The processes controlling snowpack mass balance are highly variable in time and space, requiring remote sensing to observe regional processes and intensive field observations to observe hilislope-scale phenomena. This research aims to further understanding of the processes controlling snowpack mass balance through innovative applications of remotely sensed data and statistical interpolations of ground observations. Four advancements were obtained: 1) the sensitivity of regression tree snow distribution models to digital elevation data and independent variables was quanitified; 2) improved ability to upscale point snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements at snow telemetry (SNOTEL) stations was obtained by quantifying the small-scale SWE variability surrounding these stations; 3) spatially distributed snowmelt algorithms were improved by incorporating remotely sensed snow-surface albedo data into snowmelt modeling; and (4) the temporal and spatial continuity of regional-scale estimates of snow covered area (SCA) and SWE were improved by combining remotely sensed data and air temperature data to extend estimates beneath the cloud cover.

In all areas of hydrology, where one or several variables are measured as a function of time, it might be necessary to interpolate the measured variable(s). There is a form of artificial intelligence (AI) called neural networks, which seem to be appropriate for this application. In an environmental project in Bolivia, where, among others, the concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in the polluted Huanuni river was measured, a data set appropriate for application of the neural network method was available. Several neural networks with different configurations were used to interpolate concentration values of the three sampled metals. The neural networks interpolated concentrations at time steps where actual, measured, values existed so that an estimate of the method’s capacity could be obtained. The neural networks’ interpolating capability were compared to that of linear interpolation and linear equations derived by multiple regression. In the case of cadmium, the linear interpolation was the best method, whereas the neural network method was best at interpolating arsenic and lead concentrations. The conclusions of this study are that the neural network method was the most succesful method; that this method was the most complicated to implement; that this method was not fully optimised; and that, to evaluate the neural network method’s general applicability as an interpolation method in hydrology, further studies have to be conducted. / Inom alla områden av hydrologin, där man mäter en eller flera variabler som funktion av tid, kan det finnas ett behov av att interpolera glesa tidsseriedata. Det finns en form av artificiell intelligens (AI) som kallas för neurala nät, vilken verkar vara lämplig att applicera på detta problem. Genom ett miljöprojekt i Bolivia, där bl.a. arsenik-, bly-, och kadmiumkoncentrationer i den förorenade floden Huanuni mättes, blev data lämpliga för applicering av den neurala nätmetoden tillgängliga. Flera neurala nät med olika konfigurationer användes för att interpolera koncentrationsvärden av de tre metallerna. De neurala näten interpolerade värden längs tidssteg där verkliga, uppmätta, koncentrationsvärden fanns, så att en uppskattning av metodens kapacitet kunde göras. Dess kapacitet jämfördes med kapaciteten hos två andra metoder: linjär interpolation och linjära ekvationssystem härledda med hjälp av multipel regression. Den linjära interpolationsmetoden var bäst i fallet kadmium, medan den neurala nätmetoden var bäst i de två andra fallen. Slutsatserna av den här studien är att den neurala nätmetoden var den bästa; att denna metod var den mest komplicerade att använda; att denna metod inte var helt optimerad, och att det krävs ytterligare studier för att utvärdera den neurala nätmetodens allmänna lämplighet som metod att interpolera glesa hydrologiska tidsseriedata.

