CoW is a strong research environment supported by the Swedish Research Council for Environmental, Agricultural and Spatial Planning (FORMAS)

The most prominent change in water quality to be expected in Swedish lakes from climate change is increased runoff of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from land, but the monitoring of DOC is poorly developed. Increasing concentrations and changing quality of DOC poses severe problems for drinking water treatment. Moreover, DOC is the major regulator of the role of lakes in the carbon cycle, including emission of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere, and carbon sequestration in sediments. This strong research environment will:

1. Develop the monitoring of the quality and quantity of DOC employing spectroscopic as well as remote sensing techniques, in collaboration with representatives of the national water quality monitoring.
2. Develop techniques for improved drinking water treatment in response to increasing DOC/changing quality of DOC, in collaboration with major drinking water suppliers.
3. Assess the role of DOC in the carbon cycle and how it affects the contribution of lakes to the larger scale carbon budget.
4. Predict the quality and quantity of DOC in a changing climate.