Erin Hye Soo Kunisch

About

I am a marine ecologist with a broad interest in behavioral and trophic ecology. I aim to better understand the seasonal and spatial variability of resource use within food webs, and how this variability can further influence organism behavior and life history strategies. I am also quite interested in how the timing of primary productive events further supports food webs, and how organisms adapt within the confines of resource limitations. Some of my more recent work in polar ecosystems explore these interests, as the Arctic undergoes seasonal extremes in light availability that in turn influences primary productivity and subsequent trophic adaptations.

To answer my research questions, I use tools such as lipid and fatty acid analysis. I also incorporate trophic biomarkers, compound specific stable isotopes, and modelling into my research. I find value in interdisciplinary work and enjoy collaborating across disciplines. I have also worked in marine mammal population demography and behavior studies in various high-latitude and equatorial habitats.

I am excited to join 4-OCEANS, because we will collectively investigate the consequences of human exploitation on various marine taxa. My post doctorate work will focus on various analytical approaches but will also include the application of amino acids. I will use compound specific isotope analysis of various amino acids to investigate and compare modern and ancient marine trophic baselines, as well as how tropic levels of various marine taxa have changed through time. Stay tuned!

Publications

2020

Kunisch, Erin; Bluhm, Bodil; Daase, Malin; Gradinger, Rolf; Hop, Haakon; Melnikov, Igor A.. (2020) Pelagic occurrences of the ice amphipod Apherusa glacialis throughout the Arctic. Journal of Plankton Research
Academic article

2017

Kunisch, Erin. (2017) Web blog for Arctic ABC Polar Night cruise 2017 http://mare-incognitum.no/abcblog2017/.
Website (informational material)

2012

Wilson, Kenady; Fritz, Lowell; Kunisch, Erin; Chumbley, Kathryn; Johnson, Devin. (2012) Effects of research disturbance on the behavior and abundance of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) at two rookeries in Alaska. Marine mammal science
Academic article

2011

Kunisch, Erin. (2011) Northern fur seal reproductive rates and early maternal care. Oregon State University
Masters thesis

Journal publications

Kunisch, Erin; Graeve, Martin; Gradinger, Rolf Rudolf; Flores, Hauke; Varpe, Øystein; Bluhm, Bodil. (2023) What we do in the dark: Prevalence of omnivorous feeding activity in Arctic zooplankton during polar night. Limnology and Oceanography
Academic article
Kuehne, Lauren M; Rolls, Robert J; Brandis, Kate J; Chen, Kai; Fraley, Kevin M; Frost, Lindsey K. (2022) Benefits of permanent adoption of virtual conferences for conservation science. Conservation Biology
Reader opinion piece
Priou, Pierre; Nikolopoulos, Anna; Flores, Hauke; Gradinger, Rolf; Kunisch, Eirin; Katlein, Christian. (2021) Dense mesopelagic sound scattering layer and vertical segregation of pelagic organisms at the Arctic-Atlantic gateway during the midnight sun. Progress in Oceanography
Academic article
Drivdal, Magnus; Kunisch, Erin H.; Bluhm, Bodil A.; Gradinger, Rolf; Falk-Petersen, Stig; Berge, Jørgen. (2021) Connections to the Deep: Deep Vertical Migrations, an Important Part of the Life Cycle of Apherusa glacialis, an Arctic Ice-Associated Amphipod. Frontiers in Marine Science
Academic article
Kunisch, Erin; Graeve, Martin; Gradinger, Rolf; Haug, Tore; Kovacs, Kit M.; Lydersen, Christian. (2021) Ice-algal carbon supports harp and ringed seal diets in the European Arctic: Evidence from fatty acid and stable isotope markers. Marine Ecology Progress Series
Academic article
Kunisch, Erin; Bluhm, Bodil; Daase, Malin; Gradinger, Rolf; Hop, Haakon; Melnikov, Igor A.. (2020) Pelagic occurrences of the ice amphipod Apherusa glacialis throughout the Arctic. Journal of Plankton Research
Academic article
Wilson, Kenady; Fritz, Lowell; Kunisch, Erin; Chumbley, Kathryn; Johnson, Devin. (2012) Effects of research disturbance on the behavior and abundance of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) at two rookeries in Alaska. Marine mammal science
Academic article

Report

Kunisch, Erin. (2022) Sea ice dependence in Arctic marine organisms: life cycles, resource use, and trophic linkages. UiT Norges arktiske universitet UiT Norges arktiske universitet
Doctoral dissertation
Kunisch, Erin. (2011) Northern fur seal reproductive rates and early maternal care. Oregon State University
Masters thesis

INFORMASJONSMATR

Kunisch, Erin. (2017) Web blog for Arctic ABC Polar Night cruise 2017 http://mare-incognitum.no/abcblog2017/.
Website (informational material)

Knowledge Transfer

2023

Poster

Reigstad, Marit; Kunisch, Erin; Eldevik, Tor; Gerland, Sebastian. (2023) The Nansen Legacy - changing Arctic climate and ecosystem responses. Gordon Research Foundation Gordon Conference on Polar Marine Science , Ventura 2023-03-05 - 2023-03-09
Poster

Reigstad, Marit; Gerland, Sebastian; Eldevik, Tor; Kunisch, Erin; Wiedmann, Ingrid; Sundfjord, Arild. (2023) The Nansen Legacy project invites you to its upcoming international symposium in November 2023. Alaska Marine Science Symposium Alaska Marine Science Symposium , Anchorage, Alaska 2023-01-23 - 2023-01-27

2022

Academic lecture

Kunisch, Erin; Graeve, Martin; Gradinger, Rolf; Varpe, Øystein; Bluhm, Bodil. (2022) Seasonal, spatial, and taxonomic variations in fatty acids and compound specific stable isotopes of Arctic fauna. . Arctic Net Arctic Net Science conference , Toronto 2022-12-04 - 2022-12-08

2018

Academic lecture

Kunisch, Erin; Drivdal, Magnus; Berge, Jørgen; Bluhm, Bodil; Daase, Malin; Gradinger, Rolf. (2018) Exploring life-cycle adaptations in a declining sea-ice environment: are sympagic amphipods truly sympagic? . Arctic Science Summit Week POLAR 2018 , Davos 2018-06-19 - 2018-06-23

2017

Poster

Kunisch, Erin; Bluhm, Bodil; Gradinger, Rolf; Hop, Haakon; Varpe, Øystein; Berge, Jørgen. (2017) Pan-Arctic distribution of the sympagic amphipod Apherusa glacialis elucidates life-cycle characteristics. ESSAS - Ecosystem Studies of Sub-Arctic and Arctic Seas Open Science Meeting 2017-06-12 - 2017-06-15

Språkvelger

Erin Hye Soo Kunisch