Aivars JURKOVSKIS

Dr. habil. chem. Aivars JURKOVSKIS Senior Researcher Head of Marine Monitoring Centre Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Latvia Daugavgrivas iela 8 Riga, LV 1007 Latvia Phone: +371 7 610851 Fax: +371 7 601995 E-mail: aivars@monit.lu.lv

Born: March 1, 1939, Riga, Latvia

Interests:

• Marine Chemistry & Chemical Oceanography
• Biogeochemistry of Nutrients
• Eutrophication
• Baltic Sea, Gulf of Riga
• Marine Environmental Monitoring as a part of the Management of Living Resources and Recreational Quality

The Baltic Sea studies have been made on the dynamics of dissolved organic matter and its metabolic sources, on the biogeochemistry of nutrient variability and on relationships between land-based processes and alterations in the marine environment. Present research is oriented at the analysis of long-term data series to understand the environmental processes in the Gulf of Riga, where the contribution of natural and anthropogenic loading to the ecosystem changes observed after the economic recession in the Eastern Baltic countries is currently unclear. Mathematical modelling the biogeochemical cycling of e nutrients and trace metals as wekll as dynamics of phytoplankton in the Gulf of Riga is carrying out together with doctorands. A part of this study is the exploration of geochemical processes in the saline- and freshwater mixing zone. The work is being done to upgrade the marine monitoring program of Latvia optimising it to follow and explain the environmental phenomena in the areas of national interest.

Languages: English, Latvian, Russian

Education

• University of Latvia (Faculty of Biology), 1962
• Post-graduate course in hydrochemistry, All-Union Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries Research,
  Moscow, 1964 - 1968
• Dr.chem. (Candidate of Science in former USSR, Ph.D. in Western countries ), Institute of Hydrochemistry, Novocherkask, USSR, 1970
• Dr. habil. chem., University of Latvia, 1993

Experience

• Baltic Fisheries Research Institute, from technical assistant (1962) to Head of the
  Laboratory of Biohydrochemistry (1981), 1962 - 1991
• Head of the Marine Monitoring Centre, Latvian Hydrometeorological Agency, 1991 - 1994
• Head of the Marine Monitoring Centre, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Latvia, 1995 - 2001
• Senior Researcher, 1970-1991, 1995 -

Professional Activities and Memberships:

• Member of the Advisory Committee on Marine Environment, International Council for Exploration
  of the Sea, 1994 -
• Member of the Steering Group for the Co-ordination of the Third Periodic Assessment (EC BETA),
  Helsinki Commission, 1994 - 1996
• Member of the Working Group on Monitoring an Assessment (EC MON), Helsinki Commission, 1995 - 2000
• Member of the Baltic Test Teanm - BTT during the Testing Phase of GIWA impact assessment methodology, 2000
• Member of the Habilitation and Promotion Council (in Chemistry), University of Latvia, 1996 -

Courses:

Hydrochemistry and Water Contamination, University of Latvia, 1994, 1997

 

Recent/Representative Publications:

• A.Yurkovskis, A.Pinkule. On the development, metamorphization and distribution of allochthonic matter flocs in the Baltic Sea. - Oceanologia, 1980, vol. 20 (6), 1045-1053 (in Russian).
• A.Yurkovskis. Organic matter in the Baltic Sea: Concentration, composition and distribution. - Proc. Latv. Acad. Sci., Nauchnye Obzori, 1981, vol. 11, pp. 100-108 (in Russian).
• A Yurkovskis, E.Kostrichkina. Accumulation of nutrients in the Baltic Sea and its biological consequences. - Symposium on Ecological Investigations of the Baltic Sea Environment, Riga, 16 - 19 March 1983. Helsinki, 1985, pp. 482-502.
• A.Yurkovskis. Interpretation of the long-term dynamics of phosphorus and nitrogen in the Baltic Proper. - Baltic Sea Monitoring Symposium, Tallin, 10 - 15 March 1986. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings, 1987, HELCOM, N 19, 31-143.
• A.Yurkovskis, M.Kaleis. Investigations of the year-to-year phosphorus cycles in the Baltic Sea on the background of the variabilities in the river run-off. - Baltic Sea Monitoring Symposium, Tallin, 10 - 15 March 1986. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings, 1987, HELCOM, N 19, pp. 512-520.
• A.Yurkovskis, S.Vladimirsky. Structure of the vertical distribution of dissolved organic carbon in the Baltic Sea. - Oceanologia, 1989, vol. 29 (2), pp. 230-235 (in Russian).
• A.Yurkovskis. Regression models of phosphorus concentration in the Baltic Sea. - Beiträge für Meereskünde, 1992, Berlin, 63, pp. 117-129.
• A.Yurkovskis, F.Wulff, L.Rahm, A.Andruzaitis, M.Rogriguez-Medina. A nutrient budget of the Gulf of Riga; Baltic Sea. - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 37, pp. 113-1237.
• A.Yurkovskis. Studies on the metabolic sources of DOC dynamics in the Baltic Sea. - Proceedings of Conference Baltic Sea and Mediterranean Sea: A comparative ecological approach of coastal environments and parralic ecosystems, 1996, Montpellier, pp. 74-77.
• A.Yurkovskis, E.Kostrichkina. Gulf of Riga: Trends. - Ed. J.L.Lozan, R.Lampe, W.Matthäus, E.Rachor, H.Rumohr, H.Westernhagen. Warning Signals from the Baltic Sea. Wissenschaftliche Fakten, 1996, Berlin, pp. 273-278 (in German).
• A.Yurkovskis. Course and environmental consequences of eutrophication in the Gulf of Riga. - Proc. Latvian Acad. Sci., 1998,B, Suppl., pp. 55-61.
• A.Yurkovskis, E.Kostrichkina, A.Ikauniece. Seasonal succession and growth in the communities of the Gulf of Riga in relation to long-term nutrient dynamics. - Hydrobiologia, 1999, vol. 393, pp. 83-94.
• A.Yurkovskis. Remixing in the lower reaches of the Venta River - Ventspils Harbour (Baltic Sea): Effects of nutrient cycling and transport. - Proc. Latvian Acad. Sci., B, 2002, vol.56, N 3, pp. 133-140.
• A.Yurkovskis. Long-term land-based and internal forcing of the nutrient state of the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea) - Journal Marine Systems, 2005 (in print).

Research Projects

• The Gulf of Riga Project, Sub-project: Water Exchange, Nutrients, Hydrography, Database (co-ordinator P.Alenius, Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Finland). Nordic Council (1993 - 1997).
• The Gulf of Riga Project, Sub-project: The Origin of Organic Matter and Sediments of the Gulf of Riga and Its Utilisation in the Benthic Food-web (1995) (under heading of B.Widbom, Stockholm University, Sweden). Nordic Council (1993 - 1997).
• BASYS-Baltic Sea System Study, Sub-project 1b: Processing of Historical Data (co-ordinator J.Alheit, Baltic Sea Research Institute, Germany). EC Project (1996 - 1999).
• A.Yurkovskis (Head of Project). Studies on Constituents of Biogeochemical Transformation of Anthropogenic Loading in the Southern Gulf of Riga. Latvian Council of Science (1997 - 2000).
• H-Sense- Harbours Silting and Environmental Sedimentology (co-ordinator R.Stevens, Goteborg University, Sweden). - EC Project (1998-2000)
• A.Yurkovskis (Head of Project). Behaviour of Nutrients and Heavy Metals in the Biogeochemical Boundary Layers of the Gulf of Riga. Latvian Council of Science (2001-2004).
• A.Yurkovskis (Head of Project). Role of Phase Exchange in the Dynamics of Major and Trace Elements, and in the Transformation of Land-based Loading of the Gulf of Riga.  Latvian Council of Science ( 2005- ).

Last update 24.10.2004