Educational record

1986-1991: University of Gdansk, Faculty of Biological Oceanography
1991: M.Sc. thesis "Chaetognatha from Drake Passage and Bransfield Strait (Antarctica)"
1991-1996: Ph.D. studies in Biological Oceanography, University of Gdansk, Faculty of Biological Oceanography
1997: Ph.D. thesis "Ostracoda from West Antarctica"

Professional record

1997 - 2001: research scientist, Marine Biology Center of Polish Academy of Sciences, Genetic Lab and Baltic Ecology Department;
2002 - present: senior research scientist, zooplankton specialist, Institute of Oceanology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Marine Ecology.

Experience record

2001 - The Minister of Environment award for particular achievements in protection, shaping and utilization of the environment and its resources for the study "Natural valuation of the marine parts of the Baltic Sea Protected Areas in the Pomeranian voivodship" Team award. Warsaw (Poland);
2002 - 3 months Danish Government Scholarship - University of Aarhus - Department of Marine Ecology;
2003 - 3 weeks training in Arctic zooplankton taxonomy in Copenhagen Zoological Museum - COBICE grant (European Commission FPV programme "Integrated Infrastructure Initiative");
2003 - 2004 - Research Exchange Fellowships awarded by the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of London for co-operation with Dr. Martin Angel from Southampton Oceanography Centre (UK) for creating internet identification key for Antarctic pelagic ostracods: "An Atlas of Southern Ocean planktonic ostracods" by Kasia Blachowiak - Samolyk & Martin Angel: http://ocean.iopan.gda.pl/ostracoda/
2003 - 2008 - participation in Norwegian projects dealing with dynamism of zooplankton around Svalbard waters:
- 'On Thin Ice' (Climatic Influence on Energy Flow and Trophic Structure in Arctic Marine Ecosystems)
- CABANERA (Carbon flux and ecosystem feedback in the northern Barents Sea in an era of climate change)
- MariClim (Marine ecosystem consequences of climate induced changes in water masses off West-Spitsbergen)
2005 - 2006 - participation in EU project BONUS "Bonus for Baltic Sea science-Network of Funding Agencies" (Task 2.1 "Identification of Areas for Cooperation in Existing Programmes and Gaps");
2007 - 2 weeks training in the Natural History Museum, London, project on pelagic ostracods - SYNTHESYS GB-TAF-3708 (European Commission FPVI programme "Integrated Infrastructure Initiative");
2007 - 1 month taxonomical training/expertise on deep-water pelagic Atlantic ostracods onboard of RV Polarstern ANT XXIV/1 during Census of Marine Zooplankton cruise. More information on CMarZ with picture galleries of animals taken during this cruise at: http://www.cmarz.org/Polarstern2007/index.html
2007 - present - working in RAMS (Register of Antarctic Marine Species) taxonomical experts group (within SCAR-MarBIN) on pelagic ostracods;
2008 - 3 weeks taxonomical expertise on pelagic Arctic, Antarctic and Alaskan ostracods at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Science;
2008 - running of the internet identification key to 130 species of Atlantic pelagic ostracods with full description (drawings, zoogeographical and bathymetrical data): "Atlas of Atlantic Planktonic Ostracods" by Martin Angel, Kasia Blachowiak-Samolyk & Vladimir Chavtur attached to Natural History Museum London web-site:
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/atlantic-ostracods/index.html

Main scientific interests

- ecology of polar zooplankton
- taxonomy, ecology and zoogeography of pelagic Ostracoda

On-going projects

2007-2009 - "Climate changes influence on zooplankton structure, sea-bird populations and function of Arctic ecosystem on Svalbard" (Polish project KBN nr N304 039 32/1883);
2007-2009 - "Taxonomy and zoogeography boundaries of pelagic ostracods in Svalbard waters" mini-grant ArcOD (Arctic Ocean Biodiversity) within CoML (Census of Marine Life);
2008-2010 - "Response of marine and terrestrial ecosystems to climate changes in Arctic - links between physical environment, biodiversity of zooplankton and seabird populations" (ALKEKONGE) - Polish-Norwegian Research Fund PNRF - 234 - A I - 1/07.

