Exciting News for Kunskapsmiljö Vatten!

Sverker Sörlin, renowned professor of Environmental History at KTH, will be awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences in January. Sörlin has made significant contributions to understanding humanity’s impact on the environment and climate, earning both national and international recognition.

His multifaceted research emphasizes the need for public engagement and insight among decision-makers in addressing sustainability challenges. He is a leading figure in promoting awareness around sustainable development. We look forward to celebrating this honor and gaining inspiration from his visit.

KM Vatten will host a seminar with Sverker Sörlin at the end-of-January, 2025. Stay tuned for more details on your chance to engage in captivating discussions with one of today’s luminaries in research for a sustainable future!

LNU Climate Action & Travel

Planning a trip to a conference? Going on a sampling excursion? LNU’s Climate Action Plan outlines goals for reducing carbon emissions in work travel by 50% in 2025 compared to 2019 levels. You can work on reducing emissions in your own work by choosing to travel by train instead of flying, choosing meeting locations that are green-certified, and cycling to work when possible. LNU Devleopment Strategist Joacim Martinsson Rikner has reviewed the book Brain Train, written by colleagues at Uppsala University, which discusses ways of maximizing productivity during work travel. We understand how crucial it is for researchers and educators to maintain a global network for advancing knowledge and science. As we approach 2030, let’s focus on discovering the best and most sustainable solutions to uphold these vital connections! 🌍 ♻️ 💻

Highlighted KM Vatten Research:

A new article published in Ambio by KM Vatten researcher Kjell Larsson, Ulrica Carlson & Erik Stålnacke, in collaboration with the Swedish Coast Guard. The article discusses the rising transport of non-petroleum substances, such as vegetable oils and bio-based oils, by chemical tankers. Unfortunately, these materials can harm marine ecosystems if spilled. Between 2020 and 2023, the Swedish Coast Guard identified 233 instances of such discharges in Swedish waters, with a significant majority occurring in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and some within protected areas known as Natura 2000 sites. The total area affected by these discharges was substantial, raising concerns about the adequacy of current regulations aimed at protecting sensitive marine environments.

Read it here: Recurrent discharges of non-petroleum substances from chemical tankers in Swedish marine Natura 2000 sites are against the aims of EU Directives

Photo: Swedish Coast Guard

Conference of note: Source Separated Sanitation Summit 2025

Wednesday 11 Jun – Friday 13 Jun, 2025, Helsinborg, Sweden

Interested in forward-thinking circular solutions for wastewater in society? Book your spot at the Source Separated Sanitation Summit 2025, which will examine source separated wastewater systems and how they work.

The organizers are NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences), IWA Sweden, NSVA/RecoLab, Sweden Water Research, and Svenskt Vatten.

Read more here.

Final thoughts

Welcome to all of those attending the 3-day Marine Research Days conference next week at Linnaeus University! 🌊 🔬 🦠

Marine Science Days – Register by October 31!

This is a reminder that the registration for the Swedish Society for Marine Research Days 26-28th November is open! Last day to register is October 31st.

The theme of the conference is “Building bridges across marine disciplines” and invited speakers include Paul F. Wassmann, Carolin Löscher, Marcelo Ketzer and Inga Koszalka. We are looking forward to welcoming you in Kalmar, also for a great program related to, among others, the Kronan wreck, presentations about shiptime funding opportunities and guided tours on research vessels! See the link and below information for more details!   https://shf.se/en/havsforskningsdagarna/havsforskningsdagarna-2024/ 

Havsmiljöinstitutets konferens 3 december: Ekosystembaserad förvaltning av havet – fungerar det? 

Arbetet med havsmiljöfrågor i Sverige ska bedrivas genom en ekosystembaserad marin förvaltning – en strategi som i praktiken innebär stora utmaningar när det kommer till hur arbetet ska organiseras, samordnas, styras och genomföras. Havsmiljöinstitutet bjuder in dig för att under en heldag fokusera på nationella havsförvaltningsfrågor, där forskare och praktiker delar med sig av olika perspektiv, kunskap och erfarenhet. Konferensen inleds med gemensam middag den 2 december. Välkomna!

Bra att veta

This event will be held in Swedish.

Konferensen och middagen är kostnadsfri, men en no show-avgift utgår om 500 kr för utebliven närvaro utan avanmälan senast den 15 nov.

Hotellrum bokas och betalas separat. Vid bokning på Clarion, avropa det statliga ramavtalet.

Anmälan här: https://www.havsmiljoinstitutet.se/evenemang/ekosystembaserad-forvaltning-av-havet-fungerar-det

Save-the-date 29 November:

Vattenmyndigheten kommer bjuda in alla Kalmar läns kommuner till Dialogmöte om kommunernas roll i Åtgärdsprogrammet för Vatten. Man riktar in sig på politiker och högre tjänstepersoner, 2-3 stycken per kommun.

