On the northeast coast of Gotland in Slite lies one of Heidelberg Materials' limestone quarries. Today, the factory has permission to extract limestone until 2027, and an application for extended quarrying operations for the next 30 years is in process. The new quarrying activity will involve removing a part of a catchment area. This catchment area supplies water to several Natura 2000 areas south of the quarry. With the removal of land, there will be water losses, and as a protective measure, the factory intends to infiltrate water back into surface and groundwater. The water to be used for this purpose is drainage water from the quarry. Due to nitrogen-based explosives, this water has higher nitrogen levels than the natural levels in the area. The purpose of this study was to investigate how nitrogen levels in the area are affected by the protective measure using INCA-N, a software for simulating nutrient transport in rivers. According to the model, the future infiltration will not affect the water balance as the volumes added are relatively small. However, the infiltration will affect nitrate levels in the area where it is infiltrated. Downstream along the river, nitrogen levels will not be affected by the infiltration. INCA-N is a surface water model, and the groundwater situation in the limestone bedrock of Gotland is complex. Therefore, this model comes with many uncertainties regarding the interaction between surface and groundwater at the site.

Dagvatten är det vatten som faller som nederbörd och sedan rinner över vägar och bebyggelse ned i brunnar eller direkt till recipienten. Dagvatten innehåller många olika föroreningar som kan vara direkt skadliga för vattenmiljön. I examensarbetet undersöks Gottsunda dagvattenpark som syftar till att rena dagvattnet innan det når recipienten Hågaån. Målet är att alla ytvattenförekomster i Sverige ska uppnå god ekologisk och kemisk ytvattenstatus, då Hågaån inte uppnår detta i dagsläget är det viktigt att kvantifiera hur väl den befintliga reningen av dagvatten fungerar. Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka om kontinuerlig turbiditets- och flödesmätning kan vara en fungerande metod för att kvantifiera transport och avskiljning av dagvattenföroreningarna suspenderat material, fosfor, kadmium, krom, nickel, koppar, bly och zink. Kontinuerliga sensormätningar kan i högre grad fånga in den snabba variationen i dagvatten än konventionella mätmetoder. Bland annat kan turbiditet mätas kontinuerligt med sensorer, en parameter som ofta visar hög korrelation med bland annat suspenderat material. Denna studie visade att signifikanta linjära samband finns mellan turbiditet med suspenderat material, fosfor och metaller för Gottsunda dagvattenparks in- och utlopp. En viss osäkerhet förekommer för sambanden i inloppet till följd av extremvärden med hög influens där ett behov finns av fler stickprover. Den beräknade avskiljningen i denna studie är något lägre än vad som förväntas, en möjlig förklaring är den stora fraktionen lerjordar i avrinningsområdet samt att dammen är förhållandevis nyetablerad. En ytterligare förklaring kan vara att det inte är exakt samma vattenpaket som undersökts i in- och utlopp, vilket antas gett upphov till en underskattning av avskiljningen. Vid viktning av mängderna utifrån en korrekt vattenbalans uppnås en högre avskiljning. Avskiljningsförmågan i Gottsunda dagvattenpark har i stort ökat med tiden men med sämre avskiljning under vintermånaderna. Kontinuerliga sensormätningar fungerar bra för att uppskatta medelkoncentrationer och belastningar av föroreningar och har potentialen att revolutionera dagvattenövervakningen. Dock behövs mer forskning där bland annat partikelsammansättningens påverkan behöver undersökas. / Stormwater is the precipitation that falls over cities and proceeds to flow on our streets, collecting pollutants on its way to the recipient. Stormwater contains a lot of different pollutants that can cause harm to our water bodies. In the study, Gottsunda stormwater pond is examined, whose purpose is to purify the stormwater before it reaches the recipient Hågaån. The goal is that all waters in Sweden should achieve good ecological and chemical surface water status. Since this isn’t achieved by Hågaån it is important to quantify if the current stormwater purification works as intended. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential to use high frequency sensors, measuring turbidity and discharge, to quantify transport and removal of the stormwater pollutants suspended solids, phosphorus, cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, lead, and zinc. Measuring turbidity and discharge continuously using high frequency sensors can capture the fast variation in stormwater to a higher extent than conventional methods. Turbidity is a parameter which often shows high correlation with e.g. suspended solids. The study showed significant linear relationships between turbidity with suspended solids, phosphorus, and metals for incoming and outgoing water of Gottsunda stormwater pond. Uncertainty is present in the relationships for the incoming water due to extreme values with high influence, thus more grab samples are required. The calculated removal of pollutants is below the expected level, a possible explanation for this is the high fraction of clay soils in the catchment and the young age of the pond. Another explanation could be that the water volumes differ between in- and outlet. Considering the same volumes a higher removal is retrieved. The ability to remove pollutants has increased over time since the pond was established, with exception for the winter months. High frequency sensor measurements work well for estimating mean concentrations and loads of pollutants and has the potential of revolutionizing surveillance of stormwater. Although, more research is required where the effect of particle composition needs to be examined more closely.

