News archive

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.

SITES Steering Group Meeting at Skogaryd Research Catchment to discuss future strategy of SITES

02 December 2024

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.

Organic Matter in Water: Insights and Strategies for Sustainable Drinking Water at Bolmen Research Station Workshop

18 November 2024

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.

SITES Röbäcksdalen's SMURF Program Enhances Understanding of Ley Grassland Productivity and Management

06 November 2024

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.

Call for Applications: SITES AquaNet 2025!

28 October 2024

Are you interested in conducting mesocosm experiments on lakes? SITES AquaNet provides a standardized infrastructure for running mesocosm studies across various lakes. This system features floating platforms with mesocosm enclosures, automatic sensors linked to a data-logging system, and handheld sensors for precise measurements. In this video you can find more information about SITES AquaNet!

October rainstorm impacts two SITES stations near Umeå

23 October 2024

A heavy rainstorm, exceeding 91 millimeters of precipitation over just a few days, caused flooding of the SITES Water infrastructure at Röbäcksdalen near Umeå. After four days of rain, the storm surge from Degernäsbäcken and Röbäcken carved new routes across normally dry land.

The flooding damage at Röbäcksdalen was limited to two specific locations, site 1 and site 6: at site 1, the flooding caused temporary data loss from sensors; at site 6, one ring of a concrete water pipe tipped over, requiring work to retrieve it from the bottom of Röbäcken.

SITES Spectral to Launch New Phenocam Products for Vegetation Studies

14 October 2024

The Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science (SITES), through its Spectral thematic program, is introducing enhanced phenocam-derived products. These updates include snow presence detection in Level 3 time-series data, improved weighted means for vegetation indices, and extended data availability for various regions of interest. These products are critical for advancing vegetation and phenological studies across ecosystems such as farmlands, forests, and wetlands.