0 projects

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Influence of coastal permafrost thawing on biogeochemistry and pollutants of the sea water

We hypothesise that thawing of permafrost can be an important source for certain chemical parameters at least in the coastal Arctic areas. Our approach for testing our hypothesis is to conduct a laboratory experiment to study changes in the content of chemical parameters in the seawater when perm...

Awarded: NOK 0.32 mill.

Project Period: 2018-2020

Location: Oslo

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

SVALBARD ROCK VAULT: Taking care of data and developing critical infrastructure for geoscientific research and education projects

The Svalbard Rockvault project is an initiative to archive and protect unique geological material acquired on Svalbard primarily through drilling activity, but also by geological sampling and geophysical acquisition campaigns. In the majority of the world, national institutions take care of geo...

Awarded: NOK 0.20 mill.

Project Period: 2018-2019

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Coal - the ice core of the warm past: using the natural coal archive on Svalbard to initiate a flagship for palaeoclimate research

The Paleocene coals from the Firkanten Formation, Svalbard represent a globally important record of environmental change. Like ice cores and deep marine drillings, coal (ancient peat) represents a relatively undisturbed environment from which geochemical signatures of climate change can be extrac...

Awarded: NOK 0.39 mill.

Project Period: 2018-2022

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Bacterial communities in the cryosphere. Controls and connectivity on glaciers and sea ice RIS 10889

The aim of this project is to elucidate bacterial community structure and the forces that shape succession and diversity patterns within a Svalbard fjord (Billefjorden), influenced by sea ice and glacial meltwater inflow. Data collection in April and July will include 16sRNA sequencing, CARDFish ...

Awarded: NOK 60,730

Project Period: 2018-2019

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Effects of terrestrial inputs on coastal food-web structure and contaminant trophodynamics in an Arctic fjord system

Increased terrestrial run-off in Arctic regions is one major impact of climate change. As temperatures and precipitation increase and permafrost and glaciers melt, coastal areas are experiencing increased levels of riverine inputs. These inputs bring water, sediments, nutrients, organic matter an...

Awarded: NOK 74,999

Project Period: 2018-2018

Location: Oslo

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Stratigraphy and tectonic on Oscar II Land

This is a planned combined study of the stratigraphy of the Triassic and the tectonic processes affecting Triassic depositions in the area of Oscar II Land. There will be taken new structural measurements will be taken and sedimentological logs will be made for selected locations from Svenskegga ...

Awarded: NOK 12,928

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Can maternal exposure to low pH/elevated pCO2 seawater provide protection to the offspring of the keystone copepod Calanus glacialis to ocea

Emission of CO2 from anthropogenic sources has increased at unprecedented rates since the advent of industrialisation. The increased absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the oceans has led to an imbalance in seawater carbonate chemistry and to a reduction in seawater pH : a process known as ocean aci...

Awarded: NOK 41,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Mapping of Paierlbreen Ice Mélange with UAVs

The overarching goal of this project is to provide fundamental physical insights into the processes affecting the terminus positions of marine-terminating outlet glaciers to address the extent to which ice mélange influences pre- calving processes. The specific primary project objectives are to: ...

Awarded: NOK 68,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Causes and consequences of variation in age at first reproduction in barnacle geese, RiS ID 10651

I aim to disentangle the causes and individual-level consequences of age at maturity, which varies considerably between individuals, sexes and years (Loonen unpubl.). My main data source will be mark-recapture data from the Ny-Ålesund barnacle geese population, providing individual-based informat...

Awarded: NOK 49,790

Project Period: 2017-2018

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Identification of emerging thyroid-disrupting compounds, and their associated effects in glaucous gull. RIS-ID: 10654

Endocrine disrupting compounds can cause harmful effects by interfering with hormone system e.g. the synthesis, secretion, transport, cellular uptake or signaling pathway of the hormones. The aim of the project is to investigated the ecological relevance of thyroid disrupting chemicals in glaucou...

