Erken Laboratory

Station name and owner

Erken Laboratory, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University

Location

The station is located on the South Eastern shore of Lake Erken 70 km North East of Stockholm. The closest city is Norrtälje. Coordinates: WGS 84 (lat, lon): N 59⁰ 50.192', E 18⁰ 38.527', WGS 84 decimal (lat, lon): 59.83653, 18.64212 RT90: 6638633, 1659053 SWEREF: 99:6638817, 704082

Climate data

Grey colours are WMO Climate Normals including maximum and minimum values. Blue colours are individual years.

Climate data for the stations where extracted via Copernicus Climate Data Store, from the global gridded reanalysis product: ERA5 monthly averaged data on single levels from 1940 to present. Description and source code: Roemer J.K. 2023. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10214922 Data Source: Hersbach et al. 2023. Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Climate Data Store (CDS), https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f17050d7

Biodiversity and natural environment

The field station is close to Norr Malma Nature Reserve. The reserve consists of a meadow the southeastern shore of lake Erken. The area is hilly and includes one of the largest stands of old oak trees in Stockholm County, but also maple, ash, linden and other hardwoods. A burial ground with graves from the late Iron Age is located in the eastern part of the reserve. The ancient oaks have plenty of cavities and are valuable for birdlife and bats. Several fungal, insect and lichen species are linked to the oaks, including red-listed fungi and lichens. The main feature of the landscape is Lake Erken, a mesotrophic clearwater lake, which has a surface area of 24 km2, making it the third largest lake in the province of Uppland.

History and facilities

The Norr Malma farm was donated to Uppsala University by Carl Malmén in 1928. Wilhelm Rodhe established the first field laboratory in 1944. Some years later (1951-52), the Erken Laboratory was built while the manor building of the farm was restored for lodging purposes, supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation. The station can host up to 40 visitors all year round and up to 65 during the summer season. Accommodation is available in the form of single, double, four- and eight bed rooms with shared bathroom facilities and one en-suite apartment spread over several buildings, including kitchen facilities, dining and TV rooms. There are also laboratories, offices, a workshop, one lecture hall for 35 persons and one outdoor lecture hall, also seating up to 35 persons. Restaurants are available in Svanberga, the village closest (2.5 km) to the station. The station has a certified (SWEDAC) analytical laboratory for basic water and sediment chemistry and analyses (microscopic) of phytoplankton and zooplankton.

General research and databases

The Erken laboratory is primarily a limnological field station. Particular focus is placed on the long-term monitoring of water quality, climate effects on aquatic systems, nutrients cycling and population and community dynamics in lakes. The station has an extensive environmental monitoring program for Lake Erken, including both manual and high-frequency automatic measurements The monitoring program includes measurements of physical and chemical parameters, phytoplankton, and since 2014, greenhouse gas fluxes. The station also offers facilities for the implementation of experiments (e.g. mesocosms) and can provide help with sampling of other, surrounding lakes as well. Lake Erken is also a site member of international networks, including the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network It has also been a long tradition at the Erken Laboratory to take an active role in the public outreach activities of Uppsala University, e.g. by offering research schools and waterdays for school classes. Moreover, the station hosts a range of different university courses. The Erken Laboratory is also an accredited laboratory for water and sediment sampling and analysis, and for phytoplankton and zooplankton determination.

Station Monitoring

Human dimension

The station is located 11 km from the town of Norrtälje (founded 1622), which offers excellent opportunities for shopping and leisure activities. The station is located in the Roslagen area, which constitutes the Northern part of the Stockholm archipelago and is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities (e.g. swimming, sea kayaking, sport fishing) during summer months.

Access

The Erken Laboratory Field Station is easily accessible by car, bus and airplane. The field station is located at the south-western shore of lake Erken, 70 km north-east of Stockholm. The nearest bus stop (Norrmalma) is along route 76, 1 km (ca 20 minutes at a leisurely pace) by foot from the station. The nearest large town is Norrtälje. From Stockholm, take bus 676; from Uppsala, take bus 677; from Arlanda airport, take bus 806/677 (change at Åby vägskäl). From Norrtälje, travel 10 km north by one of the following buses: 641, 637, 636, UL808. Stop at Norrmalma.