Torneträsk

Torneträsk
Torneträsk
Torneträsk (Swedish); Duortnosjávri (Northern Sami); Torniojärvi (Meänkieli)
Duortnosjávri (Northern Sami)
	Torneträsk seen from the north
	Torneträsk Torneträsk
Location	Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County
Coordinates	68°22′N 019°06′E / 68.367°N 19.100°E
Primary inflows	• nameless flow from a little glacier south of lake Válfojávri (Nordland, Norway); → river Válfojohka; → lake Gamajávri; → river Kamajåkka; → lake Abiskojaure; → river Abiskojåkka; • river Njuoreatnu; • river Rágeseatnu; • lake Koojärvi; → river Stalojåkka; • river Nakerijoki; • river Sarvájohka; • river Bessešjohka
Primary outflows	Torne River
Basin countries	Sweden
Max. length	70 km (43 mi)
Max. width	11 km (6.8 mi)
Surface area	332 km2 (128 sq mi)
Average depth	51 m (167 ft)
Max. depth	168 m (551 ft)
Water volume	17.1 km3 (13.9×106 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation	341 m (1,119 ft)
References

Torneträsk or Torne träsk (Swedish: [toːɳɛˈtrɛsːk];^[2] Saami: Duortnosjávri; Finnish and Meänkieli: Tornio or Torniojärvi) is a lake in Kiruna Municipality, Lapland, Norrbotten County in Sweden, in the Scandinavian Mountains. Träsk is the local word for lake (in Standard Swedish it means "swamp"). It is the sixth-largest lake in Sweden, with a total area of 330 square kilometres (130 square miles) and a length of 70 kilometres (43 miles). The lake drains to the south-east through Torne river. South-west of the lake lies the Abisko National Park and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Laponian area.

Torneträsk originated from the remnant of a glacier, which has given the lake its depth of 168 metres (551 feet), making it the second-deepest lake in Sweden. It is usually ice-covered from December through June, with variations dependent on temperature variations.

Permafrost is common in the land around the lake. This low elevation permafrost is disappearing because of global warming and increased snowfall.^[3]

During the 1944 Operation Obviate of WWII, British bombers seeking to destroy the German battleship Tirpitz had their rendezvous over Torneträsk, in violation of Swedish neutrality.

Climate

Climate data for Torneträsk 1991-2020 normals (393m)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−6.4 (20.5)	−6.6 (20.1)	−3.0 (26.6)	2.0 (35.6)	7.5 (45.5)	13.6 (56.5)	17.3 (63.1)	15.2 (59.4)	9.8 (49.6)	2.8 (37.0)	−2.4 (27.7)	−4.5 (23.9)	3.8 (38.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−10.1 (13.8)	−10.4 (13.3)	−6.8 (19.8)	−1.7 (28.9)	3.9 (39.0)	9.7 (49.5)	12.9 (55.2)	11.2 (52.2)	6.6 (43.9)	0.2 (32.4)	−5.2 (22.6)	−8.0 (17.6)	0.2 (32.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−14.7 (5.5)	−14.9 (5.2)	−11.2 (11.8)	−5.6 (21.9)	0.4 (32.7)	5.6 (42.1)	9.0 (48.2)	7.4 (45.3)	3.4 (38.1)	−2.4 (27.7)	−8.8 (16.2)	−12.2 (10.0)	−3.7 (25.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	29.5 (1.16)	23.7 (0.93)	20.9 (0.82)	20.4 (0.80)	36.7 (1.44)	58.4 (2.30)	93.1 (3.67)	65.5 (2.58)	48.9 (1.93)	37.6 (1.48)	29.9 (1.18)	31.5 (1.24)	496.1 (19.53)
Source: NOAA^[4]

Climate data for Rensjön A 1991-2020 normals (494m)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−7.3 (18.9)	−7.3 (18.9)	−3.5 (25.7)	1.4 (34.5)	7.2 (45.0)	13.7 (56.7)	17.3 (63.1)	15.0 (59.0)	9.6 (49.3)	2.0 (35.6)	−3.6 (25.5)	−5.5 (22.1)	3.3 (37.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−12.2 (10.0)	−12.2 (10.0)	−8.4 (16.9)	−3.0 (26.6)	3.0 (37.4)	9.0 (48.2)	12.3 (54.1)	10.3 (50.5)	5.4 (41.7)	−1.5 (29.3)	−7.7 (18.1)	−10.1 (13.8)	−1.3 (29.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−18.0 (−0.4)	−18.1 (−0.6)	−14.3 (6.3)	−8.3 (17.1)	−1.3 (29.7)	4.6 (40.3)	7.8 (46.0)	5.9 (42.6)	1.4 (34.5)	−5.2 (22.6)	−12.7 (9.1)	−15.6 (3.9)	−6.2 (20.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	25.8 (1.02)	20.7 (0.81)	18.8 (0.74)	21.8 (0.86)	41.3 (1.63)	57.1 (2.25)	90.8 (3.57)	64.3 (2.53)	48.7 (1.92)	39.8 (1.57)	29.9 (1.18)	29.6 (1.17)	488.6 (19.25)
Source: NOAA^[5]

Images

The lake and Lapporten in the background
IORE train and Torneträsk lake
Abiskojåkka river and Torneträsk lake at Abisko
View of Torneträsk lake, frozen, from STF Abisko Turiststation (Jan 2013)
Reindeers at Torneträsk lake, Abisko area, in March 1992
Frozen Torneträsk lake, with people walking and taking pictures on its surface (Jan 2013)
View of Torneträsk, Lapland, around 1900.

References

^ "Sjöar och vattendrag" (in Swedish). Vattenmyndigheten Bottenviken. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
^ Jöran Sahlgren; Gösta Bergman (1979). Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter (in Swedish). p. 25.
^ Johansson, Margareta; Christensen, Torben R.; Akerman, H. Jonas; Callaghan, Terry V. (2006). "What Determines the Current Presence or Absence of Permafrost in the Torneträsk Region, a Sub-arctic Landscape in Northern Sweden?". Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment. 35 (4): 190–197. doi:10.1579/0044-7447(2006)35[190:WDTCPO]2.0.CO;2. PMID 16944644. S2CID 45127318.
^ "NOAA / WMO averages 1991-2020 Torneträsk". SMHI / NOAA. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
^ "NOAA / WMO averages 1991-2020 Rensjön A". SMHI / NOAA. Retrieved 28 August 2023.