Showing papers by "University of Lapland published in 2007"

Arctic smoke – record high air pollution levels in the European Arctic due to agricultural fires in Eastern Europe in spring 2006

Abstract: . In spring 2006, the European Arctic was abnormally warm, setting new historical temperature records. During this warm period, smoke from agricultural fires in Eastern Europe intruded into the European Arctic and caused the most severe air pollution episodes ever recorded there. This paper confirms that biomass burning (BB) was indeed the source of the observed air pollution, studies the transport of the smoke into the Arctic, and presents an overview of the observations taken during the episode. Fire detections from the MODIS instruments aboard the Aqua and Terra satellites were used to estimate the BB emissions. The FLEXPART particle dispersion model was used to show that the smoke was transported to Spitsbergen and Iceland, which was confirmed by MODIS retrievals of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and AIRS retrievals of carbon monoxide (CO) total columns. Concentrations of halocarbons, carbon dioxide and CO, as well as levoglucosan and potassium, measured at Zeppelin mountain near Ny Alesund, were used to further corroborate the BB source of the smoke at Spitsbergen. The ozone (O3) and CO concentrations were the highest ever observed at the Zeppelin station, and gaseous elemental mercury was also elevated. A new O3 record was also set at a station on Iceland. The smoke was strongly absorbing – black carbon concentrations were the highest ever recorded at Zeppelin – and strongly perturbed the radiation transmission in the atmosphere: aerosol optical depths were the highest ever measured at Ny Alesund. We furthermore discuss the aerosol chemical composition, obtained from filter samples, as well as the aerosol size distribution during the smoke event. Photographs show that the snow at a glacier on Spitsbergen became discolored during the episode and, thus, the snow albedo was reduced. Samples of this polluted snow contained strongly elevated levels of potassium, sulphate, nitrate and ammonium ions, thus relating the discoloration to the deposition of the smoke aerosols. This paper shows that, to date, BB has been underestimated as a source of aerosol and air pollution for the Arctic, relative to emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Given its significant impact on air quality over large spatial scales and on radiative processes, the practice of agricultural waste burning should be banned in the future.

The Arctic Council at 10 Years: Retrospect and Prospects

Abstract: The article provides a 10th anniversary assessment of the Arctic Council’s work, regional ocean governance arrangements, and challenges facing the Arctic Council through a two-part analysis. First, a retrospective look highlights the two phases of region-wide cooperation in the Arctic: the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy’s creation and development, followed by the founding of the Arctic Council and the implementation of its programs and projects. Second, a prospective view is provided, in which two future realities facing the Arctic Council are discussed: ‘soft sleddings’ and ‘hard’ questions. ‘Soft sleddings’ are likely to continue at least in the near term, with the Council continuing its track as a discussional and catalytic forum rather than a regulatory or decision-making entity. Hard questions will increasingly face the Council and its constituents — questions regarding whether a treaty framework is needed to strengthen regional cooperation and, if so, a determination of the type of treaty arrangements and provisions that are most appropriate for the Arctic.

Using narrative inquiry for investigating the becoming of a mathematics teacher

Abstract: This article presents narrative inquiry as a method for research in mathematics education, in particular the study of how pre-service teachers’ views of mathematics develop during elementary teacher education. I describe two different, complementary approaches to applying narrative analysis, one focusing on the content of a narrative, the other focusing on the form. The examples discussed are taken from interviews with and teaching portfolios compiled by four pre-service teachers. In analysing the content of the students’ narratives, I use emplotment to construct a retrospective explanation of how one pre-service teacher’s own experiences at school were reflected in the development of her mathematical identity. In analysing the form of the narratives, I also look at how the students told their stories, using linguistic features, for example, to identify core events in the accounts. This particular focus seems to be promising in locating turning points in the trainees’ views of mathematics.

