Stockholm university

Climate and Environment

Climate change and sustainable solutions for the future.

What is happening to our climate and how is it affecting us? Climate, environment and sustainability is a major research field at Stockholm University. The research covers everything from environmental toxins, climate change, biodiversity and landscape processes to how we build society in a sustainable way. By understanding how we affect the planet, we can create effective measures to protect it for future generations.

Forskning om klimat och miljö

News

Linus Magnusson.
Department of Meteorology

Linus Magnusson, ECMWF, Adjunct Professor at MISU

Linus Magnusson from ECMWF, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, is appointed Adjunct Professor at MISU on 10 percent, from 1 September. He will e.g. supervise Master degree projects, do Arctic research related to forecast evaluation and model/observation improvements, support planning and forecasting during Arctic campaigns, and some preparation of course material.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

The reading group of Speculative Fiction during fall semester 2025

On November 13th the reading group of Speculative Fiction within the open seminar series of the Master's Programme in Environmental Humanities will have it's third meeting of fall semester 2025. It is lead by professor Andrew Jones, Department of Archaeology and Classical studies and Elisa Viteri Márquez, PhD student at the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Language, Literature and Culture - Theme page Worldviews, Ethics and Philosophy - Theme page History, Archeology and Cultural Heritage - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New floating laboratory connects air and sea to unlock coastal climate secrets

A unique floating laboratory is giving researchers an unprecedented window into the hidden exchanges between air, sea, and coast and their role in the climate system. One of its most important features is the ability to make continuous, long-term measurements in different coastal environments. This makes it a valuable new addition to Stockholm University's marine research infrastructure.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

Lignins – not so random after all

Lignins – the complex molecules that make plants sturdy and allow them to grow tall – are not as random as once thought. A new international study led by Prof. Edouard Pesquet at Stockholm University uncovers how lignins’ chemistry and structure vary between cell types to meet plants’ physiological needs. The paper, published as a Tansley Review in the journal New Phytologist, highlights how this molecular diversity has been key to plants’ success on land.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Life Science - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Coral reef

Widespread mortality of coral reefs

Widespread mortality of warm-water coral reefs is now underway as the world reaches its first climate tipping point. The Global Tipping Points Report 2025, released by the University of Exeter and international partners including the Stockholm Resilience Centre, underlines that the only way to avert catastrophe is to act urgently, triggering so-called “positive tipping points.”

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Nordic Institute of Latin American Studies

Convocatoria de propuestas de paneles – Conferencia NOLAN 2026

Encuentros en transición: Luchas, horizontes y conexiones globales en América Latina - Universidad de Estocolmo, Suecia, del 10 al 12 de junio.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Our Baltic – High level meeting on the status of the sea

The European Commission organised the third edition of the Our Baltic Conference in Stockholm at the end of September. The commissioners and ministers for environment, fisheries and agriculture from around the Baltic Sea reaffirmed their commitment to the improvement of the marine environment. A first test will come when ministers decide on fishing quotas later in October.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Roxana Mînzatu, EU Commission, Lena Mäler, Dean Faculty Science, Tony Hansson, Head of Dep. Physics
Department of Physics

Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, EU Commission, visited Fysikum

Roxana Mînzatu is leading the work on the Union of Skills. "My priority throughout this mandate will remain to encourage girls & women to pursue STEM careers." She was welcomed by Tony Hansson, Head of Fysikum. The visit to Stockholm University included a tour to the DESIREE laboratory in the AlbaNova building where she met the PhD's Rachel Poulose and Truly Rylander. The Dean Lena Mäler, presented statistics for gender and STEM at the of the Faculty of Science. Professor Sara Strandberg presented gender diversity at Fysikum. Professor Anna Sobek, Head of Department of Environmental Science, presented the TRACEE Master Program. The visit to Sweden lasted for two days.

Physics - Theme page Gender and Equality - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Hållbar mat i form av stroganoff

Global food transition needed to reduce pressure on the planet and to save millions of lives 

Five of the seven planetary boundaries that have been exceeded can primarily be linked to today's food systems. By switching production and eating a "planetary health diet", we can halve food's climate emissions, save millions of lives and strengthen the economy. This is shown by the EAT Lancet Commission 2025, the largest research report of its kind ever published.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Mesocosm experiments can reveal how warming and animal communities affect greenhouse gas emissions

Creating controlled mini-ecosystems, called mesocosms, is one way for researchers to study factors that influence processes in the sea. This summer, a large experiment of this kind was conducted at the Askö Laboratory, to investigate how emissions of greenhouse gases from shallow coastal bays are affected by global warming and by animal communities in the water and sediment.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

DEEP seeks Associate Professor in Plant Ecology – apply now!

The Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences (DEEP) at Stockholm University is inviting applications for a tenured Associate Professor position in Plant Ecology. Situated in Sweden’s dynamic capital, the university offers a world-class research environment where education and research thrive together.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Life Science - Theme page
Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och botanik

DEEP söker universitetslektor i växtekologi – ansök nu!

Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och botanik (DEEP) vid Stockholms universitet utlyser en tillsvidareanställning som universitetslektor i växtekologi. Universitetet, beläget i Sveriges dynamiska huvudstad, erbjuder en forskningsmiljö i världsklass där utbildning och forskning utvecklas sida vid sida.

The 21 students in the research school gathered on helicopter deck.
Department of Meteorology

The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, blog post 7: A last hello and goodbye

The research school onboard the research ice breaker Oden has come to an end. In the evening the day before yesterday we did our last research station and deployed a mooring in the marginal ice zone, where the pack ice meets in the open ocean; a permanent buoy under the the surface that is tethered to the ocean floor and will stay there for the next years. 

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
two women sitting at a white table facing the camera
Department of Environmental Science

When science meets politics: Inside the stalled plastics treaty negotiations

This August, delegates from 183 nations gathered in a spacious UN hall in Geneva with a daunting task: to negotiate the world’s first legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. More than 2,600 participants filled the conference halls, including government representatives, scientists, civil society groups, and industry observers. The mood was tense, hopeful, and, as the days dragged on, increasingly fractured. After nearly two weeks of talks, the negotiations adjourned without an agreement.

Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page
Polar bear mother and a 2nd year cub walking, surrounded by ice and snow.
Department of Meteorology

The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, blog post 6: Polar bears, multi-beam sonar and examination

During this week it has become clear that we moved into the autumn freeze up. There is almost no open water around us at all anymore. Where open water was present previously, between the more solid ice floes, the ocean is now covered with a layer of new ice.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

New study reveals limited diet overlap among small pelagic fish in the Baltic Sea

Small pelagic fish are central to the Baltic Sea food web. They feed on plankton and serve as prey for larger fish, seabirds and mammals. Because of this, their feeding habits influence the entire ecosystem. A new study led by researchers at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences (DEEP), published in ICES Journal of Marine Science, shows that the main pelagic fish species in the central Baltic, herring, sprat and stickleback, overlap surprisingly little in their use of resources.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. Ship railing in the foreground.
Department of Meteorology

Mapping Deep Ocean Currents: Uncovering the Hidden Pathways of Overflow Waters

The recent SWERVE funded FAROX cruise, led by Léon Chafik on RV Skagerak, set out to explore how dense overflow waters move between the Nordic Seas and the North Atlantic. By collecting unprecedented measurements of temperature, salinity, currents, and turbulence, the team mapped deep currents and investigated their role in shaping the climate system.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Helicopter landing on deck.
Department of Meteorology

The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, blog post 5: We are alone now, it's colder and new ice is forming

Four weeks have now passed and there is less than two weeks left of our Arctic adventure. One can sense that people on board have started to realize this and react differently. Some refuse to think about it while others think about it all the time. This is human nature and the mood onboard is very good but it will be a special moment when we get back. 

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Bark beetles reshape forest microclimate – but deciduous trees can help

A new study from Stockholm University reveals that spruce bark beetles, already infamous for killing millions of trees in Sweden, are also changing the forest microclimate. Using a combination of temperature sensors attached to trees and thermal drone imagery, researchers found that beetle-attacked forests can heat up by as much as two degrees during summer days – but deciduous trees helped to cool down attacked forest stands.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New study: Sharp decline in adult eels in the Baltic Sea – fishing mortality has been underestimated

The migration of adult eels from northern European seas continues to decline. This is revealed by a new study based on international, fishery-independent trawl surveys. The results also suggest that the level of fishing mortality for eels in Swedish coastal waters has been significantly underestimated. "The situation for eels is very critical, and it is unreasonable to consider the impact of Baltic coastal fishing to be minor," says the article's author, Henrik Svedäng.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
A man in lifewest, safety belt and helmet holding the sediment core.
Department of Meteorology

The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, post 4: Sediment samples – climate archive millions of years old

Over three weeks have gone for this years Oden expedition to the central Arctic Ocean and we have passed the midpoint with less time left than spent. We have managed to take some more sediment samples; the several meters deep samples represents a climate archive that may go millions of years back in time. Also a rare spotting of the sun, this time with two so-called "sundogs".

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Researchers on the EU Commission's TAC proposal: 'Heading in the right direction'

The EU Commission is proposing reduced total allowable catches (TACs) for several fish stocks in the Baltic Sea next year, taking into account the risk of stock collapse. For certain fish stocks, the proposed catch are significantly lower than those presented by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in its 'headline advice'. “This is largely a very positive proposal. Now it's up to the Council of Ministers to follow it,” comments Sara Söderström, a fisheries researcher at Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre.

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Rök från skorstenar

Strengthening climate action: experts propose major reforms for the IPCC–UNFCCC relationship

A new paper on the science-policy interface by climate experts Svante Bodin and Örjan Gustafsson at the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, calls for urgent reform to the relationship between the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Climate and Environment - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New study: Coastal waves create more aerosols than expected – may affect climate and air quality

A new discovery about how sea spray forms on coastlines may change our understanding of the oceans’ impact on climate. In coastal areas, aerosol concentrations have been greatly underestimated — but globally, they may have been overestimated. The findings, from a study that included a researcher at Stockholm University, could also affect air quality in coastal cities. And it all began during a car journey on a windless day in the Azores.

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Arctic sun, clouds and ice.
Department of Meteorology

The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, blog post 3: Summer Arctic, stubborn cyclone and sediment cores

A little over a week has passed since the Research school on icebreaker Oden passed the North Pole and we are now relatively far south but on the other side of the pole which has some weird consequences. While the sun doesn't set, it does vary over the day. Since we are still on UTC time (sometimes called Greenwich Mean Time) this means that where we are now, the sun is the lowest in the middle of our day and vice versa.

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People playing on the ice, with icebreaker Oden in the vackground.
Department of Meteorology

The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, blog post 2: Arriving at the North Pole

A week has passed on the Swedish/Canadian icebreaker expedition to the central Arctic Ocean and late Saturday afternoon we arrive at the North Pole where we stayed until the very early hours of Sunday. Everyone got together on the bridge and as we arrived on the North Pole we cheered eachother with a glass of (alcohol free) bubbles. After the crew had moored us to an ice floes, we were allowed off the ship for some free time and also the mandatory group photo.

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Student releasing big white balloon in the air. Blue water and blue sky
Department of Meteorology

The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, blog post 1: Releasing one of the first radiosoundings

The expedition Arctic Ocean 2025, with the research school on the Arctic climate system, is now well under way. We left Longyearbyen last Sunday August 10 under clear-blue skies and sunshine and this stayed with us through yesterday. Late last night we saw the first ice rather far north, and now were continuing north in ice and fog, as is usual along the ice edge this time of the year.

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Researcher at ship on expedition

Ocean anomalies traveling North crucial for the AMOC

Anomalies in temperature and salinity that originate in the midlatitude North Atlantic can affect the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in the Nordic Seas up to a decade later. The study published in Nature’s journal Communications Earth & Environment shows that the anomalies that travel northward with the Atlantic Water are an important part of the system, and actively modulate both the inflow of warm water into the Nordic Seas and the overflow of dense water back into the deep Atlantic.

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Maria-Therese Gustafsson
Stockholm Center on Global Governance

How Do Laws Regulating Global Trade Actually Work?

Companies today have a responsibility to ensure their production does not violate human rights or harm the environment. These regulations, known as "due diligence laws," require businesses to assess risks in their supply chains. But do companies actually follow these rules? How do governments and other actors enforce them? And could they be made more effective? A new political science research project explores these questions.

Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Portraits of the researchers Martin Jastroch, Hanna Johannesson and David Drew.

Three ERC Advanced Grants to researchers at Stockholm University

Martin Jastroch, Hanna Johannesson and David Drew at Stockholm University are awarded Advanced Grants by the European Research Council ERC. In total, it is about SEK 86 million for research in evolutionary biology, biochemistry and molecular bioscience.

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During a rally in Stockholm a protester carries a sign that says

Fairtrans granted 40 million to research on climate transformations

The Stockholm Resilience Centre hosted research programme Fairtrans has been granted SEK 40 million for a second phase, co-financed by Mistra and Formas. Building on achievements such as training union leaders, launching Sweden’s first national citizens’ assembly on climate, and investigating public acceptance of climate policy, Fairtrans will now expand its efforts at the European level.

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Department of Environmental Science

The power behind big data: high-performance computing in environmental toxicogenomics

What happens when cutting-edge biology meets powerful computing? At the Department of Environmental Science, researchers are harnessing the power of high-performance computing (HPC) to investigate how pollution leaves its mark—not only on individuals, but on future generations.

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Map ocean the islands, with pink markers.
Department of Meteorology

Investigation of deep water currents in the North Atlantic, to see how they affect the climate

Léon Chafik, Stockholm University, and Fabien Roquet, Gothenburg University, will investigate deep water currents in the North Atlantic on 2–16 July 2025. During the expedition they will make measurements in two important sea passages: the Faroe-Shetland Channel and the ridge between the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
water drop on fabric
Department of Environmental Science

Scientists defend widely used definition of PFASs

In a new paper published today in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 22 scientists—including Professor Ian Cousins and Associate Professor Marlene Ågerstrand from the Department of Environmental Science—defend the current definition of PFASs established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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Book cover.
Department of Meteorology

Earth's Energy Imbalance More Than Doubled in Recent Decades. New publication by MISU

Global warming stems from the difference between incoming solar and outgoing reflected and infrared radiation, causing energy buildup and climate impacts like rising temperatures and sea levels. In 2023, this imbalance reached a new record high, twice that of the IPCC best estimate. Improved understanding and monitoring are urgently needed.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
plastic bottle and bag in the water
Department of Environmental Science

UTOPIA in code: charting the fate of our plastic world

In a quiet seminar room at the Department of Environmental Science, two researchers sit across from a laptop, ready to simulate the afterlife of a plastic bag that escaped into the environment—blown away from a picnic on the beach for example. How long does it stay there? What does it become? And what damage might it do in the meantime?