This PhD study focusses on the use of MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data for reliable and quantitative water-quality assessment of optically-complex waters (lake, brackish and coastal waters). The thesis is divided into two parts: A. intercalibration of reflectance measurements in different optically-complex water bodies (Paper I), and validation of various satellite processing algorithms for the coastal zone (Paper II). B. Applications: the use of MERIS data in integrated coastal zone management mostly using Himmerfjärden bay as an example. Himmerfjärden bay is one of the most frequently monitored coastal areas in the world and it is also the recipient of a large urban sewage treatment plant, where a number of full-scale nutrient management experiments have been conducted to evaluate the ecological changes due to changes in nutrient schemes in the sewage plant. Paper I describes the development and assessment of a new hyperspectral handheld radiometer for in situ sampling and validation of remote sensing reflectance.  The instrument is assessed in comparison with readily available radiometers that are commonly used in validation. Paper II has a focus on the validation of level 2 reflectance and water products derived from MERIS data. It highlights the importance of calibration and validation activities, and the current accuracy and limitations of satellite products in the coastal zone.  Bio-optical in situ data is highlighted as one of the key components for assessing the reliability of current and future satellite missions. Besides suspended particulate matter (SPM), the standard MERIS products have shown to be insufficient to assure data quality retrieval for Baltic Sea waters. Alternative processors and methods such as those assessed and developed in this thesis therefore will have to be put in place in order to secure the success of future operational missions, such as Sentinel-3. The two presented manuscripts in the applied part B of the thesis (paper III and IV), showed examples on the combined use of in situ measurements with optical remote sensing to support water quality monitoring programs by using turbidity and suspended particulate matter as coastal indicators (manuscript III). The article also provides  a new turbidity algorithm for the Baltic Sea and a robust and cost-efficient method for research and management.  A novel approach to improve the quality of the satellite-derived products in the coastal zone was demonstrated in manuscript IV. The analysis included, the correction for adjacency effects from land and an improved pixel quality screening.  The thesis provides the first detailed spatio-temporal description of the evolution of phytoplankton blooms in Himmerfjärden bay  using quality-assured MERIS data, thus forwarding our understanding of ecological processes in in Swedish coastal waters. It must be noted that monitoring from space is not a trivial matter in these optically-complex waters dominated by the absorption of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM). These types of coastal waters are especially challenging for quantitative assessment from space due to their low reflectance.  Papers III and IV thus also provide tools for a more versatile use in other coastal waters that are not as optically-complex as the highly absorbing Baltic Sea waters. The benefits of the increased spatial-temporal data coverage by optical remote sensing were presented, and also compared to in situ sampling methods (using chlorophyll-a as indicator). / <p>Research funders:</p><p>European Space Agency (ESA, contract no.21524/08/I-OL)</p><p>NordForsk funding: Nord AquaRemS Ref. no. 80106</p><p>NordForsk funding:  NordBaltRemS Ref.no. 42041</p><p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Geological Carbon Storage (GCS) is considered as one of the key techniques to reduce the rate of atmospheric emissions of CO2 and thereby to contribute to controlling the global warming. A successful application of a GCS project requires the capability of the formation to trap CO2 for a long term. In this context, processes related to CO2 trapping and also possible leakage of CO2 to the near surface environment need to be understood. The overall aim of this thesis is to understand the flow and transport of CO2 through porous media in the context of geological storage of CO2. The entire range of scales, including the pore scale, the laboratory scale, the field experiment scale and the industrial scale of CO2 injection operation are addressed, and some of the key processes investigated by means of experiments and modeling.  First, a numerical model and laboratory experimental setup were developed to investigate the CO2 gas flow, mimicking the system in the near-surface conditions in case a leak from the storage formation should occur. The system specifically addressed the coupled flow and mass transport of gaseous CO2 both in the porous domain as well as the free flow domain above it. The comparison of experiments and modelling results showed a very good agreement indicating that the model developed can be applied to evaluate monitoring and surface detection of potential CO2 leakage. Second, the field scale CO2 injection test carried out in a shallow aquifer in Maguelone, France was analyzed and modeled. The results showed that Monte Carlo simulations accounting for the heterogeneity effects of the permeability field did capture the key observations of the monitoring data, while a homogeneous model could not represent them. Third, a numerical model based on phase-field method was developed and model simulations carried out addressing the effect of wettability on CO2-brine displacement at the pore-scale. The results show that strongly water-wet reservoirs provide a better potential for the dissolution trapping, due to the increase of interface between CO2 and brine with very low contact angles. The results further showed that strong water-wet conditions also imply a strong capillary effect, which is important for residual trapping of CO2. Finally, numerical model development and model simulations were carried out to address the large scale geological storage of CO2 in the presence of impurity gases in the CO2 rich phase. The results showed that impurity gases N2 and CH4 affected the spatial distribution of the gas (the supercritical CO2 rich phase), and a larger volume of reservoir is needed in comparison to the pure CO2 injection scenario. In addition, the solubility trapping significantly increased in the presence of N2 and CH4.

