Large aggregations of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus occur each spring in the shelf-slope-oceanic regions off the Lofoten-Vesterålen Islands where productive fisheries have traditionally supported local economies. The retention and off-shelf transport of populations of C. finmarchicus populations were studied by analyzing ocean color remote sensing, satellite altimetry data, and Lagrangian Coherent ...

Many attempts have been made worldwide to implement community-based conservation to gain a more inclusive protection of biological diversity and ecosystem services. In a recent national reform, the management of protected areas was devolved from the Norwegian government to local conservation boards. The main goals were to reduce local resistance toward conservation and ameliorate threats to biodiversity. ...

The Barents Sea is a subarctic shelf sea which has experienced major changes during the past decades. From ecological time-series, three different food-web configurations, reflecting successive shifts of dominance of pelagic fish, demersal fish, and zooplankton, as well as varying trophic control have been identified in the last decades. This covers a relatively short time-period as available ...

In this study, cuticular wax load, its chemical composition, and biosynthesis, was studied during development of wild type (WT) bilberry fruit and its natural glossy type (GT) mutant. GT fruit cuticular wax load was comparable with WT fruits. In both, the proportion of triterpenoids decreased during fruit development concomitant with increasing proportions of total aliphatic compounds. In GT fruit, ...

The ArcLight observatory provides hourly continuous time series of light regime data (intensity, spectral composition, and photoperiod) from the Arctic, Svalbard at 79° N. Until now, no complete annual time series of biologically relevant light has been provided from the high Arctic due to insufficient sensitivity of commercial light sensors during the Polar Night. We describe a camera system providing ...

Cydippid ctenophores of genus Euplokamis have been rarely reported from the north-east Atlantic in the scientific literature. The conspicuous lack of previous records is likely attributable to methodological constraints detrimental to sampling ctenophores, including the use of plankton nets and preservation of samples as well as poor identification literature and a lack of taxonomic expertise on ...

Near-surface remote sensing techniques are essential monitoring tools to provide spatial and temporal resolutions beyond the capabilities of orbital methods. This high level of detail is especially helpful to monitor specific plant communities and to accurately time the phenological stages of vegetation – which satellites can miss by days or weeks in frequently clouded areas such as the Arctic. In ...

Recent studies have concluded that groundwater driven methane escape through open system pingos is an important greenhouse gas source in the vulnerable high Arctic. In wetlands and marine sediments, large quantities of methane are consumed by methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB) and ANaerobic MEthanotrophic (ANME) archaea, preventing its release to the atmosphere. The methanotrophic capacity of open ...

Recent warming in the Barents Sea has led to changes in the spatial distribution of both zooplankton and fish, with boreal communities expanding northwards. A similar northward expansion has been observed in several rorqual species that migrate into northern waters to take advantage of high summer productivity, hence feeding opportunities. Based on ecosystem surveys conducted during August–September ...

Seasonal energetic challenges may constrain an animal's ability to respond to changing individual and environmental conditions. Here, we investigated variation in heart rate, a well-established proxy for metabolic rate, in Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus), a species with strong seasonal changes in foraging and metabolic activity. In 19 adult females, we recorded heart rate, ...