Seabed data acquired from the southern Barents Sea continental margin offshore Norway reveal detailed morphology of large sandwave fields. Multibeam echosounder bathymetry and backscatter, shallow seismic, sediment samples and seabed video data collected by the MAREANO program have been used to describe and interpret the morphology, distribution and transport of the sandwaves. The bedforms lie on a ...

Calanus species are the main link between primary producers and higher trophic-level organisms in the Barents Sea. The natural mortality rate is an essential parameter for determining the standing stock of Calanus, but it is also one of the most uncertain parameters in present knowledge. The level of human activity, and the associated risk of pollution, is increasing in the Barents Sea, and knowledge ...

Little is known about Atlantic salmon behaviour during the last phase of the marine homing migration and subsequent river entry. In this study, 56 adult Atlantic salmon in the Alta Fjord in northern Norway were equipped with acoustic transmitters. Salmon generally followed the coastline, but their horizontal distribution was also affected by wind-induced spreading of river water across the fjord. ...

Results examining variations in the ice extent along the Norwegian coastline based on the analysis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images from 2001 to 2019, February through May, are presented. A total of 386 fjords and coastal areas were outlined and grouped into ten regions to assess seasonal and long-term trends in ice extent. In addition, three fjords were examined to ...

To study smolt behaviour and survival of a northern Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) population during river descent, sea entry and fjord migration, 120 wild S. salar were tagged with acoustic tags and registered at four automatic listening station arrays in the mouth of the North Norwegian River Alta and throughout the Alta Fjord. An estimated 75% of the post-smolts survived from the river mouth, ...

Colonial breeding is an evolutionary puzzle, as the benefits of breeding in high densities are still not fully explained. Although the dynamics of existing colonies are increasingly understood, few studies have addressed the initial formation of colonies, and empirical tests are rare. Using a high-resolution larval drift model, we here document that the distribution of seabird colonies along the ...

Risk of mortality of wild salmon caused by salmon lice is used as an index for managing aquaculture production in Norway and is based on monitoring of lice attached to wild salmonids and modelled concentrations of lice larvae in fjords. Direct sampling of lice from Norwegian waters to determine concentrations has never been published scientifically and has been considered non-feasible for monitoring ...

Ice that forms in the fjords of northern Norway often undergoes temperature fluctuations, rising above and below freezing, throughout winter and experiences variable conditions at the ice-ocean interface due to changes in freshwater runoff from surrounding land. Conditions at the interface can be difficult to track throughout the season without consistent measurement, resultantly limiting ...