Explore quarterly updates on the POMP project as we delve into polar ecosystems to understand and mitigate climate change impacts. Each update highlights our scientific advances and collaborative efforts in fieldwork and modeling, reflecting our commitment to enhancing knowledge and strategies for polar conservation.
The POMP project kicked off with a wave of activity, starting with the implementation of a planner system to streamline project management. A kick-off meeting, in collaboration with the SeaQuester project, set the tone for future collaborations.
During this quarter, POMP was included in the EU Polar Cluster and introduced at the Oceans Decade conference, emphasizing its integration into larger scientific frameworks.
Recruitment opened for several key positions across partnering institutions, enhancing the project’s research capacity. Additionally, the project’s risk assessment protocol was established to ensure all partners maintain focus on mitigating risks effectively.
Fieldwork began in West Greenland, focusing on studying benthic biodiversity, crucial for understanding marine ecosystem changes. POMP’s involvement was further solidified with the submission of a session for European Science Week, showcasing its commitment to public engagement and science communication.
The development and dissemination of a carbon database template among partners marked a significant advancement in the project’s research infrastructure. Collaboration continued with SeaQuester in Young Sound, Greenland, for joint fieldwork planning, while the recruitment of early career scientists promised fresh insights and innovations.
The third quarter was marked by intense field activity with several Arctic campaigns held by UiT, notably in collaboration with the OC4C project. Significant fieldwork was also conducted in Northeast Greenland and the central Arctic Ocean, yielding valuable data for ongoing studies.
This period saw also important publications and presentations, including a feature on the European Commission’s Cordis platform, a paper on climate changes’ impact on barnacle recruiment, and presentations at the EU Polar Week. These outputs highlight the project’s dynamic progress in contributing to our understanding of Arctic ecosystems and their responses to climate change.
POMP’s activities during the last quarter of the year continued to strengthen its role in advancing polar ocean research and collaboration. The project was included and featured in the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance, highlighting its contribution to global marine science efforts. Several experiments were carried out at Université Laval, focusing on functional groups and the impacts of climate change, while a new paper on CO₂ uptake around Greenland added to our growing body of scientific outputs. POMP’s work was showcased at the ICES workshop in Nuuk, Greenland, and further discussed in a dedicated workshop with stakeholders at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, ensuring strong knowledge exchange with local and regional actors. Coordination of benthos research across WP1, WP2, and WP4 also progressed, alongside collaboration with the SeaQuester initiative, reinforcing the project’s integrated approach to understanding and protecting Arctic marine ecosystems.
During this quarter, POMP has advanced its work on polar marine biodiversity through a range of activities and collaborations. The team has been actively involved in organising the Arctic Coastal Biodiversity Observation Network in Svalbard, laying the groundwork for enhanced monitoring and knowledge sharing. Funding was secured for a research cruise in the Greenland fjords scheduled for June 2025, which will expand our understanding of these unique ecosystems. POMP also contributed to the stakeholder meeting of MPA Europe in Copenhagen, ensuring polar perspectives are represented in marine spatial planning discussions, and hosted an internal workshop dedicated to the study of biological traits. Our Canadian partners’ Arctic field work was captured in a dedicated video, offering a closer look at their research efforts. POMP researchers also shared several contributions at the Gordon Conference on Polar Marine Science in Italy, furthering scientific dialogue in the field. Additionally, our early career researchers participated in the ARCTOS meeting, strengthening connections within the Arctic research community.
During the second quarter of 2025, POMP advanced its research and international collaborations focused on polar blue carbon and biodiversity. A highlight of Q2 was the joint scientific cruise in the Greenland fjords, conducted in close cooperation with the SeaQuester project. This collaboration also extended to joint coordination meetings, reinforcing synergies between the two sister projects.
Scientific output continued to grow, with new publications examining the impacts of ice melt on marine productivity, the role of tundra greening in fjord ecosystems, climate change impact on marine ecosystems around Greenland, and hotspots of seafloor biodiversity around Greenland. POMP researchers also contributed to a major international conference (GeoHab Conference in Florida, USA) with a presentation on Arctic biodiversity.
Field activities were expanded with research in Adventfjorden, Svalbard, supporting long-term monitoring of coastal ecosystems. In addition, POMP contributed to AZTI’s summer school, sharing insights on polar marine ecosystems with early-career researchers and fostering knowledge exchange beyond the project team.
To support broader outreach, a new infographic—How Polar Blue Carbon Pathways Can Change in a Warming Climate—was published, visualising key ecosystem processes and responses to environmental change.
In the third quarter of 2025, POMP continued to deepen its investigations into polar carbon dynamics and biodiversity while expanding inter-project collaboration and planning for policy engagement. Fieldwork remained a strong focus, with activities carried out in northeast Greenland and across several fjords in Svalbard, including a second campaign in Adventfjorden. Experimental work on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) degradation was also completed in Svalbard.
New scientific outputs highlighted the project’s multidisciplinary scope, with publications addressing the vertical flux of diatoms, macroalgae distribution in deep sediment cores, and intracellular nutrient storage in sea ice algae. A dedicated book chapter explored nutrient and organic matter dynamics in polar sea ice, and a paper examined the drivers of Arctic coastal CO₂ uptake. The project’s modelling capacity also advanced with the second implementation of a diatom functional type and progress on the coastal Greenland ecosystem model, now completed.
POMP researchers actively contributed to broader knowledge exchange, including participation in the MPA in MSP conference in Tromsø (Norway), Arctic carbon cycle workshop in Berlin and meetings with the European Polar Cluster Coordination Office. Planning also progressed for a joint POMP–SeaQuester policy event in Brussels and the Arctic Science Summit Week 2026.
A new cohort of PhD students began their work at Université Laval, helping to build future expertise in polar ecosystem science. Additionally, extra ship days were awarded for an upcoming 2026 research cruise to northeast Greenland, supporting continued field-based discovery.
In the final quarter of 2025, POMP strengthened both scientific exchange and public engagement. The project contributed to Norway’s National Research Day, offering a tailored session for 11th grade students to spark interest in polar ecosystem science. POMP PhD student Tiziana Durazzano also reached the national finals of the Forsker Grand Prix, Norway’s science communication competition for early-career researchers.
Scientific collaboration remained active. POMP contributed to the Arctic Benthic Carbon Workshop organised with SEA-Quester, and held internal coordination meetings across work packages (WP1, WP2, WP4) and the project Steering Group. A dedicated seminar supported early-career researchers interested in Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral opportunities.
POMP’s science-policy interface advanced with confirmed participation in the upcoming session on polar benthic biodiversity at the 7th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, and representation at Greenland Science Week in Nuuk.
On the publishing front, December saw the submission of a special issue proposal to Philosophical Transactions and a project perspective paper addressing the emerging role of Polar Blue Carbon in climate mitigation.
