Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change (NorMER)

NorMER (Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change; www.normer.org) is a Nordic Centre of Excellence that brings together the expertise of leading research groups from all Nordic countries, and several North American institutions, to implement a collective and multidisciplinary research strategy to explore the biological, economic, and management consequences of global climate change on fisheries resources throughout the Nordic region. It will achieve this through a unique program of primary research, designed to train PhDs and Postdocs in a system of collaborative projects, with a focus on the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Together, NorMER researchers will: (1) evaluate climate effects on Nordic marine ecosystems, (2) build new tools for predicting biological consequences of climate change, and (3) quantify impacts on profit, employment, and harvesting of cod. This research on cod will then be a platform to extend this knowledge to other marine systems.

The aims and corresponding actions of NorMER are:

1. Perform effect studies to: (1) evaluate climate effects on Nordic marine ecosystems, (2) Build new tools for predicting biological consequences of climate change, and (3) quantify impacts on profit, employment, and harvesting of cod. 
Actions: The core work of NorMER will be achieved through collaborative projects developed by PhD and Postdoc level researchers, with expert input from internationally recognized climate researchers and senior scientists.

2. Create an effective training environment for young researchers.
Actions: Annual meetings, special courses and regular workshops focusing on transferable and interdisciplinary skills ensure an effective training environment for NorMER students and Postdocs. Regular interaction between students and international experts in climate- and marine ecosystem-related fields further strengthen the training program in NorMER.

3. Develop a pan-Nordic team of outstanding global quality.
Actions: International researchers are invited to annual meetings. A 7-member Centre Advisory Panel (CAP) also participates at all annual meetings and adds an extra international dimension. Annually, one internationally distinguished researcher is selected as a Johan Hjort Chair to participate at the annual meeting and special course and to share expertise with NorMER partners and students.

4. Link to industry and policy managers.
Actions: Industry and Policy representatives from each of the Scandinavian countries are encouraged to attend annual meetings for discussing societal/economic effects of climate change, and to learn more about NorMER work. PhD students will be encouraged to visit marine industries or participate in commercial fishing. Oystein Lie, a SAB member, will facilitate this link as the chair of the industrial innovation network MareLife. These links between research and industry and policy managers will be strengthened through NorMER activities that require students to apply their expertise to addressing major issues in marine ecosystems.

5. Update marine ecosystem management policies to sustain healthy fisheries.
Actions: NorMER is a research based program to evaluate the effects of climate variability on marine ecosystems and how fisheries management can be adapted to maintain sustainable harvest levels. NorMER projects examine the biology through the economics of an important fishery resource, with the Atlantic cod as an ecologically and economically important model species. Fisheries policy managers, industry groups, and economic-related groups are encouraged to interact with NorMER scientists and learn about research results and goals through attendance at annual meetings and workshops. NorMER students are encouraged to explore applications of their research to contemporary and future problems in marine ecosystem management.

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, but this is a pan-Nordic collaborative project, which includes research teams led by Nils Chr. Stenseth at the University of Oslo, Carl Folke of the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Sweden, Erik Bonsdorff at Åbo Adakemi University in Finland, Marko Lindroos at the University of Helsinki in Finland, Markus Meier at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute in Sweden, Guðrún Marteinsdóttir at Marine Academic Research in Iceland, Eyðfinn Magnussen at the University of Faroe Islands, Helle Siegstad at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Øyvind Fiksen at the University of Bergen in Norway, and Thomas Kiørboe at the Technical University of Denmark.