Dr.-Ing. Ilona Bärlund
Contact / Address
Dr.-Ing. Ilona Bärlund
Senior researcher, science management
Department Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis and Management (ASAM)
Research Unit Water Ressources and Environment
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Brückstr. 3a, 39114 Magdeburg, Germany
Tel: +49 341 6025 4102
Mobile: +49 (0)151 4263 4440
ilona.baerlund@ufz.de

CV / Scientific Career
01/2021 - to date
01/2021 - to date
Senior scientist and supervisor in the ITN-ETN project inventWater „Inventive forecasting tools for adapting water quality management to a new climate“
01/2017 - to date
Science manager of the UFZ Research Unit „Water Resources and Environment“ Link
01/2014 - 12/2020
Science manager of the research topic (Topic 3) "Sustainable Water Resources Management" (POF III) and of the UFZ Integrated Project "Healthy Aquatic Ecosystems"
09/2013 - 12/2020
Science manager and organiser of the World Water Quality Assessment (WWQA) in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
09/2010 - 12/2013
Research manager and organiser of the research topic "Sustainable Water Resources Management" (POF II) as well as head of the ASAM group "Concepts and implementation of IWRM" (CIM) at UFZ
06/2009 - 08/2010
Head of the water research group (GRID-Wasser) at the Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel
01/2007 - 08/2010
Research manager of the EU project SCENES "Water Scenarios for Europe and for Neighbouring States" at CESR (Univ. Kassel) and research on: scenario development as a participative process, linking qualitative and quantitative scenarios and development of continental scale water quality modelling.
1997 - 2010 (2007 - 2010 leave of absence)
Researcher (1997-1999) and Senior Researcher (1999=>) at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Helsinki with emphasis on: development and application of field and catchment scale modelling of water, sediment and nutrients (ICECREAM development, SWAT application), application of climate and land-use change scenarios for Finland as well as linking socio-economic modelling with natural science approaches.
1992-1997
PhD student at the Technical University of Karlsruhe (PhD defense Feb. 1998 on modelling of field scale transport and transformation of pesticides).
1985 - 1992
MSc studies at Helsinki University of Technology (MSc Thesis on detection of nitrogen transport and transformations in lysimeter studies).
Other activities
2025 - to date
2022 - 2025
1998 - 2007
Board memberships in:
- Finnish Society of Soil Sciences (2005 - 2007)
- Association Finlandaise des Anciens Staigiaires de l'ACTIM (2001 - 2007)
- Finnish Association for Hydrology (1998 - 2001)
Research interests
As an engineer in hydrology and water resources management, I am specialized in mathematical modelling of chemical transport and transformations on field, catchment and continental scale. My research interest lies in assessment of environmental consequences of agricultural best management practices, agricultural and environmental policies as well as land use and climate change scenarios. My additional interest is in qualitative and quantitative scenario development as a participatory process, combining socio-economic methodologies with environmental modelling, communicating modelling results to the public and finally in the use of mathematical modeling for policy issues, such as the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.
Co-operations and projects
World Water Quality Assessment (WWQA)
The WWQA is an initiative of UN-Water led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), time span of the pre-study 2013-2015. The main aim of the assessment has been to identify current problem areas of freshwater quality in surface waters, especially in developing and emerging countries, and to develop a methodology to serve this pupose. The assessment includes impacts of surface water quality on human health and food security (inland fisheries). WWQA Webpages
My contacts: Martina Flörke (CESR/Univ. Kassel), Joseph Alcamo (CESR/Univ. Kassel), Hartwig Kremer (UNEP), Philipp Saile (BfG), Deborah Chapman (Univ. Cork), Nike Sommerwerk (UNU)
The SCENES project
SCENES stands for "Water Scenarios for Europe and for Neighbouring States" and was an EU project under FP6 running 2006-2011. The focus of the project was to develop and evaluate qualitative and quantitative scenarios for the freshwater resources in pan-Europe by 2050. SCENES Webpages
My contacts: Martina Flörke (CESR/Univ. Kassel), Kasper Kok (Wageningen Univ.), Richard Williams (NERC-CEH), Sirkka Tattari (SYKE)
International Graduate School, IHI-Zittau, TU Dresden
Teaching an introductory course in mathematical modelling of field scale water transport and nutrient leaching 2004-2014. IHI Webpages
My contacts: Christina Seidler and Matthias Kändler
Publications
Articles in international scientific journals with review practice
