Members
Here you can find a list of all ARCTOS members and PhD students. In the drop-down menu you can either select the member status or the institution the member belongs to.
Jørgen Berge
Professor (UiT), Adjunct Professor (UNIS)
- Arctic marine biology
- Polar night ecology
- Diel vertical migration of zooplankton. …
Research interests:
- Arctic marine biology
- Polar night ecology
- Diel vertical migration of zooplankton.
Running national and international projects:
- Mare Incognitum projects (CircA, Marine Night and ArcticABC)
- EWMA – Environmental Waste Management
Completed national and international projects:
- SAARP projects (Statoil)
- Cleopatra (NFR)
- various minor projects
For a complete list of scientific and popular science publications and outreach activities, please look here.
Martin Biuw
Senior Scientist
Research interests:
I have extensive experience in marine mammal research, going back to my master’s degree in zoology at Stockholm University 1996-1997. I have worked extensively with southern elephant seals in the Souther Ocean, initially through a PhD at the University of St Andrews linked to the Australian Antarctic Division in Australia. I have worked extensively with the development of innovative instrumentation methods for the study of migratory patterns and ecophysiology in marine mammals, as well as instrumentation for collecting oceanographic data using marine mammals. I have organized a number of research expeditions to islands in the Southern Ocean, and was expedition leader on the expedition to Bouvet Island in 2007-2008, organized by the Norwegian Polar Institute. Since 2018 I have been employed at the Institute of Marine Research, within the marine mammal research group. I am responsible for population modeling and assessment of ice-breeding seals (harp and hooded seals). I am a member of the NAMMCO (North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission) Scientific Committee, and a national delegate for the International Whaling Commission.
Bodil Bluhm
Professor
- Structure and function of Arctic benthic and sea ice ecosystems
- Biodiversity
- Community ecology
- Food web structure
- Cryo-benthic-pelagic coupling
- Invertebrate population dynamics. …
Research interests:
- Structure and function of Arctic benthic and sea ice ecosystems
- Biodiversity
- Community ecology
- Food web structure
- Cryo-benthic-pelagic coupling
- Invertebrate population dynamics.
Current national and international projects:
- Nansen Legacy (Norwegian Research Council)
- Arctic Seasonal Ice Zone Ecology (Norwegian Government, UiT)
- Long-term monitoring of subtidal hard-bottom benthic communities in the Arctic and sub-Arctic
- Long-term Benthos Monitoring network for detecting chance in the Arctic benthic ecosystem (LTM-Benthos) (Nordic Council of Ministries)
- TUNU East Greenland Ecology
- Kitikmeot Sea Science Study (Polar Knowledge Canada)
Yasemin Bodur
PhD candidate
PhD project title:
Seasonal patterns of vertical flux and pelagic-benthic coupling in the Northern Barents Sea.
PhD project description:
I want to compare the seasonal patterns of the export flux between Atlantic-influenced and Arctic-influenced regions in the Northern Barents Sea. Moreover, I am interested in the characteristics of the sedimenting organic matter which determine the quantity and quality of the food input for benthic communities at the seafloor.
Start date: Jul 2019
Planned submission date: Jul 2023
Supervisors:
Marit Reigstad (UiT, Tromsø, Norway)
Paul Renaud (Akvaplan-niva, Tromsø, Norway)
Scientific publications:
- Link, H., Veit-Köhler, G., Seifert, D., Bodur, Y., 2015. Tracing the effect of changing ice cover on benthic ecosystem functioning – from Meio to Macro. Berichte zur Polar- und Meeresforschung 105–112.
- Purser, A., Hoge, U., Lemburg, J., Bodur, Y., Schiller, E., Ludszuweit, J., Greinert, J., Dreutter, S., Dorschel, B., Wenzhöfer, F. 2020. PlasPI marine cameras: Open-source, affordable camera systems for time series marine studies. HardwareX 7:e00102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00102
Sophie Bourgeon
Associate professor
- Ecotoxicology
- Arctic seabirds and mammals
- persistent organic pollutants
- plastic pollution
- multiple stressors. …
Research interests:
- Ecotoxicology
- Arctic seabirds and mammals
- persistent organic pollutants
- plastic pollution
- multiple stressors.
