Palsa Mires of the Northern Hemisphere

Oona Leppiniemi is a physical geographer specializing in subarctic environments and permafrost. She completed her PhD at the University of Oulu’s Geography Research Unit, focusing on palsas –permafrost landforms highly sensitive to climate change that contribute to the abiotic and biotic diversity of northern peatlands and store significant organic carbon. She uses statistical modelling to examine the environmental drivers of palsa mire occurrence and morpho-ecological state, and to predict their responses to future climate conditions.

Her thesis reveals the distribution and degradation of palsa mires across the Northern Hemisphere, forecasts a dramatic loss of suitable environments by century’s end, and shows strong degradation of Finnish palsas over the past 50 years. By working at spatial scales from local to circumpolar, she highlights how key drivers vary geographically, deepening understanding of permafrost dynamics under global change.