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Høst 2020
BIO-8020 Arctic Marine System Ecology and Climate Change - 10 stp
The course is administrated by
Type of course
Course overlap
Course contents
Application deadline
Registration deadline for PhD students at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway who has got the course approved in their instruction component: September 1st (for autumn semester) / February 1st (for spring semester).
Application deadline for other applicants: June 1st (for autumn semester/December 1st (for spring)
Admission requirements
Who can appy:
- UiT PhD students who wants to take a course that is not approved in their instruction component
- PhD student enrolled at another institution than UiT
- Applicants who have completed a Master degree
PhD students or holders of a Norwegian master´s degree of five years or 3+2 years (or equivalent) may be admitted. PhD students must upload a document from their university stating that there are registered PhD students. This group of applicants does not have to prove English proficiency and are exempt from semester fee.
PhD students at UiT register for the course through StudentWeb. The registration for spring semester starts in the middle of December, and for autumn semester in the middle of June.
Other applicants apply for admission through SøknadsWeb. Application code 9301.
The number of participants is limited to 10. If more than 10 applicants, priority will be given as follows:
- Participants admitted to the PhD programme at UiT
- Participants in the Associate Professor programme (Førstelektorprogrammet)
- PhD candidates from other universities
Holders of a Master´s degree must upload a Master´s Diploma with Diploma Supplement / English translation of the diploma. Applicants from listed countries must document proficiency in English. To find out if this applies to you, see the following list: Proficiency in English must be documented - list of countries.
For more information on accepted English proficiency tests and scores, as well as exemptions from the English proficiency tests, please see the following document: Proficiency in english - PhD level studies
PhD students enrolled at PhD programmes a UiT can contact Ingjerd Gauslaa Nilsen at the BFE-faculty for questions regarding registration to the course. Singular course applicants must contact opptak@uit.no regarding questions to their application.
Objective of the course
Knowledge
At the end of the course, the student will
- be able to evaluate the physical environment in the Arctic Ocean with respect to hydrography, currents, and sea ice cover, and discuss the role of physical drivers for the Arctic marine ecosystem.
- be familiar with the spatial and seasonal patterns of nutrient concentrations in high latitudes and be able to discuss changes in the nutrient availability in a warming Arctic.
- be able to explain the significance of sea ice and debate the implication of sea ice cover changes to the biodiversity and carbon cycling in the Arctic.
- be familiar with the basics of microbial cycling and be able to define the central dogma of molecular biology and relate protein function to ecology in the Arctic Ocean.
- have insight into the primary production in high latitudes and be able to explain how climate change may affect primary production.
- have developed an understanding of the habitat structure and biological communities in the sea ice, water column and at the seafloor of the Arctic, from microbes to mammals, and be able to evaluate how a warming Arctic impacts both habitat and communities.
- be familiar with the term "life history strategy" and be able to discuss this term on the example of the key species Calanus in the Arctic and the Atlantic ecosystem.
- understand the concepts of diel vertical migrations (DVM) in the Arctic, be familiar with the proximate and ultimate factors regulating DVM, and be able to discuss how these change according to seasons.
- be able to understand and explain the role and regulation of vertical flux and other forms of cryo-pelagic-benthic coupling and evaluate how these processes are may be impacted by climate change.
- understand and be able to discuss the role of parasites in the Arctic ecosystem, with emphasis on the Barents Sea.
- be able to explain the characteristics of mass flows in fjord and coastal Arctic ecosystems, and to elaborate on how external factors (e.g., invasive species, climate change) may change the mass flows.
- be able to describe and justify the current fish distribution in the Arctic Ocean and potential future changes with regard to increasing ocean temperature and decreasing sea ice.
- be able to evaluate the relationship between polar cod and sea ice, and the changes in their abundance because of climate warming and increased competition/predation.
- have an understanding of the role of marine mammal top-predators in sub-Arctic/Arctic ecosystems and be able to discuss potential changes in a warming Arctic.
- be able to explain how ecosystem comparisons can contribute to understanding ecosystem structure and functioning.
- understand and be able to discuss basics of management regimes related to the Arctic Ocean.
Skills
At the end of the course, the student will
- have the ability to evaluate and discuss scientific topics related to a variety of processes and dynamics in the Arctic marine environment.
- be able to understand and critically reflect on literature about the Arctic ecosystem, as well as present this information orally and in form of an essay.
- be aware of and be able to discuss the current understanding how climate and anthropogenic impact can influence Arctic marine ecosystems.
General competence
At the end of the course, the student will
- be able to work independently with scientific literature.
- have refined the ability of critical thinking, by discussing scientific literature with lecturers and fellow students.
- be able to integrate ecosystem knowledge by combining information from single studies of separate compartments and their couplings.
- have improved their ability to work with fellow students through various group work activities during the seminars
Language of instruction
Teaching methods
Assessment
Oral exam. A graded scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail.
Coursework requirement:
Essay
Re-sit exam:
There will be a re-sit examination for students that did not pass the previous ordinary examination.