Identifying field sites and first measurements

We spent the first day scouting out possible field sites. We prepared as possible in in advance, - via Google Earth, maps and landcover products, talking to people familiar with the area, reading the literature, but it’s never quite the same as being there on the ground. We’d earmarked some possible sites from GoogleEarth, - …

Equipment roll call

We’ve brought a range of instruments with us to the Arctic, to simultaneously measure plant photosynthesis and remote sensing data of individual plants and leaves. This is because in order to understand how plants are behaving, and changing, over large areas we must first link these remote sensing techniques to measured plant processes at the …

The road to Abisko (part II)

The next leg of the journey from Gothenburg to Abisko spans 1040 miles and will take 2 days. Feeling refreshed after the relaxing ferry journey, we left Gothenburg at 9.30 am, and headed north-east towards Stockholm. The landscape was mainly agricultural, with large deep red farmhouses and barns dotted throughout. As we skirted by Stockholm …

The road to Abisko (Part I)

We decided to drive to our Arctic fieldsite, - partly because we were taking a lot of equipment, and having a car there gives us some flexibility, and partly because I love a road trip, and opportunities to drive the length of Sweden don’t come around everyday. So equipped with a mixtape (or a Spotify …

Measuring plant productivity in a changing Arctic

The Arctic is experiencing rapid climate change, with land surface temperatures in some northern regions reported to be increasing at double the global average rate. Increases in both temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration, are causing changes in the structure, function and the species composition of vegetation in the Arctic that have not been seen before. …