About the Project | SEA-Quester : SEA-Quester

Faculty of Science and Engineering,

Email:anna.lyubavina@abo.fi

Phone:+358 503319626

Anna Törnroos-Remes

Associate Professor (tenure track),

Environmental and Marine Biology

The Sea

I received my PhD in Marine Biology in 2014 from Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU), after which I worked as postdoc within the EU BONUS project BIO-C3, and as a guest researcher at the Centre for Ocean Life, Technical University of Denmark. In 2018 I moved back to Finland and Turku to work as an assisstant professor (tenure-track) within the interdishiplinary research profile The Sea and the subject Environmental and Marine Biology at ÅAU. I am currently (2021) an associate professor (tenure-track) within The Sea and the Environmental and Marine Biology.

Email:anna.m.tornroos@abo.fi

Phone:+358-469201610

Main Contact; WP7-8 Co-Lead

Artur Palacz

Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN) · Marine Chemistry and Biochemistry

PhD

Org:IOPAN

Bryce Van Dam

Director of Institute

Institute of Carbon Cycles

Org:hereon

Email:Bryce.Dam@hereon.de

Phone:+49 (0) 4152 87-2847

Christian Pansch-Hattich

Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering,

Environmental and Marine Biology

The Sea

I am a marine eco-physiologist working at Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland. I am fascinated by the sea and the interactions species have among each other. I particularly look into the underwater environment with a view for the plentiful scales at which processes occur, from small-scale and short term processes to large-scale and long-term changes.

Email:christian.pansch-hattich@abo.fi

Phone:+358-505126850

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Main Contact; WP4-5 Lead

Christof Pearce

PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Geoscience

Email:christof.pearce@geo.au.dk

Phone:+4593508915

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Christoffer Boström

Associate Professor

Biträdande professor, Fakulteten för naturvetenskaper och teknik, Miljö- och marinbiologi

Havet

The ocean has given me so much in my life that I felt doing marine research and teaching marine biology is the least I can do to save the sea for my kids to enjoy. I like the size of ÅA, big enough to be a critical mass, but simultaneously small enough to rapidly test and develop new strategies across disciplines. We can not compete with the breadth of the biggest universities, but instead show excellence in specific core areas like marine ecology. The staff-student ratios are beneficial for students, and my impression is that students can get personal input throughout their studies at all levels.

Org:Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Email:christoffer.bostrom@abo.fi

Phone:+358-504318226

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ECR

Claudia Schmidt

PhD Student

Marine Carbon Cycling

Org:hereon

Email:Claudia.Schmidt@hereon.de

Phone:+49 (0)4152 87-2151

PhD/Post-Doc

Cordelia Roberts

Research Associate

Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park) – Faculty of Natural Sciences

My research interests lie in the role that microorganisms play in cycling carbon in the ocean. I am interested in looking at dead, dying and faecal material in the ocean (similar to leaf litter on land) which form sinking and suspended particles. These particles are a habitat and food source for microscopic organisms, and the interactions that take between microbes and their home/food play a crucial role in cycling carbon in the ocean. I am particularly interested in taking a fine scale approach to determining the heterogeneity in the particle types found in the ocean, and what drives this variability, in addition to the diversity of microorganisms associated with different particle types.

I use both sea-going fieldwork combined with experiments, biogeochemical measurements and molecular biology to understand the role of a diverse range of microbes including bacteria, archaea and microbial eukaryotes (unicellular organisms and fungi) on carbon storage in the ocean.

I am currently working on the NERC funded BIO-Carbon programme project ‘PARTITRICS’ to determine how particle type plays a role in respiration of organic material in the North Atlantic surface and mesopelagic waters.

Org:Imperial College London

Email:c.roberts@imperial.ac.uk

Advisory Board

Debbie Stienberg

CSX Professor

My research interests are in zooplankton ecology and physiology, coastal and deep-sea food webs, and carbon and nutrient cycling. Much of my research program focuses on how zooplankton influence cycling of nutrients and organic matter, and how climate affects long-term change in zooplankton communities. Our laboratory has been involved in a number of projects with this theme, including the role of zooplankton vertical migration in transport of nutrients, the ecology of gelatinous zooplankton “blooms” and their affect on fluxes of organic matter, the importance of zooplankton in the cycling of dissolved organic matter, mesopelagic zooplankton and particle flux, and the effects of mesoscale eddies and a large river plume on zooplankton community structure. We are also using long-term data sets from the Western Antarctic Peninsula and the Sargasso Sea off Bermuda to study the effects of climate change on zooplankton communities, and how these community changes may affect ocean food webs and biogeochemistry. I have worked in many marine environments including coastal California, the Antarctic, the Sargasso Sea, the subtropical and subarctic North Pacific, the North Atlantic off western Europe, the Amazon River plume, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Email: debbies@vims.edu

