Researchers measure Puijo lichens and microbes for canopy nitrous oxide uptake

The role of soil and forests in greenhouse gas sequestration has been studied for a long time. However, forests are also home to invisible organisms that may affect the climate. "Soil, water and peatlands have been studied in the Biogeochemistry Research Group at the University of Eastern Finland since the mid-1980s, led by Professor Emeritus Pertti Martikainen. When Martikainen retired in 2016, Professor of Microbial Biogeochemistry Jukka Pumpanen took over as the group's leader," says Academy Research Fellow Henri Siljanen from the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences.