The UNHIDE project aims to map and advance our understanding of microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning in Nordic marine environments. Microbial communities are key players of marine ecosystem functioning, yet their biodiversity in this region — particularly along the Norwegian coast — remains poorly characterized. This hinders our predictive power of how microbial biodiversity and function will change with climate change and anthropogenic activities.

For this project we will use environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and metagenomic analyses combined with measurements of physico-chemical parameters. Complementary analysis of phytoplankton diversity, bacterial traits and respiration rates will provide an integrated view of microbial biodiversity and ecological dynamics. Sampling will be conducted along the MS Richard With cruise track within the Norwegian Ships of Opportunity Program (NorSOOP). The results will provide fundamental understanding on Nordic marine microbial diversity and support assessments of climate-related and anthropogenic impacts.