Greenland Benthic Habitats
Consolidation of a 5-year program for large-scale mapping and monitoring of benthic communities in Greenland. The Greenland seabed harbours diverse benthic ecosystems, including flourishing cold-water coral and sponge assemblages. At the same time, the productive benthic ecosystem sustains large fisheries of prawn and halibut that form >80% of the Greenlandic national export value.
However, bottom trawling and rapid climate change may have detrimental effects on sponge and coral communities that are considered vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) and should be protected through spatial management. With already established methodologies and infrastructure, this initiative aims to consolidate a benthic research team at GINR for continued improvement of our understanding of benthic diversity and functioning, focusing on supporting effective and sustainable management of natural resources.