Alfred Colpaert | University of Eastern Finland (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Alfred Colpaert

Fennia: International Journal of Geography, 1994

Sensors, Jun 17, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Nordia geographical publications, 2014

The political and economic situation and orientation of Finland as a state has varied over time, ... more The political and economic situation and orientation of Finland as a state has varied over time, and recently a renaissance of its northern position has become evident. This paper examines the various definitions from natural science to politics over Finland's northern and Arctic character. According to definitions in physical geography and biological indicators, the area of Finland can be seen as belonging to the sub-Arctic and Boreal zones. The recent geopolitical changes, including increasing economic interest in the exploitation of natural resources and transportation corridors in the North, and strategic value of northern areas, have increased the importance of the circumpolar Arctic. In line with this larger trend, governmental and business actors in Finland have sought to politically re-orientate the country's position and, according to the latest governmental strategy paper on Arctic issues, Finland is explicitly defined as an Arctic country.

Sensors, Dec 1, 2020

The trophic state of Lake Ladoga was studied during the period 1997-2019, using the Copernicus Ma... more The trophic state of Lake Ladoga was studied during the period 1997-2019, using the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS) GlobColour-merged chlorophyll-a OC5 algorithm (GlobColour CHL-OC5) satellite observations. Lake Ladoga, in general, is mesotrophic but certain parts of the lake have been eutrophic since the 1960s due to the discharge of wastewater from industrial, urban, and agricultural sources. Since then, many ecological assessments of the Lake's state have been made. These studies have indicated that various changes are taking place in the lake and continuous monitoring of the lake is essential to update the current knowledge of its state. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term trend in chl-a in Lake Ladoga. The results showed a gradual reduction in chl-a concentration, indicating a moderate improvement. Chl-a concentrations (minimum-maximum values) varied spatially. The shallow southern shores did not show any improvement while the situation in the north is much better. The shore areas around the functioning paper mill at Pitkäranta and city of Sortavala still show high chl-a values. These findings provide a general reference on the current trophic state of Lake Ladoga that could contribute to improve policy and management strategies. It is assumed that the present warming trend of surface water may result in phytoplankton growth increase, thus partly offsetting a decrease in nutrient load. Precipitation is thought to be increasing, but the influence on water quality is less clear. Future studies could assess the current chemical composition to determine the state of water quality of Lake Ladoga.

Ibis, 2001

The winter ecology of the Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis was studied in northern Finland in ... more The winter ecology of the Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis was studied in northern Finland in 1991-95. The data consist of 26 radiomarked hawks, of which 331 day and 299 night positions were located. Average range size was 9894 ha for males (minimum

Rangifer, Apr 1, 2004

passed away on December 11 th , 2003. Angela was a true scientist, who was very deeply devoted to... more passed away on December 11 th , 2003. Angela was a true scientist, who was very deeply devoted to her research on Tibetan nomads. She received her Staatsexamen (M.Sc.) from the Teachers' College in Bonn in 1980 and her Ph.D. from the Free University of Berlin in 1998. The title of Angela's doctoral dissertion was "Lebens-und Wirtschaftsformen von Nomaden im Osten des Tibetischen Hochlandes". Since 1995 she was doing research in the Department of Geography of the University of Oulu, Finland. Angela made many research trips to the nomadic regions on the eastern Tibetan plateau. The last trip took place in November 2002, just a few days before her terminal illness was diagnosed. In 2000-2002, she was the coordinator and senior researcher in the project "Ecological Carrying Capacity of Natural Pastures: A Case Study on the Tibetan Plateau" funded by the Academy of Finland. With this project she also wanted to promote collaboration between researchers specialized in Tibet and Lapland, respectively. This interest led to the successful joint workshop organized in Oulu in June 2002. May this special issue serve as a tribute to her significant scientific work and her interests in bringing together knowledge from both Tibet and Fennoscandia.

Annales Zoologici Fennici, 2005

The avoidance of roads and human settlements by wolves (Canis lupus) in a harvested population wa... more The avoidance of roads and human settlements by wolves (Canis lupus) in a harvested population was studied in boreal woodland landscapes in east-central Finland with a low density of humans (2 km-2) and roads (0.4 km/km-2). The abundance of the primary prey, i.e. moose, is moderate with approximately 50 moose per wolf within wolf pack territories. Twelve alpha wolves in six territories were captured, fitted with radiocollars, and ground-tracked during 1998-2002. The number of wolves has recently been increasing in Finland and they have also expanded their range. This in turn has raised a certain degree of concern among people living in the area, and the wolves are often perceived as a safety threat both to people and domestic animals. We found that wolves tended to avoid human constructions. The avoidance distances were highest for buildings (1000 m) and for roads (250 m). Extrapolating from the avoidance distances to give an estimate for the entire study area revealed that 48% of the study area would potentially be subject to reduced use by the wolf.

JEC-GI '96 Proceedings of the second joint European conference & exhibition on Geographical information (Vol. 1) : from research to application through cooperation: from research to application through cooperation, Mar 1, 1996

Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2017

The Cryosphere, May 3, 2023

Palsas and peat plateaus are expected to disappear from many regions, including Finnish Lapland. ... more Palsas and peat plateaus are expected to disappear from many regions, including Finnish Lapland. However, detailed long-term monitoring data of the degradation process on palsas are scarce. Here, we present the results of the aerial photography time series analysis (1959-2021), annual real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS and active layer monitoring (2007-2021), and annual unoccupied aerial system surveys (2016-2021) at two palsa sites (Peera and Laassaniemi, 68 • N) located in northwest Finland. We analysed temporal trends of palsa degradation and their relation to climate using linear regression. At both sites, the decrease in palsa area by −77 % to −90 % since 1959 and height by −16 % to −49 % since 2007 indicate substantial permafrost degradation throughout the study periods. The area loss rates are mainly connected to winter air temperature changes at Peera and winter precipitation changes at Laassaniemi. The active layer thickness (ALT) has varied annually between 2007 and 2021 with no significant trend and is related mainly to the number of very warm days during summer, autumn rainfall of previous year, and snow depths at Peera. At Laassaniemi, the ALT is weakly related to climate and has been decreasing in the middle part of the palsa during the past 8 years despite the continuous decrease in palsa volume. Our findings imply that the ALT in the inner parts of palsas do not necessarily reflect the overall permafrost conditions and underline the importance of surface position monitoring alongside the active layer measurements. The results also showed a negative relationship between the ALT and snow cover onset, indicating the complexity of climate-permafrost feedbacks in palsa mires.

Humanities and social sciences, 2013

Introduction This paper presents an account of developments that led to present land use practice... more Introduction This paper presents an account of developments that led to present land use practices in the eastern parts of Caprivi and the eff ects these practices have on the ecosystem. In the pre-colonial period (-1890), the early inhabitants of east of the Kwando River were hunters and gatherers. Climatic and hydrological conditions enabled the fi rst Bantu communities to practice settled subsistence agriculture in the 18th and 19th centuries, a time when the Lozi and the Kololo kings ruled this area. Its location between perennial rivers made eastern parts of Caprivi good and easily defensible grazing area. Peripheral location and prevalence of malaria and cattle diseases made the area less tempting for European and South African farmers, but also made the colonial administration of east of the Kwando River diffi cult for Germany 1890-1915 and South Africa 1915-1990. The paper reviews published works and government documents, which is combined with fi eld observations and aerial photos of the area. In particular, our analysis focuses on Salambala conservancy because of its successes and many controversies. The analysis shows that indeed, enactments of law did not address land use in the manner that would have led to fulfi lment of the needs of subsistence farmers until Namibia's independence in 1990. Nowadays, almost the whole area is still intensively used for small-scale subsistence farming and agricultural practices have remained traditional. The article describes the eff orts of previous administrations and outlines several factors that accounts for present-day land use practices. This account concludes that intensifi cation of grazing and clearing Alfred Colpaert was born in the Netherlands and studied physical geography in Utrecht. He has a Masters in Geography from the University of Oulu, Finland. His PhD thesis was on the subject of integration of remote sensing and geographical information systems. He held several posts at the Department of Geography of the University of Oulu. In 2004 he was appointed Professor in Physical Geography at the University of Eastern Finland. Present research topics include geoinformatics, range land and environmental studies.

