<![CDATA[KAJA BAŁAZY - News]]>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:57:16 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[Huge effort, broad collaboration, and an important topic — our paper exploring nutritional proxies and contaminant exposure in zooplankton collected by little auks for their chicks is now published!]]>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:16:14 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/huge-effort-broad-collaboration-and-an-important-topic-our-paper-exploring-nutritional-proxies-and-contaminant-exposure-in-zooplankton-collected-by-little-auks-for-their-chicks-is-now-publishedThe study is one of the outcomes of the ORANGE and ZOOM projects and is fully available here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2601023X?via%3Dihub
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]]><![CDATA[59th European Marine Biology Symposium]]>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/59th-european-marine-biology-symposiumAnother opportunity to present results from the ORANGE project — this time at the 59th European Marine Biology Symposium (EMBS) in Portugal.
I presented a poster showing that not only prey composition, but also the biochemical state of dominant zooplankton prey can provide important information about Arctic food-web structure. Astaxanthin ester profiles revealed clear differences among little auk (Alle alle) colonies in Greenland and Svalbard, suggesting that these biochemical fingerprints may capture variation in prey quality and prey-field structure that is not visible from taxonomy alone.
A manuscript based on these results is currently under review.
]]><![CDATA[July 09th, 2025]]>Tue, 08 Jul 2025 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/july-09th-202558th European Marine Biology Symposium
This time, I had the chance to present the outcomes of the ORANGE and ZOOM projects at this year’s European Marine Biology Symposium (EMBS58) in Bodø, Norway. It was a great moment to showcase our work, connect with fellow researchers, and explore potential collaborations.
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]]><![CDATA[June 09th, 2025]]>Sun, 08 Jun 2025 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/june-09th-2025I was invited to talk about my research at one of the regular cultural and social meetings hosted by the Warsaw Public Library. It was a valuable opportunity to make my work more accessible and to engage in a thoughtful discussion with an interested audience.
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]]><![CDATA[New article in the magazine "Ptaki" published by OTOP]]>Thu, 23 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/new-article-in-the-magazine-ptaki-published-by-otopA new article featured in the latest issue of Ptaki, the magazine published by the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP), a partner of BirdLife International. The article titled "The Arctic, birds, and us – facing change" delves into the impact of climate change on Arctic seabirds and the challenges we all face in preserving these fragile ecosystems. The article is available only in Polish under the link 
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]]><![CDATA[Waterbird Society and Pacific Seabird Group 2025 Joint Meeting]]>Mon, 06 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/waterbird-society-and-pacific-seabird-group-2025-joint-meeting​This January, I had the privilege of participating in the Waterbird Society and Pacific Seabird Group 2025 Joint Meeting. During the conference, I presented a talk titled "Feast of Change: How Little Auk Diet Reveals the Health of a Warming Arctic Ocean". The presentation highlighted the latest findings from the ORANGE and new ZOOM projects, both funded by the National Science Centre (NCN). I am deeply grateful to have received a travel award from the organizers to attend this inspiring gathering.
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]]><![CDATA[Beaver in the "polish jungle"]]>Sun, 08 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/beaver-in-the-polish-junglePhoto of a beaver in its natural habitat, resembling a "polish jungle", has been recognized in the competition organized by the Nasz Bóbr Association.  
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]]><![CDATA[New NCN-funded project "ZOOM"]]>Tue, 03 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/new-ncn-funded-project-zoomI’ve received a research grant from the National Science Centre (NCN) under the latest Opus 27 competition for my new project, "Zooming in on the mercury cycle: zooplankton in seabird diets as an indicator of contamination in Arctic ecosystems (ZOOM)" no. 2024/53/B/NZ8/03196 . This project will explore the role of zooplankton in the mercury cycle in Arctic food webs, focusing on how mercury moves from small organisms to higher trophic levels like seabirds.
There’s a gap in research on zooplankton as the primary vector of contamination, and the ZOOM project aims to fill it by examining mercury contamination across different Arctic regions influenced by climate change. The findings will provide important insights into the environmental and health risks of mercury in these sensitive ecosystems.
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]]><![CDATA[Winning shot in Nautica's "Freshwater" category]]>Sun, 01 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/winning-shot-in-nauticas-freshwater-categoryPhoto of a mating pair of common toads has won first place in the "Freshwater" category in the photo contest organized by Nautica company owned e.g. by one of great polish photographers Piotr Stós. A big thank you to the organizers. Toads hold a special place in my heart as photography subjects. I find great joy in capturing their unique beauty and showing that even creatures often overlooked can be fascinating and full of charm.
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]]><![CDATA[Toad photo awarded in "WILD beautiful POLISH' photo contest by ZPFP.]]>Thu, 28 Nov 2024 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.kajabalazy.com/news/common-toadPhoto of a common toad featured in the "DZIKIE piękne POLSKIE" (en. "WILD beautiful POLISH") contest by the Polish Union of Nature Photographers (Związek Polskich Fotografów Przyrody - ZPFP)
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