Bouwman, A.F., Bärlund, I., Beusen, A.H.W., Flörke, M., Gramberger, M., Rivera Cardona, J., Podgorski, J., van den Roovaart, J., Grizzetti, B., Janssen, A.B.G., Kumar, R., Langan, S., Poikane, S., Spears, B.M., Strokal, M., Tang, T., Troost, T.A., Vigiak, O., van Vliet, M.T.H., Vystavna, Y., Wang, M., Hofstra, N. (2024) Multimodel and multiconstituent scenario construction for future water quality. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 11: 1272-1280. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00789
Nakulopa, F., Bärlund, I., Borchardt, D. (2024) How a reservoir modulates downstream water quality under declining upstream loading and progressing climate change. Sci. Total Environ. 912: art 169460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169460
Lepenies, R., Büttner, L., Bärlund, I., Jax, K., Lyytimäki, J., Pedersen, A.B., Ørsted Nielsen, H., Mosoni, C., Mille, R., Payen, G., Richard, D. (2023) The politics of national SDG indicator systems: A comparison of four European countries. Ambio 52: 743-756. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-022-01809-w
Weitere, M., Altenburger, R., Anlanger, C., Baborowski, M., Bärlund, I., Beckers, L.-M., Borchardt, D., Brack, W., Brase, L., Busch, W., Chatzinotas, A., Deutschmann, B., Eligehausen, J., Frank, K., Graeber, D., Griebler, C., Hagemann, J., Herzsprung, P., Hollert, H., Inostroza, P.A., Jäger, C.G., Kallies, R., Kamjunke, N., Karrasch, B., Kaschuba, S., Kaus, A., Klauer, B., Knöller, K., Koschorreck, M., Krauss, M., Kunz, J.V., Kurz, M.J., Liess, M., Mages, M., Müller, C., Muschket, M., Musolff, A., Norf, H., Pöhlein, F., Reiber, L., Risse-Buhl, U., Schramm, K.-W., Schmitt-Jansen, M., Schmitz, M., Strachauer, U., von Tümpling, W., Weber, N., Wild, R., Wolf, C., Brauns, M. (2021) Disentangling multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors in a lotic ecosystem using a longitudinal approach. Sci. Total Environ. 769: art 144324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144324
Weise, H., Auge, H., Baessler, C., Bärlund, I., Bennett, E.M. , Berger, U., Bohn, F. , Bonn, A. , Borchardt, D., Brand, F., Chatzinotas, A., Corstanje, R., De Laender, F., Dietrich, P., Dunker, S., Durka, W., Fazey, I., Groeneveld, J., Guilbaud, C.S.E., Harms, H., Harpole, S., Harris, J., Jax, K., Jeltsch, F., Johst, K., Joshi, J., Klotz, S., Kuhn, I., Kuhlicke, C., Müller, B., Radchuk, V., Reuter, H., Rinke, K., Schmitt-Jansen, M., Seppelt, R., Singer, A., Standish, R.J., Thulke, H.H., Tietjen, B., Weitere, M., Wirth, C., Wolf, C., Grimm, V. (2020) Resilience trinity: safeguarding ecosystem functioning and services across three different time horizons and decision contexts. Oikos 129: 445-456. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.07213
Kirschke, S., Avellan, T., Bärlund, I., Bogardi, J.J., Carvalho, L., Chapman, D., Dickens, C.W.S., Irvine, K., Lee, S., Mehner, T., Warner, S. (2020) Capacity challenges in water quality monitoring: understanding the role of human development. Environ. Monit. Assess. 192(5): art 298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-8224-3
Flörke, M, Bärlund, I., van Vliet, M.T.H., Bouwman, A.F., Wada, Y. (2019) Analysing trade-offs between SDGs related to water quality using salinity as a marker. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sust. 36: 96-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2018.10.005
Kok, K., Bärlund, I., Flörke, M., Holman, I., Gramberger, M., Sendzimir, J., Stuch, B., Zellmer, K. (2015) European participatory scenario development: strengthening the link between stories and models. 128(3-4): 187-2000. Climatic Change 128: 187-200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1143-y
Piniewski, M., Voß, F., Bärlund, I., Okruszko, T., Kundzewicz, Z.W. (2013) Effect of modelling scale on the assessment of climate change impact on river runoff. Hydrological Sciences Journal 58: 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2013.778411
Reder, K., Bärlund, I., Voß, A., Kynast, E., Williams, R., Malve, O., Flörke, M. (2013) European scenario studies on future in-stream nutrient concentrations. Transactions of the ASABE 56: 1407-1417. DOI 10.13031/trans.56.9961
Flörke, M., Kynast, E., Bärlund, I., Eisner, S., Wimmer, F., Alcamo, J. (2013) Domestic and industrial water uses of the past 60 years as a mirror of socio-economic development: A global simulation study. Global Environmental Change 23: 144-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2012.10.018
Flörke, M., Bärlund, I., Schneider, C., Kynast, E. (2012) Pan-European freshwater resources in a changing environment: how will the Black Sea region develop? Water Science & Technology: Water Supply, 12: 563-572. https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2012.027
Flörke, M., Bärlund, I. Kynast, E. (2012) Will climate change affect the electricity production sector? A European study. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 03.1: 44-54.
