Arctic Marine System Ecology (AMSE)
Erling Svensen

Our research group focuses on studies of structure and function of high-latitude marine ecosystems. We work on a large variety of organisms, ranging from bacteria through plankton, benthic animals and parasites, to top predators such as fish and marine mammals, and often take a system-level approach. Understanding trophic interactions, life cycles and the responses of organisms to various biotic and abiotic factors including changing climate are common interests within the group. Members of our group also ecotoxicological questions.

Members


Teaching

Our teaching activities are topics of Arctic marine ecology at the Bachelor and Master levels, and in marine ecotoxicology and pollution. 

 

Courses and teaching activities we lead are listed below. We also contribute to other courses.

Masters Projects 

Master students are an integral part of our research group and participate actively in group meetings, both scientific and social. If you are interested in a MSc project within our research group, feel free to contact our present our recently graduated MSc students for inside information about us and their projects. Many of the master students are also parts of ongoing national and international research projects - follow the links for more information.

Information for new/upcoming MSc students

Potential supervisors and themes for master and bachelor projects 

Sünnje BasedowBiological-physical interactions, zooplankton ecology, zooplankton population dynamics, size spectrum ecology

Bluhm, BodilArctic benthos, food web ecology, biodiversity, pelagic-benthic-coupling

Sophie BourgeonEcotoxicology, arctic wildlife, persistent organic pollutants, microplastics, ecological physiology

Karley Campbell. Sea ice, algae, bacteria, production, phycology, climate change

Gradinger, Rolf. Phytoplankton, sea ice ecology, microphytobenthos, macroalgae, Arctic marine ecology

Molis, Markus. Intertidal ecology, species interactions, community ecology, experimental ecology

Nahrgang, Jasmine. Ecotoxicology, organic pollutants, crude oil, fish sensitive life stages, early life stages of fish

Norrbin, Fredrika. Zooplankton Ecology

Pedersen, TorsteinEcosystem dynamics, foodwebs and fisheries, population dynamics, shallow water fish nursery areas, climate effects on the Barents Sea

Reigstad, Marit. Sub-arctic to arctic marine ecosystems, plankton, bentho-pelagic coupling, ecosystem responses to climate change

Svensen, CamillaZooplankton ecology, biological pump, copepod feeding and reproduction, seasonality in plankton

Koenig, Zoe Physical oceanography, bio-physical interactions, Arctic climate


Current MSc students

Roberta Cárdenas, 2025-2026. Match-Mismatch Between Copepods and Spring Bloom in Kongsfjorden Svalbard. Advisors; Camilla Svensen, Allison Bailey (NPI)

Sanna Saur Heiland, 2025-2026. Influence of tides and light (and wind) on sea-ice algal biomass in the Arctic Ocean . Advisors: Zoe Koenig and Sebastien Moreau (NPI) 

Eidvind Larsen, 2025-2026. Trophic role and local population structure of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) in Northern Norwegian fjords. Advisor: Torstein Pedersen

Laura Victoria Ramírez Nieto, 2025-2026. Impact assessment of future changes in artisanal fishing and salinity on the structure of the food web of the Coastal Lagoon Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (Magdalena,Colombia): Ecopath-Ecosim modeling. Advisor: Torstein Pedersen

Kristine Rasmussen, 2025-2026. Seasonal development of lipid reserves in overwintering Subarctic Calanus finmarchicus. Advisors: Sünnje Basedow and Camilla Svensen

Carina Kraemer, 2025-2026. Spatial variability of zooplankton and fish density in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Advisors: Estelle Coguiec, Malin Daase (UNIS), Maxime Geoffrey (MUN)

Hanna Huntscha, 2025-2026. Diversity of ice-associated fauna (>20 um) and zooplankton (>64 um) during a 20-day ice drift spring study in the high Arctic (83 degrees N). Advisors: Camilla Svensen, Miriam Marquardt

Raymond Bates, 2025-2026. Optimizing Sorus Induction and Growth of Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Subarctic Cultivation Systems. Advisors: Jasmine Nahrgang, Laurids Enevoldsen and Marianne Frantzen (APN)

Hannah Thommessen, 2024-2026. Pathways for toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the sentinel coastal bird species Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus). Advisors: Sophie Bourgeon, Elisabeth Hansen (NINA), Dorte Herzke (NILU), Linda Hanssen (NILU).

Frida Foslund, 2024-2026. Temporal and Spatial Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Great Skuas (Stercorarius skua): A Comparison Between Colonies in Finnmark (Hjelmsøya) and Svalbard (Kongsfjorden). Advisors: Sophie Bourgeon, Sveinn Are Hanssen (NINA), Børge Moe (NINA), Elisabeth Hansen (NINA).

Thea Grunwald, 2024-2026. Transcriptomic Response to Environmental Pollutants and Stress Hormones in precision-cut  adipose tissue slices from marine mammals. Advisors: Sophie Bourgeon,  Pierre Blevin (Akvaplan-Niva), Laura Pirard (Akvaplan-Niva).

Rae Hansen, 2024-. Meiofaunal Microbiome Nutrition & Contribution to Carbon Fixation at Arctic Methane Cold Seeps. Advisors: Arunima Sen (UNIS), Bodil Bluhm

Morten Trolsrud, 2025 - 2026. Crude oil toxicity – a close look at the major but often overlooked resin-fraction. Advisor: Jasmine Nahrgang

Bjarne Fobel, 2025 -2026. Effects of ageing and temperature on kelp tissue palatability. Advisors: Markus Molis, Karen Filbee-Dexter

Daniel Torkildsen, 2025 - 2026. Red encrusted algae as refugium for blue mussels. Advisors: Markus Molis, Henning Reiss

Sarah Tichawa (Lund University), 2025 - 2026. Effects of irradiance and ageing period on palatability of fragmental kelp detritus of different sources. Advisors: Markus Molis, Erik Selander


Master theses completed (since 2012)

Anni Joamets, 2025. Overwintering Calanus in Ullsfjorden.

Emma Forss, 2025. Investigating the effect of reduced salinity on the productivity and photophysiology of the sea ice algae Melosira arctica

Florence Rappin, 2024. Winter grazing of copepods at the polar front. 

Lorenz Schick, 2024. Seasonal variation of marine snow at the polar front. 

Marthe Fivelsad, 2025. Plastic-related  chemicals  associated  with  polymers  and  their  effects  on thyroid  hormones  in  fledglings  of  Northern  fulmars  (Fulmarus  glacialis) from Svalbard.

Guro Bang Synnes, 2025. Effects of future temperature conditions on shallow water coastal ecosystems. 

Ida Søhol, 2024. Characterizing Ridge fauna in the Central Arctic Ocean.

Ricarda Cremer, 2024. Physiological impact of waterborne crude oil exposure to reproducing polar cod.

Apasiri Klasmeier, 2024. Larval feeding ecology of polar cod in the Greenland Sea.

Hanna Dinevik, 2024. Longevity and growth of the brittle star Ophiopleura borealis from the Barents Sea and NE Greenland. 

Frederike Hoppmann, 2024. Effects of river runoff on intertidal benthic communities, biodiversity and food webs.

August Kristiansen, 2024. Mapping and assessing eelgrass (Zostera marina) distribution and growth parameters in two Ramsar-sites

Octavia Wistnes Mørch, 2024. Interactions between 0-group Saithe and 0-group coastal cod in shallow nursery area. 

Megan Lenss, 2024. Phytoplankton bloom dynamics and ocean biogeochemistry in Dronning Maud Land of the Southern Ocean. 

Emilie Os-Trandem, 2024. Assessment of the levels of organohalogenated contaminants in the eggs of two Arctic seabird species and the effect on eggshell thickness. 

André Marhaug, 2024. Investigating plastic-induced fibrosis (plasticosis) in Northern Fulmar fledglings (Fulmarus glacialis) from Svalbard.

Sanne L'Abee-Lund, 2024. Climate-driven reconfiguration of coastal food webs. sla186@post.uit.no. 

Emily Reast, 2024. Seasonal changes of benthic microalgal photoacclimation in the summer to mid-winter transition period at high latitudes.

Tassawer Hussain, 2023. Seasonal patterns of the annual vertical flux of carbon in the Northern Barents Sea.  

Victoria Eggen Sellæg, 2023. Drivers of uncommon unimodal vertical pattern in size distribution of intertidal blue mussels (Mytilus spp.). 

Anita Holmgren, 2023. Coping with change: The role of environmental parameters for Calanus lipid storage in Northeast Greenland fjords.

Angelo Ciambelli, 2023. Seasonal and spatial distribution and diversity of gelatinous zooplankton in the northern Barents Sea

Katrine Hessen,  2023. Evaluation of effects of bycatch of cod juveniles in the Norwegian fishery for Calanus finmarchicus.

Vegard Hundeide Magnussen, 2023. Physiological impact of waterborne crude oil exposure to reproducing polar cod.

Nienke de Boer, 2023. Effects of waterborne crude oil on the mRNA expression of key genes in reproducing polar cod.

