28/08/2026
Hei! Hello! Bures!
We are Ruska and Salla, and we’ve spent this summer in Kilpisjärvi, working for the and measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in peatland and tundra ecosystems.🌿🌬️
Using LI-COR trace gas analyzers, we measure carbon dioxide (CO₂, hiilidioksidi), methane (CH₄, metaani) and nitrous oxide (N₂O, dityppioksidi / ilokaasu). The analyzers are connected to chambers of different sizes!
One part of our work takes us to several palsa mires around Kilpisjärvi. Palsas are peat mounds with permanently frozen cores, which are particularly vulnerable to a warming climate. By measuring greenhouse gas exchange at these sites, we can study how thawing and other changes in palsa mires affect whether they act as greenhouse gas sources or sinks. These measurements are part of the SPACEFEN project (Spatio-temporal dynamics of degrading palsa mires and their greenhouse gas fluxes across Fennoscandia) 💫
We also measure greenhouse gases in the valley of the Sáná fell, and some of you might recognize the EC tower here! These measurements are part of an Arctic shrubification project. Shrubification means the spread and increasing abundance of shrubs in Arctic tundra, including species such as dwarf birch (Betula nana) and crowberry (Empetrum nigrum). This project studies how these changes in vegetation affect greenhouse gas exchange between the tundra and the atmosphere.🌾
Alongside gas measurements, we help with vegetation surveys, including LAI (leaf area index) measurements, do some computer work, and help to maintain the research sites and equipment.
Together, all these measurements hopefully help us understand how Arctic ecosystems are changing, and what those changes could mean for their role in the climate system.
It’s been a super cool summer up here, and we’ve really enjoyed staying at the station, working in the field, and getting to know all the other scientists doing Arctic research here in Kilpisjärvi! 🏔️
