Nature

The shape of the sea floor is causing the Thwaites Glacier to break up faster than scientists had previously thought.

The Thwaites Glacier, located in Antarctica, has been called the \”Doomsday Glacier\” in scientific circles because it has been known to be one of the most unstable glaciers and therefore prone to melting. According to new research results, it is even more unstable than previously believed.

The British-American team of researchers has published their recent findings on the condition of the Thwaites Glacier in an article in the journal Nature.

The Thwaites glacier is 192,000 square kilometers in extent, i.e. roughly the same size as Finland without Lapland.

Changes in the extent of glaciers have been monitored since the early 1990s. The sea floor line of the Thwaites Glacier is known to have receded approximately 14 kilometers during this time. The seabed line refers to the edge where the glacier is still attached to the seabed. Outside, the glacier is on the surface of the water, forming a huge ice shelf.

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A hot-water drill melted a 600-meter-deep hole in the glacier for a robotic camera – a phenomenon that is happening all over Antarctica was revealedRead More »

The Supreme Administrative Court decided that the Helsinki Nature Conservation Society cannot complain about the plans for central Helsinki parks.

The Supreme Administrative Court said today that the Helsinki Nature Conservation Society cannot complain about the park plans for the Kaisaniemi Park and Varsapuistiko located in the center of Helsinki.

The nature conservation association’s appeal permit application and appeal are rejected.

According to the Nature Conservation Society’s press release, they are surprised by the decision. According to the association, it is strange that nature organizations have not been considered eligible for appeal in the legal system regarding street and park plans. According to the association, the case shows that the Land Use and Construction Act needs to be changed.

The future of Kaisaniemi Park is worrying

The association says it is worried about the future of Finland’s oldest public park.

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The Nature Conservation Society wonders why it is not allowed to complain if the bats in Finland’s oldest park are threatenedRead More »

A strong gust of solar wind makes it possible to see the northern lights this week also in southern Finland.

The passengers of the Finnair plane on the way from Helsinki to Kuusamo experienced a pleasant surprise in the evening when the captain of the plane deviated slightly from the flight path to show all the passengers the magnificent northern lights.

According to the website Flightradar24, which tracks air traffic, the plane made a 360-degree circle north of Kajaani.

The act of being a captain has aroused a lot of admiration in other parts of the world as well. The commentators gave the captain a thumbs up and said that the gesture arouses interest in Finnish travel.

Iltalehti was the first to report on the matter.

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Finnair’s captain wanted to show the passengers the beautiful northern lights – turned in a full circle in the airRead More »

Metsähallitus’ Nature Services and the Finnish Environment Agency have mapped three million hectares of the areas of Upper Lapland during the years 2020–2022. A similar survey was last done in the 90s.

Climate change can be seen in Lapland’s palsa marshes, according to the mapping of the Finnish Environment Agency’s and Metsähallitus’ nature services.

A third of the palsa plains in the protected areas and wilderness areas of Upper Lapland have disappeared compared to the situation in the 90s. In Finland, there are mostly palsas in Enontekiö and Utsjoki.

Pals are mounds of peat frozen inside. As the average temperature rises, the ice inside the palsa mound melts and the mounds collapse, and new ones no longer form.

Previously known palsa swamps have disappeared from the nature of Käsivarre and the Pallas-Ounastunturi area. Balsas would be protected by stopping global warming.

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Climate change can be seen in the palsa, a third of the palsa in Upper Lapland’s protected areas and wilderness areas has disappearedRead More »

New nature reserves were established or purchased for nature conservation purposes in 70 different locations.

Several new nature reserves were established in Kanta- and Päijät-Hämee last year. In addition, several sites were purchased in the provinces for nature conservation purposes. The areas cover a total of 695 hectares.

– Landowners are very much interested in voluntary forest protection. We always have about 50 objects in the queue, which are mainly forests, says Pohjonen. The work queue is growing all the time

According to Pohjonen, many forest owners themselves recognize the conservation value of their forest, and offer it to the ely center for protection.

– However, not all the sites offered meet the conservation criteria, but the best ones are selected.

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In Häme last year, efforts were made to protect forests and bogsRead More »

Tuomas Semenoff, the reindeer herder of the Vätsäri paliskunta, says that the paliskunta is of the opinion that the threatened fine is unwarranted.

