Lapland stations begin full season of aurora research

Three research stations in Kittilä, Abisko and Utsjoki have begun their first full observation season, collecting rare data on upper-atmosphere winds. Yle reports that the measurements could help improve predictions of satellite orbits.

The stations are located at Aakenus in Kittilä, Abisko in Sweden and Kevo in Utsjoki. Their instruments were developed at the University of Alaska, with the University of Oulu and the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory also involved in the project.

The Aakenus station, near Aakenus Fell, began taking shape in 2024. Geophysicist Tero Raita of the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory has been involved from the start.

“It all began as a small project and grew from there. A measuring station close to my home region has in a way become like my own child,” Raita said.

Space physicist Kylee Branning of the University of Alaska Fairbanks said Aakenus is an excellent location for aurora research because it is far enough from large cities to avoid light pollution, while remaining easier to reach than comparable sites in Alaska.

Professor Anita Aikio, who leads the University of Oulu’s space physics and astronomy unit, said combining measurements from the three stations provides information about the direction of upper-atmosphere winds, including whether they blow east, west, north, south or vertically.

“This is information that very few other instruments can provide. It may be one missing piece of the puzzle as we try to understand the effects of space weather on the atmosphere,” Aikio said.

The station measurements could later be combined with data from the EISCAT3D high-power radar. That would provide information about auroral electrons and electrical currents in the upper atmosphere. The effect of winds on those currents is not currently well understood because measurements have been lacking, Aikio said.

The data can be used, for example, when satellites are launched into low orbits and researchers assess how well they will remain in orbit.

The Aakenus station has several instruments. One of the most important is a Fabry-Pérot interferometer, which uses optical measurements to study the atmosphere at aurora altitudes of 100 to 250 kilometres. It provides information about winds and temperatures at those heights.

Solar storms cause strong geomagnetic storms that produce auroras. The measurements in Lapland show how the uppermost part of Earth’s atmosphere, where satellites also travel, responds to these disturbances.

The equipment is intended to operate largely independently or be controlled remotely in the future. Branning visits the three European stations to service their instruments during her trips to Europe.

The aurora season has begun as the nights grow darker, and researchers expect plentiful auroras during the coming season. The declining phase of the Sun’s activity cycle is considered the best period for observing them.