NorMER brings together the expertise of leading research groups from all Nordic countries and several North American institutions. It aims to implement a collective and multidisciplinary research strategy to explore the biological, economic, and management consequences of global climate change on fisheries resources.
NorMER Grand Challenges
The goals of NorMER include
- To evaluate climate effects on Nordic marine ecosystems and build new tools for predicting biological consequences of climate change, and quantify impacts on profit, employment, and harvesting.
- To create an effective training environment for young researchers.
- To develop a team of outstanding global quality.
- To build links to industry and policy managers.
- To update marine ecosystem management policies to sustain healthy fisheries.
Training Programme
NorMER actions to achieve its goals go through a unique program of primary research, implemented by PhDs and Postdocs in a system of collaborative projects, with a focus on the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Though our Nordic focus is on cod, this research is intended to be a platform to extend this knowledge to other marine systems.
Role of SMHI
SMHI contributes with knowledge of climate change, regional climate modelling, and the impact of climate change on the ocean and marine ecosystem. This includes analyses of data from observations and models to detect and understand changes in oceanographic conditions (e.g. temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients) in the Baltic and North Seas (including Kattegat and Skagerrak) as well as its implications on fish habitat and spawning grounds (e.g. cod reproductive volume, de-oxygenation, primary production).
Main Project Partners
- University of Oslo
- University of Bergen
- Technical University of Denmark
- SMHI
- Stockholm University
- Åbo Akademi University
- University of Helsinki
- University of Iceland
- University of Faroe Islands
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
Funding
NorMER is primarily supported with funding from Nordforsk, on behalf of the Top-level Research Initiative (TRI), and from each of the main partners. The Centre is administered by the CEES in the Department of Biology at the University of Oslo, and coordinated by Nils Chr. Stenseth at the University of Oslo.