Detect2Protect – Newsletter No. 3

13-01-2026

We are pleased to announce that the third issue of the Detect2Protect project newsletter has been released. In this edition you will find, among others:

• a report from the project meeting and the Advisory Board communication event (13 November 2025), including a summary of progress and next steps,
• information on four science outreach events held in autumn 2025 in Tallinn, Sopot, Vilnius and Riga, focused on ecotoxicology and chemical pollution,
• an accessible explanation of the project’s data integration methods (the Weight of Evidence approach) and an interview with the project coordinator, Prof. Kari K. Lehtonen, on the role of biomarkers in research on Baltic Sea biodiversity,
• an announcement of the final online stakeholder workshop, which will take place on 20 May 2026.

We encourage you to read the newsletter and share it with others who may be interested!

MARBEFES – Newsletter No. 3

19-12-2025

We are pleased to announce that the third issue of the MARBEFES project newsletter has been published. In this edition you will find, among others:

• a summary of the project’s General Assembly in Seville (6–10 October 2025), devoted, among other topics, to MARBEFES tools, ecological and economic valuation, and cooperation with stakeholders,
• reports from numerous networking events across Europe, including marine biodiversity project cluster meetings, ICES 2025 in Klaipėda, and the conference in Sopot,
• information about the stakeholder workshop in Zandvoort and survey research on the social and cultural benefits of seas and coasts,
• a feature on the BioBlitz event in Dublin, as well as an overview of educational and ocean literacy activities,
• a compilation of the latest scientific publications by the MARBEFES project team from 2025.

We encourage you to read the newsletter and follow how the MARBEFES project links marine biodiversity with its ecological, social, and economic value.

Where science and technology meet - Online Lecture by Prof. Dariusz Stramski

10-12-2025

We warmly invite you to a lecture by Prof. Dariusz Stramski, an outstanding oceanographer and a leading expert in marine optics. The event will take place online on 10 December 2025 at 15:00.

In his talk titled 'Where science and technology meet: A quest to understand marine light fields', Professor Stramski will take us on a fascinating journey into the world of light hidden beneath the ocean surface. The lecture will last approximately one hour and will be delivered in English. A short discussion will follow the presentation.

Link to the meeting: LECTURE BY PROF. DARIUSZ STRAMSKI

Professor’s Biography

XXII Young Oceanographers’ Symposium

09-12-2025

On 5 December 2025, the XXII Young Oceanographers’ Symposium was held at the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography of the University of Gdańsk, during which young researchers presented a total of 13 oral presentations and 8 posters. The competition committee awarded four works, three of which were received by PhD students from IO PAN:

Professor Krzysztof Skóra Award: Weronika Patuła, MSc 'From plankton nets to metabarcoding: exploring the diversity and environmental barriers of Arctic meroplankton in space and time'

Professor Halina Piekarek-Jankowska Award: Dominik Lis, MSc 'Remote estimation of near-surface concentrations and vertical profiles of chlorophyll a in the Baltic Sea using machine learning methods'

Best Poster Award: Blanka Pajda, MSc

Congratulations!

Four New NCN Grants for IO PAN Scientists

01-12-2025

We are pleased to announce that in the NCN OPUS 29 call, our researchers have secured four new research grants. Funding was awarded to:

• Prof. Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk – 'MACROalgal detritus derived CARBon sequestration in polar fiords: a natural pathway to climate change mitigation (MACROCARB)'
• Prof. Artur Stanisław Burzyński – 'Exploring Antimicrobial Potential of Mytilus Genomic Resources'
• Dr. Dhanushka Devendra – 'TRACE: Tracing the footprints of deglacial and early Holocene meltwater pulses in the European Arctic from Barents Sea sediments'
• Dr. Beata Latos – 'The Impact of the Atlantic Meridional Mode’s Seasonal Shift on Tropical Cyclone Patterns'

We warmly congratulate the Project Leaders and wish them every success in carrying out their research.

IO PAN Representative Joins IOC UNESCO Expert Group on Ocean Literacy

26-11-2025

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO has convened the first meeting of the renewed Group of Experts on Ocean Literacy (GE-OL) for the 2025–2027 term. Among the 36 experts from 34 countries is Prof. Tymon Zieliński from the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN), representing Poland.

The new GE-OL mandate will oversee the implementation of the IOC Ocean Literacy Plan of Action 2026–2030, which sets global priorities for ocean literacy. Key focus areas include integrating ocean knowledge into formal education systems, strengthening the role of ocean literacy in public policies, and supporting initiatives that foster societal engagement in ocean protection.

The participation of an IO PAN representative reinforces Poland’s presence in international efforts to advance ocean literacy and promote awareness of the ocean’s key role for society.