Phone:(804) 684-7838

DTU Aqua project office

Dina Natalia Berenstein

Research Coordinator, National Institute of Aquatic Resources

Research Secretariat

Org:DTU

Email:dibe@aqua.dtu.dk

Phone:+45 93510678

PhD

Dominik Lis

PhD/Post-Doc

Org:IOPAN

Email:dolis@iopan.pl

PhD/Post-Doc

Emily Stidham

PhD/Post-Doc

Org:The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Warnemünde

WP Lead

Emma L Cavan

Senior Lecturer

Department of Life Sciences – Faculty of Natural Sciences

My overarching research interest is in how marine plants and animals drive the global ocean carbon sink, and regulate the climate and their environment. This includes how climate change and fishing will disturb marine ecosystems and change the natural carbon sinks that already exist as ‘Nature Based Solutions’ to climate change. I have a particular interest and expertise in Antarctic krill and their role in the ocean carbon sink.

My background is in empirical marine biogeochemistry/ecology, mostly on the role of microbes and zooplankton in the open-ocean organic carbon sink and store (e.g. plankton poo!). I am also passionate about promoting the importance of organisms in global biogeochemical cycles, and the conservation of species for this purpose. My current role in my fellowship is to numerically model how climate change will impact Antarctic krill and the subsequent impacts to the Southern Ocean krill fishery.

Org:Imperial College London

Email:e.cavan@imperial.ac.uk

PhD (partial fund)

Fernando Aguado Gonzalo

PhD/Post-Doc

Org:IOPAN

PhD (external fund)

Giulia Röeg

PhD/Post-Doc

Gundel Westerholm

Controller

Ekonomiservice

Central Administration

Email:gundel.westerholm@abo.fi

Phone:+358 469215776

Hamed Sanei

Ph.D., Professor & Research Chair

Professor, Department of Geoscience

Professor, Arctic Research Centre – Arctic Research Centre, Høegh Guldbergs Gade

Email:sanei@geo.au.dk

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WP Lead

Helmuth Thomas

Director of Institute

Institute of Carbon Cycles

Org:hereon

Email:helmuth.thomas@hereon.de

Phone:+49 (0)4152 87-2805

ECR

Henrieka Detlef

Assistant Professor, Department of Geoscience

Org:The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Warnemünde

Email:henrieka.detlef@geo.au.dk

Joanna Stoń-Egiert

Org:IOPAN

Work Package Lead

Jörg Dutz

Dr. Jörg Dutz
Department: Biological Oceanography

Phone:+49 (381) 5197-3479

Email:joerg.dutz@io-warnemuende.de

PI, WP1 (co-)lead

Kai Bischof

Research interests

Marine Botany
Ecophysiology of marine algae
Acclimation strategies towards abiotic stress
Photosynthesis in marine algae and seagrass
Mechanisms of range expansion and bioinvasions
Physiological protection mechanisms against high light stress
Generation and scavenging of reactive oxygen species
Comparative research on related algae from different climate regions

University teaching

Aquatic flora
Concepts of marine ecophysiology
Ecophysiology of marine algae
Plant physiology

Appointments & Education

Since 2024: Deputy Director of MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences
Since 2020: Coordinator of the EU H2020 project FACE-IT
2014-2020: Chair of the Kongsfjord Ecosystem flagship program
Since 2006: Professor for Marine Botany, University of Bremen, Germany
2004-2007: Head of Junior Research Group “Polar Algae”, Institute for Polar Ecology, University of Kiel and Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
2003-2006: Assistant Professor for Biological Oceanography, Institute for Polar Ecology, University of Kiel, Germany
2001-2003: PostDoc at the Department of Marine Biology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
2000-2001: PostDoc at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
1997-2000:PhD student at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
1991-1996: University studies of biology at the Universities of Bochum and Osnabrück (Germany), majors: Botany, Ecology, Biophysics

Org:University of Bremen

Karol Kuliński

Researcher

Org:IOPAN

Email:kroll@iopan.pl

PhD (partial fund)

