In the Arctic, microbes are everywhere. They grow in the ocean, thrive within forming sea ice, drift through the air and live in soils and glaciers. Although microscopic, these communities perform essential processes that underpin Arctic ecosystems and influence how the region responds to climate change.
Within the Microbes research cluster, scientists study who these microbes are, the roles they play and how they move between their different habitats. By analysing their DNA, activity and the environmental conditions they inhabit, research teams track microbial communities across the connections between land, ice, ocean and atmosphere. They also investigate how microbes become established within forming sea ice and how their functions evolve as the ice develops. This work helps reveal how temperature, meltwater, winds and ocean circulation shape microbial diversity and link environments that can be far apart.
Another central focus of the group concerns the vulnerability of these microbial communities in a rapidly warming Arctic. Some microbes adapt or enter dormancy – a state of reduced biological activity – while others decline as conditions shift. Understanding these responses helps explain how microbial life supports food webs, influences carbon cycling and contributes to ecosystem resilience.
Together, these studies provide essential insights for anticipating how environmental change may reshape the microscopic foundations of the Arctic — and, in turn, affect the global climate.
Outcomes:
- Revealing how microbes connect Arctic environments: tracing the movement of microbial communities across air, ice, land and sea to understand how ecosystems are linked.
- Uncovering the roles microbes play in a changing Arctic: identifying how their functions support food webs, nutrient cycles and the formation of sea ice.
- Assessing microbial resilience to climate change: determining which communities can adapt, which are vulnerable and how these shifts may influence the future of Arctic ecosystems.
Research Projects:
- Arctomics – Omics-based exploration of sea-ice recruitment of Arctic Ocean microbes
- MICRO-CASCADES – Microbial connectivity in a changing Arctic
- REMAP – Revealing marine particle dynamics in West Greenland