MARIE CURIE INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP
(Category 30)
SCIENTIFIC REPORT
ABOUT THE START OF THE FELLOWSHIP AND WORK BEFORE
SUSPENSION BECAUSE OF MATERNITY LEAVE
CONTRACT N° ___HPMF-CT-2002-01728____
PERIOD COVERED: _01__/_09__/_2002__ – _15__/_01__/_2003__ (DD/MM/YY)
Included as annexes:
- list of participation in conferences (point 4.1.);
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We welcome your feedback on how to improve the Marie Curie Fellowship scheme. This
can be sent on a separate page. Make sure you include the contract number and fellow’s
name.
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CONTRACT N° _____ HPMF-CT-2002-01728___
MARIE CURIE INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP (B30)
1.
IDENTIFICATION
FELLOWSHIP
Proposal n° ___MCFI-2001-01752___
Starting date of contract:
HOST INSTITUTION
Title and name of scientist in charge
of the project:
_01_/__09_/_2002_ (DD/MM/YY)
__Prof. Dr. Matti Seppälä___
End date of contract:
Laboratory/Institute: _____________
_31_/_08_/__2004 (DD/MM/YY)
___Laboratory of Physical
Geography__
Duration: _24_ months
___Department of Geography________
Discipline:
___University of
Helsinki____________
 CHE
 LIF
 ECO/SOC
 MAT
 ENG
 PHY
 ENV
Tel: __(358-9)19150768____
FELLOW
Title and name:
___Dr. Zita Edina Rudner_______
Nationality: __Hungarian_________
Age: _32_ Gender:  M
 F
Civil Status: ______married____
Number of children: ____________
Permanent or future contact
address:
Fax: ___(358-9)19150760____
___Department of Geography___
____P.O.BOX 64____________
E-Mail: _matti.seppala@helsinki.fi__
____00014-University of Helsinki__
____Finland___________________
Tel: __(358-9)19151075____
Fax: __(358-9)19150760___
E-Mail:
__edina.rudner@helsinki.fi__
Title of the project:
Holocene climatic changes reflected in arboreal vegetation succession, tree-limit and fire history in Finnish Lapland
2.
SUMMARY OF WORK PERFORMED AND RESULTS
The aim of this study was to carry out anthracological examinations on Holocene charcoal samples derived from
Finnish Lapland.
This research is supported by a Marie Curie Fellowship of the European Community programme “Improving the Human
Research Potential and the Socio-Economic Knowledge Base” under contract number “HPMF-CT-2002-01728”.
Description of the research project
The sites around sand dunes of Lapland containing charcoal layers are the followings: 1. Iijärvi, 2. Kiellajoki, 3.
Mutusjärvi, 4. Hietatievat, 5. Pasmajärvi, 6. Pöyrisjärvi, 7. Palojärvi, 8. Kuttanen (Seppälä, 1995), in order from East to the
West along the polar tree limit in Northernmost Finland. Hietatievat (Seppälä, 1974; van Vliet-Lanoë et al., 1993) and
Kuttanen (Seppälä, 1981) are esker-dune regions, with several, sometimes up to 35 charcoal layers in one exposure. All sites
have several exposures.
The aim of this study is to carry out anthracological examinations on the samples from the different layers of the sites
mentioned above. That would mean:
collection of new samples from the sites according to fine-stratigraphy and anthracological (Vernet, ed., 1992)
methods;
application of pedoanthracological methods in the examination of the collected samples – this allow us to draw
conclusions on former forest density, then density changes in the different ages, thus on climatic factors;
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tree species identification on the charcoal pieces using xylotomy – forest type succession – follow forest oscillations
in time;
comparing the results from the different sites at the different ages – forest oscillations in space;
tree age determination on the basis of xylotomy – forest age determination;
application of derivatography– conclusions on fires;
new datings to be done on the same samples;
possible correlation of layers of the different sites with layers of other sites and events reconstructed with other types
of Quaternary methods;
comparing the results to Hungarian Pleistocene finds: both seems to have faced discontinuous permafrost with boreal
forests.
There are also old charcoal samples at the Department of Geography, University of Helsinki, which had already been
radiocarbon dated. It is also important to examine these samples as descripted above.
References: Seppälä, M. 1974: AbhAcadWissGött Math-Phys III, 29, 208-220; 1981: Fennia 159, 221-228; 1995: QuatSciRev
14, 799-809; van Vliet-Lanoë et al., 1993: GeolMijn 72, 211-224; Vernet, J.-L. 1992: Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 139.
Examinations in the SEM lab would concern charcoal, namely examination of charcoal sample surfaces under SEM to make
histological identifications of the samples.
Sample size varying between 1-2 cm – 5 mm of charcoal cubes.
Due to the different time-scale of the scholarship as a result of the delay of the beginning of the granted period the
project plan could not be fully evaluated.