Publications

- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Soreide J.E., Kwasniewski S., Sundfjord A., Hop H., Falk-Petersen S., Hegseth E.N. (2008) Hydrodynamic control of mesozooplankton abundance and biomass in northern Svalbard waters (79-81oN). Deep-Sea Research II 55: 2310-2324.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K. (2008) Contrasting zooplankton communities (Arctic vs. Atlantic) in the European Arctic Marginal Ice Zone. Oceanologia 50: 363-389
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Kwasniewski S., Hop H., Falk-Petersen S. (2008) Magnitude of mesozooplankton variability: A case study from the Marginal Ice Zone of the Barents Sea in spring. Journal of Plankton Research 30: 311-323.
- Soreide J.E., Falk-Petersen S., Hegseth E.N., Hop H., Carroll M.L., Hobson K.A., Błachowiak-Samołyk K. (2008) Seasonal feeding strategies of Calanus in the high-Arctic Svalbard region Deep-Sea Research II 55: 2325-2345.
- Angel M.V., Blachowiak-Samolyk K. (2008) Insights gained from a web-based atlas of halocyprid ostracods of the Southern Ocean. Revue de micropaleontology 51: 339-348.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Kwasniewski S., Dmoch K., Hop H., Falk-Petersen S. (2007) Trophic structure of zooplankton in the Fram Strait in spring and autumn 2003. Deep-Sea Research II 54: 2716-2728.
- Stempniewicz L., Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Weslawski J.M. (2007) Impact of climate change on zooplankton communities, seabird populations and Arctic terrestrial ecosystem - a scenario. Deep-Sea Research II 54: 2934 - 2945.
- Angel M.V., Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Drapun I., Castillo R. (2007) Changes in the composition of planktonic ostracod populations across a range of latitudes in the North-east Atlantic. Progress in Oceanography 73:60-78.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Angel M.V. (2007) A year round comparative studies on the population structures of pelagic Ostracoda in the Admiralty Bay (Southern Ocean). Hydrobiologia 585: 67-77.
- Angel M.V., Blachowiak-Samolyk K. (2006) Obtusoecia (Myodocopa; Halocyprida) a bipolar genus of planktonic Ostracoda: Taxonomy, bathymetry and zoogeographical distribution. Annales Zoologici (Warszawa) 56: 197-213.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Kwasniewski S., Richardson K., Dmoch K., Hansen E., Hop H., Falk-Petersen S., Thybo Mouritsen L. (2006) Arctic zooplankton do not perform diel vertical migration (DVM) during periods of midnight sun. Marine Ecology Progress Series 308: 101-116.
- Wesławski J.M., Kwasniewski S., Stempniewicz L., Blachowiak-Samołyk K. (2006) Biodiversity and energy transfer to top trophic levels in two contrasting Arctic fjords. Polish Polar Research 27: 259-278.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Osowiecki A. (2002) Distribution and population structure of pelagic Ostracoda near the sea-ice edge in the Scotia Sea and the King George Island (December 1988-January 1989). Polish Polar Research, 23: 135-152.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K. (2001) Comparative studies on population structures of Alacia belgicae and Metaconchoecia isocheira (Ostracoda) in the Croker Passage during various seasons. Polar Biology 24: 222-230.
- Kittel W., Sicinski J., Zmijewska M.I., Bielecka L., Blachowiak-Samolyk K. (2001) Antarctic neritic zooplankton community (Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands). Polish Polar Research 22: 11-33.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K. (1999) Distribution and population structure of pelagic Ostracoda near the Antarctic Peninsula in spring 1986 (BIOMASS III, October-November 1986). Polish Archives of Hydrobiology 46: 9-25.
- Zmijewska M.I., Yen J., Bielecka L. and Blachowiak-Samolyk K. (1997) The effect of sex ratio on the population pattern and abundance of the predominant Antarctic copepods in Croker Passage (Antarctic Peninsula). Oceanological Studies 1, vol. XXVI: 127-148.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Zmijewska M.I. (1997) Planktonic Ostracoda (Halocyprididae) in the Croker Passage (Antarctic Peninsula) during two austral seasons: summer 1985/1986 and winter 1989. Polish Polar Research 18: 79-89.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Zmijewska M.I. (1995) Horizontal and vertical distribution of Ostracoda in the Drake Passage and Bransfield Strait (BIOMASS-SIBEX, December 1983-January 1984). Polish Polar Research 16: 41-54.
- Blachowiak-Samolyk K., Bielecka L., Zmijewska M.I. (1995) The influence of environmental factors on the population structure of Chaetognatha in the Atlantic sector of Southern Ocean (BIOMASS-SIBEX, December 1983-January 1984). Polish Polar Research 16: 55-66.

Two aspects of working in Arctic:

During working hours - in the lab

When I have few hours of spare time.