Uppsjávarsvið
Staff in the pelagic division concentrate on the biology of the water column above the seafloor and all the way to the surface. Therefore, the various studies span a wide range of subject matter from the largest animals in existence all the way to zooplankton (planktonic animals) that is barely visible to the naked eye.
Zooplankton plays a critical role in the marine environment, part of which is their importance as prey for all fish stocks at the early stages of their life. Pelagic fish stocks and baleen whales subsist almost entirely on zooplankton, though some species feed on other prey for part of the year. Studies of zooplankton aim to improve the biological understanding of different species as well as to describe the species composition of the various marine regions and variations in this composition and animal density. In addition, new methods are in constant development to better use sonar to measure the larger krill species (euphausids).
Those studies focused on pelagic fish species are the most extensive in the division. The most emphasis is placed on monitoring capelin, summer-spawning herring, Norwegian-Icelandic spring-spawning herring, blue whiting, mackerel, and lumpfish, but there are also critical studies of tuna and mesopelagic fish (ex. lanternfish and Mueller’s pearlside). The largest projects aim to estimate the size and fishing tolerance of the fish stocks, but also to improve our understanding of their biology, distribution, and migrations. Furthermore, some studies focus on the interactions between fish species and their connections with zooplankton and marine mammals.
Studies of marine mammals are also comprehensive and, as with fish stocks, the main projects are estimation of stock size and population trends in the various mammals found in Icelandic waters, including all whale species and the two seal species that bear their young in Iceland. At the same time, there are studies of the biology, migrations, and behavior of marine mammals.
Many of the pelagic division’s projects also try to describe the environmental processes that are in constant change such as ocean warming. Staff in this division work closely with staff of other divisions who are experts in other relevant fields of study.
| Name | Job Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Agnar Már Sigurðsson | Researcher | agnar.mar.sigurdsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Agnar Már Sigurðsson
Researcher
Specialisation: sampling - age verification |
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| Agnes Eydal | Biologist | agnes.eydal[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Agnes Eydal
Biologist
Specialisation: zooplankton |
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| Alice Benoit-Cattin | Chemist | alice.benoit-cattin[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Alice Benoit-Cattin
Chemist
Starfssvið: efnamælingar |
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| Andreas Macrander | Oceanographer | andreas.macrander[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Andreas Macrander
Oceanographer
Starfssvið: haffræði |
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| Anna Heiða Ólafsdóttir | Fisheries Biologist | anna.olafsdottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Anna Heiða Ólafsdóttir
Fisheries Biologist
Specialisation: pelagic ecosystem - mackerel - blue whiting - somatic growth - fisheries acoustics |
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| Ástþór Gíslason | Marine Biologist | astthor.gislason[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Ástþór Gíslason
Marine Biologist
Specialisation: Zooplankton ecology, seasonal dynamics, overwintering strategies and life history of zooplankton, trophic relationships and feeding of planktivorous fish, long-term changes of marine zooplankton, automatic identification of zooplankton (ZooImage), distribution of zooplankton by acoustics and VPR (Video Plankton Recorder. Education: PhD frá University of Oslo, 2002 |
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| Birkir Bárðarson | Fisheries Biologist | birkir.bardarson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Birkir Bárðarson
Fisheries Biologist
Specialisation: capelin |
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| Björn Sigurðarson | Electronics Engineer | bjorn.sigurdarson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Björn Sigurðarson
Electronics Engineer
|
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| Christophe Pampoulie | Marine Genomics and Genetics | christophe.s.pampoulie[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Christophe Pampoulie
Marine Genomics and Genetics
Specialisation: marine genetics and genomics |
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| Eric dos Santos | Biologist | eric.santos[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Eric dos Santos
Biologist
Specialisation: Seal research and general sampling and data collection about Icelandic marine mammals Education: MSc in biology from the Universtiy of Iceland |
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| Eygló Ólafsdóttir | Field Biologist | eyglo.olafsdottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Eygló Ólafsdóttir
Field Biologist
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| Filipa Isabel Pereira Samarra | Ecologist | filipa.samarra[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
|
Filipa Isabel Pereira Samarra
Ecologist
Specialisation: Behavioural ecology focusing particularly on killer whale social, foraging and acoustic behaviour, trophic ecology and population biology Menntun: PhD in Biology, University of St Andrews (UK) 2007-2011
|
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| Gísli Arnór Víkingsson | Marine Biologist | gisli.vikingsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Gísli Arnór Víkingsson
Marine Biologist
Specialisation: Cetacean research, whales, dolphins, porpoises, biology, population assessment, ecology, behaviour Education: PhD (Baleen whale ecology), University of Tromsø, 2016 |
