| The Marine Biological Station is located
at Espeland, in the Raunefjord, 20 km South of downtown Bergen and about 5 km from the
airport. The Station is especially equipped for
large-scale experimental work on primary and secondary production, and at the
same time is a gateway for diverse and well described particular habitats
and model environments.
The most outstanding feature at the station is
the Mesocosm Laboratory |
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View of the floating mesocosm |
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mesocosm laboratory has been appointed as the National Mesocosm Centre
by the Research Council of Norway, which has recently funded its
upgrading. The centre has been designed
for large-scale experimental work on primary and secondary production and
consists in enclosed water masses with volumes between 2 and 30 m3 whose
physical, chemical and biological parameters can be manipulated in a semi
natural environment. Typical mesocosm experiments last for 3-6 weeks and
are usually carried out by interdisciplinary teams. The
National Mesocosm Centre includes a
floating mesocosm laboratory and a land-based mesocosm system. Both units have
water regulating devices and access to continous water supply from the
surface or from 40 m depth. Instruments for monitoring environmental
factors are also available:
- Light recorder (Li-Cor sea and land sensor with data logging appliance)
- OTS recorder (Sea Bird Instr., records profiles or logs data continuously) |
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One of the floating seawater enclosures
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The floating mesocosm unit is
located on a raft (approx. 50 m2)
located at about 200 m from the shore. The enclosures consist of
polyethylene bags (transmitting 90 % of the PAR) supported by floating frames. Up to 10
enclosures can be attached to the raft. The enclosures can be filled and continuously
supplied with water from the surface or from 40 m depth.The floating mesocosm is equipped with:
- 8 frames for enclosures with 1 m diametre
- 6 frames for enclosures with 2 m diametre
- electric supply
- 2 pumps for water supply to the enclosures
- air lifts for water circulation enhancement |
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- The
land-based mesocosm unit
- is especially suitable for experiments
where physical control, e.g. turbulence, is required. It is also suitable
for other pelagic experiments dealing with the lower trophic levels not
requiring large sample volumes.
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Partial view of the land-based mesocosm
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Sampling the
land-based mesocosm
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- The land based mesocosm unit consists of:
- - 12 fiberglass tanks (Ø: 1.5 m;
height: 1.5 m)
- - 4
fiberglass tanks (Ø: 5 m; hight: 1.5 m)
Four of the small tanks can be placed inside one of the
5m diameter tanks. This functions as a water bath, and running water in the outer tank can provide daily temperature
fluctuations. The thanks can be filled with sea water from 40 m, from the
surface, or with fresh water.
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Supporting
Infrastructure:
Main
Building
- auditorium for 52 people
- course lab for 12 students
- sorting lab with air hoods
- wet lab with aquaria and running seawater
- walk-in cool-rooms
(2-20°C)
- 2 with running seawater
- 1 for culture of
microalgae
- offices
- copy machine, phone, fax, internet, ISDN line
Guest House
- 20 rooms
wiht private bath
-
restaurant-type kithchen
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living-dining room and terrace with view to the fjord
- sauna
Equipment
- Analitical
instruments
- Microscopes
and some other lab equipment
- Some diving
equipment
- 4 outboard
motor boats |
Partial
view of the Marine Biological Station: Main Building (in the middle and to the left), guest-house (dark building in the
back), workshop and boat-house (white buildings on the
right), live-zooplankton collector (on the left) |
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- Sampling
devices: dredges, sledges, fishing gear and plankton nets
- the R/V
"Hans Brattstrøm" can also dock at the Station
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Equipment for continuous collection of live zooplankton (Hydrotech; approx.
5 m3/min) |
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