Dear Colleagues,
It is with great sadness and regret that we received the news of the death of
Professor Pertti Vesso Eloranta,
who passed away on October 5, 2026 at the age of 83.
Professor Pertti Eloranta
Honorary Member of the Polish Phycological Society
18th International Diatom Symposium Międzyzdroje, Poland
1-7 September 2004
Pertti V. Eloranta was a world-class Finnish limnologist and phycologist. From 1970 to 1980 he was a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Biology at the University of Jyväskylä; since 1989 he was a Professor at the Department of Limnology and Environmental Protection at the University of Helsinki. He was an outstanding researcher, author and co-author of about 300 scientific publications, 10 books and valuable textbooks in the field of hydrobiology and phycology. He was also the creator and co-creator of the algae collection, deposited in the Botanical Garden of the Finnish Museum of Natural History “LUOMUS” in Helsinki, including a rich collection of freshwater red algae from various aquatic ecosystems in Europe. The collections were also included in the resources of the National Biodiversity Collection – KRAM Herbarium of the Institute of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków.
Cooperation with colleagues from the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences brought many results in the form of joint publications resulting from years of research, such as “Outline of the ecology of freshwater algae and terrestrial environments” (Kawecka, Eloranta 1994); or publications related to research conducted during the Finnish-Polish expedition to Finnish Lapland (Kawecka, Olech 2002 and Kwandrans J. 2007). In recent years, Pertti conducted extensive research on European red algae together with Prof. Janina (Kwandrans) Lee. This research resulted in in a published series of papers on red algae and a volume of Freshwater Flora of Central Europe, Vol. 7 (Eloranta, Kwandrans, Kusel-Fetzmann: Rhodophyta and Phaeophyceae 2011), and a beautifully illustrated “Guidebook to Common Freshwater Red Algae” (Eloranta, Kwandrans 2012).
Fifty years have passed since his first visit to Poland in 1978. Over time, thanks to the meetings of the Phycological Section of the Polish Botanical Society (and later the Polish Phycological Society), our acquaintance turned into friendship. We felt at ease with Pertti; his gentle personality, smile, and sensitivity fostered a sense of connection, independence, and community. We always looked forward to his participation in our symposia. Conversations with him were enriching. He generously shared his knowledge, skills, and vast research experience.
In Pertti, we have lost an outstanding phycologist, hydrobiologist, and friend whom we will remember with respect and warmth. We express our deepest sympathy to the Professor’s family, his students and friends.
Let us honour him.
On behalf of the members of the Polish Phycological Society, the Main Board:
Elżbieta Wilk-Wożniak, Beata Messyasz, Mikołaj Kokociński, Natalia Kochman-Kędziora, Agnieszka Budzyńska i Rafał Olszyński
and his closest friends
Barbara Kawecka, Janina Lee, Barbara Pawlik-Skowrońska, Konrad Wołowski