Shared Lakes – Cross-Border Initiative to Safeguard Water Quality and Biodiversity of Pristine Arctic Lakes

Introduction

Shared Lakes

Connected Waters, Shared Futures: A Cross-Border Initiative to Safeguard Water Quality and Biodiversity of Pristine Arctic Lakes

Shared Lakes brings together cross-border research data, monitoring data, and monitoring infrastructure from northern Finland and Sweden to improve understanding of changes in Arctic lakes and support their management.

The lakes in the Arctic border region between Finland and Sweden are among the most pristine in Europe. They are characterised by exceptionally clear water and low nutrient concentrations. These ecosystems have sustained unique Arctic biodiversity, shaped regional cultural identity, and supported human livelihoods for thousands of years. Today, pristine Arctic lakes are a major attraction for nature-based tourism and play an important role in local economies while sustaining the region’s aquatic ecosystems and water resources.

Rapid climate warming and increasing nature-based tourism are exposing sensitive Arctic lakes to growing environmental pressures that may alter ecosystem processes, reduce biodiversity, and compromise water quality. Assessing these impacts is challenging because the year-round functioning of Arctic lakes remains poorly understood. Monitoring is conducted mainly during the ice-free season, and long-term data are limited. Yet seasonal changes in ice cover and light availability strongly shape nutrient cycling, water quality, and aquatic life. Without appropriate long-term baseline data, it is difficult to identify emerging changes and reliably assess how Arctic lake ecosystems respond to warming and growing human pressures.

Shared Lakes brings together datasets, monitoring infrastructure, and scientific expertise from both sides of the northern Finland-Sweden border. The project will implement a pilot for year-round lake monitoring, combining continuous measurements, seasonal sampling, and historical records preserved in lake sediments. This approach provides a more complete understanding of Arctic lake ecosystems by covering critical but poorly monitored winter and transitional seasons, as well as long-term environmental change. At the same time, the project will develop practical tools for lake monitoring and management in collaboration with stakeholders. Shared Lakes responds to regional needs by producing comparable cross-border monitoring data, improving understanding of climate change impacts, and providing tools for the early detection of environmental change.

The Shared Lakes project is funded by the European Union through the Interreg Aurora Programme, the Regional Council of Lapland, Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten, and Länsstyrelsen Västerbotten. The project is coordinated by the Geological Survey of Finland GTK in collaboration with Umeå University and the University of Helsinki.

Contact person: Maija Heikkilä, Project Manager

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