Humanities and social sciences, 2012

Katja Polojärvi is an Environmental Offi cer at the City of Ylivieska, Finland. She has M.Sc. and... more Katja Polojärvi is an Environmental Offi cer at the City of Ylivieska, Finland. She has M.Sc. and Phil. Lic. degrees in geography from the Universities of Oulu and Eastern Finland. She has worked as a researcher in many GIS projects related to air quality, precision farming and cattle grazing at the Universities of Jyväskylä and Eastern Finland and at

Fennia: International Journal of Geography, 1994

Sensors, Jun 17, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Nordia geographical publications, 2014

The political and economic situation and orientation of Finland as a state has varied over time, ... more The political and economic situation and orientation of Finland as a state has varied over time, and recently a renaissance of its northern position has become evident. This paper examines the various definitions from natural science to politics over Finland's northern and Arctic character. According to definitions in physical geography and biological indicators, the area of Finland can be seen as belonging to the sub-Arctic and Boreal zones. The recent geopolitical changes, including increasing economic interest in the exploitation of natural resources and transportation corridors in the North, and strategic value of northern areas, have increased the importance of the circumpolar Arctic. In line with this larger trend, governmental and business actors in Finland have sought to politically re-orientate the country's position and, according to the latest governmental strategy paper on Arctic issues, Finland is explicitly defined as an Arctic country.

Sensors, Dec 1, 2020

The trophic state of Lake Ladoga was studied during the period 1997-2019, using the Copernicus Ma... more The trophic state of Lake Ladoga was studied during the period 1997-2019, using the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS) GlobColour-merged chlorophyll-a OC5 algorithm (GlobColour CHL-OC5) satellite observations. Lake Ladoga, in general, is mesotrophic but certain parts of the lake have been eutrophic since the 1960s due to the discharge of wastewater from industrial, urban, and agricultural sources. Since then, many ecological assessments of the Lake's state have been made. These studies have indicated that various changes are taking place in the lake and continuous monitoring of the lake is essential to update the current knowledge of its state. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term trend in chl-a in Lake Ladoga. The results showed a gradual reduction in chl-a concentration, indicating a moderate improvement. Chl-a concentrations (minimum-maximum values) varied spatially. The shallow southern shores did not show any improvement while the situation in the north is much better. The shore areas around the functioning paper mill at Pitkäranta and city of Sortavala still show high chl-a values. These findings provide a general reference on the current trophic state of Lake Ladoga that could contribute to improve policy and management strategies. It is assumed that the present warming trend of surface water may result in phytoplankton growth increase, thus partly offsetting a decrease in nutrient load. Precipitation is thought to be increasing, but the influence on water quality is less clear. Future studies could assess the current chemical composition to determine the state of water quality of Lake Ladoga.

Ibis, 2001

The winter ecology of the Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis was studied in northern Finland in ... more The winter ecology of the Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis was studied in northern Finland in 1991-95. The data consist of 26 radiomarked hawks, of which 331 day and 299 night positions were located. Average range size was 9894 ha for males (minimum

Rangifer, Apr 1, 2004

passed away on December 11 th , 2003. Angela was a true scientist, who was very deeply devoted to... more passed away on December 11 th , 2003. Angela was a true scientist, who was very deeply devoted to her research on Tibetan nomads. She received her Staatsexamen (M.Sc.) from the Teachers' College in Bonn in 1980 and her Ph.D. from the Free University of Berlin in 1998. The title of Angela's doctoral dissertion was "Lebens-und Wirtschaftsformen von Nomaden im Osten des Tibetischen Hochlandes". Since 1995 she was doing research in the Department of Geography of the University of Oulu, Finland. Angela made many research trips to the nomadic regions on the eastern Tibetan plateau. The last trip took place in November 2002, just a few days before her terminal illness was diagnosed. In 2000-2002, she was the coordinator and senior researcher in the project "Ecological Carrying Capacity of Natural Pastures: A Case Study on the Tibetan Plateau" funded by the Academy of Finland. With this project she also wanted to promote collaboration between researchers specialized in Tibet and Lapland, respectively. This interest led to the successful joint workshop organized in Oulu in June 2002. May this special issue serve as a tribute to her significant scientific work and her interests in bringing together knowledge from both Tibet and Fennoscandia.

Annales Zoologici Fennici, 2005

The avoidance of roads and human settlements by wolves (Canis lupus) in a harvested population wa... more The avoidance of roads and human settlements by wolves (Canis lupus) in a harvested population was studied in boreal woodland landscapes in east-central Finland with a low density of humans (2 km-2) and roads (0.4 km/km-2). The abundance of the primary prey, i.e. moose, is moderate with approximately 50 moose per wolf within wolf pack territories. Twelve alpha wolves in six territories were captured, fitted with radiocollars, and ground-tracked during 1998-2002. The number of wolves has recently been increasing in Finland and they have also expanded their range. This in turn has raised a certain degree of concern among people living in the area, and the wolves are often perceived as a safety threat both to people and domestic animals. We found that wolves tended to avoid human constructions. The avoidance distances were highest for buildings (1000 m) and for roads (250 m). Extrapolating from the avoidance distances to give an estimate for the entire study area revealed that 48% of the study area would potentially be subject to reduced use by the wolf.

