Specimen collections are snapshots in time of a particular ecosystem, and can over time give an informative look into the past that would otherwise not be possible to see.

This is why Nansen Legacy researchers work with Tromsø University Museum on archiving biological specimens from the Nansen Legacy cruises in the museum collection. Such material serves both as legacy of biodiversity of the Nansen Legacy project as well as valuable material for future research efforts. Some specimens have for example contributed to the Norwegian Barcode of Life program.

Existing historic material from the museum collection is also being used in connection with biodiversity-related objectives of the Nansen Legacy. Specifically, historic records of marine snails will be compared to Nansen Legacy and other current material to evaluate potential distribution shifts on decadal scales to over a century. Potential shifts will be related to prevailing environmental regimes.