University of Lapland

About: University of Lapland is a education organization based out in Rovaniemi, Finland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Arctic & Indigenous. The organization has 665 authors who have published 1870 publications receiving 39129 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Rovaniemi & Lapin yliopisto.

Gendered strategies of mobility and academic career

Abstract: In universities, being mobile and international has become ever more important for academics’ career prospects. This article explores junior and other insecurely employed researchers’ experiences o...

Practical Family Challenges of Remote Schooling during COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 caused the rapid introduction of remote schooling in many countries. This transition caused a variety of challenges to families, encompassing organizing home workspaces, setting up computing equipment, and, for many parents, managing their own remote working in parallel with the schooling arrangements. This paper describes the findings from an online survey (n = 114) and an in-depth interview study (n = 14) conducted in Finland during the COVID-19 remote schooling phase. Focusing on issues surrounding technology usage in the family setting, we report on the array of applications parents and children were required to manage, strategies to share ICT equipment within families, spatial organizational issues and the high levels of flexibility needed from parents and other stakeholders to enable the remote schooling.

Moth Outbreaks Reduce Decomposition in Subarctic Forest Soils

Abstract: Tree mortality from insect infestations can significantly reduce carbon storage in forest soils. In subarctic birch forests (Betula pubescens), ecosystem C cycling is largely affected by recurrent outbreaks of defoliating geometrid moths (Epirrita autumnata, Operophtera brumata). Here, we show that soil C stocks in birch forests across Fennoscandia did not change up to 8 years after moth outbreaks. We found that a decrease in woody fine roots was accompanied by a lower soil CO2 efflux rate and a higher soil N availability following moth outbreaks. We suggest that a high N availability and less ectomycorrhiza likely contributed to lowered heterotrophic respiration and soil enzymatic activity. Based on proxies for decomposition (heterotrophic respiration, phenol oxidase potential activity), we conclude that a decrease in decomposition is a prime cause why soil C stocks of mountain birch forest ecosystems have not changed after moth outbreaks. Compared to disturbed temperate and boreal forests, a CO2-related positive feedback of forest disturbance on climate change might therefore be smaller in subarctic regions.