The Rif Field Station and The Moredun Research Institute (https://moredun.org.uk/research) have won a United Kingdom – Iceland Arctic Science Partnership Scheme bursary with the project “Nanopore sequencing approaches for ecosystem monitoring in the Arctic”. The project will support the establishment of novel research connections between the two countries and the results will provide a solid basis to develop broader bilateral projects in the areas of climate change, environmental disease risk, antimicrobial resistance, and the mitigation of their impacts on biodiversity. The project also involves partners at the University of Edinburgh and Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS).
Rif Field Station is one of 50 partner institutes providing access to a network of polar research infrastructures. Over the next five years, the European Union will provide 14.6 million euros in funding for the new POLARIN (Polar Research Infrastructure Network) project. The project will promote interdisciplinary research that addresses scientific challenges in both polar regions, and it is coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute.
Melrakkaslétta is a peninsula in northeast Iceland, at the hedge of the Arctic Circle. Get funded to do research on this unique place, where you can explore the diverse flora and fauna, and discover the secrets of nature. Apply now and join Rif Field Station. INTERACT Transnational Access is a prestigious and rewarding opportunity that will enrich your academic and personal life.
The current call for Transnational and Remote Access applications is open until 15th December 2023, and it is for access taking place in April – October 2024. You can find the TA/RA Call information, descriptions of stations and their facilities, and registration to the INTERACCESS on-line application system from the INTERACT website eu-interact.org
Join the on-line webinar on the 29th November at 14:00-15:00 CET (UTC +1) to find out everything you need to know: https://oulu.zoom.us/j/67716257729
Rif Field Station is pleased to announce the sixth and last session of Coffee Science 2023 on October 10th, from 5pm to 6pm, at Félaginn Bar Raufarhöfn.
Coffee Science is partially funded by the Northeast Iceland Development Fund, SSNE, and is part of the BIODICE Biodiversity Festival 2023.
“Invasive marine species and their impacts”
The introduction of invasive marine species into new environments is a topic of significant ecological and economic concern. Marine coastal waters near anthropogenic environments, are becoming synonym of invaded habitats. Despite its geographic isolation, Iceland is becoming a recipient region with over 10 new marine species reported since 2018. Joana from Náttúrustofa Suðvesturlands, will talk about how these species arrive in Iceland and their impacts in Nature, fishing and aquaculture.
Joana Micael is a marine biologist who has been working on the diversity of marine species. Her research has been focused on depicting biodiversity and determine ecological patterns, unveiling marine non-indigenous species with invasive behavior in new environments. Joana has a PhD in Marine Science from the University of Azores, Portugal. She has worked at the Centre of Marine and Environmental Research in Porto, at the National Museum of Natural History of Lisbon, and at the Austral University of Chile. Since 2019, Joana works as Researcher Specialist at the Southwest Iceland Nature Research Centre, and has residence in Raufarhöfn.
Rif Field Station is pleased to announce the fifth meeting of Coffee Science 2023 on September 27 from 17:00 to 18:00 at Félaginn Bar Raufarhöfn.
Birds on cliffs in the NE Iceland
Iceland hosts large populations of seabirds, some of which nest in cliffs all around the country. Since 2017, Northeast Iceland Nature Research Centre its the responsible for the monitoring of these species. In this Coffee Science talk, Þorkell Lindberg Þórarinsson, director of the Nature Center of the Northeast, will review the ongoing Nature Center’s monitoring and research on seabirds, with focus on the northeastern corner of the country, from Grímsey and east to Langanes.
Rif Field Station is pleased to announce the fourth session of Coffee Science 2023 on August 22nd from 5pm to 6pm at the Félaginn Bar Raufarhöfn, by Charla J. Basran
Coffee Science is partially funded by the Northeast Iceland Development Fund, SSNE.
“Studying Iceland’s largest inhabitants: whale research at the University of Iceland’s Húsavík Research Centre”
Icelandic waters provide a habitat for the largest animals on the planet. Since 2007, the University of Iceland’s Húsavík Research centre has been studying the porpoises, dolphins and whales in Skjálfandi Bay and around the country. Together with a student internship program and collaborations with local and international organizations and researchers, long-term photo-identification and acoustic research has enabled us to recognize individual animals and make fascinating and important scientific discoveries about their individual and collective life history strategies.
Charla J. Basran is a Canadian marine biologist who has been studying whales for over a decade. After completing a master’s degree in marine and coastal management at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður, she moved to Húsavík to conduct her Ph.D. work on entanglement of humpback whales in fishing gear through the University of Iceland. She now works at the Húsavík Research Centre as a post-doctoral researcher, overseeing the student internship program and working on whale photo-identification and acoustics.
Lichens are prominent in Icelandic ecosystems and are an example of a successful fungal way of life that survives by exploiting the so-called photosynthetic organisms, which are usually green algae, although some lichens contain cyanobacteria as photosynthetic parts.
The vast meadows of the Melrakkaslétta peninsula are home to numerous species of lichens, especially in rocky areas, coloring the grayish basalt, especially in bird’s nesting areas. On this Coffee Science session, Starri Heiðmarsson will talk about lichens and their way of life, with special emphasis on the species that stand out in Melrakkaslétta.
Starri Heiðmarsson received his PhD from the University of Uppsala in 2000. After completing his studies, he worked at the Icelandic Institute of Natural Sciences until 2022. Since last year he has been the director of the Northwestern Nature Institute in Sauðárkrók. Starri has also taught at the University of Akureyri and the Agricultural University of Iceland, where he is a visiting professor.
Rif Field Station is pleased to announce the second session of Coffee Science 2023 on June 22nd from 5pm to 6pm at the Félaginn Bar Raufarhöfn.
Coffee Science is partially funded by the Northeast Iceland Development Fund, SSNE.
“Dust and Deserts: Extent and effects of windborne sediments within Iceland” by Hlynur Óskarsson.
Iceland is the main source of dust in the North Atlantic and in his talk Hlynur will discuss the various processes that generate dust, the main dust source areas, the extent of dust deposition and various negative and positive consequences dust deposition has.
Hlynur Óskarsson is a professor and Head of Graduate Studies at the Agricultural University of Iceland. He is an ecosystem ecologist, and his research has focused on soil, hydrology and carbon dynamics of intact and disturbed ecosystems.
Rif Field Station is pleased to announce the first session of Coffee Science 2023 on May 16th from 5pm to 6pm at the Félaginn Bar Raufarhöfn.
Coffee Science is partially funded by the Northeast Iceland Development Fund, SSNE.
The talk will be in Icelandic.
Ísland og Norðurslóðir; um hvað snýst það eiginlega?
“Loftslagsbreytingar, efnahagsleg tækifæri, skipaflutningar og hafnir, olía og gas og aðrar auðlindir, öryggismál. Þessi umfjöllunarefni eru gjarnan áberandi í allri umræðu um norðurslóðir en of oft vill gleymast að ræða um samfélagsbreytingar, seiglu og aðlögun, heilsu og velferð, aðgengi að innviðum s.s. menntun, líffræðilegan fjölbreytileika, frumbyggja og jaðarsett samfélög. Í erindi sínu mun Embla fjalla um helstu málefni sem varða norðurslóðir og hvernig þau tengjast hagsmunum Íslands og íslenskum samfélögum.”
Embla Eir Oddsdottir er forstöðumaður Norðurslóðanets Íslands og formaður Samvinnunefndar um málefni norðurslóða. Embla er fulltrúi Íslands í vinnuhóp um sjálfbæra þróun sem heyrir undir Norðurskautsráðið og einnig í sérfræðingahóp um félags, – efnhags, – og menningarleg málefni á norðurslóðum. Jafnframt leiðir hún verkefni vinnuhóps um sjálfbæra þróun um kynjamál á norðurslóðum, er í stjórn alþjóðlega samtaka félagsvísindamanna á norðurslóðum (International Arctic Social Science Association), og var í stjórn Rannsóknastöðvarinnar Rifs á Raufarhöfn fyrir hönd Háskólans á Akureyri og Stofnunar Vilhjálms Stefánssonar. Bakgrunnur Emblu er þverfaglegur; samfélags- og hagþróunarfræði, heimskautaréttur, og lög, mannfræði og samfélag.
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