An unexpectedly hot expedition to Finnish Lapland

This summer, Mariana spent two weeks in Finnish Lapland conducting fieldwork for her BIPOLAR Marie Skłodowska-Curie project. The aim of this project is to quantify the potential for adaptation to climate change of lichens and bryophytes in the Arctic and in Antarctica, and this field season focused on collecting species occurrence data together with microclimate data in the beautiful sites of Pallas-Yllästunturi and Kilpisjärvi, Finland.

This fieldwork was funded by the European Union HORIZON EUROPE through the EU Project POLARIN (Grant Agreement ID: 101130949) and was done in collaboration with colleagues Jiří Šubrt (University of Edinburgh), Dr Miguel Villoslada (University of Eastern Finland), Dr Julia Kemppinen (University of Helsinki) and Dr Pekka Niittynen (University of Jyväskylä).

Despite the breath-taking landscapes and great company, we faced an unexpected challenge: it was (very) hot in the Arctic. This was an unprecedented heatwave, with Finland experiencing "three straight weeks with 30°C heat" during July (at times warmer than Barcelona!) – a stark and first-hand reminder of the reality of climate change. This was also unprecedented for me after having conducted five Arctic expeditions, and I was soon to learn that heat goes hand in hand with a large collection of Arctic inhabitants, and so the buzzing sounds and bites from horseflies, mosquitoes and midges became our constant companions, and head nets our best friends.

Armed with a pink hula-hoop to use as a circular plot, we managed to survey 36 plots across a wide range of landscapes: the above-the-clouds rocky screes of Saana mountain, the ridges of Ailakkavara, the berry-filled valley of Saana-Jiehkas, the birch- and heath-dominated Malla Nature Reserve, and the forest-tundra ecotone at Pallas-Kieritunturi. We fell in love with the place and can’t wait to be back soon to the land of midnight sun – hopefully with fewer bugs next time!

Author

Mariana García Criado, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow

Photos

Mariana García Criado, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow

Jiri Subrt, collaborator