Björkén Prize to Lars Tranvik for research on lakes

Lars Tranvik is Professor of Limnology at Uppsala University. His research, which focuses on dissolved organic matter as a key component of lake biogeochemistry, has led to new insights into the role of lakes in the global carbon cycle. He is now rewarded with the Björkén Prize, which is one of Uppsala University’s top scholarly awards for outstanding research.

Award citation:

Lakes receive large amounts of dissolved organic matter from the surrounding watersheds, which has a major impact on ecosystem productivity, food webs and biogeochemistry. In their research, Lars Tranvik and his team have demonstrated the role of lakes in the global carbon cycle and clarified that lakes are not just passive transporters of carbon and organic matter from land areas to the sea, but are active components of the carbon cycle and the climate system.

Innovative research on the role of dissolved organic matter as a key component of global biogeochemistry, both in terms of sediment formation and exchange with the atmosphere, has created a new understanding of the role of lakes in the global carbon cycle and climate system. Lars Tranvik has led several major projects involving different competencies and different perspectives on the role of lakes in the carbon cycle, which has also led to method development of remote sensing of lakes, spectroscopic methods for characterising organic matter and linking to biological activity.

Annica Hulth