Human activities are expected to grow in the Arctic Ocean when the sea ice becomes a reduced obstacle; most notably shipping, fisheries, petroleum and tourism. This raises a lot of new challenges for the management of the Arctic Ocean. A research agenda for addressing these challenges should cover:
* analysis of the drivers behind these industries in order to improve our capability to make projections about their future development
* their effects on the Arctic marine ecosystems
* their effects on society
* the adequacy of existing governance structures and measures, and proposals for how to improve them both within sectors and holistically according to the ecosystem approach
In Tromsų, a new multidisciplinary research centre for climate and environmental studies are under development. This research agenda has been proposed to be guiding the activities on the Arctic Ocean within the centre. In the presentation, the questions will be elaborated on with examples mostly from shipping.