JEC-GI '96 Proceedings of the second joint European conference & exhibition on Geographical information (Vol. 1) : from research to application through cooperation: from research to application through cooperation, Mar 1, 1996

Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2017

The Cryosphere, May 3, 2023

Palsas and peat plateaus are expected to disappear from many regions, including Finnish Lapland. ... more Palsas and peat plateaus are expected to disappear from many regions, including Finnish Lapland. However, detailed long-term monitoring data of the degradation process on palsas are scarce. Here, we present the results of the aerial photography time series analysis (1959-2021), annual real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS and active layer monitoring (2007-2021), and annual unoccupied aerial system surveys (2016-2021) at two palsa sites (Peera and Laassaniemi, 68 • N) located in northwest Finland. We analysed temporal trends of palsa degradation and their relation to climate using linear regression. At both sites, the decrease in palsa area by −77 % to −90 % since 1959 and height by −16 % to −49 % since 2007 indicate substantial permafrost degradation throughout the study periods. The area loss rates are mainly connected to winter air temperature changes at Peera and winter precipitation changes at Laassaniemi. The active layer thickness (ALT) has varied annually between 2007 and 2021 with no significant trend and is related mainly to the number of very warm days during summer, autumn rainfall of previous year, and snow depths at Peera. At Laassaniemi, the ALT is weakly related to climate and has been decreasing in the middle part of the palsa during the past 8 years despite the continuous decrease in palsa volume. Our findings imply that the ALT in the inner parts of palsas do not necessarily reflect the overall permafrost conditions and underline the importance of surface position monitoring alongside the active layer measurements. The results also showed a negative relationship between the ALT and snow cover onset, indicating the complexity of climate-permafrost feedbacks in palsa mires.

Humanities and social sciences, 2013

Introduction This paper presents an account of developments that led to present land use practice... more Introduction This paper presents an account of developments that led to present land use practices in the eastern parts of Caprivi and the eff ects these practices have on the ecosystem. In the pre-colonial period (-1890), the early inhabitants of east of the Kwando River were hunters and gatherers. Climatic and hydrological conditions enabled the fi rst Bantu communities to practice settled subsistence agriculture in the 18th and 19th centuries, a time when the Lozi and the Kololo kings ruled this area. Its location between perennial rivers made eastern parts of Caprivi good and easily defensible grazing area. Peripheral location and prevalence of malaria and cattle diseases made the area less tempting for European and South African farmers, but also made the colonial administration of east of the Kwando River diffi cult for Germany 1890-1915 and South Africa 1915-1990. The paper reviews published works and government documents, which is combined with fi eld observations and aerial photos of the area. In particular, our analysis focuses on Salambala conservancy because of its successes and many controversies. The analysis shows that indeed, enactments of law did not address land use in the manner that would have led to fulfi lment of the needs of subsistence farmers until Namibia's independence in 1990. Nowadays, almost the whole area is still intensively used for small-scale subsistence farming and agricultural practices have remained traditional. The article describes the eff orts of previous administrations and outlines several factors that accounts for present-day land use practices. This account concludes that intensifi cation of grazing and clearing Alfred Colpaert was born in the Netherlands and studied physical geography in Utrecht. He has a Masters in Geography from the University of Oulu, Finland. His PhD thesis was on the subject of integration of remote sensing and geographical information systems. He held several posts at the Department of Geography of the University of Oulu. In 2004 he was appointed Professor in Physical Geography at the University of Eastern Finland. Present research topics include geoinformatics, range land and environmental studies.

Humanities and social sciences, 2012

Katja Polojärvi is an Environmental Offi cer at the City of Ylivieska, Finland. She has M.Sc. and... more Katja Polojärvi is an Environmental Offi cer at the City of Ylivieska, Finland. She has M.Sc. and Phil. Lic. degrees in geography from the Universities of Oulu and Eastern Finland. She has worked as a researcher in many GIS projects related to air quality, precision farming and cattle grazing at the Universities of Jyväskylä and Eastern Finland and at