Current projects:
PlastPoll– Plastic pollution; a global Challenge Towards harmonized understanding, education and methodology in Europe, USA and China.
In collaboration with Dr. Dorte Herzke.
EnviStress– Environmental stress processes: the role of anthropogenic pollution in a rapidly changing environment.
In collaboration with Dr. Jan Ove Bustnes
EcoStress – Ecological consequences of environmentally persistent pollutants in a marine sentinel species: A multi-stressor approach.
In collaboration with Dr. Jan Ove Bustnes
Completed projects:
HvalrossTOX– Sucking clams or hunting seals – consequences to walrus health. Contaminants in Atlantic walruses: effects on endocrine and immune systems.
In collaboration with Dr. Heli Routti
AVITOX – Causes and consequences of high loads of biomagnifying pollutants in avian top predators in the Arctic.
In collaboration with Dr. Jan Ove Bustnes
BEARENERGY– Synergistic effects of sea ice-free periods and contaminant exposure on energy metabolism in polar bears from the Barents sea area.
In collaboration with Dr. Heli Routti and Dr. Geir W. Gabrielsen
SKUA– Physiological effects of new- and old persistent organic pollutants in a breeding seabird top predator: the great skua Stercorarius skua. In collaboration with Dr. Jan Ove Bustnes
Anne-Fleur Brand
PhD Candidate
PhD project title:
Investigating the combined influence of pollution and infectious diseases on shorebirds that migrate along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.
PhD project description:
Pollutant exposure has been linked to immunosuppression and disease outbreaks in various wildlife species. Yet, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in pollutant-induced immunomodulation remains limited.
Recently, microRNAs have been identified as key regulators of the immune response and important determinants of disease outcomes. MicroRNAs are a class of small noncoding RNAs that bind specific mRNA transcripts (from the host cell as well as from viruses) and prevent their translation into proteins. Alterations in microRNA expression have been found after exposure to various pollutants and pathogens (e.g. influenza virus). Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that pollutants deregulate microRNA pathways involved in antiviral responses. MicroRNAs might therefore be a mechanistic link in our understanding of pollutant-induced immunomodulation. The presence and stability of microRNAs in blood makes them potentially interesting biomarkers of pollution-induced disease outcomes.
As part of the COAST IMPACT project, we study the potential of microRNAs as biomarkers of pollution exposure and disease in migratory shorebirds. The identification of specific microRNA profiles associated with infectious disease and/or pollution exposure could (i) elucidate the molecular mechanisms inducing pollutant-induced immunomodulation, and (ii) facilitate the assessment of pollution exposure effects in free-living birds of conservation concern.
Start date: August 2020
Planned submission date: August 2024
Supervisors:
Veerle Jaspers (NTNU, Trondheim, Norway)
Courtney Waugh (NORD University, Bodø, Norway)
Marcel Klaassen (Deakin University, Victoria, Australia)
Scientific publications:
- Medici EP, Fernandes-Santos RC, Testa-José C, Brand AF (2021). Lowland tapir exposure to pesticides and heavy metals in the Brazilian Cerrado. Wildlife Research 48 (5), 393-403.
- Brand AF, Hynes J, Williams RJ, Walker L, Santos Pereira MG, Lawlor AJ, Shore RF & Chadwick EA (2020). Biological and anthropogenic predictors of metal concentration in the Eurasian otter, a sentinel of freshwater ecosystems. Environmental Pollution 266, 115280.
- Flint M, Brand AF, Bell IP, Hof C (2019). Monitoring the health of green turtles in Northern Queensland post catastrophic events. Science of the Total Environment 660, 586–592.
