Temperate coastal regions are under tremendous stress – by ongoing climate change as well as increased anthropogenic impact due to growing cities and intensified agriculture – manifested by dramatic and rapid ecological shifts, habitat loss and degradation, and thus, altering ecosystem dynamics. How these perturbations impact coastal ecosystem dynamics are yet to be determined. Importantly, how will different environmental stressors interact with the complex coastal ecosystem mosaic? To disentangle differences in sensitivity and vulnerability in ecosystems functioning and services, a detailed mapping of the coastal ecosystem mosaic is needed, defining the impact of ocean connectivity and land-ocean interactions.
The SKO initiative unifies in-house competence from three Universities i.e. University of Oslo (UiO), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and University of Agder (UiA) as well as three Research Institutes in Norway i.e. Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) and The Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET) that host in-depth experience in multiple research disciplines, including marine ecology and evolution, biogeochemistry, oceanography, genomics, statistics and mathematical modelling. Within this highly ambitious and interdisciplinary initiative (see Figure 1) we use the SKO-area as a model to further our understanding of how coastal ecosystems are impacted by land-ocean interactions in terms of:
i) seasonality and interannual variation and change
ii) multi-scale spatial processes
iii) key gradients of anthropogenic pressures from land
iv) at both species (individual and population) and ecosystem level
This initiative will bring Norway into the forefront of future development of population dynamics and ecosystem modelling, combining big data-sets for marine forecasting, i.e. using multi-species (and population) whole genome data-sets, together with the extensive time series and oceanographic measurements that have been used for monitoring along the Skagerrak coast (collected by IMR, NIVA and MET).
Moreover, we also aim at develop a joint national training program for PhDs and master students – with a strong focus on interdisciplinarity – where the main goal is to train a new generation of cross-disciplinary researchers as well as future advisers and/or decision makers for conservation and management of our marine ecosystems.
Specific research aims and overarching questions: Sustainable and healthy coastal ecosystems rely on an improved understanding and management of land-ocean interactions, i.e. how the different habitats are influenced via the ocean circulation and run-off from land, as well as how ecosystems services and functioning are impacted by increased human activities and other environmental perturbations. Here we aim at – by combining expertise and long-standing competence within ecology and food web-interactions, population genomics together with biogeochemistry, oceanography and mathematical and statistical ecosystem modelling – to close knowledge gaps needed for improved restoration and conservation management programs:
i) How do ocean circulation and connectivity impact population structure and dynamics of key species?
ii) Will differences in connectivity between habitats play a role in resilience and stability of these ecosystems?
iii) How is ecosystem functioning impacted by long-term vs. short-term perturbations?
iv) What are the main drivers of ongoing ecological shifts?
v) Are there ecosystem differences in sensitivity for external perturbations?
The synergetic and collaborative effort within the SKO-initiative is suggested divided into research themes (RT) and cross-themes research activities (RA) (see Figure 2) – to be able to take full advantage of the highly multidisciplinary team and already ongoing activities within the different research institutes and Universities.
The following on-going projects stem from the SKO-initiative: