Pores provide important hotspots for chemical and biological processes in soils. Earthworm burrows affect the macropore structure and their actions may create new preferential pathways for water and gas flow within soils. This, in turn, indirectly affect plants, nutrient cycling, hydraulic conductivity, gas exchange, and soil organisms. While the effects of invasive earthworms on soil properties has been well-documented in temperate and boreal ecosystems, we know little how these organism may affect tundra soils. In this study, I assessed how the three-dimensional network of soil-macropores are affected by earthworm species (Aporrectodea sp. and Lumbricus sp). I hypothesized: i) that earthworms increase the frequency of macropores with a likely biological origin (biopores); ii) effects of biopores are dependent on tundra vegetation type (meadow or heath); and iii) the macropore network properties are altered by earthworms.  The hypotheses were tested using a common garden experiment with 48 mesocosms. The pore structure of each mesocosm was analyzed using X-ray CT tomography. I found that biopores increased in the tundra from on 0.05 ±0.01 % (mean ± standard deviation) in the control to about 0.59 ± 0.07 % in the earthworm treatments. However, in contrast to my second hypothesis, I found no vegetation dependent effect. Interestingly, I found that earthworms decreased the complexity and directionality of macropores. My findings strongly indicate that burrowing can severely impact the pore properties of previously uninhabited subarctic soils.

Farmers have been disrupting the carbon cycle ever since humans started converting forests to agricultural lands. But are there farming practices that can be applied to increase the carbon storage in the soil and subsequently counteract increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere? In this study I investigate if soil organic matter (SOM) and soil organic carbon (SOC) change with longer interruption between tillage events. The study was conducted by studying SOM concentrations and SOC pools in eight fields with different time since tillage (1 to 14 years). I found that SOM concentrations increased in the O horizon of the studied soil in response to increased time since tillage. Here, SOM concentrations were on average around 13 % one year after tillage, while fourteen-year-old farmland had a concentration around 15 %. In similar, SOC pool increased from around 0.1 kg C m-2 in the O horizon of 1 year old soil to 0.33 kg C m-2 14 years after tillage. While both SOM concentrations and SOC pools increased in the O horizon over time since tillage, the SOM concentration and SOC pools decreased in the subsoil. I found no net sequestering of SOC in response to less frequent tillage in comparison to more frequency tillage. My conclusion is that limiting tillage to 14-year cycles is not enough to increase carbon sequestration.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis studied the viability of recycling filter substrates as soil amendments after being used in on-site systems for phosphorus (P) removal from wastewater. Focus was put on the materials Filtra P and Polonite, which are commercial products used in compact filters in Sweden. A prerequisite for this choice was to review filter materials and P sorption capacity. The filter substrates (Filtra P, Polonite and wollastonite tailings) were recycled from laboratory infiltration columns as soil amendments to a neutral agricultural soil and to an acid meadow soil to study their impacts on soil properties and yield of barley and ryegrass. The amendments tended to improve the yield and showed a liming effect, significantly increasing soil pH and the availability of P. In another experiment, samples of Filtra P and Polonite were equilibrated in batch experiments with the two soils in order to study the P dynamics in the soil-substrate system.  Batch equilibrations confirmed the liming potential of Filtra P and Polonite and showed that improved P availability in soils was strongly dependent on substrate P concentration, phase of sorbed P, and soil type. Finally, samples of Polonite used for household wastewater treatment were recycled as soil amendments to a mountain meadow and to an agricultural field for wheat cropping. The liming effect of Polonite was confirmed under field conditions and the results were similar to those of lime for the mountain meadow soil. However, the results were quite different for the agricultural field, where Polonite did not affect soil pH or any other chemical and physical soil properties investigated and had no impact on wheat yield and quality. The results from field experiments suggested that Polonite can be safely recycled to meadows and cropping fields at rates of 5-10 ton ha-1 but long-term studies are needed to forecast the effects of accumulation. / QC 20100708

