iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 19h

Congratulations to Johannes Kowal on receiving the BOKU Leading Lights Award in the Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity category!🌿💧 A well-deserved recognition of his creative and engaging science communication. Keep making science shine, Johannes! 👏

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 19h

Fieldwork brings research questions to life! 💧 Thomas Hein joined Olena Bilous to wrap up a six-week MARITE experiment on how macrophyte-created microhabitats affect aquatic life. Using algae as indicators, the team explores river resilience under climate change. 🌿🔬

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

🎓🎉 Congratulations, Dr. Johannes Luca Kowal, on successfully defending your PhD! His thesis, “Impacts of Connectivity Changes on River Meta-Ecosystems,” advances our understanding of river-network connectivity and ecosystem preservation. A remarkable achievement—well done, Dr. Kowal! 👏

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

🌍 New study explores water, energy and food security in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins under climate and socioeconomic scenarios to 2050. Integrated, basin-wide planning could balance hydropower, irrigation and downstream flows while supporting the Aral Sea. 🔗 doi.org/10.3390/w181...

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

🌊 New paper: The Austrian Research Supersite “Upper Danube Austria” strengthens long-term monitoring of river–sea systems. Linking the Danube floodplains and Ybbs catchment, it supports research, restoration and sustainable river management. 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s005...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

🐟 New study: Snow trout in Central Asian mountain rivers travel up to 18 km—downstream in spring and upstream in autumn. Many overwinter in the groundwater-fed Koksu River, highlighting the importance of river connectivity and habitat diversity. 🔗 doi.org/10.1186/s403...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Congrats to Flavia Byekwaso on successfully defending her PhD! 🎓 Her thesis on how stormwater & wastewater impact GHG fluxes, nutrients, and pollution in tropical wetlands is a vital contribution to preserving ecosystem functions. Well done, Dr. Byekwaso! 👏

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Our paper finds non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae (NTVC) in Eastern Austrian inland waters linked to temperature and conductivity; warming may raise exposure risks. The authors propose practical environmental thresholds and better monitoring. 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.wr...

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Rivers rise and fall with the seasons. This open‑access paper shows how frequent hydropeaking reshapes habitat dynamics. Management takeaway: treat frequency as a key ecological driver and target patches under cumulative pressure. Thanks to Nico Bätz and colleagues 🔗 iwaponline.com/aqua/article...

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Univ.Prof. Thomas Hein presented CDL MERI results on cumulative restoration effects in the Upper Danube at the 46th IAD Conference in Baja, Hungary. The meeting showcases new Danube research, monitoring, and management approaches. Looking forward to more discussions on sustainable Danube management.

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Daniel Hayes explains how hydropower drives energy transition, but hydropeaking endangers young fish. From ~1k HyTEC experiments: larger water-level changes, night ramps, and small fish size raise risk; cold-water surges worsen it. Solutions: thresholds, tweaks, restoration. youtu.be/APYwB_boUD0?...

youtu.be

A decade of hydropeaking experiments | New ecohydraulic study from BOKU University

YouTube video by EcoENet

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

💧New paper: Greenhouse gas fluxes across Lubigi Wetland, Uganda. Flavia Byekwaso and colleagues show how vegetation type and season shape CO2, CH4, and N2O exchanges. Methane ~56% of annual warming; dry seasons drive CO2/N2O hotspots. Read more: doi.org/10.1016/j.in...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

📣New Paper Published: “Antarctic phytoplankton and krill diet, 1955–1963” A new study analyzes phytoplankton communities and Antarctic krill diet from 1955–1963, offering a rare baseline for Southern Ocean ecosystem conditions before major climate-warming changes. 🔗 doi.org/10.1017/S095...

doi.org

Antarctic phytoplankton and krill diet, 1955–1963: observations from a poorly known era of Southern Ocean change | Antarctic Science | Cambridge Core

Antarctic phytoplankton and krill diet, 1955–1963: observations from a poorly known era of Southern Ocean change

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Congrats to Anthony Basooma on successfully defending his PhD, “Modeling biodiversity patterns and network connectivity in European streams, rivers & deltas,” supervised by Thomas Hein. Wishing you all the best in your next steps! 🎉

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

New npj Biodiversity paper: ecological thresholds for stream‑fish management 💧. Mapped vulnerability across ~1.73M reaches in the US+Europe and built a Decision Support System combining thresholds with protected‑area coverage to target conservation vs restoration. 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s44...

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

New: HydroPlan‑CA—a web Decision Support System, developed by Jan De Keyser & BOKU University—for smarter hydropower planning in Central Asia💧 This tool integrates hydrological, technical & environmental data in an interactive GIS. Open access, no install. 🔗Explore more: hydro4u.eu/sites-soluti...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

New study: Reconnecting the Johler Arm (Danube, Austria) turned a sidearm from lentic to year‑round lotic, lowered chl‑a & zooplankton, and re‑wired food webs—less detritus, more periphyton/biofilm—benefiting fish and habitat renewal. doi.org/10.1111/rec....

