Research station network

There has never been a greater need for environmental information than in this era of climate change and biodiversity loss. Finland has a comprehensive network of research stations that form the core of long-term environmental monitoring.

At University of Helsinki field stations, long-term data series on environmental conditions are collected. These data series have proven essential for observing environmental changes, adapting to them, and predicting their consequences. The university research stations maintain the longest ongoing environmental monitoring data series.

In autumn 2024, a Tiedekulma exhibition will showcase long-term data series from eight of the University of Helsinki's research stations, offering a unique glimpse into the heart of research. 

The research stations conduct multidisciplinary research that requires natural environments and experimental research setups. Over time, the services provided by these stations have evolved into environmental knowledge centers, with multiple organizations bringing their research to the same area. Thus, the field stations are at the forefront of addressing global challenges posed by climate change and the biodiversity crisis through research. The impacts of climate change are most pronounced in the northern hemisphere. Due to the prevailing geopolitical situation, the research and monitoring of the tundra and northern boreal forest zones increasingly rely on research stations from northern countries other than Russia.

The University of Helsinki's research stations operate at the core of ecological and environmental research. They focus on long-term ecosystem changes and related experimental research. The stations monitor both biotic and abiotic environments through numerous long-term studies. Research data and tasks span from subarctic natural sites to the depths of the Baltic Sea.

Modelers of change: Long-term data series from the University of Helsinki's Research Stations reveal environmental transformations

The exhibition at Tiedekulma from August 15 to November 27, 2024, showcases long-term data series from the University of Helsinki's research stations, offering a unique insight into the heart of research. In autumn 2024, Tiedekulma exhibition will present photographs from research stations of the University of Helsinki, along with long-term datasets, providing a unique overview of environmental change. Many of the exhibition's photographs are taken by the research station's own staff, whose expertise extends across various fields, with photography being just one example of their skills. The historical images of the stations are collected from the stations' own archives and the collections of the National Archives or museums, and in some historical images, a bit of AI has been used to improve the quality and size of the images. Through the exhibition's material, you will have the opportunity to explore the long-term knowledge collected at the stations, which tells, for example, about the warming of the Baltic Sea, the return of lichen to our forests as pollution decreases, or the changes in rodent populations as the climate warms.

Rodent population fluctuations in Kilpisjärvi

In Kilpisjärvi, one of the world's longest-running rodent studies is conducted. Data collection began in 1946, and the study became permanent in the early 1950s. One of the main objectives of the research is to investigate the reasons for population fluctuations in voles and lemmings. In Kilpisjärvi, rodent population baseline surveys are conducted annually in the spring and autumn. The baseline surveys are located at Pikku-Malla, Saana, and Jehkats Mountains.

Voles and lemmings are an essential part of the northern ecosystem. They are vital prey for many predator species and play a significant role in shaping vegetation. Vole populations in the north cyclically fluctuate approximately every 4-5 years due to factors such as predation and winter food shortages. The most pronounced vole cycles occur in areas with long and snowy winters.

A typical vole cycle includes peak and trough years, as well as a collapse and nadir phase following the peak of population fluctuation. The intensity of population fluctuation varies both temporally and geographically. There are periods of stronger fluctuations and sometimes more subdued ones. A well-known example of peak population fluctuation is the migrations of lemmings, during which the species' range can expand far into the Forest-Lapland. The migrations are driven by the seasonal habitat change of lemmings, which, in high densities, leads to visible movements.

Fluctuations in small mammal populations are a key topic in population ecology. Long-term monitoring provides important background information for research. For example, in climate research, long time series help to understand past changes and also predict the future.