Abisko Scientific Research Station

STATION NAME AND OWNER The Abisko Scientific Research Station is owned by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. LOCATION The station is located about 200 km north of the Arctic Circle and  approximately 385 m a.s.l., on the south shore of the lake Torneträsk.  It is situated in a 46-hectare nature reserve bordering the Abisko National Park, which covers 75 km2. The station is located  in birch forest and the nearby area offers a great variety in topography,  geomorphology, geology, and climate, as well as flora  and fauna. The highest mountain in the area reaches 1991 m a.s.l. BIODIVERSITY AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT The average annual temperature is approximately 0°C. Annual precipitation for the lake varies greatly over an east west gradient  with 1000 mm in the west to 400 mm in the east. Mean annual  temperature and the length of the growing season have been increasing over the last decades. The vegetation is extremely varied, ranging from the simple communities that follow retreating  glaciers to more complex mountain birch forest ecosystems. About 40% of the surroundings are above the treeline. The area is  sparsely populated and land use is minimal being dominated by  reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing, tourism, and research. HISTORY AND FACILITIES The Abisko Scientific Research Station was established in 1913. The station can host almost 80 visitors. Accommodation is available in 28 double rooms and seven 4-bed-rooms. In addition, there are also laboratories, offices, workshops and lecture theaters. Meals are either prepared by the  visiting scientists themselves in one of the self-catering kitchens available at the station or, during the tourist season, obtainable  at tourist hotels and guest houses within 15 minutes walk. In the nearby village Abisko there is a equipped grocery store. GENERAL RESEARCH AND DATABASES Research focuses on climate change, biogeochemical processes, ecology, geomorphology, and meteorology. Climate change studies are in many cases overarching, in that its effects on various fields are investigated. Biogeochemical processes can be both overarching and very specific, e.g. how the actions of earthworms can lead to release of pollutants. The main objectives of the ecological studies are the dynamics of plant populations, identification of the controlling factors at species latitudinal and altitudinal limits, understanding of ecosystem structure and function, and prediction of impacts of global environmental change. The meteorological projects deal with recent Climate Change in the region and local variations in the micro climate. The geomorphology research focuses on the mass-wasting of mountains and sediment transport. Existing databases includes bibliography of publications arising from research at the station, climate records, and various biological and physical parameters. HUMAN DIMENSION The nearest settlement is the village Abisko which lies about 1 km from the station. The main occupations of the approximately 180 inhabitants are within tourism, transports, and trade. In Abisko there is also both a kinder garden and a school up to  the ninth grade. There are a number of tourist hotels in the area, providing a base for both summer and winter tourism. The area is  also inhabited by the Sami people who use the area for reindeer  husbandry. ACCESS The Abisko Scientific Research Station is easily accessible by train, car, bus, and air. There are direct trains from the Swedish capital Stockholm to Abisko. The closest railway station is situated  less than 1 km away. The research station is located just along the main road between Kiruna (Sweden) and Narvik (Norway). Both in Kiruna (100 km away) and Narvik (75 km away) there are airports with several daily flight connections to Oslo and Stockholm. During the tourist season there are bus connections from Kiruna airport to Abisko.