Sub-Saharan Africa is today facing a big challenge regarding food deficiency and water scarcity due to climate change. One of these countries is Rwanda, a small landlocked country in the middle of Africa. Rwanda strongly depend on agriculture, both in the aspect of reducing poverty and hunger but also because their economy security depend on it. Because of increasingly fluctuating rainfalls their agriculture becomes more dependent on irrigation and the availability to water resources. To investigate how the climate change will affect the amount of water resources in the coming decades, this study is focusing on the watershed and marshland of Muvumba P8 in Nyagatare, Rwanda. A hydrological model was created, in a software called Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), with soil, land use and slope maps for the watershed. Calibrating the model was done with help of Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) data and run for nine different climate model datasets. An uncertainty had to be taken into account regarding both the measured local data and the downloaded data. To be able to compare the amount of water resources and the irrigation requirements for the rice crop the farmers were growing on the marshland, the crop water requirements for rice was estimated with FAO’s program called CROPWAT. The irrigation system on the marshland allows a double cropping of rice every year and consist of a system depending on elevation differences to create natural fall. There was three reservoirs along the marshland but to limit the project, only the first reservoir was taken into account. This was complemented with existing data and field survey. Six out of nine climate models showed a decrease in median discharge over the coming 30 years compared to the CFSR historical median discharge. This means that less water in general will reach the outlet of the watershed in the years to come. At the same time all climate models indicate an increase in irrigation requirements for the rice crops. The seasons are probably going to change, a longer and drier season between June and August and a rainier season between September and November are projected.

En endimensionell SVAT-modell (Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere) användes för att simulera avdunstning och uppskatta den kritiska vattenpotentialen där reduktionen av vattenupptaget börjar. Detta gjordes i en blandad tall- och granskog i norra Uppland för perioden 1 maj - 31 oktober 1994. Denna period var ovanligt varm och torr och gav därför en unik chans att studera vattenupptag och upptorkning. Som indata till modellen användes markfysikaliska egenskaper och dagliga meteorologiska data. Modellen kalibrerades med TBR-, tensiometer- och grundvattenståndsmätningar för samma period. Den kritiska vattenpotentialen uppskattades till -100 hPa och visade sig vara en känslig parameter i modellen. Reduktionen av vattenupptaget började i slutet av juni. Ytresistansen beräknades med hjälp av Lohammarekvationen och bladyteindex. De markfysikaliska egenskaperna hade stor betydelse för simuleringsresultaten. Dessa egenskaper var mycket osäkert bestämda på grund av svårigheterna att mäta i inhomogen moränmark. Modellsimuleringarnas överenstämmelse med markvattenmätningarna varierade mellan olika djup i marken. / A one-dimensional SVAT-model (Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere) was used to simulate evaporation and estimate the critical soil water potential where the reduction of the water uptake begins. This was done in a mixed pine and spruce forest in the north of Uppland, Sweden for the period 1 May to 31 October 1994. This period was unusually warm and dry and gave a unique chance to study the water uptake and the drought. Driving variables to the model were daily meteorological data and soil physical properties. The model was calibrated with TDR- (Time-Domain Reflectometry), tensiometer and ground water level measurements from the site for the same period. The critical water potential was estimated to -100 hPa and appeared to be a sensitive parameter in the model. The reduction of the water uptake began at the end of June. The surface resistance was calculated from the leaf area index and the Lohammar equation. The soil physical properties were shown to be significantly affecting the results of the simulation. The determination of these properties was uncertain because of the problems to measure in an inhomogenous till soil. The model simulations agreed generally well with the soil moisture measurements in some layers but a good agreement for all layers was not possible to obtain.

