SYKE’s Marine Research Centre is Monitoring the Sea and Coastal Areas and Defines Measures to Reduce Environmental Impacts (2/2)

Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE, coordinates and realizes national long-term monitoring of the sea and researches the functioning of seas in a multidisciplinary way by using modeling, measurements, and observations. It acts as an expert on the implementation of Finnish marine resource management planning, EU maritime legislation, and the Baltic Sea environmental protection convention. This research is conducted in the Marine Research Centre of SYKE.

The marine research vessel Aranda, the Utö marine research station, and our laboratories provide excellent facilities for developing the technology of marine research. The work is supported by FINMARI (Finnish Marine Research Infrastructure), which is coordinated by SYKE.

We cooperate with Estonia and Russia for the good of the marine environment of the Gulf of Finland. We work closely with European universities, other research institutes and enterprises. Our work also extends to the Arctic region and developing countries. In addition, we produce methods for estimating the state of the sea and for planning maritime areas, and information to reconcile ecological, economic, and societal goals.

Since there are hundreds of projects going on at SYKE, a lot of information is continuously under progress to be launched for the clients and public delivery. SYKE produces open data and information for an ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable society. This data includes versatile information on water resources, surface and ground waters, the Baltic Sea, environmental load and distractions, the valuable natural environment, land cover, and the built environment.

Environmental data is accessible by utilizing web services, spatial datasets and satellite observations, as well as data stored in environmental information systems. Environmental data can also be viewed in various web map applications, see for example: Metadata Portal.

In the spring 2020, SYKE – together with 8 other Finnish organizations – published a national service – MarineFinland.fi – bringing together information and data about the Baltic Sea from various marine data providers. The portal’s emphasis is on clear and practical presentations developed with visual clarity, ease of access, logical search paths, seamless user interfaces, and user-friendly downloading processes. 

This genuinely cross-sectoral marine portal is published in three languages: Finnish, Swedish, and English. It covers the full spectrum of marine information from wrecks to real-time marine data, status reports, maps, info-graphics, and various materials, including teaching materials, all serving decision-makers, public authorities, businesses, researchers, journalists, teachers and students.

Text: Jorma Rytkönen & other SYKE experts