Oulanka research station, FI

The research station is owned by the University of Oulu in Finland.

The station that focuses on stream research and on research on climate change & reindeer grazing effects. It provides year-around access to northern boreal ecosystems and many long-term ecological data sets (e.g., on bedrock, soils, vegetation site types, flora, insects, birds).

Contribution to POLARIN key research challenges: 4, 5, 6, 7

Contact:Station Manager Riku Paavola riku.paavola[at]oulu.fi

WebsiteÂ

https://www.oulu.fi/en/research/research-infrastructures/oulanka-research-station

https://www.interact-gis.org/Home/Station/24

Location

Oulanka Research Station is situated in the Oulanka river valley within the Oulanka National Park (66°22’N, 29°19’E). The station is c. 25 km south of the Artic Circle, 13 km west of the Russian border, about 280 km northeast of Oulu, and 55 km north of the town of Kuusamo.

Facilities

Oulanka Research Station operates and offers access to visitors throughout the year. The station is a primary location for field courses at Oulu University (especially biology and geography) with 5-8 different courses and roughly 1500 person-days per year.

The station lies in the heart of the Oulanka National Park at an optimal distance to various field research locations. Being a multi-disciplinary research station, Oulanka is open to almost all kinds of research activities. It has 95 beds, an auditorium, classrooms, workshops, and high-speed internet.

The station has a modern analytical laboratory and a state-of-the-art microscopy and micro imaging laboratory.

A scenic webcam is broadcasting live from the nearby Kiutaköngäs rapids nearby the station. Follow this link to see what is happening in Oulanka right now!

Observatories linked to the station: EcoClimate, a real-time, high-level monitoring system and manipulative long-term experiment for climate change & grazing research that produces data on large numbers of variables (e.g., irradiation, CO2, soil parameters, weather, snow, and ground frost parameters).

Services offeredÂ

Services offered include the Unique ‘EcoClimate’ observatory (a long-term manipulative field experimental platform), modern analytical laboratory with e.g., diverse carbon analysis equipment, a multitude of existing and continued long-term data series, top-level microscope and micro-imaging systems, environmental sampling services.

What is included in the Access

Unit of access: User/day

Modalities of access offered: In-person access, remote access

The access includes preparatory work, an introduction to the station and its facilities and field sites to the users, help with fieldwork. The typical duration of work is 5-14 days. Users will share the station facilities if other users are present.

Availability for access in the 2024 call

The station is open year-round.

The availability for access in the 2024 call is 1^st April 2025 – 30^th April 2026.

Time frame for access preparations

The time frame to receive the documentation from RI users and for logistic preparations (after access is granted) is approximately two weeks.

Permits, licenses and training

The users are recommended to contact the research station for consultation on permits, licenses and training requirements in advance of accessing the station.

The permits required depend on the planned research as the area is a national park where restrictions apply. However, the research station has a general research permit which allows many types of research without a need to apply for a specific permit.

Certification or training required from RI users depends on the planned activities.

Medical guidelines

The station does not require any medical health checks from its users. The responsibility for the health and medical insurance of the users is on the researchers’ home institution.