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Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are important parts of the Earth system. The physical and biological properties here to a large degree control and shape other parts of the Earth through atmospheric, cryospheric and oceanic connections.The Troll Observing Network – TONe - is a new comprehensive infrastructure centered around the Norwegian Troll Research Station in Dronning Maud Land. It will be an important contribution to global research efforts in this part of Antarctica, closing data gaps in Antarctic environmental observations and providing key data required to respond to the fundamental societal challenges and uncertainties facing the world today.The Norwegian and international partner consortium in TONe is in the process to develop the state-of-the-art, multi-platform, multi-disciplinary observatory network for environmental observations, and a remotely piloted aerial system (RPAS) services to collect data for studying and monitoring the atmosphere, terrestrial and marine environment. The observatory network consists of 8 observatories: an integrated cloud observatory, an atmosphere composition observatory, an infrasound array, an ionospheric observatory, a seismic array, an ice-shelf observatory, a multidisciplinary open ocean moored observatory and a sea-bird observatory. The key aspect of TONe is to ensure wide and free access to the data from the observatories and the RPAS services to the entire national and international research community. TONe as a whole will be implemented and fully operational from 2027, while single parts of the infrastructure will be available before that., The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023)

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species

I rapporten dekkes tre hovedtemaer: (1) Dominerende trekk i status og utvikling i økosystemet i Barentshavet siden 2016 med vekt på å beskrive hvordan sentrale prosesser påvirker tilstanden; (2) en mer detaljert beskrivelse av status og utvikling for de ulike komponentene i økosystemet; og (3) en beskrivelse av fiskeriforvaltningen i Barentshavet.

Fauchald, P., Tarroux, A., Bråthen, V. S., Descamps, S., Ekker, M., Helgason, H. H., Merkel, B., Moe, B., Åström, J., Strøm, H. 2019. Arctic-breeding seabirds’ hotspots in space and time -a methodological framework for year-round modelling of abundance and environmen-tal niche using light-logger data. NINA Report 1657. Norwegian Institute for Nature Re-search. By positioning a large number of seabirds throughout the year using miniaturized geoloca-tors (GLS), the SEATRACK program provides a unique dataset on the seasonal distribution of seabirds from colonies in Russia (Barents and White Seas), Norway (incl. Svalbard and Jan Mayen), Iceland, Faroe Islands and the British Isles. Combining this extensive dataset with data on population sizes has for the first time made it possible to develop seasonal estimates of the spatial distribution of Northeast Atlantic seabirds. In this report, we document the workflow and methods used to develop monthly estimates of the distribution of seabirds from colonies covered by the SEATRACK design. The work-flow presented here consists of three steps, starting from pre-processed GLS data. First, because the position data from the loggers represent “presence-only” data, it is vital to re-move sampling biases before using the data to make interpretations of the spatial distribu-tion. Therefore, in step 1 we developed a tailored algorithm, IRMA (Informed Random Move-ment Algorithm), to reduce biases and fill gaps in the dataset due to various factors such as polar day/night, equinox and positions over land. IRMA uses available information and data to triangulate new positions and does ultimately provide a dataset where sampling biases has been reduced to a minimum. In the next step, we combined the position dataset with environmental data to model the habitat of each SEATRACK colony throughout the year. Environmental variables included remote sensing data of oceanography and primary pro-duction, and data on bathymetry. We used standard Species Distribution Models (SDM) on presence-only data to model the habitat used by each SEATRACK colony in each month. Finally, in step 3 we combined the predictions from the habitat models with available data on the populations covered by the SEATRACK design to provide predictions on seabird spatial distribution and abundance. A colony database was compiled to address the popu-lation sizes, and spatial analyses were conducted to justify a distance-rule for assigning the colonies in the colony database to the nearest SEATRACK colony. Based on the distance rule, we predicted the habitat for each colony covered by the SEATRACK design and weighted the estimates with population size. According to the distance-rule, the SEATRACK design covered from 74% to 96% of the Northeast Atlantic populations, depending on spe-cies. Analyses and predictions were done for six common pelagic seabirds: Northern fulmar (Ful-marus glacialis), black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), common guillemot (Uria aalge), Brünnich’s guillemot (Uria lomvia), little auk (Alle alle) and Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica). The resulting datasets represent monthly estimates of the number of birds from a specific breeding population in each cell of a 0.1° x 0.1° raster grid covering the entire North Atlantic. Monthly outputs were produced for each combination of species and colony, resulting in a dataset of more than 9619 raster maps. The gridded data are provided NetCDF files, one per species, and a short R-script is provided for reading, plotting and aggregating the data. An interactive mapping tool will be made available through the SEATRACK website. Appli-cations for the new tool include marine spatial planning, environmental impact- and risk as-sessments as well as assessments of seabird responses to environmental and climate change.

