The student will participate in an outdoor mesocosm experiment on the impact of projected freshening of the Baltic Sea on trophic interactions in plankton communities. The experiment is a part of a PhD project by Clio Hall and is open for transnational access within the Aquacosm network (https://www.aquacosm.eu/mesocosm/tvarminne-mesocosm-facility-tmf/), giving a unique opportunity for networking. The student will also become an integral part of the Pelagic Biodiversity Lab that focuses on the impact of climate change on plankton biodiversity (https://pelagicbiodiversity.wordpress.com), and is expected to participate in the weekly group meetings.
The student will participate in setting up the experiment on a swimming platform offshore the Tvarminne Zoological Station of the University of Helsinki (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research-stations/tvarminne-zoological-station) and will help with sampling the mesocosms. These activities require extensive field work in the archipelago sea. In addition, the student is expected to perform measurements in the lab together with the PhD student and Aquacosm participants. The lab work will include (but is not limited to) microscopy (phytoplankton, zooplankton), flow cytometry, chlorophyll and fluorescence measurements, and measurements of particulate and dissolved nutrients. If interested, the student can also broaden her/his knowledge on statistical analysis of experimental data.
