Researcher: Sinéad Cahill Project Name: The BIOgeochemical seascape of blue carbon: Seagrass CARbon pathways (BIOSCAR)

Home institution: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) - Spain Host institution: Kristineberg Marine Research and Innovation

Why did you choose the service/institution you chose?

I chose the Kristineberg Marine Research Station because it offers a unique combination of advanced analytical infrastructure, specialised expertise and immediate access to coastal seagrass meadows. The station provides the instrumentation needed to characterise carbonate chemistry and greenhouse-gas fluxes — including Picarro gas analysers, spectrophotometers and automatic alkalinity titrators— together with the on-site expertise of researchers working on marine carbonate chemistry and greenhouse-gas dynamics. Just as important, these facilities sit right beside the Zostera marina meadows of the Gullmar Fjord, which let us integrate field measurements and laboratory analyses easily. This combination of expertise, equipment and direct field access is not available at our home institution and was essential for addressing the project's research questions.

How did this access experience support your research?

Access to Kristineberg let me combine in situ field measurements with advanced laboratory analyses to investigate the multiple carbon pathways of seagrass ecosystems. Using benthic incubation chambers over vegetated and bare sediments, I measured dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH and greenhouse gases across day–night cycles, while manipulating CO₂ and temperature to reproduce future climate conditions. Working alongside the host teams — with expertise in marine carbonate chemistry and greenhouse-gas dynamics — strengthened both the methodological and scientific sides of the project, and gave the analyses a quality and immediacy I could not have achieved remotely.

How does your project benefit society, industry, or policy?

The project improves our understanding of how seagrass ecosystems contribute to coastal carbon cycling and climate mitigation. By quantifying carbon pathways that are usually overlooked, it helps reduce the uncertainties in blue carbon assessments and strengthens the scientific basis for coastal ecosystem management and restoration.

The results can feed into carbon-accounting frameworks, nature-based climate-mitigation strategies and marine-conservation policy. The project also aligns with European priorities — the European Green Deal, the Sustainable Blue Economy and the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030" — contributing knowledge that can inform decision-making at both policy and management levels.

How did this experience mark your scientific career?

This access experience was an important step in my development as an early-career researcher and PhD candidate. It gave me the chance to lead an extensive field and laboratory project in an international research environment, while building practical skills in marine biogeochemistry, carbonate chemistry, greenhouse-gas analysis and data processing. Working with the researchers at Kristineberg strengthened my scientific network and opened up valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration. Just as importantly, working in an unfamiliar research environment increased my independence, adaptability and confidence as a researcher.

Please share some words of encouragement to future users.

Transnational access is a valuable opportunity not only to use specialised equipment and facilities, but also to learn new techniques, exchange knowledge and build collaborations. I'd encourage future users to make the most of the expertise at the host facility and to engage actively with its researchers and technical staff. Working in a different research environment offers scientific and personal learning that goes well beyond the specific experiments of the project.Sinéad Cahill