Resilience of polar ecosystems to the cumulative effects of physical and biological changes in Norway’s high Arctic (ROPES)

The Arctic is transforming with climate change and with the increasing prevalence of Atlantic species, fisheries, tourism, and shipping. In the high Arctic of Norway, the marine ecosystem is shifting from polar species towards a more temperate fish community with higher biodiversity. This project combines expertise from Norway, Germany, Canada, and Sweden to study the ecosystem of Svalbard as it teeters on the edge of a tipping point from an Arctic to a boreal community. Using the hierarchical response framework, we aim to investigate physiological responses at the base of the polar food web using polar cod, reorganisation of the food web in two fjords in western Svalbard, and the impacts of immigrant species cod and haddock. The hierarchical response framework offers an ideal template to evaluate the status of ecological change in Svalbard as the fjords encounter rapid environmental stress from the cumulative effects of climate change. By applying this framework, ROPES aims to dramatically improve our understanding of tipping points in these high Arctic ecosystems and provide knowledge about the regulatory needs for fisheries, marine spatial planning, and species at risk conservation in an increasingly dynamic Arctic ecosystem.