fischerlab.bsky.social

Lago Nero, one of the more accessible mountain lakes on our tour.

Impressive backdrop, but we had little time to admire it.

Millions of microscopic algae turned the waters green.

What species will it be once we analyze the filters in the lab?

Lago Nero (black lake) di Cornisello at 2240 m was rather green when we sampled it. An algal bloom!! This meant changing filters every few minutes.
That night, our faces were of similar color (stomach bug) and we skipped the last lake.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

03.08.2025 15:42 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

The Tre Laghi: Upper on the right, middle on the left, lower in the distance.

Team member Tomás measuring physical water parameters such as temperature and pH.

A 5-micrometer filter full of microbes!

Sampling in cold rain is not as much fun as it may look.

Also in Adamello-Brenta, the Tre Laghi are connected by small creeks. We sampled two of them under very different conditions! The upper lake (2289 m) with frequent filter changes in best weather, the lower one (2257 m) much faster in rain.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

29.07.2025 05:46 — 👍 8    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

With the Brenta Dolomites in view, it's a two-hour hike to the Serodoli/Gelato lakes.

Lago Serodoli

Lago Gelato, icy cold even in late July!

Sampling polar waters can't be that different

Our next set of mountain lakes is located in Italy's Adamella Brenta Nature Park. Lago Serodoli (2370 m elevation) is just downstream of Lago Gelato (2388 m), which lived up to its name and made us shiver with ice-cold winds.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

28.07.2025 17:09 — 👍 10    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

Dösener See with its active rock glacier in the background

Collecting microbes from Dösener See

Scenic Stappitzer See

Cows and ducks are frequent visitors here

The last two lakes in the High Tauern that we sampled were Dösener See (2270 m elevation, up to 44 m deep), and the shallow Stappitzer See (1273 m elevation) that serves as a contrast point to the mountain lakes above the treeline.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

25.07.2025 20:38 — 👍 8    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0

At 2505 m elevation, Brunnkarsee is a spectacular mountain lake surrounded by rocks and sparse vegetation. The trail was steep and technically challenging with all the gear on our backs, but we returned just in time before the rain came.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

22.07.2025 06:13 — 👍 10    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 1

A group of curious locals along the way

Oberer Schwarzhornsee

Unterer Schwarzhornsee (2543 m elevation) with Großelend glacier in the background

Gentiana, but which species?

We are now in the High Tauern National Park in Austria. Fantastic landscapes, warm-hearted people, but the lakes are not that easy to reach! With Oberer Schwarzhornsee at 2650 m elevation, we sampled the highest lake on the tour.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

20.07.2025 11:41 — 👍 18    🔁 5    💬 0    📌 0

Oberer Plenderlessee in the Stubai Alps

Catching a break from the rain at Mittlerer Plenderlessee

Testing if the pumps are waterproof

Dinoflagellates and other protists

The next two lakes on the sampling tour were Upper and Middle Plenderlessee in Austria. We got lots of water from the lakes, and also from the skies... Dinoflagellates live here!
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

20.07.2025 10:56 — 👍 14    🔁 5    💬 0    📌 0

These are custom-made light-weight aluminium filter holders (142 mm) by our workshop. The steel version was too heavy to carry!

20.07.2025 10:49 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Hi Oded, sure, I will send you the information once we are back from the tour!

20.07.2025 10:46 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Sampling Blaue Lacke

Grünausee with @lqueiss.bsky.social and @drjmpetersen.bsky.social

Freiger See with its muddy shores

High above Grünausee

The weather improved for our next tour in the Stubai Alps to Blaue Lacke (2287 m), Grünausee (2335 m), and Freiger See (2500 m), three mountain lakes above the treeline. Strenuous hikes alternated with wet & cold weather during filtration. #CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

16.07.2025 20:17 — 👍 12    🔁 4    💬 1    📌 0

Advanced sampling conditions for @lqueiss.bsky.social @drjmpetersen.bsky.social

Our home base for the first week was Lake Gossenköllesee at 2416 m elevation. The research station (Univ. of Innsbruck) sheltered us during an unexpected snowstorm in July. See pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33436089 for viruses from this lake!
#CAPSOLUTION @mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu

14.07.2025 15:07 — 👍 23    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 2

This week we started the first leg (Stubai Alps) of the #CAPSOLUTION expedition of @fischerlab.bsky.social sampling for giant viruses in high altitude alpine lakes. What an amazing adventure it has been so far! @mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social

12.07.2025 06:32 — 👍 10    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1

Last week, we started to collect samples from high-altitude Alpine lakes for the ERC-funded #CAPSOLUTION project! Throughout July and August, we will study the diversity of #viruses, #bacteria, and #protists in these extreme environments.
#HorizonEU @erc.europa.eu @mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social

12.07.2025 08:45 — 👍 26    🔁 2    💬 3    📌 1

Post-Doc Protist Viruses

Looking for a postdoc in environmental virology? Fascinated by giant viruses and their glycobiology?
We have a position available at the MPI for Marine Microbiology!
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @maxplanck.de
career.mpi-bremen.de/jobposting/8...

09.12.2024 11:07 — 👍 16    🔁 10    💬 0    📌 2