University of Helsinki
P.O. Box 3
00014 University of Helsinki
Finland
Hanko peninsula, Finland
Description of the infrastructure: The Tvärminne Mesocosm Facility (TMF) is the largest marine mesocosm facility in Finland located at Tvärminne Zoological Station (TZS). Located in a 600-ha nature reserve at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland in the northern Baltic Sea, the facility benefits from access to a large area of coastal brackish water characterised by low levels of pollution and physical disturbance. TMF has the facilities and the long-term experience to set up flexible mesocosms of up to 50 m3 volume in the field. In addition, 12 indoor 600-litre mesocosms will be available in 2021. There are excellent background data to support mesocosm experiments addressing impacts on long-term environmental change. Cold winters make the site an excellent place for studies on the importance of sea ice. Well-equipped laboratories, several research vessels, sampling equipment, diving facilities, experimental aquarium facilities and long-term databases are also available on site.
pelagic – marine – outdoor
A large nature reserve surrounding TZS is dedicated to research, providing access to a pristine environment for field mesocosms. Research vessels and technical services support sampling and maintenance; a hovercraft allows winter-studies. Aquarium facilities with natural or artificial light are available for flow-through experiments at up to 100 000 m3 daily water capacity. A marine laboratory provides analytical services.
Temperature, light, pH, pCO2, nutrient levels, community composition, turbidity
Biodiversity, stoichiometry, benthic ecology, plankton ecology, seagrass ecology, ice studies, reproductive evolution in fishes
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