15 years with the Spitsbergen Mesozoic Research Group

15 years with the Spitsbergen Mesozoic Research Group Hurum, J. H.*, Delsett, L.L., Hammer, Ø. & Nakrem, H.A. Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway. *Email: j.h.hurum@nhm.uio.no When dinosaurs ruled on land the apex predators in the ocean were marine reptiles. From the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, the Spitsbergen Mesozoic Research Group has excavated numerous well preserved marine reptile skeletons in order to understand the biology of these animals and the environment they lived in. The work of twelve field seasons since 2004 has made this one of the largest and most productive paleontological research projects in the high Arctic world-wide. The initial eight seasons focused on one of the richest occurrences of Late Jurassic—earliest Cretaceous (c. 150–139 Ma) marine reptiles in the world, and nearly sixty specimens have been collected, together with a diverse assemblage of invertebrates. The last four seasons were spent investigating events further back in time, as Spitsbergen preserves the remains from some of the first marine reptile radiations in the wake of the most devastating extinction in the history of the Earth, at the Permian–Triassic boundary (c. 252 Ma). The international research group published their first scientific results in 2012, followed by a steady stream of publications in the years since. Collectively, it has contributed significantly to the understanding of marine ecosystems at the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary and is starting to yield results about life’s recovery in the first millions of years after the Permian–Triassic extinction. Outreach has been a major part of the project from the very beginning, both because it is important to share these scientific results with the public, but also because it attracts funding. Alternative financial support and a lot of determination have been crucial components for the success of this long term research project. This has been made possible through cooperation with a local tourist agency and the petroleum industry, grants from the National Geographic Society, income from public lectures and personal sponsors.