TOWARDS RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION CAPACITY IN STUDING LAKE ECOSYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURES AND CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT

Within the field of aquatic ecology, the Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU) through the Chair of Hydrobiology and Fishery and Centre for Limnology (CL) has steadily improved its ability to describe the ecological processes in Estonian lakes.

However, in order to reach the next level in terms of scientific excellence and broader impact within the scientific community, it must move beyond just describing ecological processes in the regional (Estonian) scale.

Application of more innovative and advanced methods of experimentation as well as sound experienced guidance for data analysis, scientific writing and presentation would lead CL researchers to be able to develop new paradigms for freshwater ecosystems in general, and specifically in shallow lakes that prevail in Estonia and also globally.

However, limitations in staff training and institutional capacity and modest participation in cooperation networks has hindered EMU’s CL from making this jump.Through this cooperation and knowledge exchange, EMU will greatly improve its use of existing research methods as well as develop cutting-edge new approaches that will help EMU to make significant contributions to our understanding of lake ecology and its effects on the environment.

The collaboration will also help EMU translate scientific expertise into a greater impact in the international scientific community via publishing of articles and participation in conferences and International projects.

The collaboration will also be directed towards improving the education provided to students at all three levels (BSc, MSc, PhD) within EMU by offering new courses and opportunities to study with partner institutions. TREICLAKE will also help EMU to disseminate and exploit research results to audiences beyond the scientific community.

This includes policy makers, youth and the general public, to improve understanding of the importance of the topic, including the role that lakes can play in addressing climate change.