Meeting rooms and video conferencing tools
Askö offers several smaller meeting rooms, such as our library, with room for 12 people or the beautiful tower room for different types of meetings and gatherings. For remote meeting solutions we do also have a video conferencing options.

Wi-Fi
A wireless network is available at the station. SU-account users can log in directly and guests from other universities can connect to the Eduroam network.

The lecture hall
The lecture hall seats 35 people and is equipped with a projector and whiteboard.

Offices
We have 10 guest office rooms, and printers are available.

Workshops
Our workshops are used for repairing and production of sampling equipment. Damaged equipment needs to be handed to the staff immediately. Adjacent to the boathouse is a boat workshop for service and repair of boats. It is possible to borrow tools from the workshops.

There are opportunities to perform experiments and investigations in several types of spaces, both indoors and outdoors.

General resources

• A brackish water system, (with sand filtering option) is installed in the lab. The water comes from 15 metres depth.
• Sampling buoy for continuous oceanographic data collection is in operation during ice-free season.

Outdoor resources

• The experiment hall has adjustable walls and ceilings. There is access to large mesocosm pools or tubs.
• We have expanded the area and increased the opportunities for flow-through experiments.
• Benches with running brackish water for sorting samples are available outdoors.

Climate chambers
There are 5 available climate chambers, with one dedicated to ecotox experiments. In all chambers there are systems for air bubbling of samples and continuous supply of brackish water, as well as flourescent lamps with possibility to regulate the circadian rhythm. The temperature can be regulated between 5-25 degrees Celsius. All electrical equipment to be used must be classified according to IP 63.

Laboratories

• The sorting lab has an entrance directly from the quay and is designed for sorting, sift and clean sampled material. Running brackish water, solid hoses and drains go directly into the sea again.
• The course lab has room for 16 people. There are several stereo magnifiers, fume cupboards, microscopes and field and identification literature, as well as brackish water supply and large sinks for collected sampling material.
• The microbiology lab has a heating cabinet, muffle furnace, a pytho-PAM, certoclav and phase contrast microscope.
• The chemistry lab has a fume hood and a spectrophotometer, vacuum centrifuge and microcentrifuge.
• The dry lab has equipment for water filtration
• The particle lab with particle counter

For inquiries regarding specific lab equipment, please contact asko.ostersjocentrum@su.se.

• CTD probe
• van Veen grabber
• Lundgren sampler
• Kayak sampler
• Gemini sampler
• Water retriever
• Inflatable boat, 4m with 25 hp outboard.
• Fishing nets
• Sieves (5, 1, 0.5, 0.25 mm)
• Secchi plates
• Aquascopes
• Plankton nets (15-90µm)
• Snorkeling equipment
• Waders
• Rakes
• Hand nets
• Sampling boxes
• Buckets

Portable lab equipment that can be used in the field

• Minimonitor EP 15F
• Exposure meter, 1pc, PAR measurement (LICOR)
• Data loggers, HOBO with software
• Oxygen meter, WTW with 40 m cable
• Oxygen meter, WTW with 1.5 m cable
• Salt/conductivity meter WTW with 1.5 m cable
• Salt/conductivity meter WTW with 30 m cable 2 pieces
• Aquariums in plastic and glass, 10-20 liters or 50 liters

Explore marine organisms in their home environment

The Askö area holds many diving sites suitable collection and experiments. Make sure you meet the requirements for training and have an approved medical examination before you travel to the island to dive.

All diving require your own equipment. Oxybox and diving flag are available to borrow. In the diving facility there is the possibility to store, rinse and dry diving equipment, and fill air (200 & 300 bar).

Rules

Check that you meet the requirements for education (S30 or equivalent) and have an approved medical examination before you travel to Askö. Certificate and logbook must be shown to the station chief. A diving team must consist of at least three people, of which at least one must have a diving leader license for at least S30 (DykLS30).

• Stockholm University's diving rules apply to both freediving and scuba diving. For scuba diving, the Swedish Work Environment Authority's AFS 2010:16 applies.
• The head of your department is responsible for you, and must be informed and approve planned diving work.

Contact: Jesper Ström

Researchers that want to conduct research on fish on the Askö Laboratory (including the boats) should contact the Animal Welfare Officer (forestandare.djurskydd.asko@su.se) well in advance before the research is planned to start (at least 6 months). Research on vertebrates and Cephalopods can only be conducted after approval by an animal ethics committee. Ethical applications should be written in Swedish and applicants needs a Swedish Bank Id to log in to the application system. Exemptions from using the Swedish language and Swedish Bank Id are rare. The Askö Laboratory only have permit for research conducted on bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) and lampreys (Cyclostomata). The Askö laboratory only have permit to hold bony fish in captivity. Researchers that want to conduct studies on wild mammals and birds through Stockholm University (SU) should contact the Animal Welfare Officer at the Department of Zoology, or for ringing of birds, the Animal Welfare Officer at the Natural History Museum.

Animal research is strictly regulated and is subject to both Swedish and EU legislation. In the Swedish Animal Welfare Act there are basic rules for how animals should be cared for, including all animal groups. However, only vertebrates and Cephalopods are strictly defined as research animals (syn. laboratory animals, Swe: försöksdjur). More details can be found in the Animal Welfare ordinance and in The Swedish board of agriculture’s regulations and general advice on laboratory animals. You can find the Swedish legislation and regulations about animals on the Swedish board of agriculture’s website

According to the legislation, anyone working with research animals – be they principal investigators, researchers, students or technicians – must have appropriate education. In addition to the Swedish legislation, SU also has some internal rules and guidelines that anyone working with research animals at SU, or who is affiliated to SU, needs to follow. More information can be found at License permit office's webpage.

In accordance with our environmental policy, we strive to minimize the use of chemicals. The safety regulations for substances must be followed. Course leaders are responsible for courses' handling of chemicals.

It is important that you state in the application if your work or course will involve chemicals.

You are obliged to bring product sheets for all chemicals as well as a valid risk analysis for the planned work. These must be shown to the Askö staff upon arrival and you will be advised on where you can work with the chemicals. All chemical handling must take place in designated fume cupboards and chemical labs. Ecotoxicological experiments may be performed in the thermoconstancy room at the microlab. Left over chemicals and chemical waste must be brought from the station on departure.

Formalin

The practices for formalin handling has been restricted. Formalin may only be used in a special fume cupboard. Microscopy of formalin-fixed samples may only take place in the fume hood in the microscope room. Samples are stored in a specific formalin storage in the barn.

Radioactive isotopes

The Askö Laboratory has permits to handle radioactive substances, but researchers must certify that they have additional required permits. Research projetcs with these substances may only take place in one of the labs. Contact the staff during planning of the project.

Waste must be brought to the mainland

It is important that you bring back and dispose your waste when you have completed experiments or sampling. More information can be found in our safety regulations, but please ask us for advice!