Towards meaningful learning through digital video supported, case based teaching

Abstract: This paper reports an action research case study in which a traditional lecture based, face to face Network Management course at the University of Lapland's Faculty of Social Sciences was developed into two different course versions resorting to case based teaching: a face to face version and an online version. In the face to face version, the teacher designed and produced three digital video supported case studies with the students to be used as learning material for the online version. The research focuses on finding out the student perspective on the following questions: (1) Can designing and producing digital video supported cases constitute a meaningful learning process for the students? (2) Can solving digital video supported cases in an online course support meaningful learning for the students? and (3) What roles do the digital videos play in the online students' meaningful learning process? The research indicates that both designing and producing, as well as solving the digital video supported cases, promoted especially the active and contextual aspects of the students' meaningful learning as well as the students' positive emotional involvement in the learning process. Several implications for further development of the Network Management course and for the development of university teaching across disciplines can be drawn from the results.

The Importance of Northern Dimension Foreign Policies in the Geopolitics of the Circumpolar North

Abstract: The end of the Cold War dramatically altered geopolitical relationships within the circumpolar North. Part of this change involved the development of a regionalised governance structure stressing the common issues faced by human populations within the circumpolar North, regardless of their national or ethnic origins. Signatories to a cadre of new circumpolar agreements include eight nation-states or the “Arctic states” (Canada, USA, Russia, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland) as well as indigenous peoples organisations and supranational organisations such as the European Union. Equally important, although somewhat less tangible, is the fact that in addition to the new forms of international and regional governance now giving shape to an emerging circumpolar “northern” space, are several new discourses concerning the scale and nature of circumpolar regionalism and the critical new environmental, human security, and economic development challenges which it faces. Rather than using the rhetoric of ten...

Natural Regeneration of Alpine Tundra Vegetation after Human Trampling: a 42-year Data Set from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, U.S.A.

Abstract: The vegetation composition of four contiguous permanent plots was analyzed during 37 of 42 years between 1959 and 2001 to evaluate successional processes following the cessation of human trampling in alpine tundra. The plots were established adjacent to the Rock Cut parking lot at ~3658 m elevation along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Due to limitations in the original study design, the lack of true replication required that the plots be treated individually when subject to indirect ordination analysis to follow trends in overall plant composition and cover. The three most abundant species in the study plots were Artemisia scopulorum, Acomastylis rossii, and Kobresia myosuroides. At the beginning of the study in 1959, total cover ranged from 20 to 55% in the four plots. By 1961, three of the four plots achieved total canopy cover values of at least 100%. Vascular plant species richness (number of taxa per plot) averaged 20 in 1959, but by 1967 had nearly doubled to 37...

Mathematical biography and key rhetoric

Abstract: The intention of this article is to consider the use of narrative and rhetorical inquiry as research methods. I construct a mathematical biography of one elementary teacher trainee, Sirpa, who had performed well in her advanced mathematics course in upper secondary school. I describe her development as a mathematics teacher during teacher education from her second-year methods course and teaching practice to fourth-year teaching practice. Narrative inquiry is more than a case study: Sirpa’s mathematical biography is a story that describes how she constructs her mathematical identity. I also analysed the key rhetoric that Sirpa used in her talk, key rhetoric here referring to the strategy by which she constructed continuity and coherence.

Observational evidence for volcanic impact on sea level and the global water cycle

Abstract: It has previously been noted that there are drops in global sea level (GSL) after some major volcanic eruptions. However, observational evidence has not been convincing because there is substantial variability in the global sea level record over periods similar to those at which we expect volcanoes to have an impact. To quantify the impact of volcanic eruptions we average monthly GSL data from 830 tide gauge records around five major volcanic eruptions. Surprisingly, we find that the initial response to a volcanic eruption is a significant rise in sea level of 9 ± 3 mm in the first year after the eruption. This rise is followed by a drop of 7 ± 3 mm in the period 2–3 years after the eruption relative to preeruption sea level. These results are statistically robust and no particular volcanic eruption or ocean region dominates the signature we find. Neither the drop nor especially the rise in GSL can be explained by models of lower oceanic heat content. We suggest that the mechanism is a transient disturbance of the water cycle with a delayed response of land river runoff relative to ocean evaporation and global precipitation that affects global sea level. The volcanic impact on the water cycle and sea levels is comparable in magnitude to that of a large El Nino–La Nina cycle, amounting to ≈5% of global land precipitation.

Different Levels of Information Systems Designers' Forms of Thought and Potential for Human-Centered Design

Abstract: This article describes a study clarifying information systems (IS) designers’ conceptions of human users of IS by drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 designers. The designers’ lived experiences in their work build up a continuum of levels of thought from more limited conceptions to more comprehensive ones reflecting variations of the designers’ situated knowledge related to human-centred design. The resulting forms of thought indicate three different but associated levels in conceptualising users. The separatist form of thought provides designers predominantly with technical perspectives and a capability for objectifying things. The functional form of thought focuses on external task information and task productivity, nevertheless, with the help of positive emotions. The holistic form of thought provides designers with competence of human-centred information systems development (ISD). Furthermore, the author hopes that understanding the IS designers’ tendencies to conceptualise human users facilitates the mutual communication between users and designers.

Effects of ultraviolet (UV) exclusion on the seasonal concentration of photosynthetic and UV-screening pigments in Scots pine needles

Abstract: The effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the photosynthetic and UV-screening pigments in needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) saplings were studied in a UV-exclusion field chamber experiment in northern Finland (67°N) during 2001–2002. The chambers held filters that excluded both UVB and UVA, only UVB, transmitted all UV, or lacked filters. Analyses of control needles (no filter and polyethene filter) showed that the first changes to occur in spring (end of April) was an abrupt increase in the epoxidation state (EPS) of the xanthophyll cycle pigments, likely in relation with the beginning of the photosynthetic activity. The concentration of chlorophyll, lutein, neoxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene, and the size of the xanthophyll cycle pool (violaxanthin+antheraxanthin+zeaxanthin=VAZ) changed only later when needles reached their summer photosynthesis state. Exclusion of UV radiation significantly affected the xanthophyll cycle but not the other photosynthetic pigments analysed. Interestingly, the effects on xanthophylls were dependent on the sampling date. Under UVA/B-exclusion, the EPS was increased and VAZ pool size was unchanged in April, whereas EPS remained unchanged and the VAZ pool size was reduced in May and June. The existence of two sustained and active antenna modes during winter and summer could be an explanation for the specific UV-exclusion effect in the different season. A high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of soluble phenolics showed that the exclusion of UVA/B radiation caused a significant effect on five compounds out of 46 studied, without affecting the concentration of the total soluble phenolics. Under UVA/B-exclusion, the concentration of three of them (secoisolariciresinol-glucopyranoside, two unknown) was reduced while the concentration of dicoumaroyl-astragalin and pinosylvin monomethylether was increased compared with both controls separately. In general, the exclusion of UVA/B caused a stronger effect than the exclusion of UVB on both photosynthetic and UV screening pigments. The effects of UV radiation on xanthophyll cycle pigments were season-specific and detectable only under stressful spring conditions (freezing temperatures and high irradiance due to snow reflection). The effect on the xanthophyll cycle could be a direct consequence of UV treatments, or an indirect consequence of the changed flavonoid composition, or a combination of both.

Warm summers and ion concentrations in snow : comparison of present day with Medieval Warm Epoch from snow pits and an ice core from Lomonosovfonna, Svalbard

Abstract: Snow pits sampled during two consecutive years (2001, 2002) at the summit of Lomonosov- fonna ice cap in central Spitsbergen, Svalbard, showed that ion concentrations were spatially homogeneous. The snowpack on Lomonosovfonna shows no evidence of aerosol deposition from Arctic haze, in contrast to Holtedahlfonna (a glacier at a similar altitude in northern Spitsbergen) where there is a clear signature. In common with many other ice caps in the Arctic, Lomonosovfonna experiences periodic melting, and the deepest of the snow pits contained a record of one exceptionally warm (2001) and one long summer (2000). The most easily eluted species are nitrate and the divalent ions. Very low ion concentrations and high values of a melt indicator log ((Na + )/(Mg 2+ )) were a result of either deep percolation or runoff of ions during melting. Comparing the snow-pit record with the ion record of more than 800 years from an ice core drilled on Lomonosovfonna in 1997 reveals some layers with similar composition to those that suffered significant melting in the snowpack: a few years in the 20th century and around AD 1750, and all of the core from before AD 1200 show unusually heavy melting.

