Geo–ecology and management of sensitive montane landscapes

Montane (alpine) areas are generally of high value for nature conservation. Such environments and the habitats they support are dynamic and often fragile. They are vulnerable to disturbance from a range of human activities and are responsive to climate changes over short and long timescales. Biodiversity and conservation values are closely linked to geological history, geomorphological processes and soils, and it is crucial that management systems are based on understanding these links.
There are many similarities between the Cairngorm Mountains (Scotland), the Giant Mountains (Czech Republic) and Abisko Mountains (Sweden) in terms of geology, geomorphology, ecology, links with biodiversity and high conservation importance. Comparable pressures and management issues involve, to varying degrees, a history of human use and impacts from deforestation, pasturing, grazing, recreation and atmospheric pollution. Landscape change therefore involves a complex interplay between natural and anthropogenic factors. Managing such change requires better understanding of the geo–ecological processes involved and the factors that determine landscape sensitivity. This is illustrated through a simple framework and examples from the three areas. Comparison of landscape sensitivity between similar montane areas, but in different geographic locations and climatic environments, should allow more informed management planning and a precautionary approach in advance of further changes in human activity and from predicted global warming scenarios.     

Identification of geomorphic process units in Kärkevagge, northern Sweden, by remote sensing and digital terrain analysis

Sediment transport processes in the Kärkevagge are investigated concerning their spatial and temporal characteristics due to long–term monitoring. Within this study remote sensing techniques and GIS modelling in connection with geomorphic mapping are applied for identification and characterization of geomorphic process units. Relationships between geomorphometric parameters and slope processes like solifluction, talus creep and rockfall have been analysed. Multitemporal Landsat–TM5 scenes are used as source for landcover characteristics (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) after preprocessing involving orthorectification and topographic normalization in order to remove possible terrain–induced effects. Additionally, a digital elevation model with a resolution of 20 m for the Kärkevagge catchment is developed and parameters like slope gradient, slope aspect and profile curvature are extracted as input for the analysis of the sediment transport system. The combination of landcover information, geomorphometrical and topological features allows the definition of areas for single process activities. They show specific sediment displacement characteristics depending on material conditions, topological and geometrical features. Geomorphic process units, which show a homogenous composition, are extracted from these available layers.     

The importance of reduced meat and dairy consumption for meeting stringent climate change targets

For agriculture, there are three major options for mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: 1) productivity improvements, particularly in the livestock sector; 2) dedicated technical mitigation measures; and 3) human dietary changes. The aim of the paper is to estimate long-term agricultural GHG emissions, under different mitigation scenarios, and to relate them to the emissions space compatible with the 2 °C temperature target. Our estimates include emissions up to 2070 from agricultural soils, manure management, enteric fermentation and paddy rice fields, and are based on IPCC Tier 2 methodology. We find that baseline agricultural CO₂-equivalent emissions (using Global Warming Potentials with a 100 year time horizon) will be approximately 13 Gton CO₂eq/year in 2070, compared to 7.1 Gton CO₂eq/year 2000. However, if faster growth in livestock productivity is combined with dedicated technical mitigation measures, emissions may be kept to 7.7 Gton CO₂eq/year in 2070. If structural changes in human diets are included, emissions may be reduced further, to 3–5 Gton CO₂eq/year in 2070. The total annual emissions for meeting the 2 °C target with a chance above 50 % is in the order of 13 Gton CO₂eq/year or less in 2070, for all sectors combined. We conclude that reduced ruminant meat and dairy consumption will be indispensable for reaching the 2 °C target with a high probability, unless unprecedented advances in technology take place.     

Relationship between metallothionein, copper and zinc in perch (Perca fluviatilis) environmentally exposed to heavy metals

Hepatic levels of Cu, Zn and metallothionein (MT) in perch, caught in a Cu/Zn gradient from a brassworks, reflected the water concentration of Cu (1·0–9·4 ppb) and Zn (0·56–59 ppb). Significant correlations were found between hepatic Cu and MT levels (r = 0·72), and between Zn and MT levels (r = 0·69). There was an increase of the amount of Cu and Zn in the cytosolic fraction of the liver with increased hepatic levels of the metals. When liver samples. from perch caught at the most contaminated location, were run on a gel filtration column (Sephadex G-75) 78% of the cytosolic Cu and 24% of the Zn in the cytosol eluted together with MT.     