Katarzyna Dragańska-Deja

PhD/Post-Doc

Org:IOPAN

Katarzyna Koziorowska

Researcher

Org:IOPAN

Email:kkozio@iopan.pl

Kati Kemppainen

Project Coordinator, Research services

Solutions for Health

University Services

Email:kati.kemppainen@abo.fi

Phone:+358 504733923

Advisory Board

Keyhong Park

Org:Korea Polar Research Institute

ECR

Kristin Doering

Postdoc
Department of Geoscience

Email:kristin.doering@geo.au.dk

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Lorenz Meire

Senior Researcher

Greenland Climate Research Centre

Researcher at NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)

Research area: Oceanography, glacier-ocean interaction, biogeochemistry

Org:GINR

Phone:+299 361265

Email:lome@natur.gl

ECR

Mads Ramsgaard Stoltenberg

PhD Student
Department of Geoscience

Email:mrs@geo.au.dk

ECR - Data Manager

Marcin Wichorowski

CIO at Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Science

Org:IOPAN

PhD (external fund)

Maren Staniek

PhD/Post-Doc

Org:The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Warnemünde

Work Package Lead

Maren Voss

Prof. Dr. Maren Voß

The biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen compounds and related elements is a major focus of my work. Since almost two decades I have been leading a group of students and PostDocs supported by various projects funded by the German Science Foundation, European Union, the Ministry of Science and Technology plus the basic institutional funding. Several projects in the past focused on nitrogen fixation activity in the Baltic Sea, the South China Sea off Vietnam and the Atlantic Ocean under the present situation and under ocean acidification scenarios. Research in the Baltic Sea concentrated on budgets of nitrogen for the entire Sea, and on nitrogen cycling in coastal and estuarine waters. We often use stable isotope signatures in environmental samples to better understand sources of nitrogen compounds or nitrogen turnover processes. Furthermore, we use labelled isotope compounds to measure rates like nitrogen fixation or nitrification. For more information please visit our website of the group “Marine N-cycle”.

Phone:+49 381 5197 209

Email:maren.voss@io-warnemuende.de

Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz

Ph.D.

Head of Department, Department of Geoscience

Professor, Arctic Research Centre – Arctic Research Centre, Høegh Guldbergs Gade

Professor, iCLIMATE Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change – iCLIMATE Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade

Email:mss@geo.au.dk

Phone:+4527782897

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Project lead

Marja Koski

Professor, National Institute of Aquatic Resources

Section for Oceans and Arctic

Besides DTU Aqua I have worked 6 years in the Netherlands Institue for Sea Research, as well as ca 5 years in the University of Helsinki. In addition, I have made numerous short-term research visits (1-4 weeks) to different institutes in Sweden, Norway, Germany and Greenland. I have participated in experiments and / or cruises of the EU-projects FATE, BIOHAB and DOMTOX, and in a number of other joint international research efforts.

Language Skills:
Finnish
Swedish
Danish
English
Dutch
French

Education/Academic qualification

Docent in Aquatic Sciences, University of Helsinki

… → 2007

PhD in hydrobiology / marine biology, University of Helsinki, Finland

1994 → 1999

Master degree in hydrobiology, University of Helsinki, Finland

1988 → 1993

External positions

Post doc and research scientist

2002 → 2009

Post doc, Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

1999 → 2002

PhD student, University of Helsinki

1994 → 1999

Org:DTU

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Phone:93511545

Email:mak@aqua.dtu.dk

Advisory Board

Michael Karcher

Senior scientist

Email:Michael.Karcher@awi.de

Phone:+49(471)4831-1826

Mie S. Winding

Head of Department

Greenland Climate Research Centre

Exploring the intersection of biodiversity, ecosystems, and climate, I am a dedicated marine biologist with a profound fascination for the ocean and its wonders. As a strategic and operational leader, I am passionate about driving change collaboratively and achieving impactful results. My career is built on the principles of teamwork, innovation, and fostering an environment where my team can thrive and excel. Whether advancing scientific research or management, I am dedicated to creating a positive and lasting impact.

Org:GINR

Phone:+299 361238

Email:miwi@natur.gl

PhD (partial fund)

Mirek Darecki

Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences · Department of Marine Physics

PhD, DSc

Org:IOPAN

Miroslaw Darecki

Assoc. Prof.
head of the laboratory

Org:IOPAN

Email:darecki@iopan.pl

Monika Kędra

Head of Laboratory of Ecosystem Functioning

Org:IOPAN

Phone:+ 48 58 7311779

Email:kedra@iopan.pl

Work Package Lead

Morten Iversen

Section Head

Biological oceanographer with extensive research experience in mechanistic studies on production, export, transformation, and recycling of organic matter in the ocean. Strong focus on biogeochemistry and microbiology where I use multidisciplinary approaches to link small-scale processes to the full water column across high and low latitudes, going from time-scales spanning from minutes to decades. Linking experimental studies with field observations that include direct process studies during sea-going expeditions and long-term observations using moorings, satellites and glider measurements. Pioneering and development of new optical techniques and equipment that allow to go beyond bulk concentration measurements and directly quantify in situ processes such as size-specific settling velocities and microbial degradation of organic aggregates.

