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:
We encourage you to read the newsletter and follow how the MARBEFES project links marine biodiversity with its ecological, social, and economic value.
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
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!
We are pleased to announce that in the NCN OPUS 29 call, our researchers have secured four new research grants. Funding was awarded to:
We warmly congratulate the Project Leaders and wish them every success in carrying out their research.
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.
We are pleased to announce that the eCUDO.pl system has been officially recognized as Poland’s National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) within the global IODE programme coordinated by the IOC of UNESCO.
The IODE has formally welcomed the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN) as the lead institution of the newly designated NODC, expanding the global network to 65 centres, including 11 accredited ones.
The designated contact point for the Polish NODC is Dr Eng. Marcin Wichorowski, Head of Data and IT Infrastructure Management at IO PAN, responsible for developing and operating systems that support the collection, dissemination and archiving of oceanographic data.
We extend our congratulations and appreciation to Dr Eng. Marcin Wichorowski and his team, who — after many years of dedicated effort carried out through projects such as ZSPDO, eCUDO and other initiatives — achieved both international recognition (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO) and national approval (Ministry of Infrastructure) for establishing the National Oceanographic Data Centre at IO PAN.
This success has been made possible thanks to the cooperation of many institutions contributing to the development of Poland’s oceanographic data infrastructure, including: MIR-NRI, PGI-NRI, the University of Gdańsk, the Maritime Institute of the Gdynia Maritime University, the Pomeranian Academy in Słupsk, and the University of Szczecin.
This milestone significantly strengthens Poland’s position within the international oceanographic data management system.
