Tvärminne Zoological Station

Finnish Scientific Diving Academy at Tvärminne Zoological Station is looking to appoint an Project Coordinator for a 3-year, full-time position starting 1.2.2025 or according to agreement. Apply by the 30th of October.

"Helsingin yliopiston Tvärminnen asemalla toimii tutkimussukellusakatemia Finnish Scientific Diving Academy, joka kouluttaa tutkimussukeltajia esimerkiksi nyt sulavien polaarialueiden tutkijoiksi. Tutkimussukellusakatemia sai Weisell-säätiöltä kesäkuussa suuren lahjoituksen toimintansa kehittämiseen ja uusien koulutusten järjestämiseen. – Uusi lahjoitus on toiminnallemme elinehto. Sen turvin pystymme kehittämään tutkimussukellusakatemian toimintaa edelleen, toteaa FSDA:n koordinaattori Edd Stockdale sanoo. Weisell-säätiön hallituksen puheenjohtaja Mikko Voipio toteaa, että tutkimussukellusakatemian tukemisessa yhdistyy kolme säätiön toiminnalle tärkeätä arvoa: koulutuksen, tutkimuksen ja luonnon, erityisesti merialueiden, hyvinvoinnin edistäminen. – Meille tärkeätä on myös merellisen kulttuuriperinnön säilyttäminen. Tutkimussukellustoiminnan kehittämiselle on ollut [Suomessa] selvä kysyntä, ja siksi akatemia perustettiin. Sen toiminta on Euroopankin tasolla saanut hyvin arvostusta lyhyessä ajassa, Mikko Voipio sanoo."

How do tiny animals influence the carbon cycle? Zooplankton are tiny animals that live in all water bodies, lakes, rivers and oceans. Most of them are very small, sometimes less than 1 mm, but they are very important for the functioning of the global oceans due to their sheer numbers. Due to climate change the zooplankton communities are changing. What we don't know yet is what these changes mean for the function of the ecosystem and especially on the carbon cycle. Zooplankton species contribute to carbon cycling by taking up carbon through feeding, transporting it to larger organisms but also by releasing carbon through respiration (CO2) or excretion back into the environment. In this experiment, we are trying to measure the specific carbon export rates in form of respiration and excretion of the 5 main zooplankton species that make up the zooplankton community at Tvärminne Storfjärden. We have a number of individuals of one single species in bottles for 48 hours. During that time we measure how much oxygen was taken up for breathing from the water, how much CO2 and Methane are released into the air and how much carbon was released into the water. With the results of this experiment, we hope to be able to quantify the impact the change in zooplankton community composition has on the carbon cycle. Video: The busy zooplankton community under a stereo microscope, about 25x magnified. #balticsea #zooplankton #carbon #coastclim

OPEN CALL - Onni Talas Foundation PhD grants for 2025 for marine projects at Tvärminne Zoological Station, deadline 30.10.2024. For more information and to get a copy of the application form, please contact joanna.norkko@helsinki.fi

The Emmaus Helsinki association donated €1,500 for the University of Helsinki’s Monicoast project, which explores the diversity of coastal areas. The funds came from the sales proceeds of Emmaus charity shops on World Water Day. Funded by donations, the project studies the effects of long-term changes to diversity in coastal areas. The data loggers are located in the sea outside Tvärminne Zoological Station on the Hanko peninsula. A big thank you for this donation! <3

A gigantic observation platform deployed 32 meters deep on the sea floor! Equipped with state-of-the-art gadgets this huge benthic lander autonomously records physical, chemical or biological activity at the sea floor. The platform was deployed in August with the help of R/V Augusta and measurements will continue for a total of six weeks outside Tvärminne Zoological Station. The ocean plays a fundamental role in Earth's carbon cycle, helping to regulate atmospheric CO2 concentration. Photosynthesizing organisms in the surface layer of the sea take up carbon; when they finally decompose in the deep sea the carbon is returned to the water. - The aim of this project is to better understand the effect of plankton communities on coastal carbon fluxes, says project leader Kristian Spilling from Finnish Environment Institute (Syke). The steel legs of the benthic lander are equipped with batteries and a whole lot of instrumentation for measuring a variety of variables. - We are measuring gases such as methane, oxygen, CO2 but also temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, l and organic matter while GTK is measuring particles both optically and acoustically, Kristian explains. This is a joint research project with Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) and the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), and it is also a part of the Finnish marine research infrastructure FINMARI where Tvärminne, University of Helsinki is also included. The project is titled “The impacts of phytoplankton community composition and particle transport pathways on the biological carbon pump in coastal seas under the changing climate (PHYTOTRANS)”, and is funded by the Research Council of Finland. These in situ field measurements provide valuable scientific field data. The benthic lander was earlier deployed outside Utö with the help of R/V Aranda in from April to June this year. - At Utö we deployed the lander at a depth of 64 meter. This will give us a good basis to see differences between the two sites, Kristian Spilling says. The platform will be retrieved from the sea floor in Tvärminne next week with data for the scientist to analyze. The research project PHYTOTRANS is ongoing until 2027. #tvärminnezoologicalstation #marineresearch #phytotrans #syke #FINMARI #GTK

"There has never been a greater need for environmental information than in this era of climate change and biodiversity loss. Finland has a comprehensive network of research stations that form the core of long-term environmental monitoring." The Modelers of Change exhibition 15.8.–27.11.2024 at University of Helsinki's Think Corner in Helsinki showcases long-term data series from Tvärminne Zoological Station and the other University of Helsinki's research stations, offering a unique glimpse into the heart of research.

How much carbon is processed by microbes and where does it go? What are the sources of methane in seawater? These and similar questions are addressed by the CoastClim researchers sampling plankton, water and greenhouse gases on board of r/v Augusta this summer. An interdisciplinary group of researchers at Tvärminne is looking deeply into carbon accumulation and emission processes happening in the water column. Microbial organisms, including phytoplankton and bacteria are keeping CO2 and methane in balance. Phytoplankton are taking up CO2 and transport it to the seafloor as they sink, but heterotrophic bacteria release CO2 as they respire. Some microbes can also produce methane. Our research team is working towards better understanding of these processes, helping parameterize mathematical models of carbon fluxes between the sea and the atmosphere. #marineresearch #coastclim #balticsea #carbon #phytoplankton #ghg #wearehelsinkiuni

Several researchers from the University of Helsinki and Åbo Akademi University have joined forces in field work to study the biodiversity of seagrasses and other aquatic plants including their associated animal and diatom communities. Jenna Hölttä and Camilla Gustafsson investigate which seagrass and other aquatic plant species are found where and in what quantity. They further study how the environment affects these plant communities by looking at their characteristics (functional traits). Tiina Salo and Leena Virta, together with Emma Holmback, Anna Villnäs and Marie Nordström, explore how changes in benthic animal and diatom communities and their features modify food webs in seagrass habitats. #balticsea #marineresearch #fieldcampaign

Healthy Seas met Edd Stockdale for a brief dive into the world of scientific diving! Edd is the coordinator for the Finnish Scientific Diving Academy at Tvärminne Zoological Station in Hanko. #wearehelsinkiuni