Arctic fjords are social-ecological systems
Glacier fronts and sea ice systems are hotspots of biodiversity. Their retreat will pose threats to Arctic coastal ecosystem function and eventually local livelihoods. The Arctic is a harbinger of the consequences of multiple global and regional environmental change on ecosystems and livelihoods: The overarching objective of FACE-IT is to enable adaptive co-management of social-ecological fjord systems in the Arctic in the face of rapid cryosphere and biodiversity changes.
Check out this video introduction to FACE-IT: The Changing Arctic Fjord Systems
14
International
institutions
7
Unique
sample sites
8
Countries
Latest Updates
Summer primary production of Arctic kelp communities is more affected by duration than magnitude of simulated marine heatwaves
Fjord systems in the Norwegian Arctic are experiencing an increasing frequency and magnitude of marine heatwaves. These episodic heat stress events can have varying degrees of acute impacts on primary production and nutrient uptake of mixed kelp communities, as well as modifying the biogeochemical cycling in nearshore systems where vast areas of kelp create structural habitat.
Sarina Niedzwiedz: Second PhD thesis defended within FACE-IT
On 20 September 2024, Sarina Niedzwiedz successfully defended her PhD thesis, entitled "The Dark Side of Polar Day - The influence of coastal run-off on Arctic kelp communities". Sarina is working within the FACE-IT project at the department of Marine Botany at the University of Bremen, Germany.
FACE-IT keynote lecture and poster exhibition at ICYMARE 2024 BREMEN
Conference from 16 to 20 September 2024
Photoperiod and temperature interactions drive the latitudinal distribution of Laminaria hyperborea (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) under climate change
Due to global rises in temperature, recent studies predict marine species shifting toward higher latitudes. We investigated the impact of interacting abiotic drivers on the distribution potential of the temperate kelp Laminaria hyperborea. The ecosystem engineering species is widespread along European coasts but has not yet been observed in the High Arctic, although it can survive several months of low temperatures and darkness.
Acoustic mapping reveals macroalgal settlement following a retreating glacier front in the High Arctic
Vegetated coastal marine ecosystems are projected to expand northwards in the Arctic due to climate change, but the mechanisms for this expansion are complex and nuanced. Macroalgal biomass in the littoral areas of Svalbard has been increasing, but data at the glacier fronts are very scarce. In this study, we use hydroacoustics and video validation from an unmanned surface vehicle to survey macroalgal bed distribution along the coast of a High Arctic fjord (Billefjorden, Svalbard).
Last Annual Meeting of FACE-IT in Copenhagen, Denmark
FACE-IT is slowly coming towards its end. Yet, the whole team is still working on many different publications and many related activities. On 02 September 2024, the FACE-IT team held its official last annual meeting and general assembley at the campus of Aalborg University in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sea ice as habitat for microalgae, bacteria, virus, fungi, meio- and macrofauna: A review of an extreme environment
The novel concept of the review is a focus on the organisms living in the sea ice and what mechanisms they have developed for their existence. The review describes the physical environment of the sea ice and the microorganisms living there as microalgae, bacteria, virus, fungi, meio- and macrofauna where they inhabit the brine channels and exposed to low temperatures as down to −25 °C and high salinities—up to 300.
Seasonality in phytoplankton communities and production in three Arctic fjords across a climate gradient
Phytoplankton communities and production in Arctic fjords undergo strong seasonal variations. Phytoplankton blooms are periods with high primary production, leading to elevated algal biomass fueling higher trophic levels. Blooms are typically driven bottom-up by light and nutrient availability but may also be top-down controlled by grazing. While phytoplankton spring blooms are common across all Arctic systems, summer and autumn blooms and their drivers are less predictable.