Relations between topography, microclimates and vegetation on the Kalmari-Saarijärvi esker chain, Central Finland

Abstract

The principal aim was to acquire more specific information on the effects of surficial landforms on the microclimate of an esker area and the effects of this microclimate on the esker vegetation in this part of Central Finland. Attention was also paid to the significance of the vegetation in regulating the microclimate. The majority of the fieldwork, surveying and measurements were carried out in summer 1986. The esker chain was divided into five parts, each with characteristic surficial features, so that research was concentrated on the features specific to each.

Research into the microclimate and vegetation of areas of kettle hole, esker and delta terrain provided information on the effects of relative altitudes, exposure and the vegetation on spatial and temporal variations in temperatures, and many points of contact were found between the structure, distribution and dynamics of the flora and vegetation and the radiation, microclimate, moisture and soil edaphic conditions regulated by the surficial landforms. Close attention was paid to the microclimates and vegetation of kettle holes of different shape. Information was also obtained on spatial differences in temperatures in a kettle hole terrain, temperature stratification in kettle holes, variations in temperature and humidity in kettle holes and the relations between these and the vegetation. A topic of particular interest was the effect of thermal conditions on the habitats of plants growing in kettle holes. Finally, the information gathered from the various areas is synthesized in the form of a model explaining the initial research problem.