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Heavy rainfall and erosion in the Tarfala Valley

09/09/2022 « Back

The summer season at Tarfala Research Station (TRS) has been very wet. Heavy rainfall during a couple of days at the end of August brought along temporary and also more permanent changes: Between Lake Tarfala and TRS, Tarfalajokk became so wide and carried so much water that any idea of crossing needed to be dismissed. Lillsjön (translating to “the little lake”) just south of TRS turned into a rather large lake.

Left: Low waterlevel in Lillsjön. Middle: High waterlevel in Lillsjön. Photographer: Nina Kirchner
Left: Low waterlevel in Lillsjön. Middle: High waterlevel in Lillsjön. Photographer: Nina Kirchner
Tarfala Valley, where the path to TRS has been washed away by recent heavy rainfall. Photographer: Nina Kirchner Tarfala Valley, where the path to TRS has been washed away by recent heavy rainfall. Photographer: Nina Kirchner

A few kilometers down in the Tarfala Valley, several hundred meters of the path to Tarfala Bridge was swept away by water masses. Erosion was substantial, including a landslide on the western valley flank, and a completely changed riverbed. This has made the 6 km hike down to Tarfala Bridge, where the SITES Water discharge measurements are conducted at least once a week, an evolving challenge for the station’s team. At the beginning of September, water levels in Lillsjön and Tarfalajokk returned back to lows, and the first northern lights could be observed. 

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