Stockholm university

Oceans and Lakes

On this page we collect articles about Oceans and Lakes.

Sjöar och hav

News

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.

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

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.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page
Two researchers in a lab

The Faculty of Science announces 49 PhD positions

As a PhD student at Stockholm University, you will have the opportunity to deepen your knowledge in a subject area, ask important questions, and contribute to new knowledge. 49 PhD positions are now available in science.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Physics - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Mathematics and Statistics - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page SciLifeLab - Theme page
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.

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Culture and Media - Theme page
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.

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

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

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

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
SUBIC - Stockholm University Brain Imaging Centre

Four projects awarded SUBIC time grants

Four projects have received time grants from the Stockholm University Brain Imaging Center (SUBIC). SUBIC congratulates the researchers and encourages other Stockholm University researchers to apply for the next grant in 2025.

Brain Research - Theme page Life Science - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page
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.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Social and economic sustainability - Theme page
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".

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

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

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
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.

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

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

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

Law, Crime and Justice - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
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.

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

Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page
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.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page
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.

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

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Social and economic sustainability - Theme page
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.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
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".

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

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page DNA Research - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - 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.

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
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.

Economy and Society - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page
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
Sillfångster Centrala Östersjön 2011-2022
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Fishing bans in Baltic Proper do not favour herring stock recovery

Fishing for herring is prohibited in various parts of the Baltic Sea during April and May. The aim is to protect the endangered herring spawning. But the decision goes against the advice of Swedish experts. The closures occur when there is little large-scale trawling going on, and will mainly affect small-scale coastal fisheries.

Oceans and Lakes - 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.

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

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

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

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page
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.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Law, Crime and Justice - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page

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
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.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - 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.

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

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

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

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

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page SciLifeLab - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Worldviews, Ethics and Philosophy - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page
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.

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

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Analysis: Weakening the management of Baltic fisheries

The European Commission and the Council’s ministers are moving rapidly towards a revision of the multiannual plans for fisheries. Unfortunately, the haste is not matched by the quality of the proposal or the logic of its justification. On the contrary, the ministers seem to have fundamentally misunderstood both the plans they want to amend, the science that underpins annual decisions on fishing quotas, and how the plans and the science interact, writes Charles Berkow, fisheries policy expert at Baltic Sea Centre.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
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.

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

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

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

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

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

Chemistry - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Life Science - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
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.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page
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.

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

Astronomy and Cosmology - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Life Science - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Worldviews, Ethics and Philosophy - Theme page
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.

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

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page
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.

Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page
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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page Law, Crime and Justice - Theme page
Dishwashing detergent and oil in water.
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Lack of updated regulations for phosphorus in EC detergent proposal defies HELCOM agreement

In April, the European Commission presented a proposal for an updated regulation on detergents and surfactants. It was hoped that it would also cover phosphorous compounds in hand dishwashing detergents and industrial cleaners which is lacking today. But unfortunately, this was not included in the proposal.

Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page
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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page
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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Analysis: What the Kunming-Montreal Global biodiversity framework should mean for the Baltic Sea

Hurray, we have a new global framework for biodiversity and if implemented, it can make a real difference for the global environment and the Baltic Sea! Although the agreement is not legally binding, over 190 countries have signed it and have agreed to monitor and evaluate progress. More money and the possibility to measure implementation and compare countries with each other have been pointed out as the success generator for this framework as compared to the old and failed 20 Aichi targets set in 2010.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
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.

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

Regulations are required to save the herring on the Christmas table

Few dishes on the table for a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner are as soaked in cultural meaning as the herring, and in the southern parts of the country also the eel. At the same time, few things are as clear examples of state-supported businesses that, like the magician in Lennart Hellsing's nursery rhyme, devour themselves like the fisheries for these species, write experts Henrik Svedäng and Charles Berkow at Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre.

Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - 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.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page DNA Research - Theme page
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
Department of Geological Sciences

The barrier that helped the Great Barrier Reef form

Scientists had always been puzzled why the Great Barrier Reef formed long after Australia had conditions suitable for reef growth. It turns out the answer might be K’gari, or Fraser Island, shows new research by Daniel Ellerton, Postdoctoral at IGV and James Shulmeister, Adjunct Professor (University of Queensland and University of Canterbury). They discussed the new research in "The Conversation".

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

Nominate a Baltic Sea hero

The Baltic Sea Fund’s award is open for nominations, to honor and reward people or organizations that contribute to improving the state of the Baltic Sea. The deadline to submit your proposals is 24 february 2023.

Oceans and Lakes - 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
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

A welcome update of the Waste Water Directive

Researchers at Stockholm University Department of Environmental Science and Baltic Sea Centre welcome the proposal for an updated Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive from the European Commission. We especially welcome the fact that the updated Directive addresses treatment of micropollutants and emphasises the role of waste water treatment to reach the goals of the Water Framework Directive and its daughter legislations.

Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Äpplet

Vasa's sister ship Äpplet found – a unique historical discovery

Marine archaeologists from Vrak - Museum of Wreck have found the wreck of the naval vessel Äpplet, Vasa's sister ship. The ship was first launched in 1629 and was built by the same master shipbuilder who completed the Vasa. The discovery was made within the research programme "The Forgotten Fleet", which is led by Stockholm University.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page History, Archeology and Cultural Heritage - 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!

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

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

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

Law, Crime and Justice - 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: 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.

Climate and Environment - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - 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.

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

Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - 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 Sea Centre critical of recent TAC advice for Baltic Sea fisheries

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommends continued high catch quotas for the herring fishery in the Gulf of Bothnia, and increased catches for both Central Baltic herring and the hard-pressed western Baltic cod next year. Risky, careless and not in line with the actual status of the stocks, says Baltic Sea Centre’s fishery researcher Henrik Svedäng.

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
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Swedish marine research stations have joined the EMBRC

The Askö laboratory is one of the twelve Swedish marine research stations that joined the network European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC) in 2022. Thanks to the collaboration, researchers within the network get access to services, facilities, and technology platforms in Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the Baltic Sea, in addition to the other stations in the network.

Oceans and Lakes - 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
Simmande torsk.
Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

New study: Cod's latest crisis is not due to lack of oxygen

The crisis for Baltic cod is often associated with oxygen deficiency, oxygen-free bottoms and a lack of bottom animals that cod can eat. But now, a new Finnish-Swedish study shows that oxygen conditions have been quite adequate for cod in the southern Baltic Sea for several decades – and that there have been plenty of bottom animals above the halocline.

Plants, Animals and Nature - 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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Climate and Environment - Theme page Plants, Animals and Nature - Theme page
Map with satellite view of north greenland and ellesmera island
Department of Geological Sciences

New Article from the 2019 Ryder expedition to North Greenland

Using marine sediment cores collected during the 2019 Ryder expedition to Northern Greenland on icebreaker Oden, the Holocene retreat and advance behavior of Ryder Glacier is reconstructed. This new research shows that while Sherard Osborn Fjord has a physiography conducive to glacier and ice tongue stability, Ryder Glacier still retreated more than 40 km inland from its current position by the Middle Holocene – highlighting the sensitivity of north Greenland's marine glaciers to climate change.

Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Quaternary Science Reviews cover
Department of Geological Sciences

Article by PhD Student Gabriel West

Establishing a solid chronological framework for Arctic marine sediments is a critical first step towards glacial and palaeoceanographic reconstructions. However, this has historically been more challenging than elsewhere in the world, and often results in core chronologies and subsequent paleoenvironmental reconstructions being questioned and overturned. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating provided important constraints on late Quaternary ages for central Arctic marine sediments, and has considerable potential to underpin chronologies in other parts of the Arctic Ocean.

Oceans and Lakes - 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.

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

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

Events

Show more

Videos

Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Climate and Environment - Theme page Sustainable Chemistry - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page
Climate and Environment - Theme page Geology, Geography and Landscapes - Theme page Life Science - Theme page Oceans and Lakes - Theme page Physics - Theme page Atmosphere and Weather - Theme page Chemistry - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page
Oceans and Lakes - Theme page

Research projects

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.

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.

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.
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
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.

FORCeS

FORCeS - Constrained aerosol forcing for improved climate projections

Research
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.

In pursuit of global knowledge: Scandinavian ocean travelers 1650-1810

Which foreign languages were spoken among 18th century Scandinavian sailors? How would a captain manage politics whilst at sea? What happens if we consider global circulation of knowledge "from below"? These are a few questions that the "Prize Papers", documents from over 3500 Scandinavian ships seized by Great Britain between 1650 and 1810, can help answer.

Three ships, two with swedish flags oand one with british flag. Gunfire from the British ship.
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
Living Coast Project

Levande kust is a full-scale demonstration project with the objective to show that it is possible to restore a eutrophic bay and to find out the costs and lessons that can be learned from such a project.

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
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
Pilot Stockholm Archipelago: Regional ecosystem-based marine management

In the project Pilot Stockholm Archipelago, the aim is to through local involvement develop and test a management model for regional ecosystem-based marine management that will help achieve the Swedish environmental objectives. Please switch to the Swedish page for more information about the project.

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
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.
TRIACID: Mapping acidification trends in the Baltic Sea

The TRIACID project has mapped acidification trends in different regions of the Baltic Sea during the past 40 years. The project has described spatial variation and trends in pH status, and the main drivers of changing pH have been identified.

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 citizen science algae project

This citizen science project was launched in May 2021, and since then citizens have been engaged in finding new knowledge about algae along the Swedish coast in the Baltic Sea. The project will be summarized in a peer reviewed article.

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
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
Show more

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
Read more about
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.
Read more about
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
Read more about
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
Read more about
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
Read more about
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.

Read more about
Group AML Karlson

Group AML Karlson studies Food web and Ecosystem ecology, Ecotoxicology and Stress ecology, Environmental monitoring and Stable isotope techniques.

Hanna Kaliff
Read more about
Group Foster

Planktonic partnerships, or symbioses, between eukaryotic and prokaryotic plankton that are major players in the Nitrogen and Carbon cycles of the World’s oceans

FL3
Read more about
Group Walve

How natural and anthropogenic factors change and control the environmental conditions of the open Baltics Sea and its archipelagos, with focus on the pelagic zone

JW
Read more about
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
Read more about
NG| Hydrogeodesy Lab

By using geodetic methods to measure or infer hydrological quantities and their changes over time, Hydrogeodesy supports hydrological monitoring, management, and research via measurements that standard hydrological observations cannot obtain.

Hydrogeodesy Puff
Read more about
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
Read more about
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
Read more about
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.
Read more about
Show more

themePageLayout

{
  "dimensions": [
    {
      "id": "department.categorydimension.subject",
      "name": "Global categories",
      "enumerable": true,
      "entities": [],
      "localizations": {}
    },
    {
      "id": "department.categorydimension.tag.Keywords",
      "name": "Keywords",
      "enumerable": false,
      "entities": [],
      "localizations": {}
    },
    {
      "id": "department.categorydimension.tag.Person",
      "name": "Person",
      "enumerable": false,
      "entities": [],
      "localizations": {}
    },
    {
      "id": "department.categorydimension.tag.Tag",
      "name": "Tag",
      "enumerable": false,
      "entities": [],
      "localizations": {}
    },
    {
      "id": "localcategorytree.su.se.english",
      "name": "Local categories for www.su.se/english",
      "enumerable": true,
      "entities": [],
      "localizations": {}
    },
    {
      "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Label",
      "name": "Tema (Webb 2021)",
      "enumerable": true,
      "entities": [],
      "localizations": {}
    },
    {
      "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Label.en",
      "name": "Themes (Webb 2021)",
      "enumerable": true,
      "entities": [
        {
          "id": "webb2021.categorydimension.Label.en.OceansLakes\u003c",
          "name": "Oceans and Lakes",
          "entities": [],
          "attributes": [],
          "childrenOmitted": false,
          "localizations": {}
        }
      ],
      "localizations": {}
    }
  ]
}