The PAGE21 project has now been officially closed.
The four years of research came to an end on October 31 2015, leaving only...
PAGE21 project was featured in a plenary session "Permafrost in the 21st century" at the 2015 Arctic Circle conference in Reykjavik,...
On Saturday, the 21st of July, fourth PAGE21 field research team landed in Yakutsk, Russia. This team consists of Gustav Hugelius, a researcher and superviser of the PhD students from Stockholm University in this trip, Matthias Siewert, Niels Weiss, Jessica Hanisch, a Master's students, and Juri Palmtag from Stockholm University and Elin Högström from Vienna technical University. After a day of adaptation to local time and getting food supplies the team arrived at Spasskayapad field station and could have a first look around the area, escorted by our very helpful contact from the Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk, Alexander Kononow.
The intention of this expedition is to work with landscape inventory of soil carbon storage and soil moisture variability in the permafrost affected taiga. It starts here in Spasskayapad, one of the PAGE21 secondary sites, and will continue towards Kytalyk, a primary site.
The work in Spasskaya pad is advancing and going well. A number of, deep permafrost soil samples have been successfully retrieved, across typical undisturbed taiga as well as disturbed areas.
Temperatures are reaching 33°C during the afternoons, making this permafrost related field work unexpectedly sweaty.
Dr Trofim Maximov and his staff Buy Ativan at the station are showing an amazing hospitality when it comes to anything from sauna to food, as well as to guidance in the area and presentation of some of the interesting research that is being done here.
Dr Trofim Maximov and his staff Buy Ativan at the station are showing an amazing hospitality when it comes to anything from sauna to food, as well as to guidance in the area and presentation of some of the interesting research that is being done here.
Saturday, 28 July 2012
For a couple of days, the PAGE21 group has been able to use the Neleger station, owned by the Permafrost Institute, while working across the Alas located next to it. Parts of the staff from the Spasskaya Pad station have kindly assisted us during the stay.
The station was set up eleven years ago by Trofim Maximovtogether with the
Permafrost Institute. Our PAGE21 group has increased today, with the arrival of Professor
Peter Kuhry and Master student Daiga Smeke from Stockholm University.
Tomorrow, we move on to Yakutsk and towards the supposedly cooler tundra
Tomorrow, we move on to Yakutsk and towards the supposedly cooler tundra
that surrounds the Kytalyk station.
It was somewhat sad to leave Spasskaya Pad; in particular our well taken care of stomachs were in grieve for leaving the rich Spasskaya Pad table.
However, we were quite content to be traveling owards somewhat cooler temperatures.
Digging holes and banging pipes into the permafrost was often a sweaty task in the taiga this time of the year. We travelled to Chakurda on the 30th of July, now joined by Professor Peter Kuhry and master student Daiga from Stockholm University, as well as Bo Elberling and Daan Blok from Copenhagen University.
After a two hours boat drive along the river we were welcomed at the station by, besides mosquitos, the PhD students Ake Nauta, Bingxy-Li and Angela Gallagher from Vrije University of Amsterdam, whom were all working there with permafrost related in-situ experiments for a six weeks period.
The Kytalyk station is located at approximately 70˚N by the Berelekh River in the Kytalyk Chokurdakh nature conservation park. "Kytalyk" is the local word for the white Crane, which, although rarely seen, is an important species to conserve for this park.The Berelekh River is also known for the great number of mammoth bones that has been found there, which was a great excitement for many of us.
The site is located above the tree line, with the dominating vegetation being moss tundra, tussocks-sedge and dwarf birch. The area holds several alases with pingos larger than 20 metres in height.
In the very proximity of the station a wide ridge of Yedoma is found next to alas depressions of different levels and ages. The team from Stockholm worked with two of their transects across such terraces, as well as in Yedoma exposures.
After our three weeks of field work we are now back in Stockholm and can begin with the compilation of data.Besides valuable data and knowledge about our study sites, we also bring home new bonds of friendship and professional connections which we expect to be useful for future cooperation within the PAGE21 project, perhaps in particular for those of us that are young researchers and were recently involved in this project.
We were most grateful for the logistic support we had in Chokurdakh and the Kytalyk station, notably from Alexei Pestryakov and from Tatyana Gavrilovna, and for the food served there by Lena. I think I speak for everyone when I say her blinis beat most other deep fried dishes.
We were most grateful for the logistic support we had in Chokurdakh and the Kytalyk station, notably from Alexei Pestryakov and from Tatyana Gavrilovna, and for the food served there by Lena. I think I speak for everyone when I say her blinis beat most other deep fried dishes.
Many thanks also to Daan, Ake, Bingxi-Li and Angela for providing us with useful knowledge and information about the area and the station, as well as for lessons in chopping wood.Best regards
Elin and the team
