Pål Buhl-Mortensen

Curriculum vitae - P.B. Mortensen

Pål Buhl-Mortensen
Institute of Marine Research,
Research Group Benthic Habitat, Phone: + 47-55-236815
PO Box 1870 Nordnes, Fax: + 47-55-236830
N-5817 Bergen, Norway Email: paal.mortensen@imr.no

Current position: Senior Research Scientist, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen.

Education
Ph.D. (Dr. Scient.) degree at the Department of Fisheries and Marine Biology, University of Bergen; 2000. Thesis title: Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia) in Norwegian waters. Distribution, growth, and associated fauna. Advisor: Tore Høisæter, Associated Professor
Master of Science (Cand. Scient.) degree at the Department of Fisheries and Marine Biology, University of Bergen; 1992.
Bachelor of Science (Cand. Mag.) degree at the Department of Fisheries and Marine Biology, University of Bergen; 1989.

Major Projects and Activities
1987-1992: Ecology of seaweed and kelp communities
• Participation in national environmental monitoring projects headed by the Norwegian Institute of Water Research, and the Department of Fisheries and Marine Biology, University of Bergen.
• Littoral and sublittoral field studies along the Norwegian coast. Taxonomic identification and multivariate analysis of kelp associated fauna.
• One-year research fellowship at Kristineberg Marinbiological Station, Sweden. Investigation of the spatial distribution and the seasonal variation of the epiphyte community on Delesseria sanguinea (Rhodophycea) in Gullmarfjorden.
1993-1996: Structure of Lophelia pertusa coral reefs and composition of associated fauna
• Research fellowship funded by the Norwegian State Oil-company (Statoil). The project included offshore field work with bottom sampling and video recording of Lophelia reefs. Responsible scientist on two cruises to localities off mid-Norway. The primary goal for the project was to describe the structure of the coral reefs, and the composition of associated species.
1996-1997: Lophelia pertusa coral reefs as environmental archives
• Research fellowship funded by Statoil. The investigation involved: Uranium/Thorium and radio-carbon dating of coral skeletons, Analyses of stable oxygen and carbon isotopes, and Analyses of growth-line patterns. The primary goals for the project were to assess the possibility for using the coral skeletons as an archive for sea-water temperatures, and to describe the periodicity of growth-line formation. During this period I also visited Dr. David Barnes at the Australian Institute of Marine Science for two weeks to learn methods for studying growth-bands in tropical corals.
1997-1998: Mapping of benthic habitats on and along pipelines
• Research scientist in the project Ecological status for pipelines funded by Statoil. Analysis of video records from routine pipeline inspections in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea carried out by Statoil. Bottom types were classified, and sessile and mobile megafauna were quantified. Spatial distribution and succession of the fouling community were described. Participation on two cruises with survey vessels where pipelines and surrounding seabed were inspected with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV).
1997-2000: Ecology of Lophelia pertusa coral reefs and effects of fisheries
• Research scientist in the project Effect of fishery on coral reefs on the Norwegian continental shelf, headed by Dr Jan Helge Fosså (IMR). Data and material were collected by use of sidescan sonar, (ROV), and single and multibeam echosounder. Primary responsibility: to produce maps on the distribution and status of coral reefs, and to synthesise the results.
• Research scientist in the project Diversity of species associated with Lophelia coral reefs and methods for mapping and monitoring, headed by Dr Jan Helge Fosså. Material for faunistic analyses were collected with ROV, dredge and benthic grab.
• Participation on seven cruises with different research and survey vessels to Lophelia reefs off mid-Norway. Leader for a cruise with R/V “H. Mosby” to the slope off Shetland in collaboration with Dr John Gage, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Scotland.
2001- 2003: Studies of Deep-water Coral Ecosystems in Atlantic Canada
• Visiting Research Fellow in the project Deep-water Coral Ecosystems in Atlantic Canada, lead by Dr Donald C. Gordon (Department of Fisheries and Oceans, [DFO]) and Dr Ellen Kenchington (DFO). The studies were based on material collected by various means including DFO groundfish surveys, fishery observer records and research cruises using available imaging and sampling equipment. The main purposes of the deep-water coral project were to expand the knowledge on the distribution, abundance, taxonomy, and habitat requirements of deep-water coral species, and their associated fauna.
• Participation on three cruises with different research vessels to various sites off Nova Scotia.
2004-: Ecology of Lophelia pertusa coral reefs and effects of fishery
• Research scientist at the Institute of Marine Research. Analysis of data from bottom samples, video records and acoustic equipment. The focus of the studies is species inventory of deep-water coral reefs, habitat mapping and providing management advises.
• Participation on four cruises to the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea.
2006-: Mapping biodiversity and habitats in the Barents Sea
• Research scientist at Institute of Marine Research in the Norwegian research programme MAREANO.
• Participation on eight cruises to the Barents Sea, cruise leader on six.

Employment
Research fellow, Department of Fisheries and Marine Biology, Bergen, Norway, 1993-1997, investigations of Lophelia pertusa coral reefs and associated fauna.
Research scientist, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway, 1997-2000, various national investigations of Lophelia pertusa coral reefs and impact of fisheries.
Visiting Research Fellow, Bedford institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Canada, 2001-2003, research project on Deepwater Coral Ecosystems in Atlantic Canada.
Research scientist, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway, 2004-, mainly in the MAREANO programme, but also participation in various national and international investigations of Lophelia pertusa coral reefs and other sensitive habitats.

Participation in scientific working groups, etc.
ICES Study Group on Mapping the Occurrence of Cold Water Corals (SGCOR); ICES Working group on Deep-water Ecology (WGDEC)¸ ICES Working group on Marine Habitat Mapping (WGMHM); Scientific Committee of the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals; Leader of expert group for the development of a Norwegian Standard for benthic investigations using tethered inspection tools in deep water.

Selected presentation at professional meetings (2000-)
Mortensen, P.B. & L. Buhl-Mortensen 2003. Coral habitats in the Sable Gully, a submarine canyon off Atlantic Canada. - 2nd International Symposium on Deep Sea Corals, Erlangen, Germany, September 9 - 12, 2003.
Mortensen, P.B. J.H. Fosså, & H. Fosshagen 2004. Species diversity and spatial distribution of invertebrates on Lophelia pertusa (L., 1758) reefs in Norway. - 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa, Japan, 28 June – 2 July 2004.
Mortensen, P.B. 2005. Morphology, growth and feeding in cold-water corals. (Oral presentation). (Keynote). - 3rd International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals, 28.11– 02.12 2005, Miami, USA.
Mortensen, P.B., Buhl-Mortensen, L., Gebruk, A.V. and Krylova, E. M. 2005. Coral habitats on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. - 3rd International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals, 28.11– 02.12 2005, Miami, USA.
Mortensen P.B. & L. Buhl-Mortensen 2007. Distribution of marine biotopes and signs of fisheries impact in the southern Barents Sea – Results from the first MAREANO cruises. - GEOHAB 2007, 02.-06.05.07, Noumea, New Caledonia.
Mortensen, P.B., J.H. Fosså, & A. Hassel 2008. Biodiversity of Lophelia reefs in northern Norway. – 4th International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals, 01.11– 05.12.08, Wellington, New Zealand.
Mortensen, P.B., L. Buhl-Mortensen, M.F.J. Dolan, V.K. Bellec 2009. Multiple scale nature type classification - case studies from MAREANO. – GEOHAB 2009, 05.–08.05.09, Trondheim, Norway.