TRS is Stockholm University’s centre for glaciological and alpine research and is situated in the Tarfala valley at 1135 m a.s.l. east of Kebnekaise. TRS is Sweden’s only research station in a high alpine arctic environment surrounded by glaciers. The station itself was officially inaugurated in 1961 as an infrastructure for research in glaciology and geomorphology.
An important component of the research conducted at TRS is the regular measurement of the glacier mass balances at Storglaciären (since 1946), Rabots glaciär (since 1982), Riukojietna (since 1986) och Mårmaglaciären (since 1990) which represent four of the World’s c. 50 so-called reference glaciers the balances of which are essential climate variables and are reported annually to the the World Glacier Monitoring Service (wgms.ch). The mass balance dataset from Storglaciären is the longest detailed one of its kind in the World and engages both the general public and researchers across the globe. The measurements have helped shape a comprehensive knowledge of the interaction between the glacier and climate, local temperatures and precipitation changes, which together play an important role in our understanding of glacier dynamics.
TRS is also in close proximity to the exceptionally deep (for arctic alpine settings, 49.8 m) periglacial (and formerly proglacial) Lake Tarfala, where research on mixing process and ice cover phenology is conducted. TRS is also responsible for measuring the annual height of Kebnekaise’s southern peak, which determines the highest point in Sweden and thus generates great public interest. Over the years TRS has broadened its scope of research with active projects now going beyond glaciology and geomorphology focusing on ecosystems, biodiversity, hydrology, meteorology, climatology, archaeology and cultural geography to name but a few.