The BlueARC team: Taylor Simpkins (UWA), Thomas Wernberg (IMR/UWA), Albert Pessarrodona (UWA) and Kjell Magnus Norderhaug (IMR), Morten Foldager Pedersen and Jacob Nepper Davidson (Roskilde University), and Haakon Hop (NPI).

 

 

Not present: Karen Filbee-Dexter (IMR/UWA)

Divers Taylor Simpkins and Kjell Magnus Norderhaug prepare equipment for a day in the field. The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) maintain these research vessels on site year-round to facilitate marine science projects.

 

All Norwegian scientific diving is carried out on Surface Supplied Breathing Apparatus (SSBA). The yellow line on the left supplies divers with air from the surface and is paired with a communications cable that allows divers to talk through their full face mask directly to the dive supervisor at the surface.

The Ny-Ålesund Research Station. This photo was taken at midnight, under what is refered to as the 'midnight sun'. There is no sunrise or sunset in Svalbard from April to August due to its high latitude.

Morten Foldager Pedersen measures a common Arctic kelp species Laminaria digitata. Over ten morphology measurements are taken from each individual kelp sampled and age is assessed by counting the annual growth rings of the stipe (the stem-like structure). 

Kelp recruits are counted, weighed, and measured to assess the age structure of kelp forests within Kongsfjorden. In total 1,402 kelp individuals were measured, resulting in 16,000 morphology measurements taken during the expedition. This is the most extensive investigation of kelp in this high arctic fjord.

The team ran tank experiments at the marine lab testing the grazing activity and response rate of sea urchins to warming temperature regimes.

 

Here an urchin’s test diameter is measured prior to inclusion in the experiment.