Arsenik är en naturligt förekommande halvmetall som orsakar stora hälsoproblem genom exponering t.ex. via dricksvatten. På grund av arseniks negativa effekter på människors hälsa sänktes den tillåtna gränsen i dricksvatten från 50 μg/l till 10 μg/l 2003 av WHO. Arsenik förekommer i huvudsak i två oorganiska former, arsenat (AsO43-) och arsenit (AsO33-), där arsenit är en betydligt mer mobil och toxisk form. Vilken form som dominerar påverkas i första hand av redoxförhållanden men även av pH. Reduktion från arsenat till arsenit är gynnsamma vid lägre pH och vid syrefria (reducerade) förhållanden. I Sverige har tidigare användning av arsenik, t.ex. vid impregneringsanläggningar, orsakat föroreningar som än idag ligger kvar. I Hjältevad i Eksjö kommun drev Televerket under 1940- till 1980-talet en impregneringsanläggning för telefonstolpar. Impregneringsvätska, innehållande bland annat arsenik, kunde spridas inom området till största del på grund av en tank som började läcka under 1960-talet. En omfattande sanering med jordtvätt genomfördes 1997. Senare kontroller har dock påvisat stadigt ökade halter. Med anledning av de ökade halterna har ett arbete inletts för att kartlägga föroreningssituationen. Syftet med examensarbetet är att utvärdera grundvattenkemin i Hjältevad genom att visualisera föroreningsföroreningsplymen, undersöka mobiliteten genom att undersöka samband mellan halten arsenik och kemiska parametrar samt göra en fördjupad analys av spridningsrisken med hjälp av Kd-värden. Data från jord- och grundvattenprovtagningar genomförda under augusti och september 2017 bearbetades med hjälp av ArcMap och Excel. Resultatet visade att låga redoxförhållanden sannolikt har bidragit till ökad spridning av arsenik vilket till stor del förekom i den reducerade formen arsenit. De högsta halterna var koncentrerade till området kring den f.d. läckande tanken, där halter så höga som 2200 μg/l kunde uppmätas i grundvattnet. Vidare visade provtagningsresultaten att mängden förorenad jord missbedömdes vid saneringen 1997 (halter på 238 mg/kg kunde uppmätas i jorden). Slutsatsen drogs att redoxförhållanden inom området är gynnsamma för att arsenik ska förekomma i den reducerade formen arsenit, att arseniks mobilitet med stor sannolikhet är betydligt högre än vad som tidigare bedömdes samt att risker föreligger om inga åtgärder vidtas. / Arsenic is a naturally occurring metalloid that causes major health problems for people affected by exposure, e.g. through their drinking water. Due to the negative effects on human health, the permissible concentration in drinking water was lowered in 2003, from 50 μg/l to 10 μg/l. Arsenic predominantly exists in two inorganic forms, arsenate (AsO43-) and arsenite (AsO33-), where arsenite is a more mobile and toxic. Which forms that dominates is controlled by pH and redox potential. Reduction from arsenate to arsenite is favorable at lower pH and at anoxic (reduced) conditions. In Sweden previous use of arsenic, e.g. at impregnation plants, caused pollution still affecting soils and groundwater. In Hjältevad, Eksjö municipality, an impregnation plant for telephone poles was run by Televerket during the 1940s to 1980s. Impregnating fluid, including arsenic, was spread in the area, mainly due a leaky storage tank during the 1960s. The site was remediated in 1997 using soil washing. However, monitoring program demonstrated steadily increased levels in a well situated downstream the contaminated area. Due to the increased contamination levels of arsenic in the ground water, a detailed investigation was initiated to identify the pollution situation. The main objective was to investigate about the chemical and physical processes affecting the mobilization of arsenic. Groundwater and soil materials were sampled from the area and evaluated using ArcMap and Excel. In support of this evaluation, distribution coefficients (Kd) for soil materials from the aqvifer were obtained by leaching tests performed at oxidized conditions. The result showed that reducing conditions in the aquifer appeared to have caused increased mobilization of arsenic in the area and that large amounts of pollution was not removed at the remediation in 1997 (levels of 238 mg/kg arsenic could be detected in the soil). In the collected samples, arsenic mainly occurred in the reduced form arsenite. The highest levels in the groundwater were found in the area around the former leaky tank, where concentrations up to 2200 μg/l was measured. The conclusion was that large amounts of pollution was not removed at the remediation in 1997, and that arsenic mobility seems to be significantly higher than previously assessed and that action needs to be taken to stop the spread.

Akademiska sjukhuset är en stor, samhällsviktig verksamhet som har under de senaste tio åren genomgått flertalet ny- och ombyggnationer. Sjukhusområdet är beläget på Uppsalaåsen och befinns inom en primär skyddszon, vilket innebär en komplex geologi och krav på aktsamhet av grundvattnet som nyttjas för Uppsalas vattenförsörjning. Marken har visats innehålla stora lerkörtlar och drastiska skiftningar av jordarter, vilket har lett till en sättningsproblematik vid sjukhusområdet. Region Uppsala planerar flertalet ny- och ombyggnationer vid Akademiska sjukhuset och på grund av den komplicerade markbilden önskas en utredning av geotekniken och hydrogeologin vid området. Fokuset i detta examensarbete har legat på sättningsbenägenhet och grundvattnets trycknivåer. Fyra delområden av sjukhusområdet har pekats ut av Region Uppsala för eventuella framtida byggprojekt. Dessa områden är vid parkeringshus T3, produktionsköket, NOP-komplexet samt ny cyklotronbyggnad. Genomförandet av detta examensarbete har delats in i tre delar; kartläggning av jordlagerföljd, sättningsberäkningar utifrån CRS-försök, samt utredning av grundvattnets trycknivå. Jordlagerföljd har tolkats i GeoSuite med hjälp av 474 sonderingar genomförda av konsultföretaget Bjerking. Sonderingarnas samtliga jordskikt interpolerades och illustrerades som nivåkurvor med hjälp av Topocad. För att utreda jordlagerföljden vid de utvalda områdena skapades åtta tvärsnitt utifrån en 3D-modell konstruerad i Civil 3D. De jordlager som studerats är fyllnadsmaterial, lera, friktionsjord, berg samt markyta. Sättningskapacitet och dess tidsförlopp har beräknats utifrån två CRS-försök och max-, min- och medelvärden av grundvattnets trycknivå under sjukhusområdet har beräknats utifrån 20 års dagliga data från en av Uppsala Vattens mätbrunnar i Stadsträdgården.   