Phone:+49 (0)471 4831 1824

Mobile:+49(471)4831-1149

Email:morten.iversen@awi.de

Scientist

Nasrollah Moradi

Scientist

Application of advanced numerical models and modern data science techniques to leverage and combine in-situ & remote observations as well as laboratory measurements in order to improve our understanding of marine biological carbon pump

Specific focus:

– Lateral transportation and transformation of organic matter – linking coastal and open ocean environments

– Impact of ocean mesoscale eddies on carbon export to deep ocean

– Small-scale mass transfers within and around sinking marine particles and phytoplankton colonies

Phone:+49 (471) 4831-1846

Mobile:+49 (471) 4831-1149

Email:nasrollah.moradi@awi.de

ECR

Ndubuisi Ukpabi

Postdoc, Department of Geoscience

My specialization centers on the examination/interpretation of microfossils, with a focus on nannofossils and palynology. My professional activities encompass their use in reconstructing paleoenvironments and paleoecologies, dating geological ages (relative dating), establishing biozones, guiding drilling decisions (biosteering), and delineating biostratigraphic/sequence stratigraphic frameworks. I am expanding my expertise to include foraminiferal, geochemical, and paleoceanographic studies.

Email:nduk@geo.au.dk

DTU Aqua project office

Ole Henrik Haslund

Research Coordinator, National Institute of Aquatic Resources

Research Secretariat

Org:DTU

Scopus Profile:View

Email:ohha@aqua.dtu.dk

Phone:20897460

Media Lead

Olivia Rempel

Videographer

I am a Canadian journalist and documentary filmmaker interested in sustainability and environmental issues.

During my undergrad, I studied journalism and an interdisciplinary program called Environment, Sustainability, and Society at the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University. I later completed a master’s at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, focusing on documentary filmmaking.

I began my career doing logistics and communications for Students on Ice, a non-profit that brings high school and university students to the Arctic and Antarctica on educational expeditions. Later I interned for PBS NOVA, led open-source investigations at the Human Rights Center at the UC Berkeley Law School, and worked on documentaries that have screened at numerous film festivals around the world, from Los Angeles, California, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In September 2020 I began working at GRID-Arendal to help grow the Technology and Innovation team’s video and documentary capabilities.

Email:olivia.rempel@grida.no

Phone:+47 474 71 645

Main Contact; WP Lead

Paige Hellbaum Eikeland

Expert (Polar & Climate)

As a Researcher in the Polar & Climate programme, I leverage my wildlife and habitat management expertise to further the GRID-Arendal thematic portfolio in biodiversity and conservation. Science communication is at the heart of this work, and I love sparking interest and creating “aha” moments – whether it be for policymakers, managers, scientists, students, or the public.

I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming in 2015 and worked in both the public and private sectors before obtaining my master’s in Applied Ecology in 2022. I received a Fulbright grant to complete my degree in Norway, studying ungulate browsing damage and wildlife conflicts for my thesis. Afterwards, I interned at the Scientific & Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) for the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). I have continued collaborating with the UNEP-Vienna office at GRID on projects such as Vanishing Treasures and Central Asian Mammals and Climate Adaptation (CAMCA).

Nothing beats the rush of feeling a fish at the end of your line or getting a stuff block in volleyball. When I am not working, you can find me curled up with a good book, brewing beer, or hiking in the forest… but preferably never far from a warm cup of tea.

Phone:+47 9171 9863

Email:paige.eikeland@grida.no

ECR

Phoebe Armitage

Doctoral student,

Faculty of Science and Engineering,

Environmental and Marine Biology

Email:phoebe.armitage@abo.fi

WP1 Co-Lead

Piotr Kowalczuk

Professor at Institute of Oceanology of Polish Academy of Sciences. ul. Powstańców Warszawy 55. 81-712 Sopot. POLAND.

Org:IOPAN

Email:piotr@iopan.pl

Rachel Lupien

Assistant Professor, Department of Geoscience

Tenure Track Assistant Professor, iCLIMATE Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change – iCLIMATE Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade

Section for Oceans and Arctic

Email:rachel.lupien@geo.au.dk

Phone:+4530183126

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ECR

Rafael Goncalves-Araujo

Dr.

