Arctic Centre, University of Lapland

The Arctic Centre, University of Lapland is Finland’s national institute for Arctic expertise. It is based at the University of Lapland, the northernmost university in Finland and the EU, and is located in the Arktikum building by the Ounasjoki river in Rovaniemi near the Arctic Circle.

The Centre conducts multidisciplinary and participatory research on impacts of the development and climate change in the Arctic. Besides research and science communications, it maintains a science exhibition, a library and provides education.^[1] The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM) is a part of the Centre.

The Centre is committed to research so as to better understand the natural and physical environment of the Arctic and its forms of life. Such research spans the arts, humanities and natural sciences and its products take many forms from scientific papers and monographs to books, exhibitions, audiovisual material, artworks and films. It is a place where researchers, planners and artists collaborate within and outside the university. The community of researchers at the centre comes with diverse scientific, national, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The centre has strong local orientation and it provides an international research environment that allows and fosters the multidisciplinary approach. This includes participating in several IPY research projects including:^[2]

• CAVIAR (Community Adaptation and Vulnerability in Arctic Regions)
• MOVE-INNOCOM (Place, mobility and viability in INdustrial, NOrthern COmmunities)
• DAMOCLES (Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-Term Environmental Studies)
• CIGSAC (The Capability of International Governance Systems in the Arctic to Contribute to the Mitigation of Climate Change and Adjust to its Consequences)
• Greening of Arctic/Application of space based technologies to land use and cover change

The "Arctic in Change", a science exhibition, promotes the natural beauty and the cultural richness of the Arctic, while it informs the visitors about the ongoing rapid social and environmental changes occurring in the fragile Arctic. Set up in a friendly environment, the exhibition combines multimedia shows, interactive stations, artefacts and photos. The exhibition revolves around the ongoing changes in the Arctic and illuminates the relationship between global and local issues.

References

External links

• Arctic Centre homepage
• Arktikum house homepage, information on opening hours etc.