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Like for some other taxa and most parts of the world there is a lack of knowledge about insect diversity, and available data are instead patchy and/or cover only tiny subsets of species. This is largely due to the generally low cost-effectiveness of insect surveys. In recent years the Insect Biome Atlas project (IBA), however, worked out a state-of-the-art method using Malaise traps and species identification via DNA metabarcoding.

Spring is in the air, and many research activities are picking up at Erken. This spring, it’s not only researchers who think it’s fun to work at Erken, but the farm nearby has brought new cow neighbors who are extremely curious. The cows are still getting used to their new surroundings, so if you are visiting Erken, you may encounter them on the road, so please drive slowly and carefully.

How is your research connected to Bolmen? 

Over the past two years, I have deployed sediment traps in Lake Bolmen to collect settling material rich in iron and organic carbon. This work is part of an ongoing research project investigating how iron drives particle aggregation and transports organic carbon from the water column to lake sediments.

What is the motivation of your research project? 

At SITES Svartberget Research Station, as spring returns, the traps for the European Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus) have been again set around the Vindeln area. This is part of an ongoing research project that also has traps installed in other forested areas across Sweden, including SITES Asa Research Station. 

To complement the already openly available collection of lake methane (CH4) flux and CH4 and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) spatial surface water concentrations during the ice-free period, a new data set focusing on surface and bottom water CH4 and DIC concentration year-round has been uploaded to the SITES Data Portal.

The Stordalen mire, located 10 km east of Abisko Scientific Research Station, has for decades been a hot spot for greenhouse gas (GHG) measurements. The mire is underlain by lowland permafrost, i.e. the ground is frozen year-round. However, the permafrost is thawing in the area, and some monitoring platforms have started to tilt and sink because of the resulting unstable and wet ground.

A comprehensive dataset containing information on Zooplankton collected throughout the lake water column at Erken has been compiled and is now available on the SITES Data Portal (Open access to Zooplankton from Erken dataset). 

In late spring of 2026, the apiary at Röbäcksdalen Field Station will more than triple in size. Since the start of the apiary in 2019, SITES Röbäcksdalen has managed between 3 to 4 beehives each year. Thanks to support from SLU’s National Competence Centre for Advisory Services, Röbäcksdalen will add an additional 10 beehives this year.

Over the past few months, significant investments have been made in new equipment to enhance the attractiveness of SITES Lönnstorp research station as a research infrastructure, while also improving efficiency and workplace safety.

This year Sara Karlsson started her new position as Station Manager at Svartberget. Welcome to the SITES Community!

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