Solar-type periodicities in the climate variability of Northern Fennoscandia during the last three centuries: Real influence of solar activity or natural instability in the climate system

Fifteen proxy records of summer temperature in Fennoscandia, Northern Europe and in Yamal and Taymir Peninsulas (Western Siberia) were analyzed for the AD 1700–2000 period. Century-long (70–100 year) and quasi bi-decadal periodicities were found from proxy records representing different parts of Fennoscandia. Decadal variation was revealed in a smaller number of records. Statistically significant correlations were revealed between the timescale-dependent components of temperature variability and solar cycles of Schwabe (~11 year), Hale (~22 year), and Gleissberg (сentury-long) as recorded in solar activity data. Combining the results from our correlation analysis with the evidence of solar-climatic linkages over the Northern Fennoscandia obtained over the past 20 years suggest that there are two possible explanations for the obtained solar-proxy relations: (a) the Sun’s activity actually influences the climate variability in Northern Fennoscandia and in some regions of the Northern Hemisphere albeit the mechanism of such solar-climatic linkages are yet to be detailed; (b) the revealed solar-type periodicities result from natural instability of climate system and, in such a case, the correlations may appear purely by chance. Multiple lines of evidence support the first assumption but we note that the second one cannot be yet rejected. Guidelines for further research to elucidate this question are proposed including the Fisher’s combined probability test in the presence of solar signal in multiple proxy records.

Cascading effects of moth outbreaks on subarctic soil food webs

The increasing severity and frequency of natural disturbances requires a better understanding of their effects on all compartments of biodiversity. In Northern Fennoscandia, recent large-scale moth outbreaks have led to an abrupt change in plant communities from birch forests dominated by dwarf shrubs to grass-dominated systems. However, the indirect effects on the belowground compartment remained unclear. Here, we combined eDNA surveys of multiple trophic groups with network analyses to demonstrate that moth defoliation has far-reaching consequences on soil food webs. Following this disturbance, diversity and relative abundance of certain trophic groups declined (e.g., ectomycorrhizal fungi), while many others expanded (e.g., bacterivores and omnivores) making soil food webs more diverse and structurally different. Overall, the direct and indirect consequences of moth outbreaks increased belowground diversity at different trophic levels. Our results highlight that a holistic view of ecosystems improves our understanding of cascading effects of major disturbances on soil food webs.

Sedimentary ancient DNA shows terrestrial plant richness continuously increased over the Holocene in northern Fennoscandia

The effects of climate change on species richness are debated but can be informed by the past. Here, we generated a sedimentary ancient DNA dataset covering 10 lakes and applied novel methods for data harmonization. We assessed the impact of Holocene climate changes and nutrients on terrestrial plant richness in northern Fennoscandia. We find that richness increased steeply during the rapidly warming Early Holocene. In contrast to findings from most pollen studies, we show that richness continued to increase thereafter, although the climate was stable, with richness and the regional species pool only stabilizing during the past three millennia. Furthermore, overall increases in richness were greater in catchments with higher soil nutrient availability. We suggest that richness will increase with ongoing warming, especially at localities with high nutrient availability and assuming that human activity remains low in the region, although lags of millennia may be expected.

Mapping the North: Ethnicities, Territories and the Networks of Archaeology

The Saami, the indigenous population of northern Fennoscandia, have constantly been conceptualized as the others in relation to the (pre-)history writing of the modern nation-states. Here, the discussion focuses on Saami archaeology and representations of Saami prehistory in Sweden. It is emphasized that all ethnic, national and territorial concepts are embedded in networks of power, and that the connections and separations behind the concepts need to be explored. In this article a relational network approach is suggested as an alternative to dualistic thinking about ethnicities and territories. Ethnicity is here seen as one set of relationships, interwoven into many networks stretching over time and space. The network approach is in part inspired by actor-network theory, which is briefly described together with some possible points of interest for archaeological studies.

