Photo;: Knut Jenssen/Fram Centre Front Photo: Jørgen Berge, UIT/UNIS

The keynote speakers will present some of the research that have been performed during the first four years in the Fram Centre flagships programs.

There is no registration fee for this event. All meals and social events are sponsored by the Fram Centre. The conference is limited to 200 participants and registration is necessary.

Registration deadline, abstract deadline and deadline applications for Young Scientist FRAM travel grant is the 10th of October in 2015 on the following link: http://mform.imr.no/view.php?id=42242

The Arctic Ocean and its adjacent seas and coasts are currently undergoing unprecedented changes reflected in summer sea ice decline, warming, increased Atlantic water heat transport, freshening, retreat of glaciers, and ocean acidification. These changes are affecting the chemical and physical environment such as stratification, nutrient availability, air-sea gas exchange and light conditions. Consequently, these changes will impact the primary and secondary production and subsequently the whole marine ecosystem.

This year the organizing flagship programs are: “The Ocean Acidification”,”Coast and Fjord”, and “The Arctic Ocean” and will take place in Tromsø, northern Norway at the Fram Centre. Invited keynote speakers will introduce and describe several aspects of the occurring changes in the biogeochemical processes and the marine ecosystems in the Arctic Ocean, and in the transition zones such as the Barents Sea and high north coastal systems.

Confirmed speakers:

Howard Browman, Institute of Marine Research, Norway. "Applying organized skepticism to ocean acidification research, or some marine organisms will do just fine in a high CO2 world"

Angela Wulff, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. "Primary producers in a changing Arctic – some do not care"

Catriona Clemmesen-Bockelmann, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR), Germany. "Effect on recruitment on Atlantic cod under end-of-century ocean acidification"

Mats Granskog, Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway. "Changes in sunlight exposure in the Arctic Ocean – potential effects on biogeochemistry"

Hallvard Strøm, Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway. "The importance of tidewater glaciers for marine mammals and seabirds"

Sissel Andersen, Institute of Marine Research, Norway. "Can carbon captured in primary production be a way to counteract anthropogenic CO2-emission?"

Martin Biuw, Akvaplan-niva, Norway. "Herring and whale superabundance in North Norway fjords: Opportunities and challenges for local fisheries, tourism and aquaculture"

Hartvig Christie, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Norway.

Randi Ingvaldsen, Institute of Marine Research, Norway. "Future fisheries in a changing Arctic Ocean?"

The conference includes sessions to encourage and stimulate discussions. Topics will include effect and trends in ocean acidification, potential changes in the advection of water masses, increased freshening and glacial melt water input, air-sea CO₂ interaction, warming, changing sea ice, land-ocean interaction and impacts on the marine ecosystems in a changing climate.

Some research questions to be addressed in the talks and posters:

• ​What are the major changes in the Arctic Ocean with consequence for the marine ecosystem?
• Is the Arctic freshening? And what are the consequences of a fresher Arctic Ocean on the ecosystem?
• Will the vanishing summer sea ice cover have consequences for the ecosystem?
• Are there likely changes on the primary and secondary production?
• How will fish and higher trophic levels respond to multiple environmental stressors? Adaptation?
• Do we have evidence for northward mass migration of benthos, fish, mammals, birds?

Discussion sessions:

• Observations: Changes in the physical and chemical environment? Do they really have significant impact on valuable marine life, or does resilience rule?
• While scientists objectively observe changes in the ecosystem, are politicians quietly waiting for the catastrophe to happen?
• Is it possible to detect ocean acidification traits from all other multiple stressors on the marine ecosystem?
• How do we find time to monitor changes in the ecosystem, in a scientific world where more time is spent on competition than on finding suitable indicators?

Tentative program:

Tuesday 10th November

10.00-11.00 Registration and refreshments from 10:00, 2^nd floor, Fram Centre

11.00-13.00: Session I: Scientific program

13.00-14.00: Lunch

14.00-16.00: Scientific program

Coffee break

16.20-17.00: Panel discussion

17.00-18.30: Poster session with refreshments

18.30: Social event

Mack beer brewery tour and tasting (www.mack.no). The world’s northernmost brewery!

20.00: Dinner

Wednesday 11^th November

09.00-12.00: Session II Scientific program

12.30-13.30: Lunch

13.30-14.30: Poster session

14.30-16.00: Scientific program

16.00-16.45: Discussion

16.45-17.00: Finalizing

Conference chairs and organizers:

Melissa Chierici (IMR and Fram Centre, Flagship leader “Ocean Acidification”)

Lis Jørgensen (IMR and Fram Centre, Flagship leader “Coast and Fjord”)

Laura de Steur (NPI and Fram Centre, “The Arctic Ocean”)

Jo Aarseth (Fram Centre, Flagship coordinator)

Helge Markusson (Fram Centre, outreach coordinator)