Pallas LTER observatory - Finland

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Basic Information
Site Name
Pallas LTER observatory
Short name
Pallas LTER
Country
Finland
Web Address
Pallas atmosphere ecosystem supersite
Arctic Space centre of Sodankylä
Site Manager
Jussi Paatero
Annalea Lohila
Katriina Kyllönen
Mika Aurela
Site Description
Pallas LTER observatory is located in northern Finland, in Muonio and Kittilä municipalities. The observatory consists of versatile research infrastructure for monitoring and studying the atmosphere, ecosystems and their interactions. Pallas is located 170 km north of the Arctic Circle, partly in the area of Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) has a long history of atmospheric monitoring at Pallas: the first weather station was established near Lake Pallasjärvi in 1935. The measurements of atmospheric composition were started in 1991, and the Sammaltunturi station was established as a node of the Pallas–Sodankylä Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) station in 1994. Currently, Pallas comprises one of the most important research infrastructures in Finland and in the wider circumpolar region, contributing to numerous European and global research programmes, such as GAW, ICOS, ACTRIS and EMEP. Research infrastructure at Pallas includes also the Pallasjärvi Research Forest and a research area of Lake Pallasjärvi catchment, locating in the immediate vicinity of the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. Due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream the observatory area is included in the boreal forest region. However, with regard to stratospheric meteorology, the observatory can be classified as an Arctic site. Its strategic location, coupled with ready accessibility from all parts of the world, makes the observatory an excellent base for studying various themes of global change in a northern context. Pallas LTER observatory is part of Pallas-Sodankylä GAW (Global Atmosphere Watch) station which incorporates a variety of biotopes, e.g. forests, bogs, barren mountain tops, lakes and rivers. In addition to the Pallas site, the Pallas-Sodankylä GAW station encompasses the Arctic Space Centre in Sodankylä (FMI-ARC). Upper-air soundings, climatological and other meteorological measurements are made at the Sodankylä Observatory, and tropospheric air composition and related boundary layer meteorological measurements at Pallas.
Last modified
2025-12-15 09:51:34

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
1994
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)✖The affiliation of this site with "Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)" is not verified by the network on DEIMS-SDR.
ILTER✔This site is a verified "ILTER" member.
WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW)✖The affiliation of this site with "WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW)" is not verified by the network on DEIMS-SDR.
LTER Europe✔This site is a verified "LTER Europe" member.
ICP Forests✖ (15_3)The affiliation of this site with "ICP Forests" is not verified by the network on DEIMS-SDR.
ICOS✔ (http://meta.icos-cp.eu/resources/stations/AS_PAL) (http://meta.icos-cp.eu/resources/stations/ES_FI-Ken)This site is a verified "ICOS" member.
European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP)✔This site is a verified "European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP)" member.
LTER Finland✔ (LTER_EU_FI_019)This site is a verified "LTER Finland" member.
INTERACT✔ (https://www.interact-gis.org/Home/Station/22)This site is a verified "INTERACT" member.
GERI✔This site is a verified "GERI" member.
Projects
ICP Forests (Level II)
Photos
The Pallas-Sammaltunturi station is located at an elevation of 565 m a.s.l, about 100 m above the treeline. Atmospheric measurements at Sammaltunturi began in 1991 and since 1994, Sammaltunturi has been a node of the Pallas–Sodankylä supersite that contributes to the GAW program of the WMO. The station belongs also to ICOS and ACTRIS infrastructures. The measurements are focused on concentrations of climate gases, non-methane hydrocarbons and physico-chemical properties of particles and their variability.
The Pallas-Sammaltunturi station is located at an elevation of 565 m a.s.l, about 100 m above the treeline. Atmospheric measurements at Sammaltunturi began in 1991 and since 1994, Sammaltunturi has been a node of the Pallas–Sodankylä supersite that contributes to the GAW program of the WMO. The station belongs also to ICOS and ACTRIS infrastructures. The measurements are focused on concentrations of climate gases, non-methane hydrocarbons and physico-chemical properties of particles and their variability.
The Pallas-Lompolojänkkä flux measurement station at a pristine mire. Fluxes of CO2, H2O and CH4 have been measured since 2005 with both eddy covariance and chamber methods. Lompolojänkkä is a Level 2 ecosystem station in ICOS RI. There are also a range of hydrological measurements at Lompolojänkkä and the narrow stream draining it. Previously, impact of drainage, elevated temperature and reindeer grazing have been studied campaign-wise. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The Pallas-Lompolojänkkä flux measurement station at a pristine mire. Fluxes of CO2, H2O and CH4 have been measured since 2005 with both eddy covariance and chamber methods. Lompolojänkkä is a Level 2 ecosystem station in ICOS RI. There are also a range of hydrological measurements at Lompolojänkkä and the narrow stream draining it. Previously, impact of drainage, elevated temperature and reindeer grazing have been studied campaign-wise. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The flux measurement station at Lake Pallasjärvi. Eddy covariance fluxes of CO2 and H2O from the lake have been measured since 2013. Chamber fluxes of CH4 and CO2 have been conducted campaign-wise. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The flux measurement station at Lake Pallasjärvi. Eddy covariance fluxes of CO2 and H2O from the lake have been measured since 2013. Chamber fluxes of CH4 and CO2 have been conducted campaign-wise. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The Pallas-Laukukero automatic weather station. The station was built in 1994 and it measures air temperature, humidity and pressure and wind speed and direction. The station provides meteorological information for general weather service and, together with other weather stations at Pallas region, information about the vertical structure of the atmosphere for research purposes. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The Pallas-Laukukero automatic weather station. The station was built in 1994 and it measures air temperature, humidity and pressure and wind speed and direction. The station provides meteorological information for general weather service and, together with other weather stations at Pallas region, information about the vertical structure of the atmosphere for research purposes. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The Pallas-Matorova air quality station in the winter time. At the site, air pollutants have been measured since 1995. In addition to the deposition sampling (main ions, heavy metals, PAHs), meteorology and atmospheric concentrations of e.g. persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and acidifying compounds are measured as part of, e.g., EMEP and ICP IM programmes. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The Pallas-Matorova air quality station in the winter time. At the site, air pollutants have been measured since 1995. In addition to the deposition sampling (main ions, heavy metals, PAHs), meteorology and atmospheric concentrations of e.g. persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and acidifying compounds are measured as part of, e.g., EMEP and ICP IM programmes. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The Pallas-Kenttärova flux measurement station in a spruce forest. Eddy covariance fluxes of CO2, H2O and energy have been measured in this 20-m tower since 2003. Forest floor fluxes of CO2 and CH4 are monitored with a manual chamber technique and background concentration (CO2, CH4, H2O) data is also collected continuously. At Kenttärova, there is also an official weather station of FMI. Kenttärova is an associate ecosystem station in ICOS RI. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
The Pallas-Kenttärova flux measurement station in a spruce forest. Eddy covariance fluxes of CO2, H2O and energy have been measured in this 20-m tower since 2003. Forest floor fluxes of CO2 and CH4 are monitored with a manual chamber technique and background concentration (CO2, CH4, H2O) data is also collected continuously. At Kenttärova, there is also an official weather station of FMI. Kenttärova is an associate ecosystem station in ICOS RI. Photo: Jussi Paatero.
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 67.99725 Longitude: 24.2091

