Siv Huseby

I work on various projects that are all linked to the marine environment of the Gulf of Bothnia. The Gulf of Bothnia is an exciting environment with brackish water, runoff from rivers and ice-covered areas in winter. This presents challenges both in how we practically take our samples, analyze our samples and evaluate the results. The results are not only interesting for understanding the Gulf of Bothnia but are also relevant for other areas such as the Arctic that have a similar environmental situation. Environmental monitoring at UMF, in which I have extensive experience, has generated time series from the early 1990s to the present for a number of variables, and is a valuable basis for evaluating the environmental status of the sea. As an environmental analyst at UMF, I investigate these time series to detect changes over time and relationships between different measurement variables. I also work within an interdisciplinary project that aims to create a more sustainable use of our oceans together with different stakeholders.

Taxonomy on phytoplankton is particularly close to my heart. I am a member of HELCOM's Phytoplankton Expert Group since 2003. The group consists of phytoplankton experts from all countries around the Baltic Sea. We are working to secure competence and increase collaboration on methods for species identification of phytoplankton so that results from different Baltic Sea countries can be studied together. In 2012, I did my PhD at the University of Tromsø on chemical taxonomy on diatoms. I am also a member of the ICES Working Group for Phytoplankton Ecology and Microbiology (WGPME).