0 projects

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Thermal properties of Arctic fox fur and the effect of fur lice infestation

This project will collaborate and run alongside the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) annual monitoring program on arctic fox population in Svalbard. Fur lice in the arctic fox was first identified on Svalbard in 2019 (Buhler et al. submitted). The prevalence at the time was low (approx. 10% of the...

Awarded: NOK 23,390

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

INTPART-International Partnerships for Excellent Education and Research

Useful Arctic Knowledge: Training, Collaboration, and Innovation in ocean observing.

Gjennom partnerskap mellom Norge, USA, Canada har UAK-prosjektet (Useful Arctic Knowledge) som mål å styrke kvaliteten innen utdanning, forskning og innovasjon innen havobservasjonsteknologi. Det avgjørende for fremtidig Arktisk forskning og innovasjon å rekruttere studenter til å jobbe med forsk...

Awarded: NOK 10.0 mill.

Project Period: 2023-2028

Location: Vestland

MILJØFORSK-Miljøforskning for en grønn samfunnsomstilling

Marine sponge biodiversity from genes to ecosystems: delivering knowledge and tools for sustainable management and conservation

Svamper er en av de eldste dyregruppene i verden. Vi finner dem i alle marine økosystemer, fra tropene til polare hav, fra grunt vann til de største havdyp, i fjorder og undervannsgrotter. Svampene er svært viktige i de marine økosystemene fordi de gir ly og oppholdssted (habitat) til flere organ...

Awarded: NOK 2.5 mill.

Project Period: 2023-2025

Location: Vestland

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Laser Drill for Arctic Snowpack Stratigraphy Study, RiS ID 12098

The proposed project ‘Laser Drill for Arctic Snowpack Stratigraphy Study’ (LASER ARCS) will test a new device for measuring snowpack stratigraphy under Arctic conditions. The SnowLaserDrill (SLD), consists of two lasers. The drilling laser is used to melt a hole into the snow; the second laser is...

Awarded: NOK 59,481

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Wet Fingerprints - Constraining the Influence of (Near-)Surface Melting on Svalbard Snow Structure and Chemistry

Ice cores are unique climate archives. However, our ability to extract environmental information from structural, chemical, and isotopic proxy records is severely limited by a lack of understanding about melt-induced post-depositional alterations. Svalbard ice cores have provided invaluable infor...

Awarded: NOK 99,999

Project Period: 2023-2024

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Investigating spatial and seasonal patterns in settlement of benthic communities in Kongsfjorden

Early life history ecology, especially settlement of benthic invertebrates is a black box in marine ecology. Researching larval and settlement ecology in-situ is incredibly difficult and logistical constraints have further restricted studies in the Arctic. I will investigate early life history st...

Awarded: NOK 94,999

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Detecting reindeer cadavers with remote sensing tools in the Arctic tundra of Svalbard, RiS ID 11512

Carrion is recognized as an important resource in many ecosystems, yet there are still difficulties in estimating the impacts on landscapes. Complex interactions with a wide range of taxa are involved, making it challenging to predict to what extent carrion trigger ecological responses, as this i...

Awarded: NOK 58,780

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Nordland - Nordlánnda

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

A warmer future: how warming and increased herbivore pressure affect vegetation change in the High Arctic, RiS ID 10030

The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) aims to study changes in vegetation by artificially warming the tundra using open-top chambers. On Svalbard, one experiment within this network is the long-term monitoring site in Endalen, encompassing both experimentally warmed and unwarmed plots as wel...

Awarded: NOK 52,626

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Response of the microfossil community to the Permo-Triassic climate crisis (RiS ID 12072)

The Permo-Triassic climate crisis caused the most catastrophic extinction of marine life, with an estimated species loss of 81-95% [1]. Several environmental changes have been hypothesised as extinction drivers, but their direct role in extinction is heavily debated, and the link to the fossil re...

Awarded: NOK 99,999

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Effect of ambient light on the protist community during Arctic polar night.