Popular Science and outreach:
Sören Brandt
Master student
- Impacts of climate change on Arctic marine food webs
- The effect of boreal species on Arctic marine food web interactions
- The impacts of climate change on the physiology and behavior of Arctic endemic species
Research interests:
- Impacts of climate change on Arctic marine food webs
- The effect of boreal species on Arctic marine food web interactions
- The impacts of climate change on the physiology and behavior of Arctic endemic species
Karley Campbell
Associate Professor
- sea ice
- algae
- bacteria
- production
- phycology
- climate change. …
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
Lionel Camus
Senior Scientist
- Biomarkers
- Polar and deep marine ecosystems
- Biological effects of oil and gas industries
- Developing and implementing digital technologies in marine sciences. …
Research interests:
- Biomarkers
- Polar and deep marine ecosystems
- Biological effects of oil and gas industries
- Developing and implementing digital technologies in marine sciences.
Pernilla Carlsson
Scientist
Research interests:
I am an environmental/analytical chemist with a background in marine chemistry as well. My main areas of research interest are bioaccumulation of environmental pollutants in Arctic marine and limnic food webs. Another area of interest is how climate change affects environmental processes that are important for understanding the fate and occurrence of contaminants in the Arctic. I have used enantiomer selective analyses to understand more about transfer and fate of pesticides in Arctic waters.
I am involved in assessments and reports for Arctic Monitoring Assessment Programme (AMAP) as well, focusing on emerging contaminants and combined effects of climate change and persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
Scientific diving is a tool I use as much as possible in my research. Certain experiments and sampling cannot be achieved without diving. Other techniques for sampling organic pollutants are passive sampling (water) that is a very useful way of taking samples in the Arctic.
Running projects:
FlammePlank, Svalbard environmental fund project on occurrence of new flame retardants in Svalbard.
Scientific publications:
- Carlsson, P., Pawlak, J., Wilson, S., Christensen, J.H., Borgå, K., Aspmo Pfaffhuber, K., Odland, J.Ø., Kallenborn, R., Reiersen, L-O. Influence of Climate Change on Transport, Levels, and Effects of Contaminants in Northern Areas. Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) and AMAP. –planned 2016
- Carlsson, P., Crosse, J.D., Halsall, C., Evenset, A., Heimstad, E.S., Harju, M., 2016a. Perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) and legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in halibut and shrimp from coastal areas in the far north of Norway: Small survey of important dietary foodstuffs for coastal communities. Marine Pollution Bulletin.
- Carlsson, P., Literák, J., Dušek, L., Hofman, J., Bucheli, T.D., Klánová, J., 2016b. Temporal and spatial variability of enantiomeric fractions (EFs) of chiral organochlorines in relation to soil properties. J. Soils Sediments, 1-9.
- Carlsson, P., Warner, N.A., Hallanger, I.G., Herzke, D., Kallenborn, R., 2014. Spatial and temporal distribution of chiral pesticides in Calanus spp. from three Arctic fjords. Environ Pollut 192, 154-161.
- Carlsson, P., Herzke, D., Kallenborn, R., 2014. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFASs) in traditional sea-food items from western Greenland. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 21, 4741-4750.
- Carlsson, P., Herzke, D., Kallenborn, R., 2014. Enantiomer-Selective and Quantitative Trace Analysis of Selected Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) in Traditional Food from Western Greenland. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 77, 616-627.
- Kallenborn, K., Halsall, C., Dellong, M., Carlsson, P. 2012. The influence of climate change on the global distribution and fate processes of anthropogenic persistent organic pollutants. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 14, 2854-2869.
- Carlsson, P., Cornelissen, G., Bøghild, C.E., Rysgaard, S., Mortensen, J. Kallenborn, R. 2012. Hydrology-linked spatial distribution of pesticides in a fjordsystem in Greenland. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 14 (5), 1437-1443.
Popular science and outreach:
- Fram-dagen Nov 2015; dykking for vitenskap
- Invited key note speaker at Arctic Frontiers, Tromsø, Norway 2014
- Invited for presentation at “Svalbardseminarene”, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, February 2014
- Qualification in local final of “Forsker Grand Prix”, Tromsø to participation in the nationalfinal in Oslo, September 2013
- Project leader for the Svalbard environmental fund project “POPjakt i skolen”, 2010-2012. An outreach project together with the school in Longyearbyen.