Sampling the dark hours

Time at sea is limited and thus precious and there is so much to be done on a scientific cruise. To get the best possible snapshot of life in the Baltic Sea during our 12-day journey, we therefore try to sample as many locations as we can along the way to increase the resolution of […]

AL592 now posting from the Baltic Sea!

Hello from Bornholm Basin in the central Baltic Sea! With a team of 12 scientists and 11 permanent crew, we are currently operating in Baltic waters with research vessel Alkor to improve understanding of this beautiful but also heavily impacted and rapidly changing system. For this purpose, we measure physical and chemical parameters (temperature, salinity […]

Science, the Sea, and Finding My Sea Legs

RV ALKOR

Back in October of 2020, deciding to move to a new country where I didn’t speak or understand the language at the height of a worldwide pandemic to pursue MSc. Biological Oceanography was a challenge I never thought I could overcome, but here we are in September 2021! Truth be told, two semesters of just […]

Power of the plankton pt. 2

Today scientific cruise party member Elvita is going to take you even deeper into the world of plankton (aka “the diverse collection of organisms in the water column that are unable to propel themselves against a current”). Here is what she writes: While we were all excited about finding an early cod larva in our […]

Power of the plankton pt.1

Today scientific crew member Anton is going to introduce you to the importance and fascination of larval fishes in the Baltic Sea. Here is his blog entry: Most of the fish species in the Baltic Sea spawn in spring. This is the time when life starts to bloom not only on land but also in […]