Johannes Edvardsson

Since 2017, I am employed as researcher at the Department of Geology, Lund University, and my field of excellence is in dendrochronology (tree-ring research), peatland development, long-term (hydro)climatology, and quaternary sciences. In my research, I have been using growth patterns of trees to study and date large-scale climate changes, hydrological shifts in peatlands, avalanches, historical buildings, archaeological artefacts, and 17^th century Flemish art. One of the primary aims of my on-going research is to study what effects tree colonization in peatlands have on hydrology, vegetation, and carbon sequestration in such ecosystems. To answer my research questions, I’ll use data generated from living and subfossil peatland trees, as well as approaches including laser ablation spot analysis (LA-ICP-MS) and stable isotope analyses (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O). I will also perform field studies of changes in moisture content in peat soils representing different tree coverage, compile and analyse data from an existing network of sites where changes in peatland water tables, tree growth, and carbon fluxes have been monitored, and use examine tree growth responses to environmental changes and the on-going tree colonization.

My research has mainly been financed through grant from FORMAS, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, the Swedish Research Council(VR), BECC, the Royal Physiographic Society and Crafoord Foundation.

I am also associate editor at the journal Dendrochronologia

You are welcome to follow me at Facebook or Twitter: @DendroLund

Projects and collaborations

MOSS - Management strategies for tree colonized peatland ecOSyStems (2021 – 2024)

Peatlands and forests are key elements when it comes to meet several challenges outlined in the UN climate and sustainable development goals. In recent years, land-use and climate changes have facilitated for an accelerating tree colonization at many peatlands, which in turn has negative effects on biodiversity, hydrology, carbon sequestration and thereby climate. In the MOSS project we (1) use monitoring techniques and tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) to study tree colonization, tree growth and tree mortality as well as links and feedbacks between the trees and the hydrology on natural, ditched and rewetted peatlands, (2) in a greenhouse study survival and biomass production for pine saplings and mosses growing under different hydrological conditions, and (3) use existing vegetation models to provide reliable projections of peatland ecosystem responses in the context of various climate and management scenarios. Based on our observations we aim to formulate recommendations and directives on how peatlands should be preserved or restored given different tree coverage and hydrological histories. We cooperate with stakeholders operating peatland restoration projects, which enables direct implementation of our hypothesis and results in restoration programs to maximize the social benefits of the project in terms of sustainable management.

Old Wood in a New Light  (2021 - 2024)

The project, which is based on collaboration with Humlab in Umeå and dendrochronology laboratories at three other Swedish universities. The purpose is to digitise and make publically available data from more than 40,000 analysed and age determined wood samples and their associated information on cultural history, climate and environment over thousands of years. The infrastructure SEAD (Strategic Environmental Archaeology Database) will be applied and prepared for data from new approaches, among others as performed at the research infrastructure MAX IV, and later also ESS.

ECHoES (Effects of tree Colonization on Hydrology and carbon sequestration in peatland EcoSystems)

ECHoES is a multidisciplinary project in which links and feedbacks between tree colonization, hydrology and carbon sequestration in peatland ecosystems are studied. In the ECHoES project long-term (multi-millennial) and ongoing processes linking peatland tree colonization – hydrology – carbon sequestration and climate are studied. We also use ecosystem models to predict what impact ongoing and future tree colonization on peatlands may have on the hydrology and carbon sequestration in the peatland ecosystems, which in turn has a significant impact on the global carbon cycle.

Black Oak

Since the 1970s, black oaks excavated from South Swedish and Danish peatlands have been analysed. The result has become a large number of oak chronologies of varying length and age. The material consists of over 1000 oak samples from trees that died for between 1000 and 8000 years ago. However, there are still several periods that we lack dated oak material from. As a result, it is not possible to create a continuous 8000-year long oak chronology. The purpose of the Black Oak project is to find new material that can bridge these gaps. At present, we are sampling new material from South Swedish peatlands, but are also looking for material in museum collections. Private persons who own black oak samples are of course also welcome to contact us. We can maybe date your oak samples and use the tree-ring data for studies of climate of the past.

Blue Archaeology

Blue Archaeology is a multi-disciplinary project assembling the cultural and natural heritage of submerged Stone-Age Seascapes, foremost along the eastern coast of Sweden.

BECC (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate)

BECC is a collaboration between Lund University and University of Gothenburg. It is a strategic research area that strives for a better understanding of the impacts of climate change and land use decisions on terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity. Since 2017, I am principal investigator (PI) within the research groups encompassed by BECC.

Jordaens, Van Dyck, Panel Paintings Project (JVDPPP)

The JVDPPP is an innovative art historical initiative, which among many research methods use tree-ring studies of c. 300 Flemish 17^th century paintings to investigate collaborations between the Flemish masters J. Jordaens and Sir. A. Van Dyck. In this project, I work as a consultant dendrochronologist with art researcher at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium and University of Amsterdam.

Swiss Tree-Ring Laboratory

Between 2013 and 2016, I had a 3-year postdoctoral employment at the Swiss Tree-Ring Laboratory (dendrolab.ch). I was working in an international and interdisciplinary project named CLIMPEAT and still have on-going collaborations with several researchers at the Swiss Tree-Ring Laboratory.

CLIMPEAT (2013 - 2016)

The CLIMPEAT-project was an international and interdisciplinary Swiss-Lithuanian research collaboration aiming to explore the interconnections and interdependencies of peatlands ecosystems with climate (change), anthropogenic activity and sequestered carbon. In this project, I have close collaborations with researchers at the Swiss Tree-Ring Laboratory, Nature Research Centre (Vilnius), and Vilnius University.