Mikko Vihtakari

Doctoral degree (Ph.d.) in Arctic Marine Ecology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway; Tromsø (2010–2015). Supervisors: Bjørn Gulliksen (UiT), Paul Renaud (Akvaplan-niva) and Haakon Hop (Norwegian Polar Institute).

Master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Fish Biology and Fisheries, University of Jyväskylä; Jyväskylä/Longyearbyen/Tromsø (2003–2008). Supervisors: Jørgen Berge (University Centre on Svalbard) and Heikki Hämäläinen (JyU).

National service, Finnish Defense Forces; Keuruu (2002–2003). Leader in a transportation squad of an engineer corps regiment. Military rank: Corporal (Alikersantti).

High school certificate, Messukylän lukio; Tampere (1999-2002) with emphasis on natural sciences.

Professional experience

Institute of Marine Research; Tromsø, Norway (2019–present). Postdoctoral researcher. Working in a project about Greenland halibut populations in the North Atlantic and European Arctic with modeling, genetic data and sclerochronology.

Several employers; Based in Tromsø, Norway (2015–2018). Freelancing scientist and Arctic science support specialist. Providing freelancer services as a researcher, statistician, diver, field assistant, Arctic safety and logistics specialist, photographer, programmer, and data analyst. 

UiT The Arctic University of Norway and Norwegian Polar Institute; Tromsø, (2010–2014). Research fellow in Arctic marine ecology (Ph.D. student). Conducting scientific research, teaching university-level courses, and participating in scientific sampling and diving excursions. 

Several employers; Svalbard and Tromsø, (2008–2010). Freelancing biologist, Arctic safety and logistics technician. Field assistant in seabird projects on Svalbard, polar bear guarding, logistics, general field safety, boat and snowmobile driving, crustacean taxonomy specialist, and other laboratory work. Worked for Norwegian Polar Institute, University Centre on Svalbard and Akvaplan-niva. 

Peer-reviewed publications

Hop H., Wold A., Vihtakari M., Daase M., Kwasniewski S., Gluchowska M., Lischka S., Buchholz F., Falk-Petersen S., in press. Zooplankton in Kongsfjorden (1996-2016) in relation to climate change. In The ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard (eds. Hop H, Wiencke C), Advances in Polar Ecology, Springer Verlag.

Vihtakari M., Welcker J., Moe B., Chastel, O. Tartu, S., Hop H., Bech C., Descamps S., Gabrielsen G. W., 2018. Black-legged kittiwakes as messengers of Atlantification in the Arctic. Scientific Reports 8: 1178. DOI 10.1038/s41598- 017-19118-8

Bluhm B. A., Hop H., Vihtakari M., Gradinger R., Iken K., Melnikov I. A., Søreide J. E., 2018. Sea ice meiofauna distribution on local to pan-Arctic scales. Ecology and Evolution 8: 2350-2364. DOI 10.1002/ece3.3797

Bluhm B.A., Hop H., Melnikov I.A., Poulin M., Vihtakari M., Collins, E., Gradinger, R., Juul-Pedersen, T., von Quillfeldt, C., 2017. Sea ice biota. In: State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Report, pp. 33-61. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna International Secretariat, Akureyri, Iceland

Vihtakari M., Ambrose Jr W.G., Renaud P.E., Locke V W.L, Carroll M.L., Berge J., Clarke L.J., Cottier F., Hop H., 2017. A key to the past? Element ratios as environmental proxies in two Arctic bivalves. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 465: 316-332. DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.10.020

Vihtakari M., Havenhand J., Renaud P.E., Hendriks I.E., 2016. Variable individual- and population-level responses to ocean acidification. Frontiers in Marine Science 3: 51. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2016.00051

Vihtakari M., Renaud P.E., Clarke L.J., Whitehouse M.J., Hop H., Carroll M.L., Ambrose Jr W.G., 2016. Decoding the oxygen isotope signal for seasonal growth patterns in Arctic bivalves. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 446: 263-283. DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.01.008

Vihtakari M., Hendriks I., Holding J., Renaud P., Duarte C., Havenhand J., 2013. Effects of ocean acidification and warming on sperm activity and early life-stages of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis). Water 5: 1890- 1915.

Nygård H., Berge J., Søreide J., Vihtakari M., Falk-Petersen S., 2012. The amphipod scavenging guild in two Arctic fjords: seasonal variations, abundance and trophic interactions. Aquatic biology 14: 247-264.

Nygård H., Vihtakari M., Berge J., 2009. The life history of Onisimus caricus (Amphipoda, Lysianassoida) in a high Arctic fjord. Aquatic biology 5: 63-74.

Other publications and Outreach

Vihtakari M., Assmy P., Hop H., Griffith G., Duarte P., Wold A., Gabrielsen G.W., Daase M., Bluhm B., Nøst Hegseth E., Renaud P. E., Søreide J. E., Børge M., in press. Atlantification of the marine ecosystem in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Fram Forum 2019.

Vihtakari M., 2014. Bivalves as indicators of environmental perturbations related to climate and ocean acidification. Doctoral thesis. UiT The Arctic University of Norway. 235 p.

Falk-Petersen. J, Furmann. M., Vihtakari M., Kotch S. 2013. The crab line. A popular scientific Youtube video about king crab.

Vihtakari M., Hovinen J., Wallenschus J., Sarre A, 2011. The Desperate Clam. A popular scientific Youtube video of ocean acidification effects on bivalve early stage reproduction. Part of YSF Video Making Workshop during Arctic Frontiers conference 2011.

Vihtakari M., 2008. Life history of an Arctic crustacean Onisimus caricus (Amphipoda: Lysianassidae) as deduced from baited trap samples taken from Adventfjorden, Svalbard. Master’s thesis. University Centre on Svalbard & University of Jyväskylä. 55p. Graded as Eximia cum laude approbatur (equivalent to B in the European System).

Vihtakari M., 2006. Kalaistutusten tuloksellisuus Hämeessä ja Pirkanmaalla ([in Finnish], Results of fish stockings during past decades in Häme, Finland). Kalatalousyksikøn julkaisuja no 11. Hämeen TE-keskus. Hämeelinna. 65p.

Haikonen A., Romakkaniemi A., Ankkuriniemi M., Keinänen M., Pulkkinen K., Vihtakari M., 2006. Lohi- ja meritaimenkantojen seuranta Tornionjoessa vuonna 2005 ([in Finnish, English summary], Monitoring of the salmon and trout stocks in the River Tornionjoki in 2005). Kala- ja riistaraportteja nro 379, Helsinki. 52 p.

R packages

Vihtakari M., 2018. PlotSvalbard - Plot your research data from Svalbard on maps.

Vihtakari M., 2016. sclero: Measure Growth Patterns and Align Sampling Spots in Photographs.

Sterratt D., Vihtakari M., 2015. RImageJROI: Read ImageJ Region of Interest (ROI) Files.