Summer is well and truly upon us now, and in the Arctic, this is peak season for field work on the land: putting the ‘field’ in work. For many if not most researchers, it is the best part of the year. With the gradual easing of pandemic restrictions in many countries, in person meetings between researchers, indigenous and local peoples has become more possible. Caution still requires that larger scale participatory workshops and meetings be not held this year, and rather be substituted with small scale in person meetings, with a view to holding such workshops next year.
Much winter field work has already been carried out – Leena Leppänen and Hans Tommervik worked on snow measurements, layering and definitions in Finland and Norway, respectively. Kirill Istomin has already completed his first round of interviews with herders and administrators in the Vorkuta region of the Komi Republic and he plans to return several times this summer.
Annett Bartsch of Work Package 1 has been busy analysing and mapping satellite data for the circumpolar region initially and more recently on Yamal data for rain on snow and lichens. In the summer some of the WP 1 team plans to work in the field with Timo Kumpula who will return to his long term study site in Näkkälä. In Work Package 2, Stefaniya Kamenova will continue her research into reindeer diet in different reindeer districts in Finnmark.
A sample of other tentative summer plans include those of Work Package 3 where Roza Laptander hopes to be in the Yamal Peninsula in the coming weeks, for research but also to see her family. Otto Häbeck hopes to join her at some stage in the summer. Teresa Komu is planning in person interviews with reindeer herders in the Kemi-Sompio, Näkkälä and Käsivärsi regions. Andrei Marin will be undertaking in person meetings with long time collaborators in Finnmark later in the summer.
In Work Package 4 Andrew Martin and Jakob Assmann have been working on supporting materials for stakeholder engagement for systematic mapping (i.e. researchers working on long-term ecology/biodiversity). Field work on peat core samples from the Finland/Norway border will progress this summer. In Work Package 5, Heidrun Matthes will be continuing her modelling work, the initial runs of which are already completed. In Work Package 6, a widepsread review of land use manuscripts will continue over the summer and participatory workshops will be held next year instead of this summer.
The CHARTER project coordination team will be taking a summer break also, and will be back at full speed in mid August and plans are underway for the first in person general meeting in Helsinki in October. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a pleasant summer, whatever your plans include.