Observational evidence for volcanic impact on sea level and the global water cycle

Abstract: It has previously been noted that there are drops in global sea level (GSL) after some major volcanic eruptions. However, observational evidence has not been convincing because there is substantial variability in the global sea level record over periods similar to those at which we expect volcanoes to have an impact. To quantify the impact of volcanic eruptions we average monthly GSL data from 830 tide gauge records around five major volcanic eruptions. Surprisingly, we find that the initial response to a volcanic eruption is a significant rise in sea level of 9 ± 3 mm in the first year after the eruption. This rise is followed by a drop of 7 ± 3 mm in the period 2–3 years after the eruption relative to preeruption sea level. These results are statistically robust and no particular volcanic eruption or ocean region dominates the signature we find. Neither the drop nor especially the rise in GSL can be explained by models of lower oceanic heat content. We suggest that the mechanism is a transient disturbance of the water cycle with a delayed response of land river runoff relative to ocean evaporation and global precipitation that affects global sea level. The volcanic impact on the water cycle and sea levels is comparable in magnitude to that of a large El Nino–La Nina cycle, amounting to ≈5% of global land precipitation.

International Legal Avenues to Address the Plight of Victims of Climate Change: Problems and Prospects

Abstract: This Article argues that the current structure of international law makes it unlikely that victims of climate change will find justice through international legal proceedings. Part I examines the various international legal proceedings that could provide recourse for victims of climate change. Part II focuses on the only case that has proceeded to the submission stage, the above-mentioned Inuit petition to the IACHR. Importantly, the Inuit’s human rights petition is currently the best possibility for success in international litigation since evidence already exists that climate change has caused clearly identifiable damage to the Arctic environment.22 The Article concludes by analyzing the likelihood of successfully combating climate change by utilizing the legal mechanisms discussed in Parts I and II.

How Markets Valuate and Response to IFRS Reconciliations Adjustments in Finland

Abstract: This study focuses on the value relevance and market responses of mandatory transition to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), using samples of Finnish first-time IFRS adopters. The Finnish data is used since prior research findings suggest large differences between Finnish accounting standards (FAS) and IFRS. Some evidence of value relevance is found in IFRS adjustments on earnings but not with IFRS adjustments in shareholders' equity. Furthermore, only minor market responses on stock returns and no excess trading after the release of IFRS reconciliation adjustments are evidenced. This suggests that great deal of IFRS reconciliations, if relevant, were anticipated by investors.

From Bogey Mountains to Funny Houses: Children's Desires for Play Environment.

Abstract: Introduction THE AIM OF THE CORE curriculum in Finnish preprimary education (National Board of Education, 2000) is to improve children's capacity for learning when they are taught new facts and new skills through play. The term 'preschool', as used in Finland, refers to voluntary but formal preparatory education in primary school or day care centres. Children should experience a vast array of play opportunities in schools, and the play environment should be designed to maximise play (Johnson et al., 2005). This is based on the importance of play in overall development: play is seen as a crucial part of children's physical, cognitive, emotional and social development, and it also encourages creativity and learning (Kieff & Casberque, 2000; Meadows, 1992; Vygotsky, 1978; Wood & Attfield, 2005). Play covers a broad category of activities--social games, pretence games, playing with toys, and unspecified indoor and outdoor play--and it can be stimulated in different contexts (Pellegrini, 1988, 2005; Wood & Attfield, 2005). Play is also seen as a tool in producing and reproducing culture (Corsaro, 2003, 2005). This view adapts the sociocultural perspective of children's activities and thus attempts to overcome the dualism of the child and the environment by blending them together (Johnson et al., 2005). Today's children in the industrialised countries are getting short-changed in respect of opportunities to play, and they do not spend much time playing out-of-doors (Scarlett et al., 2005). Although there are numerous criteria for play environments (Wardle, 2003), they are mainly set by adults and municipal authorities; children's authentic perspective is somewhat missing. To find out what outdoor environments should afford, we let the children's voice to be heard. In this study, we look for the children's perspective and an answer to the following research question: 'In what kinds of environments do preschool children want to play?' A sub-question follows: 'In what kinds of environments do boys and girls want to play?' We examine the outdoor play environment and the play interests of girls and boys in the context of pre-primary education. Gender play Gender is defined as a cultural construction that comes into being by doing, and it is considered as the way of interacting (Butler 1990; Thorne 1993), in our case in collaboration through play and games. Children themselves are active in reinforcing and weakening gender borders (Corsaro, 2003). Schoolyards and playgrounds are places where those processes are particularly intriguing. Children learn gender as a social category: the culture that is 'natural' for one's own gender. They know clearly that they belong either to the group of males or to the group of females and that their identity is bound into this membership (Maccoby, 1988). The membership is important, but not sufficient. Through joint activities children have possibilities to learn of and from the opposite gender. Generally, boys and girls seem to play separately because of different play styles (Dunn, 2004). In the school context, children are used to playing separately; girls with girls and boys with boys (Dunn, 2004; Maccoby, 1988; Thorne, 1993). The crowded and public nature of schools and the continual presence of power and evaluation make the separation of genders more probable (Thorne, 1993). Adults working with children see boys and girls qualitatively dissimilar (Martino et al., 2004), and educators are almost always unaware of the biased behaviour they exhibit (Lee-Thomas et al., 2005; Sanders, 2003). These findings lead to gendered cultures, although the whole process is more multifaceted. That is why it is important to conduct research in which children's views are highlighted and gendered interests examined. Research methodology The empirical data consists of drawings by children aged from six to seven and of discussions with them. …

