News
This project will contribute to building relationships between specialists in various fields at the local and international level. The project concerns establishing cooperation in improving the quality of lake waters in tourist regions. It brings together representatives of science, NGOs and authorities at various level of governance, representing three Baltic countries: Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
The aim of the project is to build networking hub for units interested in knowledge-based solutions limiting the impact of tourism on the quality of inland waters.
Building trust to raise awareness of lake pollution is a key project objective. The cooperation of the scientific world with local authorities and other organizations is still insufficient. Establishing a trust-based relationship will allow better recognition of real problems and search for knowledge-based solutions.
A Satellite Activity for UN Ocean Decade laboratory "A Clean Ocean" by Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology on Friday, on 09.00 am CET, but right now a short test of your knowledge in the field "Plastics and Oceans" -
On 19 November at 10:00 (EET, 09:00 CET) Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology organizes a Satellite Activity event on the topic of microplastic pollution on beaches and presents a story about a citizen-science project that took place in Summer 2021. The aim of this project is to map the microplastic pollution along the Baltic Sea coast in Latvia. Such an assessment has not been done before. The event will start off with a video explaining method and will be followed by a discussion on the following topics - microplastic pollution in the sea, origins and importance of citizen-science initiatives, what we learned from our experience and how this example can be replicated elsewhere.
s
What would be the best ways to develop blue bioeconomy in the Baltic States? An online workshop on 26 November organised by Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology will try to answer this question through presentations and discussions. The workshop is an event of the "Blue Platform" project and registration with a draft agenda is available here - https://www.submariner-network.eu/news/general-news/854-register-for-26-nov-blue-platform-workshop-on-mapping-perspectives-of-the-blue-bioeconomy-in-the-baltic-states
In the framework of the Climate KIC programme "Pioneers into Practice" we had an opportunity to host Ms. Barbara Massalska at LIAE in October. Barbara is an organic geochemist working at the Polish Geological Institute. Her current research involves the reconstruction of primary producer communities in the Zechstein Sea (Permian) based on organic geochemical indices and biological markers. Microplastic pollution studies has been in her circle of interest already a while ago. At the LIAE Barbara acquired sampling, preparation and analysis techniques used to study microplastic pollution for the assessment of freshwater ecosystems status and changes. We wish Barbara neverending success in applying the gained practical skills at future studies!
A new study just published at "Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science" states that probability distributions of different water levels have become narrower in 1991–2018 compared to 1961–1990 whereas very low water levels are now less frequent. LIAE's researcher Maija Viška together with Estonian colleagues has also found that the increase in water level on Latvian shores is slower than the global sea level rise. Congratulations to Maija on the published research! Full article is available here-
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771419309898
Project CWPharma of Interreg Baltic Sea region programme is moving towards its completion and the results are now available. Reports from work packages with active involvement of LIAE can be found here:
https://www.zenodo.org/record/4003461#.X2h2FouEaUk
https://zenodo.org/record/4032487#.X2h0nYuEaUl
Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology has organised the release of a new documentary "Baltic hitchhakers" depicting the spread of invasive species in the Baltic Sea via shipping. The creation of movie has been a task of the project COMPLETE, funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme. Watch it here - https://www.balticcomplete.com/publications/movies
To explain the myths and tell the truth about the Baltic Sea will be the main task of LIAE when taking part into the Gulf of Riga Regatta, starting on 28 June from Ventspils. Facts about pharmaceuticals in seawater, various pollutants and microplastics in our marine areas, as well as non-indigenous species will be presented at the event on 29 June. It will be possible also to taste a soup cooked from non-indigenous crabs and round gobies! More about regatta - https://gulfofrigaregatta.eu/en
Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology has started implementation of the second PostDoc project -
"Development of early warning system for environmental health by using state-of-the-art ecotoxicological methods targeting reproductive variables in amphipods".
The project aims to identify biomarkers and eco-toxicological approach for detection of reproductive disorders in amphipods as screening tools and early warning system (EWS) for assessment of environmental quality in water.
The overall objective of the project is to adopt and implement novel approaches in the interdisciplinary field of biological indicators to predict and control the environmental quality in aquatic ecosystems – for the first time in Latvia.
The project is ERDF funded post-doctoral research 1.1.1.2/16/I/001 (application No 1.1.1.2/VIAA/3/19/465)
We are proud to announce that two new articles have been published in April and May containing LIAE's research results -
Suhareva, N., Aigars, J., Poikane, R., Jansons, M. Development of fish age normalization technique for pollution assessment of marine ecosystem, based on concentrations of mercury, copper, and zinc in dorsal muscles of fish. Environ Monit Assess 192, 279 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08261-x
Zawiska, I.; Dimante-Deimantovica, I.; Luoto, T.P.; Rzodkiewicz, M.; Saarni, S.; Stivrins, N.; Tylmann, W.; Lanka, A.; Robeznieks, M.; Jilbert, T. Long-Term Consequences of Water Pumping on the Ecosystem Functioning of Lake Sekšu, Latvia. Water 2020, 12, 1459. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/5/1459