Amphipods are common in all compartments of the ice covered waters of the Arctic, including benthos, ice and the free water masses. They are key species in the Arctic marine ecosystem transmitting energy to sea birds, fish and seals. Four species of amphipods (Gammarus wilkitzkii, Apherusa glacialis, Onisimus nanseni and O. glacialis) are connected to the sea ice throughout their life-cycle, while many other amphipods use the sea ice as feeding or breeding ground.

Due to increased oil and gas industrial activities in the Barents Sea, reliable environmental monitoring tools needs to be developed and the potential impact of crude oil on Arctic biota needs to be identified. There is therefore a need for data to support environmental risk and impact assessments and to validate the monitoring tools on sentinel Arctic species. Amphipods, being an important part of the ecosystem, represent a good potential for monitoring effects of pollution.