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| Guðmundur Óskarsson | Head of Division | gudmundur.j.oskarsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Guðmundur Óskarsson
Head of Division
Specialisation: herring - pelagic biota |
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| Guðrún Finnbogadóttir | Biologist | gudrun.finnbogadottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Guðrún Finnbogadóttir
Biologist
Specialisation: age verification |
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| Hafsteinn Grétar Guðfinnsson | Marine Biologist | hafsteinn.gudfinnsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Hafsteinn Grétar Guðfinnsson
Marine Biologist
Specialisation: phytoplankton |
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| Halldór Tyrfingsson | Biologist | halldor.tyrfingsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Halldór Tyrfingsson
Biologist
|
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| Hildur Pétursdóttir | Marine Ecologist | hildur.petursdottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Hildur Pétursdóttir
Marine Ecologist
Specialisation: zooplankton |
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| Höskuldur Björnsson | Engineer | hoskuldur.bjornsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Höskuldur Björnsson
Engineer
Specialisation: stock assessment (saithe, catfish) |
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| Jacek Sliwinski | Technician | jacek.sliwinski[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Jacek Sliwinski
Technician
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| James Kennedy | Fisheries Biologist | james.kennedy[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 James Kennedy
Fisheries Biologist
|
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| Kristinn Guðmundsson | Marine Biologist | kristinn.gudmundsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Kristinn Guðmundsson
Marine Biologist
Specialisation: marine ecology - phytoplankton/microbes - primary productivity - chlorophyll-a/pigments - ocean colours/satellite data - underway flow-through measurements |
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| Kristinn Guðnason | Engineer | kristinn.gudnason[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
|
Kristinn Guðnason
Engineer
Starfssvið: líkanagerð |
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| Kristín Jóhanna Valsdóttir | Náttúrufræðingur | kristin.j.valsdottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Kristín Jóhanna Valsdóttir
Náttúrufræðingur
Specialisation: phytoplankton |
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| Lísa Anne Libungan | Marine Ecologist | lisa.libungan[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Lísa Anne Libungan
Marine Ecologist
|
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| Magnús Danielsen | Náttúrufræðingur | magnus.danielsen[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Magnús Danielsen
Náttúrufræðingur
Specialisation: hydrographic measurements |
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| Páll Reynisson | Engineer | pall.bergmann.reynisson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Páll Reynisson
Engineer
Starfssvið: bergmálstækni |
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| Ragnhildur Ólafsdóttir | Researcher | ragnhildur.olafsdottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Ragnhildur Ólafsdóttir
Researcher
Specialisation: sampling - age verification |
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| Sandra Magdalena Granquist | Animal Behaviour Scientist and Ecologist | sandra.magdalena.granquist[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
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Sandra Magdalena Granquist
Animal Behaviour Scientist and Ecologist
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| Sigurður Þór Jónsson | Fisheries Biologist | sigurdur.thor.jonsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Sigurður Þór Jónsson
Fisheries Biologist
Specialisation:: capelin |
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| Sigurvin Bjarnason | Biologist | sigurvin.bjarnason[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Sigurvin Bjarnason
Biologist
Specialisation: Capelin- Biology and acoustics Education: MSc in Marine biology from the University of Iceland 2016 |
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| Sólrún Sigurgeirsdóttir | Biologist | solrun.sigurgeirsdottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Sólrún Sigurgeirsdóttir
Biologist
Specialisation: zooplankton |
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| Sólveig Rósa Ólafsdóttir | Efnafræðingur | solveig.rosa.olafsdottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
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Sólveig Rósa Ólafsdóttir
Efnafræðingur
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| Svandís Eva Aradóttir | Biologist | svandis.eva.aradottir[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Svandís Eva Aradóttir
Biologist
Starfssvið: sýnavinnsla |
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| Sverrir Daníel Halldórsson | Biologist | sverrir.daniel.halldorsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Sverrir Daníel Halldórsson
Biologist
Specialisation: whales |
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| Teresa Sofia Giesta da Silva | Researcher | teresa.silva[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Teresa Sofia Giesta da Silva
Researcher
Specialisation: zooplankton |
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| Valerie Chosson | Biologist | valerie.chosson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Valerie Chosson
Biologist
Specialisation:: genetics - whales - whale photo ID |
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| Warsha Singh | Ecologist | warsha.singh[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Warsha Singh
Ecologist
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| Þorvaldur Gunnlaugsson | Specialist | thorvaldur.gunnlaugsson[hjá]hafogvatn.is |
 Þorvaldur Gunnlaugsson
Specialist
Specialisation: whales - stock assessment |
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