"Coast Carb - Coastal ecosystem carbon balance in times of rapid glacier melt"
- European Commission (H2020-MCSA-RISE 872690)
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With over 100 researchers from 18 institutions from 9 countries from Europe, South America, US and Canada project aims to build up a multidisciplinary information system on carbon balance for South Patagonia and Western Antarctic. This will be done by gathering and analysing recent coastal ecosystem data sets from all the participants and their research stations (AR-DE Carlini-Dallmann, US Palmer, UK Rothera, PL Arctowski), creating and open access data portal with dynamic ecosystem models of subAntarctic fjordic and estuarine environments. All of this is for a better understanding of this rapidly changing, due to global warming, fragile and globally important area.
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“SOLNUR – survey and measurements of dissolved oxygen in seawater in place of brine discharge to the Puck Bay”
- Gas Storage Poland (20ZAK006)
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Discharging brine directly into the shallow-water embayment such as the Puck Bay poses a threat, not only in terms of increased salinity, but also regarding the oxygen depletion, as the highly saline, dense water could potentially stagnate and/or form oxygen stressed (2–4 mg L-1) or hypoxic (< 2 mg L-1) conditions near the seabed that can be dangerous for bottom dwelling organisms. In a commercial project that assumes four-time-a-year surveys, we measure oxygen concentration [mg L-1] together with other seawater parameters (conductivity, salinity, pH, temperature, wind speed and direction), at 10 designated sites located in the near and far field of brine discharge. Measurements are taken in the entire water column starting from the surface up to the seabed with 2 m intervals. In the methodology that we proposed scientific diving is used. Direct underwater observation enable us not only to collect the thin water overlying bottom layer but also, record other possible long-term effects of oxygen depletion (e.g. sediment colour change, mass mortality of benthic fauna such as mussels or fish).
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One of the diffusers during discharge operation
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"FUND - Filter Feeders UNDer change
- unknown annual feeding strategies to be revealed by underwater time-lapse imagery"
- National Science Centre, Poland (2018/29/B/NZ8/02340)
One of the time-lapse camera systems deployed in front of a young wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) den.
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Projects aims to investigate the foraging activity of marine filter feeders (such as barnacles, bivalves, sea squirts, and sedentary polychaetes) continuously throughout the year, both in the high-Arctic (Spitsbergen, 78° N) and in the sub-Arctic (Northern Norway, 68° N). Our objective is to examine the relationships between environmental conditions, including food quality and quantity, and the feeding behaviour of filter feeders. Project will shed new light on the biology and ecology of this large and diverse functional group of organisms during poorly studied period of the polar night. Most importantly, by comparing the responses of filtering fauna to temporarily varying food availability between the two contrasting regions (highly seasonal and rapidly changing Arctic, and more stable sub-Arctic) we will (1) explore the environmental plasticity of feeding strategies of different filter feeder representatives under distinct conditions, and (2) be able to predict the directions of future changes of the shallow-water Arctic ecosystem. This is based on the assumption that both regions, although distant from each other and different in prevailing environmental conditions, are under the influence of the same North Atlantic Current, and that the Arctic fauna of Spitsbergen is impoverished fauna of Northern Norway. In the era of observed changes, including the so-called "Atlantification" of high latitudes, all regularities observed in sub-Arctic have a great chance to apply in the near future also in the Arctic, which is only 1000 km away.
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"ASSEMBLE Plus: (JRA5) Scientific Diving - Emerging technologies to improve diving-based science delivery"
- European Commission (H2020 - 730984)
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Joint research activity no 5 - Scientific Diving aims for standardisation of emerging or breakthrough technologies underwater. Specifically, the use of Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetric methods (the generation of 3D models from standard photographic source material) and miniaturised low-cost sub-tidal and littoral recording equipment. The IO PAN, and its Scientific Diving TEAM, is a partner among several other diving units from the EU (SAMS/Tritonia Scientific with project leader Dr. Martin Sayer, HCMR, SBR, SLC, UH-TZS, IO UG) working across a geographical gradient ranging from Mediterranean, through Baltic and Atlantic, to Svalbard Archipelago. We hope that such a diverse combination of marine habitats will provide a proper evaluation for the new techniques. This cross-disciplinary collaborative work is also a good opportunity to further develop the partnership between the existing diving teams.
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The model of ARMS (Artificial Reef Monitoring System) deployed at 15 m depth in Isfjorden, Spitsbergen
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"Mare Incognitum / Marine Night - ecological processes during the polar night"
- The Research Council of Norway (POLARPROG, 226417)
- Ministry of Science and Higher Education (W157/Norway/2013)
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Program scheduled for 2013-2016 and funded by the The Research Council of Norway was a consortium of several institutions under the overall direction of Professor Jorgen Berge from the University of Tromso. Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education funded a grant that supported the participation of IO PAN in this large collaborative initiative under the direction of Professor Jan Marcin Węsławski. The aim of the project was to identify the specifics of the polar night for the functioning of the Arctic ecosystem on the example of the waters of Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen, 79 ° N). The task 1, "Epifauna", explored both the level of activity and dynamics of the development of hard bottom organisms. During that project several time-lapse camera systems were developped. Some of the visual results can be viewed here www.PolarTimeLapse.net
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"Latitudinal patterns of biodiversity - do epifaunal assemblages of hard mobile substrates reflect the predicted models?" - Otto Kinne Foundation (2013)
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Identification of large scale patterns in biodiversity is a major challenge in ecology. One of the best known paradigms is biodiversity cline with latitude. On land it is known for well over a century and is reflected by large number of taxonomic groups starting from plants and ending on mammals. In the oceans, however, it is not so well established and number of studies have questioned its generality in the sea. Among the taxa that do not follow the pattern of poleward biodiversity cline there are invertebrates forming epifaunal assemblages on hermit crab shells. The inconsistencies in diversity o epifaunal assemblages between geographic regions revealed by Williams and McDermott (2004) (e.g. assemblages within the IndoWest Pacific are less species rich than those from temperate regions) were suggested to be driven by low, inadequate sampling efforts, rather than real differences in diversity patterns. For the purpose of the project hermit crabs were collected along a latitudinal gradient at Spitsbergen Island (80° N), northern (70° N) and southern (50° N) Norway, and in the Adriatic Sea (Croatia, 45° N)...
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"Factors controlling biodiversity on hard mobile substrate in the shallow Arctic sublittoral"
- National Science Centre (DEC-2011/01/N/NZ8/04493)
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In shallow Arctic seas many parts of the bottom are muddy while hard surfaces are rare which results in species-poor ecosystems. It was proved that the presence of even a small patch of hard surface can significantly increase local diversity. Therefore, snail shells, used by hermit crabs (Pagurus pubescens and P. bernhardus) (here model organisms) are considered an important source of hard, mobile surfaces in those regions. The goal of the project was to determine factors controlling biodiversity on such a specific substrate in the shallow Arctic and sub-Arctic sublittoral. The study spanned over a large geographic area from Spitsbergen Island (Svalbard Archipelago, 79° N) to northern Norway, 69° N. The research methodology included underwater experiments with deploying different substrates on the sea bottom and collecting naturally occurring ones. It aimed to understand how shape, surface type, continuous movement or stability of the substrate affects species composition, number and relative abundance of epibiotic species....
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