0 projects

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Annual and regional distribution of Pseudocalanus spp. in the Svalbard-Barents Sea region

This project will collect monthly zooplankton samples in Billefjorden at three different depths of the water column. The Pseudocalanus species are small size copepods compared to the Calanus genus, but still very large in abundance. Hence, very important. Samples will be analyzed in order to lear...

Awarded: NOK 79,999

Project Period: 2021-2021

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Methodological development of near-remote sensing of vegetation dynamics and permafrost collapse

I propose to develop and test a method of monitoring vegetation change and permafrost degradation using simple field instruments and a normal digital camera. I will survey vegetation cover and take photographs with NDVI and normal cameras at 186 permanent plots in Adventdalen. Percentage cover fr...

Awarded: NOK 69,952

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Strain Partitioning and Decoupling in Hornsund during the Ellesmerian and Eurekan orogenies

This field excursion aims at studying strain partitioning and strain decoupling processes acting within the Adriabukta Formation in Hornsund during the Ellesmerian and Eurekan orogenies, and at refining the age of the Adriabukta Formation, which thus far was dated through palynological study of t...

Awarded: NOK 76,764

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Oslo

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Early life exposure to mercury in kittiwakes breeding in Svalbard: A longitudinal study to reveal acquired levels and potential selection

The main objective of the project is to reveal the levels of the contaminants (Mercury, Hg) and where seabirds take up contaminants (spatial origin) during the first years of life. And, by using the longitudinal data- with repeated sampling within individuals from fledging (just before leaving th...

Awarded: NOK 37,105

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Identifying subsurface processes of patterned ground and coarse-grained sediment in the high Arctic, RIS-ID 11434

My PhD project focuses on periglacial creep and periglacial erosion in cold regions of the world. Two pits in blockfields on the Norwegian mainland have so far been analysed regarding stratigraphy, sedimentology, grain morphology and mineralogy. For this Arctic fieldwork project the analysis of t...

Awarded: NOK 67,843

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Characterising sea ice algal habitat properties under thin and thick snow cover using UHI and HPLC analysis

The Arctic sea ice cover is rapidly changing due to global warming, and the need for in situ data of the response of ice algal communities, which contribute to marine food webs and influence biogeochemical cycling, is growing. There are substantial gaps in understanding the impact of climate cha...

Awarded: NOK 67,999

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Are yolk thiamine levels associated with stress hormones in arctic seabirds? A comparative approach among populations, species and food webs

Many seabird populations are drastically declining in Norway and internationally. The causes can be complex, but there has been an increasing foucus on disease as a potential causal factor, and especially thiamine deficiency (vitamin B1). Thiamine is essential for all living cells, and function a...

Awarded: NOK 54,001

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Temporal variability of thermomechanical effects on fast ice covers in the arctic RiS number: 11658

The objective of this project is to study thermomechanical and tidal effects in fast ice. This research can be applied to understanding loading on coastal and marine structures. There is a desire to deepen the understanding on temporal variability on effects. Temporal variability of effects is ca...

Awarded: NOK 7,700

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Mapping and dating Holocene advances of Nansenbreen on Erdmannflya, Svalbard RiS ID 11556

A complex of paleo-glacial moraines located on the northern part of Erdmannflya (Svalbard) was formed by Nansenbreen, a surging glacier located to the north-west. The data provided by this moraine complex can be linked to the stratigraphy of the immediately adjacent lake, Straumsjøen, which is th...

Awarded: NOK 59,999

Project Period: 2021-2021

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Investigation of the spatio-temporal variability of winds in Isfjorden, RiS 11609

Vertical wind profiles will be collected utilizing a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) instrument. The LIDAR will be mounted onboard different research and commercial vessels sailing in Isfjorden. This will allow to investigate the temporal and spatial variability of winds within the marine bou...

