December Collaboration in Focus: Monitoring Nature and Northern Light in the Arctic Circle at Abisko Scientific Research Station

05 December 2024

Since the Abisko Scientific Research Station was established, it has recorded meteorological data along with snow depth and the thickness and duration of ice cover on Torneträsk, forming a unique environmental dataset spanning over a century. Additionally, the station monitors hydrology, water chemistry, flora and fauna, phenology, geomagnetism, and atmospheric carbon isotopes.

Given that Abisko Scientific Research Station is located about 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, it’s an ideal place to carry out research on the northern lights (Aurora borealis). This research is a collaboration with the Institute for Space Physics in Kiruna, and uses an aurora camera, which runs during the dark half of the year.

 

Aurora borealis

Photo: Ola Eriksson

The SITES 2024 Calendar theme is “SITES Collaborations”. SITES aims to promote excellent ecosystem research and high-quality data that support this research. This includes collaborations that increase the number of projects that utilize multiple SITES stations and connect between aquatic and terrestrial processes. Further, SITES aims to strengthen the collaborations with relevant research infrastructures and networks across Sweden and internationally, including data infrastructures and services. Each month during 2024, follow along as we highlight a unique SITES collaboration.