Vid hydrologiska studier är det ofta nödvändigt att känna till flödesvägar och uppehållstider för markvattnet. Syreisotopen 18O kan användas som ett konservativt hydrologiskt spårämne för att bestämma vattnets rörelse. Vid extrahering av markvatten från jordprover för 18O-analys används ofta en destillationsmetod. En enklare och snabbare metod för att extrahera markvatten är att använda en höghastighetscentrifug. Problemet är att allt markvatten i ett jordprov inte extraheras med denna metod. Det är därför möjligt att vatten extraherat genom centrifugering inte har en 18O-halt som är representativ för markvattnet. I den här undersökningen jämfördes 18O-halterna i vatten extraherat genom centrifugering och destillering. Markvatten extraherades från ostörda jordprover och från torkade jordprover mättade med vatten av känd 18O-halt. Extraktionerna gjordes både genom centrifugering vid olika hastigheter följt av destillation och genom enbart destillation. Samtliga jordprover torkades sedan. Skillnaden i 18O-halt mellan vatten extraherat genom centrifugering vid olika hastigheter var små. 18O-halten för destillaten var, med ett undantag, lägre än för centrifugaten. Torkningen av jordproverna visade dock att allt markvatten inte hade extraherats vid destillationen. Detta kan vara en förklaring till den lägre 18O-halten hos destillaten. På grund av ofullständig destillation kunde inte den här undersökningen avgöra i vilken grad 18O-halterna i centrifugaten var representativa för den del av markvattnet som är hårdast bunden till marken. För att karaktärisera 18O-halten i det rörligaste markvattnet, är dock centrifugering inte bara en snabbare metod, utan också en metod med färre felkällor än destillationsmetoden. / In hydrological studies it is often necessary to know the flow pathways and residence time of soil water. The oxygen isotope 18O can be used as a conservative hydrological tracer to help determine water´s movement. To extract soil water from soil samples for 18O analysis, a distillation method is often used. An easier and faster method for extracting soil water is high speed centrifugation. All soil water, however, is not extracted from a soil sample by this method. It is therefore possible that the water extracted by centrifugation does not have an 18O content that is representative of the soil water. In this study, the 18O values of water extracted by distillation and centrifugation are compared. Soil water was extracted from undisturbed soil samples and from oven-dried soil samples saturated with water of a known 18O content. The extractions were done both by centrifugation at different speeds followed by distillation and by distillation only. All of the samples were then oven-dried. The differences in 18O content between water extracted by centrifugation at different speeds were small. The 18O content in the water extracted by distillation was, with one exception, more depleted in 18O than the water extracted by centrifugation. From the oven-drying it was seen that the distillations did not succeed in extracting all soil water. This might be a reason for the depletion in 18O content of the water extracted by distillation. Due to incomplete distillation, this study was not able to determine how well the 18O content in water extracted by centrifugation represents the water bound most strongly to the soil. For characterizing the 18O content in the least bound soil water, however, centrifugation is not only faster, but also less prone to error than distillation.

As a response to the environmental degradation of many coastal areas in east Africa research have been initiated aiming towards the understanding of the coastal ecosystems and the interactions between them. The sediment of three seagrass communities were investigated with regard to nitrification, denitrification, pore water nutrient content, organic content and physical character. The aim was to estimate the magnitude and importance of nitrification and denitrification and correlate those to any difference in organic load. Total organic carbon and total nitrogen decreased while C:N ratio increased with distance from the mangroves indicating a larger organic load closer to the mangroves. There was however no significant difference between the sites regarding ammonium and nitrate + nitrite concentrations in the porewater; nor regarding denitrification. Recalculated to ambient nitrate concentrations denitrification was less than 157 nmol N m-2h-1. No trend could be seen for nitrification either. Nitrification ranged from 0-12.0 µmol N m-2h-1, but the method used may underestimate the rates. Denitrification, and especially nitrification rates, varied considerably within each site indicating an extremely patchy environment. Considering that nutrient regeneration rates in tropical environments are usually high, nitrification and denitrification seemed to be minor pathways in the nitrogen cycle irrespective of organic load. The study also suggests that nitrification and denitrification may be of less importance in Chwaka bay compared to other areas studied. / Som svar på den försämrade miljön i flera kustområden i Östafrika har forskning påbörjats inriktad på förståelsen av kustliga ekosystem samt samspelet dem emellan. Sedimentet i tre sjögräsområden undersöktes med avseende på nitrifikation, denitrifikation, näringshalt i porvattnet, organisk halt samt fysikalisk karaktär. Syftet var att uppskatta storleken och betydelsen av nitrifikation och denitrifikation samt att korrelera dessa med organisk belastning. Totala halten organiskt kol och totala halten kväve minskade medan C:N kvoten ökade med avståndet till mangroven vilket tyder på en större organisk belastning närmare mangroven. Det var däremot ingen signifikant skillnad mellan områdena beträffande ammonium- eller nitrat + nitrit koncentrationen i porvattnet; inte heller beträffande denitrifikation. Omräknad till föreliggande nitratkoncentrationer var denitrifikationen mindre än 157 nmol N m-2h-1. Nitrifikationen varierade från 0-12.0 µmol N m-2h-1, men den använda metoden kan ha underskattat hastigheterna. Någon trend i nitrifikationen syntes inte heller. Denitrifikationen och speciellt nitrifikationen varierade avsevärt inom varje område vilket tyder på en extremt omväxlande miljö. Med tanke på att regenerationen av näringsämnen ofta är hög i tropiska miljöer så verkade nitrifikationen och denitrifikationen vara mindre betydelsefulla delar i kvävecykeln oavsett organisk belastning. Denna studie tyder också på att nitrifikation och denitrifikation är mindre betydelsefulla i Chwaka bay än i andra studerade områden.

Lake evaporation from a shallow lake in central Sweden has been estimated using three independent methods from measurements during summer 1995. The applied isotope method is a combination of the water and isotope mass balance. Its main feature is that inflows need not to be measured. Only knowledge of their isotopic content is sufficient. For calculations by the bulk aerodynamic method a computer program was applied, which takes into account the different conditions of stratification. The energy balance of the lake was determined by using the short and long wave radiation, heat storage and advective heat energy. Measurements were done on a small island and at a mast in the middle of the lake. Evaporation estimated by all the methods varied from -1.1 to 5.0 mm/d during the summer months 1995. Values estimated by the energy balance method agreed well with those from the bulk aerodynamic method. Evaporation estimates from the isotope method a showed fairly good agreement with the two other methods, excepting a few periods. It was found that both the isotope as well as the energy balance method are sensitive to errors in lake volume. Both methods carry some uncertainty due to their dependence on water balance components, some of which are difficult to determine. The bulk aerodynamic method is independent of the water balance of the lake. A good accuracy can be achieved using only four variables i.e. wind speed, relative humidity, skin and air temperature. / Avdunstningen från den grunda sjön Tämnaren i centrala Sverige bestämdes med tre oberoende metoder ur mätningar från sommaren 1995. Den använda isotopmetoden är en kombination av vatten- och isotopbalansen. Dess viktigaste fördel är att inflödet inte behöver mätas, utan att kännedom om isotophalten är tillräcklig. För beräkningarna med den bulk-aerodynamiska metoden användes ett datorprogram som tar hänsyn till atmosfärens stabilitet. Energibalansen beräknades ur kort- och långvågsstrålningen, värmelagringen och den tillförda energin. Mätningarna utfördes dels på en liten ö och dels vid en mast mitt i sjön. Avdunstningen varierade mellan -1.1 mmd-1 till 5.0 mmd-1. Resultaten från energibalansmetoden överenstämde bra med resultaten från den bulk-aerodynamiska metoden. Även resultaten från isotopmetoden överenstämde bra med resultaten från de två andra metoderna, med undantag av några få perioder. Både isotop- och energibalansmetoden var känsliga för feluppskattningar av sjövolymen. Båda metoderna innehåller osäkerheter som en följd av deras beroende på vissa av vattenbalansens komponenter, som är svåra att bestämma. Den bulk-aerodynamiska metoden är oberoende av sjöns vattenbalans och en bra noggranhet kan uppnås med mätningar av endast de fyra variablerna vindhastighet, relativ fuktighet, yt- och lufttemperatur. / Die Verdunstung von einem flachen See in Zentralschweden wurde mit Hilfe von drei unabhängigen Methoden bestimmt. Die Messungen wurden im Sommer 1995 durchgeführt. Die angewandte Isotopenmethode ist eine Kombination aus Wasserbilanz and lsotop-Massenbilanz. Das besondere Merkmal dieser Methode ist es, daß Zuflüsse nicht gemessen werden müssen. Es genügt, ihre isotopische Zusammensetzung zu kennen. Für die Berechungen mit der bulk-aerodynamischen Methode wurde ein Computerprogamm verwendet, das die unterschiedlichen atmosphärischen Schichtungen berücksichtigt. Die Energiebilanz des Sees wurde mit Hilfe der kurz- und langwelligen Strahlung, der gespeicherten Energie im See und der durch Zuflüsse und Niederschlag zugeführten Energie bestimmt. Die Messungen wurden auf einer kleiner Insel und an einem Mast in der Mitte des Sees durchgeführt. Die Verdunstung reichte von -1.1 mmd-1 bis 5.0 mmd-1 während der Sommermonate 1995. Die Ergebnisse der Energiebilanz stimmten gut mit den Ergebnissen der bulk-aerodynamischen Methode überein. Die Ergebnisse der Isotopenmethode stimmten relativ gut mit den Ergebnissen der beiden anderen Methoden überein, mit Ausnahme einiger Perioden. Es wurde festgestellt, daß sowohl die Isotopenmethode als auch die Energiebilanzmethode sensibel auf Fehler im Seevolumen reagieren. Beide Methoden enthalten einige Unsicherheiten wegen ihrer Abhängikeit von Wasserbilanzkomponenten, die z.T. schwer zu bestimmen sind. Die bulk-aerodynamische Methode dagegen ist unabhängig von der Wasserbilanz des Sees. Gute Ergebnisse können mit nur vier zu messenden Variablen erreicht werden (Windgeschwindigkeit, relative Luftfeuchtigkeit, Wasseroberflächen- und Lufttemperatur). / <p>Parts of the thesis work later published as:</p><p>Saxena, R., Jaedicke, C., &amp; Lundin, L. C. (1999). Comparison of lake evaporation estimated by isotope mass-balance, bulk-aerodynamic and bowen ratio methods. <em>Phys. Chem Earth (B), </em>Vol. 24, No. 7, pp. 851–859.</p><p>and</p><p>Saxena, R., &amp; Jaedicke, C. (1997). Estimation of vapour flux from a shallow lake by oxygen -18 mass balance. <em>Isotope Techniques in the Study of Environmental Change</em>, 225–237. Vienna: IAEA-SM-349/23.</p>