Size
ca. 4845.10ha
Elevation (average)
269.00msl
Elevation (min)
179.00msl
Elevation (max)
765.00msl
Related location(s)
Download

Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Fresh water lakes
Fresh water rivers
Terrestrial
Biome
Taiga
Ecosystem Type
Forest
Lakes
Rivers
Tundra
Biogeographical Region
Boreal Bio-geographical Region
EUNIS habitat
Heathland, scrub and tundra (F)
Inland surface waters (C)
Mires, bogs and fens (D)
Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G)
Air Temperature: Average Annual
-0.40°C
Precipitation Annual
527.00mm
Site Type
Stationary land-based site
Design of Experimentation
mainly experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
beyond catchment scale
Design of Observation
mainly observation
Scale of Observation
beyond catchment
Permanent Power Supply
Yes
Equipment
Maintenance infrastructure » Snow clearing frequency » Weekly
Maintenance infrastructure » Snow clearing equipment
Observation devices » Measurement tower » Less than 10 m above canopy
Observation devices » Temperature Controlled Container
Data infrastructure » Data services » Other data services
Data infrastructure » Data storage » Paper
Data infrastructure » Data storage » XML database
Data infrastructure » Data storage » Structured file
Data infrastructure » Data storage » Relational database
Supporting infrastructure » Transportation » Vehicle 2WD
Supporting infrastructure » Transportation » Snow mobile
Supporting infrastructure » Transportation » Boat
Supporting infrastructure » Transportation » Vehicle 4WD
Supporting infrastructure » Staff room at site » 2 - 5 places
Supporting infrastructure » Lodging at site » 6 - 10 beds
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (from site) » Cable based
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (within site) » Cable based
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Energy supply » Permanent Power Supply Location » All over site/catchment
Energy and data transmission infrastructure » Energy supply » Permanent Power Produced » 10-100 kW
Accessible All Year
Yes
All parts of Site Accessible
Yes
Access Type
dirt road (4WD)
Permanent Operation
Yes
Site Visit Interval
1
Maintenance Interval
7
General Data Policy
Formal acknowledgement of the dataset providers
LTER Site Classification
Master
Datasets available via the eLTER DAR
There is one dataset for this site available in the eLTER Digital Asset Register (DAR):To see more visit the eLTER DAR.
Datasets available via the ICOS Data Portal
Data for this site is available through the ICOS Data Portal. The most recent datasets include:
You can click here to access the data in the ICOS Data Portal.
There is EURO-CORDEX climate scenario data available for this site:
Projected Near Surface Specific Humidity ChangeRCP26RCP45RCP85
Projected Precipitation ChangeRCP26RCP45RCP85
Projected Sea Level Pressure ChangeRCP26RCP45RCP85
Projected Surface Downwelling Shortwave RadiationRCP26RCP45RCP85
Projected Near-Surface Wind SpeedRCP26RCP45RCP85
Projected Near-Surface Air TemperatureRCP26RCP45RCP85
Projected Daily Maximum Near-Surface Air TemperatureRCP26RCP45RCP85
Projected Daily Minimum Near-Surface Air TemperatureRCP26RCP45RCP85

You can also download the entire climate scenario dataset for this site from the EUDAT B2SHARE data store.