Research infrastructure

In Uppsala we have one of the oldest weather measurements in the world, over 300 years of continuous measurements. Weather measurements started in 1722 by Anders Celsius and others, and weather observations continue today at the Department of Geosciences at Uppsala University.

By measuring weather events, we can see how the weather and temperature vary over time, which gives us important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to understanding our current climate.

Go to the weather measurements

Contact the person in charge: Erik Sahlée.

We operate a Field Emission Electron Probe Microanalyzer, a JXA-8530F JEOL HyperProbe, which is coupled with five wavelength dispersive spectrometers  (WDS), secondary and backscattered electrons detectors, cathodoluminescence detector (CL). The microprobe analytical capabilities cover elements from Beryllium to Uranium, which makes about 90 % the periodic table. The instrument was funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. If you are interested in using the machine, please contact Daniel Buczko.

The Erken Laboratory is a laboratory run by the Department of Ecology and Genetics. The lake has an area of 23.7 km2 and is located 50 km east of Uppsala. On the island of Malma in the eastern part of the lake, the meteorology group at the Department of Earth Sciences operates an instrumented mast. The mast is equipped with instruments to measure how much methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor and heat flow to and from the lake. Additional instruments provide information on weather conditions at the site, i.e. wind speed and direction, air temperature, humidity and air pressure.

See ongoing measurements here.

See a map of Erken.

The laboratory is also part of the Swedish national infrastructure for ecosystem research (SITES).

Read more about SITES.

ECORD, the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, is a consortium for scientific ocean drilling, as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) "Exploring the Earth under the sea" and previously the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program - IODP from 2003 to 2013.

IODP research covers a wide range of fundamental and applied issues for society, such as climate and ocean change, biodiversity and the origin of life, the Earth in motion including studies of earthquake processes, and the structure and dynamics of the Earth in relation to its surface environment.

Read more about ECORD

EPOS is a research infrastructure for scientific data and services related to the solid Earth. By making data widely available, it makes it easy to access data from multiple countries and disciplines in one place, and to combine these data in new ways for innovative research, such as analysis and visualization. This research can be pure curiosity research to better understand why the Earth looks the way it does. In addition, EPOS is important in applied research such as trying to predict future earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides.

Read more about EPOS

The Hans Ramberg Tectonic Laboratory is located at the Department of Earth Sciences of Uppsala University, Sweden, where you find the largest concentration of geoscience expertise in Scandinavia. The laboratory is part of the Mineralogy, Petrology and Tectonics program.

The Hans Ramberg Tectonic Laboratory is one of the oldest tectonic modelling laboratories in the world, where tectonic processes and geologic structures are simulated in scaled mechanical models. The aim of this laboratory is to study the machinery of this lively planet (i.e. "to study the architecture of the lithosphere and rock deformation processes on any scale in 4D"). By replacing real rocks with weak analogue materials we model on scales of centimeters and days processes that occur in nature on scales of hundreds of kilometers over tens of millions of years. This is performed by integrating remote, geophysical and field data and the results are modelled by both backward and forward analytical and mechanical models. The laboratory was established in in the middle of 60-ies by the late Hans Ramberg (Photo) and is identified as an entity within Uppsala University.

Read more about the Hans Ramberg Tectonic Laboratory

To get access to the HRTL please contact Hemin Koyi for rates and conditions.

The International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) is an international drilling consortium in which Sweden participates. ICDP is an international land-based deep drilling program that explores structures, bedrock processes and the geological evolution of our planet, issues that are directly linked to themes of societal relevance, such as sustainable geosources, climate and natural hazards.

