Background and activities
Geir Johnsen is a professor in marine biology at the Department of Biology (NTNU), Prof II at University Centre on Svalbard (UNIS), and is one of the founding partners in a NTNU spin-off company Ecotone using new optical techniques for mapping and monitoring the marine environment. He is a key scientist in the Centre of excellence (CeO) "Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems (AMOS). Currently he is on a 1 year research stay at University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honululu working with spectral bioluminescence in different taxa and mapping and monitoring of coral reefs.
Research areas
- Marine ecology and biodiversity
- Bio-optics
- Photosynthesis
- Pigment chemotaxonomy
- Underwater robotics and sensor development for in situ identification
- Mapping and monitoring of bio-geo-chemical objects of interest in the marine environment
He has been an adviser for 47 MSc students and 17 PhD candidates. Currently, he advises 3 MSc students and 5 PhD candidates.
He has published more than 130 papers in international scientific journals and been a co-editor for the books:
- "Ecosystem Barents Sea" (Tapir Academic Press)
- "Phytoplankton pigments: Updates on Characterization, Chemotaxonomy and Applications in Oceanography" (Cambridge University Press, 2011).
Scientific, academic and artistic work
A selection of recent journal publications, artistic productions, books, including book and report excerpts. See all publications in the database
Journal publications
- (2018) Underwater Hyperspectral Imaging Using a Stationary Platform in the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse Hydrothermal Field. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.
- (2018) First hyperspectral imaging survey of the deep seafloor: High-resolution mapping of manganese nodules. Remote Sensing of Environment. vol. 209.
- (2018) Underwater hyperspectral imaging as an in situ taxonomic tool for deep-sea megafauna. Scientific Reports. vol. 8 (1).
- (2018) Information-driven robotic sampling in the coastal ocean. Journal of Field Robotics. vol. 35 (7).
- (2018) Diatom biogeography from the Labrador Sea revealed through a trait-based approach. Frontiers in Marine Science. vol. 5:297.
- (2018) The advective origin of an under-ice spring bloom in the Arctic Ocean using multiple observational platforms. Polar Biology. vol. 41 (6).
- (2018) Algal colonization of young arctic sea ice in spring. Frontiers in Marine Science. vol. 5.
- (2018) Eco-physiological responses of cold-water soft corals to anthropogenic sedimentation and particle shape. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. vol. 504.
- (2018) Use of an autonomous surface vehicle reveals small-scale diel vertical migrations of zooplankton and susceptibility to light pollution under low solar irradiance. Science Advances. vol. 4 (1).
- (2018) Underwater hyperspectral imaging: a new tool for marine archaeology. Applied Optics. vol. 57 (12).
- (2017) Leads in Arctic pack ice enable early phytoplankton blooms below snow-covered sea ic. Scientific Reports. vol. 7.
- (2017) Windows in Arctic sea ice: light transmission and ice algae in a refrozen lead. Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences. vol. 122 (6).
- (2017) Spectral characteristics of coralline algae: a multi-instrumental approach, with emphasis on underwater hyperspectral imaging. Applied Optics. vol. 56 (36).
- (2017) Seabirds during Arctic Polar Night: underwater observations from Svalbard archipelago, Norway. Waterbirds (De Leon Springs, Fla.). vol. 40 (3).
- (2016) Ice-tethered observational platforms in the Arctic Ocean pack ice. IFAC-PapersOnLine. vol. 49 (23).
- (2016) Bioluminescence as an ecological factor during high Arctic polar night. Scientific Reports. vol. 6.
- (2016) Development of bryozoan fouling on cultivated kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Norway. Journal of Applied Phycology. vol. 28 (2).
- (2016) The use of underwater hyperspectral imaging deployed on remotely operated vehicle – methods and applications. IFAC-PapersOnLine. vol. 49 (23).
- (2015) Is ambient light during the high Arctic polar night sufficient to act as a visual cue for zooplankton?. PLoS ONE. vol. 10 (6).
- (2015) Unexpected levels of biological activity during the polar night offer new perspectives on a warming Arctic. Current Biology. vol. 25 (19).