Ikkafjord – a unique underwater world in transition?
Join us on a journey to one of the world’s most unique underwater environments, where white mineral pillars rise from the seabed, telling a story that blends myth and science. In this webinar, geochemist Gabrielle Stockmann and marine biologist Lina Rasmusson will discuss this fascinating fjord from historical, geological and biological perspectives.
As the only place on Earth, Greenland’s Ikkafjord boasts a fascinating underwater landscape consisting of nearly a thousand white limestone pillars made of the mineral ikait. Legends whisper that these limestone pillars are actually drowned Vikings who fell through the ice while being chased away by the Inuit population.
More modern knowledge has established that it is the combination of the unique bedrock and the composition of the fjord water that contributes to the formation of the ikait pillars. Marine animals and plants settle on the pillars, forming a colorful mosaic teeming with biodiversity.
In this webinar, geochemist Gabrielle Stockmann, who has been conducting research in Ikkafjorden since the 1990s, and marine biologist Lina Rasmusson will shed light on the hopes and threats regarding the future of the Ikkafjord.
Om föreläsarna
Gabrielle Stockmann is an affiliated researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg. Her research has primarily focused on Ikkafjorden in Greenland and the geochemical processes that generate ikait pillars. In addition, she works on carbon dioxide capture through mineralisation.
Lina Rasmusson is a researcher at the Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg. She is a plant physiologist with fascination for marine macrophytes in general and red calcareous algae in particular. She conducts her research primarily in Swedish and Arctic waters alongside her work in marine management and teaching.
About Sea and Society Talks
Sea and Society Talks is a lunch seminar series for researchers and ocean professionals, focusing on the challenges for a sustainable development and management of coasts and the sea.
Link to Webinar
Link to zoom webinar will be sent out after registration.