Logging of tropical forests is increasing worldwide. Logging alters the forest conditions such as temperature, soil water content and litter input into the soil. This study explored how soil invertebrate activity in Borneo differs between pristine forests and two secondary forests, with 10 and 40 years of recovery time since the last logging. To measure the soil fauna feeding activity, the bait lamina stick method was applied. The study was conducted in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, during April and May 2019. 33 forest plots were examined with ten lamina sticks placed in each of the three replicas per forest plot. The sticks were kept in the soil for four weeks before being removed. Upon removal, the soil invertebrate activity was determined by assessing how many holes of the bait lamina sticks were eaten and at what depth. The activity was related to the above-ground carbon density (ACD, a density measure for amount of above-ground carbon), as well as depth-specific activity in the different plots. Moreover, further relationships with the invertebrate activity and environmental conditions such as cumulative throughfall during the study time as well as the soil water content were studied. The results showed that the soil activity slightly decreased with increased ACD, but no statistical significance was found. This study also suggests that the activity was higher in the upper 0-5cm of the soil than in the lower 5-10 cm. Lastly, the results showed that the activity was highest in the forest with the shortest recovery time (10 years). This implies that it might be possible to regain the original soil activity since the activity of the 40-year-old forest was closer to the pristine forest than that of the 10- year-old forest.

This research paper represents an investigation of blockchain applicability in the Swedish energy market. The paper also attempts to explore the numerous claims and benefits surrounding this technology. Overall, the blockchain platform presents an innovative opportunity for energy to be bought and sold on the market in a new way that is providing consumers with greater efficiency and control over their energy sources. The platform is also set to integrate different types of data such as energy prices, usage, marginal costs, legal compliances etc., with the purpose of providing a better service than the platforms that exist today. To investigate these claims, firstly, the blockchain technology, its purpose, and function is explained. Secondly, the paper explores relationship and application in the energy market. Existing literature has been examined in order to provide a foundation when it comes to technological application. Lastly, the Swedish energy market has been considered and if the technology would make a difference. The interviews with experts have been conducted to get an inside look into the actual reality of this technology. Overall, the experts did not have a strong word to give about the possible application of the technology in the Swedish energy market. The technology does have potential but it is simply in too early stages of development and the obstacles are more significant than the previously promised benefits.

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När naturlig mark bebyggs kan regn- och smältvatten inte infiltrera ned i marken och kommer istället rinna av längs ytan. Detta vatten kallas dagvatten och kan leda till problem i samhället om det inte omhändertas. Dels kan större ansamlingar dagvatten skada bland annat fastigheter och infrastruktur, dels kan dagvattnet innehålla farliga ämnen som sköljts med från exempelvis trafik. Tas dagvatten omhand på ett bra sätt kan det dessutom ses som en resurs, exempelvis genom att skapa trevliga utemiljöer. För att alla personer ska kunna ta del av miljön är det viktigt att den utformas på ett tillgängligt sätt.   I takt med att städer växer ökar andelen hårdgjord mark, vilket leder till utmaningar för dagvattenhanteringen. Dessutom leder ett varmare klimat till en ökning av skyfall, där det på kort tid kan genereras stora mängder dagvatten. Det finns ingen aktör i samhället som är ensamt ansvarig för att dagvatten tas omhand på ett bra sätt. När ett nytt område ska etableras kan därför intressekonflikter ske vid val av dagvattenhantering. Multikriterieanalys (MKA) är ett verktyg som bland annat kan användas för att jämföra olika alternativ för dagvattenhantering utifrån samma kriterier, samt hantera eventuella intressekonflikter. De inkluderade alternativen poängsätts efter hur de presterar i kriterierna. Om kriterierna prioriteras olika kan de viktas, detta görs ofta av olika aktörer som är berörda av frågeställningen. Ett slutbetyg kan sedan tilldelas alternativen. Syftet med den här studien var att utveckla ett MKA-verktyg för hållbar dagvattenhantering som inkluderar både tillgänglighets- och skyfallsaspekter. MKAn byggdes upp för att kunna appliceras på ett område i Vellinge kommun där ett nytt verksamhetsområde skulle etableras. Olika kombinationer av tekniklösningar för dagvattenhantering för verksamhetsområdet jämfördes i MKAn. Viktningen av kriterierna skedde under en