The Mysteries of Climate Changepage 3
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Issue 3 – 2010 May 31 English Contents 2 Claire Aho’s Helsinki Supplement in 1968 3 Unravelling mysteries of climate change 5 University of Helsinki 5 University glossary 6 New directions at Helsinki Zoo 8 Users develop Infobank 9 Happy Helsinki Day 10 Helsinki Week 11 Shaman´s haven of the Kalevala Unravelling 12 Information services for non-Europeans the mysteries of climate changePage 3 Page 9 Mari Hohtari Happy Helsinki Week Mari Hohtari English Supplement Young couples in love celebrating Labour Day, daredevils in a twirling carousel, market vendors behind their stands… In 1968 photographer Claire Aho participated in a Nordic photog- raphy exhibition in Kiel, Germany with her images of Helsinki. These photographs, which feature sur- prising compositions and offer fascinat- ing depictions of the era, are now being exhibited in Finland for the first time. Claire Aho, born 1925 in Helsinki and now living in Stockholm, is the grand old lady of Finnish photography FRONT PAGE with a huge amount of portraits, post- ers, fashion plates and artistic photos. She is also a pioneer of Finnish docu- mentary film like her father Heikki Aho and her uncle Björn Soldan. Claire Aho Claire Aho is the granddaughter of author Juhani Aho (earlier Brofeldt) and Venny Soldan-Brofeldt (1863– 1945), one of the leading women painters of her time. Claire Aho’s Helsinki in 1968 Juhani Aho (1861–1921) was a jour- nalist and the first Finnish professional Although Juhani Aho chose his sub- is seen in his first novel Rautatie Exhibition in the Virka Gallery 4.6.–5.9. writer, best known Finnish author in jects from Finnish folk life, his works (Railway) from the year 1884. Aho Helsinki City Hall lobby, Scandinavia in his own time, who spe- were far from provincial. They also translated to Finnish such writers Pohjoisesplanadi 11–13 cialized in short stories called ”lastuja” reflected consciously modern literary as Kielland, Daudet, Lagerlöf, Hugo, Opening hours: Mon–Fri 9–19 (splinters). movements, especially realism, which and Maeterlinck. Sat–Sun 11–17. English Supplement At the forefront of geosciences: Unravelling mysteries of climate change By Johanna Lemola FRONT PAGE Markku Kulmala is at the helm of world- leading research on aerosols and their influence on climate change. Professor Markku Kulmala agrees with the legendary fic- tional detective Nero Wolfe in one ambition: never leave your home to conduct an investigation. Dr Kulmala would prefer to stay securely at his home base to conduct his “investigation”, research on aerosols. This year, he has to make a compromise, having accepted a visiting professorship in environmental science at Stock- holm University by invitation of the King of Sweden. Home base to Dr Kulmala has been the Department of Physics at the University of Helsinki for his entire 26-year career. This career has taken him and his team to the top of the world in atmospheric science. Mari Hohtari English Supplement No. 3 on the world ranking list originating from Finland published in tion, founded by Dr Kulmala and col- Professor Kulmala’s team at the the respected Science magazine. leagues in 1995, has an extensive Department of Physics’ Division of range of measurement capabilities, Atmospheric Sciences – designated The makings of success from atmospheric and irradiation to by the Academy of Finland as a Cen- The reasons for the team’s success soil-water measurements. tre of Excellence – studies aerosols are many. “Hyytiälä has produced the longest and the interactions between the bio- The Division of Atmospheric Sci- unbroken records from field measure- sphere and the atmosphere. ences at the University of Helsinki is ments in the world”, Dr Kulmala says. The findings of the team bear direct the pioneer in field measurements. “These records enable us to formu- relevance to the understanding of cli- The Division has run stations for late a clear view of how the atmos- mate change. While greenhouse measuring ecosystem-atmosphere phere, trees, moss and soil all play gases heat the atmosphere, aerosols relationships for close to 20 years together.” exert a cooling influence by reflecting and produced continuous records for A key factor in the success of the solar radiation back to space and by 15 years. The Hyytiälä measuring sta- team is its multidisciplinary base of forming clouds, thereby slowing research. The team works in close co- FRONT PAGE down climate change. operation with the University’s chem- “In order to determine the mecha- What are aerosols? ists, biologists and forest researchers. nism involved, we need comprehen- The Finnish Meteorological Institute is sive understanding of how aerosol Aerosols are airborne fine solid on the same Kumpula campus with particles are formed and how they particles or liquid droplets – tech- the rest (only forest research is in the behave”, Dr Kulmala explains. nically