Awarded: NOK 49,999

Project Period: 2021-2021

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Gas hydrate stability and geology linked with the occurrence of flares and pockmarks in the Svalbard fjords

While natural gas hydrates (NGH) in the off-shore provinces of Vestnesa Ridge on the continental slope west of Svalbard and Prinz Karl Forland are extensively studied, near-shore NGH potential in Svalbard fjords is poorly constrained. It is crucial to understand and estimate the presence of near-...

Awarded: NOK 79,999

Project Period: 2021-2021

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Analysing the Population Structure of Arctic Waders through Genome Resequencing RiS ID: 11644

Arctic-breeding shorebirds appear to be declining at a faster rate than elsewhere in the world, a trend attributed to recent climate change (Meltofte et al., 2007; Kubelka et al., 2018). To predict how significant such population changes are, we require knowledge of how these populations have rea...

Awarded: NOK 68,999

Project Period: 2021-2021

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Re-visiting the Barrovian metamorphic rocks of the Isbjørnhamna Group and equivalents (Wedel Jarlsberg Land and Sørkapp Land), RiS ID 11651

In this project, I am trying to define the tectonometamorphic evolution of the Isbjørnhamna Group and equivalent units in SW Svalbard using modern geothermobarometric and geochronological methods. The hypothesis is that the southern Wedel Jarlsberg Land is an example of a metamorphic core complex...

Awarded: NOK 73,998

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Vestland

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

FEATURE DETECTION IN GLACIAL CHANNELS USING MACHINE LEARNING, RIS ID 11603

For my master thesis I will be using machine learning for detecting morphological features to improve geometric reconstructions of glacial channels based on data collected from drifters. The data will be gathered from channels on the Kongsvegen glacier during a field campaign in 2021. There are t...

Awarded: NOK 83,091

Project Period: 2021-2022

Location: Oslo

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Basin fill history of the Lower Carboniferous Billefjorden Gp, Central Spitsbergen Allogenic and autogenic controls on fluvial sedimentation

Lower Carboniferous strata can be found in outcrops across Svalbard, and their equivalent sub-cropping strata are mapped in the Barents Sea where they form potential hydrocarbon exploration and/or CO2-injection targets. Improved constraints on depositional dynamics of onshore strata will shed lig...

Awarded: NOK 72,996

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Oslo

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Svalbard in local and global perspective: an interdisciplinary science workshop organised by the Svalbard Social Science Initiative

The aim of the project is to develop innovative collaboration between Svalbard-related social science, natural science and the local community in Longyearbyen. The main activity is to plan and organize a 3-day workshop with participation from the Svalbard Social Science Initiative (SSSI), Oslo Sc...

Awarded: NOK 0.25 mill.

Project Period: 2020-2023

Location: Vestland

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

The heat is on: resilience and tipping points in Arctic phytoplankton populations under climate change induced heatwaves

Effects of climate change and associated extreme events on primary productivity are of paramount interest for ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling. In a future climate, marine heatwaves are forecasted to increase globally in frequency and intensity, especially in high-latitude regions...

Awarded: NOK 79,999

Project Period: 2020-2021

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Wing moult in Barnacle Geese shifts following climate change (RiS ID 11429)

In a 30-year time series, barnacle geese advanced their breeding season in two clear warm seasons (2006, 2016) following the general advancement in spring snow melt of 0.4 days/year. Thirty years ago, 17 days after hatch of the juveniles, the adult geese start their primary moult and are flightle...

Awarded: NOK 45,999

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Harmonizing Environmental Research and Monitoring of Priority Pollutants in the Svalbard Atmosphere

Pristine Arctic ecosystems are one of the most fragile and fast responding to global environmental changes, thus representing a promising "natural laboratory" for studies on global changes. Most monitoring programs and scientific studies focus on already known contaminants like polychlorinated bi...

Awarded: NOK 0.42 mill.

Project Period: 2020-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Climate change induced shifts in sea ice algae nutrient content: species, community and trophic implications.

