Project title:
Source-to-Sink-Fluxes in Cold Environments
Principal investigator
Name: Achim A. Beylich
Title: Dr., Assoc. Professor
Postal address: Geological Survey of Norway, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Phone number: +47 73 90 4117
Fax number: +47 73 92 1620
Email: Achim.Beylich@ngu.no
Scientific personnel within the project:
Achim A. Beylich
Collaborators:
Botanical Institute, Göteborg University, Sweden: Ulf Molau et al.
Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden: Else Kolstrup, Laust B. Pedersen
et al.
Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, Finland: Seppo Neuvonen et al.
Natural Research Centre of North-western Iceland, Saudarkrokur, Iceland: Þorsteinn
Sæmundsson et al.
Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Akureyri, Iceland: Halldór Pétursson
Department of Geology, Helsinki University, Finland: Heikki Seppä
Department of Geography, University of Würzburg, Germany: Christof Kneisel
Institute of Geography, Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/S., Germany:
Karl-Heinz Schmidt
Department of Geography, NTNU Trondheim, Norway: Geir Vatne, Ivar Berthling
Start date of project: (01.12.1999) 01.09.2004
(Expected) completion date of project: open
Funding agency: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD, 1999-2001), Swedish Natural
Research Council (NFR, VR, 1999-2001), The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (19992001), Uppsala University (1999-2004), German Science Foundation (DFG, 2002-2004),
LAPBIAT EU FP5 (2003), European Science Foundation (ESF, 2004-2006), Geological
Survey of Norway (NGU, 2004 -)
Short summary, project description:
The project is focused on the analysis of present-day sediment transfers and sediment budgets
in selected cold climate catchments. Of major interest is the quantification of sediment
transfers and denudation rates using unified methods. The comparable data sets are used for
modelling landscape development and effects of climate change by applying the Ergodic
principle of space-for-time substitution. The selected test catchments are situated in cold
environments in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Main goals of the project:
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Monitoring of present-day sediment transfers
Analysis of sediment sinks
Analysis of sediment budgets in different catchments in cold environments
Analysis of climatic controls of transfer processes and sediment budgets
Analysis of Form-Process-Material functional relationships
Modelling landscape development
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Modelling effects of climate change
Application of unified methods/techniques, generation of comparable data sets from
different cold climate catchments
Key words (5 – 10): Sediment transfers; Sediment Budgets; Monitoring; Cold Environments;
Climate Change; Landscape Development; Modelling
Study site: Latnjavagge (Sweden), Erdalen (Norway), Strupskarddalen (Norway), Kidisjoki
(Finland), Hrafnadalur (Iceland), Austdalur (Iceland), Hofsjøkull/northern forefield (Iceland)
Other comments:
Name of researcher (SEDIFLUX member): Achim A. Beylich
Title of ongoing or recently completed project: Source-to-Sink-Fluxes in Cold Environments
Duration of project (start and (expected) end dates): (1999) 2004 - open
Name of study site: Erdalen
Description of study site
Country: Norway
Area: Nordfjord
Geographical coordinates: 61.50N, 07.10E
Elevation a.s.l.:
Climate: oceanic
Vegetation cover: birch and alpine woods, grassland, barren ground
Topography: Alpine mountains, valley and fjords
Lithology: Gneiss
Other description: catchment, glacier cover in the upper part, no larger snow and ice
patches/fields, none permafrost distally to the glacier, Human impacts: Road through the
catchment, some cottages, huts, Agriculture, grazing, geo-tourism, field research
Short description of data sets available from this site
(meteorological data sets, data sets from longer term process monitoring etc.):
 Glacial chronology
 Late glacial/Holocene sediment fluxes
 hydrological data
 contemporary sediment transfers
 some soil development data
Short description of other material which is available from this site
(aerial photographs, DEM, maps, etc.):
 aerial photographs
 DEM
 Geological map 1:5000
Short description of instrumentation and methods used at this study site:
 Geomorphic process monitoring (slope and fluvial systems)
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Weather station
Quantification of sediment volumes
Geophysical investigations
Mapping
Other comments:
Name of researcher (SEDIFLUX member): Achim A. Beylich
Title of ongoing or recently completed project: Source-to-Sink-Fluxes in Cold Environments
Duration of project (start and (expected) end dates): (1999) 2004 - open
Name of study site: Latnjavagge
Description of study site
Country: Sweden
Area: Abisko mountain area
Geographical coordinates: 68.21N; 18.29E
Elevation a.s.l.: 950-1440
Climate: arctic-oceanic
Vegetation cover: heath and meadows
Topography: U-shaped valley
Lithology: mica shist
Other description: catchment of 9 km2, no glacier cover, snow and ice patches/fields,
sporadic-discontinuous permafrost, Human impacts: reindeer husbandry, hiking tourism, field
research
Short description of data sets available from this site
(meteorological data sets, data sets from longer term process monitoring etc.):
 weather station data
 contemporary sediment transfers
 contemporary sediment budget
 some permafrost data
 vegetation map
 landscape ecologic. map
 phenology
 individ species data
 grazing exclosures
 countings of tourists, reindeers, etc.
