They ask important scientific question, they explore the mysteries of the sea and the sky, they dare to research! Meet prof. Anita Lewandowska and dr Justyna Kobos, the scientists, who will take part in the BaltArctic Research Cruise.
Professor Anita Lewandowska
Research area: chemistry of the sea, atmosphere, and pollution of jellyfish by selected chemical tracers.
‘During the BaltArctic Research Cruise I am going to sample atmospheric aerosols in six size classes, as well as microlayer of seawater and subsurface water in every port and on transects between them (from Gdynia to Bodø and back). I will also study meteorological parameters during the whole cruise. I am planning to collect jellyfish during the ship’s stay in ports, too.’ says Professor Lewandowska.
She sees the BaltArctic Cruise as an opportunity to continue research that she started in 2022 during the cruise from Gdańsk to Cádiz and a chance to establish new scientific contact. Thanks to the cooperation with University of Western Brittany in Brest she has recently been a mentor to a French student Loïc Madec during the SEA-EU Master Research Internship programme. This is what he had to say about this cooperation:
‘ In Poland, my mentor was Professor Anita Lewandowska, and her role during this internship, was crucial. I wouldn’t be able to do this research if she wasn’t there. She took time to introduce me to Polish culture. Her advice was very useful for me and our discussions about this project were very interesting.’
Justyna Kobos, PhD
Research area: phytoplankton, especially potentially toxic species.
Why is your research important?
Justyna Kobos, PhD: – Although the phytoplankton of the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea are well known, there is a lack of information on how significant the influence of Baltic waters on the distribution range of individual groups of organisms is. The collected material will be used for both scientific and didactic work.
What are your personal motivations?
I want to personally collect and learn about organisms new to me that are not found in the Baltic Sea. I hope to have an adventure working together in an interdisciplinary way and supporting all research teams.
What are you going to do during the cruise onboard r/v Oceanograf?
At each station I will sample phytoplankton with a special phytoplankton net and I will view and photograph live phytoplankton using a microscope directly during the cruise. I will preserve the rest of the samples for further analysis in the laboratory.
Meet our scientists – Professor Anita Lewandowska and Justyna Kobos, PhD