Winter feeding of reindeer in water areas, i.e. on ice, is prohibited by law. In the area of \u200b\u200bthe Vätsär paliskunta in Inari, however, reindeer have been fed over water bodies for years.

According to the Environmental Protection Act, reindeer can be fed on ice temporarily when the reindeer herd is assembled on the ice and, for example, moved to another place.

In 2017, the environmental authority of Inari municipality imposed a fine of 5,000 euros on Vätsäri municipality. Now, the environmental authority has imposed a new threat fine of no less than 10,000 euros on the paliskunna, because, according to the authority, the feeding of reindeer with ice has been continued.

Excrement and feed load the waterway

According to the environmental protection authority, feeding the reindeer causes a load on the waterways. Loads also arise from reindeer excrement and food left on the ice, for example from feed dust that comes with the feed.

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Reindeer fed with ice – a ten thousand euro fine for the paliskunnaRead More »

The puppy was diagnosed with widespread peritonitis last Sunday.

One of Korkeasaari’s three Amur tiger cubs has died of a serious illness, the zoo informs. A male puppy named Oboi fell ill last week with peritonitis, which was caused by a sharp piece of bone swallowed with food.

Animal keepers noticed last week that the puppy was not eating and that it appeared to be in pain. In further examinations carried out on Sunday, the animal was found to have widespread peritonitis.

It was not possible to treat the disease, so the puppy was euthanized. Monday’s pathological examination revealed that the cause of the inflammation was a sharp piece of bone swallowed by the puppy, which had made holes in the intestine and got stuck there.

Tigers crush bones with their teeth when eating meat, and it is normal to have bone fragments in their intestines, the zoo says. The food of Amur tigers on Korkeasaari includes whole carcasses, which are often deer that have died in a crash.

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One of Korkeasaari’s tiger cubs was euthanized due to a serious illness: \”We are all grieving because of Oboi\”Read More »

This week, a strong gust of solar wind makes it possible to see the northern lights in southern Finland as well.

At the end of the week, the situation calms down somewhat, and Cloudiness also affects the observation of the northern lights.

According to Laitinen, the best time to see the northern lights is at midnight.

– This time, when the solar wind is stronger than usual, with good luck you can see it earlier.

He instructs aurora lovers to go away from illuminated cities and find a viewing spot with an open view of the sky.

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The northern lights will shine in the sky of Southern Finland next night as well – a researcher tells where and how many people can see them bestRead More »

Those who voluntarily feed the birds in Linnanvirtra have launched a feeding raft, so the birds of Kajaanijoki now get food with permission. The year-long struggle over winter feeding of birds has ended.

The long-running dispute about feeding ducks and swans wintering in the Kajaaninjoki is over. In Linnanvirta, those who voluntarily feed the birds have launched a feeding raft, so the birds can now get food with permission.

The ferry is 2.5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, moving it is quite a task due to its weight.

The volunteers have built the feeding platform according to the architect’s instructions.

Feeding the wintering birds in Linnanvirta has been a struggle for several years. The feeding of birds wintering in the Kajaaninjoki should have been stopped if the voluntary feeding group had not been able to acquire a suitable feeding raft. BirdLife Finland has also taken a stand on the situation.

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The birds wintering on the Kajaanijoki will eat on the ferry in the future, without it the feeding of the ducks and swans would have had to be stoppedRead More »

In addition, about 600 hectares of new and permanent nature conservation areas were established in Pirkanmaa in the METSO program. Private forest owners protected 42 sites in Pirkanmaa.

The Gift of Nature campaign, which ended at the end of the year, creates 240 hectares of new nature reserves in Pirkanmaa. The people of Pirkan donated 120 hectares of nature reserves to the Gift of Nature campaign, and the state is committed to donating its own land to conservation for the amount of hectares donated by private individuals.

The Gift of Nature campaign is one of the ways to try to stop the deterioration of biodiversity in Finland.

Last year, new Metso protected areas were also established in Pirkanmaa. The protected area was about 600 hectares. The amount increased from the previous year by 140 hectares.

The Metso program protects the diversity of forests in Southern Finland. Protection is based on voluntariness. Through the program, forest owners receive compensation for their protected forest.

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The people of Pirkan donated 120 hectares of nature reserves to the Gift of Nature campaignRead More »