Silje Mortensen, 2023. Effects of future variability in krill abundance on fishery catches and a hypothetical krill fishery in the Barents Sea

Torkel Granaas, 2023. Estimating secondary production and egg production of Calanus spp. at the Polar Front

Truls Pedersen, 2023. Future effects of climate scenarios on the cod and haddock biomass and catches in the Barents Sea.

Kristin Galtung, 2023. Uptake and leakage of additives from car tyre rubber in marine invertebrates.

Nathalie Calvet, 2023. Distribution changes of marine gastropods in the Barents Sea over the last century.

Marta Prieto del Campo, 2023. Biotic and abiotic drivers of barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) recruitment onto a sub-Arctic intertidal rocky shore

Haakon Winge Hjertaas, 2023. Size composition, reproductive investment, and fecundity of red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in Finnmark fjords, 1994-2022

Thomas Courtin, 2022. Temporal trends in mercury concentrations in eggs of Tawny owl (Strix aluco)  from  Central  Norway  between  1986-2019:  influence  of  dietary ecological parameters and climate variables. 
Fanny Hägg, 2022. Ingestion of Tyre Crumb Rubber and Uptake of Associated Contaminants in Marine Invertebrates (Pandalus borealis) and Fish (Cyclopterus lumpus) – An Experimental Exposure Study
Janina Osanen, 2022. Application of an Underwater Hyperspectral Imager (UHI) for the study of sea ice algae.
Zoé Forgereau, 2022. Photophysiology and Primary Production of Arctic Sea Ice Algae.
Anna Miettinen, 2022. Experimental evidence for species-specific adherence of nanoplastic particles in Arctic phytoplankton communities.
Sebastian Andersen, 2022. Turbid Arctic Coastal Waters: Potential Hotspots for Primary Productivity.
Eleanor Handler, 2022. Melt season dynamics in a High Arctic estuarine tidal flat: A microbial perspective.
Laura Martin Garcia, 2022. Species-specific growth rates of sea ice diatoms in relation to different light levels.
Inger-Helen Gylseth, 2022. Lipidinnhold hos Calanus spp. i havområdene rundt Svalbard og i Polhavet i juli og august. Kan Video Plankton Recorder gi nyttig informasjon om lipidinnhold i sammenheng med fysiske parametere?
Fredrik Berger, 2022. Species identification skills in students using either Artsapp or Artsorakelet.
Jessica Niklass, 2022. Historic changes in biomass and abundance in seaweed-associated fauna in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
Benjamin Mooney, 2021. Microsetella norvegica and marine snow vertical distributions in Porsangerfjord. Can we expect an effect on vertical particle flux?
Felix Tulatz. Plastic ingestion by northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) in Svalbard and plastic-related contaminants. 2021
Sushmita Thapa. Cultivation of Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) using sea urchin crush as a nutrient source.  2021
Eirin Husabø. Contrasting body burdens of Organohalogenated contaminants (OHCs) in two Arctic Glaucous gull Larus hyperboreus colonies in relation to their dietary ecology. 2021
Stine Benjaminsen. Plastic occurrence in six different species of Arctic seabirds - Harmonizing methods and closing knowledge gaps on plastic occurrence and polymer identity. 2021
Alexandra Abrahams. Ingestion and egestion of microplastic fibers in the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis: An experimental exposure. 2021
Tom Einar Andreassen. Assessment of nursery areas for coastal cod. 2020
Susan Dugan. Epibenthic and Demersal Fish Community Structure and the Effects of EnvironmentalConditions in the Sub-Arctic Fjords Vengsøyfjorden and Kaldfjorden. 2020
Daniel Fernández Román. Interannual variability (2014-2019) of hydrography, fluorescence and nutrient distribution in Vestfjorden, Lofoten. 2020
Lucie Hélène Marie Goraguer. Sympagic-pelagic coupling and vertical export in two seasonally ice-covered fjords. Study of the physical and biological drivers in the sub-Arctic Ramfjorden (Norwegian mainland) and the Arctic Van Mijenfjorden (Svalbard archipelago) during early spring bloom. 2020
Cassandra Grandlund. Developmental effects of embryonic exposure to water-soluble fraction of crude oil on early life stages of capelin (Mallotus villosus). 2020
Vegard Stürzinger. Let it glow! Adapting a method to detect microplastics in snow and evaluate the potential for long-range transport. 2020
Ingunn Solheim Johnsen. Effects of drains and aquaculture farms as possible sources for microplastics in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). 2019
Camilla Kvitberg Lehne. Effects of changes in biomass of cod and haddock in the Barents Sea – an ecosystem modelling approach. 2019
Eskil Dahl Olaussen. Biology of five fish species in Malangen, Northern Norway. Growth, maturation and mortality of greater argentine (Argentina silus), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou), silvery pout (Gadiculus argenteus thori) and Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarkii). 2019
Ole Johannes Ringnander Sørensen. Fish communities in shallow coastal waters – a study of effects of season and bottom substrate. 2019
Camille Saint-Andre. The feeding ecology of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in Norwegian coastal communities. 2019
Nestór Santanana Hernandéz. A patch of Calanus finmarchicus in the Lofoten-Vesterålen Region. Characteristics and determining factors. 2019
Bamidele Theophilus Opeifa. Cryo-preservation of Lump fish (Cyclopterus lumpus) sperm for commercial production. 2019
Theo Beroujon. Zooplankton communities on the Northeast coast of Greenland. How can we explain vertical and regional distribution? 2019  
Ragnar Teisrud. Cardiotoxic effects of a crude oil water soluble fraction on polar cod larvae. 2019
Elisabeth Hansen. Impact of anthropogenic stressors on physiological stress of raptor chicks. 2019
Charlotte Pedersen Ugelstad. Effects of terrestrial inputs on community structure of soft-bottom benthos in Isfjorden, Svalbard. 2019
