About AMINOR

A research school and a scientific network for the integration of monitoring, science and management

AMINOR is the Research School in Environmental Research of the FRAM Centre and is located in the Fram Centre, in Tromsø, Northern Norway. It is a multidisciplinary research network consisting of students, professors, researchers, and managers. AMINOR research network focuses on the integration of monitoring, science and management, with a particular emphasis on northern areas and environmental changes. AMINOR aims at promoting the use and development of theory, excellent study designs and appropriate analytical methods in both research and management, through workshops, group discussions and courses.

Aims

The mission of the FRAM Centre is to contribute to the management and monitoring of environment and natural resources in the North, and to strengthen the connection between research and education. AMINOR is fully devoted to this goal, providing activities explicitly linking research and education across institutions. It is an inter-faculty school with the involvement of managers, researchers, professors, and students from many relevant science disciplines within the FRAM Centre. These include as statistics, oceanography, meteorology, terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecology, economics and political/social science. The network is also international, including professors, researchers, and students from abroad.

The main goals of the AMINOR research network and research school are to train MSc and PhD students and to create a platform for developing competences for researchers within the FRAM Centre. To reach these goals, AMINOR provides opportunities for students and members of the FRAM Centre to continually develop their knowledge and competences on study designs, analytical methods, theoretical development, and conceptual advances through courses, workshops, and intensive discussions.

Motivation

Environmental research is a multifaceted research arena covering a range of different disciplines and methodologies. Despite this multidisciplinary challenge, we identify three common and unifying tasks:

  1. ​To estimate accurately the ongoing environmental changes

  2. To understand the causal relationship between environmental change and anthropogenic drivers

  3. To assess the consequences of environmental changes on the society, and how these consequences can be mitigated or how the society can adapt to these changes

To solve task 1, there is a need for monitoring programs that are able to measure changes using robust sampling designs, and that focus on variables describing the main causal pathways.

To solve task 2, environmental changes must be linked to anthropogenic drivers through the formulation and estimation of alternative causal hypotheses and models. 

To solve task 3, there is a need for cross-disciplinary approaches. AMINOR aims at establishing and communicating systematic and cost-effective strategies for solving societal challenges.

Relevant data series on environmental conditions and anthropogenic drivers are fundamental to solve environmental research questions. The relevance and quality of the research depend on whether the data series are adequately targeted with respect to the research and/or management questions addressed, and are sampled in a way that make it possible to obtain robust estimates. An integration of data monitoring, environmental research and the implementation of management actions are therefore crucial for a scientifically sound environmental management.

Coordinators

  • Marie-Anne Blanchet (UiT the Arctic University of Norway) – marie-anne.e.blanchet[.at.]uit.no
  • Sigrid Engen (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research) –  sigrid.engen[at.]nina.no
  • André Frainer (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research) –  andre.frainer[.at.]nina.no
  • Sandra Hamel (Laval University, Canada) – sandra.hamel[.at.]bio.ulaval.ca
  • Marius Warg Næss (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research) – marius.naess[at.]niku.no
  • Benjamin Planque (Institute of Marine Research) – benjamin.planque[.at.]hi.no
  • Paul Renaud (Akvaplan-NIVA) –             paul.renaud[.at.]akvaplan.niva.no
  • Heli Routti (Norwegian Polar Institute) –              heli.routti[.at.]npolar.no
  • Eeva Soininen (UiT the Arctic University of Norway) – eeva.soininen[.at.]uit.no
  • Arnaud Tarroux (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research) – arnaud.tarroux[.at.]nina.no
  • Nigel G. Yoccoz (UiT the Arctic University of Norway) –  nigel.yoccoz[.at.]uit.no

Thank you very much to

all the fantastic volunteers

 who helped run AMINOR activities over the years

2021
  • Sofia Aniceto (UiT the Arctic University of Norway) – ana.s.aniceto[.at.]uit.no
  • Laurène Pécuchet (UiT the Arctic University of Norway) – laurene.pecuchet[.at.]uit.no
  • Emma Vogel (UiT the Arctic University of Norway) – emma.vogel[.at.]uit.no
2020
  • Marina Espinasse (Institute of Marine Research) – marina.espinasse[.at.]hi.no
  • Igor Eulaers (Norwegian Polar Institute) – igor.eulaers[.at.]npolar.no
  • Doreen Kohlbach (Norwegian Polar Institute) – doreen.kohlbach[.at.]npolar.no

Funding