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The irresistible allure of meteorite impacts at Kaali kraater and Manicouagan crater bomb”, which would have resulted in many casualties. The impact crater lake that formed within Kaali kraater is 110 metres wide and up to 22 metres deep. While Kaali kraater, the biggest impact point, or the eight accompanying craters that form the crater field, are in reality nowhere near to being the biggest meteorite impacts in the world, they are nonetheless a strong example of the symbolic allure of meteorites. After that big day, Kaali järv, the impact crater lake of Kaali kraater, became a place of significance. People have lived on Saaremaa for at least 7,000 years, and the main crater of this crater field became a meeting place for locals not long after the meteorite struck. Archaeological excavations in 1978 revealed a stone wall that protected a settlement at the crater, revealing a human pre sence at the crater between 2,200 and 2,700 years ago. Meanwhile, research conducted in 2004 between Tallinn University of Technology, the University of Tartu, and Upp sala University indicated that the site was “primarily ceremonial.” The study also suggests that three separate legends may have been inspired by the event: the flight of the god Taara from northeast Estonia to Saaremaa,
a song in the Finnish epic Kalevala that tells a story of the sun falling into a lake, and north Estonian folk songs that “describe the burning of the island of Saaremaa.” Obstructions in the water of Kaali järv have prevented further discovery of artifacts, but previously discovered remains of animal sacrifices, some dated to as late as the 1600s, suggest an enduring, fervent belief in the spiritual significance of the crater. Among scientists, conclusive proof of the crater being caused by a meteorite was found in 1937 with the dis covery of meteorite-specific iron debris, after extensive field work at the site. Befitting the vast natural landscape of sparse, rolling hills and coniferous trees, Manicoua gan crater in the province of Québec is among the top 10 largest meteorite impacts in the world. The crater is 350 metres deep (as a comparison, the Fairmont Royal York is 134 metres tall). 214 million years ago, the crater was formed by a meteorite, creating a dent in the earth that is currently 72 kilometres wide. The crater is much older, deeper, and wider than Kaali kraater. Big or small, though, these natural features continue to inspire daring and sometimes physically taxing pursuits; for
6.5 hours per hectare depending on the tree species and the terrain.” Communicating with and working alongside a Planter would be a Multiscope Forester Brushcutter that cuts plant Vincent Teetsov matter around the seedlings to Tree planting is a large in improve their chances of growdustry for interior British ing successfully. The vehicles Columbia. In the summer of can watch for obstacles with 2020, CBC reported that tree light detection,ww ranging laser planters in the province were sensors and high resolution “on track to plant 300 million cameras. These features have trees.” For some, it’s a career. been developed together with For others, it’s a cathartic the University of Tartu. Milrem Robotics is a “spinsummer job; a way to get out off” company of what was of the city and save up some Milrem LCM (now Milworks money. OÜ), founded in 2013 by In Estonia, there is the poKuldar Väärsi. Milrem Robotics tential for tools like the planting is also known for their defense bags that hold saplings and rest technology. One of their around the waists of Canadian d esigns is the THeMIS UGV planters to be exchanged by the “mo dular planting payload” of (unmanned ground vehicle), robots like the Multiscope which is used by the Estonian Forester Planter. Plot cords used Defence Forces and the Royal to manually determine how far Netherlands Army to assist infantry as a flexible vehicle apart new trees are planted could be replaced with tele - with weaponry or cargo carryope ration and navigation. The ing power. According to Milrem Robo specifications of the MFP claim it can hold 380 seedlings and tics and their Science and plant at a speed of “around 5 - Technology Director, Mart Noorma, “99% of trees are planted manually... Using ve hicles with intelligent functions would alleviate the labour force problem, cut down costs and create more high value jobs.” This all sounds ideal. Plus, in principle, trees produce oxygen, nurture biodiversity, and reduce Photo: milremrobotics.com the erosion caused by surface
runoff of precipitation. However, for all that we hear in favour of tree planting, how it absorbs carbon dioxide for instance, a slew of publications over the past few years have criticized tree planting as a strategy to counteract environmental damage. Planting the wrong types of trees can result in organic waste that local microorganisms cannot process. Sourcing only one type of tree could create a monoculture that exhausts soil nutrition and may even cause more erosion by competing with ground vegetation. Planting in places that are not naturally forested, such as wetlands and prairies, unnecessarily changes the habitat of resident animals. This is a prickly talking point when organizations mean well. Tree planting isn’t a blanket solution, but whether planted by humans or robots, certain technical points need to be kept in mind. One thing to consider is that robots like these could plant trees in order to alleviate the devastation caused by wildfires that have raged through places like Canada’s west coast or the Australian Outback. The hope, then, is that these robots will be programmed to plant a variety of local tree species in genuine forest areas in moderate quantities, to complement each ecosystem’s true qualities. Milrem Robotics’ machines are also able to serve as firefighters. Imagine if they were
Vincent Teetsov Picture yourself 3,500 years ago on the island of Saare maa. As a Bronze Age inhabi tant, you might have grown crops, and caught and domes ticated animals. You might have been out hunting in the island’s densely forested areas. Your survival was predicated on your physical strength and ability to observe – skills honed in the silence of this wild environment. As you walk back to your dwelling one evening, the sky turns blindingly bright, as if night reversed back into day. An object in the sky, consumed by flames, breaks into nine separate pieces and crashes to the surface in an explosion. The estimated age of this meteorite impact varies significantly, with the most common estimates falling between 3,400 and 4,000 years old. For Bronze Age Estonians living on Saare maa, the entrance of this extraterrestrial matter into their domain would have been the brightest, loudest, most unexpected event of their living memories. Atlas Obscura has positioned the impact as “the last giant meteorite impact to occur in a densely populated region.” The force of the meteorite is frequently compared to the force of “a small atomic
Metsamasinad (Forest Machines) – Milrem Robotics’ Tree Planting Robots
2020 Landsat/Copernicus imagery of Manicouagan crater, Québec.
example, in the summer of 2019, 14 young Canadians who had recently fought cancer joined together for a restorative canoe trip around the crater’s lake, Lac Manicouagan (Lake Manicouagan). Just as the Kaali meteorite found its way into folk legends, the Manicouagan crater and the water surrounding it have created stories and a shared trepidation and curiosity among the ad venture sport community and wilderness travel enthusiasts. This curiosity was enough to fuel bizarre myths about canoers getting badly disoriented by their location and coming to believe that the earth was changing its rotation relative to the sun. Then, the crater and its adjacent features have also been harnessed for engineering purposes. Within the crater is
Manicouagan Reservoir, created by the construction of the Daniel-Johnson Dam, started in 1959 by Hydro Quebéc. Pre viously, two separate lakes strafed the edge of the crater. The reservoir contains one of the highest ratios of island to lake with René-Levasseur Island, that sits in the middle of the impact lake. This reservoir, together with the Manicouagan River, is what powers several electricity-generating stations. Despite being reminded of our minute scale compared to these massive impressions in the earth and the astronomical events that cause them, we wander close, investigating the scene. We might even build a structure of our own beside it, to harness the elements as much as we can. It’s the best we can do to address our awe concerning these colossal phenomena.
President to open Baltic Geopolitics programme at Cambridge University
Baltic region and has taken on the mission of introducing its past and present,” Kaljulaid said.
ERR, January 2021 The Center for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge will launch the Baltic Geo politics programme with the aim of increasing understand ing of the geopolitics of the Baltics and the role of the United Kingdom in it. The opening event of the programme will take place on January 20 at noon and will be opened by President Kersti Kaljulaid. “In January, we are celebrating the 100th anniver sary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Estonia and the United King dom. I am very pleased that the world’s leading university is deeply interested in the Nordic-
first on the scene to help put out wildfires before they got out of control. On an economic level, Planter robots could work within the wood sectors of countries around the world, planting as workers cut trees for lumber or pulp and paper. If used right, these machines of the forest could be a highly efficient way to support forests just like we are supported by them.
In addition to Estonia, the Baltic Sea countries covered by the programme include Den mark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden. “This exciting initiative provides a much-needed insight into the United Kingdom’s relations with the Baltic Sea states. We need to strengthen our relationship in order to be able to meet the challenges of the future in terms of security, the economy and sustainability,” said Charles Clarke, a former British Home Secretary, one of the leaders of the program. From October this year, students of political and international studies at Cambridge University will also be able to take a course on geopolitics in the Baltic States from the 17th century to the present day. The Center for Geopolitics wants to start issuing research scholarships in the near future, as well as to create a support fund for doctoral candidates. In addition, journalist Edward Lucas, Professor John Bew Foreign Policy Adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and David Abulafia, Professor Emeritus at the University of Cambridge, and others will speak at the opening event.