Several factors affect whether the ground is prone to acidification and nitrogen loss. Removal of biological materials is an important factor that can trigger this. In Sweden, three dominant forest tree species are spruce, pine and birch trees. For forestry purposes, these trees are being logged at their potimal harvesting ages which are averaged at 70 years of age. This is of interest beacuse the forest ages can be used to predict future forestry practices, specifically in Dalarna, Sweden. The forest ages were observed at a catchment based level so that the effects of forestry can easily be measured. It was found that cathcments in the north of Dalarna consist of higher percentages of forest over the age of 70 in comparsion to the south and areas surrounding lakes. From this, it is expected that forestry will occur in the near future in the north. Hopefully the work that has been done in Dalarna, can be used as a model for the rest of Sweden. / Flere faktorer virker inn på om marken er utsatt for forsuring og nitrogenlekkasje. Fjerning av biologisk materiale er en viktig faktor som kan trigge nettopp dette. Finner man de områdene som har mest skogshugst, kan man få et svar på problemet. I Sverige er de tre dominerende treartene gran, furu og bjørk. For at skogsbruket skal få en størst mulig økonomisk gevinst, blir trærne kuttet når de er 70 år. Dette er av interesse fordi skogsalderen kan bli brukt til å prediktere fremtidig skogsbruk, spesielt i Dalarna, Sverige. Skogens alder ble observert i nedbørsfelt som var mindre enn 3 km2 , fordi markens respons på skogsbruk lettere kan måles i mindre områder. Det ble funnet at nedbørsfelt nord i Dalarna har høyest prosentandel av skog over 70 år, sammenlignet med de sørlige områdene og områder rundt innsjøer. Disse resultatene viser at vi kan forvente at områdene nord i Dalarna, er mest sensitive ovenfor forsuring og nitrogenlekkasjede neste ti til tyve årene. Det arbeidet som er for å finne sensitive områder i Dalarna, kan bli brukt som en modell for resten av Sverige.

