Arctic waters host a diverse food web, from drifting zooplankton to fish and iconic marine mammals like narwhals. These communities are tightly connected and respond quickly to changes in freshwater inputs from glacier melt, sea-ice conditions and ocean circulation. As the climate warms, understanding how each part of this web is shifting is essential for anticipating future ecosystem change.
Within the Food Web research cluster, scientists examine how zooplankton and fish vary across fjords, shelves and open waters, and how their movements influence the flow of carbon through the ocean. Using nets, underwater imaging and acoustic surveys, the researchers document biodiversity, behaviour and feeding interactions. This work also reveals how migrating organisms transport carbon from the surface to deeper waters, helping regulate the climate.
At the top of the food web, scientists investigate the habitat use and population structure of narwhals in North Greenland – one of the region’s least-studied areas. With non-invasive tools such as environmental DNA, passive acoustics and drone-based blow sampling, they assess where narwhals travel, how they behave and whether northern groups form distinct populations.
These studies aim to offer a clearer picture of how Arctic food webs operate, how they are being reshaped by warming and freshening waters, and what this means for biodiversity, carbon cycling and the communities that rely on these species.
Outcomes:
- Understanding how Arctic food webs are changing: revealing how zooplankton, fish and marine mammals respond to shifting freshwater, sea-ice and ocean conditions.
- Clarifying the movement of carbon through the ecosystem: showing how the behaviour and migrations of zooplankton and fish shape the transport of carbon from the surface to deeper waters.
- Identifying key habitats for top predators: mapping where narwhals and other marine mammals travel, feed and congregate, and assessing how these areas may shift with ongoing environmental change.
Research Projects:
- NorthWhale – Habitat use, behaviour and genetic connectivity of narwhals in North Greenland
- Uncertain-Seas – Zooplankton and fish in the biological carbon pump