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Twenty-six students from China and Norway have completed a two-week research training program spanning glacial streams, alpine grasslands, and contaminated industrial sites, as Nanjing University (NJU) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) concluded the fourth Sino-Norwegian E³GAP Summer School on September 5, 2026.
The program, themed "Responses of Sino-European Terrestrial Ecosystems to Global Air Pollution and Climate Change", was selected under NJU’s Global Scientific Expedition and Research Training Program and jointly organized with Tsinghua University, Inner Mongolia University, Beijing Normal University, and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Lectures Set the Framework
Theoretical training opened on August 24 at NMBU, where nine professors and experts delivered lectures on the long-range transport of air pollutants, heavy metal contamination in soil and surface water, grazing impacts on ecosystem carbon cycling, and remediation of heavy metal and PFAS pollution. The sessions gave students the conceptual grounding they would need in the field, and sparked lively discussion on mercury pollution control, pollutant migration, and grazing effects on carbon sinks.
Fieldwork Across Three Norwegian Sites
Divided into six mixed Chinese-Norwegian teams, students then fanned out across the southern Norway. At Birkeland, they learned from the Norwegian Institute for Water Research about long-term acid deposition and river liming, collected stream water and soil samples, and toured the Birkenes Observatory, where atmospheric mercury, greenhouse gases, aerosols, and ammonia are monitored. In the Suleskard alpine grassland, they dug soil profiles and sampled along elevation, vegetation, topography, and drainage gradients, analyzing soil organic matter, pH, electrical conductivity, bulk density, and coarse fragment content. In Odda, they visited Alex Stewart International’s laboratory and collected soil near a zinc smelter to trace heavy metal concentrations along a distance gradient.
Lab Analysis and Student Presentations
Back at NMBU’s laboratory, the teams air-dried and sieved soil, filtered water, and measured pH, electrical conductivity, dry matter, loss on ignition, and dissolved organic carbon. Using acid digestion and ICP-MS, they determined concentrations of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc. On September 4, the six groups delivered 15-minute English presentations on topics ranging from water quality at the three field sites to soil organic carbon stocks in Suleskard and heavy metal pollution risks around the Odda smelter. Professor Jan Mulder of NMBU, a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, supervised the summer school and praised the presentations.
For NJU students, the two weeks in Norway were more than a training exercise. The program sharpened their field and laboratory skills, pushed them to think across disciplines, and tested their teamwork and English academic communication. It also reinforced ties between NJU and its Norwegian and Chinese partners. The School of Environment plans to keep building as it expands its international research training platforms and turns out environmental professionals equipped for a global stage.