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Comment on ICES' advice: What level of risk?

Total allowable catches (TAC) for the herring in the Gulf of Bothnia would have to be cut by 62 per cent next year in order to comply with the European Union’s rules for highest acceptable risk. That is one conclusion from the assessment of fish stocks and forecasts over maximum sustainable yields presented by scientists at the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on Wednesday 28 May.

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European Commission building
Department of Environmental Science

Researchers call on EU to strengthen protection against chemical mixtures in REACH revision

A group of leading scientists from across Europe, including researchers from the Department of Environmental Science, have jointly sent an open letter to the European Commission urging stronger regulatory measures against chemical mixtures in the upcoming revision of REACH—the EU’s main regulation for chemicals.

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Grassland and forest in Tsaratanana massif, in the north of Madagascar
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

DEEP seeks PhD student in Plant systematics — apply by 6 June

The Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences invites applications for a four-year PhD position in the framework of the project "Reconstructing Madagascar’s biome history using plant phylogenetics”, led by Jan Hackel and co-supervised by Prof. Catarina Rydin.

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SUBIC - Stockholm University Brain Imaging Centre

Research grants for the use of SUBIC equipment

Stockholm University researchers are welcome to apply for SUBIC time grant.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Scientists: Wrong to link seals and cormorants to overall decline of Baltic herring

Seals and cormorants eat fish, which can have a negative impact on local coastal stocks of perch, pike and other large predatory fish. Recently, however, seals and cormorants are increasingly being associated with the problems of the Baltic's large herring stocks. ‘There is no scientific basis for this,’ say researchers.

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Lövsångare med insekt i munnen.

Migratory birds are arriving earlier each spring

When migratory birds return to Sweden after a long winter it signals the arrival of spring for many people. However, climate change is affecting how and when birds migrate. Research shows that many migratory species are now arriving earlier than they did just a few decades ago, which can have consequences for both the birds themselves and the ecosystems they depend on.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Difficult to catch nutrients on their way to the sea - and to measure success

The right measure, in the right place, with the right design, is crucial to successfully reduce diffuse nutrient inputs from land into the Baltic Sea. This is shown by the latest study from the Living Coast project. The study also shows that it is difficult to capture nutrients in the short term once they have entered the waterways, and that some measures need maintenance to avoid becoming counterproductive.

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Department of Environmental Science

Three department researchers awarded royal scholarships for sustainability research

Postdoctoral researchers Kyra Spaan, Bo Sha, and Josefin Engelhardt have been awarded scholarships by the King Carl XVI Gustaf 50-Year Foundation for Science, Technology and Environment. The awards were officially announced today, 30 April 2025, coinciding with His Majesty the King’s birthday.

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blod donation
Department of Environmental Science

New group of environmental pollutants detected in Swedes’ blood for the first time

Synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) – a group of man-made chemicals – have been detected in the blood of 30 donours in Stockholm, according to a new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University.

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Deep muddy bottom
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New policy brief: Safeguard ecosystem function and carbon storage capacity in deep soft bottoms

Deep soft bottoms are of vital importance for the functioning of the whole marine ecosystem and for long-term carbon storage. This is emphasised by researchers from several different departments at Stockholm University in a new policy brief. They stress that EU Member States must be better at protecting these habitats in the Baltic and North Sea.

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Ny Ålesund forskningsstation
Bolin Centre for Climate Research

Clouds Are Highly Sensitive to Changes in Aerosol Particle Concentrations

Clouds in the lower atmosphere are much more sensitive to changes in the concentration of atmospheric aerosol particles than previously thought. This is shown by an international study published in Nature Geoscience. The discovery affects, among other things, the assessment of how much human emissions of fine particles have slowed global warming caused by greenhouse gases.

Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Message to the EU Commissioner: Baltic fish stocks need better management

The special challenges of the Baltic Sea make the fish stocks particularly vulnerable, and require more careful management and a sharp reduction in fishing pressure. This was the message from the Baltic Sea Centre's researchers to the new EU Commissioner Costas Kadis, who visited Sweden last week.

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Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

DEEP seeks PhD student in Ecology and Evolution – apply by 22 April!

The Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences invites applications for a four-year PhD position in the framework of the project “Harnessing evolutionary transitions, machine learning, and genomics to decode pollen evolution and unravel sexual selection mechanisms shared across kingdoms” led by Prof. Tanja Slotte in close collaboration with co-investigators Prof. John Fitzpatrick, Prof. Catarina Rydin, and Dr. Allison Hsiang at Stockholm University.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
A woman with straight, shoulder-length brown hair stands indoors in a well-lit hallway.
Department of Environmental Science

Researchers awarded grant to strengthen science in global plastic and chemical pollution policy

A team of researchers, including a researcher from the Department of Environmental Science, has been awarded SEK 2 million (€184,000) by the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development Formas to boost the role of science in international efforts to tackle plastic and chemical pollution.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: Difficult to contain the risk of PFAS without a ban

What was initially proposed as a ban on all uses of PFAS in the EU, may now only be a prohibition on using these chemicals in consumer products. But will this be enough? Can the risks of PFAS be contained if only some uses are banned? To answer this question, the last Baltic Breakfast seminar engaged two professors of organic chemistry; Ian Cousins from Stockholm University and Lutz Ahrens from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

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Aerial image of Geovetenskapens hus
Department of Environmental Science

Stockholm University ranks among the top 50 in the world in Environmental Science

In the 2025 edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, Stockholm University is ranked among the top 50 universities globally in three subjects—and holds the top national position in seven. Environmental Science stands out with a global ranking of 39th, making Stockholm University the highest-ranked institution in Sweden in this field.

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composite of 9 images taken under a microscope
Department of Environmental Science

The hidden world of biofilm: how Vibrioscope combines art with science to expose an invisible threat

In a classroom at Dibber International School Sollentuna, just north of Stockholm, a student adjusts the focus on a microscope. The others lean in, watching as a tiny world teeming with microbial life comes into view.

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Researcher Sofia Wikström holds a sediment sample from a shallow bay. Photo: Betty Gubri
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Sheltered bays are significant carbon sinks in the Baltic Sea

Coastal zones are identified as important natural carbon sinks globally, especially habitats with abundant vegetation such as seagrass meadows and mangrove areas. In brackish environments like the Baltic Sea, knowledge of carbon sequestration in coastal habitats is limited, but a new study shows that shallow and partly enclosed Baltic bays are significant sinks for carbon and nutrients.

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Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

DEEP seeks Associate Professor in Plant Molecular Physiology – apply now!

The Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences (DEEP) at Stockholm University is inviting applications for a tenured Associate Professor position in Plant Molecular Physiology. Situated in Sweden’s dynamic capital, the university offers a world-class research environment where education and research thrive together.

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Department of Environmental Science

The hidden toxins in 'green' energy: Can we build a PFAS-free battery?

The future is electric. As the world pivots away from fossil fuels, lithium-ion batteries have become the backbone of the so-called green energy transition, powering everything from smartphones to electric vehicles.

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Sleeping whale at dawn in the Arctic of Greenland. Photo: Liubov Sharova © Mostphotos
Stockholm Center on Global Governance

New study explores the US and China's influence on the Arctic Council's work

The Arctic Council faces constant challenges to its authority by influential players on the international stage. A new study by Nicholas Olczak, postdoctoral researcher at SCGG, Stockholm University, reveals how the United States and China have shifted between supporting and undermining the council over a decade, depending on their current political priorities.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Fishing for endangered eels continues despite warnings from scientists

“Zero catches in all habitats”. The message from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is clear: European eels cannot be fished at all; not commercially, not recreationally, not for restocking and not for aquaculture. Yet fisheries will be allowed to continue this year, the EU Council of Ministers has decided, and the evaluation of the Swedish eel management plan only suggests smaller modifications of the fisheries regulations.

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Observed shifts in the floral traits of cowslips

The results of cowslip observations carried out with the help of citizen scientists from 32 countries in over 5,200 locations shed light on the well-being of insect-pollinated plants under changing climate and land use conditions. The study was made possible thanks to the contribution of European science enthusiasts. It revealed some surprising results recently published in the Journal of Ecology, one of the longest-standing top-level journals in this field.

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Four women sit and kneel on a grassy field, engaging in an outdoor learning activity.
Department of Environmental Science

Stockholm University to host new international Master’s programme in climate, environment and energy

Stockholm University is proud to announce the launch of an innovative international Master's Programme in Transdisciplinary Studies of Climate, Environment and Energy (TRACEE), coordinated by the Department of Environmental Science and developed as an integral part of the CIVIS University Alliance.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Bladderwrack is back in the inner archipelago – old herbarium material provides new knowledge

Improved wastewater treatment has led to better water quality in the Stockholm archipelago, and a new study shows that bladderwrack has now returned to the inner part of Trälhavet, north of the city. The study also shows that archived herbarium material can be an important tool for detecting environmental changes, says researcher Lena Kautsky.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

CoastClim expedition to New Zealand highlights importance of coastal management for the climate

Marine researchers from Stockholm University and the University of Helsinki have temporarily changed their site of research; from the Baltic Sea to New Zealand. Using their unique set of instrumentation, they are spending three weeks exploring patterns in greenhouse gas emissions along the coastline. The preliminary results agree with the findings from the Baltic Sea that stressed and degraded coastal ecosystems become net emitters of greenhouse gases, and highlights the importance of proper management of coastal areas.

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response from Defra
Department of Environmental Science

UK government responds to scientists' call for stricter PFAS regulation

The UK government has issued a formal response to a letter from Professor Ian Cousins, Department of Environmental Science, and a coalition of international scientists, who urged stronger regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

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Department of Environmental Science

UK ministers urged to toughen regulation on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ by leading scientist

A coalition of international scientists has urged the UK government to significantly strengthen its regulation of harmful "forever chemicals," warning that the country is falling behind Europe in addressing the growing risks posed by these persistent and dangerous pollutants.

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Three researchers in the lab looking at a whiteboard.

Lignin paves the way for a fossil-free society

Lignin is the substance that gives plants strength and resilience. Properties that make lignin a promising replacement for materials produced from oil and coal. Researchers at Stockholm University are investigating the potential of lignin as a basis for future materials.

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Postdoc fellowship (2 years) in bioinformatics of plant-microbe interactions – deadline 25 January

A postdoctoral stipend is available with an actinorhizal nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbioses. The position is sponsored by the Carl Trygger Foundation to the laboratory of Professor Katharina Pawlowski at Stockholm University in the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences. The department has approximately 100 employees, including 25 research groups, 10 postdocs and approximately 35 PhD students; research and teaching are conducted in an international environment.

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Tea estate in New Guinea.

Social Anthropologists call for more complexity in biodiversity debate

Increasingly, animal and plant species are being moved, or migrating to new places as a result of climate change, trade and new infrastructure. While often referred to as ‘invasive’, the researchers behind the BIOrdinary project prefer to speak of migratory species. They want to shift the debate to focus on local contexts and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of biodiversity.

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Photo: Private.
Stockholm University Center for Circular and Sustainable Systems

SUCCeSS hosted the Treesearch study visit at SU

The 5th of December SUCCeSS together with Treesearch organized a study visit at Stockholm University. The goal of the visit was to showcase the infrastructure of the Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry and create new collaborations with other universities and industries.

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Department of Environmental Science

Isoprene nitrates drive aerosol formation in the upper atmosphere in the tropics

In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers from the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University have been at the forefront of uncovering the critical role of isoprene nitrates in forming new particles in the upper troposphere over the Amazon rainforest.

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Uppskjutningen av raketen
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Fucus in space - rocket flight could help solve mystery of reproduction

Samples of bladderwrack have been sent into space as a first step towards understanding its mysterious reproduction. "An absolutely breathtaking experience," says Professor Emeritus Lena Kautsky, who was at Esrange in Kiruna for the launch. "Now we hope to move forward by sending bladderwrack to the International Space Station for a longer period of time".

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Integrated assessment of environmental stressors improves marine management

The Baltic Sea ecosystem is subject to multiple pressures at the same time. This can lead to a loss of biodiversity and reduce the sea's ability to maintain important ecosystem functions. There is a strong need for improved assessments of these combined impacts in marine spatial planning and fisheries management, and now researchers in the BalticCAT project have made further progress in developing data and methods for such assessments.

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Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

Postdoc Fellowship in Marine Microbiology

A postdoctoral stipend is available with an emphasis on planktonic N2 fixing symbioses. The position is sponsored by the Carl Trygger Foundation to the laboratory of Professor Rachel A Foster at Stockholm University in the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences. At the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, research and teaching are conducted in an international environment. The department has approximately 100 employees, including 25 research groups, 10 postdocs and approximately 35 are PhD students.

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The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) on plastic pollution

Stockholm University granted observer status in UN environment body

Stockholm University has been awarded observer status within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a move that opens new avenues for its researchers to participate in and influence international discussions on sustainability. This development gives Stockholm University a direct voice in the UN’s top environmental forum, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), which sets the global agenda on issues such as climate change, biodiversity, and chemicals management.

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Stockholm University Center for Circular and Sustainable Systems

Machine learning sets the foundation for fast tailoring of safer pesticides

Dr. Henrik Hupatz is a postdoc in the Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry and in the Department of Organic Chemistry. His SUCCeSS project is about the sustainable development of reagents for the fast and sensitive detection of polar pesticides, such as glyphosate. The project combines mass spectrometry with machine learning and sustainable organic chemistry.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: The plastic problem – bigger than waste

Patricia Villarubia-Gómez tried to go plastic-free, but became anaemic. Now she is working as a researcher to change the system in which plastic is all around us. At the last Baltic Breakfast, she and Associate Professor Fredric Bauer from Lund University explained why primary production of plastics needs to be reduced and what's at stake at the global plastics negotiations in South Korea.

