In March, it is still low season at Abisko Scientific Research Station. About ten researchers have been on-site during the winter, but the number gradually increases during the spring.
After more than two years of travel restrictions and limited field research activity due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Abisko Scientific Research Station is finally back to full speed. The summer of 2022 has been one of the busiest summers in the history of the research station, with the station constantly at – or beyond – full capacity, June through September.
Abisko Scientific Research Station was built in 1912 after the research station in Katterjokk burned down. The following year, the meteorological measurements were started, and for several decades data has been collected on behalf of SMHI. The over one-hundred-year long series of measurements has qualified the measuring station as a Centennial Observing Station, an award given by the World Meteorological Organization WMO.
The government recently published Sweden’s strategy for the Arctic region. As one of the eight Arctic states, the government wants to strengthen Sweden’s involvement and contribute to peaceful and sustainable development in the Arctic. One of the priorities in the Arctic strategy is for Sweden to have a leading position in polar research.
The Access Abisko research program is now up and running and the theme of the first period is global change and sustainability. The initiative means that researchers from all over the world can apply to come to Abisko Scientific Research Station to conduct research within a theme for three years. The purpose is to promote collaboration between research groups.
