TO ALL GUEST SCIENTISTS AT THE ABISKO SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH STATION

Dear Guest Scientist,

We are pleased that you have applied to visit the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Abisko Scientific Research Station where you will undertake your field studies or attend a conference. A major component of the Station's mission is to facilitate research into the natural environment of the surrounding area and we will do our best to welcome you and to help you to make your visit and field research successful.

The Abisko Station has been in operation since 1912 and the number of studies in the surrounds of the Station and meetings have grown dramatically. Although this development is of course welcome, leading to a large knowledge base of the biota, landscapes and meteorology of the area, it presents practical problems. These include potentially increasing impacts of research activities on sensitive environments, potential overlaps in research objectives of different groups, and difficulty for the Abisko Station in keeping track of the objectives and output of all the studies based here. Of course the Station continuously compiles a bibliography of papers published resulting from research and meetings at the Station and keeps guest records. However, our data bases need to be refined to recognise the increased use of field sites and increased international demand for information on northern environments.

Within the last few years, the Abisko Station has hosted a project office for the UNESCO Man and Biosphere, MaB, programme in Sweden which has designated Torneträsk and some of its surroundings as a Biosphere Reserve. Together with MaB, the Station is developing a policy of "Sustainable research". We recognise that modern scientific methodology now has unprecedented possibilities to modify the environment for other researchers, e.g. the application of enriched radioisotopes, fertilisers, manipulations of biodiversity, trampling which affects hydrology in sensitive wetlands etc.
Also, together with MaB, we intend to compile a data base of research activities here and make this accessible to the research community at the Station, to the local public, government authorities and the international scientific community at large. This is for the moment resting, due to changed conditions.

Consequently, we request that you kindly spend some minutes to tell us about your research or visit here by completing the Online Application Form found at this page.
The intention is: at the beginning of each year, before written requests for permission to work at the Station are expected, a compilation of forms from the previous year will be made available at this web site or in hard copy on request from the Station.

We are convinced that this procedure will help your research in the longer term and we look forward to your co-operation.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Terry V. Callaghan
Director