Knowledge areas

Vegetation ecology, global change biology, ecophysiology, biological diversity, vascular plants, lichens

Key qualifications

• Research on climate effects, especially related to climate change and extreme weather events in boreal and Arctic areas;
• Experimental studies for providing baselines for modeling og on-going and future ecosystem change due to climate change;
• Grazing ecology, especially related to effects of reindeer and goose;
• Anthropogenic effects, especially changes in land use (e.g. afforestation, industry, reduced outfield grazing) and air pollution, plus indirect effects via climate change, as listed above;
• Evaluations of biological diversity
• Taxonomy and systematics, especially on some lichen genera
• Impact assessments prior to planned land use changes.

Education

2003: Dr. scient, Univ. of Tromsø 1999: Cand. scient, Univ. of Tromsø 1997: Spanish, Univ. of Oslo 1996: Biology, Univ. of Bergen 1994-96: Biology, chemistry, geology, statistics, Univ. of Tromsø 1993: Examen philosophicum, Univ. of Tromsø

Experience

Researcher, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) – permanent position

• 1 September 2004 – p.t.: Senior scientist since 1 January 2011.

Researcher, Tromsø Museum, University of Tromsø, 11 months

• 1 April 2010 – 28 February 2011: Museum delegate in the Norwegian-Swedish research school in biosystematics (ForBio), which is funded by The Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Biodiversity Centre. 50 % of work time dedicated to research. Granted short-term leave from NINA for taking this position.

Postdoctoral fellow (short-term) – full time

• 1 April 2004 to 31 August 2004.

PhD (Research fellow) – full time

• 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2004: 4-year PhD position at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tromsø. Period after dissertation as researcher.

University administration – full time

• 5 July 1999 to 31 March 2000: Student advisor (executive officer) at the Faculty of Science, University of Tromsø.

Languages

Norwegian (mother tongue), English, Spanish, some German and Latin

Conference contributions

Bjerke J.W. 2013: Endret vinterklima i nordområdene. Klimascenario 2100 - blir vi berørt av klimaendringer i nord? Hva gjør vi for å møte utfordringene? Seminar organized by the Northern Network on Climate Change in co-operation with the FRAM centre. 3.9.2013, The FRAM Centre, Tromsø. Invited talk.

Bjerke J.W. 2012: Extreme winter warming in the High North and its biological effects in the past, present and future. Meeting for the terrestrial flagship at the FRAM Centre, 7.12.2012, University of Tromsø. Invited talk.

Bjerke J.W. 2012: Beiteskadestudiene i Trøndelag 2012 og 2011. Workshop for the reference group and stakeholders, the MIGRAPOP project, 17.9.2012, County Governor of Nord-Trøndelag, Steinkjer.

Bjerke J.W. 2012: Fram Centre: Effects of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems, landscapes, society and indigenous peoples. The Barents Euro-Arctic Council – Action plan on climate change in the Barents Regions. Workshop, Losby Manort, Lørenskog, 20.3.2012. Invited talk.

Divakar P.K., Lumbsch T., Wedin M., Bjerke J.W. et al. 2012: Multilocus phylogeny and classification of Parmeliaceae (Ascomycota) derived from PARSYS-10. Seventh International Lichenological Symposium IAL7, 10.1.2012. Bangkok, Thailand. Talk held by Divakar.

Tronstad I.K.K., Myles B.C., Grube M. & Bjerke J.W. 2012: Molecular phylogenetics and species delimitation in Menegazzia (Parmeliaceae). Seventh International Lichenological Symposium IAL7, 10.1.2012. Bangkok, Thailand. Talk held by Tronstad.

Bjerke J.W. 2011: Mildvær om vinteren – et eksempel på ekstremvær. Lansering av Framsenterets forskingssamarbeid: Klimaeffekter på terrestre økosystemer, landskap, samfunn og urfolk, 16.12.2011, University of Tromsø. Talk.

Ekberg A., Kuhn J., Bjerke J.W., Bokhorst S.F., Callaghan T.V., Faubert P., Pankoke H., Phoenix G.K., Rinnan R. & Sauer, J. 2011: Extreme winter warming events affect summer BVOC emissions from subarctic dwarf shrubs. iLEAPS Science Conference, 19.9.2011. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Poster presented by Ekberg.

Tømmervik H., Bokhorst S.F., Bjerke J.W., Callaghan T.V. & Phoenix G.K. 2011: Winter warming damage to sub-Arctic vegetation detected and monitored from space. 2nd Nordic Remote Sensing Days, 30-31.8.2011. Tromsø. Talk held by Tømmervik.

Bjerke J.W. 2011: Myr-kilde-flommark. Presentasjon av Naturindeks for Norge. Directorate for Nature Management, Regjeringskvartalet, Oslo. Talk.

