Günter Köck

Guenter Köck ©  Daniel Hinterramskogler

Austria | Born in 1959

“I have been conducting research in the Arctic for
30 years – one of the most fascinating landscapes on our
planet and, at the same time, one of the most sensitive
to climate change. It is an extraordinary privilege for me
to be able to conduct research here with wonderful
colleagues and the local population.“

Günter Köck

High-Arctic has been investigating since 1997 how climate change is affecting the lakes of the Canadian Arctic and their fish. The collaborative project was initiated by the Austrian biologist Günter Köck and led jointly with his Canadian colleague Derek Muir. The focus is on the exposure of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) to the highly toxic heavy metal mercury and to persistent organic pollutants. The concentrations of these substances in fish tissue are analysed. In addition, core samples from lake sediments provide a climate and pollutant archive documenting past inputs and environmental conditions. All results are linked to climate data. What makes HIGH-ARCTIC special is its continuity: thanks to the annual surveys conducted since 1997, the project possesses a unique data series that enables the development of models capable of describing and forecasting the effects of climate on pollutant levels in fish in Arctic lakes.

Günter Köck began his career as a fish biologist at the University of Innsbruck. From 2004 to 2024, he coordinated the international research programmes of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and represented Austria on the International Coordinating Council of the UNESCO ‘Man and the Biosphere’ programme. Since his retirement, he has remained active at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (IGF) in Innsbruck. In 2025, he was awarded the “Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria”.

Derek Muir is a world-renowned environmental scientist who received the prestigious “Weston Family Award” in 2018 for his lifetime achievements in Arctic research. In 2024, he was further honored with an appointment to the Order of Canada.

In 2023, Köck and Muir transferred project responsibility to a younger Canadian team led by Jane Kirk and Gerald Tetreault.

Of the many collaborating partners, only a few can be mentioned here: Debbie Iqaluk, Charles Talbot, Ben Barst, Paul Drevnick, Karista Hudelson, Ana Cabrerizo, John Babaluk, Jim Reist, John Chetelat, Doug Bright, Harald Niederstätter, Christine Doblander, Klaus Gantner, Burkhard Berger.