workshop med representanter från olika förvaltningar på Vellinge kommun. Enligt poängsättningen och viktningen fick en kombination av tekniklösningar för dagvattenhantering som skulle gynna både tillgängligheten och skyfallshantering i området högst slutbetyg. Denna kombination inkluderade ett dike, två torra dammar, en damm med permanent vattenspegel och ett dagvattenstråk. För tillgänglighetsaspekterna var utformningen av tekniklösningarna viktig. Dagvattenstråket inkluderades i kombinationen för att kunna skyfallssäkra området. Det viktigaste med att genomföra MKAn var att skapa en diskussion och samsyn hos de berörda aktörerna kring val av dagvattenhantering. Att inkludera tillgänglighets- och skyfallsaspekter i MKAn ledde till att dessa frågor lyftes under workshopen, vilket gav en givande diskussion. / When natural land is built up, rain and melt water cannot infiltrate into the soil and will instead run off along the surface. This water is called stormwater and can lead to problems in the society if it isn’t managed in an appropriate way. Accumulations of stormwater can for example damage properties and infrastructure. Stormwater can also contain dangerous substances that have been rinsed off the surface. Furthermore, if the stormwater is handled in a good way it can be seen as a resource, for example by creating pleasant outdoor environments. In order for all people to be able to take part of the environment and its benefits, it is important that it is designed in an accessible way. As cities grow, the proportion of hardened land is increasing, leading to challenges for stormwater management. In addition, a warmer climate leads to an increase in cloudbursts, where large amounts of stormwater can be generated in a short time. There is no actor in the society who is solely responsible for stormwater being handled in a proper way. Consequently, when a new area is to be established, conflicts of interest can occur when choosing stormwater management. Multicriteria analysis (MCA) is a tool that can be used to compare different alternatives based on the same criteria, and deal with conflicts of interest. The included alternatives are scored according to how they perform in the various criteria. If the criteria are prioritized differently they can be weighted, this is often done by different actors involved in the issue. A final grade can then be assigned to the alternatives.  The aim of this study was to develop an MCA for sustainable stormwater management that includes both accessibility and cloudburst aspects. The MCA was built up to be applicable to an area in Vellinge municipality where a new business area was to be established. Different combinations of technical solutions for stormwater management for the business area were compared in the MCA. The criteria were weighted during a workshop with representatives from various administrations from Vellinge municipality. According to the score and the weighting, a combination of technical solutions for stormwater management including both accessibility and cloudburst aspects received the highest final grade. This combination included a ditch, two dry ponds, a pond with permanent water level and a stormwater patch. For the accessibility aspects, the design of the technical solutions was important. The stormwater patch was included in the combination to be able to manage cloudburst in the business area. The most important thing about implementing the MCA was to create a discussion and consensus among the stakeholders on the choice of stormwater management. Including accessibility and cloudburst aspects in the MCA led to these issues being raised during the workshop and this gave a rewarding discussion.

The leakages of metals from acid sulfate soils and their potential toxicity to benthic invertebrates were studied in the sediment profiles of Lillkvasjön and Lövselefjärden - a lake and an estuary known to be affected by acid sulfate soils - in Västerbotten, northern Sweden. The concentrations of 25 different elements were analyzed throughout both sediment profiles through X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometer analysis. Organic matter was measured through loss-on-ignition (LOI). By performing correlation analysis and normalizations to LOI on all sediment variables, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, S and Zn were found to be leached from acid sulfate soils to both sites, while Mg and Mn were related to leakages from acid sulfate soils in Lövselefjärden. The concentrations of Cu (195 mg kg-1), Ni (55 mg kg-1), Pb (90 mg kg-1) and Zn (398 mg kg-1) in the surface sediment of Lövselefjärden were classified as potentially toxic to benthic invertebrates. In Lillkvasjön, Cu (210 mg kg-1) and Ni (87 mg kg-1) were classified to have an increased risk of negative impacts on benthic invertebrates, while the concentrations of Pb (121 mg kg-1) and Zn (329 mg kg-1) were likely to low to have any negative effects. These results strengthen previous finds of impacts from acid sulfate soils in the two catchment areas and elucidate the importance of further studies on the impact of acid sulfate soils on benthic invertebrates.

Världen är i en omställning för en hållbarare framtid och det inkluderar miljövänligare transporter. Elflygplan är under utveckling och de kan fylla ett syfte för att minska flyg- trafikens miljöpåverkan. De elflygplan som förväntas vara i trafik först i Sverige har en passagerarkapacitet på cirka 19 personer och kan transporteras cirka 400 km. För att se vilken den totala påverkan elflygplan kan ha på miljön undersöktes de miljökonsekvenser som kan uppstå kring flygplatser. Studien begränsades till att analysera de luftföroreningar som uppstår i LTO-cykeln, vilket innefattar flygplanets rörelser på marken och upp till 915 m höjd i luften. De miljökonsekvenser som framförallt påverkas vid användandet av elflygplan är energiförbrukning och luftföroreningar. Vattenföroreningar och buller undersöktes också. Elförbrukningen kommer som väntat öka att vid användning av elflygplan och den ökar med antalet elflygplan i bruk. För att minska eekttoppar under laddning av flygplanen på flygplatser kan energilagring med batterier eller vätgas användas. Elflygplanen har inga emissioner av luftföroreningar och de kommer därför att minska. Desto fler elflygplan i trafik desto större minskning av luftföroreningar kommer ske. Bullerutbredningen kan tänkas minska vid starten med elflygplan medan högre bullernivåer kan förväntas vid landning då framförallt batterielektriska flygplan är tunga eftersom vikten av batterierna inte avtar med flygsträckan. För att elflygplan ska vara ett miljövänligare alternativ ur ett flygplatsperspektiv måste energin för att ladda flygplanet komma från hållbara källor. Den främsta skillnaden mellan batterielektriska flygplan och bränslecelsflygplan kommer att vara infrastrukturen som krävs på flygplatsen. Flygplan med bränsleceller och vätgas som drivmedel kommer även ha vattenånga som restprodukt vid användande medan batterielekt- riska plan har noll utsläpp till luften. Även ett ändrat resmönster är tänkbart där elflygplanen fyller ett transportsyfte från mindre flygplatser till större flygplatser för vidare resande. Detta skulle kunna minska persontransporter kring de större flygplatserna så som Arlanda. Då elflygplanen inte använder flygbränsle kommer även transporter av flygbränsle att minska. / The world is in a transition for a more sustainable future and that includes more environ- mentally friendly transport. Electric aircrafts are under development and they can fulfill a purpose to reduce the environmental impact from air trac. The electric aircrafts that are expected to first be in use have a passenger capacity of 19 people and can fly 400 km. To gain an understanding of the total environmental impact of electric aircraft, the environmental consequences that may arise around airports were investigated. The study was limited to analyzing the air pollutants that occur in the LTO-cycle, which includes the aircraft’s movements on the ground and up to 915 m altitude. The environmental consequences that are primarily aected by the use of electric aircraft are energy consumption and air pollution. Water and noise pollution were also analyzed. As expected, electric energy consumption will increase with the use of electric aircrafts and it increases with the number of electric aircraft in use. To reduce power peaks at airports that arise when charging, energy storage with batteries or hydrogen may be used. The electric aircraft have no emissions of air pollutants and the emissions around airports will therefore be reduced. The more electric aircrafts in trac, the greater the reduction in air pollution will be. The noise distribution can be expected to decrease at take-o with electric aircrafts, while higher noise levels can be expected when landing, especially since battery-electric aircraft are heavy at landing because the weight of the batteries does not decrease with the flight distance. For electric aircraft to be a more environmentally friendly alternative from an airport perspective, the energy used to charge the aircraft must come from sustainable sources. The main dierence between battery electric aircraft and fuel cell aircrafts will be the infrastructure required at the airport. Aircraft with fuel cells and hydrogen as fuel will also have water vapor as a residual product during flight, while battery-electric aircrafts have zero emissions to the air. A changed travel pattern is also conceivable, where the electric aircraft fulfill a transport alternative from smaller airports to larger airports for further travel. This could reduce passenger transports around the larger airports such as Arlanda. As the electric aircraft don’t use aviation fuel, transports of aviation fuel will also be reduced.