Climate change is the major threat affecting Arctic ecosystems, with trends toward increased sea surface temperatures and declining sea ice noted over the past three decades (NOAA, 2018). Sea ice microalgae form an important part of the Arctic food web, contributing up to 50% of primary productio...

Awarded: NOK 68,999

Project Period: 2020-2021

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Carboniferous - Permian sandstone properties on Bjørnøya and the Barents Sea

This project will investigate Carbonieferous - Permain sandstones properties, provenance and diagenetic history with respect to sedimentological facies and depositional environments on Bjørnøya through a two-week-long field campaign and post field work analysis. Samples and sedimentological data ...

Awarded: NOK 67,999

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Arctic Aliens - Invertebrates Associated with Antropogenic Activity RiS ID: 11406

The primary objective of this project is to survey the non-native invertebrate species diversity, abundance and distribution within Longyearbyen, and associated areas. The work shall assess the town through systematic transects, as well as specific sampling of 'hot spots' such as disturbed anthro...

Awarded: NOK 24,997

Project Period: 2020-2022

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Dynamics of glacial channels, RiS ID 11423

The project has the goal to investigate the dynamics of glacial channels with sensing drifters. Three different prototype drifter platforms will be used to measure water flow inside supraglacial, englacial and subglacial channels. The platforms can measure water pressure, flow velocity, position,...

Awarded: NOK 75,052

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Oslo

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Ice algae and meiofauna abundance and biomass in coastal sea ice of Spitsbergen, Svalbard.

Sea ice algae and meiofauna are two key components in Svalbard's ecosystem. Both play a significant role in the short food webs of the cryosphere and are highly sensible to climate warming. Various environmental parameters, including light, water temperature and salinity limit and influence their...

Awarded: NOK 47,224

Project Period: 2020-2022

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Unraveling the Paleozoic Northwest Passage: strike-slip motion in southwestern Svalbard, RiS ID:11410

The central objective of this collaborative project between the University of Iowa, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and AGH-University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland is to evaluate variations in the magnitude and timing of displacement on strike-slip faults in southwestern Svalbard. F...

Awarded: NOK 72,999

Project Period: 2020-2021

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

AUTO: Secrets of success in Saxifraga oppositifolia, RiS ID 11070

In this project I aim to investigate consequences of autopolyploidy on phenotypic variation, with focus on reproductive strategy and reproductive output. I will use the circumpolar, arctic-alpine species Saxifraga oppositifolia (Saxifragaceae), as study system, where two main ploidy levels are kn...

Awarded: NOK 45,547

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Plant communities mediate climate effects on active layer depth

This study will investigate the influence of plant communities dominated by vascular plants vs moss-dominated communities under different climate regimes. As yet we know very little about insulation capacity in these contrasting plant communities. Furthermore, we also do not know which vegetation...

Awarded: NOK 43,405

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Albedo and carbon flux properties of Arctic ground vegetation along gradients of reindeer grazing intensity (RiS ID: 11411)

The ongoing rapid climatic and environmental change of the Arctic call for improvement of earth system modelling with better representation of vegetation at high latitudes. Vegetation rich in bryophytes, lichens and biological soil crusts are not included in the current models, despite their larg...

Awarded: NOK 57,999

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Sediment erosion and transport in the Longyearelva Catchment system, Svalbard.

Monitoring the hydro- and geological processes of the river and its catchment area over the hydrological season will provide a vital dataset for further analysis and mitigations to ensure the safety of the community. During May-October, of 2020, fieldwork will include: - Repeatedly collecting dro...

Awarded: NOK 24,518

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Effect of pollution on the reproductive energetics of the Arctic Terns at Svalbard

In this project I will look at pollutants (both organic compounds and heavy metals), in the blood and feathers of Arctic Terns nesting in Kongsfjorden the summer of 2020. I will also look at different physiological parameters, primarily thyroid hormon blood levels. The purpose is to see if there ...

Awarded: NOK 31,999

Project Period: 2020-2020

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa