Effects of multiple environmental drivers on Arctic benthic organisms and communities

Climate change will have sweeping impacts on the cryosphere and marine biodiversity in the Arctic. We have a collaborative project with German colleagues from the AWI and the University of Bremen to identify the transitions taking place in fjords, adjacent coastal regions, and the impacts on local populations. More specifically for Kongsfjorden, our goal in 2021 is (1) to run large-scale perturbation mesocosm experiments on benthic organisms, (2) assess the benthic biodiversity in Konsfjorden, (3) determine the effects of run-off on primary production, and (4) quantify the blue carbon potential of macroalgal detritus. In 2022, the focus will be on in situ determinations of the metabolism of benthic communities in Konsfjorden and their role in the cycles of carbon and carbonate. Most of these research will occur within the framework of the H2020 project FACE-IT (2020-2024).