Kristineberg
Kristineberg is located at the mouth of the Gullmar fjord, with easy access to coastal habitats and open sea. The station was founded in 1877, as one of the oldest marine stations for education and research in the world. It has a long tradition of welcoming visiting researchers.
The Gullmar fjord is 30 km long with a maximum depth of 118 m. Key features that makes this an important marine environment are (i) the excellent water quality with three rather distinct water-masses; 1) surface water of varying salinity depending on the mixture of local runoff, water from the Baltic and Kattegat/Skagerrak surface water, 2) inter-mediate layer dominated by Skagerrak surface water and 3) high saline bottom water from the North Sea at greater depths, (ii) a large number of different habitats including steep rocks, deep basin sediments, sand and mud flats, sea grass beds, and exposed and protected shores, resulting in (iii) a very high biodiversity. Scientific studies have taken place in the Gullmar fjord since the 1830s, therefore the fjord is now well documented. The Gullmar fjord is a nature reserve, since 1983, as well as a EU BIOMARE reference area.