Arctic biology courses

Winter Ecosystems in the warming Arctic

Added value of completing the full course series

By taking all three courses—AB-329 Arctic Winter Ecology, AB-327 Arctic Microbiology, and AB-330 Ecosystems in Ice Covered Waters—you will gain a unique and comprehensive understanding of Arctic ecosystems across seasons as the polar night recedes and summer arrives, biological scales, and environmental settings. Together, the three courses provide an integrated perspective that goes far beyond what is achieved in any single five week course.

You will connect insights from terrestrial winter ecology, microbial processes, and marine ice-covered ecosystems, allowing you to understand the ecology of the Arctic landscape—from microbes in permafrost and snow, to plants and animals on the tundra, to primary producers and nutrient cycles in and beneath the sea ice.

Through diverse Arctic fieldwork in terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, you will develop advanced practical skills in ecological and microbiological methods, data collection, analysis, and scientific communication. The overarching thematic foci of the courses are climate change impacts, adaptation mechanisms, and ecosystem dynamics.  

By successfully completing this semester package you will and will strengthen your ability to critically evaluate and integrate complex environmental information and have built a strong interdisciplinary foundation preparing you for careers focused on Arctic and or environmental challenges.

Biology of the Arctic summer

Added value of completing the full course series

The summer block focuses on the brief summer period students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how the terrestrial ecosystem functions, the biodiversity and the adaptations to the environment. The course combines fieldwork with lectures and lab sessions, offering hands-on experience in identifying the flora and fauna, analyzing vegetation communities biotic / abiotic interactions. You will explore ecological processes such as nutrient cycling, phenology, and the impact of climate change on Arctic ecosystems. This course equips you with practical skills and theoretical knowledge essential for ecological research in polar regions.

Biodiversity and adaptations in a freezing world

Added value of completing the full course series

In the autumn semester, three postgraduate courses are combined with focus on the ecology of the Barents Sea, molecular tools to reveal biodiversity and seasonal change, and finishing with setting this ecology in the context of rapid Arctic environmental change on both land and sea. Each course delivers valuable knowledge and skills. Nonetheless, by successfully completing this three course semester package you will gain an additional inseight and understanding of Arctic ecosystems between seasons as the short Arctic summer draws to a close and the 24 hour polar night commences. Together, this package provides an integrated perspective that goes beyond that a single five-week course can deliver. You will develop an understanding of Arctic ecosystems, the extreme seasonality at these High Arctic latitudes, methodological skills, and enhance you ability to interpret ecological data in the broader context of rapid Arctic environmental change. This progression provides a solid foundation for research careers and policy-relevant environmental work in polar regions.

From Organisms to Ecosystems

AB-321 Arctic Marine Molecular Ecology introduces you the ecology of Arctic marine benthos, emphasizing taxonomy, functional traits, and trophic interactions. This course including a research cruise with the research vessel Helmer Hansen, introduces you to the benthic organisms of the Arctic sea and the complexity and functioning of the seafloor communities.

Linking Ecology with Genetics

AB-332 Arctic Marine Molecular Ecology builds directly on the marine biology concepts from AB-321 by introducing you to molecular tools. You will gain experience in state-of-the-art genetic techniques applied to real-world Arctic field samples. By combining ecological insight from AB-321 with molecular methods, you are able to explore and understand biodiversity, seasonality, and food webs. 

Understanding Ecosystem Change in a Warming Arctic

The final course, AB-340 Climate Change Biology, expands the focus to ecosystem-scale responses, terrestrial and marine, to environmental change. This course will provide the student with knowledge and comprehension of Arctic climate change. Through a diverse range of learning activities, the student will learn to analyse, synthesise and evaluate effects of climate change in the Arctic using research-based knowledge across natural sciences.

By successfully completing this semester package you will strengthen your ability to critically evaluate and integrate complex environmental information and have built a strong interdisciplinary foundation preparing you for careers focused on Arctic or global environmental challenges.