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Tanja Slotte receives funding from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation

Each year, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation awards research grants in the fields of medicine, science, and technology to research projects that are judged to have such high scientific potential that they are likely to lead to future scientific breakthroughs. Each project is evaluated by a group of international experts in the respective field.

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May Britt Rian, Stockholm University.
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: New methods for environmental monitoring

National and international legal acts require monitoring of the environmental status and the demands are increasing. Meanhile, funding does not follow or are even under the threat of cut-backs. Are there ways forward to secure the continued long-term observations with more cost-efficient methods? The latest Baltic Breakfast took a closer look.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New policy brief: Establish no-take zones to protect stocks and ecosystems

More no-take zones should be introduced in Sweden to protect fish and crustacean stocks and marine ecosystems. This is according to researchers from Stockholm University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in a new policy brief. But it is important that the areas are extensive and designed correctly.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

How the Baltic Sea escaped disaster

The Baltic Sea is highly eutrophic, with anoxic seabeds and large algal blooms. But if the countries surrounding the sea had not reduced nutrient discharges, the situation would have been much worse. “Thanks to the measures taken, the Baltic Sea has avoided an ecological disaster”, says researcher Eva Ehrnstén.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Fisheries experts on the Council’s TAC decision: Too big risk – May be illegal

A doubling of the total allowable catch (TAC) of herring in the central Baltic Sea and a substantial increase in the Gulf of Bothnia were among the outcomes of the negotiations on catch limits for 2025 in the EU Council of Ministers. “Absolutely devastating for the herring stocks and for the Baltic Sea ecosystem”, comments fisheries scientist Henrik Svedäng at the Baltic Sea Centre.

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Stockholm University Center for Circular and Sustainable Systems

Harvesting microorganisms to secure water safety: Dr. Joeselle Serrana’s Pursuit of Sustainable Wate

Dr Joeselle Serrana, a postdoc at Stockholm University and the SUCCeSS project, is investigating how microorganisms can purify polluted water in European rivers. By combining chemical analysis, biogeochemistry and molecular biology, she aims to increase the understanding of natural purification processes and contribute to safer, more sustainable water reuse.

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Stockholm University Center for Circular and Sustainable Systems

SUCCeSS Directors have written a Perspective in Chem

The Perspective summaries progress in the use of nanocellulose in organic synthesis, with an outlook to recent applications in mechanochemistry. It is a perfect example of interdisciplinary research showcasing how organic synthesis meets materials science to adopt a new sustainable concept of valorizing forest materials in a sustainable low carbon footprint organic synthesis.

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Department of Environmental Science

The Swedish National Reference Laboratory's role in implementing the EU's new Air Quality Directive

As the European Union moves forward with its new Ambient Air Quality Directive, the Swedish National Reference Laboratory for Air Quality, based at the Department for Environmental Science, Stockholm University, is set to play a pivotal role.

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Stockholm University Center for Circular and Sustainable Systems

From Polymer Chemistry to Forest-Based Bioeconomy: A Journey Towards Sustainable Circular Economy

Linnea Cederholms, Post Doc Department of Environmental Science, research explores how materials chemistry, regulatory science, and sustainability can drive the forest-based bioeconomy. Shifting focus from technological development to socio-ecological and policy aspects, she uncovers both the challenges and opportunities in this interdisciplinary field.

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Portraits of six researchers combined

Six researchers share SEK 175 million from the Wallenberg Foundation

The importance of Arctic methane emissions for the climate, how matter is formed and broken down, evolutionary shifts in the plant kingdom, and new effective methods for producing bioactive substances that will meet future needs for medicines and advanced electronics. These are just a few examples of basic research at Stockholm University that has received funding from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Policy memo: Decision-makers need to read the ’fine print’ in ICES advice

Council of Ministers must learn to read and understand scientific advice, rather than just focus on the headlines, when making decisions on fishing opportunities. This is the message of a new policy memo ahead of the Agrifish Council on 21-22 October

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

A proposal for no progress towards unmet goals, based on uncertainties

The European Commission has proposed an increase in total allowable catch of herring in the Gulf of Bothnia by 21%. This is a proposal with a number of risks. It is also a proposal that implicitly accepts a year of no progress towards meeting a key objective of the common fisheries policy, and targets under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive that should have been met already by 2020. And the proposal is based on a foundation of uncertainties. Last year, the Swedish and Finnish governments pushed through allowable catches far above what the Commission proposed. This year there are strong arguments for lower catches than the Commission proposes.

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Forskare vid Tarfala forskningsstation på Storglaciären

Record shrinkage of Swedish glaciers

The four Swedish reference glaciers continue to shrink. The results of the annual measurements of the glaciers' mass balance show that Storglaciären, Rabots Glacier, Rivgojiehhki, and Moarhmmáglaciären have shrinked significantly. These are the largest losses since systematic measurements began.

Climate and Environment - Theme page
Department of Environmental Science

The art of sustainability: How STAGES is transforming theatre’s environmental footprint

In the heart of Sweden’s theatre scene, an ambitious EU-funded experiment involving fourteen European theatres and academic institutions is reshaping how the performing arts engage with one of today’s most pressing issues: sustainability.

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Gia får pris
Department of Physical Geography

Gia Destouni Awarded Baltic Sea Hero for Research on Eutrophication

Professor Georgia (Gia) Destouni, Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, has been honoured with the prestigious Baltic Sea Award for her groundbreaking contributions to addressing one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the Baltic Sea: eutrophication.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Legacy effects are expected to reduce phosphorus loads

The accumulation of nutrient legacies on land and in inland waters will lead to excessive nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea for still a long time to come, according to a new study. That's one side of the story. On the positive side, measures already taken to reduce the inputs of nutrients to the catchment will have an impact on future loads to the sea as legacies are depleted, thereby reducing the need for additional mitigation measures.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Sea Centre's eutrophication model can provide knowledge about greenhouse gases

The BALTSEM model is a well-used tool for studying the effects of nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea and has been used in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. The modelling tool has now been further developed to include methane fluxes, which can provide important knowledge about the climate impact of the Baltic Sea.

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Greta Thunberg wall painting Photo: Håkan Bergqvist © Mostphotos
Stockholm Center on Global Governance

Lisa Dellmuth: "Since Greta's protest in 2018, climate awareness has increased worldwide"

In around 110 locations in Germany, people protested on September 20, 2024 as part of the global 'climate strike' by 'Fridays for Future.' Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg once made the climate movement big. But what role does she still play today? German public broadcaster asked professor Lisa Dellmuth, SCGG.

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Department of Environmental Science

Department scientists to showcase climate research at ForskarFredag

ForskarFredag 2024 returns this week with the theme of "Research in Everyday Life," and the Department of Environmental Science, a long-term partner of this yearly event, will have a significant presence. On September 27, with a strong focus on climate science, the Department will present displays with researchers involved in the ARTofMELT (AoM) research expedition in the Arctic, as well as feature talks by prominent scientists Associate Professor Paul Glantz and Professor Kevin Noone.

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Sweden's first Master's programme in Environmental Humanities inaugurated

The university's exhibition space Accelerator was at capacity when the Master's Programme in Environmental Humanities was inaugurated on 5 September. Students, visitors, colleagues and researchers from several departments and other universities came together.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Fisheries experts on the CFP evaluation: “Implementation far from fulfilling its purpose”

The implementation of the EU Common Fisheries Policy is far from fulfilling its purpose, and there has been too little effort to achieve coherence between fisheries and environmental policy. This is a comment from the Baltic Sea Centre's experts in response to a Commission consultation on the evaluation of the policy.

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GRULAC (Ambassadors from the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean)
Nordic Institute of Latin American Studies

Open lecture at NILAS, ‘Climate Change and Water Challenges in Latin America’

On September 3rd, a seminar titled "Climate Change and Water Challenges in Latin America" was held at the library of the Nordic Institute of Latin American Studies. The event addressed critical water issues in Latin America, such as the lack of infrastructure, insufficient support from the international community, and the risks involved in planning across the region.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New study shows: No significant risk to humans or animals from aluminium treatment

The aluminium treatment of the previously eutrophic bay Björnöfjärden posed no significant risk to humans, animals or vegetation, a new study shows. Aluminium levels increased in the water, fish and algae after the treatment, but only temporarily, and the transport of aluminium to nearby areas was low.

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Stockholm University Center for Circular and Sustainable Systems

Successful SUCCeSS Event Unites Postdocs and PhD Students for Interdisciplinary Collaborations

On March 26, 2024, SUCCeSS organized a speed talk and mingle event at Stockholm University. The gathering brought together Postdoctoral Researchers and PhD students to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and explore research across various departments.

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Fyr i havskum vid Östersjön
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Views ahead of the UN Ocean Conference 2025

Next summer, the third UN global ocean conference will be held in Nice, France. The organizers are asking for proposals for measures needed to reach the goals for the sea. The Baltic Sea Center has responded and highlighted the themes and measures compiled by researchers and experts at Stockholm University in our new publication "Important measures for the Baltic Sea".

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Icebreaker Oden outside Stephenson Island entering the Victoria Fjord.

Arctic expedition has entered remote Greenland fjord

Icebreaker Oden has as the first vessel ever now reached the remote and uncharted Victoria fjord at northern Greenland. Read an update from the GEOEO North of Greenland 2024 expedition on its challenging battle against multiyear sea ice and pressure ridges.

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Photo: Jens Olof Lasthein
Stockholm University Center for Circular and Sustainable Systems

Funding call for research exchanges to initiate collaborations

SUCCeSS now open a second call for research exchange funding to initiate research collaborations, and invite proposals that address any of the three research focus areas of SUCCeSS, which are Circular processing, Sustainable food and water systems, and Data driven circular and sustainable design.

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Respiration från torra ekosystem är mindre känslig för temperatur.

Warming increases ecosystem carbon emissions – but only with sufficient rain

The emissions of carbon dioxide from ecosystems are known to be higher in warmer climates. Therefore, global warming can speed up emissions, causing a stronger greenhouse effect that worsens climatic changes. But only in sufficiently moist environments where plants and soil organisms are not limited by water availability, as shown in a Nature Ecology & Evolution article with four co-authors from Stockholm University.

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Fire spreading through a forest.
Department of Public Health Sciences

Public health researcher Sara Causevic engages in AI for sustainability research

Sara Causevic, you are researcher at the Department of Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University. But recently on LinkedIn you shared a perspective article on AI for sustainability that you have published together with three other researchers in the scientific journal Discover Conservation. AI for sustainability research is a bit out of your sphere as a researcher of public health. What are the reasons for you engaging in this?

Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Digitalization and AI - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Princip för strålningsmätning från rymden. Bild: Thorsten Mauritsen/MISU/Stockholms universitet
Department of Meteorology

MISU satellite project receives funding from the Swedish National Space Agency

MISU’s researcher Thorsten Mauritsen has been awarded funds from the Swedish National Space Agency to develop the satellite project Earth Climate Observatory (ECO) which is competing to be part of the European Space Agency ESA’s program Earth Explorer. The project is one of four main candidates and in 2029 one of these candidates will be chosen by ESA for the program.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Loads of sticklebacks.
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

FORCE investigates how sticklebacks affect coasts and climate

Large predatory fish have become harder to find in the coastal bays of the Baltic Sea, which are now dominated by sticklebacks. Many of these bays have also become more turbid and show signs of severe eutrophication. Scientists have seen this shift spread from the open sea to coastal environments and are now looking for explanations as to why this has happened and whether it could contribute to unforeseen climate impacts.

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Department of Environmental Science

New study reveals acrylamide exposure in teenagers from common foods

In a new collaborative study with the Swedish Food Agency published in Frontiers in Nutrition, for the special issue “Dietary Acrylamide in Human Health”, researchers from the Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, have embarked on an exploration into the dietary habits of teenagers, particularly focusing on their exposure to acrylamide.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New summary of important measures to restore the Baltic Sea

What is needed to regain a healthy environmental state in the Baltic Sea? In a new leaflet, researchers and experts at Stockholm University point out some key measures that the new European Parliament and politicians around the Baltic Sea should focus on in order to get the full benefit from the sea.

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Poster in Brussels, announcing the European election 2024. Photo: Daniella Baumann/Mostphotos
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

We have a new EU-parliament – let’s get to work!

Europe - the elections for the new European Parliament are over and we have a result! Headlines like ‘right-wingers won’ and ‘liberals and greens lose at EU level’ are being circulated. But it's more complicated than that because there are big differences between the EU countries. And once again, Sweden seems to be out of tune with many other EU-countries - here the Green and the Left parties made a strong election. In Sweden the situation of the Baltic Sea environment also got surprisingly much attention in the election campaign, with nearly all Swedish parties expressing concern and presenting proposals for the Baltic Sea.

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Stockholm Center for Global Asia

Symposium: Food Sovereignty in the Himalayas - Mountain Agriculture and Indigenous Livelihoods

This two-day symposium addresses the present situation regarding agriculture and food sovereignty in the Himalayan region. For us, food sovereignty denotes attempts to strengthen community capacity to feed itself and produce nutritious food that is culture- and climate-appropriate.

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sill i låda
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Scientists comment on ICES advice for Central Baltic herring: “Irresponsible”

The latest advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to the EU fisheries management opens the way for a significant increase in fishing pressure on the herring stock in the central Baltic Sea next year. According to the Baltic Sea Centre's researchers, EU fisheries ministers should decide on much more cautious quotas - to allow the herring stock to recover.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: Sewage sludge – a problem that could be turned into a resource

Sewage sludge contains high levels of phosphorus - a finite resource in demand by agriculture. Can sewage sludge be reused in a safe way, and does spreading it on fields increase the amount of microplastics? These questions were discussed at a recent Baltic Breakfast seminar attended by researchers Arno Rosemarin and Geert Cornelis.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New policy brief: Nutrient load from horse farms should be included in eutrophication work

Research shows that horse farms can be a significant source of nutrient leaching, contributing to the eutrophication of water bodies and coastal areas. This nutrient leakage should be better taken into account in the calculations that form the basis of eutrophication work, so that the right measures can be taken, write researchers from the Baltic Sea Centre, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Södertörn University in a new policy brief.

