Markku Koskinen

Markku Koskinen is a Researcher in the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Helsinki, affiliated with the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. His work focuses on environmental soil science, particularly methane and nitrous oxide exchange in forest ecosystems. He supervises doctoral programs in Sustainable Use of Renewable Natural Resources and Plant Sciences. His research spans ecosystem processes, including peatland biogeochemistry, plant-mediated gas transport, and the impacts of environmental variables like drought and drainage on greenhouse gas emissions.

Research Interests: Koskinen’s work integrates field experiments, automated chamber systems, and isotopic tracing to study soil-plant-atmosphere interactions. Key topics include microscale heterogeneity in peatlands, cover crop effects on nitrogen cycling, and the role of vegetation in methane emissions from forestry-drained peatlands. His findings contribute to climate models and sustainable land management strategies.

Recent Article Trends: Over 15 articles (2021–2025) explore methane and nitrous oxide dynamics across boreal forests, wetlands, and agricultural systems. Themes include drought impacts on emissions, plant phenology effects, and the mitigation potential of cover crops. His work often highlights interdisciplinary methods to bridge field observations with ecological modeling.

Grants & Teams: Active in projects like INAR Research Infrastructure (INAR RI URBAN) and MEMETRE (tree methane emissions), he collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on climate-positive agriculture and peatland restoration. His lab’s activities emphasize automated measurement systems and long-term ecosystem monitoring.

Labs/Teams: Core member of the INAR Faculty and Peatland Ecology Group (PEATLANDERS), contributing to SMEAR station data integration for Earth system research.