The University of Helsinki's Tvärminne station runs a scientific diving academy to train diving scientists to explore our planet's melting polar regions and work in other extreme circumstances. In June, the academy received a major donation from the Weisell Foundation to develop its operations and organise new courses.
You cannot study the sea without getting wet, says Research Coordinator Joanna Norkko of the University of Helsinki's Tvärminne Zoological Station.
To be sure, samplers lowered from research vessels can collect samples from seas and other water bodies. But the marine research conducted at Tvärminne requires scientific diving as well.
In scientific diving, a trained diver collects samples from below the surface, surveys organisms living on the seabed or places measuring devices for researchers to monitor.
- Scientific diving is a key research method for us marine scientists, as we're simply unable to study everything with samplers deployed from ships or satellites surveying sea areas, says Norkko.
The University of Helsinki established the Finnish Scientific Diving Academy (FSDA) in 2021 at the Tvärminne station in Hanko with funds donated by, among others, the Weisell Foundation.
The academy's training has been coordinated throughout its three-year operations by Edd Stockdale.
High precision
In June, the Weisell Foundation granted a new donation of €80,000 to develop the academy's operations.
- It's a lifeline that allows us to enhance our operations, says Stockdale.
He explains that the collection of research samples requires a high degree of precision and good balance.
- You must be a well-trained scientific diver to collect good samples, adds Norkko. For example, a sediment sample from the bottom of the sea may be contaminated if the diver loses their balance, in which case we won't obtain accurate data.
Mikko Voipio, Board Chair of the Weisell Foundation, states that support for the diving academy combines three values important to the foundation: education, research and advocacy for the welfare of the natural world, especially marine areas.
- Preserving the marine cultural heritage is another priority for us. The academy was established because of the clear demand for developing scientific diving in Finland. The academy's operations have quickly received a great deal of recognition elsewhere in Europe as well, Voipio notes.
Training cold-water divers
The Tvärminne-based academy trains both Finnish and international researchers in scientific diving.
It strives to build a profile as a provider of expertise, especially in cold-water diving, for which Finland naturally offers excellent conditions.
Human activity is strongly affecting the polar regions, which are melting rapidly because of factors including climate change.
- It's incredibly important to be able to monitor what's happening in ecosystems on land, in open water and at the bottom of the oceans. The sector is experiencing tremendous demand for scientific divers capable of diving under ice and doing research in other extreme circumstances, Norkko explains.
In March, the Tvärminne academy arranged the first polar diving course in Kilpisjärvi , the site of one of the University of Helsinki's three biological stations.
The next such course will be held in March 2025.
A great deal of research is being conducted in Tvärminne on topics such as coastal biodiversity and its connection to climate change. Some 20 researchers, about half of whom dive, work year-round at the station.
One current strand of marine research focuses on the shipwrecks lying at the bottom of the oceans and the Baltic Sea, which are presently or potentially leaking oil into marine environments. Some of these are wrecks of Second World War warships.
- It's important and urgent to survey the number and status of such shipwrecks and their surroundings to develop solutions for recovering oil from them. We're able to participate in such projects and train divers for them, says Stockdale.
