Summer 2016 Svalbard Research Cruise
by Carol Arnosti, UNC Marine Sciences Professor and Principle Investigator of the Arnosti Lab
(Dr. Arnosti’s work focuses mainly within Chemical Oceanography including Microbial Biogeochemistry, Marine Organic Geochemistry; Reactivity of Organic Macromolecules; Role of Bacteria in Degradation)
Our research on Svalbard, carried out by an international group of scientists, is focused on determining the activities and identities of microbial communities in permanently cold seawater and sediments. We started working on Svalbard more than 20 years ago, at a time when comparatively little was known about polar microbial communities. Since that time, we have learned a great deal about the ways these communities function, and their similarities and differences to microbial communities in other parts of the ocean. We focus particularly on carbon cycling and associated processes, and (among other questions) have been investigating how communities respond to changes in temperature and carbon input, factors that reflect coming changes in Arctic environments.
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Visit the UNC Marine Sciences Department Flickr account to view all the photos from the trip: Photos courtesy of Carol Arnosti, Ph.D.