Nathalie Carrasco. Effects of terrestrial inputs and seasonality, on coastal pelagic foodweb structure and contaminant trophodynamics in Adventfjorden, Svalbard. 2019
Peter Glad. Seasonal occurrence of Oithona similis (Cyclopoida), Microsetella norvegica (harpacticoida) and Microcalanus spp. (calanoida), and productivity of O. similis in three high-latitude Norwegian fjords. 2018
Julia Gossa.  Behavioral repsonse of polar cod larvae exposed to the water-soluble fraction of crude oil at two different temperatures. 2018
Tove Hilstad Skotnes. The use of telomeres as health biomarkers in sea eagle nestlings: temporal variation, confounding factors and indicators of pollutant exposure. 2018
Anna Lippold. Temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in polar bears. 2018
Tara Stitzlein.  The Marine Plastic Microbiome: Microbial Colonization of Polymer Surfaces in the Arctic Marine Environment. 2018
Rosalyn Fredriksen. Epibenthic Community Structure in East Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago (Kitikmeot Sea). 2018
Hanna Ellerine Helle Danielsen. Reproductive ecology of the Barents Sea snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio). 2018
Amalia Keck. Recolonization and succession of a shallow rocky-bottom macrobenthic community in Smeerenburgfjord, NW Svalbard. 2018
Martí Amargant-Arumí. Marine microbial food web ecology during the Arctic polar night. 2018
Kevin Salbuvik. Skeletal anomalies and shape variation in diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) fed different diets. 2018
Caroline Aas Tranang. Epibenthic fauna in Balsfjord. Potential food for the invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) with special attention to the deposit-feeding sea star Ctenodiscus crispatus. 2017
Mikaela Tillman. Using food web structure based on stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes to investigate pelagic-benthic coupling in different areas of the Barents Sea. 2017
Sophie Scotter. Contaminant exposure and pathogen prevalence in Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) from Svalbard, Norway. 2017
Kristoffer Kiærbach. Do diet of long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) differ between fjords with and without red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus)? A study of summer diet. 2017
Sebastiaan Koppelle. Climate-mediated increases in organic matter export to arctic coastal waters: Effects on lower food web structure and contaminant bioaccumulation. 2016
Estelle Coguiec. Seasonal population dynamics of two copepod species, Calanus finmarchicus and Metridia longa in a high latitude fjord (Balsfjord, 69 N). 2016
Marine Cusa. Effects of seasonality and spatial heterogeneity on Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) diet in Svalbard waters. 2016
Christine Dybwad. Vertical carbon export at the seasonal sea ice zone, with focus on zooplankton faecal pellet production and shelf-to-basin variations. 2016
Margrethe Kristine Nilsen. Sampling strategies, Distribution and Concentration of Planktonic Salmon Lice Copepods in the outer Hardangerfjord and the Altafjord. 2016
Sigurd Benjaminsen. Foraging behavior of chick-rearing common guillemots, recorded by GPS and time-depth recorder devices. 2015
Marlen Knutsen. Ageing structures and growth estimates of spiny dogfish (Squalias acanthias) in Norwegian waters. 2015
Renate Thorvaldsen. No evidence of optimal foraging in chick-raising black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in the Southern Barents Sea. 2015
Jørgen Wiesener. A study of bottom conditions and abundance and density of fish and echinoderms – an evaluation of underwater video as method. 2015
Morgan Bender. Physiological effects of chronic dietary petroleum contamination on reproduction in polar cod (Boreogadus saida). 2015
Pierre Priou. Associations between herbivorous zooplankton, phytoplankton and hydrography in Porsangerfjord, northern Norway. 2015
Alejandro Prat Varela. Vertical distributions of zooplankton using the Video Plankton Recorder in two high-latitude fjords. “A case study on diel migration in Billefjorden, Svalbard, and seasonal migration in Porsangerfjord, northern Norway. 2015
Nina Elisabeth Henriksen. Soft-bottom communities in Balsfjord: Stable over time or under change? 2015
Paul Dubourg. Developmental toxicity of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) embryos to the crude oil water soluble fraction". Cooperation UiT/University of Applied Science, Bremen. PDF available upon request. 2015
Libe Aranguren. The utility of in vitro Precision-Cut Liver Slices to investigate toxicity pathways of contaminants in polar cod (Boreogadus saida). 2015
Apolline Laenger. (Cooperation UiT/Université Le Mans, France / UiT): Biological responses of Mytilus spp. to marine diesel spill: differential responses between reference and contaminant pre-exposed specimens". Cooperation UiT/University of Angers. 2015
Maria Terese Antonsen. Annual population dynamics of the small harpacticoid copepod Microsetella norvegica in a high latitude fjord (Balsfjord, Northern Norway). 2014
Solveig Enoksen. The summer diet of hooded (Cystophora cristata) and harp (Pagophilus groenlandicus) seals in the West Ice. 2014
Alexandra Mackee (Cooperation UiT/University of Southampton): An optimisation of the electron transport system (ETS) assay for Boreogadus saida and an analysis of the whole body and cellular respiration with exposure to dietary crude oil. PDF available upon request. 2013
Kristin Heggland. Relation between habitat characteristics and abundance, diet and condition of 0-group cod in two northern Norwegian fjords. 2013
Ekaterina Storhaug. Reproduction and winter biology of polar cod Boreogadus saida from Svalbard waters. 2012
Emma Katarina Källgren. Population dynamics, diet and trophic positioning of three small demersal fish species within Porsangerfjord, Norway. 2012
Christer Michaelsen. Habitat choice of juvenile coastal cod: the role of macroalgae habitats for juvenile coastal cod (Gadus morhua L.) in Porsangerfjorden and Ullsfjorden in Northern Norway. 2012

