PHYVIR-1 expedition

On 30 April 2026 a team from NIOZ, UvA-IBED, RUG and NIOO boarded the new research vessel RV Anna Weber-van Bosse for its first scientific cruise. During May they sailed the North Atlantic, from warm, nutrient-poor waters off Cape Verde to cooler, more nutrient-rich areas near Iceland.

What was sampled

Water from the sunlit part of the ocean was collected to study:

  • diversity and gene function of phytoplankton and virus communities,
  • their activity and loss rates,
  • impacts on elemental and lipid composition,
  • how virus–host interactions change under different environmental conditions.

Some samples were processed and stored for later analysis; others were analysed on board or used for incubation experiments.

Why it matters

The measurements should show when viral activity shifts phytoplankton communities, and when viruses keep carbon in the upper ocean or help move it to the deep. This is the missing data needed to refine climate models and predict marine primary production under rapid environmental change.

Blog series from the ship