Bjerke J.W. 2010: The menegazzioid clade. Encyclopedia of Life, Parmeliaceae expert group workshop, 14.-16. mai 2010. Biosync Conference Center, The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL., USA. Invited talk.

Bjerke J.W. 2010: Klimarelaterte vegetasjonsscenarioer: Hva vil være viktigst - vinterskader eller sommervekst? Researcher seminar, Tromsø Museum, 23.3.2010. Tromsø. Invited talk.

Bjerke J.W. 2010: Scenarios for vegetation in northern Scandinavia in a changing climate. What will be most important: winter damage or summer growth? MultiArc Annual Meeting, 3.3.2010. Royal Academy of Science, Abisko, Sweden. Invited talk.

Bjerke J.W. 2010: Vegetasjonsscenarioer i nord. NINA-dagan 2010, 9.2.2010. Polarmiljøsenteret, Tromsø. Invited talk.

Tronstad I.K.K., Bjerke J.W. & Elvebakk A. 2009: Towards a World monograph of the lichen genus Menegazzia. NINA-dagan 2010, 9.2.2010. Polar Environmental centre, Tromsø. Poster presented byBjerke.

Phoenix G.K., Bokhorst S., Bjerke J.W., Tømmervik H., Melillo J.M. & Callaghan T.V. 2009: Winter warming could reduce Arctic greening in contrast to summer warming. British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, 8-10.9.2009, University of Hertfordshire, UK. Talk held by Phoenix.

Tronstad I.K.K., Bjerke J.W. & Elvebakk A. 2009: Towards a World monograph of the lichen genus Menegazzia. Conservation Genetics Conference: Integrating Population Genetics and Conservation Biology, 23-26.5.2009, Trondheim. Poster presented by Tronstad.

Mølmann J., Bjerke J.W. & Haugland E. 2009: Gir nordlig klima gunstig fettsyresammensetning i beiteplanter. Bioforsk-konferansen 2009, 4-5.2.2009, Sandefjord. Talk held by Mølmann.

Bjerke J.W., Bokhorst S., Phoenix G.K., Bowles F., Melillo J.M. & Callaghan T.V. 2008: Impacts of extreme winter warming events in the Arctic – the cryptogam story. ATANS meeting – a contribution to the ENVISNAR IPY Programme, 13-15.10.2008, Royal Academy of Science, Abisko Sweden. Talk.

Phoenix G.K., Bokhorst S., Bjerke J.W., Bowles F., Rutter N., Melillo J.M. & Callaghan T.V. 2008: Impacts extreme winter warming events in the European Subarctic. ATANS meeting – a contribution to the ENVISNAR IPY Programme, 13-15.10.2008, Royal Academy of Science, Abisko Sweden. Talk held by Phoenix.

Phoenix G.K., Bokhorst S., Bjerke J.W., Bowles F., Melillo J.M. & Callaghan T.V. 2008: Impacts of an extreme winter warming event in the sub-Arctic: growing season responses of dwarf-shrub heathland. British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, 2-5.9.2008, Imperial College, London, UK. Talk held by Phoenix.

Bjerke J.W. 2008: Mulige scenarioer for vegetasjonen på Finnmarksvidda som følge av klimaendringer og langtransportert forurensning. 1.4.2008, Sami University College, Kautokeino. Invited talk.

Bjerke J.W., Bokhorst S., Phoenix G.K., Bowles F., Melillo J.M. & Callaghan T.V. 2007: Effects of simulated winter warming on northern boreal (subarctic) heath vegetation. Workshop High latitude terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems: interactions and response to environmental change, 11-14.9.2007, Royal Academy of Science, Abisko, Sweden. Poster.

Tømmervik H. & Bjerke J.W. 2006: Epiphytic lichen distribution in the Finnish-Norwegian-Russian border forests influenced by air pollution. Arbeidsmøte for prosjektet “Development and implementation of an integrated environmental monitoring and assessment system in the joint Finnish, Norwegian and Russian border area”, Apatity, Russia, 9-12.10.2006. Talk held by Tømmervik.

Honours

• Receiver of the Fram Centre Research Award 2012. Excerpt from the jury statement: Dr. Bjerke fulfils all the criteria for the Fram Centre Research Award in an excellent manner, and with his high public outreach activity Bjerke stands as a good representative of the "modern scientist". Bjerke therefore stands out as a very good ambassador for the flagship research projects of the Fram Centre, and is a very worthy winner of this year's research award (translated from Norwegian).
• Nominated to the Fram Centre Public Outreach Award 2012.
• Honoured through naming of species new to science: the lichen Menegazzia bjerkeana Kantvilas (The Lichenologist, Vol. 44, pp. 795-797).

Publications:

• Publications in CRIStin
• Other publications