Nina Dehnhard, Dorte Herzke, Geir Wing Gabrielsen, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Amalie Ask, Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard, Sebastien Descamps, Ingeborg Hallanger, Sveinn Are Hanssen, Magdalene Langset, Laura Monclús, Nina O’Hanlon, Tone Kristin Reiertsen & Hallvard Strøm 2019. Seabirds as indicators of distribution, trends and population level effects of plastic in the Arctic marine environment – Workshop Report. NINA Report 1719. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Plastic pollution is a global and increasing threat to ecosystems. Plastics in the oceans are une-venly distributed, are transported by currents and can now be found in the most remote environ-ments, including Arctic sea ice. The entanglement of wildlife by large plastic debris such as ropes is an obvious and well documented threat. However, the risks associated with the ingestion of smaller plastic particles, including microplastics (< 5mm) have been largely overlooked. Recent studies show that microplastic accumulates in the food web. Even in the Arctic and the deep sea, fish frequently contain microplastics in their guts. This, together with the fact that small micro-plastic particles can pass from the gut into blood and organs and also leach associated toxic additives raises health concerns for wildlife that ingest microplastic. Within the North Atlantic, plastic ingestion in seabirds has been studied systematically only in the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), for which plastic particles > 1mm found in the stomachs of dead (beached or bycaught) birds are quantified. With the origin of these birds being unknown, it is, however, impossible to assess how plastics affect populations even of this one monitored species, let alone for other seabird species that differ in their foraging behaviour and risk to ingest plastics. This report sums up the results of a workshop which aimed to identify possibilities for long-term monitoring of (micro-) plastic ingestion by seabirds in the framework of SEAPOP, the basal pro-gramme monitoring the performance of Norwegian seabird populations (www.seapop.no). The key conclusions were: 1) There is a need for baseline information on plastic ingestion across all seabird species to identify which species and populations are most suitable for monitoring. To obtain this information, the best approach is to investigate the stomach contents of dead birds (i.e. comparable methodology across all species). For long-term monitoring, not only species with high plastic ingestion are of interest, but also those with low plastic prevalence. 2) In the absence of information from (1), eight species that are complementary in their foraging behaviour and have a wide distribution range were selected as preliminary species of interest to monitor plastic ingestion. 3) For minimally invasive monitoring, regurgitates, fresh prey items and faeces are most suitable; 4) More information on prevalence of plastic ingestion is needed to identify optimal sample sizes for long-term monitoring. We therefore highlight the need for several pilot studies before establishing a plastic monitoring protocol within SEAPOP.

Fauchald P, Anker-Nilssen T, Barrett RT, Bustnes JO, Bårdsen B-J, Christensen-Dalsgaard S, Descamps S, Engen S, Erikstad KE, Hanssen SA, Lorentsen S-H, Moe B, Reiertsen TK, Strøm H, Systad GH (2015) The status and trends of seabirds breeding in Norway and Svalbard – NINA Report 1151. 84pp. This report presents the updated sizes, trends and spatial distributions of the breeding populations of 17 seabird species breeding in Norway and Svalbard. The analyses are based on available census and monitoring data from SEAPOP; the Norwegian monitoring and mapping program for seabirds. In addition, the report presents results from a species-specific literature review of the most important prey items and drivers of population change. The report documents large-scale decadal changes in the seabird communities along the coast of Norway and Svalbard. A division of the populations into five geographical regions (North Sea & Skagerrak; Norwegian Sea; Barents Sea; Bjørnøya; and Spitsbergen) was used as a basis for the analyses of population dynamics from 1980 to present. 13 of the 35 regional seabird populations assessed have declined by more than 50% the last 25 years. 5 regional populations increased by more than 100% in the same period, while 8 populations showed large decadal fluctuations. Several populations were not assessed due to the lack of census and/or monitoring data. In order to improve the dataset, it is recommended that a census of breeding seabirds from Vesterålen to the Swedish border is completed. Declining populations were found in all regions and included all major ecological groups (i.e.; Pelagic surface-feeding (Ps), Pelagic diving (Pd), Coastal surface-feeding (Cs), Coastal benthic-feeding (Cb) and Coastal diving (Cd) seabirds). Populations with more than a 50% decline the last 25 years were: Common Gull (Cs), Lesser Black-backed Gull (Ps) and Atlantic Puffin (Pd) in the North Sea & Skagerrak; Great Cormorant (Cd), Common Eider (Cb), Black-legged Kittiwake (Ps) and Common Guillemot (Pd) in the Norwegian Sea; Herring Gull (Cs), Great Black-backed Gull (Cs), Black-legged Kittiwake (Ps) and Brünnich’s Guillemot (Pd) in the Barents Sea; Northern Fulmar (Ps) and Glaucous Gull (Ps) on Bjørnøya; and Brünnich’s Guillemot (Pd) on Spitsbergen. The populations of European Shag and Great Cormorant have shown large fluctuations with a notable increase in the population of Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis in North Sea & Skagerrak. Common guillemot has been increasing in the Barents Sea since the collapse in the population in the 1980s, however the population in the Norwegian Sea has been steadily declining since the early 1980s. Atlantic Puffin is declining in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, but the population in the Barents Sea is stable or is increasing slightly. The datasets were too small to assess several of the large gull species in the Norwegian Sea. However, extensive monitoring in the North Sea & Skagerrak and recent censuses in the Barents Sea suggest declines by more than 50% in several of the gull populations in these areas. Black-legged Kittiwake has declined in all regions except for Bjørnøya. The large colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemot on Spitsbergen have declined from 1.15 million pairs in 1988 to 522 000 pairs in 2013. The colony on Bjørnøya (about 100 000 pairs) has in the same period been stable or declined slightly, while the small populations on the Norwegian mainland have almost disappeared. Northern Gannet has been increasing in Norway since the establishment of this species on Runde in the 1940s. The species has expanded northward and has recently established a small colony as far north as Bjørnøya. The review of diet studies highlighted the importance of the young age-classes of cod fish, the importance of pelagic forage fish species and in particular the importance of sandeel. However, the differences in diet among ecological groups combined with the fact that declining seabird populations were found in all regions and included all major ecological groups suggest that the recent changes in Norwegian seabird communities cannot be explained by changes in the abundance of a single group of resources alone. On the contrary, this might suggest a combined effect of simultaneous changes in several prey items, possibly involving entire trophic levels. Alternatively, it might suggest that bottom-up regulation through food is less important, and that top-down mechanisms such as anthropogenic stressors and predation are more involved in the present changes. A large number of studies have been conducted to investigate how different anthropogenic and environmental factors affect seabird populations. Factors such as fisheries by-catch, harvest and intentional killing, pollution and disturbance are all anthropogenic stressors with a welldocumented negative impact. Although most of these stressors have been reduced in Norwegian waters due to the implementation of regulatory mechanisms and protection measures, they might still have impact on local populations. For example, the decline in the population of Glaucous Gull on Bjørnøya has been related to high levels of persistent organic pollutants. Several case studies suggest that predation from avian and small mammalian predators in the seabird colonies might be important, and we cannot exclude this driver as an important mechanism behind the observed declines. The large spatial and the relatively long temporal scale of the population changes observed in the present report, might suggest that fluctuations in the marine ecosystems, possibly partly due to climate change and past and present fishing pressures, might be important. This is corroborated by numerous studies documenting a direct impact from food deprivation and an indirect impact from climatic factors on seabird population dynamics. Such factors often involve complex indirect trophic links which make it difficult to point out the ultimate cause of the observed change. We conclude that the two most likely candidates to explain the recent declines in Norwegian seabird populations are 1) increased predation in the seabird colonies from avian and mammalian predators and 2) ecosystem changes affecting the availability of prey. The impact from these drivers might be difficult to document and even more challenging to control. In contrast, more easily managed direct anthropogenic stressors such as fisheries by-catch, pollution, hunting and disturbance have either been constant or have shown a decreasing trend. Although these drivers cannot explain the recent population declines, they still contribute to the cumulative impact on seabird populations and these stressors are therefore especially important to control and minimize in rapidly declining and threatened populations. © Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Publikasjonen kan siteres fritt med kildeangivelse.