Inferences from stable water isotopes on the Holocene evolution of Scharffenbergbotnen blue-ice area, East Antarctica

Abstract: We show that it is possible to extract a high-resolution (annual) paleoclimate record from the surface of a blue-ice area (BIA). The variability of the surface stable-isotope values suggests that almost all the surface ice in Scharffenbergbotnen BIA, East Antarctica, is of Holocene age. The isotopic changes across the BIA show that the modern climate there is warmer than the climate in the early- Holocene optimum (11 kyr BP). A volume-conserving ice flow model for the BIA constrained by isotopic variability and layer thicknesses, and a series of 14 C ages indicate both that the BIA has been smaller than now, and that the surface velocities were considerably smaller during the Last Glacial Maximum. Changes in ice-sheet thickness drive the BIA towards present-day conditions. The relatively young age of the majority of the BIA also explains the lack of meteorite finds in this area, and may be typical for many BIAs in low-elevation nunatak areas.

Trust in International Environmental Cooperation in Northwestern Russia

Abstract: In this article, I discuss trust and its manifestations in international environmental cooperation. A lack of trust in the capacity of states and other actors to tackle environmental issues leads to international environmental insecurity. Awareness of such incapacities is widespread and is increasing in `modern risk societies'. Trust is often understood as the rational and intentional efforts of parties to treat one another as trustworthy counterparts and to ignore discretion, but it is also habitual. Trust is based on the socialization of agents into certain practices. The importance of trust and its different dimensions emerged as the central theme in a study of international environmental cooperation in northwestern Russia. Russian and Nordic participants were interviewed in the winter 2003—2004 and spring 2006 with the aim of gathering their views and experiences on cooperation. The interviewees were mainly representatives of regional and national administrations and non-governmental organizations. In...

Molecular Detection of Trypanosoma (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Abstract: Molecular detection of Trypanosoma (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Emotional and aesthetic factors of virtual mobile learning environments

Abstract: This paper discusses the theoretical starting points and design considerations for addressing the emotional and aesthetic aspects of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in support of ubiquitous teaching, studying and learning. It is asserted that a VLE should be considered as an interactive and sensation-arousing instrument, and a mediator for communication and learning. Furthermore, it should be valued as a tool for emotional and socio-structural mediation, and for of psychosocial regulation through psychosocial distance. Emotional and aesthetic factors have too often been given little attention by researchers in studying and learning, especially in the context of mobile-based environments for learning. Such emotional and aesthetic aspects are examined on five levels of observation. This five-level continuum, beginning from the individual subconscious/conscious inter-personal level continuing to the social, cultural, cross and trans-cultural levels, is mapped onto learning architectures, which proffer greater understanding of such starting points and design considerations of VLEs for learning regulation.

