Arctic marine system ecology

Time series observations of benthic communities, ecosystem research in ice-covered waters with R/V Jan Mayen, and investigations how the King Crab effects sub-Arctic fjord ecosystems. Photos: Erling Svensen (left) and Bjørn Gulliksen (middle and right).

System ecologists are interested in the structure and function of ecosystems.
This implies studies how causes such as climate, pollution, key-organisms, introduced species and fishing can shape the organisms community, organisms and biodiversity.

What determines the composition of a community of organism in different regions and seasons? How are the interaction between key organisms and marine productivity in fjords, the ocean and ice-covered waters?

Research comprises organisms at all trophic levels and how they impact on each other, including bacteria, plankton, parasites, benthic evertebrates, fish, marine mammals and birds in the pelagic (water), benthic (bottom) and sympagic (habitats in sea ice) realm.  In addition to process oriented studies and modelling, field work and data gathering from research vessels has a essential position in the group.  The group works in the disciplines biodiversity, community biology, the life history (including reproduction strategy) of key species, marine parasitology, resource biology, carbon cycle and vertical export regulation, nutritional ecology, ecological modelling and biostatistics.

The research group Arctic System Ecology comprises 7 permanently employed scientists, 8 junior scientists/ post docs, 16 PhD students and 2 Prof II positions.  One technician work with the group full time, and another is in progress, in addition to a scientific diver. The ARCTOS secretary is also part of the research group.

The research of the group is characterised both by close cooperation with other institutions in Tromsø and on Svalbard (e.g. the research network ARCTOS and the ARCTOS PhD school) and with national and international research institutions.