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Deltagare i workshop samlade till gruppfoto. Foto: Michael Tjernström/MISU/Stockholms universitet.
Department of Meteorology

1st ARTofMELT Science Workshop

The ARTofMELT science team met the first time after the expedition in May and June 20223 for a three-day science workshop at Stockholm University 22-24 April. The meeting was a great success and everyone left exhausted but also invigorated and eager to keep working together on understanding when, where and how the Arctic starts to melt in spring.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Deciphering coastal climate impact: Sandviken Bay exploration

Is there a difference between healthy and degraded coastal bays in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and uptake? To answer this question, researchers from different disciplines are working together carrying out various measurements along the Swedish coast. Come with us to Sandviken Bay, where the first of several days of a new sampling campaign took place.

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Department of Political Science

"Forest and Rights Observatory" approach to help minimize the EU’s impact on deforestation in Brazil

The EUDR is a core component of the EU Green Deal that seeks to minimize the EU’s impact on deforestation by prohibiting companies from putting products on the EU market that are tainted with deforestation. The implementation of such a complex policy is a real challenge and must be considered from many aspects. Maria-Therese Gustafsson et al. puts forth the creation of a "Forest and Rights Observatory" as a way to support the implementation of EUDR in a new discussion paper.

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Öppen gruva med skog i bakgrunden

New indicators to guide companies towards a sustainable future

Many companies claim to be sustainable, but when Stockholm University researcher Beatrice Crona looked at how they measure sustainability, she found that they often map the wrong things. She is now developing new tools and indicators that companies and asset managers can use to steer towards a future that preserves the conditions for life on our planet.

Economy and Society - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Department of Environmental Science

Ocean waves propel 'forever chemicals' back to land

A new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science, published in Science Advances, reveals that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) re-emit into the air from crashing ocean waves at levels comparable to or greater than other sources, establishing a cyclical transport process for these "forever chemicals" between land and sea.

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Students standing by the shore. The Baltic Sea in the background.
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

PhD students connect coast and society in a changing climate

Solving complex questions about interactions between the sea and climate change, and how they relate to society, requires a broad set of skills. In a new research school, PhD students from diverse scientific disciplines at Stockholm University get a unique opportunity to learn how transdisciplinary approaches and research communication can lead to sustainable management of coastal environments.

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Earlier spring phytoplankton blooms disrupt the balance in the Baltic Sea

With spring around the corner is the arrival of migratory birds, flowering of plants and emergence of insects. The timing of these ‘phenological events’ is starting earlier for many organisms with climate warming. A new study from researcher at Stockholm University shows that spring starts earlier also in the Baltic Sea but their zooplankton grazers are not following up with the same speed and miss this high-quality spring food resource.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Department of Environmental Science

Careers in Environmental Science: Meet Marko Filipovic

Ever wondered how a passion for the environment can shape a career? Welcome to our series on careers in environmental science, where we spotlight the achievements of our accomplished alumni. Today, we're proud to present Marko Filipovic, an inspiring example for students hoping to make an impact in the environmental field.

Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Eutrophication expert on the HELCOM 50-anniversary: “Unique cooperation well worth celebrating”

22 March 2024 marks the 50-year anniversary of the first Helsinki convention that led to the formation of the Helsinki Commission – HELCOM. “Without the successful cooperation in HELCOM, the Baltic Sea would likely be in a much worse shape today”, comments researcher Bo Gustafsson, whose modelling team has made important contributions to the development of Baltic Sea Action Plan.

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Department of Environmental Science

New study reveals transgenerational effects of pesticide linuron on frogs

Grand-offspring of male frogs exposed to the pesticide linuron exhibited changes in their DNA that was linked to significant physiological impacts, a study from Stockholm University reveals. The research highlights the profound transgenerational consequences of environmental pollution on amphibian populations, which are already under threat of extinction. The study is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Life Science - Theme page SciLifeLab - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New policy brief: Eutrophication must be reduced to limit coastal methane emissions

The Swedish coasts are currently net sources of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, mainly in the form of methane. Reducing these methane emissions requires more measures to combat eutrophication. These are the findings of the Baltic Sea Centre's researchers in a new policy brief.

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Department of Environmental Science

Bridging skies and fields: two Indian students’ journey to empower farmers with accurate forecasts

In the lush landscapes of India, where over 50% of the population depends on agriculture, weather forecasts can mean the difference between prosperity and devastation. Two Indian PhD students, Rahul Ranjan and Shubham Singh, friends with a shared passion for meteorology, are pioneering a transformation in weather forecasting to support these farmers. Their journey, from the halls of Stockholm- and Lund Universities in Sweden back to the rural heartlands of India, is a story of creativity, dedication, and hope.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: Ocean acidification – an emerging problem also in the Baltic Sea

Large anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide don’t only cause global warming, but also acidification of the oceans. In the Baltic Sea pH is expected to decrease between 0.1 and 0.4 units during this century depending on future emissions. The effects of ocean acidification on organisms have already been visible and are expected to increase, but not for the reason previously thought.

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Stickle backs in hand

Having good neighbours and few top predators make predatory fish populations more resilient

A regime shift is gradually spreading through the archipelagos of the Swedish Baltic Sea coast, where shallow bays, previously dominated by pike and perch have one by one become dominated by one of their prey species, the three-spined stickleback. Now, research shows that the ability of the pike and perch to maintain dominance over stickleback increases if there are plenty of pike and perch close-by that can help the local population withstand the stickleback intrusion. The researchers also found that the resilience of the pike and perch populations decreased with increasing predation from grey seal and great cormorant.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New policy brief: Ocean acidification poses another threat to the Baltic Sea ecosystem

Ocean acidification is expected to become significant also in the Baltic Sea in the coming decades. It represents an additional pressure for the already stressed ecosystem and makes it even more important to act to reduce other pressures, such as eutrophication and hazardous substances.

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Department of Environmental Science

Environmental Science Research Day 2024: A call to arms for academia and activists alike

In an ambitious gathering of 170 participants, organized by the Department of Environmental Science and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, the Aula Magna auditorium played host to the Environmental Science Research Day on 1 February 2024.

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Nyfångad strömming
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Playing roulette with fish stocks, sustainably

How high a risk are we prepared to take with fish stocks, with fisheries and with the marine environment? That question is at the heart of the recent move by the European and the Council to amend the multiannual plans for commercial fisheries in the Baltic and other regions. It deserves to be discussed openly. So far it hasn’t. In effect, the Commission and the Council are now prepared to take much greater risks than they were a few years ago. This risk-prone behaviour is escalating now, despite the history of stock collapses in the Baltic within the past 10 years.

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Department of Environmental Science

New study sheds new light on forests' role in climate and water cycle

Forests, which cover a third of Earth's land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from Stockholm University and international colleagues provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle.

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Projektet CleanClouds logotyp.
Department of Meteorology

Aerosol-cloud project will increase reliability of climate models

There are large gaps in the knowledge of the relationship between aerosols and clouds, which makes it the largest uncertainty factor in climate models. Annica Ekman, Department of Meteorology, and Paul Zieger, Department of Environmental Science, have received funding for the project ”Clouds and climate transitioning to post-fossil aerosol regime: CleanCloud” from Horizon Europe. The project aims at substantially increasing the knowledge about the interplay between aerosols and clouds and improving the representation of related processes in climate models.

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Marine fish farms.
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

Underestimated risks of pesticides in food production 

Food production in agriculture and fish farms uses large amounts of chemicals such as pesticides and antibiotics to secure harvests, but we currently know very little about the environmental effects of this use. This is according to a new thesis from Stockholm University, which suggests ways to improve this information.

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Image of wooden blocks piled up with the words economic, social and environmental
Swedish Institute for Social Research

New study from SOFI: Welfare state's role in mitigating poverty from environmental taxes

In a new study, three researchers at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University ,demonstrate how the welfare state protects households from falling into poverty as a result of environmental taxes related to consumption, writes Henrik Pehrsson, communications officer, in a article for Stockholm University.

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Department of Environmental Science

Swedish Environment Minister focuses on Baltic Sea and chemicals at Stockholm Universit

Swedish Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari engaged in discussions on ocean- and chemical issues during her visit to Stockholm University, meeting with representatives from the Baltic Sea Centre and the Department of Environmental Science.

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Makrofoto av hundstarr
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

Wetland plants can clean water from PFAS

Many lakes and rivers are contaminated with the environmental contaminant PFAS. Researchers at Stockholm University show in a new study that floating wetlands with wetland plants can purify water from PFAS by up to 40 percent in one day. The study is published in the scientific journal “Journal of Environmental Management”.

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Department of Environmental Science

Unraveling the secret role of plant emissions in cloud formation and climate change

Researchers at the Department of Environmental Science are studying the intricate narrative of how plant emissions shape our climate. This expansive project, supported by the Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation, intertwines field experiments in the verdant expanses of Swedish coniferous forests and the lush tropics with advanced theoretical research, aiming to refine our understanding of climate.

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Department of Environmental Science

Stockholm University's novel mobile marine observatory: A vision for sustainable coastal research

Nestled in the Stockholm archipelago, the Askö Laboratory is on the brink of transforming into a hub for groundbreaking coastal atmospheric research, thanks to the highly anticipated addition of a floating air-sea interaction observatory.

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Department of Economic History and International Relations

Researcher contributed to discussions on misinformation and disinformation at COP28

Information manipulation related to climate and water can create security risks, increase polarization, and erode trust in climate science and democratic principles. Karina Shyrokykh, Associate Professor in International Relations, participated in a panel discussion on misinformation and disinformation around climate and water during COP28.

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Natasja Börjeson
Department of Environmental Science

Natasja Börjeson to participate in the Baltic Sea Festival Science Lab 2024

The Baltic Sea Festival Science Lab, returning for its second year, has announced Natasja Börjeson, a postdoctoral scientist from the Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, as one of its key participants for the 2024 edition.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

ANALYSIS: “Those are our rules, and if you don’t like them, well, we’ll make others”

In October, the fisheries ministers in the Council decided to break a rule in European legislation. In December, the Commission proposed to delete the rule. The European Parliament and the Council had made the rules in the first place. Will the Parliament go along with the change?

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Department of Environmental Science

Upholding Integrity at the UN's Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals and Waste

In anticipation of the UN's critical working meeting in Nairobi from December 11-15 to establish a science-policy panel for the responsible management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution, researchers are raising concerns about the potential involvement of the chemical industry in the panel.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Researchers to COP28 participants: Include the role of the oceans in climate work

The ocean has a major impact on the development of the climate, and the ongoing climate summit is the time to highlight this until now undervalued resource. So writes three professors at Stockholm University in a newly published Opinion piece addressed to the participants of COP28.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

The State of the Baltic Sea - report and recording available

The state of the Baltic Sea is still not satisfactory and environmental toxins is a growing problem. This is one of the conclusions in the new HELCOM assessment HOLAS III. A report based on the assessment was recently launched at a webinar moderated by Gun Rudquist, Head of Policy at Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre.

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Peter Heintzman

Using genetics to map the impacts of prehistoric climate change

Our climate is becoming ever warmer – impacting plant and animal ecosystems. But this is by no means the first time Earth has experienced climate change. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Peter Heintzman is using genetics to examine how prehistoric climate change has impacted life on Earth.

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Assistant Professor Birgit Wild
Department of Environmental Science

Birgit Wild's prestigious appointment marks a deep dive into the Arctic's hidden methane reservoirs

Assistant Professor Birgit Wild from the Department of Environmental Science, has been appointed a Wallenberg Fellow 2023, joining the ranks of eight distinguished researchers from Stockholm University. Wild, whose research has long focused on land permafrost and its response to climate warming, is now shifting her gaze to the mysteries of subsea permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean.

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Bolin Centre for Climate Research

New State of the Cryosphere 2023 report from ICCI

The International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), of which vice-director Gustaf Hugelius is a part of, has recently released a new State of the Cryosphere report. The report underlines the urgency and importance of recognizing the fact that we cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice. It stresses that 1.5°C is the only option, and that the 2 °C target put forward by the Paris agreement is way too high.

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Department of Environmental Science

Anneli Kruve Awarded ERC Consolidator Grant for Innovative Project 'LearningStructurE'

Associate Professor Anneli Kruve has been awarded funding from the European Research Council (ERC) for her pioneering project, "Machine Learning and Mass Spectrometry for Structural Elucidation of Novel Toxic Chemicals" - or simply 'LearningStructurE.'

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The genomic secrets of how the muskox survived until today

At the end of the last Ice Age, many iconic species became extinct. However, one Ice Age relict, perfectly adapted to the harsh climate of the tundra environment, has survived until the present day. In a new research study in Molecular Ecology, scientists investigate how the muskox mastered living on the edge – geographically, ecologically, and genetically.

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plants growing out of coins
Department of Environmental Science

Thirteen department researchers secure nearly 50 million SEK from leading Swedish agencies

Thirteen researchers from the Department of Environmental Science have achieved significant success in the recent funding rounds organized by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas), securing close to 49.1 million SEK (€4.3 million) for 15 projects.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

The proposed new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive – what happens now?

Both the European Parliament and the Council have now had their say on the Commission’s proposal for a new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Researcher Bärbel Muller-Karulis and policy analyst Ellen Bruno have been following the process and analysed the outcome so far.

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Sarah Steimer
Department of Environmental Science

Strong impact on air quality by the Kagghamra fire revealed in new study

A recent study conducted by researchers from the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University has shed new light on the impact of the Kagghamra fire, which occurred south of Stockholm in December 2020, on the air quality of nearby residential areas.