This event will be held in Swedish.

Update: KM Vatten children’s book is making a splash around Sweden

“Vi ser på vatten under ytan,” a children’s book dedicated to the education of young children about water science and sustainability continues to be purchased by libraries around Sweden, 142 municipalities in total – and counting!

Boutiques in Stockholm have also purchased several copies.

KM Vatten currently has a limited supply of this book, and their accompanying coloring books; researchers in our network should contact Caroline (caliac@lnu.se).

As summer draws to a close, KM Vatten looks forward to sharing upcoming activities, outreach events and research collaborations focused on water and sustainability in the upcoming term.

Höstbål för Östersjön – an event sponsored by Vattenrådet and Hembygsföreningen, with lectures from KM Vatten researchers

Saturday, 31st August kl 17:30 at Ekenäs Båtklubben hus

17:30-18:45: Båtklubbens hus

” Varför försvinner fisken? Vad kan vi göra?”LNU-forskare berättar om aktuell forskning i Östersjön och Kalmarsund

Filmvisning och samtal

19:00-20:00: Utanför klubbhuset

Fika, tipspromenad, uppvisning av vattenmodell och håva vattendjur

Cirka 20:15: Hamnplanen

Tändning av Höstbål för Östersjön

LNU to host “Marine Research Days,” Svenska Havsforskningen conference – November 2024

This year’s Marine Research Days conference will be held here in Kalmar at LNU, November 26-28, save the date! The conference organizing committee includes KM Vatten/EEMiS researchers Hanna Farnelid, Elin Lindehoff and Catherine Legrand, in cooperation with Gothenburg University’s Carina Bunse.

The Swedish Society for Marine Sciences welcomes everyone who is engaged and interested in marine sciences, management and environmental monitoring to this conference on the SEA ! The meeting focuses on current aspects of research, management, and environmental monitoring in marine systems. In addition to oral presentations and a poster session, there will be room for networking.

SHF Dryssen Award – nominating extended to 22 September

The Swedish Society for Marine Science has extended the deadline for the Dryssen Award, for Master’s degree projects in marine sciences, in the amount of 5.000 kronor. Read more here!

Got something for the Flow? email caliac@lnu.se

The latest news, views, and announcements in KM Vatten, Week 9

INSIDE

Highlighted KM Vatten Research: Seminal international article on salinization and insufficient water quality guidelines
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Interreg South Baltic project funded: DIGI-Preneurs
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EMBRC Event April 4-5
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BTH Science Park – your next collaborative partner?
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How to help researchers in Ukraine

LNU Researchers Hylander and Lundgren published in seminal international work on salination

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Salt pollution caused mainly by road deicing salts has been shown to seriously damage the ecosystems of freshwater lakes, and current governmental water quality guidelines around this issue do not adequately protect these lakes.

“Leveraging the results from a network of experiments conducted across North America and Europe, we showed that salt pollution triggers a massive loss of important zooplankton taxa, which led to increased phytoplankton biomass at many study sites.”

LNU Researchers Samuel Hylander and Maria Lundgren co-authored this seminal article, published last week in PNAS.

To read the full article: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2115033119
Current water quality guidelines across North America and Europe do not protect lakes from Authors Info & Affiliations February 22, 2022 | 119 (9) e2115033119 | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115033119

Interreg South Baltic
Digi-PRENEURS

KM Vatten researcher Per Servais and colleagues have just been awarded funding through the seed funding projects of Interreg South Baltic. Diigi-PRENEURS – for innovative internationalization of SME´s in the blue and green sectors in the South Baltic Area.

“The nucleus for a DIGI-PRENEUR project is the business model innovation and the digital transformation that many business organizations have experienced during the recent pandemics. Developing digital sustainable international business models (DIBM) based on the added value by information technology, incorporating export marketing (entry modes, market communication etc.) and branding will achieve a significant influence on developing SMEs as DIGI-PRENEURS in the future in the SBA.”

BTH Science Park – Collaboration in the works
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BTH Science Park in

Karlskrona is interested in collaborating with Linnaeus University Kunskapsmiljö: Vatten. If you’re a scientist whose research is in marine biotechnology, environmental impact assessments, wind parks, or other innovative solutions in the marine sector, please reach out to caliac@lnu.se to learn more about collaborating with this new think tank.