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

#DANSERProject General Assembly last week, hosted by Univ. of Zagreb at FAZOS (Osijek). We began with a field trip of site visits, then reviewed 18 months of progress. Focus: restoring the Danube’s sediment balance for a sustainable basin future. 🌱💧

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

New in Global Ecology & Conservation: a Delphi survey on European eel conservation 🐟 Priorities: EU‑wide recruitment monitoring, removing migration barriers to reopen habitats, and improving habitat quality. Findings guide evidence‑based action. 🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

New data paper: Danube Fish Database 🐟 Unified, open fish‑occurrence data from agencies, NGOs, GBIF, JDS, EFI, and national programs. 133,131 records, 114 spp., 1856–2024. Supports conservation, invasive‑species tracking, and climate analyses. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Colleagues from our BIGER working group presented at ASLO–SIL Congress 2026 (Montreal): -Meta‑ecosystem views on river restoration (Upper Danube) -Floodplain connectivity & ecosystem services -GHG fluxes from springs→streams (East Africa) -Floodplain GHG patterns 🔗 www.aslo.org/aslo-sil-2026/

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

📢New paper: Drivers of stream metabolism in Uganda’s tropical highland headwaters. GPP is light‑limited; ER rises with stream size and nutrient‑rich sediments. TSS is the key control of net heterotrophy. Heavier rains may boost sediment loads and anthropogenic impacts 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.ca...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

New paper (Ecohydrology): Hydropeaking lowers young-of-the-year (YOY) brown trout and grayling in Alpine rivers. Key drivers: sub‑daily flow fluctuations, event frequency, and down‑ramping. Management should be oriented to reduce down‑ramping and events during YOY emergence. doi.org/10.1002/eco....

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Excited to announce the art exhibition "Parliament of Streams" by Carlos Monleón with CDL MERI & BIGER team, at das weisse haus in Vienna from the 17 Apr–13 Jun. This is an immersive audio visual instalation on the Danube ecosystems, from field to lab work. 🔗 dasweissehaus.at/en/exhibitio...

dasweissehaus.at

Parliament of Streams

Solo Exhibition by Carlos Monleón curated by Anne Faucheret Duration: 17.04. – 13.06.2026 Location: DAS WEISSE HAUS, souterraine Address: Hegelgasse 14, 1010 Vienna, Austria Opening: Thursday, April...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

dasweissehaus.at

Parliament of Streams

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

By 2050, Central Asia’s electricity demand may double. Our study maps sustainable hydropower potential with integrated ecological + geohazard criteria with a transparent workflow using public geodata—baseline for responsible development doi.org/10.1016/j.ap...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Welcome to our new colleague MSc. Mackarena Coronado! In her PhD, she will study how aquatic macrophytes buffer temperature and affect ecosystem functioning in lowland rivers under climate change 🌱💧

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Happy to share our new paper on restoring free‑flowing rivers in Europe: expert input from 45 countries identified 27 priorities. Priorities shift by focus (ecology, community, economics, governance). Framework links barrier removal, connectivity, governance and policy🌍 🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s432...

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

HyPeak webinar: Hydropeaking & benthic algae. Elisabeth Bondar‑Kunze on disturbance effects on stream periphyton/algal communities; plus María Dolores Bejarano Carrión on impacts on riverine plants (individuals→ecosystems). 🔗Register: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

🌍 Call for papers: Microbial Drivers of Aquatic OM Degradation & Carbon Cycling. Seeking original high-quality research and reviews on microbial processes in aquatic systems. Please consider contributing or sharing within your networks! 🔗 www.frontiersin.org/research-top...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

New paper: “Waves Under Control?”🌊 Ship-induced waves erode shores and reduce biodiversity. This meta-analysis shows mitigation must be ecosystem-specific; combining breakwaters with shoreline complexity is promising across trophic levels in rivers, lakes, and estuaries 🔗 doi.org/10.1111/fwb....

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

New paper out: Lateral hydrological connectivity (between rivers & floodplains) shapes the relative abundance of water frogs and common toads, shown via eDNA. Species respond indirectly and differently to connectivity, guiding wetland restoration and conservation💧🐸 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s107...