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Mars perseverance debris
Department of Environmental Science

Crafting “a New Song” for Mars and Beyond

As governments and private entities prepare to send humans to Mars, the mission brings significant environmental challenges. While the logistics of sustaining life on the Red Planet have been studied extensively, there's a notable gap regarding the impact of chemicals and materials used during human exploration.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New study: How will acidification affect the Baltic Sea by 2100?

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions not only lead to global warming but also cause ocean acidification. According to a new study, pH in parts of the Baltic Sea could decrease by 0.1 units by 2100 if carbon dioxide emissions continue at current levels. With increasing emissions, the reduction could be as large as 0.4 pH units, which could have a major impact on marine life.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Major Baltic Sea research initiative - 12 PhD positions open

Within a new graduate school in ocean, climate and environmental issues, 12 doctoral students will be admitted at several of Stockholm University's departments.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

PFAS back to haunt us – through sea spray

The man-made, and in many cases hazardous, chemicals called PFAS were previously believed to finally be transported to and diluted in the oceans. But at the last Baltic Breakfast, scientists at Stockholm University presented new research showing that these chemicals are enriched at the sea surface and return to land through sea spray aerosols, creating an almost never-ending transportation cycle.

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Tundra near the Ny-Ålesund village

Biological particles play crucial role in Arctic cloud ice formation

An international team of scientists from Sweden, Norway, Japan, and Switzerland, has presented research findings that reveal a crucial role of biological particles, including pollen, spores, and bacteria, in the formation of ice within Arctic clouds. These findings, published in Nature Communications, have far-reaching implications for climate science and our understanding of the rapidly changing Arctic climate.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

The smell of the sea – a key to understanding climate change?

How does the smell of the sea impact the world’s climate? This question lies at the heart of the Cyano-VOC research project. Within this endeavour, aerosol chemists collaborate with microbiologists to investigate the volatile organic compounds emitted by cyanobacteria and other plankton residing along the coastlines of the Baltic Sea.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Drastic measures can lead to ecological and economic success - analysis of proposed fishing ban

The EU Commission's proposal to stop targeted herring fishing in the Baltic Sea is based on a scientifically based risk assessment. The historic fishing stops on North Sea herring and Norwegian spring spawning herring show that drastic measures can lead to both ecological and economic success.

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Jacob Carstensen
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Large Baltic Sea Prize to two outstanding researchers

Professors and colleagues Jacob Carstensen from Denmark and Daniel Conley from Lund University have together been awarded this year's Björn Carlson Östersjöpris. Their research collaboration has developed and broadened the understanding of how the Baltic Sea has been affected by eutrophication and other human activities, and has also been decisive for the measures implemented to improve the situation.

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Nyfångad strömming
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

European Commission: Stop targeted herring fishing in the Central Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia

The European Commission proposes to stop all targeted fishing for herring in the central Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia next year. "The proposal to stop herring fisheries in almost the entire Baltic Sea is both historic and tragic – but unfortunately also necessary”, says Baltic Sea Centre's fisheries researcher Henrik Svedäng.

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Institute for Turkish Studies

SUITS and UI host 2nd Annual SWEMENA conference

On 24-25 August 2023, the Swedish Middle East and North Africa Network (SWEMENA) was hosted at Stockholm University

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Three-spined stickleback
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Trawl survey indicates more stickleback and less herring in the archipelago

The alarms about herring shortages along Sweden's east coast continue to come. In the absence of systematic environmental monitoring of herring in coastal areas, scientists do not know if and, if so, why herring is scarce. But a new study on the situation in the southern Stockholm Archipelago confirms the observations of coastal residents.

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Ocean with Antarctica in background. Photo: Peter Kuma/MISU/Stockholm University
Department of Meteorology

Climate model “family trees” reduce biases in study results

MISU researchers Peter Kuma, Frida Bender and Aiden Jönsson have developed a computer-based genealogy of climate models, with focus on atmospheric processes, that will help researchers account for the code relationships among different models. By applying these statistical methods, biases in study results can be reduced.

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Invasion of plankton species reveals a seasonally ice-free Arctic ocean during the Last Interglacial

A subpolar species associated with Atlantic water expanded far into the Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial, analysis of microfossil content of sediment cores reveals. This implies that summers in the Arctic were ice free during this period. The findings are published in Nature Geoscience.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New fact sheet describes effect of proposed UWWTD on nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea

The requirements on wastewater treatment proposed in new EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive draft is unlikely to have a decisive effect on the nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea. This is concluded in a new fact sheet, describing the requirements in the proposed directive in relation to the current situation regarding wastewater treatment in the Baltic Sea catchment.

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Två vitgula fjärilar möts huvud mot huvud

Seasonal specialists respond differently to a changing climate

Summer and winter seasons constitute vastly different living conditions for animals and plants in many parts of the world. So how have different organisms evolved to cope with this variation? A study by researchers at Stockholm University published in Nature Communications investigates this question by studying two closely related butterfly species, the small white butterfly and the green-veined white butterfly.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Scientist on the TAC advice: Herring fisheries should be closed completely

Zero catch on both of the cod stocks and on the western Baltic herring, but for the central and Bothnian herring, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advises that trawling should be allowed to continue next year. "The recommended quotas in this crisis situation risk destroying the Baltic Sea ecosystem even more", comments scientist Henrik Svedäng.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

ANALYSIS: Avoiding a fishing catastrophe – erring on the side of caution?

Major herring fisheries in the Baltic should be closed next year. That is the content of the scientific advice. But you won’t find that message in the headline advice that most readers focus on. It is buried deep in the text. This may be a result of leaving it to biologists to interpret a political decision, writes Charles Berkow in an analysis of the latest ICES advice on Baltic Sea fisheries.

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Tractor spraying pesticides at soy bean field

Companies withhold studies of potential harm from pesticides

One in four industry-funded studies examining the potential harm from pesticides on the developing brain were not shared with EU authorities by the producing companies. This finding raises concern about the reliability of EU safety evaluations of pesticides and undermines trust in the system designed to protect European consumers.

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Department of Social Anthropology

Anthropologist admitted to the Pro Futura programme

Chakad Ojani has been admitted to the Pro Futura Sciencia programme for promising early-career scholars. In the coming five years he will be working on the project ‘Oceans in the sky’ that deals with fog capture in coastal Peru.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Animals that feed on cyanobacteria

The Baltic Sea is affected by eutrophication and climate change and both the spring phytoplankton bloom and the summer cyanobacteria bloom start earlier today than in the 1980s. Diatoms have decreased while nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria have increased. How does all this affect food chains in the Baltic Sea?

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Alumnus portrait: "Important to implement the knowledge in a valuable way"

Alexander Stockhaus has a master's degree in marine biology from Stockholm University and now works as an environmental consultant specialising in pollution in aquatic environments at the engineering consultancy Niras. He found the field studies to be one of the most fun and important parts of his education.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: Action needed to reduce impact from shipping

Shipping causes a number of pressures on the marine environment, including the discharge of tank cleaning residues into the water. Action is needed to reduce this problem, stated the Baltic Breakfast speakers who presented a policy brief on the subject.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Scientists in Brussels call for cautious Baltic Sea fisheries

Since the EU's fisheries policy was reformed in the 2010s, three of the seven fish stocks in the Baltic Sea have collapsed, and there are worrying signs for two more. A team from Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre recently attended a hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels to explain why politicians should be more restrictive on fishing quotas.

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Krishnakant Budhavant and Prof Örjan Gustafsson at the station in the Maldives

Measurements reveal the impact of air pollution on climate and health in southern Asia

Researchers from Stockholm University are involved in the operation of two strategically placed measurement stations in the Maldives and Bangladesh, which capture air pollutants that affect people’s health and the climate. These pollutants come from diverse sources across the Indian subcontinent, which the research is seeking to pinpoint.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Bottom fauna in Bothnian Sea adapts to new diet

A recently published doctoral thesis shows Monoporeia affinis, a small, benthic amphipod and key marine species in the Baltic Sea, benefit from eating cyanobacteria. This is good news as cyanobacteria will both increase and spread northwards with the ongoing climate change. But the thesis also showed that amphipods living in the Bothnian Sea seem to be particularly sensitive to environmental toxins.

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SU researchers will lead the development of new sustainable fibers for consumer use

The BIO-Lush consortium led by professor Aji Mathew from MMK/SUCCeSS has been awarded almost 5 M€ in funding from the EU-call Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE). The four-year project is planned to start in 2023 and will address a growing need to utilize biomass for sustainable and high-quality fibre extraction.

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Strong International Interest in an Online Course in the Assessment of Chemicals

Due to a strong international interest in the open online course on assessment and management of chemicals, the training is being launched a second time in April. The training was developed at the Department of Environmental Science and has so far been completed by participants from almost 60 countries.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: Messing with the seabed – and below it

The seabed and the bedrock could play an important role for the green transition; for mining of minerals and storing of carbon dioxide. But the environmental consequences of such activities are not fully understood, showed the presentations at the last Baltic Breakfast.

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Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

Plankton - important for the climate

The world’s oceans play a central role in the global climate. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Rachel Foster, Stockholm University, is researching on marine plankton communities that impact nitrogen and carbon cycles. Plankton are of extreme importance for earth’s climate. They produce half of all oxygen, lock up enormous amounts of carbon and reduce carbon dioxide. But exactly how? And how long can they continue, now as the world heats up?

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Rachel Foster

Plankton - important for the climate

The world’s oceans play a central role in the global climate. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Rachel Foster, Stockholm University, is researching on marine plankton communities that impact nitrogen and carbon cycles. Plankton are of extreme importance for earth’s climate. They produce half of all oxygen, lock up enormous amounts of carbon and reduce carbon dioxide. But exactly how? And how long can they continue, now as the world heats up?

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Sediment bacteria important for the phosphorus turnover in the Baltic Sea

Bacteria may play an important role in the development of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, according to a new study on organically bound phosphorus in the sediments. Thriving bacterial communities in the seabed bind phosphorus that would otherwise leak back into the water, and the presence of the bacteria in turn depend on bottom-dwelling animals mixing the sediments.

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Mätning av strålning.

Great uncertainty over risk assessment for low-dose radiation

Have we overestimated the health risk posed by low doses of ionising radiation, such as those in houses with radon? And, have we underestimated the risk of exposure to combined types of radiation? Andrzej Wojcik, from Stockholm University, is using specially constructed equipment to investigate the potential effects that low doses of radiation may have on our bodies.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Laying the foundation for our understanding of the Baltic Sea

A van full of sampling equipment leaves Stockholm University at half past five in the morning. Twelve hours later it returns, carrying hundreds of bottles, jars and test tubes filled with water from different locations and depths in the Baltic Sea. Follow along on a day of environmental monitoring at sea!

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Utö landscape

CIVIS launches MOOC on climate and energy

“Climate and energy – An interdisciplinary perspective” will take learners on a digital tour of Utö, a small island off the coast of Stockholm. On their journey, learners will meet academics from several European universities and learn all about the climate crisis, its past, its causes and the possible solutions.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New study: Methane emissions offset carbon uptake in Baltic macroalgae habitats

Bladderwrack in the Baltic Sea emits significant amounts of methane, which, to some extent, can offset the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by these algae. This is shown by a new study from Askö Laboratory, where the fluxes of greenhouse gases between surface waters and the atmosphere were measured continuously over several seasons.

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Ice bergs at Greenland and the West Antarctic

Overshooting climate targets could significantly increase risk for tipping cascades

Temporarily overshooting the climate targets of 1.5-2 degrees Celsius could increase the tipping risk of several Earth system elements by more than 70 per cent. The tipping risk increases even if in the longer term the global temperature stabilizes within the Paris range. This is the result of a new risk analysis by researchers at Stockholm university published in Nature Climate Change.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Five options for restoring global biodiversity after the UN agreement

To slow and reverse the fastest loss of Earth’s living things since the dinosaurs, almost 200 countries have signed an agreement in Montreal, Canada, promising to live in harmony with nature by 2050. The Kunming-Montreal agreement is not legally binding but it will require signatories to report their progress towards meeting targets such as the protection of 30% of Earth’s surface by 2030 and the restoration of degraded habitats.

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Child picking coffee berries

Child labour contributes to the preservation of forest cover

The work with forest preservation in southwestern Ethiopia, where smallholder coffee farmers play an important part, is essential for global sustainability. But there are also negative consequences to the synergy between smallholder cash crop production and biodiversity values. A new study conducted by researchers from Stockholm University, published in the International Journal of Educational Development, shows that child labour plays an important role in the system.

Children and Young People - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page Gender and Equality - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Marine ecologist Henrik Svedäng: "The eel seems to be falling victim to a culture war"

Sweden opposes the European Commission's proposal for further restrictions on fishing for the endangered eel, arguing that Swedish eel fishing is a cultural heritage. "The endangered eel is being reduced to a prop in a sentimental tableau about a soon-to-be-defunct eel fishery," says fish researcher Henrik Svedäng at Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Culture and Media - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Scientists ahead of COP15: “Improvements are urgently needed”

Well implemented marine protected areas, as well as goals and targets for preservation of genetic diversity. That's what the scientists Susa Niirinen and Linda Laikre, who participated in the most recent Baltic Breakfast, hope will come out of the ongoing biodiversity conference in Montreal.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Removing fuel subsidies to fisheries could speed up the energy transition

The Baltic Sea Centre comments on the EU Commission Call for Evidence for the initiative for the energy transition of the EU’s fisheries and aquaculture sector: A major hurdle for an energy transition for fisheries is the fuel subsidy, in the form of exemption from tax or other full carbon pricing. Another hurdle is the depleted fish stocks. Robust fish stocks make for more efficient fuel use and aid the energy transition.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Researchers: Additional chemicals need to be considered in the new Global Biodiversity Framework

The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework needs to consider additional groups of chemicals, according to a large international group of researchers. For the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15, they have developed a perspective article and a policy brief with concrete proposals for better inclusion of hazardous chemicals in the forthcoming targets.

Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page

Successful investment in ocean research network

The Baltic Sea Fellows initiative, a network of young Baltic Sea researchers from several disciplines, was launched to strengthen the environmental Baltic Sea research at Stockholm University. The results of this year's awarded research grants from the Swedish Research Council and Formas show that it is going well. The group of researchers has raised over 25 million Swedish crowns this year.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Kolkraftverk i östra Europa. rök kommer ur skorstenar

Large parts of Europe are warming twice as fast as the planet on average

The warming during the summer months in Europe has been much faster than the global average, shows a new study by researchers at Stockholm University published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres. As a consequence of human emissions of greenhouse gases, the climate across the continent has also become drier, particularly in southern Europe, leading to worse heat waves and an increased risk of fires.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Modelling key to optimising outcome of aluminium treatment

Aluminium treatment can be an efficient way to remove excess phosphorus from lakes and coastal waters. But if the external loading of phosphorus isn’t reduced, the effects of the treatment won’t last long, and monitoring and modelling are keys to optimising the results, concluded the researchers participating in last Baltic Breakfast.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
MATS light

Satellite MATS takes its first image of the upper atmosphere

On November 9th, it was time for MATS to take the first images of the atmosphere. At 10:32 CET, MATS was approaching Esrange Space Center – a centre for space activities and satellite communication located about 40 kilometers east of the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. At that moment, the control center, operated by OHB Sweden that built the MATS satellite platform, came in contact with the satellite via the tracking antenna at Esrange.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

EU Commission proposed stopping eel fishing for six months in 2023

The European eel has been critically endangered for decades. The 3-month closure period applied in the EU over the past few years has been deemed insufficient. European Commission has now proposed a doubling of the annual eel fishery closure from three to six months in 2023.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page

The Baltic Sea oxygen debt worse than ever

The Baltic Sea suffers from serious oxygen deficiency. Even large inflows of oxygen-rich seawater have in recent decades only provided short-term relief from oxygen deficiency in the deep water. In the latest issue of Ambio, a new method for quantifying the total oxygen debt from Öresund to Åland is presented. By using existing data dating back to the 1960s, the researchers show that we have gone from a supply of about 10 million tons of oxygen in the deep water to a net oxygen supply close to zero, with an oxygen debt of up to 4 million tons caused by accumulated hydrogen sulfide and ammonium. In the last 20 years, the oxygen debt has also spread to near-halocline waters west of Gotland.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page

Nestling birds recognize their local song ‘dialect’

A recent study, published in Current Biology, led by researchers at Stockholm University and Uppsala University, has shown that juvenile songbirds react to hearing the songs they will eventually produce as adults, even when they are as young as 12 days old. Experiments conducted on nestling pied flycatchers across Europe demonstrate that they preferentially respond to songs from their own species and, remarkably, their own population.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

The Dyrssen Award 2022 to Master's study at the Askö Laboratory

This year both prizes of the anual Dyrssen Award for to the two best Master's theses in the marine field goes to students at the Department of Geological Sciences at Stockholm University. The first prize goes to a study conducted at the Askö Laboratory. Congratulations to both winners, Thea Bisander and Emelie Ståhl!

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Fiskstim i havet

Ocean conservation boosts climate change mitigation and adaptation

Marine protected areas (MPAs) can significantly contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, according to a major new analysis published in the journal One Earth. They can enhance carbon sequestration, coastal protection, biodiversity, the reproductive capacity of marine organisms, as well as fishers’ catch and income.

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Two children on bikes
Swedish Institute for Social Research

The Stockholm Health Day 2022: Workshop on the topic of Children and Health

Researchers at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) organise The Stockholm Health Day, a workshop on the topic of children and health. The workshop aims to bring together researchers to lay the foundation for a network within health economics.

Children and Young People - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page
Claudia Mohr

From Trees to Clouds: towards understanding the role of forests in climate change

Plants are known to not only remove CO2 from the atmosphere but to also emit thousands of compounds, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), whose role in climate change has largely been “overlooked.” Now, researchers from Stockholm University will launch a new research project into the role of VOC emissions in climate change.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Master's studies by the sea

Imagine being able to do your Master's work by the Baltic Sea during the summer. India Findji, who studies marine biology at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, managed to fulfill that dream this summer. She did her work at the Stockholm University field station Askö Laboratory, together with Jonna Källås, another Master's student from Sweden.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Policy analyst: EU Commission needs to ask the right questions

The EU Commission should take a step towards implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries by requesting more information from ICES than an estimation of the maximum sustainable yield, writes Baltic Sea Centre Policy Analyst Charles Berkow in a reply to the Commission’s call for evidence on the functioning of the Common Fisheries Policy.

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Male reindeer walking on a paved road

The majority of reindeer grazing land is under cumulative pressures

Reindeer herding has a long history in northern Norway, Sweden and Finland. It has shaped the Fennoscandian mountain landscape, and is also seen as means to mitigate climate change effects on vegetation. Yet a new study published in Scientific Reports shows that the majority of this grazing land is exposed to cumulative pressures, threatened by the expansion of human activities towards the north.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Chickens around a pot of grain

Changes to animal feed could supply food for one billion people

While millions around the world face the threat of famine or malnutrition, the production of feed for livestock and fish is tying up limited natural resources that could be used to produce food for people. New research from Stockholm University, published in Nature Food, shows how adjustment to the feeding of livestock and fish could maintain production while making more food available for people.

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World map with climate tipping points marked. Image credit: Stockholm Resilience Centre/Stockholm Un
Department of Meteorology

Several crucial climate tipping points may be passed at 1.5°C of global warming

Several crucial tipping points in the Earth's climate system may be passed if the global average temperature rise goes above 1.5°C. A new study published in the journal Science shows that the goal to limit warming to below 2°C is not enough to avoid dangerous changes in climate.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page

Successful strategic funding of marine research

A progress report for the strategic research area funding to marine research at Stockholm University is now published. The report concludes that the research group Baltic Sea Fellows, which is financed by the strategic funding, has published 200+ publications and managed to double the funding with external grants.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: No clear cause behind the collapse of the eastern Baltic cod

The fishery has been closed for three years, but the eastern Baltic cod stock has not recovered. A new study, presented at a recent Baltic Breakfast, shows that the most recent sharp decline in the stock can’t be explained by oxygen deficiency, and the causes of the poor condition of the cod remain unclear.

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Dunk med ogräsmedel.

"Company withholds information on negative effects in glyphosate evaluation"

A previously approved variant of the herbicide glyphosate causes negative effects on brain development in rats, according to the US environmental authority EPA. Researchers at Stockholm University are now criticizing that this knowledge has not come to the attention of EU authorities for the evaluation of current variants.

Chemistry - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Department of Geological Sciences

Microorganism shell acts as a time capsule

A research team at IGV led by Helen Coxall is investigating the response of marine plankton to climate change in the Arctic Ocean. The team has sampled planktonic foraminifera from the ocean and seafloor sediments during the SAS cruise in 2021 with Icebreaker /Oden/. They will use these samples to investigate how different species have responded to warm periods in the past and how they are adapting to modern global warming. This article contains more information about the project and about the progress the researchers have made so far.

Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Reply to EU Commission: Fisheries policy needs to broaden its perspective

A key cause of the disastrous development of fishing stocks in the Baltic Sea is an over-emphasis on trying to achieve a narrowly defined Maximum Sustainable Yield for single stocks. In reply to a consultation from the EU Commission, the Baltic Sea Centre policy analyst Charles Berkow argues that the Commission should base its decisions on more comprehensive information.

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Stockholm University Center for Circular and Sustainable Systems

Receivers of the SUCCeSS first Post doc funding round announced

During the SUCCeSS workshop on June 14th, the first three funded post doc projects were announced. We are now happy to share this piece of new with the world. The following projects will be funded:

Chemistry - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page
Forskningsfartyget Electra
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Electra on major expedition to map Baltic Sea methane

Stockholm University's research vessel Electra sets off today across the Baltic Sea for a major multidisciplinary expedition off the Finnish coast. Through extensive sampling of sediment, water and air, researchers at the new CoastClim centre will map how much methane from the seabed is reaching the atmosphere and affecting the climate.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Poplar

Fast-growing poplars can release land for food production

Researchers at Stockholm University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have developed a novel value chain for production of textile and bio-fuel from fast-growing poplars. By applying sustainable catalysis on these poplars grown on marginal land in Nordic climates, the demand for cotton can be reduced. Consequently, considerable areas of productive agricultural land can be converted from cotton to food production.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New report on effects of offshore windfarms on marine life

Professor Lena Kautsky from Stockholm University is one of the authors behind the new report, which concludes that consideration needs to be taken to sensitive benthic areas, sound sensitive animals, as well as seabirds when wind farms are established. It also concludes that the turbine foundations can act as artificial reefs.

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Department of Child and Youth Studies

David Fopp researches climate movements work against climate change

David Fopp, researcher at Department of Child and Youth Studies, who is focusing his research towards the principles that guides large climate movements like Fridays for Future and Scientists For Future and what role universities and research play. As a researcher and activist he is attending the climate meeting COP26 in Glasgow.

Children and Young People - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

60th anniversary for the Askö Laboratory

The first Swedish marine laboratory in the Baltic Sea has celebrated its 60th anniversary, with an award ceremony, speeches and an outdoor exhibition of the important research that is conducted at the laboratory. During the anniversary, the two university presidents of Stockholm University and the University of Helsinki, Astrid Söderbergh Widding and Sari Lindblom, signed an agreement of strategic partnership.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

CoastClim partnership signed at the Askö Laboratory anniversary in presence of the Crown Princess

An anniversary is of course about looking back, but just as much about looking forward, stated Stockholm University President Astrid Söderberg Widding at the recent 60th anniversary of the Askö Laboratory. One important composition of the future Baltic Sea science is the foundation of the CoastClim centre, that binds together both climate and marine research and the universities of Stockholm and Helsinki.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: The Danish example shows that nitrogen leakage can be reduced

Increased nutrient efficiency in agriculture and decreasing atmospheric deposition have had large and sustained effects on the Danish river loads of nitrogen. But to reach the goal of the Water Framework Directive, further measures are needed, such as taking areas out of agricultural production, means researcher Gitte Blicher-Mathisen, Aarhus University. Benoît Dessirier, researcher at Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre urges to reconsider today's focus on animal production to build a more resilient system and safeguard the water quality.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Professor Maren Voss recieves Baltic Sea award for her pioneering research

The first ever Björn Carlsson Baltic Sea award, "Björn Carlssons Östersjöpris", will be awarded to Professor Maren Voss from Germany for her groundbreaking research on the role of nitrogen in the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. On Friday, June 3, professor Voss will receive 3 million SEK in a ceremony at at the Baltic Sea Science Center at Skansen.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Nordic Institute of Latin American Studies

Workshop: Geopolitics, climate change and the search for justice:

The workshop’s aim was to facilitate the sharing of ideas about sustainability and justice related to energy use in a new geopolitical context. Its purpose was to contribute to further academic, economic and political engagement between Latin America and the Nordic countries. Oslo, May 9, 2022.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page
Moln över vatten
Department of Meteorology

When three’s not a crowd: vapour cocktail drives new particle formation in the upper troposphere

Newly-formed particles are important for cloud formation and are persistently observed over almost all regions of Earth’s upper troposphere. However, the vapours and mechanisms that drive the formation of these particles are not understood. Now, a new study by an international team of researchers, including scientists from MISU, published in Nature presents a new mechanism via an unexpected synergy between nitric acid-, sulfuric acid- and ammonia vapours for extremely rapid particle formation and growth that may be an important source of new particles in the upper troposphere. The new findings can inform pollution policies and improve future climate predictions.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Sea Centre's work highlighted as a good example of knowledge exchange

Knowledge exchange between marine scientists and policy makers contributes to informed policy decisions and sustainable management of the oceans. But what does it take for such knowledge exchange to be successful? This question has been analysed in a major international study, that highlights the work of the Baltic Sea Centre as a good example.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Extreme variability in coastal methane emissions could have large effects on carbon budgets

Carbon uptake by coastal ecosystems is a hot topic. The so-called ‘blue carbon’ is considered an essential part of nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change and offers opportunities for carbon trading and offset schemes. But new research on methane emissions from coastal ecosystems raises caution – the variability of these emissions is much larger than previously assumed, which implies that upscaled global carbon budgets may be far from realistic.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Fiskehamn med båtar i olika storlekar. Cykel i förgrunden.

Study maps risks of labour abuse and illegal fishing at world's ports

A new study performed at Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University has identified the regions and ports at highest risk for labour abuse and illegal fishing. Of more than 750 ports assessed around the world, more than half are associated with risk of labour abuse or illegal fishing.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Digitalization and AI - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Big grant to a Baltic Sea Fellow

One of our Baltic Sea Fellows, Wei-Li Hong from the Department of Geological Sciences, today got a prestigious award from the Swedish Foundations’ Starting Grant. We are very proud, says Christoph Humborg, scientific leader at the Baltic Sea Centre and coordinator of the Baltic Fellows interdisciplinary network of young Baltic Sea researchers.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page

Harmful Boomerang: PFAS Pollution in Ocean Comes Back to Land

Many of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that end up in the ocean boomerang back to shore after they are re-emitted into air with the crashing of waves, according to a study by researchers at Stockholm University published today in Environmental Science & Technology. The findings suggest that this sea-to-air transport process is a significant contributor to PFAS air pollution in coastal areas.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New study highlights need for monitoring of micropollutants in urban wastewater

Land-based pollution and maritime activities puts the coastal zones of the Baltic Sea under a high anthropogenic pressure. In a new study on micropollutants in wastewater emitted in the Baltic Sea catchment, the need for broad scope monitoring of micropollutants in wastewater around the Baltic Sea is highlighted.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

View the Askö inlet live streamed from our web camera

The sea outside of the Askö laboratory is live streamed from a web camera on our weather station. See what the sea looks like right now - Are the waves beating or is the sea calm? Is the sun shining or is the night sky reflected in the sea? Maybe you will see a white tailed eagle fly by or detect some of the birds that are breeding on the islands.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Forskarteam fångar fisk i Arktis 2020 under expeditionen MOSAiC.

Unexpected fish and squid found in the Central Arctic Ocean

Single individuals of Atlantic cod and squid occur much further north than previously expected. Scientists participating in the international MOSAiC expedition with research icebreaker Polarstern have found fish and squid in deep water in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. The results from Stockholm University, the Alfred Wegener Institute and colleagues in the European Fisheries Inventory in the Central Arctic Ocean (EFICA) Consortium are published today in the scientific journal Science Advances.

