Diel Vertical Migration (DVM) of zooplankton is the biggest synchronized movement of biomass on the planet, and it is a common feature of all the worlds oceans. In the Arctic, with its unique light climate, DVM of zooplankton has recently been shown to be a consistent phenomenon also at times of year when the classical paradigm of winter biology holds that most organisms have entered a state of diapause commensurate with the low availability of food.

Our primary goal is to determine the physical and biological factors responsible for the vertical migration patterns of zooplankton in the high Arctic during the polar night and twilight period, and to elucidate ecosystem effects of such migrations.

More specifically we will:

1. Identify the taxa primarily responsible for recent observations of vertical migration

2. Understand the physical and biological forcing of vertical migration patterns of zooplankton in the high Arctic during the polar night.

3. Document the ecological significance of winter DVM and enable reliable predictions of potential foodweb and ecosystem implications.

4. Provide comprehensive and new insight at a pan Arctic scale into the effects of a reduced ice cover on both marine ecosystems and feed-back processes regulating the balance of carbon dioxide between ocean and atmosphere.