New methods for integrated non-invasive genetic monitoring of semi-domesticated reindeer and wildlife based on high-throughput sequencing approaches.
Leader:
Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi (NIBIO) v/ Tommi Nyman.
Partners:
Veterinærinstituttet, UiT – Norges arktiske universitet, Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA)
Project summary:
This project will develop integrated non-invasive moleculargenetic monitoring methods for reindeer, moose, and brown bear
populations in the Norwegian High North.
The project aims to produce powerful multiomic tools for non-invasive assessment of animal identity and relatedness, diet, and health based on genetic analyses of field-collected scatsamples, and thereby enable more efficient surveillance and management of reindeer and wildlife in the North.
The three focal animal species are extremely mobile, and the populations at the northernmost eastern edge of Norway transverse the borders to neighbouring countries. Increased monitoring of animal species in this region is therefore vital for early warning of emerging diseases.
Our work packages (WPs) employ high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies for inference:
In WP1, we develop GT-seq panels enabling cost-effective SNP genotyping and identification of thousands of individuals based on field-collected scat samples.
In WP2, we develop new multiplexed metabarcoding-based methods for inferring the diet and health status (parasites, pathogens, and gut microbiomes) of individual animals.
WP3 focuses on developing universal all-in-one methods for estimating the diet and health of individuals based on metagenomic shotgun sequencing of non-invasive «remote» samples.
In WP4, we evaluate and validate the performance of the different methods, integrate information from the multiple lines of evidence, and develop applications foruse in non-invasive monitoring and management of reindeer and wildlife populations.
The extensive collaboration among participating organisations and integration of different approaches will build up state-of-the-art competence
within the Fram Centre. The tools developed and tested in the three focal
species will also be applicable to non-invasive monitoring and management
of a wide range of other animal species.
Overcoming obstacles of knowledge exchange: Tools and methods for inclusive land and sea-use decisions
Leader:
Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning (NIKU) v/ Jukka Nyyssönen.
Partners:
NORCE, NIVA, NOFIMA.
Project summary:
The overarching aim of KnowledgeScapes is to explore and improve participatory methods that contribute to knowledge exchange and knowledge-based land and sea-use management, which is in alignment with the Fram Centre strategic goal. KnowledgeScapes will foster cross-disciplinary collaborations between the partner institutions.
By employing multiple social scientific methods, two WPs assess what and whose knowledge is used in decision–making and the reasons why experience-based knowledge is often excluded. WPs 3 and 4 use participatory methods, including participatory topographic mapping and concluding Search Conference, in engaging stakeholders for knowledge exchange and to reflect in a structured way on problems affecting their community and seek common ground around how to understand and address the problem
The project addresses this through a case study: the Nussir mining project in Hammerfest municipality. The project scope can be broadly categorized along two dimensions: a land-sea dimension and a politician-civil society dimension.
The project has a high level of applicability: it will provide transferable participatory methods for collecting, sharing, discussing, and analyzing traditional knowledge. Methods for sharing and discussing knowledge also hold the potential of building trust between different types of knowledge-holders and -users.
Advanced Mapping and Monitoring for Assessing Permafrost Thawing Risks for Modern Infrastructure and Cultural Heritage in Svalbard
Leader:
NORCE v/Line Rouyet.
Partners:
SINTEF, Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning (NIKU), Norges geologiske undersøkelse (NGU), Universitetssenteret på Svalbard (UNIS)
Project summary:
PermaRich is a three-year collaborative project bringing together five complementary Fram Centre member institutions. The project aims to assess the risks related to terrain movement in inhabited permafrost landscapes and the deformation of modern infrastructure (MI) and cultural heritage (CH) sites in and around Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund (Central and Western Svalbard). We will establish an innovative integration of advanced satellite remote sensing technology and traditional methods to map, monitor, and model ground disturbances from permafrost thawing and their consequences on infrastructure stability.
The final goal is to evaluate the risks for future MI and CH damage and suggest adaptation measures to key stakeholders in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund.
PermaRich is implemented in five work packages (WPs) with the following specific objectives:
- Generate regional maps of terrain movement using spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) and exploit the results to improve and upscale existing geomorphological and quaternary geology maps. Identify the processes controlling the ground movement and combine InSAR products and geoscientific interpretation to rate the geohazard susceptibility at the landscape scale (WP1).
- Monitor the deformation of selected MI and CH sites based on an integration of InSAR and in-situ geodetic displacement time series. Understand the local controls of the movement by comparing the results with site-specific (existing and newly acquired) datasets documenting the ground thermal regime and the ground stratigraphy (sediment type and ice content) (WP2).
- Model the foundation stability of selected structures based on current observations and differential settlement rates likely to occur in the future using downscaled climate projections. Categorize the expected impacts of climate change on different MI and CH types and generalize the modelled results to assess the structural performance of the inventoried objects in the study areas (WP3).
- Integrate the regional and local observations. Combine the geohazard susceptibility and the generalized structural performance scores for the [PermaRich_Rouyet] [Framsenteret research project application 2023] 2 MI and CH sites in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund. Provide qualitative risk estimates for the inventoried objects and suggest risk adaptation measures to the stakeholders (WP4).
- Enhance the communication between researchers and key stakeholders. Document the climate change adaptation (CCA) measures and priorities of the authorities and account for user recommendations into improved mapping and monitoring strategies. Disseminate the project’s outcomes and discuss risk adaptation solutions (WP5)