Målet med detta projekt var att jämföra nuvarande dricksvattenproduktion på Åland med ett eventuellt kompletterande avsaltningsverk, samt undersöka om det är rimligt att uppföra ett sådant. Detta genomfördes genom informationsinsamling i en litteraturstudie och jämförelse mellan nuvarande vattenverk och ett eventuellt avsaltningsverk i en beslutsmatris. Kategorier som ansågs relevanta för jämförelsen identifierades och sedan utvecklades dessa genom att identifiera parametrar som byggde upp kategorierna. Den insamlade informationen användes sedan för att klassa de olika parametrarna inom kategorierna och en samlad bedömning gjordes. De kategorier som undersöktes var: dricksvattenkvalitet, miljökonsekvenser, energiförbrukning och kostnader samt tillräcklig och säker dricksvattentillgång. Det eventuella kompletterande avsaltningsverket ansågs kunna konkurrera med nuvarande vattenproduktion med avseende på alla dessa fyra kategorier och metoden bedömdes vara en bra grund för jämförelsen. För att utveckla projektet i framtiden rekommenderades modellering och en pilotstudie.

Att man förstår mark- och grundvattenflöde är en förutsättning för förståelsen av ämnestransport genom skogsmark. Ståndortskarteringen har inte möjlighet att mäta grundvattenflödet på sina provytor med t ex totalpotentialmätningar utan behöver en alternativ metod. Syftet med detta arbete var att skapa en multivariat klassificeringsmodell för klassificering av grundvattenförhållandena i en skogssluttning söder om Tärnsjö i norra Uppland. Modellen bygger på principalkomponentanalys av olika kemiska variabler i det fasta organiska materialet i den organiska horisonten. De kemiska variablerna som användes var; pH(H2O), pH(BaCl2), andel C, S och N i det organiska materialet, den procentuella andelen Al3+, H+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+ och Na+ på utbyteskomplexen, CECeff och andel organiskt material i proven. Principalkomponentanalysen tyder på att (1) inströmningsområdet karaktäriserades av lågt pH, låga Na+-halter och relativt höga K+-halter, (2) det omättade utströmningsområdet karaktäriserades av höga Al3+-halter, och (3) det näst intill mättade utströmningsområdet karaktäriserades av höga Na+-, Ca2+- och Mg2+-halter som gav högre pH-värden samt högre andel av S och N i det organiska materialet. Undersökningen tyder på att grundvattenförhållandena i en barrskogssluttning har stor betydelse för de kemiska egenskaperna hos markens organiska horisont. Informationen man får från markkemiska analyser gör det möjligt att med hjälp av kemiska variabler klassificera graden av in- respektive utströmningsförhållanden. Den multivariata klassificeringsmodell som skapades i denna undersökning ger en riktlinje för hur en generell klassificeringsmodell för indikationer av grundvattenförhållanden kan konstrueras. Den generella klassificeringsmodellen är ett alternativ till t ex totalpotentialmätningar eftersom klassificeringsmodellen varken behöver ske på plats eller mätas i tidsserier. Vidare kan klassificeringsmodellen tillämpas på redan existerande markkemiska analyser. / A thorough understanding of soil water and groundwater flow is necessary to understand the transport of elements in forest soils. The National Forest Soil and Vegetation Survey has no possibilities to determine groundwater flow using total potential measurements in the sampling plots. In the present work an alternative approach using soil chemistry to classify the extent of recharge and discharge conditions in the sampling plots was used. A multivariate model was created to classify groundwater regime in a forested hillslope south of Tärnsjö in the northern part of Uppland, Sweden. The model was based on principal component analysis (PCA) of different variables in solid organic matter in the organic horizon in the soil. The chemical variables used were pH(H2O), pH(BaCl2), total C, N and S in organic matter, the percentage of Al3+, H+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+ in the exchange complex, the effective CEC and the percentage of organic matter in the soil samples. PCA indicated that; (1) samples from the recharge area were characterised by low pH, low Na+ and relatively high K+ levels, (2) the unsaturated discharge zone was characterised by high levels of exchangeable Al3+ and (3) the nearly saturated discharge area was characterised by high Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ levels, higher pH and higher amounts of N and S in the organic matter. This study indicated that groundwater regime in a forested hillslope is of major importance in determining the chemical status of the organic matter in the organic horizon. It was possible to use information obtained from soil chemical analysis to determine the extent of recharge or discharge at the points where the soil samples were taken. The PCA model used in this work gives guidelines for the construction of a general model for classification of groundwater regimes.

Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka om kommuner i Mälarregionen drabbades av låga yt- och grundvattennivåer under sommaren 2017, hur situationen hanterades, deras dagliga arbete med vattenfrågor och om handlingsplaner fanns för låga nivåer före 2017. Vi vill även se hur kommunerna ställer sig till klimatförändringar samt sammanställa vilka roller och ansvar som olika myndigheter har när det kommer till vattenförsörjning. Arbetets undersökningsområde begränsades till 39 kommuner i fyra län: Södermanlands, Upplands, Västmanlands och Örebro län. För att besvara syftet skickades en enkät ut till kommunerna och intervjuer genomfördes med två av kommunerna. En litteraturstudie genomfördes för att kunna besvara ansvarsfördelningen mellan olika myndigheter. Enkäten besvarades av 26 kommuner. Det viktigaste resultat var att kommunerna, trots vattennivåer under det normala, inte upplevde vattenbrist i den omfattningen som vi trott. Fem kommuner angav att de drabbades av vattenbrist. Den huvudsakliga åtgärden som infördes var bevattningsförbud. Från enkäten framkom att det i stor utsträckning saknats handlingsplaner för att hantera en situation med vattenbrist innan 2017. Majoriteten av kommunerna tror att deras vattenförsörjning kan påverkas av klimatförändringar, men bara 14 angav att de har en handlingsplan för det. Resultatet som framkom från intervjuerna gällde främst processen för införandet av skyddsområden. Även i litteraturstudien framkom det att arbetet med vattenskyddsområden inte går i den takt som är nödvändig för att nå målen förhållbar och långsiktig dricksvattenförsörjning. / The aim of this paper is to examine how municipalities in the Mälar region of Sweden were affected by the low surface and groundwater levels in the summer of 2017, how municipalities handled the situation, how they work with water related questions in their daily work and whether they had an action plan for dealing with shortage of water prior to 2017. Lastly, we also aim to compile the roles and responsibilities for different authorities when it comes to water supply. The area of study was limited to 39 municipalities in four counties: Södermanlands, Upplands, Västmanlands and Örebro county. To answer the aim, a survey was sent out to all municipalities and interviews were done with two of the municipalities. A literature study was done in order to answer the division of responsibilities between different authorities. The survey was answered by 26 municipalities. The main result we got from the survey was that even though the water levels were below normal, the municipalities didn’t experience water shortages in the extent we had expected. Five municipalities indicated that they had been affected by the water shortages. The main measure that were done was the irrigation ban. From the survey it was found that most of the municipalities were lacking action plans to deal with a water shortage situation before2017. The majority of the municipalities believe that their water supply can be affected by climate change, but only 14 indicated that they have an action plan for it. The results obtained from our interviews primarily marks the division of responsibilities for water conservation areas. As conducted from the literature study, the processes to constitute water conservation areas does not seem to be smooth and quick enough to meet the goals of sustainable and long-term water supply.

Anthropogenic emissions of acidifying substances, mainly sulfur dioxide, during the second half of the 20th century caused a widespread acidification of many European freshwater environments. Even relatively remote areas, such as inland northern Sweden, experienced reduced pH-values, much due to low buffering capacity in the environment. Extensive liming has taken place in Sweden over the past fifty years to counteract negative effects on limnic ecosystems. Despite a general increase in pH over the last decades, problems with acidification still occur. However, this can be hard to separate from natural acidity due to a large landscape variability. This study aims at describing the temporal and spatial variation of pH and pH-related parameters in Bastuån, a 46 km2 watershed in Jämtland, Sweden, which is being investigated for future liming measures. Existing water chemistry data sets were analyzed and extended with an additional field study, sampling the twelve largest tributaries to Bastuån. Results show that pronounced high and low pH values has become increasingly rare while the average is basically unchanged between 1999 and 2017. Low pH is mainly associated with high discharge during snowmelt or rain events. Anthropogenic SO42- concentrations seems to contribute relatively little to pH-depressions while organic acids plays a more important role. Large water chemical variations in the tributaries indicate that several different biological and physical properties within the watershed regulates pH. However, any credible function that can predict pH using such properties remains to be found.