suspensions of them in a nearby Viikki campus). The close In this work, his team leads the gas. They are created by industrial physical proximity translates into easy world. Dr Kulmala’s personal record or traffic emissions, desert sand- and close collaboration. “There is no bears witness: he is currently the storms and the biosphere, among other unit in this field as versatile as world’s third most quoted researcher other factors. Examples are we are”, Dr Kulmala affirms. in geosciences. He registers more smoke, air pollution and oceanic The team’s scope is also the widest than 10,000 citations in scientific pub- haze. In general, non-scientific in the world, ranging from micro-scale lications over his career and has pub- usage, aerosol usually has a dif- to global scale – from nanocluster lished some 500 articles himself. His ferent meaning and refers to an models to integrated Earth system team is alone responsible for approx- aerosol spray from a can. models ending up with predictions on Mari Hohtari imately ten per cent of all articles a worldwide scale. English Supplement Sari Ruusutie Science fiction or a distinct possibility? University glossary Knowing that aerosols cool the atmos- phere, could they be manipulated to fight climate change? English Finnish “First, we should treat such geo- engineering with utmost precaution, because we could go horribly wrong. University of Helsinki: University yliopisto But, keeping that in mind, we seek to In the top league among the world’s research universities Research tutkimus have the knowledge of what could be done in case of emergency.” Multi-disciplinary monitieteinen Such an emergency could emerge if, The University of Helsinki is the biggest university in Finland. It is a for example, the permafrost suddenly multi-disciplinary university with 11 faculties and four campuses. Faculty tiedekunta melted, resulting in the release of The student body numbers 35,000. The staff numbers 8,000 includ- massive amounts of methane (a pow- ing 3,800 in research and teaching positions. Each year, the university Campus kampus erful greenhouse gas) into the atmos- confers some 470 doctoral degrees, and its researchers publish nearly Student opiskelija FRONT PAGE phere. 10,000 scientific articles. The University of Helsinki is among the 10-15 best multi-disciplinary Staff henkilökunta Looking into the future research-intensive universities in Europe and among the 100 best in Predicting the progress of climate the world. This achievement puts the university in the top 0.1 per cent Doctoral degree tohtorin arvo change is difficult, but one thing globally. seems certain: “There is nothing in The League of European Research Universities (LERU) represents Scientific tieteellinen view that would take away our top Europe’s best research-intensive universities. The University of Helsinki Climate change ilmastonmuutos ranking in aerosol research”, Dr Kul- is one of the 22 current members of LERU. The university has been a mala says. LERU member ever since the first members were selected in 2003, Academy of Finland Suomen Akatemia Without making any predictions, it ranking fifth in that year. seems fitting that Dr Kulmala has The Academy of Finland has designated 39 Finnish research units as spent much of his time this year in centres of excellence. Out of them, 26 operate within the University of very close proximity to the Royal Helsinki or include TimoUniversity Cantell of Helsinki plays researchers. Swedish Academy, the awarder of the The universitya major rolewas infounded the generation in Turku in 1640 and moved to Helsinki Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry. in 1827. of diverse urban data. Kimmo Brandt English Supplement NewNew FRONT PAGE directionsdirections atat HelsinkiHelsinki “I’m lucky to have been able to study the Zooworld’sZoo natural environment on a broad basis”, says Jukka Salo, the new director of the Helsinki Zoo in Korkeasaari. Kimmo Brandt English Supplement The zoo was founded on the rocky breed here. The Amur leopard suffers urban development and new traffic island in 1889. The island, a favourite in its natural environment and will connections”, Dr Salo says, comment- among families and tourists, wel- probably die out in a couple of ing on the zoo’s future. An ideas com- comes more than half a million visi- decades”, Dr Salo points out. petition was organized on the zoo Mari Hohtari tors each year. “The African elephant would not some years ago. New plans are aimed Dr Salo, age 52, is a professor from manage here very well, and we have at increasing the wellbeing of animals, The whole the city of Pori in western Finland. His not acquired any so far,” he contin- improving visitor facilities and upgrad- main interest throughout his career ues. “But new techniques can make it ing services especially in winter. world on one has been biodiversity (the diversity of possible for us to have elephants one life forms). He has served at the helm day.