Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
Encyclopedia
The Arctic Centre, University of Lapland is Finland
’s national institute for Arctic
expertise. It is based at the University of Lapland
, the northernmost university in Finland and the EU, and is located in the Arktikum building by the Ounasjoki
river in Rovaniemi
near the Arctic Circle
.
The Centre conducts multidisciplinary and participatory research on impacts of the development and climate change
in the Arctic. Besides research and science communications, it maintains a science exhibition, a library and provides education. The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM) is a part of the Centre.
The Centre is committed to research so as to better understand the natural and physical environment of the Arctic and its forms of life. Such research spans the arts
, humanities
and natural science
s and its products take many forms from scientific papers and monographs to books, exhibitions, audiovisual material, artworks and films. It is a place where researchers, planners and artists collaborate within and outside the university. The community of researchers at the centre comes with diverse scientific, national, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The centre has strong local orientation and it provides an international research environment that allows and fosters the multidisciplinary approach. This includes participating in several IPY
research projects including:
The "Arctic in Change", a science exhibition, promotes the natural beauty and the cultural richness of the Arctic, while it informs the visitors about the ongoing rapid social and environmental changes occurring in the fragile Arctic. Set up in a friendly environment, the exhibition combines multimedia shows, interactive stations, artefacts and photos. The exhibition revolves around the ongoing changes in the Arctic and illuminates the relationship between global and local issues.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
’s national institute for Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
expertise. It is based at the University of Lapland
University of Lapland
The University of Lapland is located in the city of Rovaniemi, Finland. It was founded in 1979.The university is divided into four faculties:* Faculty of Art and Design* Faculty of Education* Faculty of Law* Faculty of Social Sciences...
, the northernmost university in Finland and the EU, and is located in the Arktikum building by the Ounasjoki
Ounasjoki
The Ounasjoki River is the Kemijoki River's largest tributary, as well as, Finland's longest single river tributary. It is also the largest river entirely within its borders. Ounasjoki is approximately in length, and the catchment area is , 27 percent of the Kemi catchment area.-Course:The...
river in Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and is between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its...
near the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
.
The Centre conducts multidisciplinary and participatory research on impacts of the development and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
in the Arctic. Besides research and science communications, it maintains a science exhibition, a library and provides education. The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM) is a part of the Centre.
The Centre is committed to research so as to better understand the natural and physical environment of the Arctic and its forms of life. Such research spans the arts
The arts
The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
, humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
and natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
s and its products take many forms from scientific papers and monographs to books, exhibitions, audiovisual material, artworks and films. It is a place where researchers, planners and artists collaborate within and outside the university. The community of researchers at the centre comes with diverse scientific, national, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The centre has strong local orientation and it provides an international research environment that allows and fosters the multidisciplinary approach. This includes participating in several IPY
International Polar Year
The International Polar Year is a collaborative, international effort researching the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor, but died before it first occurred in 1882-1883. Fifty years later a second IPY occurred...
research projects including:
- CAVIAR (Community Adaptation and Vulnerability in Arctic Regions)
- MOVE-INNOCOM (Place, mobility and viability in INdustrial, NOrthern COmmunities)
- DAMOCLES (Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-Term Environmental Studies)
- CIGSAC (The Capability of International Governance Systems in the Arctic to Contribute to the Mitigation of Climate Change and Adjust to its Consequences)
- Greening of Arctic/Application of space based technologies to land use and cover change
The "Arctic in Change", a science exhibition, promotes the natural beauty and the cultural richness of the Arctic, while it informs the visitors about the ongoing rapid social and environmental changes occurring in the fragile Arctic. Set up in a friendly environment, the exhibition combines multimedia shows, interactive stations, artefacts and photos. The exhibition revolves around the ongoing changes in the Arctic and illuminates the relationship between global and local issues.