Services

About UMEA: Based at Umeå University, Umeå Marine Sciences Centre (UMF) is a dynamic environment for marine research, education and environmental monitoring. Umeå University is a public research university located in Umeå, in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the f ifth oldest within Sweden's present borders.

Present research projects at UMF focus on effects of land–sea interactions and climate change on marine food-web structure and function, as well as on the origin, impact, and remediation of anthropogenic environmental pollution. Experimental facilities allow research on disease challenges, contaminants, light field, salinity and heatwave effects on aquaculture. Mesocosms are supplied with a cooling/heating system, aeration, full salinity range and mechanical and biological filtration allowing the administration of contaminants and/or pathogenic agents to the marine organisms of aquaculture focus. Outflows have specific scrubbers for pathogen removal.

Services: The indoor mesocosm facility consists of 12 cylindrical mesocosms with water columns 4.86 m high and 0.74 m in diameter. Temperature can be controlled at 3 different sections on each mesocosm. This enables projects that require stratification, controlled convective stirring or both.

Projects that require ice can be carried out, and parameters such as freezing or thawing rate can be adjusted. The eight channel light sources are especially produced with the aim to closely mimic the spectrum and intensity of the sun at every hour of the day. For example, this is well-suited for investigation into the roles of changing light fields on aquaculture species including algae or studies requiring real-world simulations. The intake water is pumped in directly from the sea from 800 m offshore. It is possible to pre-filter intake water to any desirable size down to 1 μm and sterile filtration, it is also possible to adjust the salinity between fully marine to low salinity levels (i.e. 33 – 4).

The experiment halls consist of two parts with a combined area of 170 m3 including rooms for aquaria and two climate rooms. The experimental halls are primarily intended for flow-through experiments with running seawater. Four different streams of running water are fed into these halls, three of which are temperature controlled. Experiments are carried out using aquariums of 65 or 150 l or tanks of 1 m3, the facility is also equipped with a state-of-the-art cleaning section allowing for experiments with toxic substances such as pharmaceuticals. This facility is licensed for use with vertebrate aquaculture species (i.e., fish).

Associated available infrastructure:

• RV Botnica (22m), a hovercraft, 7 boats of less than 16m (incl. Nereus, 16 m; Doris, 8.5 m) and an associated scientific dive team are available for the collection of aquaculture species of interest.

• Data from monitoring activities from several sites in the Gulf of Bothnia both coastal and offshore are available in the databases dBotnia and BEDA covering 30 years of times series: hydrography, chemistry (nutrients, pH, alkalinity, DOC, humic substance, oxygen), biology (bacteria biomass and production, phytoplankton biomass and species composition as well as primary production, zooplankton composition, benthic fauna).

• Additionally, a live feed as well as historic data from a nearby coastal buoy can be accessed to obtain in situ oceanographic (temperature, salinity, turbidity, currents, conductivity, meteorological station, Oxygen, pCO2) and biological data (e.g. chlorophyll a).

• Two large student labs for 24 persons each, one general purpose research lab with 6 places, DNA lab, chemical ecology lab and histology lab plus additional specific rooms for microscope work, RNA work and isotope work.

• Laboratory space (including two large general purpose dry laboratories with capacity for 20 scientists, wet laboratories for visitors) includes access to all standard laboratory instrumentation such as microscopes, sensors, analytical instruments (such as , Zeiss microscopes with imaging software for bacteria analysis; imaging system for microplankton analysis) and -80 freezers. Additionally, UMF can provide ice proof floating marine mesocosms (n = 9) and a fully equipped omics lab at UmU including aDNA capacity.

• Analyses capacity on site include DIC, elementary analysis, nutrients -total and inorganic-, total alkalinity, pCO2, chlorophyll a, humic substance, CDOM, SPM, turbidity, ROV with video capacity, lecture hall with seating capacity for 30 scientists.

• Access to boats and transportation with seagoing research vessels is also ensured if, for example, biological material for Aquaculture experiments needs to be collected.

• Guests can be accommodated in a hostel with 20 beds and cooking facilities, about 500 m from the field station.

The experimental halls were recently renovated and upgraded with a cleaning section allowing for projects that include organic toxic compounds in running water experiments, making it one of few infrastructures where such projects can be carried out. Lodgings and restaurants are available in the nearby town of Hörnefors. About 100 international researchers have used our facilities during experiments conducted over the past 13 years. The mesocosm indoor facility has successfully and reliably been used in Transnational Access projects within the framework of MESOAQUA, AQUACOSM and AQUACOSMplus, as well as in local projects. The first full winter experiment using indoor ice-covered water mesocosms was also conducted within AQUACOSMplus during the winter 2021-2022. Since 2010, ca. 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications including aquaculture related studies using mesocosm facilities were published.

Bioresources available

Isolation and culturing facilities, such as temperature controlled rooms in various sizes and incubators are available and can be adjusted to a wide range of temperature and light conditions.

Support offered

A dedicated person at UMF is responsible for the technical operation of mesocosms and experiment halls during a TA-project. This includes testing of operational parameters, surveillance, and maintenance of the facility before and during an experiment. Help with logistic coordination of equipment and consumables between UMF and visiting groups will be provided.

Scientific personnel are available to assist with practical and scientific coordination of projects. UMF also provides other logistic support needed on site, including office and lab space, meeting rooms and a library.

Access to boats and transportation with seagoing research vessels is also ensured if for example biological material for Aquaculture experiments needs to be collected. Guests can be accommodated in a hostel with 20 beds and cooking facilities about 500 m from the field station. Lodgings and restaurants are available in the nearby town of Hörnefors.

About 100 international researchers have used the mesocosm facility during numerous experiments conducted over the past 13 years.

Modality of access

The users will have access to all the facilities at the field station. Groups of visiting scientists can work on independent projects, in the mesocosm hall, experimental halls and adjacent laboratories.

The unit of access includes preparatory work at UMF, working in projects, and cleaning up/taking care of equipment after the project ends. All these activities must be done in person at UMF.