Brian Moss University of Liverpool

1. Water Research in Finland 2002–2006 International Evaluation Brian Moss University of Liverpool

3. Erosion, biocides, nutrients Dams, river engineering, drainage Peat erosion, biocides Mercury, acidification Introduced species

6. Brian Moss, UK; Wolfgang Fennel, Germany; Namasivayam Chinnaiya, India; Dan Rosbjerg, Denmark; Sybil Seitzinger, USA; Pauline Snoeijs,Sweden; John Stegeman USA

7. The goal set by the Steering Group was to assess the scientific quality of Finnish aquatic research and to evaluate the structural state of this field in Finland as well as to obtain recommendations for the further development of aquatic research.

8. Quality of research • Our overall view was that Finnish research in aquatic sciences is easily comparable in quality with that of other wealthy countries. The lists of publications that we examined contained many examples of papers in international journals for which standards and rejection rates are high. For many such journals the acceptance rate is now between 20 and 30%.

9. Prof. Kaarina Sivonen • Suffice it to say that Finland has a system of recognition through its Academy professors and its Centres of Excellence, and that we find the standards it imposes in giving this recognition to be comparable with those used elsewhere. Prof.Mikko Nikinmaa

10. People • By 2006, 507 staff with 404 research active (103 support and administrative) • 60% in Universities, 40% in Institutes • Fall in % of women from 59% PhD students to 12 % Professors (Finland overall, 47% PhD students, 23% Professors • Total costs: Universities K€45.8, Institutes K€ 50.2 per year per person • Produce 1.31 professional articles (Universities 1.09 Institutes 1.62) plus 0.59 popular contributions per year, so around 2 publications per person per year • Excellent value for investment (UK about three times higher costs)

11. Total around 5.25 billion Euro Business (for own interests) 70% Government 30%, totalling about 1597 million Euro Government Research funding of M€ 1597 Academy 14% Tekes 28% Core University 26.1% Institute core 16.2% Other 15.6% Finnish Research Funding

12. Investment in water research • Of M€ 1597 Government core funding, total invested in water research is M€ 12.3 • Plus 11.6 million raised by the scientific community from grants and contracts from inside and outside (EU) Finland • Thus 0.8% of government funding is spent on water research and water research accounts for about 0.46% of total research spending in Finland • Virtually no contribution by business interests to environmental research

13. We recommend that there is a need for some revision in the balance of allocation of funds nationally to favour the area of water research (and of environmental issues in general), particularly because of Finland’s immediate and substantial dependency on natural resources. Baltic Ice Cover

14. Recommendations • Career structure for PhD, Post doctorals and permanent posts • Educational organisation • Integration of modelling • Subject content • Datasets and Long term ecological research sites • Instrument replacement • Outreach

15. Career structure • Graduate students impressively articulate • Many difficulties with funding • Need for system with guaranteed funding for those selected on merit • Perhaps fewer total PhD students, completing in 3/4 rather than up to 7/8 years • Commented on in other reviews

16. Career structure • Concerns over provision of secure posts in Universities • Very difficult situation for mid-career scientists • Need for orderly pyramidal permanent career structure • Commented on in 1986 review of Hydrobiology and in reviews of other areas • Finnish system is out of line with many other countries Quality of work is no lower in Institutes with a permanent career structure

17. Educational organisation • Problem with separation of physical, chemical, biological and social research into separate departments or Institutes • Mitigates against integrating knowledge, especially in models that can predict future effects and problems as well as give deeper understanding • Under-recognition of Finnish research on water by the international community, partly self-inflicted Chief Seattle All things are connected

18. Land use, forestry and agriculture River hydrology, chemistry & ecology • Recommendations to establish Department of School of Water Sciences that does this from the undergraduate level upwards • Recommendation that Academy post-docs spend at least one year in a laboratory outside Finland to help infiltrate new ideas • Recommendation that future plans for the Institute of Marine Research be urgently reconsidered as the proposals would go directly against such integration and hamper modelling and understanding particularly of the Baltic Blooms and fisheries Weather and climate People and cities

19. Some specific recommendations for future research • More attention to stream ecology and use of pristine northern Finnish ecosystems to influence concepts of high ecological status for the Water Framework Directive • Linking of ecology and engineering in stream and river restoration to achieve really imaginative solutions • More manipulative experimental studies on whole catchments and lakes • More linking freshwater and peatland research • Encouragement of work on processes of biogeochemistry which is currently very limited • Major emphasis on climate change implications (physical, ecological, social and interactions)

20. Inventory of long -term data sets and planned funding • to maintain the best and make them available on the web • Continued support of field stations • Proper funding to maintain monitoring of designated • Long-term (Socio-)Ecological Research sites (Helsinki • Metropolitan; Lepsämänjoki Agricultural Watershed; • Lammi Southern Boreal; Lake Päijänne; Northern Häme; • Bothnian Bay; Pallas-Sodankylä; Northern) • Mechanisms to foster replacement of expensive • analytical machines and ship facilities shared by • the scientific community

21. Outreach: popular articles, radio broadcasts, displays • Institute web sites excellent • Target of one popular item for every formal • scientific paper from a project

22. An excellent scientific community performing • very well by international standards • A need for considerable reform in career structures • A need for more integration of subject areas • A nation perhaps not investing enough in research • on water particularly in view of Finland’s dependence • on its natural resources at a time of great threat from • climate change and ecosystem destruction

23. Preservation of an equable biosphere or enhancement of GDP ?