Benthic resources and processes

Main areas of work

• Effects and risk assessment of discharges from aquaculture, oil extraction, and mining activities on marine ecosystems
• Ecosystem structure and function—spatial and temporal variation
• Physiological and biological indicators, and scaling from individual responses to ecological consequences
• Low-trophic species as future food sources and new feed resources
• Method development and knowledge dissemination in emerging fields
• Mapping of vulnerable habitats, marine conservation, and spatial planning at sea
• Climate change, ocean acidification, and carbon processes
• Ecological effects of the establishment and spread of non-native species

Resources

The research group’s staff (researchers, technicians, PhD candidates, and students) are distributed across the institute’s locations in Tromsø, Bergen, and Austevoll. The group has a broad network connecting it with university- and research environments both nationally and internationally.

Keywords

aquaculture impacts, effects of mining and petroleum activities, non-native species, effects of pharmaceuticals, climate impacts, blue mussels, scallops, queen scallops, tunicates, cold-water corals, sponges, risk assessment, stress indicators, macroalgal communities