Dinophysis spp and the Koljö fjord. It has been known since some years that blue mussels in the fjord system north of Orust very seldom or never contains the diarrhetic shellfish toxin (DST) at the same time as toxic mussels can be found at the mouth areas of the fjord system. Our research has shown that the causative organism, the dinoflagellate Dinophysis spp, generally do not occur in the fjords while high abundance’s were found outside the mouth, although there is a tidal exchange and a net current flowing through the fjord system. Field and laboratory experiments have so far demonstrated that growth and survival of Dinophysis is less in the Koljö fjord compared to controls. We are for the moment looking at what factors may control these processes. This is part of the Ph.D. work by Fredrik Norén within the MISTRA project "Recycling of nutrients from sea to land using mussel culture".(http://www.mistra-research.se) Molecular identification of Dinophysis spp. Dr Ann-Sofi Rehnstam-Holm, after a postdoctoral position at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA) will start working at Göteborg University and at Kristineberg on a MISTRA-project concerning new detection methods for Dinophysis. These methods consists in species specific identification by molecular probes and by a sophisticated signal amplification system, they are ready to be tested in the field at Kristineberg in co-operation with the MISTRA(http://www.mistra-research.se) project "Recycling of nutrients from sea to land using mussel culture". Production of DST by Dinophysis spp. Our experience since several years is that the Dinophysis species do not always contain DST. Recently a database containing all observations on phytoplankton from 1989 and onwards from the Gullmar fjord area was completed. This database will now be run against other databases containing environmental data, since it is known that the toxin production of many dinoflagellates may depend on nutrient stress. Together with professor Edna Granéli (http://www.hik.se) we are also planning laboratory experiments which hopefully will increase the knowledge about toxin production of Dinophysis. Uptake and fate of pathogenic microbes in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis Linneaeus. The aim of this research project, which also is part of the M.D. work of Bodil Hernroth (BSc.), will contribute to increase the knowledge of how mussels process pathogenic bacteria and viruses, to try to predict which microbes may reach humans when consuming mussels. Comparative and quantitative studies of endocytos, anti-microbial activity, exocytos and elimination of pathogenic microbes by the mussels will be carried out. This project is a part of the MISTRA (http://www.mistra-research.se) project "Recycling of nutrients from sea to land using mussel culture" in close co-operation with Prof. Lars Edebo (M.D. supervisor) at the Institute of Laboratory Medicine at Gothenburg University (http://www.medfak.gu.se). Time-series analysis of pelagic data in the Gullmar fjord. Dr Andrea Belgrano (ecosystems ecologist), has a two-year individual postdoctoral fellowship position at Kristineberg funded by the European Commission (EC) within the Marine Science and Technology Programme (MAST III), is now working with advanced time-serie analysis on the project : " Plankton Community Dynamics in Relation to Water Exchange: The Gullmar Fjord Time Series Data Set- EC-MAST III - individual postdoctoral fellowship Research Project (MAS3-CT96-5028). (http://www.ecology.su.se/databases/biomad/lajos/pm32.htm). For the analysis of the time series data set co-operation have been established with Prof. Björn Malmgren, Göteborg University ( http://www.gmf.gu.se/Departments/MarineGeology.html), Dr. Andrew R. Solow , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (http://www.whoi.edu/mpcweb/), Dr. Mercedes Pascual, University of Maryland (http://www.umbi.umd.edu/~comb/index.html) and Dr. Peter Turchin, University of Connecticut (http://www.eeb.uconn.edu/) The exchange of deep-water of the Gullmar fjord. The hydrography and oxygen situation of the deep water of the Gullmar fjord has been monitored monthly for 20 years within different research and monitoring programmes. The ongoing analysis of this time-series will focus on the detection of trends and periodicity in the observed oxygen fluctuations, as well as on the changes in the timing and extent of the annual exchanges of the deep-water. The data analysis will benefit from the established co-operation with physical oceanographer at the Oceanographic Institution at Gothenburg University. Modelling of onshore and offshore marine populations. We are partner in a collaborative Virtual University Education Programme(http://www.umbi.umd.edu/virtue/index.html) established between Gothenburg University, and the University of Maryland (USA) in relation to the project " The temporal dynamics of vibrios in aquatic environments ". The objective of this project will focus on a better understanding of the dynamics of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae in aquatic ecosystems in relation to climatic and environmental forcing, as well as the role played by plankton as a potential reservoir for Vibrio cholerae outbreaks. This project will run for three years (1998-2000) and will involve a co-operation on new methods for the analysis of time series data and plankton dynamics between Dr. Mercedes Pascual and Dr.Anwar Huq at the Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland, Baltimore,U.S.A (http://www.umbi.umd.edu/~comb/index.html), Dr. Andrea Belgrano and Dr. Odd Lindahl at Kristineberg Marine Research Station (KMF) and Prof. Björn Malmgren at the Department of Earth Sciences - Marine Geology, Earth Sciences Center, Göteborg University (http://www.gmf.gu.se/Departments/MarineGeology.html)