Early Copper Finds in Northern Fennoscandia

A rough casting for a vcry early copper adze, tound not long ago in the interior of Upper Norrland has been shown by analysis to be of very pure copper - 99.4%. The author has used the occasion to study the early use of copper in northern Fennoscandia. The earliest evidence is from ca. 3900 B.C., and in this case there were indications that metal was actually being melted. The copper studied was all of eastern/south-eastern origin; copper began reaching Upper Norrland via south Scandinavia only much later. The author surveys some of the main features in the development of metalworking in the forest region between the Urals and Karelia and also further south. In this vast area are found the preconditions for the production of copper objects in northern Fennoscandia. The material is viewed against the background of an earlier study by the author of the import of north Russian Carboniferous flint into Upper Norrland between the Middle Neolithic and the Epineolithic.

Cinema across borders: national differences in SÁMI FILMMAKING in the Nordic countries

The cinema of the Sámi people, of northern Fennoscandia and Russia (Sápmi), has flourished since the turn of the millennium. This thesis summarizes the history of Sámi film, its current infrastructure, and the differences in filmmaking trends between the three Nordic countries of Sápmi. It also includes a list of all known Sámi productions and organizations funding Sámi film. By exploring the differences in funding in the Nordic countries, it examines the relative lack of Sámi film production and infrastructure in Sweden, as compared to Norway and Finland. The paper compares the development of the film industry, in each country of Sápmi, with the political history and current legal status of the Sámi, finding that the success of Sámi film is correlated with greater autonomy in government and language rights.

Cinema across borders: national differences in SÁMI FILMMAKING in the Nordic countries

The cinema of the Sámi people, of northern Fennoscandia and Russia (Sápmi), has flourished since the turn of the millennium. This thesis summarizes the history of Sámi film, its current infrastructure, and the differences in filmmaking trends between the three Nordic countries of Sápmi. It also includes a list of all known Sámi productions and organizations funding Sámi film. By exploring the differences in funding in the Nordic countries, it examines the relative lack of Sámi film production and infrastructure in Sweden, as compared to Norway and Finland. The paper compares the development of the film industry, in each country of Sápmi, with the political history and current legal status of the Sámi, finding that the success of Sámi film is correlated with greater autonomy in government and language rights.

Tellurium and Selenium Mineralogy of Gold Deposits in Northern Fennoscandia

Mineralization of Te and Se was found in gold deposits and uranium occurrences, located in the Paleoproterozoic greenstone belts in Northern Fennoscandia. These deposits are of different genesis, but all of them formed at the late stages of the Svecofennian orogeny, and they have common geochemical association of metals Au, Cu, Co, U, Bi, Te, and Se. The prevalentTe minerals are Ni and Fe tellurides melonite and frohbergite, and Pb telluride altaite. Bismuth tellurides were detected in many deposits in the region, but usually not more than in two–three grains. The main selenide in the studied deposits is clausthalite. The most diversified selenium mineralization (clausthalite, klockmannite, kawazulite, skippenite, poubaite) was discovered in the deposits, located in the Russian part of the Salla-Kuolajarvi belt. Consecutive change of sulfides by tellurides, then by selenotellurides and later by selenides, indicates increase of selenium fugacity, fSe2, in relation to fTe2 and to fS2in the mineralizing fluids. Gold-, selenium-, and tellutium-rich fluids are potentially linked with the post-Svecofennian thermal event and intrusion of post-orogenic granites (1.79–1.75 Ga) in the Salla-Kuolajarvi and Perapohja belts. Study of fluid inclusions in quartz from the deposits in the Salla-Kuolajarvi belt showed that the fluids were high-temperature (240–>300 °C) with high salinity (up to 26% NaCl-eq.). Composition of all studied selenotellurides, kawazulite-skippenite, and poubaite varies significantly in Se/Te ratio and in Pb content. Skippenite and kawazulite show the full range of Se-Te isomorphism. Ni-Co and Co-Fe substitution plays an important role in melonite and mattagamite: high cobalt was detected in nickel telluride in the Juomasuo and Konttiaho, and mattagamites from Ozernoe and Juomasuo contain significant Fe.In the Ozernoe uranium occurrence, the main mineral-concentrator of selenium is molybdenite, which contains up to 16 wt.% of Se in the marginal parts of the grains. The molybdenite is rich in Re (up to 1.2 wt.%), and the impurity of Re is irregularly distributed in molybdenite flakes and spherulites.