Below you can read about the ongoing research happening within the research project.
Seasonal dynamics of the protist community in the Oslofjord and Skagerrak in a changing ocean
Responsible: Simon Hasselø Kline
This project aims to provide insight into the drivers behind the observed changes in the dynamics, diversity and structure of protist communities in the Oslofjord and Skagerrak marine regions.
Developing cost-effective methods to monitor multi-trophic dynamics in marine ecosystems
Responsible: Olli Hyvärinen
This project aims to develop cost-effective methods to monitor food web responses to changing oceans that will benefit evidence-based policy and management for the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.
Developing and utilizing novel environmental and dietary DNA methods to unravel aquatic ecosystem structures
Responsible: Eivind Stensrud
This project aims to improve current environmental DNA assays through an interdisciplinary collaboration with cancer researchers. Increased sensitivity and specificity of metabarcoding analysis combined with dietary studies allows for detecting secondary consumption (the prey of the prey), which would increase our understanding of how marine ecosystems are structured.
A Digital Twin of the Oslofjord
Responsible: Einar Broch Johnsen, Andrea Pferscher
This project uses digital twin technology to understand and monitor the effects of climatic stressors on marine systems in near real-time. The aim is to provide data-visualizations for oceanographers and the public, which is achieved through integrating real-time sensor data with model-based predictions. Developed using the SMOL language, this open-source system explores "what-if" scenarios to study human and climatic impacts on the fjord’s ecosystem.
Below are the ongoing Master's projects within the general project:
Exploration of community dynamics of protists during the autumn season through metabarcoding and intensive sampling
Responsible: Elise Nygård
This project aims to provide insights into the dynamics of phytoplankton during the autumn bloom in the Oslofjord. It will assess how intensive sampling can reveal dynamics that are not captured by the current monthly sampling approach.
Investigation of the phytoplankton spring bloom in the Oslofjord by single-species and common garden experiments
Responsible: Sigurd Skaar Eliassen
This project will hopefully give an insight in the compensation light intensity of the diatom genera Chaetoceros and Thalassiosira, and provide more knowledge about why some species like Skeletonema has had a great decrease in biomass and Chaetoceros have had a more stable biomass in the last decades in the Oslofjord spring bloom.
Researching anthropogenic effects on spring blooming diatoms in the Oslo fjord
Responsible: Olav Myrann
The goal of this master’s project is to gather further knowledge on the abiotic factors affecting the important spring bloom diatom genera Skeletonema and Chaetoceros, and how potential anthropogenic changes may affect their growth. The secondary aim is to research how variations in salinity might affect the interactions between Skeletonema, Thalassiosira and Chaetoceros during the spring bloom.
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Untangling a taxonomic mess: the Labyrinthulomycetes
Responsible: Sandra Irén Bongo
This project aims to define the genetic diversity of the class Labyrinthulomycetes based on DNA sequencing from references sequences obtained from cultures and the environment, including samples from the the Oslofjord.
Investigating the fate and transport of marine eDNA for monitoring invasive species in the Oslo fjord
Responsible: Andreas Sandbugt Pettersen
Through this project, we will attempt to elucidate the fate and transport of various types of marine environmental DNA to facilitate early detection of invasive species, by using the invasive species Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) as a model organism and the Oslo fjord as a model system.
Friend or foe: The Nature of interaction between Saprophytic Protists and Phytoplankton in Coastal Ecosystems
Responsible: Hanna Strindberg
This project aims to advance our understanding of the ecological role of Labyrinthulomycetes and their impact on Diatom populations.
Carbon Export Service of Commercially Important Fish
Responsible: Jesper Negård
Management of this “fish carbon” service can be of substantial value and be an untapped opportunity for NCS. This project`s aim will help to give a better understanding of the integral functions fish have in the oceanic C cycle, and how the management of these populations can promote ecosystem carbon storage.