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Shanghai river

Global study finds the extent of pharmaceutical pollution in the world’s rivers

A new study by an international consortium that includes researchers from Stockholm University looking at the presence of pharmaceuticals in the world’s rivers found concentrations at potentially toxic levels in more than a quarter of the locations studied. The new study, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first truly global-scale investigation of pharmaceutical contamination in the environment.

Chemistry - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Breakfast: "It's a completely different sea"

The inputs of nutrients and harmful substances to the Baltic Sea have changed the distribution and composition of the animals living in and on the seafloor. But the whole ecosystem has also undergone several regime shifts during the last century. At the last Baltic Breakfast, Eva Ehrnsten and Maciej Tomczak shared their research on this topic.

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Cormorant eggs – an opportunity for contaminant monitoring

The number of great cormorants in Sweden increased greatly during the 1990s and they are now a common species around the Swedish coast and many of the lakes. During the breeding season great cormorants build colonies with a distinctive fishy odor which, along with their voracious appetite for fish, has often made them unpopular. However, great cormorants could give valuable information on environmental contaminants found in aquatic environments according to a new collaborative study from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Swedish Museum of Natural History (NRM) and Stockholm University.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Recovery from deoxygenation may be unpredictable: new study

The recovery of the oxygen-depleted bottoms in the Baltic Sea could be more unpredictable than previously estimated. New research shows that historically, the occurrence of oxygen deficiency has varied rapidly, due to an inherent instability that makes the Baltic Sea particularly sensitive to variations in climate. As the Baltic Sea recovers and approaches the goal of being unaffected by eutrophication, these sharp variations in oxygen depletion may return.

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Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Scientists: Don’t look at the 1980's as a reference for the Baltic Sea

The photos of happy fishermen in the 1980's holding huge cods, almost larger than themselves, are iconic and often contrasted by a small meagre fishes caught today. But this period of time was an anomaly in the Baltic Sea history, and should not be regarded as a reference state, says scientists after having compiled and analysed large quantities of information from the last century.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page History, Archeology and Cultural Heritage - Theme page
Alasdair Skelton - Stockholm University

Climate scientists present in Glasgow. How did the research contribute?

In what way did the research at Stockholm University contribute to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow? Several of Stockholm University's climate researchers were present during the climate meeting. What was it like to sit in on the negotiations? What did the researchers take home? See four filmed interviews with Karin Bäckstrand, Alasdair Skelton, Suanne Segovia and Ayşem Mert.

Climate and Environment - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page
Suanne Segovia

Direct from Glasgow – Suanne Segovia

Suanne Segovia from Stockholm University is present at the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow. She is a doctoral student at the Department of Economic History and International Relations and a participant in the GlocalClim project. At COP26 in Glasgow, she meets, among other things, representatives of indigenous peoples to discuss their role in climate adaptation. Here is an interview from the climate meeting with Suanne Segovia.

Climate and Environment - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page
microscopic image, Eighteen-million-year-old planktonic foraminifera fossils from the Atlantic Ocean
Department of Geological Sciences

Eos article show-casing the Bolin Centre-supported 'Miocene Temperature Portal'

Helen Coxall (Department of geological sciences) and Margret Steinthorsdottir (the Natural History Museum), together with collaborators from the UK and USA just published an article in the Journal Eos describing their latest collaborative effort to build an interactive platform for cataloguing palaeo ocean temperature proxy data.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Waves reaching shore.
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Baltic Sea Centre research behind new climate report

Rising water temperatures and sea levels and less ice, but also more perch and fewer seals. Climate change might affect the Baltic Sea in many different ways. These effects have now been compiled in a comprehensive report, in which several researchers from the Baltic Sea Centre have participated.

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Department of Social Anthropology

Collecting, saving and securing seeds has become a global concern

Seedways - The circulation, control and care of plants in a warming world is a book about seeds and why and how seeds matter today, as in the past. In a historical perspective the co-evolution of plants and humans can be traced through myths, rituals and cultural practices. In our present-day world of accelerating climate change, expansion of monocultural plantations and loss of biodiversity, collecting, saving and securing seeds has become a global concern.

Worldviews, Ethics and Philosophy - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Department of Culture and Aesthetics

New article about the Swedish Million Programme high-rise suburb in the 1970s children’s literature

Lydia Wistisen, PhD in Literature, has contributed with the article "Concrete Possibilities: The High-Rise Suburb in Swedish Children’s and Young Adult Literature", in the new book Literatures of Urban Possibility. In the article Wistisen examines the representations of the suburban environment in Children’s and Young Adult Literature.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Culture and Media - Theme page
Healthy and diverse coastal ecosystems in the Baltic Sea
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Policy brief: Healthy coastal ecosystems are crucial to mitigate climate change

Treated right, coastal zones are important cornerstones in climate change mitigation, but if degraded, they instead release large amounts of greenhouse gases, re-enforcing global warming. Urgent action is needed to preserve and restore the Baltic Sea coasts and use these systems to work in favor of the climate – not against it.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Measures improve the Baltic Sea environment – even in a changing climate
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Measures improve the Baltic Sea environment – even in a changing climate

A changing climate makes it even more important to reduce the nutrient supply to the Baltic Sea according to our new Policy brief. In the coming decades, continued reductions in emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus from land will yield better oxygen conditions and improved water quality – even in the face of major climate change. These measures also make the Baltic Sea ecosystem more resilient to the changing climate.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New research centre brings marine and climate researchers together for more accurate climate models

A major research funding initiative from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation will enable Finnish and Swedish climate and marine researchers to bring together their expertise and infrastructure. Within CoastClim, the aim is to find out more about ocean–atmosphere interaction and its effects on the climate.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Pauline Snoeijs Leijonmalm på Nordpolen under en tidigare expedition. Foto: Peter Sylvander

Research expedition to unexplored part of the Arctic

The marine ecosystem in the ice-covered area between Greenland and the North Pole is unexplored, but it is urgent to find out how it works. The Arctic sea ice is melting, which will radically change the ecosystem. This summer, a research expedition on board the Swedish icebreaker Oden will explore one of the world's most inaccessible places. “Nobody has ever performed these measurements there before, we are first in this giant area,” says the expedition's Chief Scientist Pauline Snoeijs Leijonmalm.

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Antarctica. Photo: Mostphotos

Antarctic ice sheet retreat could trigger chain reaction

The Antarctic ice sheet was even more unstable in the past than previously thought, and at times possibly came close to collapse, new research suggests. The findings raise concerns that, in a warmer climate, exposing the land underneath the ice sheet as it retreats will increase rainfall on Antarctica, and this could trigger processes that accelerate further ice loss.

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African clawed frog

Multigenerational effects of pesticides

The effects of the endocrine disruptor linuron on frogs are not limited to those exposed, but are passed on to their offspring and grand-offspring. First generation offspring have reduced body weight and decreased fertility, while second generation offspring have increased body weight and a disrupted metabolism. This is demonstrated by a new study conducted by researchers at Uppsala University and Stockholm University that has now been published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

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Research projects

An Integrated View on Coupled Aerosol-Cloud Interactions (INTEGRATE)

Despite their abundance in the Earth’s atmosphere, cloud formation and evolution are still poorly understood. This is particularly true for the interactions clouds have with atmospheric aerosol particles and their precursor vapors, which hampers our knowledge on the role that clouds and precipitation play in the climate system and in governing air quality.

Clouds in blue sky
Analyses of syntheses of long-term monitoring data

This research project evaluates basin wide monitoring data from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). The aim of the research project is understanding basin wide nutrient and oxygen transformation processes based on long-term monitoring data.

Anticipating the future: humanitarian aid in a changing climate

This project examines how supranational and non-state actors are anticipating changes in the biosphere and how they are developing their capacities to be able to rapidly respond to humanitarian crises and surprises in the multilateral contexts in which they operate.

Refugees standning in front of a table belonging to UNHCR.
Arctic Climate Across Scales

The polar regions are especially sensitive for climate change and the warming the Arctic is more than twice as fast as elsewhere on Earth. The effects of this warming are large, with a dramatic loss of sea ice as an example.

Research
Baltic Sea Observatory for coastal ecosystems and climate change

This research project is conducted within the CoastClim research group and brings together cutting-edge expertise in marine ecology, biogeochemistry and atmospheric physics to quantify the full spectrum of habitat-specific greenhouse gas fluxes and aerosol production in the Baltic coastal zone.

Biodegradation of Organic Micropollutants in Rivers

The self-purification capacity of rivers is an important ecosystem service (ES). Dominated by microbial biodegradation it eliminates stable and mobile contaminants from the water cycle. The project aims for a first systematic assessment of the ES in 20 rivers for hundreds of micropollutants.

Research
CRiceS

CRiceS - Climate Relevant interactions and feedbacks: the key role of sea ice and Snow in the polar and global climate system

CRiceS logotype
Circum-Arctic Sediment Carbon Database (CASCADE)

The international collaboration Circum-Arctic Sediment Carbon Database (CASCADE) curates data from the entire Arctic Ocean on organic carbon, nitrogen, carbon isotopes, and biomarkers. The vision for CASCADE is to be expanded by other components, organic contaminants, more biomarkers, sediment physical properties and sediment cores.

North Pole centered map of the Arctic Ocean and marginal seas with hundreds of marked locations.
Civic communication in the time of climate crisis

The project aims to deepen our understanding of the complex tasks that civic communication has in the transformation to a more sustainable society. The studies included utilize tools from sociolinguistics and discourse analysis to explore the role of language in societal change, and, more specifically, the role of linguistic messages in human action.

Research
Community dynamics of systemic diseases on the wood anemone

I am fascinated by the spatial and eco-evolutionary dynamics of host-parasite interactions. We do lack some generality though: many of the existing studies have (for good reasons!) focused on single pathogen species, and on non-systemic diseases with high extinction-colonization rates.

Cumulative impact assessment of marine benthic habitats (“Carambha”)

The cumulative effects of various human activities on coastal and marine ecosystems are a pressing problem. The seafloor is subject to physical pressures from e.g. construction, dredging, marine traffic and bottom trawling, which may co-occur with each other and with climate change and eutrophication.

Drivers and functions of protist parasites in plankton food webs

Parasitic symbionts play a major role in the functioning and equilibrium of carbon flow in marine food webs. But the extent and strength of zooplankton parasites are still poorly known, mainly because they are hard to detect due to their small size and mostly hidden within their hosts, and consequently frequently overseen.

Research
EU-Climatic

The European Green Deal aimed to steer the EU toward a sustainable future and to align its objectives with the Paris Agreement. However, not a year into the development of the EGD, the EU was hit by COVID-19, Russia invading Ukraine, and high inflation. EU Climatic seeks to understand how turbulence has influenced the EU climate transition.

Research
Ecology of burnet moths

In this project we study habitat preferences, population dynamics, phenology and host plant preferences in six co-occurring species of burnet moths in southern Sweden. Yearly inventories have been carried out since 2012 and currently include about 100 sites with burnet moths.

Economic drivers of corporate climate action

Firms around the globe are increasingly connected through their supply chain and their managerial social networks. These networks may create incentives for firms to become more sustainable, because the networks can channel climate impact of one firm to interlinked firms.

Research
Ecosystem mapping in the Central Arctic Ocean

The marine ecosystem around the North Pole, the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO), is in fast transition from a permanently to a seasonally ice-covered ocean as a result of global warming. The sea-ice loss will enable summer access to the CAO for non-icebreaking ships, including fishery vessels, in the near future and this project is assessing the impact.

Effect of glacial melt on East Greenland Fjord ecosystems

Climate change is speeding up glacier melt, releasing methane and carbon into oceans. This leads to CO2 release via mineralization, contributing to acidification and greenhouse gas emissions. To predict carbon flux impacts on ocean chemistry, we need baseline data on the fate of this material.

Environmental relevance in biotransformation

We aim to move biotransformation assessment from a non-relevant half-life applied undifferentiated across space and time to an environmentally relevant test result that can be extrapolated using a sound scientific framework.

Research
Ethics of coordination

As the recent fiery debates about ‘flight shame’ and ‘meat shame’ illustrate, there is no clear and convincing ethical account of who has a duty to do exactly what with respect to climate change.

FORCeS

FORCeS - Constrained aerosol forcing for improved climate projections

Research
Feedbacks between a changing climate and vegetation (CLIVE)

Feedbacks between a changing climate and vegetation (CLIVE): The role of volatile organic compounds and biogenic aerosols. CLIVE aims to explore how forests, particularly in boreal and tropical regions, influence climate change through their interactions with carbon and water cycles.

GEOEO – North of Greenland 2024 Expedition

In August–September 2024, the North of Greenland expedition with IB Oden will go to Northern Greenland and the adjacent Arctic Ocean, including the Lincoln Sea. The expedition forms a part of the research theme GEOEO (North Greenland Earth-Ocean-Ecosystem Observatory), which has been endorsed through the Polar Research Process.

HELCOM PLC 8

Pollution Load Compilations (PLC) have been an integral part of The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) assessments since 1987, focusing on annual and periodic assessments of inputs of nutrients and selected hazardous substances. PLC-8 provides assessments of nutrient and contaminant inputs to the Baltic Sea.

Person använder databasen NEST. Foto: Lisa Bergqvist
Horse husbandry effects on eutrophication

In this project the goal is to develop new knowledge about how horse-dense and trampled horse paddocks affect the aquatic environment, and to contribute with a scientific basis for measures on horse farms to reduce the nutrient losses from horse husbandries.

Horses grazing by the ocean.
IGV| The Late Quaternary Chronology of Arctic Ocean Sediments

Icebreaker led expeditions into the central Arctic Ocean have retrieved vast numbers of marine sediment cores that record environmental changes on millennial and orbital timescales. A major obstacle to interpreting these records is to establish accurate age models, a unique challenge in the Arctic where many traditional dating methods do not appear to work.

