The WOLL – Water Observatory & Living Lab at Krycklan focuses on understanding hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes in a boreal forest catchment in northern Sweden (Västerbotten County, near Umeå). Its mission is to provide long-term, high-resolution monitoring data and a real-world testing platform for innovative water management, climate adaptation, and nature-based solutions. WOLL links to the territory through the Krycklan catchment’s boreal landscape, supporting regional stakeholders and European research networks.
Key innovations include automated hydrological and water quality monitoring, IoT-enabled sensors, and AI-driven predictive modelling. Services offered encompass data provision, field-testing of new technologies, collaborative research, and stakeholder co-creation with local water authorities, forestry practitioners and environmental agencies. WOLL at Krycklan will actively participates in European consortia and Water4All initiatives, generating open datasets, co-authored publications, and pilot-tested water management solutions.
The future direction of the WOLL is to strengthen real-time monitoring of hydrological and biogeochemical processes across the water cycle and link these observations to key ecosystem services such as forest productivity and ecosystem resilience. The observatory will function as a real-world testing catchment for innovative monitoring technologies, digital data platforms, and decision-support tools.
Through collaboration and co-creation with researchers, authorities, land managers, and other stakeholders, the WOLL will support the development and demonstration of adaptive management strategies addressing water quality, land-use change, and climate impacts. The knowledge generated will contribute to evidence-based policy, support sustainable water management, and provide scalable solutions relevant to other regions in Europe.
