At NERI we aim to increase our knowledge of the impact of climate changes on the Arctic ecosystems and on the plant and animal communities of Greenland.

The Department of Arctic Environment (AM) is the main driving force behind the biological monitoring programme, BioBasis, at Zackenberg in the high Arctic Northeast Greenland. BioBasis is one of the most comprehensive terrestrial (land-based) investigations into the biological effects of climate changes in the Arctic. The Department of Arctic Environment is also participating in the monitoring programme, GeoBasis at Zackenberg and GeoBasis at Nuuk. GeoBasis is monitoring the physical environment at Zackenberg in the high Arctic Northeast Greenland and at Nuuk in the low arctic West Greenland. All the information gathered through BioBasis and GeoBasis at Zackenberg is available to the public via the website www.zackenberg.dk.  

The Department of Atmospheric Environment conducts investigations and monitoring of the route and deposition (fallout) of air-transported environmental contaminants in the Arctic environment.

The Department of Environmental Chemistry and Microbiology investigates and monitors the levels of environmental pollutants in different Arctic elements (earth, water, ice) and organisms.

The Department of Marine Biology investigates and monitors the structure and function of Arctic marine environments with the aim to evaluate effects of climate changes. The department is participating in the marine monitoring programme, MarinBasis, at Zackenberg in Northeast Greenland.

The Department of Freshwater Ecology investigates the ecology of Arctic lakes with a particular view to predicting the effects of climate changes.

Research and monitoring in the high Arctic (North-East Greenland) and the low Arctic (West and South Greenland)
NERI’s departments of Arctic Environment, Marine Ecology and Freshwater Ecology participate in the interdisciplinary monitoring and research programmes at Zackenberg in Northeast Greenland and in the Nuuk/Kobbefjord area in South Greenland. The purpose of the research programme is to investigate and monitor the effects of climate changes on terrestrial and marine ecosystems in the high Arctic.