Read more about International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)

By combining a diamond pressure cell (DAC) with laser heating, it is possible to subject materials to pressure and temperature conditions equivalent to the interior of planets. This technology has been adapted to a wide range of analytical fields, ranging from polarized optical studies under the microscope to advanced spectroscopic analysis at synchrotron facilities. Today, DAC technology allows us to observe in-situ phase transformations and enables the characterization of materials at near-atomic resolution. This has revolutionized the planetary and materials science research fields.
Contact person: Peter Lazor

The Marsta Observatory is located in an agricultural area a few kilometers north of Uppsala. Meteorological measurements have been made here since the late 1940s. The current measurements are mainly made from a 30 m high mast. The mast contains instruments that measure temperature and wind at several altitudes, humidity, air pressure and air turbulence measurements. This includes measurements of how much water vapor, heat and carbon dioxide is absorbed or emitted from the surrounding landscape. In addition, we measure the ground temperature and how much precipitation falls. On a dedicated platform, we measure solar and terrestrial radiation.

See current measurements here.

The site is also equipped with several groundwater pipes and is the site of air quality measurements for SLB-analysis together with the Östra Sveriges Luftvårdsförbund.

The closer to the Earth's surface we want to investigate, the more possibilities we have at our disposal. This may seem paradoxical, but it is explained by the fact that the force or wave fields carrying the information from the Earth's interior are attenuated or smoothed out with depth. Thus, most information is available from structures close to the Earth's surface, and so we have the most opportunities to measure near-surface structures. Our instruments range from DC electric instruments, electromagnetic, magnetic, and gravimetric, as well as seismic (e.g. refraction seismic). In addition, we can also make measurements in boreholes.

To investigate areas with high earthquake activity, or for large-scale structural studies, in addition to permanent seismic stations, it is sometimes necessary to temporarily deploy seismometers to make dense, high-quality measurements. The Geophysics Program has 19 mobile instruments that can measure ground motion down to amplitudes of a few nanometers per second. Applications vary from local studies of "unusual" seismicity, to large projects - national and international - in Sweden and abroad. Examples of areas we have studied are the Pärvi fault in northern Sweden, and the Katla volcano in Iceland.

The laboratory comprises two cutting-edge portable Raman systems. Raman spectroscopy can be used in numerous geological and environmental studies.

For more information please contact Peter Lazor or Iwona Klonowska.

Riksriggen is a national research infrastructure for deep drilling that provides a well-equipped drilling rig. The Riksriggen organization assists research groups in issues related to drilling, geological and microbial sampling, geophysical mapping, hydraulic and mechanical tests in boreholes, both operationally and during the planning phase so that the projects can achieve the highest scientific quality. Lund University hosts Riksriggen and the other participating universities are Uppsala University, Luleå University of Technology and Linnaeus University. This research infrastructure is considered by the Swedish Research Council to be of national interest and receives funding from the Swedish Council for Research Infrastructures (RFI).

Read more about Riksriggen

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of electron microscope that creates images of an object by scanning it with an electron beam in a grid pattern. The electrons interact with the atoms on the object, which in turn send back signals about the object's surface topography, composition and other properties such as conductivity.

Contact the person in charge Michael Streng

On behalf of the government, SNSN collects seismological data from earthquakes in Sweden and abroad. These data are used, among other things, to increase knowledge of the ongoing deformation processes in the Swedish crust - e.g. the interaction between continental plate movements and land uplift after the ice sheet - and to study the structure of the crust and the upper mantle.

The Swedish National Seismic Network (SNSN) currently consists of 68 modern broadband seismic stations spread across the country, from Skåne in the south to Lannavaara in Lapland in the north. All stations are connected to a central computer in Uppsala via dial-up modem or internet.

The Swedish Scientific Drilling Program (SSDP) supports Swedish interests in continental and ocean science drilling with emphasis on the Swedish memberships in the International Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program/International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP, via the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, ECORD).

Read more about The Swedish Drilling Program

Paleomagnetism is ancient magnetism preserved in a rock. The rock preserves the magnetic field as it was when it was formed. The term paleomagnetism also stands for the study of the Earth's magnetic field and its variations over geological time.

Contact the laboratory manager Bjarne Almqvist