News archive

Sharing scientific research with the public is becoming increasingly important. To support this, Abisko Scientific Research Station and Tarfala Research Station hosted a Science Café in Kiruna on January 18th 2025.

The Science Café serves as a meeting and dialogue platform for those curious about the work conducted at the stations. Over a coffee, visitors had the opportunity to discuss the latest research, meet the researchers, and gain a behind-the-scenes look at how scientific studies are carried out. The event was free and open to everyone, attracting more than 90 attendees.

Dr. Elizabeth M. Herndon is one of the authors of "Iron Transformation Mediates Phosphate Retention Across a Permafrost Thaw Gradient," published last year in Communications Earth & Environment. As part of the study, researchers conducted sample at Abisko Scientific Research Station. Here, Dr. Herndon shares insights with the SITES Community about the project and her experience sampling at a SITES station.

From January 28 to 31, a joint data retreat was held at Asa Research Station, bringing together members of the SITES Secretariat and colleagues from Asa and Bolmen. The focus was on publishing new data collected within the SITES Water Program to the SITES Data Portal.

Several key updates are now available:

On January 17th, members of the SITES Secretariat met with the staff at Grimsö Wildlife Research Station for the first data retreat of the year. The team reviewed the latest data on fox reproduction, pellet counts, small rodent dynamics and migratory birds.

In addition to these updates, productive discussions were held about uploading several other datasets from Grimsö in the near future. Stay tuned for more developments!

In the meantime, explore the latest data updates from Grimsö here:

As of 1st of January 2025, Dolly Kothawala is the new Station Manager of the Erken Laboratory. Welcome Dolly to the SITES Community!

Tell us about your background

After undergoing a rigorous quality assurance process, Mycklemossen at the Skogaryd Research Catchment (SRC) has achieved the status of an ICOS-labelled station. This certification was confirmed by the ICOS General Assembly on November 6th, 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.

On November 25-26, an in-person Steering group meeting was organized at the Skogaryd Research Catchment, one of SITES research stations. At the meeting, Steering Group and SITES Secretariat members gathered to discuss important topics about the network’s future, such as strategic planning, research station support, and collaboration agreements to strengthen the network. 
The group took a tour of the Följemaden rewetting site, where previously drained riparian fen that was used for forestry for decades has now been rewetted as part of an experiment focused on GHG emissions.

As part of the project "En kartläggning om naturligt organiskt material i vatten" ("A survey of natural organic matter in water"), funded by Svenskt Vatten, a second workshop was held on August 20-21, 2024, at the Bolmen Research Station. The workshop brought together representatives from Norrvatten, Stockholm Water and Wastewater, Sydvatten, Laholmsbukten Water and Wastewater, the Swedish Forest Agency, the National Food Agency, the Water Authority, various municipalities, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

As leys (sown grasslands grown in rotation with annual grain crops) constitute upwards of 75% of arable land use in northern Sweden, they represent an important feature of the region’s landscape. SITES Röbäcksdalen is situated within Röbäcksslätten, the largest continuous agricultural land area in northern Sweden. Röbäcksdalen’s research infrastructure includes over 280 hectares of agricultural land, most of which is conventionally managed by the research barn to provide feed for its dairy cows.