INSTRUCTORS:
Øystein Varpe
Professor, EcologyCourse requirements:
60 ECTS within general natural sciences, of which 30 ECTS within the field of biology. The applicant must be enrolled in a programme at Bachelor level, or document that the course is approved into the applicant’s current study programme.
Academic content:
This course provides a solid introduction to Arctic marine ecosystems and covers the entire food web from small protists to marine mammals. The course consists of a a mixture of lectures, seminars, laboratory exercises and fieldwork. The students will get familiar with the most common protists, macroalgae, invertebrates, fish, sea birds and marine mammals living in the Barents Sea – Svalbard region.
The course can only be combined with AB-203 and the two courses are designed to complement each other.
The curriculum consists of the book Ecosystem Barents Sea, edited by E. Sakshaug, G. Johnsen and K. Kovacs and 10–12 selected scientific papers. The students will get the privilege of collecting their own data during a 1-week a cruise with a larger research vessel. Here the students will get hands-on experience with standard marine sampling techniques within hydrography, primary producers, zooplankton, hard and soft benthos, and fish. UNIS is rewarded to be a Center of Excellence in Biological education (www.bioceed.no) for its active research-based education.
Learning outcomes:
Knowledge
Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:
- Identify the most common marine species in Svalbard
- Determine the main trophic linkages in Arctic marine food webs
- Discuss how abiotic and biotic factors impact on population and community level
Skills
Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:
- Identify the most common species of the Arctic marine flora and fauna using available literature
- Sample, process and analyse marine ecological data
- Communicate their results orally and written to the scientific community
General competences
Upon completing the course, the students will have competences in:
- Team work, including leading and organize group work.
- Problem solving.
- Conduct outdoor work and activities under sometimes harsh Arctic winter conditions.
Learning activities:
The course extends over a full semester. Initially, students attend one week of compulsory Arctic survival and safety training (AS-101). In spring, students will collect and analyse their own samples during a 5-6 days research cruise.
Total lecture hours: 30 hours.
Total seminar hours: 25 hours.
Laboratory exercises: 3–5 days.
Field cruise: 5–6 days
Excursion: 1 day
Compulsory learning activities:
Field excursion (1 day) and student research cruise (5–6 days), laboratory exercises.
All compulsory learning activities must be approved in order to sit the exam.
Assessment:
| Method | Duration |
Percentage of final grade
|
| Poster |
20%
|
|
| Technical report |
30%
|
|
| Written exam | 5 hours |
50%
|
All assessments must be passed in order to pass the course.
Each assessment is graded, and subsequently combined into a single grade. Partial grades for each assessment will be available.
Application deadline: 15 October 2019
AB-202 fieldwork on the sea ice. Photo: Frank Eggenfellner/UNIS.
Catch of the day! AB-202 course cruise. Photo: Frank Eggenfellner/UNIS.
