Janne Rinne appointed as Research Professor at Luke

Ph.D. Janne Rinne (Meteorology), has been appointed as Research Professor in Material and energy fluxes in managed ecosystems at Natural Resources Institute Finland. Rinne will start his five-year term on 1 August 2023.

Rinne has previously worked as a Principal Scientist at Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and as Scientific Director of the Finnish section of the Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems (AnaEE) research infrastructure. His research interests have focused on gas exchange between the atmosphere and ecosystems. This research has been related to, among others, climate feedbacks in northern ecosystems, hydrocarbon emissions from vegetation, and greenhouse gas balances in peatlands.

More broadly, Rinne's future research will relate to the climate impacts of human activity through land use. Research priorities will include studying the dynamic stages of production forests, such as clear-cutting and gas exchange in early plantation forests. These stages are associated with large changes in carbon stocks, greenhouse gas exchange, and emissions of other climate-relevant gases such as volatile hydrocarbons.

– Another priority area will be the gas exchange in agricultural countries. In Finland, agriculture is practiced in the extreme north in a global sense, and very few ecosystem-scale greenhouse gas measurements have been made under these conditions. In addition, nitrogen losses, e.g., as ammonia evaporation, can be a significant contributor to the nitrogen budget and thus affect the efficiency of fertilisation. Much of this research relates to differences in GHG emissions between peatland and mineral soils, and the impact of different crop rotations and reforestation practices. In all areas, the risks of a changing climate and adaptation to it are an important background factor. I will use the latest detection methods, such as eddy covariance, laser absorption spectroscopy and stable isotopes in both wood and gases, says Rinne.

Rinne also contributes to the development of European research infrastructures (Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems, AnaEE; Integrated Carbon Observation System, ICOS) both in Finland and at the European level.

Rinne will work in the Bioeconomy and Environments unit at Luke.

"Luke wants to strengthen its ability to play an important role in the international research field of land use in agriculture and forestry. Janne Rinne, who is very well networked, is the perfect person for this professorship."

–Jani Lehto, Vice President, Bioeconomy and Environment

Research professors are key to Luke's scientific expertise and international visibility and impact. The aim is to ensure excellence in research for Luke in strategic areas, as well as its usefulness to business life and industry.