About the program
Time is the essential parameter when studying the effects of climate change because it allows us to identify and rule out elements of natural variation. The Greenland Climate Research Centre has a long history of initiating and maintaining long-term monitoring studies that provide the necessary temporal tools for understanding arctic ecosystems and their responses to climatic changes and variability. The long-term series covers a multitude of physical, chemical and biological parameters from the benthos (seafloor) and the water column, including trophic levels from plankton, fish and shellfish larvae, and even marine mammals and seabirds. These observations gained from long-term monitoring programs constitute baselines for scientific discoveries and provide a deeper understanding of complex marine ecosystems and how they are affected by human activities. Long-term monitoring programs facilitate knowledge-based habitat management and reveal the potential local, regional and global implications of changes in arctic ecosystems.