Jaakkola, E., Tattari, S., Ekholm, P., Pietola, L., Posch, M., Bärlund, I. (2012) Simulated effects of gypsum amendment on phosphorus losses from agricultural soils. Agricultural and Food Science 21: 292-306.
Malve, O., Tattari, S., Riihimäki, J., Jaakkola, E., Voß, A., Williams, R., Bärlund, I. (2012) Estimation of diffuse pollution loads in Europe for continental scale modelling of loads and in-stream river water quality. Hydrological Processes, 26: 2385–2394. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9344
Punzet, M., Voß, F., Voß, A., Kynast, E., Bärlund, I. (2012) A global approach to assess the potential impact of climate change on stream water temperatures and related in-stream first-order decay rates. J. Hydrometeorol. 13: 1052-1065.
Verzano, K., Bärlund, I., Flörke, M., Lehner, B., Kynast, E., Voß, F., Alcamo, J. (2012) Modeling variable river flow velocity on continental scale: Current situation and climate change impacts in Europe, Journal of Hydrology 424-425: 238-251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.01.005
Voß, A., Alcamo, J., Bärlund, I., Voß, F., Kynast, E., Williams, R., Malve, O. (2012) Continental scale modelling of in-stream river water quality: a report on methodology, test runs, and scenario application. Hydrological Processes 26: 2370-2384. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9445
Williams, R., Keller, V., Voß, A., Bärlund, I., Malve, O., Riihimäki, J., Tattari, S., Alcamo, J. (2012) Assessment of current water pollution loads in Europe: estimation of gridded loads for use in global water quality models. Hydrological Processes 26: 2395-2410. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9427
Kok, K., van Vliet, M., Bärlund, I., Dubel, A., Sendzimir, J. (2011) Combining participative backcasting and explorative scenario development: Experiences from the SCENES project. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 78(5): 835-851.
Flörke, M., Teichert, E., Bärlund, I. (2011) Future changes of freshwater needs in European power plants. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal 22(1): 89-104.
Bärlund, I., Tattari, S., Puustinen, M., Koskiaho, J., Yli-Halla, M., Posch , M. (2009) Soil parameter variability affecting simulated fieldscale water balance, erosion and phosphorus losses. Agricultural and Food Science 18(3-4): 402-416.
Tattari, S., Koskiaho, J., Bärlund, I., Jaakkola, E. (2009) Testing a river basin model with sensitivity analysis and autocalibration for an agricultural catchment in SW Finland. Agricultural and Food Science 18(3-4): 428-439.
Bärlund, I., Rankinen, K., Järvinen, M., Huitu, E., Veijalainen, N., Arvola, L. (2009) Three approaches to estimate inorganic nitrogen loading from a headwater catchment in Finland. Hydrology Research 40(2-3): 167-176.
Rankinen, K., Valpasvuo-Jaatinen, P., Karhunen, A., Kenttämies, K., Nenonen, S. and Bärlund, I. (2009) Simulated nitrogen leaching patterns and adaptation to climate change in two Finnish river basins with contrasting land use and climatic conditions. Hydrology Research 40(2-3): 177-186.
Bärlund, I., Kirkkala, T. (2008) Examining a model and assessing its performance in describing nutrient and sediment transport dynamics in a catchment in southwestern Finland. Boreal Environment Research 13: 195-207.
Granlund, K., Bärlund, I., Salo, T., Esala, M., Posch, M. (2008) The effect of decreasing fertilization on agricultural nitrogen leaching: a model study. Agricultural and Food Science 16(4): 376-386.
Bärlund, I., Kirkkala, T. Malve, O., Kämäri, J. (2007) Assessing SWAT model performance in the evaluation of management actions for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in a Finnish Catchment. Environmental Modelling & Software 22(5): 719-724.