During the three months from the granted seven I just started the project. First of all I started with collecting and
reading the literature concerning the subject, namely to get acquainted with the sites, their geography, vegetation and Holocene
history known so far. The University of Helsinki proved to be an excellent place to get all the papers I needed, as lots of works
can be found directly by the internet. It was a marvellous experience that I can download full text papers from the net thanks to
the overall subscriptions that the University has. Where there is no electronic version available I could find all the papers and
books in the neighbouring library, or in other libraries of the University.
Detailed geomorphological investigations were carried out on sand dunes in Finnish Lapland dealing with deflation
and redeposition of sand in order to study the possible causes and mechanism of sand movements and desertification (Seppälä
1974, 1981, 1984, 1995; van Vliet-Lanoë et al. 1993; Filion 1984; Mann et al. 2002). During the fieldwork of these
investigations several charcoal layers with extremely high amount of fossil material came to light from buried palaeosols,
which are very common in Finnish Lapland.
Palinological investigations were carried out, as well, from surrounding peat bogs (Carpelan, Hicks 1995; Eronen et
al. (eds.) 1993; Hicks 1975, 1985, 1992, 1993a, 1993b, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001; Hicks, Hyvärinen 1999; Vuorela, Hicks
1996), but no arboreal vegetation reconstruction took place at all from these sites as no anthracology as a palaeoecological
method was used here. As the charcoal remains in situ it allows us to examine the local former vegetation.
Studying Holocene climatic changes in the region and new palaeoclimatological methods are also needed to the
planned reconstruction so I studied the literature concerning these subjects, as well (Bianchi, McCave 1999; Eronen et al.
1999; Falcon-Lang 2000; Jacoby et al. 2000; Korhola et al. 2000, 2002; Kullman 1995; MacDonald, et al. 2000; Pienitz,
Vincent 2000; Seppä, Birks 2002; Stuiver et al. 1997; Waelbroeck et al. 2001; Wolfe et al. 2000) Biogeographical (Huntley,
Webb 1989; Lavoie, Payette 1996) and anthracological issues were also concerned (Falcon-Lang 2000).
Charcoal samples are at the Department of Geography, University of Helsinki, waiting for anthracological
examinations. The sites around sand dunes of Lapland containing charcoal layers are listed in the project plan, but due to the
short time I started to work only on the Kaamasjoki-Kiellajoki area. Another problem emerged that fieldwork and collection of
new samples would have been needed but due to the limited grant sum travelling to Lapland seemed to be impossible. I tried to
travel with the supervisor, but he neither had suitable trips to the sites. There has also been a dating project on the charcoal
layers with several data carried out in the University of Wales, Swansee by Prof. John Matthews. So I received charcoal
samples from the radiocarbon lab, which have already been dated and some charcoal left, originating from the Kuttanen eskerdune region. Here the profiles are with several, sometimes up to 35 charcoal layers in one exposure. Although, complete
examination of all of the samples from this site was not possible during the scholarship.
In the Physical Geography Laboratory at the Department of Geography of University of Helsinki, they provided me
every facilities to the evaluation of the project.
I also intended to reveal the fire history of the area, also the possible causes and intensity of fires, and the effects of
fires on deflation and desertification. Fire-climate relations would also be possible to trace. So I collected literature on the
boreal forest fires, and forest fire dynamics, as well (Campbell, McAndrews 1995; Clark 1995; Clark, Royall 1995; Clark, et
al. 1989; Rowe, Scotter 1973; Shugart et al. eds. 199; Siegert et al. 2001).
Possibility of tracing human action also appears.
Also the aim of this fellowship was to carry out botanical-vegetational investigations on the today forests of Finland –
to be able to stand a model close enough for the Hungarian Pleistocene vegetational reconstructions. I started this part of the
project as well, by collecting data on the present day botany of Finland.
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Preparation of a reference collection of charred wood for Hungary for the Pleistocene interstadial vegetation
identification also started with the collection of wood pieces from different species of the boreal forest zone.
References
Bianchi, G.G., McCave, N. 1999: Holocene periodicity in North Atlantic climate and deep-ocean flow south of Iceland.
Nature 397, 515–517.
Campbell, I.D., McAndrews, J.H. 1995: Charcoal evidence for Indian-set fires: a comment on Clark and Royall. The
Holocene 5, 369–370.
Carpelan, Ch., Hicks, Sh. 1995: Ancient Saami in Finnish Lapland and Their Impact on the Forest Vegetation. In: Butlin,
R.A., Roberts, N. (eds.) Ecological Relations in Historical Times. Human Impact and Adaptation, 193–205.
Clark, J.S. 1995: Climate and Indian Effects on southern Ontario forests: a replay to Campbell and McAndrews. The
Holocene 5, 371–379.