Improvement and development of national guidelines for marine bio-optical measurements

The purpose of the project is to give advice to the Swedish marine monitoring groups regarding measurements of optical properties in Swedish waters, compare measurements of chlorophyll, coloured dissolved organic matter, suspended particulate matter and turbidity (turbidity), and to harmonise the measurements protocols between the Swedish monitoring groups.

Industrial waste streams as sustainable alternatives to peat in mushroom cultivation

This project addresses two major environmental challenges for Sweden and the EU: the reduction of peat extraction and the accumulation of sludge waste at pulp and paper mills. The goal is to diminish the use of peat for casings in mushroom production and find alternatives for critical peat-dependent species like the common button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus.

Research
Law and seascapes in the Baltic Sea context

The project is part of Stockholm University's interdisciplinary network of young Baltic Sea researchers - Baltic Sea Fellows. This initiative is a development of the governmental funding of strategic research areas (SFO).

Seagrass under the water
Lignin-based hybrid living materials (LignoLife)

The overreaching hypothesis for the project LignoLife: Lignin or its purified fractions can be added to the microbial growth media to fabricate a new class of hybrid living materials with tailorable properties and stimuli-responsive functionality triggered by lignin and displayed by the microbial system.

Research
NG | Permafrost thaw (ILLUQ)

The aim of this project is to provide a holistic understanding of permafrost thaw, pollution, and human and environmental well-being in the Arctic.

NG| Carbon Loss In Plants, Soils and Oceans (CALIPSO)

CALIPSO is aimed at understanding the fate of future CO2 and climate change through a new representation of carbon loss pathways from plants, soils and ocean, by leveraging novel observations, theoretical understanding, machine learning tools and integration of processes with Earth system models

NG| Changes in Arctic Permafrost Ecosystem Services (CAPES)

Accelerating permafrost thaw in the Arctic drastically changes the ecosystem as a whole, which, in turn, impacts the everyday life of local communities and Indigenous populations. CAPES specifically focuses on the impact of climate change on populations living on permafrost in the Arctic using an ecosystem service approach.

Nano-Quartz

There is dust in the air at stone crushers - in beach volleyball halls - at construction sites – and in the dust there are small quartz particles that can be harmful to health. But how many of them are there exactly? – in the Nano-quartz project we investigate this matter (2020 – 2024)

Machines to make gravel and sand
Nature protection and dispensation

An interdisciplinary research project that have analysed how county councils and municipalities apply the rules on biotope protection and species protection when examining exemptions.

Blomma
NoSexPoorPollen: The evolutionary degeneration of pollen in asexual dandelions

Dandelions are among the most iconic wildflowers of temperate regions, attracting countless insects. Yet in Northern Europe, they reproduce without sex: their seeds are clones of the mother plant. The huge amounts of pollen they produce—up to 80% of early spring pollen in meadows—serve no purpose for them. So why keep producing it?

PERFORCE3

PERFORCE3 will greatly improve the understanding of these globally pervasive contaminants, find solutions for PFAS contamination problems and improve environmental and human health risk assessment frameworks and policies.

Research
PLANTS

Planners as agents for the transition towards sustainable cities and regions – implications for future needs in expertise and education

Vallastaden, Linköping.
PLC water hosting

Pollution Load Compilations (PLC), have been an integral part of The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) assessments since 1987, focusing on assessments of inputs of nutrients and selected hazardous substances.

Person använder databasen NEST. Foto: Lisa Bergqvist
PLUS Change

Planning Land Use Strategies: Meeting biodiversity, climate and social objectives in a changing world.

Partnership for Anthropocene solutions

Solving the climate crisis will require the participation of many actors. This project leverages the expertise and passion of actors from many sectors to help create climate solutions and better understand how these co-creative processes work.

Practicing Food Sovereignty

Practicing Food Sovereignty focuses on indigenous communities and agricultural practices in four countries of the Eastern Himalaya region: Bhutan, Chittagong Hill Tracks of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Northeast India.

Public-private sector interactions in climate adaptation

Private companies are increasingly adapting to climate change, and these responses can have widespread effects on society, affecting areas like water access, safety, and public services. Our project seeks to map and explain these public-private interactions in climate adaptation and assess their potential to advance democratic and effective adaptation.

Large agricultural irrigation system in a field.
Remobilization of Mercury from Degrading Permafrost Peatlands

Mercury (Hg) has been sequestered in Northern permafrost soils for thousands of years. If some of this Hg is released into Hg’s modern biogeochemical cycle, it could worsen Hg pollution and counteract global efforts to protect human and wildlife health from Hg exposure.

Resource-Efficient Removal of Nutrients from Wastewater in Cold Climate

Many treatment plants in northern Sweden are facing a major challenge when nitrogen removal requirements are being updated, new goals for climate neutrality and separation of micropollutants are introduced and wastewater volumes are expected to rise as a result of the ongoing industrialization.

Ryder Glacier Expedition 2019

The Ryder 2019 expedition with the Swedish icebreaker Oden targets the unexplored marine realm of Ryder Glacier, more specifically the Sherard Osborne Fjord and adjacent area of northern Nares Strait and the southern Lincoln Sea.

Ryder expedition logo
Satellite measurements of the Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelves

This research will improve the tools available for processing and analyzing satellite data on ice sheets and ice shelves. we aim to understand how the ice sheet and ice shelves of Dronning Maud Land will evolve over the next 280 years—a critical piece of knowledge needed to prepare for rising global sea levels.

SeaLab

SeaLab is a joint research venture between the Baltic Sea Centre at Stockholm University and the Environmental Genomics group at SciLifeLab. By combining biogeochemical, ecological, molecular and meta-omic expertise and know-how, the aim is to understand the fundamental microbial processes of coastal ecosystems.

Undervattensbild med blåstång där ytan och land skymtar.
Social inequality and the legitimacy of global climate governance

The expectations on global climate institutions to deliver are growing, and as a consequence these institutions appear to be more contested than ever before. This project examines why some individuals believe in the legitimacy of global climate governance while others do not, focusing on an understudied factor: social inequality.

Storm track intensity and midlatitude cloud feedback

Clouds in the tropics and midlatitudes contribute roughly equally to the global cloud feedback. However, there is still no accepted explanation for why midlatitude cloud feedback is positive or what mechanisms determine its magnitude.

Schematic of clouds and the general circulation. Satellite view of clouds around a cyclone.
The Insect Biome Atlas

A large-scale insect collection project taking place in Sweden and Madagascar. The main aim of the project is to describe in detail the insect faunas of these two biologically and geologically very different countries.

The MATS satellite

MATS (Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy) is a Swedish satellite mission designed to investigate atmospheric waves. Large uncertainties in the distribution of such waves is a limiting factor for atmospheric models in predicting future changes in the mesosphere, the region bordering space at 50-100 km above sea level.

Satellit i rymden. Satellite in space.
The Stat Sovereignty and Its Limits – a Legal Genetic Study

Dissertation project aimed at examining the relationship between the two legal principles (qui iure and sic utere) which are usually considered to define 1. territorial state sovereignty and 2. the limits to this sovereignty imposed by the international law of borders.

Research
The evolution of reproductive isolation

How does speciation happen? We are examining the evolution and genetic basis of traits that cause populations to become partially reproductively isolated from each other.

Research
The organohalogen iceberg

The project aims to identify known and unknown organochlorinated, -brominated and fluorinated compounds in water and sludge from a sewage treatment plant using combustion ion chromatography and suspect screening.

Thriving bays in the Baltic Sea

This project will investigate possibilities and remediation methods to reverse the negative environmental development taking place in many shallow bays of the Baltic Sea. It aims to contribute to new knowledge that clarify and quantify various influencing factors and effective methods to address them.

Baltic bay through fisheye lens
Tropical precipitation tipping-points (TPTP)

Previously proposed tipping-points that would lead to the tropical rain forest systems’ collapse involve positive feedback processes. Yet, the Amazon rain forest has persisted despite higher temperatures and carbon dioxide levels in the past.

Map and schematic for feedback mechanisms. Figure: Thorsten Mauritsen/MISU/Stockholm University
Unlocking genetic variation for climate adaptation of crops

There is currently a pressing need to adapt crops to future climates by breeding drought- and heat-resilient varieties. Wild crop relatives harbor untapped genetic variation for breeding but remain underutilized due to the lack of efficient methods to identify beneficial variants in collections.

Urban Water Culture

Urban water has emerged as a major concern in recent years. Water is the source of all life, but it is also at the base of many social and ecological problems in cities worldwide.

Research
Welfare state responses to social risks in times of climate change

This project is part of an international consortium (WELRISCC) that aims to investigate from a comparative perspective how different European welfare states respond to challenges related to ensuring environmental sustainability while also enhancing people’s well-being.

Uniformed personell working at the docks in a snow-storm
Who owns nature?

A real estate law study over the relationship between the ownership rights and the protection of nature.

Spruce forest
ZeroPM

ZeroPM will enable the EU Green Deal‘s ambition towards Zero Pollution of Persistent, Mobile Substances. ZeroPM will interlink Prevention, Prioritization and Removal strategies to achieve its goals.

Research
iQ2300: East Antarctic Sea level rise contribution in 2300

iQ2300 aims at a multi-disciplinary approach to the terrestrial and marine responses of the Queen Maud Land margin, one of the most vulnerable parts of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, across geological (>10³ yr), historical (10² yr), and recent (<10¹ yr) timescales.

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Research groups

Baltic Nest Institute

The Baltic Nest Institute (BNI) at Stockholm University provides scientific basis for ecosystem-based management of the Baltic Sea by maintaining and developing data bases and models with a holistic Baltic Sea perspective.

Person använder databasen NEST. Foto: Lisa Bergqvist
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Baltic Sea Fellows

As a continuation of the governmental funding of strategic Baltic Sea research, this interdisciplinary network of young Baltic Sea, Baltic Sea Fellows, formed at Stockholm University 2018. Their research cover the whole range from basic marine research to applied legal aspects and decision support.

Foto: Philipp Deus / Unsplash.
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Baltic Sea Oceanography

The Baltic Sea is one of the best-surveyed and studied seas on Earth. Yet the Baltic Sea circulation and its role in the complex climate system is neither fully quantified nor understood, in spite of important implications for coastal societies of the Baltic Sea region.

Photo: Benjamin Jones/Stockholm University
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Circulation and connection land-sea-atmosphere

Over long timescales, the circulation systems co-evolve with ice sheets, mountain ranges, and redistributions of carbon between the atmosphere, ocean and land. The circulation and associated feedbacks influence exchanges of energy and materials between compartments of the climate system, and create teleconnections and natural climate variability.

Image: Ines Jakobsson/Stockholm University
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Clouds, airborne particles and gases

A continued change in the atmospheric content of greenhouse gases and particles is estimated to result in future warming well above 1.5°C, compared with pre-industrial levels. It is uncertain how much heating is masked by the cooling effect of the particles, especially the effect of the particles on the distribution and properties of the clouds.

Clouds. Photo: Marianne Lagerklint/MISU/Stockholm University
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Conceptual Change

The research is based on a constructivist perspective with a focus on conceptual change, where students revise and reconstruct prior knowledge as they encounter concepts and theories addressed in teaching. The main areas are geography and social studies with a particular emphasis on economics.

Jorden, klimat
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Dynamic Meteorology

How and why the atmosphere moves is studied within dynamic meteorology. The atmosphere is never still and its movement can be described by partial differential equations which describe how changes in speed, density, pressure and temperature occur. We study these movements from the smallest scale of turbulence to planetary waves.

Figure of atmospheric processes. From Albert A.M. Holtslag,2003: Atmospheric turbulence
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Ecography Lab

The Ecography Lab at the department is engaged in an ongoing research project focusing on environmental and multispecies anthropology, with the aim of combining ecology and ethnography into one ecographic method and way on anlysis.

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Geomorphology and Glaciology

By analyzing landscape elements, we can reconstruct environments and processes that previously worked in the landscape, and we have a special focus on areas that are or have been covered by glaciers and ice sheets.

Setting out to measure the winter mass balance at Rabots glacier. Photo Nina Kirchner.
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Green Criminology

The Green Criminology Group was established in 2022 by researchers and PhD students at the Department of Criminology at Stockholm University. The group is united in an interest in crime and harm against animals and nature, which includes - but is not limited to - environmentally harmful emissions, crimes in the food industry and global deforestation.

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Group Winder

We study drivers of food web interactions and community dynamics to better understand the ecological impacts of environmental change on ecosystem functioning.

MW
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Language and societal challenges

Language and Social Challenges is one of the permanent research groups within Swedish and Scandinavian Languages at the Department of Swedish and Multilingualism. It brings together sociolinguistically and discourse analytically oriented researchers who are interested in linguistic issues in relation to social, ecological and economic sustainability.

Illustration sity skyline in various green colours. Buildnings are made of different icons.
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Middle and Upper Atmosphere

Middle atmosphere research at MISU focuses on altitudes between about 10 and 130 km. We use satellites, sounding rockets and ground-based instruments to explore this fascinating part of our planet. As a current highlight, we launched Sweden’s new research satellite in November 2022: MATS.

The MATS satellite. Photo: Linda Megner/Stockholm University
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Polar Meteorology and Oceanography

The global warming is not uniformly distributed over the Earth. The polar regions are especially sensitive for climate change and the warming in the Arctic is more than twice as fast as for the Earth on average. The effects of this warming are large, with a dramatic loss of sea ice as an example.

The icebreaker Oden on expedition in the Arctic. Photo: Michael Tjernström/MISU/Stockholm University
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The North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans

In the North Atlantic, a mighty current system conveys, via the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current, warm surface waters to northerly subpolar areas where deep water is formed. This current system, which is an important link in the global ocean circulation connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, also carries warm Atlantic water into the Arctic Ocean.

Ocean and clouds. Photo: Johan Nilsson/MISU/Stockholm University
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Water, Permafrost and Environmental systems

We investigate hydrological processes in water and land environments, the anthropogenic effects on these processes and their variability and change, both in time and space, to contribute to the knowledge and capacity advancement needed for sustainable development.

Lake in Jämtland with Sylarna mountains in the background. Photo Stefano Manzoni.
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