SCANNET

Contact info

Phone: Tarfala +46(0) 980-55039
Stockholm U +46(0)8-164983
Fax: Tarfala +46(0)98055043
Stockholm U +46(0)8-164818
Director: Gunhild Rosqvist
Email:
Webpage: www.tarfala.su.se

Location

Tarfala Research Station is located at 1130 m a s l in the Kebnekaise mountains, northern Sweden (67° 55’N, 18° 35’E, 1135 m a s l)  

Climate

Mean winter temperature: -8.9°C
Mean summer temperature: +5.5°C
Mean annual precipitation: 950 mm (summer 350 mm, winter estimate 600 mm) 

Biodiversity

High alpine heath vegetation.

Human Dimension

Reindeer husbandry, tourism and research dominate 

General Research

The emphasis of research is on interactions between climate and glaciers, glacial dynamics, glacial hydrology, geochemistry, permafrost and landscape development. 

Existing Data Bases

www.tarfala.su.se
Glacier mass balance data, meteorological data, hydrological data, digital elevation model, climate stations, permafrost monitoring data (PACE). Annual reports are produced.  

History and Facilities

The first mass balance measurements on Storglaciären were conducted in spring 1946. The location for a research base was identified in 1945 when Hans Ahlmann and Valter Schytt decided to start a long term mass balance monitoring programme on an easily accessible, relatively safe and responsive glacier. The glacier had been photographed since 1886. During 1947-49 three small huts were built, in 1950 the first proper house was built. Apart from measuring mass balance studies of ice crystallography and fluted moraines were made.

In 1961 four new buildings were built and the station was officially opened as a Stockholm University research station. Today the station consists of 11 buildings. The period between 1965-75 was dominated by activities of the International Hydrological Decade. A flume was built in which the discharge from the Tarfala valley still are measured as part of the hydrological monitoring programme. Studies of the heat exchange between the ice surface and the atmosphere, of the coupling between glacier movement and glacier hydrology, of sediment transport and regional glaciology have been performed since the 1970’s by foreign as well as Swedish scientists and students.

The station is equipped with telephone, fax, computers and printers and an internal network. In 2006 we expect to have access to Internet via satellite. Tarfala has dry and wet laboratories, a well equipped workshop and a modern lecture theatre that hosts 40 guests. 

Transportation

Tarfala Research Station is reached by snow mobile, helicopter or skis during the winter and by helicopter or by foot during the summer. Nearest village is Nikkaluokta (27 km), closest neighbour is Kebnekaise mountain station, a tourist station located 7 km downvalley from Tarfala to and from which regular helicopter transport occurs.