Arctic sea-ice reconstructions using ancient-DNA.

The Arctic sea-ice is an important ecosystem that guarantees food security and plays a key role in the regulation of the global climate, affecting the livelihoods of people beyond the Arctic region. The Arctic sea-ice is shrinking, and studies predict an Arctic sea-ice free summer by 2050.

The impacts of a sea-ice free Arctic on the climate system and human activities are little understood, mainly due to the limited availability of tools to reconstruct and understand the Arctic sea-ice history.

State-of-the-art sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) analyses offer novel solutions to better understand sea-ice ecosystems.

ARCTISTIC proposes to i) design and test novel molecular tools (ddPCR assays) to trace sea-ice associated taxa in marine sediments, ii) validate the new ddPCR proxies against established tools for sea-ice reconstruction (lipid biomarkers) and iii) assess the impact of sea-ice changes on biodiversity using metabarcoding analysis on the same sediment samples, and bioinformatics.

ARCTISTIC research activities will deliver a novel and innovative toolbox for sea-ice reconstructions.

Tools and data will be made available in open access publications, with the aim to accelerate Arctic sea-ice reconstructions beyond ARCTISTIC.

ARCTISTIC presents an excellent opportunity for the exchange of the latest skills and approaches for sea-ice reconstruction between myself and NORCE (Norway), with a secondment at AWI (Germany).

ARCTISTIC will allow me to develop new skills in sedaDNA methods, palaeoceanographic proxy development and bioinformatics, expand my research network and gain a stronger understanding of Arctic ecosystems and sea-ice history.

I will also develop transferrable skills in science communication and project management to ensure a future career path as an independent researcher.