Matti Kullervo Seppälä (5 September 1941 in

Vaasa Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; ; ; or ''Croneburgum'') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Vanajavesi, Lake Vanajavesi. The population of Hämeenlinna is appr ...

) was a Finnish

geomorphologist Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand why ...

specialized in cold climate

aeolian processes Aeolian processes, also spelled eolian, pertain to wind activity in the study of geology and weather and specifically to the wind's ability to shape the surface of the Earth (or other planets). Winds may erosion, erode, transport, and deposit ...

Seppälä obtained a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

at the

University of Turku The University of Turku (, shortened ''UTU'') is a multidisciplinary public university with eight faculties located in the city of Turku in southwestern Finland. The university also has campuses in Rauma and Pori and research stations in Kevo ...

in 1971 and moved after to work at the

University of Oulu The University of Oulu () is one of the largest universities in Finland, located in the city of Oulu. It was founded on July 8, 1958. The university has around 14,200 students and 3,800 staff. 21 International Master's Programmes are offer ...

. In 1978 he moved to the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Alexander ...

and served as professor of

physical geography Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, h ...

from 1978 to 2009. Matti Seppälä was also a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

. Seppälä got a one-year Humboldt grant by the

German Research Foundation The German Research Foundation ( ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2019, the DFG had a funding bud ...

as guest professor at the

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

in 1977/78. Seppälä was the national representative for Finland in the

International Permafrost Association The International Permafrost Association (IPA), founded in 1983, is an international professional body formed to foster the dissemination of knowledge concerning permafrost and to promote cooperation among individuals and national or internation ...

for almost 20 years.

Palsa Palsas are peat mounds with a permanently frozen peat and mineral soil core. They are a typical phenomenon in the polar and subpolar zone of discontinuous permafrost. One of their characteristics is having steep slopes that rise above the mire ...

s as permafrost phenomena were generally known in northern Finland and Sweden since the beginning of the 20th century. Seppälä did detailed palsa studies especially in the 1980s, and he became a foremost expert on palsas. He was also the first Scandinavian geomorphologist initiating permafrost research in the mountains of northern Finland in the year 1985, together with German colleagues. Many other scientists followed this research approach of mapping and modelling mountain permafrost in Scandinavia.Etzelmüller, Bernd, Hoelzle, Martin, Flo Heggem, Eva Solbjørg, Isaksen, Ketil, Mittaz, Cathrine, Mühll, Daniel Vonder, ødegård, Rune S., Haeberli, Wilfried, Sollid, Johan Ludvig: Mapping and modelling the occurrence and distribution of mountain permafrost. - Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift / Norwegian Journal of Geography Vol. 55, 4, 186-194. 201

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References

1941 births 2020 deaths Finnish geographers Finnish geologists Finnish geomorphologists Process geomorphologists Quaternary geologists University of Turku alumni Academic staff of the University of Oulu Academic staff of the University of Helsinki Academics of Durham University {{Finland-scientist-stub