© J.G.Winther/Norwegian Polar Institute

With a staff of 150, the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is Norway’s principle organization for research, environmental monitoring and mapping in the Polar Regions. The Institute advises Norwegian authorities on matters concerning polar environmental management and runs research stations in the Arctic and Antarctica.

ICE & Research Programmes
In step with the world’s greater focus on polar (and global) climate in recent years, the Norwegian Government has just funded a new centre within the Institute: Centre for Ice, Climate and Ecosystems (ICE). ICE will further develop NPI’s position internationally in climate related research concerned with sea-ice, high latitude and high altitude glaciers and effects of climate change on ecosystems, in particular with respect to ice-associated species.

The ICE centre is closely coordinated with NPI’s established research programmes. The Polar Climate Programme contributes to a greater understanding of climate change by considering climate variability and feedbacks in the sea ice–land–ocean–atmosphere system, assessing the system’s sensitivity to disturbances and analyzing the consequences of a changing climate from a physical perspective. NPI polar climate monitoring programmes collect data in collaboration with international institutions. The Institute’s climate research contributes to regional climate models.

NPI’s Biodiversity Programme is designed to provide sound scientific advice to Norwegian and international agencies responsible for resource management and conservation practises. Habitat utilization, predator–prey interactions, life history strategies, population genetics and population dynamics studies contribute to increase the understanding of Arctic ecosystems. NPI’s biodiversity research group contributes scientific knowledge to the global knowledge-base regarding polar ecosystems and their functioning.

The overall objective of the Eco-toxicology Programme is to gather knowledge to improve the understanding of the sources and biological effects of contaminants in the European Arctic. The emphasis is on persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

NPI is the national mapping authority for Norway’s polar areas, including non-commercial geological surveying. Geological map data are collected during field expeditions and through international cooperation. The geomapping group produces geological maps and focuses its research on important knowledge gaps in the geological development of Norwegian Polar Regions.

Environmental Management
The NPI is a directorate under Norway’s Ministry of the Environment and advises the Ministry and other governmental bodies. The NPI represents Norway in several committees and processes, such as the Integrated Management Plan for the Norwegian Sector of the Barents Sea. It is the competent authority responsible for implementing and overseeing the Norwegian Antarctic environmental legislation.

Maps & Information Service
The Institute publishes reports and handbooks. Its international journal, Polar Research presents articles concerning research in the Polar Regions. The Institute publishes maps in digital and printed formats. The library has a substantial collection of polar literature, and the picture library contains 90,000 contemporary and historical photographs of which 35,000 are on the Internet.

© K. Holmén, NPI