Karley Campbell » Members

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Karley Campbell

Associate Professor UiT The Arctic University of NorwayArctic and Marine Biology
Work address Department of Arctic and Marine Biology Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics UiT The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø 9037 Norway Work Phone: +47 77 62 52 20 Website: ResearchGate Website: ORCID Website: Google Scholar
Photo of Karley Campbell

Research interests:

  • sea ice
  • algae
  • bacteria
  • production
  • phycology
  • climate change.

Life in the oceans is supported by an abundance of microscopic algae and bacteria that synthesize organic compounds and recycle them within the lower trophic levels, respectively. The activity of these microorganisms also influences the movement of carbon dioxide (CO2) between oceans and the atmosphere [1], which is an important function given the rising CO2 emissions that are currently driving a warming trend of the global climate [2]. In particular, the polar regions are warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, and the resulting impact on cryosphere systems is substantial [3; 4]. Changes in sea ice volume, seasonality and coverage in the Arctic Ocean are particularly concerning for specialized algae and bacteria that inhabit sea ice [5; 6]. The uncertain response of these vulnerable sea ice algae and bacteria to environmental change has been the focus of my research. This has involved method development to quantify abundance and productivity, field-based process studies to assess biological-physical coupling, and stressor experiments on ice algae cultures to target species-specific responses. I am also interested in the composition of microbial communities and how this varies with growth conditions characteristic of different ice habitats. This involves taxonomic identification of sea ice algae, as well as collaborations (eg Sanchez-Baracaldo laboratory Bristol, UK) to complete metagenomic analyses.

References: [1] Falkowski et al. 1998, Science, 200-206; [2] Graverson et al., 2008, Nature Lett. 53-57; [3] Hansen et al., 2010, Reviews Geophys. RG4004; [4] Screen and Simmonds, 2010, Nature Lett. 1334-1337; [5] Vihma et al., 2014, Surv. Geophys. 1175-1214; [6] Leu et al., 2015, Prog. Oceanogr. 151-170.

Ongoing projects:

  • Diatom-ARCTIC: Diatom Autoecological Responses to Changes in Ice Cover, University of Bristol, UK, Co-Investigator
  • SIMEP: Southampton Island Marine Ecosystem Project, University of Manitoba, Canada, Collaborator
  • Multidisciplinary Arctic Program, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Collaborator