Evidence from Wavelet Lag Coherence for Negligible Solar Forcing of Climate at Multi-year and Decadal Periods

Abstract: We examine possible links between solar cycle irradiance variations the large atmospheric circulation systems that affect whole planet’s climate. In particular we examine the putative mechanism of solar forcing mediated by changes in induced stratospheric conditions over the polar regions. We test this hypothesis by examining causal links between time series of solar irradiance based on both amplitude and length of the 11-year solar sunspot cycle and indices of Arctic Oscillation AO and ENSO activity. We use a wavelet lag coherence method based on wavelet filtering to examine the significance and magnitude of the phase coherence of the pairs of series in lag-period space. Hence we study the non-linear phase dynamics of weakly interacting oscillating systems. The method clearly shows no link between AO or SOI with solar irradiance at all scales from biannual to decadal. We conclude that the 11-year cycle sometimes seen in climate proxy records is unlikely to be driven by solar forcing.

An application of a virtual learning environment in support of teaching and learning for design and technology education

Abstract: Audiovisual advances in Virtual Reality (VR) technology have given rise to innovative ways to teach and learn. However, so far, teaching and learning processes have been technologically driven as opposed to pedagogically led. This article identifies the development of a pedagogical model and its application to teaching, studying and learning with 3D virtual reality technologies. This is in the context of design and technology education, where it has been devised for the support of innovation education. This work promotes an understanding of the implications of virtual learning technologies in education for teachers, learners and educational decision-makers. Furthermore, it can be shown that when pedagogical considerations are given weight in the development of such technology-based learning services, improvements arise for all stakeholders.

Care-related Quality of Life: Conceptual and Empirical Exploration

Abstract: In this chapter the concept of care-related quality of life (crQoL) is discussed as a basis for research within social gerontology and as a framework for evaluation of quality and performance within health and social care services for older people. The motivation for this, both theoretically and practically oriented work, lies in an increasing awareness that issues of quality of life (QoL) are particularly relevant in the study of older people who are vulnerable, frail or disabled. The changes in personal capacities, abilities, and circumstances that often accompany old age may fundamentally challenge the basis of a person’s well-being and may undermine their ability to cope with everyday life (Sixsmith, 1994; Hughes, 1990). For those people who rely on daily support from health and social care services this is likely to have a major impact on their QoL. Enhancing QoL should be a major component in how we assess the value and impact of the services. Considerable attention has been given to issues of health-related QoL (Bowling, 1995, 2004), e.g. in respect to particular illnesses or conditions. Attention has been given to QoL for people, especially older people, who are suffering from chronic, long-term conditions, such as congestive heart failure, stroke, and arthritis. Rather less attention has been given to older people who are described as ‘frail’, or who experience multiple low-level conditions that have impact on their abilities to cope with everyday life (Birren et al., 1991). Many of these people are dependent on the care and support they receive from formal (e.g. health and social care) and informal (e.g. family and neighbours) sources and their well-being is inevitably bound up in these care relationships. If care is fundamental to the well-being of frail older people, then a framework that specifically incorporates the role of care in the production of wellbeing is needed, rather than a more general concept of well-being. From an applied perspective, organisations involved in the monitoring, commissioning, and delivery of care services are specifically interested in evaluating the impact of care services. The work reported in this chapter has been carried out as part of the Care Keys – a project funded under the European Union’s Quality of Life Research and Development programme.1 Care Keys is a multidisciplinary project that aims to develop a conceptual model of crQoL, and a ‘tool kit’ for the evaluation and management of the quality of long-term care of older people, with emphasis on client voice and outcomes. This study was performed at the initial stage of the project to find our fitting outcome measures, and to test the connection between care and well-being for justifying the basic Care Keys approach and whether it provides a promising avenue for the project working.

Elementary education students' memories of mathematics in family context

Abstract: This study looks at an interesting relationship that was found between elementary education students' advancement in mathematics and encouragement they felt to have received from home, the higher scoring students advancement correlating negatively with encouragement. In a qualitative analysis we identified different aspects of mathematics in family context and found some possible clues for explaining the negative correlation between encouragement and advancement: we found strong positive role models among those who advanced and conflicts with parent during mathematics tutoring among those who declined.

