Which seabird resembles Evil Knevil or Karl Lagerfeld? In 2068, will X and your grandkids meet kittiwakes, guillemots, and eider ducks only in virtual nature? Hear Framsenteret biologists Jan Ove Bustnes and Tone Reiertsen describe how seabirds translate changes in the flow of energy and life in marine ecosystems. Are we listening?

Virtual Nature part 1 explores how climate change is impacting birds on remote Arctic island nesting sites of circumpolar seabirds. The idea for virtual nature was proposed by the hello X creative team as a substitute for going outdoors, and a way to commemorate places and animals, like many populations of seabirds, that are currently in decline. In Virtual Nature part 2, you will hear a conversation between host and hello X creative director Christine Cynn with novelist Sigbjorn Skåden and game designer Ismet Bachtiar about the genesis and meaning of virtual nature in the X fiction world (now in development).

We will hear stories from two researchers who have spent their lifetimes studying guillemots, eider ducks, kittiwakes, among other species. Jan Ove Bustnes (working for NINA-Norwegian Inst. for Nature Research affiliated with the Fram Centre flagship project on Hazardous Substances) and Tone Reiertsen (NINA and Fram flagship project on ‘Effects of climate change on coastal ecology in the North).

Listen as Jan Ove and Tone speak about their experiences on Bjørnøya (Bear Island) at the far end of the Svalbard Archipeligo in the Barents Sea, and Hornøya (Horn Island) on the far northern shore of the Norwegian mainland.

Prefer a version without English overdub of Norwegian speech? See our bonus version with NO English overdub;)

Watch this video! ‘X saves the Kittwake’ hello X animation by Ice-9 artist Valentin Manz with music by Coda to Coda. Kids from the north and south of Norway tell the story of how X meets her grandmother’s avatar in virtual nature, and saves a kittiwake who eats plastic. On the hello X youtube channel.

VIRTUAL NATURE 2068: X chats with grandma's avatar in virtual nature about cleaning up the ocean

'Geirdodo' patron saint of extinct birds circa 2068. Collage by Valentin Manz

IN CONVERSATION WITH JAN OVE BUSTNES AND TONE REIERTSEN (with chalkboards-Christine is obsessed with them-no more stickies!)

VIDEO OF GUILLEMOT PARENT WITH FOOD FOR YOUNG (courtesy of Tone Reiertsen)

https://youtu.be/0aHlraYL39w

Norwegian Climate and Environment Dept on seabirds: http://www.miljodirektoratet.no/en/Areas-of-activity1/Species-and-ecosystems/Seabirds/

Norwegian coast and Douglas Adams https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/a-thousand-miles-of-norways-lovely-crinkly-edges-49047.html

BEAR ISLAND

Bears visit Bear Island (Norwegian) https://www.nrk.no/troms/bjornoya-fikk-bjornebesok-1.10958132

Bjørnøya dyreliv (Norwegian) http://cruise-handbook.npolar.no/no/bjornoya/wildlife.html

Birdlife International factsheet on Bear Island (Bjørnøya) http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bj%C3%B8rn%C3%B8ya-(bear-island)-iba-svalbard-and-jan-mayen-islands-(to-norway)/details

GUILLEMOTS / HORNØYA

Pictures courtesy of Tone Reiertsen

VIDEO! SEE GUILLEMOTS ‘FLY’ UNDERWATERGuillemots diving near Hornøya, Northern Norway https://www.nrk.no/video/PS*270032

Common guillemot description NP http://www.npolar.no/en/species/common-guillemot.html

guillemot/lomvi factsheet from the Norwegian Inst. on Nature Research

http://www2.artsdatabanken.no/faktaark/Faktaark2.pdf

Incredible diving capacity of guillemots and other diving birds https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v102n02/p0293-p0297.pdf

Guillemot call (British Museum/wikimedia) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Guillemot_(Uria_aalge)_(W1CDR0001424_BD6).ogg

https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/animal-behaviour/why-do-baby-guillemots-jump-off-cliffs-before-they-can-even-fly/

https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/00000144-0a1f-d3cb-a96c-7b1faa890000

Where do guillemots go in the winter? (Norwegian) https://www.nrk.no/troms/avslorer-lomviens-vinterhemmelighet-1.11273128

Great auk wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_auk

Long interesting article from a conference on capelin (small fish):