Best practices for spatial language data harmonization, sharing and map creation-A case study of Uralic.

Despite remarkable progress in digital linguistics, extensive databases of geographical language distributions are missing. This hampers both studies on language spatiality and public outreach of language diversity. We present best practices for creating and sharing digital spatial language data by collecting and harmonizing Uralic language distributions as case study. Language distribution studies have utilized various methodologies, and the results are often available as printed maps or written descriptions. In order to analyze language spatiality, the information must be digitized into geospatial data, which contains location, time and other parameters. When compiled and harmonized, this data can be used to study changes in languages' distribution, and combined with, for example, population and environmental data. We also utilized the knowledge of language experts to adjust previous and new information of language distributions into state-of-the-art maps. The extensive database, including the distribution datasets and detailed map visualizations of the Uralic languages are introduced alongside this article, and they are freely available.

Surface layer salinity gradients and flow patterns in the archipelago coast of SW Finland, northern Baltic Sea.

The highly fragmented Archipelago Sea in the northern Baltic Sea forms part of a sill area between two large sea basins. In addition to the water exchange between the basins, its waters are influenced by runoff, and thus the sea area has both sill and estuarine characteristics. We studied surface layer salinity gradients and their applicability in defining water exchange patterns through and within the region. A broad scale salinity pattern was detected during two sequential years. The spreading of fresh water in the spring was succeeded by a gradual increase in salinity during the summer. Long term data revealed a non-seasonal salinity fluctuation and diminished salinity stratification in the central and northern parts of the study area. We concluded that temporally unrepresentative mean values of salinity alone are inadequate for the purposes of coastal management in this region. In addition, both the range of variation and persistence of the conditions define the character of the transitional and coastal waters.