.

The director of the Nansen Center on top of the Glass elevator in Arendal and ready for a long week. Photo: Tore Furevik

This year’s program was more packed than ever before, with more than 1700 public debates and other events held on numerous outdoor scenes, in pubs and restaurants, on ships, in tents, and in the world’s largest Sami Lavvu. High on the agenda this year was climate and environment, energy security, and sustainable use of our oceans.

Many of the events were clearly relevant for the work we do at the Nansen Center. There were more than 40 (!) panels discussion offshore wind, and numerous others on ocean technology, shipping, fisheries, biodiversity, pollution, and climate change including several sessions on the changes in the Arctic.

The Nansen Center has a lot to offer to the green solutions and blue economies discussed in Arendal. We are pioneering acoustic measurements in the ocean and the use of observations from satellites, and our real-time and forecast systems for ocean temperatures, salinities, nutrients, sea ice, icebergs and waves give essential information for many operations at sea.

It is no doubt that Arendalsuka is a good place to sense what political leaders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and media are concerned with. It is also a place to show others what we are doing, to meet people, and to plan future collaboration.

Happy group returning from Arendal. In front director Nils Gunnar Kvamstø and vice director Geir Lasse Taranger from the Institute of Marine Research, and behind directors Tore Furevik from the Nansen Center and Kikki Kleiven from the Bjerknes Centre. Photo: Nils Gunnar Kvamstø