Awarded: NOK 46,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Pre and Post Deposition Processes of Black Carbon in Snow

The aim of this proposal is to better understand pre and post depositional processes of black carbon (BC) in snow. So far, little research has been conducted to understand the transfer function of BC aerosols in the atmosphere to BC aerosols deposited on snow/ice surfaces. Additionally, little i...

Awarded: NOK 74,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Effects of persistent organic pollutants on oxidative stress and thyroid hormone status in Glaucous gulls in Svalbard

Blood samples of glaucous gulls will be collected in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund in order to investigate concentrations of legacy POPs and emerging contaminants with potential thyroid disruptive properties in glaucous gulls in Svalbard. Blood concentrations of the target contaminants and thyroid ...

Awarded: NOK 32,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Immunomodulation by legacy and emerging pollutants in the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) at Svalbard

First and foremost this project aims to compare the immunotoxic effects of various contaminants on kittiwakes inhabiting Svalbard, with particular focus on emerging contaminants. The effects of pollutants on both the innate and adaptive immune response will be investigated. The longer-term projec...

Awarded: NOK 42,041

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Microbes in poly-extreme environments and their potential roles in greenhouse gas release: Gruve 5, an acidic polar peat-draining AMD river

Peat soils store vast amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) and are of importance with regards to climate change. We aim to identify and compare key microbial players of the soil in a peat-draining poly-extreme environment (acidic polar Acid Mine Drainage river) in Svalbard due to its physicochem...

Awarded: NOK 28,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Determination of seasonal development and community composition of sympagic meiofauna in Van Mijenfjorden; RiS ID 10641

Sea ice is a vital component of the Arctic ecosystem, organisms of all size classes dependent on it as a habitat, feeding, breeding and nursery ground. The microscopic organisms that inhabit the brine channels in the interior of the ice are known as sympagic (ice-associated) meiofauna (> 20 um). ...

Awarded: NOK 76,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Identifying the permafrost isotopic signal and assessing permafrost freezing age by radionuclides

We use Radium isotopes to assess the freezing age of the pore-ice water. Because of the effort required to extract sufficient amounts of pore-ice water, and due to the expected low activity (concentration), we use ratios of different Radium isotopes. These ratios can serve as a unique signal of t...

Awarded: NOK 72,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Is the Arctic copepod Calanus glacialis subject to metabolic trade-offs when exposed to heatwaves and ocean acidification

Present day marine environment is under pressure from multiple changing environmental factors driven by global climate change (GCC) such as extreme event like heatwaves (HW) and ocean acidification (OA). The Arctic has been identified as the most vulnerable region in regards to GCC and will under...

Awarded: NOK 75,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Towards modelling carbon uptake in permafrost soils, RiS ID: 10689

The project aims to produce a field data set of soil carbon profiles in the area around Ny-Ålesund, covering a wide range of environmental conditions. The data set extracted from this "natural laboratory" on Svalbard will become a cornerstone of the PhD work of the applicant which is dedicated to...

Awarded: NOK 58,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Oslo

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Characterise and identify the glacigenic sediments in lake sediments at Vårfluesjøen, derived from subpolar glaciers in the Arctic

Data sets and time series are limited from the high-Arctic and is therefore urgently needed in order to understand past climate fluctuations and the natural climate variability in the Arctic. Glaciers are excellent indicators of past climate and can help us to better understand the natural climat...

Awarded: NOK 77,999

Project Period: 2017-2018

Location: Vestland

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Microbial community development during the glacial-proglacial ecosystem transition, RiS ID 10645

Glacial ice is rapidly disappearing and, as glaciers are not in balance with the current climate, the shrinkage will continue even without further temperature rise. As a result, new habitats exposed by glacial retreat (called 'proglacial') are rising in both number and size. These habitats are co...

