Askö Laboratory is a modern field station that offers excellent research facilities and accommodation in the heart of an extensively studied coastal and open sea area with some unbroken data series dating back 4 decades. It is administered by the Stockholm University, Baltic Sea Centre since 2013, former Stockholm University Marine Research Centre (SMF), an organisation devoted to providing research infrastructure to SU and other interested scientists. Long term monitoring of the benthic, phytobenthic and pelagic ecosystems funded mainly by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and to a minor part by the Swedish Environment Protection Board and other organisations are located to the area. One main objective is to integrate research and monitoring to increase in-house, national and international collaboration to optimize available resources and scientific progress. Other objectives: To detect changes in the pelagic, phytobenthic and benthic ecosystems related to eutrophication and climate change, to improve management practices of coastal and open sea areas.