We are deeply interested in protist rhodopsin expression in various light treatments, and suspect that gene expression will vary greatly. Recent genomic analyses have revealed the presence of numerous rhodopsins in marine eukaryotes, and surprisingly, green and blue-light absorbing rhodopsins fr...

Awarded: NOK 79,374

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Identifying new marine productivity proxies, RiS ID: 12103

Marine productivity (MP) plays a crucial role in the Earth’s system by absorbing atmospheric CO2. In the Arctic, due to global warming and sea-ice reduction, MP has increased up to 50% over the last decades, suggesting that Arctic waters can become even more productive in the future, thus providi...

Awarded: NOK 93,577

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Magma-fault interactions in central Spitsberger. (RiS -ID:12138)

Investigating magma and fault interactions, mainly focusing on the Vinodden-Gipshuken areas. Main methods include field mapping, digital mapping, geochemistry and petrology on dolerites.

Awarded: NOK 60,513

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Effect of river runoff in phytoplankton blooms in Adventfjorden (ERiPA)

This project will focus on the effect river runoff has on the seasonal plankton bloom of an arctic fjord, using Adventfjorden, Svalbard as a model system. Water column sampling will be conducted every two weeks in the timeperiod April 2023-September 2023 at two stations; one marine (IsA time seri...

Awarded: NOK 86,958

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Investigating the active layer ice content and resulting thaw dynamics in Adventdalen. RiS ID 12143.

This M.Sc. thesis project aims at quantifying how well remotely sensed ground deformation captures the ice/water content of the active layer in different landforms/ground conditions. It will further be investigated if assimilating the remotely sensed ground deformation into the permafrost model C...

Awarded: NOK 50,556

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Timing and origin of Miocene flood volcanism on Spitsbergen: the Seidfjellet Formation revisited (RiS ID 12088)

Mantle-derived volcanism accompanied the Cenozoic lithosphere evolution of the NE Greenland and NW Barents Sea shelves during final separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. It is unclear, however, to what extent continental breakup was influenced by deep-sourced mantle plume...

Awarded: NOK 99,899

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Investigating mechanisms behind thermoregulation in Svalbard reindeer, RiS ID 12119

The aim of this study is to investigate cellular mechanisms underlying Svalbard reindeer's ability to lower their body temperature in winter to save energy. To achieve this, we will collect muscle and heart tissue from culled reindeer in October as part of a larger field campaign. These samples w...

Awarded: NOK 97,646

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Akershus

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Landscape architectural analysis of Longyearbyen's permafrost for the afterlife design of Mine #7, RiS ID: 12115

This project is a part of a master’s diploma which will propose a landscape architectural solution for the afterlife of Mine #7 in Svalbard. The design will be developed with a long-term perspective; considering the fluctuating conditions of thawing permafrost, as climate change impacts Longyearb...

Awarded: NOK 15,270

Project Period: 2023-2024

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Targeted sampling of zooplankton in Kongsfjorden, RiS ID 12141

The ecosystem in Kongsfjorden is affected by both Atlantic and Arctic water and the species distribution of zooplankton can change each year. Since zooplankton has an essential role at the base of the Arctic food web, their distribution and abundance can serve as an indicator of higher trophic sp...

Awarded: NOK 68,999

Project Period: 2023-2024

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Impact of heavy rainfall events on forage quality and grazing dynamics of Svalbard herbivores.

In this project we will use an experimental setup on sites with different topographic positions to simulate heavy rainfall events in the early summer. We will measure the plant and moss composition and growth as well as active herbivory. This will be done on experimental plots as well as on contr...

Awarded: NOK 22,106

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Sediment methane variability in Arctic lakes

This project is part of my doctoral thesis. Northern lakes represent a globally significant source of atmospheric methane, powerful greenhouse gas that is predicted to increase with the accelerated warming in the Arctic. Yet, the effect of rapid warming on the fate of natural methane emissions in...

