Research groups
The Baltic Sea Centre’s research focuses on scientific issues that are important for the Baltic Sea environment, which also includes its catchment area. At the same time, the Baltic Sea Centre initiates, coordinates and supports interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaborations in marine environmental research at several of the university’s other departments.
Centre-based research groups
The Baltic Sea Centre's research has five main areas of focus.
Ecology in coastal ecosystems – We explore patterns and processes in coastal ecosystems, links between biodiversity, ecosystem functions and biogeochemical cycles, and the effects of human impact and restoration measures.
Air-sea interactions – We investigate processes that govern emissions of short-lived climate-forcing pollutants (SLCFs), such as VOCs, aerosol particles and CH₄, as well as CO₂, in order to estimate their climate impact.
Fish ecology and fisheries management – We study the role of fish in the ecosystem and the food web. The research also aims to examine current fisheries management, its foundations, driving forces and tools in greater detail from a Baltic Sea perspective.
Ecosystem modelling – We develop models to support national and international decision-making, particularly in relation to eutrophication and its links to climate and higher trophic levels.
Molecular Sealab – We examine the metabolic capacity of microbial communities to cycle carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, and to influence climate-related emissions in coastal ecosystems. This work is done in collaboration with SciLifeLab.
Network established through strategic funds
The Baltic Sea Centre has long been assigned by the Faculty of Science to coordinate Stockholm University’s strategic funds (SFO) for Baltic Sea research. In 2018, these funds were invested in a network of young researchers, the Baltic Sea Fellows, who are now prominent research group leaders and some of our key links to the university’s most important marine departments.
As a continuation of this initiative, the Baltic Sea Fellows now supervise SFO funded PhD students within the joint research school Perspectives on Climate Change in Coastal Seas. The research school, coordinated by the Baltic Sea Centre, offers an interdisciplinary education in marine-, climate- and environmental management, and several of the PhD projects are closely linked to the centre’s infrastructure.
Together, the Baltic Sea Fellows and the research school form part of our strategic collaboration with the University of Helsinki; CoastClim, which explores the potential of coastal ecosystems to serve as natural solutions that can mitigate the effects of climate change.