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Ronald Pöppl presents at IAG Conference in New Zealand. He shares new insights on sediment restoration in the Austrian Danube. Key advances of the DANSER project: historical evolution, sediment transport, and landscape modeling build evidence for sustainable river management. More: danserproject.eu

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Excited to share our new paper about water quality in Kampala’s Lubigi wetland. Stormwater/sewage overloads wetland’s treatment capacity, causing persistent microbial contamination. Wetlands are vital buffers, but robust infrastructure and source control are essential. 🔗 doi.org/10.2166/wash...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

New paper out: This well-timed paper provides a European-scale framework integrating Habitats Directive + WFD indicators, using Bayesian Networks to identify restoration opportunities and spatial targets aligned with the Nature Restoration Regulation aims. 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.wa...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Exciting news for 2026! New paper out: River–floodplain metacommunities as complex networks 🔗 doi.org/10.1002/edn3... Connectivity matters: A Bayesian multilayer analysis shows how movement, interactions, and environment shape biodiversity, incl. top predators and invasive species 🌍💧

doi.org

River‐Floodplain Metacommunities as Complex Networks: The Interplay of Species Interactions, Dispersal, and Environment

A network-based framework reveals how species interactions, environmental conditions, and dispersal shape heterogeneous river-floodplain metacommunities. Using spatiotemporal eDNA data, Bayesian netw...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

New in Microbial Ecology: A model–data fusion study shows how human impacts shape bacterioplankton in Taihu Lake river networks across the rainy season, integrating MIKE11 water-level simulations. By Zhao, Hein & Wang— the study provides insights for ecosystem health assessments

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Last week our team held its annual retreat at Kalkalpen National Park. We shared project updates, exchanged ideas, and explored new collaborations—then enjoyed the winter wonderland outdoors. Feeling inspired and recharged! ❄️🌲

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

🎉 New Article Published! Excited to share ‘specleanr': an R package for flagging environmental outliers in ecological data. With 20 detection methods, it offers a user-friendly, reproducible tool for biogeographical modeling and data analysis. 🔗 Read more: doi.org/10.1002/ecog...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

🎉Great news to end the week! Congrats to Nadija Čehajić on defending her Master’s thesis "Spatial patterns of greenhouse gas emissions in a floodplain system". Supervised by T. Hein, E. Bondar-Kunze & A. K. Sieczko, this work offers key insights into greenhouse gas dynamics in floodplains.

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

🚀More exciting news! Our new paper, "Introducing fwtraits – an R package for freshwater biodiversity traits," is out! Anthony Basooma & co-authors present fwtraits, a tool for accessing standardized ecological data for freshwater species via freshwaterecology.info doi.org/10.1016/j.ba...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

🌟Exciting news! Our article "The dynamics of linked social–ecological action situations reveal governance changes in the Austrian Danube" is out! We analyze the shift in Donau-Auen National Park governance- from top-down to polycentric and participatory. 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.je...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

📄New paper out: "Responses of Oligochaeta & Chironomidae to connectivity restoration in river–floodplains" published in Restoration Ecology. Sonia Recinos & coauthors explore restoration impacts on macroinvertebrates & lasting strategies🐛💧 doi.org/10.1111/rec....

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Our colleague Anthony Basooma presented his research on how environmental and human stressors drive the diversity of functional diversity of fish at the Society Global Conference for Ecological Modelling in Kashiwa. Well done and greetings to Japan!

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

🎥Last Friday, filmmaker Christian Pfabigan filmed one of the final sessions for "The Voice of the Thaya" in Thayatal National Park. Ronald Pöppl shared insights on the river’s formation, meanders, human impacts, and sediment research in the Fugnitz River 🌊🍂 www.ukweli.at

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Excited to share our new paper from our team highlighting the complex interactions between hydrological alterations and phytoplankton microbial communities. @Thomas Hein, @Olena Bilous rdcu.be/eLWCm

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

🐟Ever wondered what life’s like for a fish in the Danube? Watch our short video, exploring how dams, river regulation, floodplain disconnection, and ship traffic impact ecosystems. Presented by Johannes Kowal at the #CDLMERI 30-year anniversary! www.youtube.com/shorts/JUzUx...

youtube.com

CDG-Science-Slam 2025: Flusslandschaften: Herausforderungen und Lösungen

YouTube video by Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft

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Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management @boku-ihg.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

🌍PhD Opportunity in Freshwater Ecology! Join the FWF-funded project “Global warming effects on macrophytes’ role in lowland rivers (MARITE)”. Explore how macrophytes buffer water temperature & support ecosystem functions under climate change. 🔗Apply now: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

linkedin.com

PhD Position | Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻! 🤓 Starting Jan 2026, we're investigating how aquatic #macrophytes help lowland rivers cope with rising temperatures. Key goals: 🌱 Measure how macrophytes buffer water temperat...

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

New Paper - ‚Drivers of metacommunity dynamics in river-floodplain fish: A Path Modeling Approach‘, by K Feng, I Czeglédi, A Funk, T Hein, D Pont, P Meulenbroek, A Valentini & T Erős, in Ecol Monographs doi.org/10.1002/ecm.... @fwf-at.bsky.social

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BIodiversity and BioGEochemistry of Riverine landscapes @bigerscience.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Ronald Poeppl shared insights on the DANSER project and sustainable sediment management in the Upper Danube at the Regional Conference of the International Association of Geomorphologists in Romania🌍🌊

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