Awarded: NOK 52,871

Project Period: 2023-2024

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

ORganic and inOrganic pollUTants in High Arctic Wetlands and Moss samplEs

This AFG application is to cover fieldwork required for my master thesis project at NTNU with aim to study organic and inorganic pollutants in high Arctic wetlands and moss samples. Wetland areas as well as specific moss species have traditionally been used in studies of atmospheric deposited pol...

Awarded: NOK 27,304

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

STABILITY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN SVALBARD IN A GLOBAL WARMING RiS 12106

This MSc Thesis project is going to look at the stability of cultural heritage foundations and other infrastructures. The project is located in Svalbard as all study objects are physically located in Svalbard. The study objects are related to technical-industrial heritage and are the prioritised ...

Awarded: NOK 99,999

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Impact of fur lice on Arctic foxes

This is a pilot project that builds upon ongoing research at the Norwegian Polar Institute in which annual monitoring of the arctic fox population in Svalbard is being carried out. The project manager requires access to the trapped fox carcasses prior to skinning to take photos and to describe an...

Awarded: NOK 21,850

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Akershus

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

The effects of warming climate on parasite-reindeer dynamics in the Arctic. RiS ID: 11856

Parasite and hence parasite-host interactions might change under changing abiotic conditions. A highly understudied but important factor in understanding host-parasite dynamics under a changing climate is how behaviour of parasites and hence contact with hosts could change under a changing climat...

Awarded: NOK 78,787

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Investigate behavioural responses to bioluminescence , RiS ID 12157

Bioluminescence, light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism, has been found across a broad range of the major groups of organisms from bacteria and protists to zooplankton and fishes. There are many noted functions to bioluminescence including interspecies interaction such as ...

Awarded: NOK 35,568

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Trøndelag - Trööndelage

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Resolving the Impact of Changing Arctic Precipitation on Svalbard Ice Mass Balance

The Arctic is warming at almost four times the mean global rate (Rantanen et al., 2022) and is becoming increasingly wetter: a trend that is predicted to continue as the Arctic Ocean becomes Atlantified, with rapid decline in sea-ice which is now at an all-time minimum (Bailey et al., 2021). Terr...

Awarded: NOK 99,999

Project Period: 2023-2025

Location: Troms - Romsa - Tromssa

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Effect of heavy rainfall events on soil faunal communities and soil characteristics across Svalbard ecosystems - T-REX project -RiS ID 11968

Climate change will alter precipitation regimes. In a warming climate, precipitation across the Arctic will increase and become more variable. A larger proportion of precipitation will fall as rain rather than snow and extreme summer rainfall events are expected to occur more frequently. There is...

Awarded: NOK 35,587

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Effect of Extreme Rainfall on Soil Thermal Regime and Tundra Ecology across Landscape Gradients - RiS ID 11968

In a warming climate, precipitation across the Arctic will increase and become more variable and extreme summer rainfall events are expected to occur more frequently. There is little experimental evidence of the impacts of such rainfall extremes on Arctic ecosystems. In the intended project we wi...

Awarded: NOK 71,880

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Constraining the geometry of Diabasodden Suite sills using joint and fracture network properties

SillProx will develop and test a methodology for estimating the geometry of magmatic intrusions where obscured and/or eroded boundaries do not allow for standard visual methods.If proven succesful we envision this method being of great use to many researchers in the volcanological and igneous geo...

Awarded: NOK 99,625

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard

SSF-Svalbard Science Forum

Spatio-temporal habitat use of Svalbard reindeer (RiS ID 12152)

The planned research focuses on understanding the impacts of a changing climate on the spatial dynamics of Svalbard reindeer, a key species in Svalbard’s tundra ecosystem. While harvesting has historically been the primary stressor for Svalbard reindeer populations, climate change will likely be ...

Awarded: NOK 51,366

Project Period: 2023-2023

Location: Svalbard