WELCOME TO ARCTIC GEOECOLOGY 2017

Field excursion 2013 to E-fjord

Information to Arctic Geoecology students 2017 Course information: During the first days in Abisko you will be given a more general introduction about the Arctic and the research station, an introduction in mountain security and an introduction to the project topics for the course. Before the start in Abisko you will be given literature that relates to the projects that we expect you to read before your arrival to Abisko. The literature can be found on the cambro site: https://www.cambro.umu.se/portal/site/50703VT17-1 (see below on how to get access to Cambro). The Arctic Geoecology course involves both practical and theoretical elements including a project work where you test a research question in a field study. The course literature consists of scientific papers that will be distributed to you at the beginning of the course. Laptop: You will need a laptop during the course. We have only a limited number of laptops available in Abisko so, if possible, bring your own laptop. You will have internet access at the research station. Visit to Norway: We will organize at least one excursion to Norway so make sure that you bring a valid ID (passport or equivalent ID).

Arrival information You find the Abisko Scientific Research Station about 1 km west of the rail road station “Abisko Östra” (see maps at the end of this document). Once you pass the road tunnel the station is straight ahead (see map). The reception at ANS is open from 07.00 to 16.00 on weekdays. Train arrivals: For does arriving with the train on Monday 3nd April we will organize a pick up at the rail road station. For does that arrive at other days, you must find your way to the station by yourself. It is about a 10 min walk from the railroad station. Note that there are two rail road stations in Abisko; the one you should pay attention to is Abisko Östra. That’s where you should go off the train. . Car arrival: For does arriving with car, park your car at the dedicated parking lot at the research station for the guests (there are signs to guide you) and then walk to the main entrance. Flight arrivals: There is a local service in Abisko that arranges transportation from the airport in Kiruna to Abisko. That´s probably the easiest way to get to Abisko unless you can take the train from Kiruna to Abisko. You find more info on their webpage http://lightsoverlapland.com/index.php/transportation/airport-transfers. If you are arriving via the Evenes airport in Norway you can find some transportation info at the following website (https://avinor.no/en/airport/harstadnarvik-airport/). Access to accommodation at ANS: For does staying at ANS; keys for your rooms will be put into a key box to the right on the inside of the first door at the main entrance. The key box has a code that you will be given before your arrival. CAMBRO All information, literature and schedule updates will be done via the course site at CAMBRO. It is thus important that you get your student user account so that you have accesses to the course site. Below is some info on how to get your user account. System and IT-services for students In order to access the central IT systems (Portalen, Cambro) at Umeå University, as a new student, you need a user account to log into our central authentication service, CAS. Some of our services uses AD, and you will automatically get an AD account when you activate your user account. If you have received a letter from Umeå University with a temporary user identity, you can use it to activate your user account. You can also use your user identity on Universityadmissions.se (previously at studera.nu) to activate your user account. http://www.student.umu.se/english/about-cas-and-other-it-services/activate-your-user-account/ When you have activated your account, you can reach Portalen or Cambro on the right links on:

http://www.student.umu.se/english/?languageId=1 In case you have a problem to log in to Portalen or have technical problems, you should contact https://www.servicedesk.its.umu.se/default.aspx Cambro is a collaboration and learning platform available for teachers, students, researchers and other staff at Umeå University. Cambro is commonly used as a virtual classroom for our web-based education, but is also used as an administrative and pedagogic tool for many of our campus based courses. In Cambro you will find course specific material and information, and also your own personal work space (Min arbetsyta/My workspace) that you use and administer yourself. http://www.student.umu.se/english/about-cambro/ Cambro: www.cambro.umu.se/portal (Available after registration and requires CAS login)

General info for your stay in Abisk0 Things to bring for the course Make sure that you bring clothes for winter conditions. You will arrive at time of the year when we still have winter. The days will be longer and you will feel the warmth of the sun during sunny days. Don’t forget sun glasses, snow blindness is not a fun thing to experience. Also, if you plan to camp during your stay you should bring your own equipment, we cannot provide any tents etc. You will experience the shift from later winter to at the best the sprouting of the leaves at the end of the course and a bit of Abisko summer feeling. You may thus also need some clothes for a bit warmer conditions and clothes for rainy days. During the course, we will do some field excursions so make sure that you have proper shoes for outdoor activities. Below is a small checklist on things to bring.

Good sturdy shoes (preferably hiking boots)

Rain gear (jacket and pants)

Warm clothes (long underwear, winter jacket, gloves, scarf, hat)

Backpack for day-trips

Plastic or metal food storage box (for field trips)

Thermos

Sun glasses

Bed sheets and towels for your accommodation at ANS

In-door shoes If you hike, snowshoe or ski during your stay you will need to bring the necessary equipment. There are opportunities to rent equipment at the various tourist facilities in and around Abisko, but you should make those arrangements yourself. We do have a few pairs of old cross-country skis available for common use. A sleeping bag, tent, larger backpack, stove, etc. will be useful if you want to explore the surrounding on the weekends. There are also possibilities for ice-fishing and potentially also ice-skating on Lake Torneträsk.

Abisko is a small village (approximately 150 people) situated on the shoreline of Lake Torneträsk. There are connections to Kiruna (100 km), Narvik (80 km), Riksgränsen (40 km) and Björkliden (10 km) via train, bus and car. The Abisko Scientific Research Station (ANS) hosts researchers from all over the world with the busiest period between June and September. The CIRC is a small group of researchers from University Umeå, based at the research station year-around. The station is situated about 150 meters from the shore of Lake Torneträsk. At the lake ANS has a wood-fired sauna. In the village, there is a store, petrol station, small swimming pool, and restaurant. There is no cash machine available in the village but credit cards are accepted in the store, restaurant, and tourist station. The store will give you cash with your credit card for a fee. The surroundings offer excellent opportunities for outdoor activities, e.g. skiing, trekking, fishing and or just relaxing on a mountain slope. You might also get the opportunity to see northern lights. The days will be long affording you plenty of time for exploration. Communications: There are daily train communications towards Narvik in the west and Kiruna in the east (twice per day). These are the two nearest cities, 80 and 92 km away from Abisko, respectively. There are also buses going daily, at least once per day. The train allows you to stop on some of the smaller stations along the railroad track. There are no rental cars available in Abisko. The closest rental places are in Narvik and Kiruna. There are a few cars at ANS but these are only available for research and teaching and not for private use. Health care: The nearest hospitals are in Kiruna and Narvik, respectively. During the ski season, there are mostly also medical staff available at the nearby ski resort in Björkliden. Make sure that you bring proper insurance papers if you are not a Swedish citizen. For EU country citizens, a valid “European Health Insurance Card” is recommended. The closest pharmacies are in Narvik and Kiruna but some basic medicals that don’t require a prescription from a medical doctor might be available at the local store. Additional information about Abisko Below are some links where you can get more info about ANS, CIRC and Abisko. You will get more updated info once you arrive. Climate Impacts Research Centre (CIRC), Umeå University (http://www.emg.umu.se/english/research/circ/?languageId=1) Abisko Scientific Research Station (ANS) (http://polar.se/en/abisko-naturvetenskapliga-station/) General info about Abisko (tourism facilities and other information) WEB CAMERAS

http://lightsoverlapland.com/webcams/ http://www.auroraskystation.se/en/live/ VARIOUS WINTER ACTIVITIES

http://lightsoverlapland.com/photo-trips/dogsledding/ http://www.abiskomountainlodge.se/en/activities/winter/ https://www.visitabisko.com/ http://www.abisko.net/ https://www.swedishtouristassociation.com/facilities/stf-abisko-mountain-station/ http://www.auroraskystation.se/en/ NEARBY SKI RESORTS http://bjorkliden.com/en http://riksgransen.se/en http://www.narvikfjellet.no/Home¨ NATURE AROUND ABISKO

https://www.sverigesnationalparker.se/en/choose-park---list/abisko-national-park/ http://www.lansstyrelsen.se/Norrbotten/Sv/djur-och-natur/friluftsliv/naturum/abisko/Pages/default.aspx http://www.swedishlapland.com/stories/kings-trail/ http://www.swedishlapland.com/ MAPS

http://www.lansstyrelsen.se/norrbotten/SiteCollectionDocuments/Sv/djur-och-natur/friluftsliv/Naturum%20Abisko/Turtipskarta_sommar_130625_webb.pdf

Contact information Arctic Geoecology:

Reiner Gielser (course coordinator)

reiner.giesler@umu.se

+46 (0)90 786 77 60

If you have any question, please send me an email.

Very welcome! Reiner

Field sampling 2015

Map over Abisko

Abisko Östra is the rail road station and the red dotted line is the walk way to ANS.

Abisko Scientific Research Station