Ongoing PhD projects

Completed PhD Dissertations (since 2011)

Infrastructure

Research vessels

Land-based infrastructure

Lab infrastructure

Our projects



BREATHE - Bottom-sea ice Respiration and nutrient Exchanges Assessed for THE Arctic (RCN)
Arctic Passion (EU Horizon 2020)
Micro-SHIFT - Microbial life of Sea ice Habitats Investigated For The Arctic (ERC StG)
Polar Front (RCN)
ICRYME - Impact of CRYosphere Melting on Southern Ocean Ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles (RCN)
TUNU - Biodiversity and Ecology of NE Greenland biota
BlueArc - Arctic Blue Carbon: Opportunities from expanding kelp forests (RCN)
PlastPoll2021- Plastic pollution; global sources causing consequences for the Arctic- Towards international state-of-the-art understanding and education in Europe, USA and China
Parentox - Effects of parental exposure to petroleum on fertilization success and embryo development in Atlantic cod
ECOTIP: Investigating Ecological Tipping Cascades in the Arctic Seas (EU)
SFI Harvest - Technolgies for sustainable biomarine value creation (RCN)
ToxiGen - Reproductive toxicity and transgenerational effects of petroleum mixtures in fish
DIAMOND- Sea Ice Leads Dynamics in the Arctic and their impact on primary production
HAVOC (RCN) - a Norwegian contribution to the MOSAiC expedition
C2C - Catchment to Coast (Fram Center)
MxR - Migratory Crossroads
Polar Ocean Mitigation Potential (POMP), EU Horizon
CLEAN - Cumulative impact of multiple stressors in High North ecosystems (Fram Center)
A-TWAIN - Long-term variability and trends in the Atlantic Water inflow region (Fram Center)
DEEP IMPACT (RCN)
KROP - Kongsfjorden and Rijpfjorden Observatory program
ToxiPFAS- Pathways for toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) from Northern Norway.
SUDARCO - Sustainable development of the Arctic Ocean (Fram Center)
MxR - Migratory Crossroads

Arctic Marine System Ecology (AMSE)


sunnje.basedow@uit.no
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