How to Help Scientists in Ukraine: https://scienceforukraine.eu/help.html

**Got something to share with KM Vatten? Do you have a new research project, a newly published paper or an idea? Write to  caliac@lnu.se

The latest news, views, and announcements in KM Vatten, Week 7

INSIDE:

Young Researchers Conference: September 28-29; A KM Vatten, Green Sustainable Development Joint venture
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Resource: Strategic partnerships
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Did you know?: Livet i havet

September 28-29: Linné Young Researchers Conference

Welcome to the first annual Young Researchers Conference, September 28-29, 2022 in Växjö!
The LNU Knowledge Environments Green Sustainable Development and Water are pleased to announced their jointly sponsored conference for early career researchers in green and blue sustainable development.
The goals of the knowledge environments are to tackle societal challenges in the areas of blue and green sustainability, to network with researchers of different academic backgrounds and expertise, and form strategic partnerships outside of academia for the purpose of research and outreach.
The Young Researchers Conference is geared towards PhD students and Postdocs who are interested in addressing these challenges in their research, who want to form lasting collegial relationships with other researchers outside their fields.
The YRC promotes knowledge development, interdisciplinary professional exchange, and an opportunity to grow.
More information about this conference and its content to follow soon. Stay tuned!

Creating partnerships: A resource 
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A guide to Strategic Partnerships: Structure collaboration between academia and wider society
Are you looking to develop partnerships outside of academia to promote research and develop new projects? This guide to strategic partnerships is a useful guide to get you started.

EMBRC Kickoff: April 5-6

EMBRC is a pan-European research infrastructure (RI) aimed to support and develop marine research. Linnaeus University, sponsored by Knowledge Environment: Water, will join with other Swedish institutions to increase the availability of marine biological material, experimental facilities, data sets and time series for national and international researchers. EMBRC SE will make Europe’s best equipped marine infrastructures available for Swedish scientists and facilitate access to the Swedish marine RI’s for both national and international researchers. Swedish membership in EMBRC guarantees full voting rights on decisions about rules & routines within the future implementation of the European marine infrastructures. The EMBRC Kickoff will be held in April, hosted by LNU.

Did you know?
A mobile app titled Livet i Havet, developed by Havsmiljöinstitutet is a resource containing images and information for hundreds of species and environments in the Baltic and North Seas. A great learning and reference tool for all ages!

The latest news, views, and announcements in KM Vatten, Week 5, 2022

INSIDE
KM Vatten latest news
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Swedish Climate Symposium
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UN Ocean Conference
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For KM Vatten PIs – Sustainability course inventory

KM Vatten: Seed projects funded

Congratulations to Samuel Hylander (BOM) and Tobias König (Ekonomihögskolan), whose projects have been awarded seed funding from KM Vatten.

Hylander’s project, “Ny kurs: Hur bevarar vi vårt vatten för kommande generationer,” will focus on the development of a new water management course to be offered both to students and professionals. The aim of the course is to increase knowledge on water administration to those who currently work in the field, as well as those who will do so in the future. The course will, ultimately, strengthen collaboration between Linnaeus University and career, as well as to give students valuable contacts in the future. 

König’s project will focus on behavioral approaches towards sustainable water consumption by collecting experimental data using different behavioral instruments. Ultimately, the aim is to provide evidence-based policy recommendations on effective measures towards sustainable water use.

Both projects demonstrate the values of KM: Vatten – collaboration between faculties, as well as Linnaeus University and municipalities and industry, to address regional water challenges. We look forward to sending out more updates on these endeavors! 

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Swedish Climate Symposium

The SMHI, the Strategic Research Areas MERGE and BECC, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research are pleased to announce the inaugural Swedish Climate Symposium to take place on 16-18 May, 2022, in Norrköping, Sweden

For programme, registration and abstract submission visit www.swedishclimatesymposium.com

Funding opportunity
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UN Ocean Conference
Digital: 1st February 2022, 08.30 – 09.30

Welcome to an informational meeting and brainstorm for the Stockholm +50 and UN Ocean Conferences, and how these link to marine research.

Havsmiljöinstitutet, Hav och samhälle och Swemarc invite you to a breakfast meeting for hearing ideas about which sea-related questions we can discuss in the coming conferences.

We will receive short lectures from Helen Ågren, Sweden’s Marine Ambassador, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Isabel Sarenmalm, Stockholm +50 Secretariat, the Ministry of the Environment, who will discuss expectations and wishes from the government. Petra Wallberg, Formas, will also inform about how the conferences connect to the Swedish work with the UN Decade for Marine Research for Sustainable Development, the EU’s five Missions 2021-2030 and the partnership program “A climate neutral, sustainable and productive Blue Economy”.

Register here: https://sunet.artologik.net/gu/Survey/15991
Pre-registration required.

**Got something to share with KM Vatten? Do you have a new research project, a newly published paper or an idea? Write to  caliac@lnu.se

**Apologies for any double-sending

The latest news, views, and announcements in KM Vatten, Week 45 Kunskapsmiljö: Vatten
INSIDE The funding issue 3 exciting funding opportunities in the fields of water, sustainability, business and innovation
EU Regional Development Fund A current call for EU Regional Development Funds (ERDF) is open to 50% financing of seed funding projects in Småland and the islands. ERDF will co-finance up to 400.000 SEK seed funding projects that are co-financed by the regions in Småland (Kronoberg, Kalmar, Jönköping, Gotland). The regions may provide up to 50% co-financing of total seed project (prestudy) budget. The goals of the ERDF with this call is the development of smart transformation of small and medium business, especially in the areas of innovation, digitalization, circular economy, effectivization of energy or renewable energy sources, and adaptation to climate change. The Småland + Island Regions prioritize smart specialization, diversification and renewal of SMEs in collaboration with accademia.   Current call available at Lnu ad: https://lnu.se/medarbetare/forum/horisont-europa—eus-nya-ramprogram-for-forskning-och-innovation/tillvaxtverket-har-oppnat-en-utlysning-fran-europeiska-regionalutvecklingsfond-/ Deadline to Tillväxtverket is 13 December. Co-financing decision from a region must be secured prior to ERUF application. Do you have an idea you want to develop? Want to learn more for future applications?   Contact Inga Aflaki for consultation or to connect you with Region Kalmar / Kronoberg.

**Got something to share with KM Vatten? Do you have a new research project, a newly published paper or an idea? Write to  caliac@lnu.se

INSIDE EventsRead about the Kalmarsundskommission Think Tank Highlighted research Paper in Nature, Energy efficiency and biological interactions define the core microbiome of deep oligotrophic groundwater Call for seed funding New call for seed funding has been announced!

Recent Events

Kalmarsundskommissionen Think Tank on Öland, October 4^th

A meeting of the minds in Kalmar Region to discuss water challenges and projects in the region

Biocoal, algae, reeds and mussels

Projects, industrial and research collaborations in the field:

• Mussels for dog food and reeds for animal feed – starting in Västervik’s fish factory
• Rest till Bäst– also Rest till Bäst Västervik
• Odevata Biocoal Leader
• LOVA project biocoal of shrimp and algae – with Byxelkrok’s marine service, LNU and Albertsson’s mechanical
• Kalmar Energi – Looking at biocoal production as part of the future electricity system.
• Kalmar Science Park:  biocoal for soil augmentation with KRAV farmers on Öland.
• Karlskrona municipality and WSP – biocoal from washed-up seaweed and sediment
• LNU tests cultivation in biocoal+ sediment within the Life Sure project
• Project Släk – Lift the industry from the sea

A dialogue is underway regarding the production of biocoal between Kalmar Municipality, KSRR and Kalmar Energi. Conversion

of boilers for biocoal production are investigated at Kährs AB in Nybro, among other places. Biogas from reeds, and animal feed

of mussels, has been tested previously in the projects Biogas marine substrate and Baltic Blue Growth

Sediment

Projects, industrial and research collaborations in the field of dredged material

• A dredging project in Sjöboviken south of Oskarshamn is looking for an area of ​​use for its

sediment

• The companyNETICSvisits the LifeSure project week 43.
• Returbetong och byggblock
• Life Sure and LNU look at areas of use and pollutants in sediments

Water in the landscape / agriculture / treatment plant and industry

Projects, industrial and research collaborations in the field of water supply

• Mörbylånga water industry– circular water supply
• The seed-money projectWaterman, i.a. on wastewater recovery
• LEVA from strategy to action Kalmarsund
• LEVA Water Coordination Västervik
• LNU Smart cities
• Several LOVA and LONA projects for water conservation / groundwater formation measures
• Preliminary study on sustainable water supply in southern Sweden

Water shortages and competition for water were discussed from different perspectives: Access to water for cultivation, groundwater and the possibility of artificial infiltration into drinking water. Can desalination can also be a solution for agriculture? How can and should wastewater and stormwater be used? How can we collaborate aroundtechnical water, i.e. water that does not need to have drinking water quality?

The day culminated in atrip to the Mörbylånga water desalination treatment center:

‒ By Mark Dopson

In collaboration with SLU, Uppsala and other universities, KM Vatten researcher Mark Dopson and his team have investigated how deep biosphere communities are able to survive in the extremely oligotrophic groundwaters of the Fennoscandian Shield. Using comparative genomics, they show that deep biosphere communities have common species in two sites on opposite sides of the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, the community thrives via mutually beneficial partnerships of nutrient exchange and by growing in a stop-start manner when energy is available. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications at the link:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24549-z