Inherited Landforms and Glacial Impact of Different Palaeosurfaces in Southwest Sweden

Landforms are used as analytical tools to separate inherited features from the glacial impact on Precambrian basement rocks in southwest Sweden. The study covers three different palaeosurfaces, the sub-Cambrian peneplain (relative relief (r.r.) 0–20 m) with the character of a pediplain, an uplifted and dissected part of the sub-Cambrian peneplain (r.r. 5–40 m) and an etch-surface (r.r. 20–135 m), presumably sub-Mesozoic. The surfaces were recently re-exposed, probably due to a Neogene upheaval with some pre-glacial reshaping. Strong structural control and no alignment with glacial erosional directions other than those coinciding with structures, are arguments for etch processes as a most important agent for relief differentiation. This is strengthened by the occurrence of saprolite residues and etchforms in protected positions.
The glacial reshaping of the sub-Cambrian flat bedrock surfaces is negligible. The glacial impact becomes more evident in the uplifted and dissected parts of the peneplain and within the hilly sub-Mesozoic surface. The higher the initial relief the more effect of glacial erosion on individual hills, both on the abrading side, with formation of roches moutonnées, and on the plucking side. Detailed etchforms are preserved in protected positions in spite of erosion by a clearly wet-based ice. The magnitude of the Pleistocene glacial erosion is considerably less than the amplitude of the palaeorelief in the entire area.
Landscapes of areal glacial scouring have been described as comprising irregular depressions with intervening bosses scraped by ice and labelled 'knock and lochan' topography, but we suggest that an etched bedrock surface is a prerequisite for this type of landscape to develop.     

Star formation around the H ii region Sh2-235

We present a picture of star formation around the H  ii region Sh2-235 (S235) based upon data on the spatial distribution of young stellar clusters and the distribution and kinematics of molecular gas around S235. We observed ¹³CO (1–0) and CS (2–1) emission toward S235 with the Onsala Space Observatory 20-m telescope and analysed the star density distribution with archival data from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). Dense molecular gas forms a shell-like structure at the southeastern part of S235. The young clusters found with 2MASS data are embedded in this shell. The positional relationship of the clusters, the molecular shell and the H  ii region indicates that expansion of S235 is responsible for the formation of the clusters. The gas distribution in the S235 molecular complex is clumpy, which hampers interpretation exclusively on the basis of the morphology of the star-forming region. We use data on kinematics of molecular gas to support the hypothesis of induced star formation, and distinguish three basic types of molecular gas components. The first type is primordial undisturbed gas of the giant molecular cloud, the second type is gas entrained in motion by expansion of the H  ii region (this is where the embedded clusters were formed) and the third type is a fast-moving gas, which might have been accelerated by winds from the newly formed clusters. The clumpy distribution of molecular gas and its kinematics around the H  ii region implies that the picture of triggered star formation around S235 can be a mixture of at least two possibilities: the 'collect-and-collapse' scenario and the compression of pre-existing dense clumps by the shock wave.     

Design Methodology for Grout Curtains Under Dams Founded on Rock

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - Grout curtains are commonly constructed under dams to reduce the seepage through the rock foundation. In the design of grout curtains, empirical methods...     

Shock Wave Interactions in Rock Blasting: the Use of Short Delays to Improve Fragmentation in Model-Scale

A series of detailed small-scale tests have been made to investigate the use of short delays to promote better fragmentation caused by shock wave interactions. The block design had a size of 650/660 × 205 × 300 mm (L × W × H) and two rows with five Ø 10-mm blastholes in each row. The spacing (S) and burden (B) were 110 and 70 mm, respectively, giving an S/B ratio of 1.6. The results showed no distinct differences or high improvements of the fragmentation when the delays were in the time range of interactions compared with no shock wave interactions. The decrease of x ₅₀ (mean size) was around 20 % at a delay time ~1.1 ms/m burden compared with longer delays like 2 ms/m. A statistical analysis of the results has been made to evaluate the minimum at short delays and it is not significant.