Clark, J.S., Merkt, J. Müller, H. 1989: Post-glacial fire, vegetation, and human history on the Northern Alpine forelands,
South-Western Germany. Journal of Ecology 77, 897–925.
Clark, J.S., Robinson, J. 1992: Palaeoecology of Fire. In: P.I.Crutzen and J.G.Goldamar eds. Fire in the environment. John
Wiley and sons.
Clark, J.S., Royall, P.D. 1995: Transformation of a northern hardwood forest by aboriginal (Iroquois) fire: charcoal
evidence from Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada. The Holocene 5, 1–9.
Eronen, M., Vorren, K.-D., Gläser, B. (eds.) 1993 Oscillations of the Alpine ad Polar tree limits in the Holocene.
Palaeoclimate Res. 9, 235 pp., GFV.
Eronen, M., Lindholm, M., Saastamoinen, S., Zetterberg, P. 1999: Variable Holocene climate, treeline dynamics and
changes in natural environment in Northern Finnish Lapland, Chemosphere: Global Change Science 1, 377–387.
Falcon-Lang, H. J., 2000: The relationship between leaf longevity and growth ring markedness in modern conifer woods
and its implications for palaeoclimatic studies, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 160, 317–
328.
Filion, L. 1984: A relationship between dunes, fire and climate recorded in the Holocene deposits of Quebec. Nature 309,
543–547.
Hicks, Sh. 1975: Variations in pollen frequency in a bog at Kangerjoki, N.E. Finland during the Flandrian.
Commentationes Biologicae 80, 28 p.
~ 1985: Problems and possibilities in correlating historical/archaeological and pollen-analytical evidence in a northern
Boreal environment: an example from Kuusamo, Finland. Fennoscandia Archaeologica II, 51–84.
~ 1992: Pollen evidence for the activities of man in peripherial areas. In: Grönlund, E. (ed.) The first meeting of Finnish
palaeobotanists; state of the art in Finland. University of Joensuu, Publications of Karelian Institute 102, 21–39.
~ 1993a: Pollen evidence of localized impact on the vegetation of northernmost Finland by hunter-gatherers.
VegetHistArchaeobot 2, 137–144.
~ 1993b: The use of recent pollen rain records in investigating natural and anthropogenic changes in the polar tree limit in
Northern Fennoscandia. Palaeoclimate Res. 9, 5–18, GFV.
~ 1994: Present and past pollen records of Lapland forests. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 82, 17–35.
~ 1995: The history of a wilderness area in Finnish Lapland as revealed by pollen analysis. Arctic Center Publications 7,
126–140.
~ 1999: The relationship between climate and annual pollen deposition at northern tree-lines. Chemosphere: Global
Change Science 1, 403–416.
~ 2001: The use of annual arboreal pollen deposition values for delimiting tree-lines in the landscape and exploring models
of pollen dispersal. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 117, 1–29.
~ , Hyvärinen, H. 1999: Pollen influx values measured in different sedimentary environments and their palaeoecological
implications. Grana 38, 228–242.
Huntley, B., Webb III, Th. 1989: Migration: species’ response to climatic variations caused by changes in the earth’s orbit.
Journal of Biogeography 16, 5–19.
Jacoby, G. C., Lovelius, N. V., Shumilov, O. I., Raspopov, O. M., Karbainov, J. M., Frank, D. C. 2000: Long-Term
Temperature Trends and Tree Growth in the Taymir Region of Northern Siberia. Quaternary Research 53, 312318 (doi: 10.1006/qres.2000.2130)
Korhola, A., Vasko, K. Toivonen, H.T.T., Olander, H. 2002: Holocene temperature changes in Northern Fennoscandia
reconstructed from chironomids using Bayesian modelling. Yuaternary Science Reviews 21, 1841–1860.
Korhola, A., Weckström, J., Homström, L., Erästö, P. 2000: A Quantitative Holocene Climate Record from Diatoms in
Northern Fennoscandia. Quaternary Research 54, 284–294.
Kullman, L. 1995: Holocene Tree-Limit and Climate History from the Scandes Mountains, Sweden. Ecology 76, 2490–
2502.
Lavoie, C. Payette, S. 1996: The Long-Term Stability of the Boreal Forest Limit in Subarctic Quebec. Ecology 77, 1226–
1233.
MacDonald, G.M., Larsen, C.P.S., Szeicz, J.M., Moser, K.A. 1991: The reconstruction of boreal forest fire history from
lake sediments: a comparison of charcoal, pollen, sedimentological, and geochemical indices, Quaternary Science
Reviews 10, 53–71.
