Division

IceAGE is a long-term, international research program that studies the benthic fauna around Iceland. Its goal is to understand biogeographic patterns, gene flow, isolation, and speciation processes in a region characterized by submarine ridges, water masses of varying origins, and climatic sensitivity.

IceDivA extends IceAGE southward and connects it to the South Atlantic (DIVA program). The expeditions (SO280, SO286) collected samples from deep-sea basins between Iceland and the Azores at depths of 3,000–5,500 meters.

The boundary region between Iceland, Norway, and Greenland acts as a corridor for specialized fauna to extreme environmental conditions moving through the North Atlantic Gateway to the Arctic Ocean. While a huge amount of biodiversity data is available for this area, the accumulation of data in more frequently sampled regions reveals sampling gaps, especially in deep and remote regions. The ALONGate project studies biodiversity across temporal and spatial gradients and connects data from previously established projects around Iceland (BIOICE: Benthic Invertebrates of Icelandic waters 1992 – 2004 and IceAGE: Icelandic marine Animals: Genetics and Ecology since 2011). Since 2023, annual Epibenthic Sledge (EBS) sampling in the HAUSGARTEN long-term ecological observatory established by the Alfred-Wegener-Institute contributes to a fundamental understanding of local warm and cold-water species distributions. Additionally, samples collected on a latitudinal Nord-South transect from Germany to the Fram Strait fill knowledge gaps for future observations of faunal community shifts towards northern waters. 

In-situ sampling of latitudinal and longitudinal deep-sea transects throughout the Gateway area is complemented with the deployment of long-term Benthic Lander Observatory Systems (BLOS) at critical intersecting nodes of the North-South and East-West transects, with a special focus on collecting image data of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) like hydrothermal vents or cold-water coral (CWC) reefs across seasonal changes.

Based on the compiled dataset of abiotic (bathymetric assessments, benthic oxygen uptake measurements, sediment samples) and biotic parameters (macrofauna samples, image data), a comprehensive comparison of macro- and megafauna community will contribute to a better understanding of benthic biodiversity and its driving parameters.

The Deep Arctic Project investigates the diversity, distribution, and ecological connectivity of seafloor‑dwelling animal communities in the Arctic deep sea. The focus lies on endangered, rare, endemic, and previously undescribed species occurring along the Mid‑Atlantic Ridge between Norway and Greenland. Using modern deep‑sea technology – including remotely operated vehicles, high‑resolution video surveys, and sampling down to 3,000 metres – the Greenpeace‑initiated project collects new scientific data on seamounts, sponge grounds, cold‑water corals, and hydrothermal vents. These insights can help support the establishment of effective marine protected areas in this region.

The Arctic is among the fastest‑warming and least protected regions on Earth. Research conducted within Deep Arctic therefore provides crucial evidence of how unique and vulnerable these ecosystems are. Our more than 100 hours of dive‑stream footage from the Arctic seafloor reached around 450,000 people.