Short description of other material which is available from this site
(aerial photographs, DEM, maps, etc.):
 aerial photographs
 DEM
 Topographic map 1:18.000
Short description of instrumentation and methods used at this study site:
 Geomorphic process monitoring (slope systems and fluvial systems)
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ITEX site
meteorological station (ITEX)
Other comments:
Logistic base within the valley: Latnjajaure Field station (LFS)
15 km away: Abisko Scientific Research Station (ANS)
Name of researcher (SEDIFLUX member): Achim A. Beylich
Title of ongoing or recently completed project: Source-to-Sink-Fluxes in Cold Environments
Duration of project (start and (expected) end dates): (1999) 2004 - open
Name of study site: Kidesjohka
Description of study site
Country: Finland
Area: Kevo region, Finnish Lapland
Geographical coordinates: 69.47N, 27.05E
Elevation a.s.l.: 75-365
Climate: sub-arctic
Vegetation cover: pine and open birch woods, heaths, mires
Topography: Baltic Shield
Lithology: Gneisses
Other description: catchment of 18 km2, no glacier cover, no larger snow and ice
patches/fields, no permafrost, Human impacts: Road through the catchment, some cottages,
reindeer grazing, tourism, field research
Short description of data sets available from this site
(meteorological data sets, data sets from longer term process monitoring etc.):
 temperature data within the valley
 nearby (about 3 km) meteorological station (1962 -)
 hydrological data
 contemporary sediment transfers
 contemporary sediment budget
 some permafrost data
 vegetation map
 forest line gardens
Short description of other material which is available from this site
(aerial photographs, DEM, maps, etc.):
 aerial photographs
 DEM
 Topographic map 1:25.000
Short description of instrumentation and methods used at this study site:
 Geomorphic process monitoring (fluvial systems)
 Temperature data loggers
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Other comments:
Logistic base: Kevo Subarctic Research Institute
Name: Achim A. Beylich
Title: Dr. , Assoc. Professor
Position: Senior Geologist, Researcher
Postal address: Geological Survey of Norway, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Phone number: +47 73 90 4117
Fax number: +47 73 92 1620
Email: Achim.Beylich@ngu.no
Webpage: http://www.ngu.no/landskap
Scientific field: Geomorphology, Physical Geography
Research interests:
 Process geomorphology
 Sediment budgets
 Cold environments
 Morphoclimatology
 Climate Change
 Landscape Ecology
Research areas/study sites:
 Swedish Lapland:Latnjavagge
 Norway: Erdalen, Strupskarddalen
 Finland: Kidisjoki
 Iceland: Hrafnadalur, Austdalur, Hofsjøkull/northern forefield
Title, duration (start and completion date) and funding agency of ongoing and recently
completed projects which are scientifically related to SEDIFLUX:
Source-to-Sink-Fluxes in Cold Environments
(01.12.1999) 01.09.2004 - open
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD, 1999-2001)
Swedish Natural Research Council (NFR, VR, 1999-2001)
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA, 1999-2001)
Uppsala University (1999-2004)
German Science Foundation (DFG, 2002-2004)
LAPBIAT EU FP5 (2003)
European Science Foundation (ESF, 2004-2006)
Geological Survey of Norway (NGU, 2004 - )
Five key publications of the last 5 years:
Beylich, A.A., Etienne, S., Etzelmüller, B., Gordeev, V.V., Käyhkö, J., Rachold, V., Russell,
A.J., Schmidt, K.-H., Sæmundsson, Þ., Tweed, F.S., and Warburton, J. (2005): Sedimentary
Source-to-Sink-Fluxes in Cold Environments – Information on the European Science
Foundation (ESF) Network SEDIFLUX. – Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie N.F., Suppl.-Vol.
138: 229-234.
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Beylich, A.A., Kolstrup, E., Thyrsted, T., Linde, N., Pedersen, L.B., and Dynesius, L. (2004):
Chemical denudation in arctic-alpine Latnjavagge (Swedish Lapland) in relation to regolith as
assessed by radio magnetotelluric-geophysical profiles. – Geomorphology, 57: 303-319.
Beylich, A.A., Lindblad, K., and Molau, U. (2005): Direct human impacts on mechanical
denudation in an arctic-oceanic periglacial environment in northern Swedish Lapland (Abisko
mountain area). – Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie N.F., Suppl.-Vol. 138: 81-100.
Beylich, A.A., Molau, U., Luthbom, K., and Gintz, D. (2005): Rates of chemical and
mechanical fluvial denudation in an arctic-oceanic periglacial environment, Latnjavagge
drainage basin, northernmost Swedish Lapland. – Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 37
(1): 69-81.
Beylich, A.A., Sandberg, O., Molau, U., and Wache, S. (2005): Intensity and spatio-temporal
variability of fluvial sediment transfers in an arctic-oceanic periglacial environment in
northernmost Swedish Lapland. – Geomorphology (in press).
Are you willing to send photo(s) of your study site(s): Yes: ++
If yes please send photo(s) (one or two per study site) in digital form.
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No: