The 3D lab

Use the light you have

Posted on July 16, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

When time is short and work takes long, the midnight sun truly is a blessing.

We had been climbing for a whole day to find a nice location to install our new experiment at one thousand meters, when it turned out the chosen mountain would mean a massive logistical challenge the next years. The climb was long and steep, the nearest road was at least half a day walking and all plots would be long hikes away from each other.

Moreover, the vegetation did not look as promising for the experiment as it did elsewhere. The tough decision had to be made that this whole day of climbing under a baking sun would not result in the completion of another successful experiment. We had to let the plan go, a decision made lighter by the chance to enjoy the beauty of the Arctic summer. We watched down on the valleys and tops and worked out a promising plan B.

In order to finish all the work in time, we had to be sure we would have plots with ideal conditions on the last day of the fieldwork. Luckily, circumstances in the north turned out in our advantage. As the sun would never set during the night, we could spend a whole night working and searching the mountains for good locations for the next day.

Luckily, we could make use of the chairlift, which brought tourists around midnight to 900 meters of elevation to admire the magnificent view on the sun. It allowed us to experience two successes that night: a satisfying hunt for ideal experimental locations, and a fairytale experience on top of the world.

Posted in Sweden | Tagged Abisko, Hiking, midnight sun, Mountains, Nature photography, Photography, Research, Summer, Sweden, Tourism, Travel, Travelling | 5 Comments

Alpine invasions

Posted on July 10, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

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The fellowship goes up

Posted on July 9, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

We wanted to have our new experimental plots at 1000 meter above sea level, an easy decision on paper that however resulted in a lot of climbing in real life.

We had to get up, up and up, higher and higher, slowly approaching this magical elevation. Luckily, this extra physical input resulted in in new and unexplored landscapes and views.

The variation in landscapes and environments in the north is truly stunning. Over a distance of only a few kilometers, we passed snowfields, boulder areas, green meadows and large rivers to cross. Over every bump, the view changed completely.

All the hikes were luckily worth the effort, and in the end the seeds were all succesfully planted 1 kilometer above sea level. Now it is a thrilling wait to see their performance under the midnight sun.

All the long hikes could be used to explore the tundra landscape and its breeding birds. Skua’s, golden plovers, meadow pipits and all kinds of gulls use the open area above the treeline to lay their eggs.

Posted in Sweden | Tagged Adventure, arctic, Birds, Fieldwork, Hiking, Mountains, north, Photography, Science, Snow, Summer, Sweden, Travel, Travelling, Trekking | 2 Comments

The most beautiful view on the lake

Posted on July 7, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

The north of Europe is a land filled with mountains and lakes. All these amazing views make the extraordinary ordinary, as the nicest viewpoint is just around every corner.

I realized that by the end of the week, we will have seen the famous lake Törneträsk from all possible viewpoints. And as every viewpoint again wants to be the most amazing one ever, I am still highly in doubt which one of them will in the end be rewarded with the title of ‘most amazing view on the lake’.

It was nice to see the landscape slowly unfold in all its majesty as the chairlift brought us to our plots on 900 meter, but the rewarding view after a long day of climbing even added to the satisfaction of the panorama.

Another candidate came from a short walk after a long day in the field. The little beach at the research station definitely popped straight out of a fairytale.

But the last one might be the ultimate winner of the title: the panorama seen from the level of the plants. We have been working with our nose centimeters from the ground all the time, so we know how it is to be close to the ground.

So this is my winning view: one of these tiny plants I have been working on to identify, proudly growing on a dry and hostile rock, celebrating his victory over the microclimate with an amazing view on the lake.

You just have to love them, my little survivors.

Posted in Sweden | Tagged Amazing views, Europe, Fieldwork, Hiking, Lake, Lake törneträsk, Mountains, Photography, Plants, Scandinavia, Science, Summer, Sweden, Travel, Traveling | 8 Comments

Pretty flowers and angry lemmings

Posted on July 5, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

The first day of our field trip to Abisko was already a big win. We had both weather ànd nature on our site, which resulted in some unforgettable views and moments.

We left Belgium in warm summer weather, but skies in the north were even brighter and the sun seemed to burn even harder.

In the mountains, plants showed their most beautiful looks while they were profiting from the first really good days of warm sunshine. In July, the Subarctic spring is in full glory.

Snow was melting everywhere, making our climb to the highest elevation quite the adventure. We had to cross large patches of snow. Creeks and rivers were all flowing with melting water. Even the path was often changed into a roaring river.

The first lemmings were also out, an event proudly illustrated by a very brave example that did not want to believe it was disadvantaged by its size. It showed its fierce teeth, roared like a tiny little lion and jumped centimeters in the air to get us out of his territory. Unfortunately for the fiery animal, he was sitting in the middle of our plot, so finally he had to taste defeat.

Oh, and by the way: the experiment looked nice, everything is working well!