The final report on the AMAP/EU-PolarNet Stakeholder Workshop on Research Needs on Arctic Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services, Riga, Latvia, 20 September 2017 has been released.
Based on the presentations and discussions at the AMAP/EU-PolarNet Stakeholder Workshop on
Research Needs on Arctic Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services, a number of priority research needs
were identified, including:
- Multidisciplinary, decadal-long research programs in the seasonal ice zone
- Process studies
- Conceptual frameworks of how Arctic ecosystems could evolve in the coming years
- Development is needed of new technologies
- Coordinated measurements are needed of key properties and processes
- Comprehensive all-year network of monitoring stations
- Investigation of the effects of increasing amounts of freshwater in Arctic Ocean surface
waters on, for example, circulation - Investigation of the effects of Arctic Ocean acidification on marine organisms
- Analysis of species composition and fish stocks in the marine areas currently accessible, both pelagic and benthic, as a basis for long-term monitoring programs for key species and ecosystems
- Screening for new chemicals arriving in the Arctic via long-range transport
- Studies of the distribution and effects of plastics and microplastics in Arctic ecosystems
- Synthesizing historical baseline information to better understand how climate-related environmental shifts will influence ecosystem structure and function in the future
The Executive Summary and full report are available for download here.