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MacDonald, G.M., Velichko, A.A., Kremenetski, C.V., Borisova, O.K., Goleva, A.A., Andreev, A.A., Cwynar, L.C.,
Riding, R.T., Forman, S.L., Edwards, T.W.D., Aravena, R., Hammarlund, D., Szeicz, J.M., Gattaulin, V.N. 2000:
Holocene Treeline History and Climate Change Across Northern Eurasia. Quaternary Research 53: 302–311.
Mann, D.H., Heiser, P.A., Finney, B.P. 2002: Holocene history of the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Northwestern Alaska.
Quaternary Science Reviews 21, 709–731.
Pienitz, R., Vincent, W.F. 2000: Effect of climate change relative to ozone depletion on UV exposure in subarctic lakes.
Nature 404, 484–487.
Rowe, J.S., Scotter, G.W. 1973: Fire in the Boreal Forest. Quaternary Research 3, 444–464.
Seppä, H., Birks, H.J.B. 2002: Holocene Climate Reconstructions from the Fennoscandian Tree-Line Area Based on Pollen
Data from Toskaljavri. Quaternary Research 57, 191–199.
Seppälä, M. 1974: Some Quantitative Measurements of the Present-day Deflation on Hietatievat, Finnish Lapland.
AbhAcadWissGött Math-Phys III 29, 208–220;
~ 1981: Forest fires as activator of geomorphic processes in Kuttanen esker-dune region, Northernmost Finland. Fennia
159, 221–228.
~ 1984: Geomorphological development of the Finnish landscape – a general review. Fennia 162, 43–51;
~ 1995: Deflation and redeposition of sand dunes in Finnish Lapland. QuatSciRev 14, 799–809.
Shugart, H.H., Leemans, R., Bonan, G.B. eds. 1992: A Systems Analysis of the Global Boreal Forest. Cambridge
University Press.
Siegert, F. Ruecker, G., Hinrichs, A., Hoffmann, A.A. 2001: Increased damage from fires in logged forests during droughts
caused by El Niño. Nature 414, 437–440.
Stuiver, M., Braziunas, T.F., Grootes, P.M., Zielinski, G.A. 1997: Is There Evidence for Solar Forcing of Climate in the
GISP2 Oxygen Isotope Record? Quaternary Research 48, 259–266.
van Vliet-Lanoë, Matti Seppälä, Jukka Käyhkö 1993: Dune dynamics and cryoturbation features controlled by Holocene
water level change, Hietatievat, Finnish Lapland. GeolMijn 72, 211–224.
Vuorela, I., Hicks, Sh. 1996 Human Impact on the Natural Landscape in Finland. A Review of the Pollen Evidence. PACT
50, 245–257.
Waelbroeck, C., Duplessy, J.-C., Michel, E., Labeyrie, L., Paillard, D., Duprat, J. 2001: The timing of th elast deglaciation
in North Atlantic climate records. Nature 412, 724–727.
Willis, K. J., Bennett, K. D. and Birks, H. J. B., 1998, The late Quaternary dynamics of pines in Europe, Ecology and
Biogeography of Pinus, Richardson, D. M. ed., Cambridge University Press, 107–121.
Wolfe, B. B., Edwards, T. W. D., Aravena, R., Forman, S. L., Warner, B. G., Velichko, A. A., MacDonald, G. M. 2000:
Holocene Paleohydrology and Paleoclimate at Treeline, North-Central Russia, Inferred from Oxygen Isotope Records in Lake
Sediment Cellulose . Quaternary Research 53, 319-329 (doi: 10.1006/qres.2000.2124)
3.
ASSESSMENT BY THE SCIENTIST IN CHARGE ON THE FELLOW'S WORK DURING THE FELLOWSHIP
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4.
RESEARCH RESULTS RELATED TO THE FELLOWSHIP
4.1. Participation in conferences and other scientific events
Please list participation on a separate sheet following the classification used below.
Number
Active participation
Oral
Poster
Of which were
invited presentations
(oral + poster)
Passive
participation
Conferences
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Workshops
Other Scientific Meetings
4.2. Publications
Please list publications on a separate sheet following the classification used below, indicating any invited
contributions. In publications resulting from collaboration with other institutions, indicate name and country of
institution.
Number of Publications
As main author
Other
Of which were
co-authored with researchers
from other institutions
A. Peer Reviewed
(incl. in press)
- Articles in Journals
- Chapters in Books
- Articles in Conference
Proceedings
- Books and Monographs
B. Non-Peer Reviewed
(incl. in press)
C. Submitted
D. Manuscripts in
preparation
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4.3. Patents
Please list patents on a separate sheet giving their complete reference number and briefly stating the
applicability of each patent.
- Number of patents granted:
- Number of patents pending:
_____
_____
Signatures:
Name of fellow:__ Edina Rudner__
Name of scientist in charge: ____Matti Seppälä_____
Date: _________________________________
Date: ___________________________________________
Signature of fellow: ______________________ Signature of scientist in charge: ______________________
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