The University of Eastern Finland will send five researchers to the field site this summer. They will blog few times a week in the blog "Vorkuta/Seida 2012" to let us know who they research is developing and give us a glimpse to a life in a research station.

Christina Biasi started with her PhD thesis back in 2001 to work in Russian tundra. She has been participating in several expeditions for example to Taymyr, Gdansk since then and Seida/ Vorkuta is one of her key study sites. She likes the Russian way of life and outdoor activities (if not too long). Currently, she is a senior scientist at University of Eastern Finland, researching on C and N dynamics in northern soils. She supervises the studies in PAGE21 and research at Seida/ Vorkuta and participates also in field work.

Richard Lamprecht is a technical assistant and field support in Biogeochemistry Research Group at the University of Eastern Finland. He holds also a master degree in science. Having travelled to many places in the world, Richard is experienced in outdoor activities and we consider him a real adventurer. But it is his first trip to Seida, and let us see how he likes it. He will be also the main blogger from the Seida field site. Here following are his reflections on going on the field.

What it is like to go on field research?
Until now I have not really thought so much about it. I will see how it will be and how I will manage it – I think it is better (at least for me) not to prepare too much by thinking about because it takes away the excitement. To "jump in cold water" is the best way to go to such a trip and also to handle different appearing problems during that time.

What are you looking forward to most on this field season?
The experience to work in a scientific topic out in the "real" nature – or at least what is still there. Also to get more social skills and of course I'm looking forward to reach more professional research skills.

What do think you will miss during the expedition?
Until now I don't really know what I will miss, I guess my laptop first as I don't take it with me, but we have other computers. So I guess I will miss my friends mostly.

What rather unusual things you need to have in your luggage to survive the season on the field?
A travel backgammon set, a sketch-pad.

Maija Marushchak has longest experience of all of us in working in Seida/ Vorkuta. She selected, together with Pertti Martikainen from the University of Eastern Finland, in 2006 the site during the course of the EU project CARBONorth. The site was selected as it represents, with mosaic of wetlands, lowlands and uplands, the typical subarctic tundra landscape. Maija researches on CO2, CH4 and N2O dynamics in Arctic ecosystems, in the Biogeochemistry Research Group in UEF, and one of the coordinators of the research in Seida. She speaks perfectly Russian and is thus channeling between Russian workers and the European partners, and can arrange also practical matters. Currently, she is working as a visiting researcher at Komi Science Center in Russia and is involved as a Post Doc in the project PAGE21.

Carolina Voigt is a newly selected Doctoral student in the project DeFROST (Nordic Center of Excellence) studying effects of climate change on CO2, CH4 and N2O dynamics in Arctic ecosystems in Biogeochemistry Research Group at the University of Eastern Finland. It is the first time for her in Russia, and the first time for her in Seida/ Vorkuta. She did her diploma thesis at the University of Hanover in Germany. At the beginning of 2012 she moved to Finland.

Tatiana Trubnikova is a Technical/logistical coordinator of research in Vorkuta/ Seida and technical support in the Biogeochemistry Research Group in UEF. She is native Russian, which is beneficial for the project coordination as knowledge of and contacts in Russia are very valuable for practical matters. She works since 2007 for the Univesity of Eastern Finland, has a technical diploma and started recently an international master’s degree program in environmental science at the University of Eastern Finland.

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Main page of the blog "Vorkuta/ Seida 2012": http://page21.arcticportal.org/blogs/61-vorkuta