Awarded: NOK 28,158

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Vestland

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Use of Landsat 8 satellite data to map the growing season on Svalbard- Interpreting the results in the field RIS ID 10646

The project will collect field vegetation phenology and biomass data to map the growing season and plant production in the Svalbard archipelago. A collection of field data used to validate satellite images will minimize errors in Landsat 8 sensor calibration. Results will be used to create a clou...

Awarded: NOK 28,235

Project Period: 2017-2018

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

The impact of pollution on pathogen prevalence and host infection resistance in the Arctic black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)

As the warming climate alters the dynamics of disease in northern ecosystems, evidence suggests that pathogens are spreading into Arctic populations where they were previously unseen. Increasing viral diversity (virodiversity) may also allow for the emergence of new diseases, while immunomodulato...

Awarded: NOK 41,708

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Neoproterozoic Stratigraphy and Provenance of Wedel Jarlsberg Land, Southwest Terrane, Spitsbergen, RiS ID 10684

This collaborative project between Dartmouth College and Norsk Polarinstitutt aims to test the hypothesis that the metasedimentary strata on Wedel Jarlsberg Land, Svalbard, record two Neoproterozoic global glaciation events - the ca. 635 Ma Marinoan and ca. 579 Ma Gaskiers glaciations. We will te...

Awarded: NOK 75,666

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

COLLECTION OF STRUCTURAL AND SEDIMENTOLOGICAL DATA AT SARSTANGEN

I will write my MSc. thesis on the evolution of the Forlandsundet Basin. Thereby focusing on structural and sedimentological features in the outcrops of the Sarstangen area. In the field I plan to: - Obtain structural data from faults and fractures to better constrain the movement history along ...

Awarded: NOK 45,915

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Holocene history of Svalbard ice caps and glaciers RiS ID 10122

The project aims to reconstruct Holocene (i.e. last 11.700 years) ice cap and glacier variations on Svalbard, using threshold lake sediment records. Threshold lake sediment cores are excellent for this because they contain glacial on/off signals (changes between organic and minerogennic sediments...

Awarded: NOK 68,218

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

From dark to light - development of Phaeocystis pouchetii spring blooms

The haptophyte Phaeocystis pouchetii is a key arctic phototroph capable of forming massive blooms. It is one of the important spring bloom species. This project will collect new data and combine this with already collected samples from the Isfjorden Adventfjorden (IsA) marine time series station....

Awarded: NOK 36,999

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Proglacial icing Foxfonna: chemical characteristics and source of water, RiS ID 10642

The project aims to determine the source of water feeding the icing adjacent to Foxfonna, Svalbard. Ice cores from the icing and water samples taken during the winter and summer will be analysed chemically. Additionally GPR surveys will be performed during the accumulation season and dye tracing ...

Awarded: NOK 35,445

Project Period: 2017-2017

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Lake coring Svalbard 2017

The Holocene Thermal Maximum (11-5 ka BP) may serve as an analogue for near-future Arctic climate: Like the present, this period was characterized by a combination of high radiative forcing (caused by maximum summer insolation instead of greenhouse gases) and freshwater input from melting Arctic ...

Awarded: NOK 77,999

Project Period: 2017-2018

Location: Vestland

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

UV Intercomparison and Integration in a High Arctic Environment

The Arctic is a region which to high extent influences the atmospheric behaviour in the Northern hemisphere and for this reason attracts the attention of the scientific community. The Atmosphere Research Flagship Programme (http://nysmac.npolar.no/research/flagships/atmosphere.html) is an activit...

Awarded: NOK 0.39 mill.

Project Period: 2017-2018

Location: Akershus

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

The CalvingSEIS Workshop

This workshop evolved from the CalvingSEIS project (NFR) and The CalvingSEIS Experiment (SSF). In August 2016, an in-situ measurement campaign at the front of Kronebreen, Svalbard brought together 14 people from 6 nations and 9 nationalities over a 2 week period to measure processes and propertie...

Awarded: NOK 0.15 mill.

Project Period: 2017-2018

Location: Oslo