Researcher, National Institute of Aquatic Resources

Org:DTU

Email:rafgo@aqua.dtu.dk

Phone:+45 22157879

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Comms Lead

Sabrina Heerema

Head of Programme, Polar and Climate

Born and raised in Canada, the Arctic and especially Indigenous Peoples have always held a special place in my heart. It has been an honour to have the opportunity to cooperate with the Arctic Council Secretariat previously and very exciting to focus on communicating the important work of GRID-Arendal’s Polar Programme. Currently my focus is on the Horizon 2020 projects Arctic PASSION and EcoTip, working together with Indigenous communities.

I studied Geography and GIS, and have worked as an Environmental and foreign development project manager, as well as a GIS consultant. Throughout those experiences, it was always clear to me how important it is to communicate the activities, impact and results of the projects to the public and stakeholders. I have always admired the way that GRID-Arendal communicates scientific information about the environment, and I am thrilled to be a part of the team.

I enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors in nature (especially in or on the sea) and with friends, family and animals.

Email:sabrina.heerema@grida.no

PhD/Post-Doc

Sarah Ferrandin

Postdoc, Department of Geoscience

Postdoc, iCLIMATE Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change – iCLIMATE Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade

Email:sarah.ferrandin@geo.au.dk

SeaQuester PostDoc

Sarina Niedzwiedz

PhD/Post-Doc

University of Bremen | Uni Bremen · Bremen Marine Ecology (BreMarE)

Org:University of Bremen

ECR

Sha Ni

Postdoc, Department of Geoscience

Section for Oceans and Arctic

Email:sha.ni@geo.au.dk

Project leader team

Sigrun Jonasdottir

Senior Researcher, National Institute of Aquatic Resources

Education/Academic qualification
Ph D, State University of New York, USA
… → 1992
MSc, University of Washington, USA
… → 1986
BSc, Univeristy of Iceland
… → 1983
External positions
Research Associate, Danish Institute for Fisheries Research
1994 → 1998

Post doc, Danish Institute for Fisheries Research
1993 → 1994

Org:DTU

Scopus Profile:View

Email:sjo@aqua.dtu.dkk

Policy Assessment Lead

Steven Lutz

Senior Programme Officer, Blue Carbon Lead

At GRID-Arendal I work to advance the concept of blue carbon as a nature-based blue economy solution to the impacts of climate change. My career with and in the civil society, academic and legislative sectors encompass over 25 years of experience in marine science, conservation, and policy, and over 14 years of experience in blue carbon.

My projects at GRID-Arendal have included the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project (on behalf of Abu-Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI)), a global first in national coastal blue carbon scaling and uptake, and the Global Environment Facility’s Blue Forests Project (on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme), which piloted blue carbon on the voluntary carbon market and critically championed its recognition and uptake in international climate and biodiversity treaties, and the UAE Oceanic Blue Carbon project (in partnership with AGEDI), the world’s first national science and policy assessment of oceanic blue carbon. Additionally, I developed the Norwegian Blue Forests Network and serve on the Coordinating Group of the International Partnership for Blue Carbon.

I hold a master’s degree in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science and my work prior to GRID-Arendal included a focus on marine protected areas, coral reef science, deep sea coral biogeography, and marine environmental policy analysis and advocacy in the USA.

Email:steven.lutz@grida.no

Phone:+47 941 69 686

GRID-Arendal project team leader

Tina Schoolmeester

Head of Programme, Polar and Climate

Born and raised near the sea, I was determined to spend my professional career in the marine environment. I graduated as a marine geologist from the University of Ghent, Belgium and followed this up with a Master in Marine Geotechnics from the University of Wales at Bangor. This led me to work as an offshore geophysicist for more than five years. After seeing all those beautiful seascapes, I decided I´d rather dedicate my career to the marine environment and joined the marine geosciences group at the University of Barcelona. Over the years, my research related to climate change, Antarctica, submarine landslides and submarine canyons.

In 2006, I joined the UNEP Shelf Programme at GRID-Arendal, assisting developing States and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with the delineation of their continental shelves. Acknowledging the linkages between natural systems and the people living in these systems, I increasingly became more interested in the bigger picture, from the poles to the mountains, from source to sink and more importantly the interaction between humans and the environment. More recently, the gender dimension — the differences between men, women, children and adults in their interaction with nature — has caught my interest.

I work on a variety of topics in marine, polar and high mountain contexts, always with the aim to improve the communication of scientific findings in an appropriate and accessible way to policy-makers in order for them to make the right choices in drawing up policies aiming at sustainable solutions to the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation.