Institute of Oceanology PAN

Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN) was founded in 1983 in place of the Marine Station in Sopot which had existed since 1953.

The mission of the Institute of Oceanology is to conduct marine environmenal research in order to expand knowledge of the processes and phenomena taking place there. Studies, which are carried out on the Baltic Sea and European Arcitc Seas, focus these days on the following four strategic fields:

I. The role of the oceans in climate change and its effects on European seas
II. The natural and anthropogenic variability of the Baltic Sea environment
III. Contemporary changes in the coastal ecosystems of shelf seas
IV. Genetic and physiological mechanisms of the functioning of marine organisms; the basics of marine biotechnology

The Institute has the rights to confer scientific doctoral degree (since 1993) and associate professor degree (since 2000) in the field of natural sciences, in the discipline of Earth and related environmental sciences. Currently, the Institute uses a complex of buildings featuring modern architecture, with a total usable area of 5,300 square meters, well-developed technical infrastructure, including a conference room able to seat about 150, equipped with state-of-the-art audio and video appliances. Research laboratories are provided with modern scientific equipment.

The Institute is the ship-owner operator of the research sailing vessel 'Oceania'.

The role of the oceans in climate change and its effects on European seas

research on transport of solar radiation and exchange of radiant energy in the water - atmosphere system
investigation of energy supply processes for marine ecosystems
investigation of photosynthetic processes, mass and energy exchange between the sea and the atmosphere
investigation of thermohaline circulation processes

The natural and anthropogenic variability of the Baltic Sea environment

investigation and modelling of hydrodynamic and biological processes in the Baltic Sea
investigation of the migration of natural and anthropogenic chemical substances across biogeochemical barriers
investigations of biochemical processes in the marine environment
studies of organic matter in bottom sediments

Contemporary changes in the coastal ecosystems of shelf seas

the role of biodiversity in the functioning of coastal ecosystems
study of the functioning of marine ecosystems NATURA 2000

Genetic and physiological mechanisms of the functioning of marine organisms; the basics of marine biotechnology

research on the neurohormonal regulation of behavior and adaptation of fish to changing environmental conditions; development of new indicators for the welfare of marine farmed fish
study of gene expression in fish and marine mussels
the use of genomics to study the relationship between the populations of selected species of utility fish and marine mussels and the recombination of mussel mitochondrial DNA
application of metagenomics to the study of marine bacteria and viruses