Lehtonen, H., Bärlund, I., Tattari, S. and Hildén, M. (2007) Combining dynamic economic analysis and environmental impact modelling: Addressing uncertainty and complexity of agricultural development. Environmental Modelling & Software 22(5): 710-718.
Åström, M., Österholm, P., Bärlund, I., Tattari, S. (2007) Hydrochemical effects of surface liming, controlled drainage and lime-filter drainage on Boreal acid sulphate soils. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 179(1-4): 107-116.
Perrin, C., Dilks, C., Bärlund, I., Payan, J.-L., Andréassian, V. (2006) Use of simple rainfall-runoff models as a baseline for the benchmarking of the hydrological component of complex catchment models. Large Rivers Vol. 17(1-2), Arch. Hydrobiol. Suppl. 161/1-2: 75-96.
Bärlund, I., Lehtonen, H., Tattari, S. (2005) Assessment of environmental impacts following alternative agricultural policy scenarios. Water Science and Technology 51(3-4): 117-125.
Bärlund, I., Tattari, S., Yli-Halla, M., Åström, M. (2005) Measured and simulated effects of sophisticated drainage techniques on hydrology and runoff hydrochemistry in areas of boreal acid sulphate soils. Agricultural and Food Science 14(1): 98-111.
Turpin N., Bontems P., Rotillon G., Bärlund I., Kaljonen M., Tattari S., Feichtinger F., Strauss P., Haverkamp R., Garnier M., Lo Porto A., Benigni G., Leone A., Ripa M.N., Eklo O.-M., Romstad E., Bioteau T., Birganda F., Bordenave P., Laplana R., Lescot J.-M., Piet L., Zahm F. (2005) AgriBMPWater: systems approach to environmentally acceptable farming. Environmental Modelling & Software 20(2): 187-196.
Yli-Halla, M., Tattari, S., Bärlund, I., Tuhkanen, H.-R., Posch, M., Siimes, K., Rekolainen S. (2005) Simulating processes of soil phosphorus in geologically young acidic soils in Finland. Transactions of the ASAE 48(1): 101-108.
Carter, T.R., Fronzek, S., Bärlund, I. (2004) FINSKEN: a framework for developing consistent global change scenarios for Finland in the 21st century. Boreal Env. Res. 9: 91-107.
Rankinen, K., Granlund, K., Bärlund, I. (2004) Modelling of seasonal effects of soil processes on N leaching in northern latitudes. Nordic Hydrology 35(4-5): 347-357.
Bärlund, I., Carter, T. (2002) Integrated global change scenarios: surveying user needs in Finland. Global Environmental Change 12(3): 219-229.
Rekolainen, S., Salt, C. A., Bärlund, I., Tattari, S., Culligan-Dunsmore, M. (2002) Impacts of the management of radioactively contaminated land on soil and phosphorus losses in Finland and Scotland. Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 139(1-4): 115-136.
Bärlund, I., Tattari, S. (2001) Ranking of parameters on the basis of their contribution to model uncertainty. Ecol. Mod. 142: 11-23.
Rankinen, K., Bärlund, I., Ahonen, J., Forsius, M., Kämäri, J. (2001) Input uncertainty analysis of the dynamic soil model SMART2 using Monte Carlo sampling. Boreal Env. Res. 6: 147-158.
Tattari, S., Bärlund, I., Rekolainen, S., Posch, M., Siimes, K., Tuhkanen, H.-R., Yli-Halla, M. (2001) Modeling sediment yield and phosphorus transport in Finnish clayey soils. Trans. ASAE 44: 297-307.
Tattari, S., Bärlund, I. (2001) The concept of sensitivity in sediment yield modelling. Phys. Chem. Earth (B) 26: 27-31.
Gottesbüren, B., Aden, K., Bärlund, I., Brown, C., Dust, M., Görlitz, G., Jarvis, N., Rekolainen, S., Schäfer, H. (2000) Comparison of pesticide leaching models: results using the Weiherbach data set. Agric. Wat. Manag. 44: 135-151.
Rekolainen, S., Gouy, V., Francaviglia, R., Eklo, O.-M., Bärlund, I. (2000) Simulation of soil water, bromide and pesticide behaviour in soil with the GLEAMS model. Agric. Wat. Manag. 44: 201-224.
Rekolainen, S., Grönroos, J., Bärlund, I., Nikander, A., Laine, Y. (1999) Modelling the impacts of management practices on agricultural phosphorus losses to surface waters of Finland. Wat. Sci. Tech. 39: 265-272.