Winter Art Education Project.

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to describe how the Department of Art Education at the University of Lapland in Finland has developed winter art as a method of environmental and community-based art education I will focus on the Snow Show Winter Art Education Project, a training project funded by the European Union and the State Provincial Office of Lapland The general aim of the project was to increase the know-how of winter art in Northern Finland This goal was put into practice through workshops on snow construction, documentation of winter art, winter-oriented media production, and snow and ice sculpting; through continuing education seminars, workshops, and school projects for teachers; and through public lectures and seminars on winter and winter art In this article, I describe the challenges that winter offers to community and environment-based art education in the North Further, I introduce the methods of implementation and the outcomes of winter art exercises carried out by several schools in Lapland in cooperation with and inspired by the Snow Show Winter Art Education Project

ENSO Signal Propagation Detected by Wavelet Coherence and Mean Phase Coherence Methods

Abstract: We present observational evidence of the dynamic linkages between ENSO and Northern Hemisphere (NH) ice conditions over the past 135 years. Using Wavelet Transform (WT) we separate statistically significant components from time series and demonstrate significant co-variance and consistent phase differences between NH ice conditions and the Arctic Oscillation and Southern Oscillation indices (AO and SOI) at 2.2, 3.5, 5.7 and 13.9 year periods. To study the phase dynamics of weakly interacting oscillating systems we apply average mutual information and mean phase coherence methods. Phase relationships for the different frequency signals suggest that there are several mechanisms for distribution of the 2.2-5.7 year and the 13.9 year signals. The 2.2- 5.7 year signals, generated about three months earlier in the tropical Pacific Ocean, are transmitted via the stratosphere, and the Arctic Oscillation (AO) mediating propagation of the signals. In contrast the 13.9 year signal propagates from the western Pacific as eastward propagating equatorial coupled ocean waves, and then fast boundary waves along the western margins of the Americas to reach both polar regions, and has a phase difference of about 1.8-2.1 years by the time it reaches the Arctic.

Global change education in the Arctic

Abstract: Bird species new to the Arctic call across ancient forests where the buzz is from the super sawmills, not the sound of elk hooves. Oil and gas wells plumb the tundra depths, and the pipelines scarify the surface, pumping fossil wealth south with a return flow measured in dollars and rubles. The eternal ice is going and tourist ships are coming, ironically to see the icy landscape that is disappearing. This is the Arctic today. Global change has been a fact of life for many indigenous peoples in remote parts of the world for many decades. In Svalbard, Norway, which lies north of Europe in the Arctic Ocean, January 2006 was warmer than any previous April while April was five standard deviations warmer than average. Over the longer term, the Inuit in Nunavut, Canada, have found that hunting for seals—traditionally their major food supply—has become much more difficult as sea pup numbers have declined along with sea ice [Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 2004]. About 20 Alaskan villages are candidates for relocation because of severe coastal erosion, exacerbated by loss of protective sea ice. For example, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that it could cost from $100 million to $400 million to relocate Kivalina, which has only 385 inhabitants [U.S. General Accounting Office, 2003].

International environmental cooperation in northwest Russia: an assessment of performance

Abstract: ABSTRACT The effectiveness of international environmental cooperation is a theoretical and methodological challenge that has captured the interest of scholars and students of international relations in the recent years. This article is an evaluation of international environmental cooperation in northwest Russia by applying an approach developed in the Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC) research programme of the International Human Dimension Programme (IHDP). The IDGEC approach emphasises the importance of complex diagnostics of institutional environmental arrangements in terms of performance. The approach relates to the effects of international environmental cooperation in terms of sustainability, efficiency, fairness, and robustness. The article focuses on Russian and Nordic experiences of international environmental cooperation, and the assessment of performance has been done by the participants themselves. According to the results of interviews and questionnaires, the cooperation is considered institutionally effective and robust in general. However, views about the environmental effects vary. Some problems exist that are related to sustainability and fairness, but the most critical issue is the lack of domestic environmental capacity in Russia.