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Kongsfjorden as Harbinger of the Future Arctic: Knowns, Unknowns and Research Priorities

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The Ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

Part of the book series: Advances in Polar Ecology ((AVPE,volume 2))

Abstract

Due to its year-round accessibility and excellent on-site infrastructure, Kongsfjorden and the Ny-Ålesund Research and Monitoring Facility have become established as a primary location to study the impact of environmental change on Arctic coastal ecosystems. Due to its location right at the interface of Arctic and Atlantic oceanic regimes, Kongsfjorden already experiences large amplitudes of variability in physico/chemical conditions and might, thus, be considered as an early warning indicator of future changes, which can then be extrapolated in a pan-Arctic perspective. Already now, Kongsfjorden represents one of the best-studied Arctic fjord systems. However, research conducted to date has concentrated largely on small disciplinary projects, prompting the need for a higher level of integration of future research activities. This contribution, thus, aims at identifying gaps in knowledge and research priorities with respect to ecological and adaptive responses to Arctic ecosystem changes. By doing so we aim to provide a stimulus for the initiation of new international and interdisciplinary research initiatives.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Svalbard Science Forum for providing funding for the workshop “Adaptation to environmental changes in the Arctic” that took place in Tromsø, 10–12 October 2016, and formed the basis of the present contribution. Authors are also thankful to the Norwegian Polar Institute to be the host and providing additional financial support to the workshop. KB is grateful for the financial and logistical support provided by the Alfred Wegener Institute. PC is supported by NERC core funding to the British Antarctic Survey ‘Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation’ Team. JPG is supported by IPEV, the French Polar Institute. CJ is supported by research project CGL2015-67014R of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Botany, Faculty Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Kai Bischof

  2. British Antarctic Survey, NERC, Cambridge, UK

    Peter Convey

  3. Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway

    Pedro Duarte, Haakon Hop, Peter Thor & Geir Wing Gabrielsen

  4. Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Villefranche-sur-mer, France

    Jean-Pierre Gattuso

  5. Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, Sciences Po, Paris, France

    Jean-Pierre Gattuso

  6. Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Effects, IVL-Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Infrastructure, Kristineberg, Sweden

    Maria Granberg

  7. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Haakon Hop

  8. Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Clara Hoppe

  9. Department of Ecology and Geology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain

    Carlos Jiménez

  10. Research association Typhoon, North-West Branch, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

    Leonid Lisitsyn

  11. Biodiversity and Conservation Unit, University Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain

    Brezo Martinez

  12. The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

    Michael Y. Roleda

  13. Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland

    Józef M. Wiktor

  14. University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Svalbard, Norway

    Geir Wing Gabrielsen

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  1. Kai Bischof
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Correspondence to Kai Bischof .

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  1. Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway

    Haakon Hop

  2. Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Christian Wiencke

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Bischof, K. et al. (2019). Kongsfjorden as Harbinger of the Future Arctic: Knowns, Unknowns and Research Priorities. In: Hop, H., Wiencke, C. (eds) The Ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Advances in Polar Ecology, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46425-1_14

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