Advancing Climate Science Through Open Science and Collaboration: Report from the 8th eScience Course at Kristineberg, Sweden
From 5–16 May 2025, the scenic Kristineberg Marine Research Centre in Sweden hosted the 8th edition of the course “Data Analysis and Model Evaluation Tools in Environmental and Climate Science.” (a.k.a. the “eScience course”).
Co-organised by Stockholm University and the University of Oslo, this two-week intensive course welcomed early-career researchers from more than ten countries, equipping them with cutting-edge tools and perspectives to address the complexities of climate science. The focus: bridging observational data with modelling to better understand our changing planet. As tools, a special emphasis was placed on open-source tools, highlighting also the spirit of open science.
The programme featured a series of lectures covering essential topics in climate and environmental science, including introductions to data analysis tools such as xarray, pandas, and GitHub; Earth system and atmospheric modelling; cloud-aerosol interactions; linking in-situ observations with model results; and broader discussions on research ethics, open data, and the role of various scientific infrastructures. Optional toolbox talks provided additional insights for those interested in specific analytical methods or tools. This year, the course was co-sponsored by the HE project CleanCloud (“Clouds and climate transitioning to post-fossil aerosol regime”) and dedicated lectures from renowned CleanCloud-associated experts to set scientific content of the course.
A key feature of the course is extensive collaborative work within small groups who were supported by experienced tutors. Group projects tackled real-world climate issues - like aerosol-cloud interactions and Arctic climate feedbacks - using outputs from models such as SALSA, NorESM, and CMIP6, all highly relevant to the CleanCloud project.
The collaborative spirit extended beyond the classroom. Participants bonded over quiz sessions, swimming, movie evenings, and scenic walks - laying the groundwork for an international network of young scientists motivated to push the boundaries of climate research.
The next eScience course will take place in spring 2026. More information here, stay tuned!
Contact: Paul Zieger (paul.zieger@aces.su.se), Stockholm University
With more than 50 on-site participants and more than 30 online, the CleanCloud 2025 General Assembly hosted at Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) in Patras, Greece 🇬🇷 was a big success. A great tour to the CHOPIN field campaign at Mt. Helmos site, followed by great progress, exciting results, and inspiring discussions at the assembly, along with active and engaging early career researchers, a productive synergy session with our sister projects and collaborators, a lot of new energy and ideas for collaborations for the coming years, and finally a lot of good food and fun 😀 We thank all the participants for their active engagement and ideas, which will push CleanCloud even further than we dreamed of...