Wetlands and coastal wetlands are important ecosystems for many aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna as well as for the sustainable development of humans. Unfortunately, many of the world’s wetlands and coastal wetlands are subjected to degradation due to both natural processes and human activities changing the hydrodynamics of the area. As such, many coastal wetlands have been affected by hypersaline conditions consequently contributing to the degradation of both flora and fauna. This has also been true for the wetland complex of Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM), Colombia, where hypersalinity has been associated to constructions reducing freshwater inputs to the lagoon. As hydrological processes build up wetlands, it is crucial to understand how these processes impact wetlands and specifically the occurrence of hypersaline conditions. At the same time, not much is known about the hydrological conditions of wetlands, which is also the case for the wetland complex of CGSM. As such, this study focuses on disentangling the hydrological processes affecting the salinity levels of the wetland complex of CGSM by analysing the seasonal salinity patterns in both time (from the year of 2000 until 2015) and space. The analysis of the temporal pattern of salinity was also analysed statistically in relation to climatological data. The results from the temporal pattern of salinity showed a minor trend in increased salinity levels for the wetland in general, and by season, throughout the studied period. A rather strong correlation between salinity and climatological factors could also be identified. Moreover, the salinity for some areas within the wetland complex were higher during the wet season for some years,  compared to the dry season. The results from the spatial patterns of salinity showed that the salinity of the wetland was generally higher further away from the fresh water sources, by the outlet to the open sea, and especially for the area of Ciénaga de Ahuyama. The salinity patterns in space changed as the rain period started creating a division of the wetland complex into a high-salinity western area (main lagoon) and a low-salinity eastern area. This could be due to the relatively higher amount of fresh water inputs from rivers fed by precipitation on the mountains of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, east of the wetland complex,  compared to the relative small amount of freshwater from the channel of Aguas Negras in the western part of the wetland complex. Lack of correlation between salinity and channel dredging efforts questions the effectiveness of ongoing remediation strategies in the western section of the CGSM, while salinity levels in the eastern section are mainly regulated naturally via unrestricted freshwater inputs.

A Dynamic Correction Model (DCM) was implemented to correct daily precipitation data from the network of precipitation gauges hosted by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). The goal was to determine whether the DCM could be used to improve estimates of the influence of systematic errors on precipitation observations compared to a previous assessment made on the SMHI dataset using a Simple Correction Model (SCM). While the SCM in question only takes into account station exposure and temperature, reflecting the yearly average gauge level wind speed and the monthly average probability of snow respectively, the DCM would take into account sub-daily and daily observations of precipitation intensity, wind speed and temperature to correct precipitation according to the observed conditions at the time of the precipitation event. DCM corrections were performed on precipitation data from 165 stations throughout Sweden.The long term average result of aggregating daily DCM corrected precipitation was compared to the previous SCM correction for 24 stations while the daily corrected solid precipitation was evaluated against snow depth observations for 59 stations throughout Sweden.Since the systematic errors almost exclusively cause an underestimation of ground true precipitation the correction was expected to produce an increase in total precipitation. Since this undercatch is greater during solid precipitation, a pattern of higher correction was expected to be found in winter months compared to summer months, a pattern which could be expected to be stronger the further north in the country one looked. Furthermore, superimposed on this, areas which are more exposed to wind can be expected to require a larger correction due to the undercatch being also strongly correlated to wind speed. At the sub monthly time scale a variation in the undercatch could be expected when using the DCM with increased corrections required on days when precipitation falls as snow and on days when wind speeds are higher.For the comparison with previous SCM estimates the expectation was that long term totals (30 year average corrected precipitation) would be similar if the two methods are assumed to be equally valid. The DCM was further expected to improve correlations between newly fallen snow and change in snow depth.While the qualitative patterns in the corrections found met the expectations, large differences in the quantitative results of using the two different methods were found; the DCM had a tendency to overcorrect compared to the SCM, especially for the more exposed stations. This calls into question the assumption that both methods are equally valid and differ only in their temporal resolution, and further raises the question which if any of the methods is more valid and why. The evaluation of DCM corrected solid precipitation using snow depth showed a decrease in the correlation between precipitation and change in snow depth which was contrary to expectations. The greatest uncertainty in the DCM was attributed to the methods for assessing gauge level wind speeds.

No description available.

The amount of total organic carbon (TOC) in water is a rough indicator of the waterquality. Driven by the question how the TOC concentration would vary acrossstreams in Sweden under different climate conditions (e.g. more extreme dischargeevents), the temporal dynamics of TOC were examined for different stream subgroupswith six orders of magnitude catchment area span. In addition, the relationshipbetween dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) export (both downstream and evasion) anddischarge conditions was also studied. Another question addressed was if the amountof TOC exported can be affected by export conditions dominating the previousseason. TOC export followed closely the discharge, which is in agreement withprevious studies, and all 42 catchments studied across Sweden were described by thispositive relationship regardless their size. A linear TOC export response to dischargewas identified during extreme discharge conditions. Furthermore, the TOC export wassignificantly related to the antecedent TOC export conditions for approximately halfof the 18 studied catchments with areas ranging between 2.5·10-3 and 67 km2.