Traditionally European farmland management has declined during the last century, mainlydue to abandonment or intensification. When traditional management is replaced by newmethods many species are negatively affected and often threatened with extinction. In thisthesis, the Stockholm archipelago is used as a platform to study the effects of land use changeover time. The overall aim is to examine how time and space affects plant biodiversity in arural landscape, with focus on heterogeneous pastures. Historical records and maps were interpreted together with aerial photos and used to constructfour time-layers of land use: reflecting the landscape 200 years ago, 100 years ago, 50 yearsago and present. Investigations of plant species richness was conducted in seven habitats; 1)grazed fields, 2) grazed forest edges, 3) grazed forest interior, 4) former grazed fields, 5)former grazed forest edges, 6) former grazed forest interior, and 7) historical pasture islands,on 35 islands in Hjälmö-Lådna archipelago on the east-coast of Sweden. Plant speciesrichness was measured for all plant species and for grassland specialist species at three scales:i) fine-scale diversity (α div), ii) large-scale diversity (γ div ), and iii) spatial turnover (β div).Using Structural Equation Models (SEM) the variation in species diversity and plantcommunity composition was investigated in relation to landscape context, space andmanagement history. The land use change in the Hjälmö-Lådna archipelago followed the general trends on themainland in Sweden and the rest of Europe with loss of traditional managed habitats, such asmeadows or wooded pastures. However, no intensification and large-scale agriculture hasdeveloped on the islands, mainly because of physical limitations, but also because ofeconomical and conservation reasons. Surprisingly, the grazing pressure on the remaininggrazed habitats had not changed notable over the last century; although the study area was notparticularly species rich (highest average was 15 species/ m2 in grazed fields). Adjacenthabitats; field and wood pasture, showed a higher similarity in community composition thanexpected compared to random pairs. Grazing and proportion of openness had a positiveinfluence on species richness and especially on grassland specialists. The variation of totaldiversity at the landscape scale was best explained by the heterogeneity of grazed forest edgesand the local species diversity in fields. The results from the study suggest that grazing is important also in species-poor landscapes,and that it can aid in protecting and promote species-richness also in other types of speciespoorlandscapes. To prevent further loss of biodiversity it is necessary to keep fields andforest edges open with continuous management. To maintain values of high biodiversity andculture in the archipelago it is therefore important that farmers are subsidised by EU tocontinue to grazie heterogeneous habitats and pastures with many trees.

Permafrost carbon stores have been suggested to react to warming trends with increased terrestrial loading to its coastal waters. Presently, the warming has been seen to be especially high in the East Siberian Arctic and the fate of the major release of terrestrial matter to these coasts is yet to be detailed. Our work is focused on the East Siberian Shelf (ESS) – which is the largest continental shelf in the world. It receives substantial inputs of terrestrial organic matter both from the large Russian rivers and from eroding coastlines. The largest of its rivers, the Lena, discharges in Buor-Khaya Bay, which is also a hot spot for coastal erosion. Previous studies of molecular and δ¹3C and Δ¹⁴C composition of terrestrial organic matter received by Arctic coastal waters have suggested a different propensity of different terrestrial source materials towards bacterial degradation. This detailed isotopic and molecular marker survey which is the basis for this thesis reveals clearly distinguished source patterns both between surface water (POC) and sea floor (SOC) as well as with distance away from the sources. The heavy terrestrial dominance over marine/planktonic sources are clearly detected in gradients of high POC and SOC levels, as well as depleted δ13C -OC and high HMW/LMW n-alkane ratios. Furthermore, data suggests that terr-OC was substantially older yet less degraded in the surface sediment than in the surface waters. This unusual vertical degradation trend was only recently found also for the coastal and central East Siberian Sea. It seems that the riverine terr-OC component comprising mainly annual thaw layer surface soil dominates the buoyant surface water POC and is readily degraded. This is in contrast to the coastline-erosion terr-OC which is associated with minerals and therefore ballasted to the sediments where it makes up the key OC component and seems relatively protected from degradation. The study area of this work is a region with strong terrestrial influence hosting many of the important carbon cycling processes, and data reveal two important OC contributors of different origin, mineral associated coastal erosion matter and riverine borne surface soil matter. These two components may well represent different propensities to contribute to a positive feedback to climate warming by converting OC from coastal and inland permafrost into CO₂.

An Algerian Phacopid fauna, described by Lemaître in 1952, is reexamined here. Species arereevaluated in order to be in agreement with modern taxonomy. To characterize the size and shape of our specimens, as well as inter- and intraspecific variations, a morphometric analysis was performed. Only holaspids were analyzed. Results of our analysis show that genera can be be well differentiated thanks to quantitative methods. However, at a specific level, only Austerops lemaitrii nov. sp. is well- defined. Other species can be defined, however, thanks to quantitative methods. Shape variations during growth were also defined in order to understand the evolution of our specimens. Three species show a correlation between shape and size variations for cephala, and two species for the pygidia, which show an ontogenic control of the shape. A covariate analysis was made between the shape of the cephala and the shape of the pygidia, and all of the specimens analyzed show a covariance betweencephalic and pygidial shape. / Trilobiter utgjorde en viktig del av faunun under paleozoikum. I denna artikel studeras ochomprövas en trilobitpopulation från Algeriets devon. För att bättre förstå populationstillväxt och evolution görs analyser av storlek (biometrisk analys) och form (morfometrisk analys). Resultaten visar att de olika släktena är väldefinierade och att tillväxten av somliga arter påverkar formen.Analysen visar också på en samvariation mellan cephalons och pygidiums form.

E-commerce is a continuously growing business that has expanded over the recent years and more people are buying online instead of offline. With online shopping, the demand for home deliveries is increasing along with it. Last mile deliveries, which is the last part of the supply chain from business to customer, operate mainly in urban areas. Most deliveries use fossil fueled vehicles, and this is problematic for the environment, society and the economy. This leads to increasing congestion and air and noise pollution in the cities with serious effects on people and the planet. Sustainability projects within last mile delivery are very important to be able to reach a sustainable future and decrease the negative impacts of home deliveries. There are many projects done by companies, research facilities, local governments and other stakeholders to find better solutions. The present study of three sustainability projects within last mile delivery shows that it is very hard to estimate the sustainability performance within the last mile. This is because they have different starting points locally, are done for different types of deliveries and in different scales. If one would only look at the vehicle used for the projects, cargo bikes would have the least negative impact on the environment but to deliver in all scales and areas the conclusion is that one needs to look at different solutions. The study also shows that all projects are replicable in different areas, but some would require very large investments if replicated in other geographical areas. / E-handel är en ständigt växande verksamhet som har expanderat under de senaste åren och fler handlar online istället för off-line. Med en ökad online shopping så ökar även efterfrågan på hemleveranser. Sista milen leveranser som är den sista delen av leveranskedjan är leveranser från företag till kund och är främst i stadsområden. De flesta leveranser använder fossila fordon och detta är problematiskt för miljön, samhället och ekonomin. Den ökande mängden leveranser ökar trängsel och luft- och bullerföroreningar i städerna som har allvarliga effekter på människor och planeten. Hållbarhetsprojekt inom sista milen leveranser är mycket viktiga för att kunna nå en hållbar framtid och minska de negativa effekterna av hemleveranser. Det finns många projekt som gjorts och görs av både företag, forskningsinstitut, kommuner och andra intressenter för att hitta bättre lösningar. Den nuvarande studien av tre hållbarhetsprojekt inom sista milen leveranser visar att det är mycket svårt att uppskatta hållbarhetsprestanda inom den sista milen. Det beror på att de har olika utgångspunkter lokalt, görs för olika typer av leveranser och i olika skalor. Om man enbart tittar på fordonet som används för projekten skulle last-cyklar ha minst negativ påverkan på miljön men för att leverera i alla skalor och områden är slutsatsen att man måste titta på olika lösningar. Studien visar också att alla projekt kan återskapas i olika områden, men vissa skulle kräva mycket stora investeringar om de ska återskapas i andra geografiska områden.