Here is part 2 of ‘2017 in stories’, our very own end-of-the-year list. Dive with us into what happened on this blog the last twelve months, with this list of the ten most visited posts. Missed part 1? It’s here!
A story of hotspots and stepping stones
Closing a chapter, it’s an amazing feeling. In 2017, we published the second paper on the experimental half of my PhD, a fascinating story on hotspots and stepping stones. Find out how non-native plants manage to beat all the odds at elevations far above their current elevational limits, and how that affects our predictions for the future of our mountains.
Closing off some chapter, opening up many others, that is what 2017 was all about. We have been trying out some fascinating new things in preparation of our research for the next few years. Science with doormats is one of these experiments. Doormats, you might ask? Yes, indeed, boring, simple, non-sciency doormats, and you might be surprised about their scientific use!
Our yearly fieldwork-adventures undeniably deserve a prominent spot in this list as well. Enjoy this happy reindeer, and our snowy summer special from right on top of the world!
Arguably the most important milestone of 2017 brought me to the greater Yellowstone region in Montana. There, we had a fruitfull meeting with the partners of MIREN, our global network of mountain scientists. A lot of talking resulting in an impressive list of fascinating future plans. And all of that in the most mindboggling natural environment.
We end this list with some nostalgia to the warm days of midnight summer in Lapland. To cheer up our hearts on this dark winter days, I made a much-appreciated picture gallery of the best of our summer fieldwork. You can find it here. Beautiful plants, breath-taking views, awesome animals. If you needed a reminder of why I love this job, it’s all there!
And with that, we slowly put 2017 to rest. It was an amazing year, with many accomplishments I am very proud of. But most of all, it was a year of preparations. Preparations for 2018, preparations for the future. Because as from 01/01/2018, the truly big things should start happening. Stay tuned, and cross your fingers that all our hopes and dreams will come true!
