Arctic co-operation from board rooms to the edge of the ice

© Ilkka Lastumäki

Our research and expertise support the protection and use of the sensitive environments in the Arctic regions. SYKE is extensively involved in the Arctic Council's work and in various projects in northern areas.

We act in the Arctic region with the aim of resolving various environmental problems. The most significant of these are climate change and environmental toxicants. We provide support in areas such as establishing of nature conservation networks and the planning of sustainable mining activities. We carry out regular research of the Arctic marine environment. Additionally, we are developing a specialised marine technology that will aid in the response to oil spills.

SYKE carries out long-term and diverse monitoring of environmental changes. We also use this expertise in the Arctic regions in the detection of climate change and to speed up needed solutions. New methods for remote sensing have added an important contribution to research co-operation in the Arctic region.

Examples of co-operation:

• Climate change: Keeping the Arctic White: Regulatory Options for Reducing Short-Lived Climate Forcers in the Arctic (WHITE)
• Marine conservation: Developing the guidelines for the post-spill monitoring of the accidental chemical spills in the Baltic sea and cold waters (EKOMON)
• Environmental toxicants:Long-range Transported Contaminants in Northern Finland (LAPCON) (In Finnish)
• Sustainability of mining activities (In Finnish)
• Sea ice research: Bacteria in Sea Ice (PHAICE)
• Nature conservation: Barents Protected Area Network
• Marine technology and oil spill response: Integrated Oil Spill Response Actions and Environmental Effects (GRACE)
• Location data: Reindeer Herding GIS and Tools for Land Use Planning (TOKAT)
• Remote sensing: Envibase
• Research Vessel Aranda
   

Research Professor Martin Forsius and Secretary General of AMAP Lars-Otto Reiersen present AMAP's reports and work to Foreign Minister of Russia Lavrov in the ministerial meeting of Arctic Council on 11th May 2017 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Picture: Arctic Council Secretariat / Linnea Nordström.

More information

International politics

Director of Marine Research Centre  Paula Kankaanpää, SYKE
tel. 0295 251 099, firstname.surname@syke.fi

Climate change

Director of Climate Change Programme Mikael Hildén, SYKE
tel. 0295 251 173, firstname.surname@syke.fi

Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)

Research Professor Martin Forsius, SYKE
tel. 0295 251 118, firstname.surname@syke.fi

Climate change and black carbon

Head of Unit Niko Karvosenoja, SYKE
tel. 0295 251 264, firstname.surname@syke.fi