Resultaten bekräftar åsens komplexa geologi av varierande lermäktigheter under sjukhusområdet. Det är sannolikt att flertalet byggnationer kräver djupgrundläggning, exempelvis vid parkeringshuset T3 och produktionskökets norra del. De erhållna resultaten visar även knappa lerlager vid andra delområden, vilket innebär mindre sättningsbenägenhet och kräver troligtvis endast ytgrundläggning. De sättningsberäkningar som utförts indikerar att parkeringshuset T3 kommer sjunka 20 till 70 cm efter 158 till 213 år utan grundläggning, något som liknar den pågående sättningen vid byggnaden. Grundvattnets trycknivå har under de senaste 20 åren haft ett medelvärde på + 2,3 m (RH2000) och kommer sannolikt inte fluktuera framåt på grund av den rådande vattendomen. Detta innebär att byggnationer inom vissa delar av sjukhusområdet, exempelvis vid produktionsköket, kommer behöva tillstånd inför byggnation inom den primära skyddszonen, vilket Akademiska sjukhuset är beläget i. Resultaten ger en god överblick över hydrogeologin vid Akademiska sjukhuset och indikerar hur de utpekade områdena bör projekteras med avseende på grundläggning för hållbart och ekonomiskt bygge. Det krävs dock mer underlag, bland annat fler sonderingar och CRS-försök, för att få en ökad komplexitet av sjukhusområdet i avseende på jordlagerföljd och sättningsbenägenhet. / Uppsala University Hospital is a large institution of vital societal function and many new buildings have been constructed and others rebuild during the past ten years. The hospital area is located on Uppsalaåsen and within a primary protection zone, i.e. there is a complex geology and requirements for the protection of the groundwater used for Uppsala’s water supply. The ground contains large sections of clay and has drastic changes in soil types. This has resulted in a subsidence problem within the hospital area. Region Uppsala has several plans regarding upcoming constructions at Uppsala University Hospital and due to the complicated soil situation is an investigation of the geotechnics and hydrogeology within the area sought for. The focus of this master thesis is on subsidence capacity and the ground water’s pressure levels. Four zones within the hospital area have been pointed out by Region Uppsala for potential future construction projects. The zones are at the parking garage T3, production kitchen, NOP-complex and new cyclotron building. The master thesis was divided into three parts; locating the soil layer sequence, calculation of subsidence based on CRS tests and study of the ground water’s pressure level. The soil layer sequence was construed in GeoSuite based on 474 probes conducted by the consultant company Bjerking. The probs respective soil layer was interpolated and illustrated as level curves using Topocad. Eight cross-sections were made within the zones of extra interest and the sections were made from a 3D-model created in Civil 3D. The soil layers examined throughout the master thesis were filling material, clay, granular soil, rock and ground surface. The subsidence capacity and its time were calculated based on two CRS trials and max-, min- and average values of the ground water’s pressure levels under the hospital area was computed based on 20 years of daily data retrieved from a measuring well in Stadsträdgården facilitated by Uppsala Vatten. The results confirm the ridge complex geology consisting of varying depths of clay under the hospital area. Several buildings will probably require deep foundations, e.g. the parking garage T3. The results also show areas of shallow layers of clay indicating lower risk of subsidence and hence will require a shallow foundation. The conducted subsidence calculations indicate that the parking garage T3 will sink 20 to 70 cm after 158 to 213 years if no foundation is implemented, which is in line with the current subsidence occurring at the building. The ground water’s pressure level has had an average value of + 2.3 m (RH2000) during the last 20 years and will probably not fluctuate in the future due to the existing decision on water management. Hence, some buildings within certain parts of the hospital area will require permission prior to construction within the primary zone.  The results establish a valuable overview of the hydrogeology at Uppsala University Hospital and give indications regarding how the foundations in the zones of extra interest should be dimensioned sustainable and economically. However, more data is needed, e.g. additional probes and CRS trials, to gain an increased complexity of the hospital area in respect to soil layer sequences and subsidence tendency.

For many surface waters, phosphorus (P) leaching is a serious problem that should be minimized to prevent eutrophication. In Sweden there is a demand for physical and technical development of high-performance P removal techniques to reduce phosphorus leaching from on-site wastewater treatment systems to the Baltic Sea. However, although these systems are designed to reduce eutrophication there are also other environmental impacts to be considered when implementing them in on-site systems; energy use and global warming potential are two examples. This study has investigated several bed filter materials (reactive media and natural soils) for their total environmental impact (in commercial applications) as well as for the predominating chemical phosphorus removal mechanisms. The use of life cycle assessment revealed that several reactive bed filters are relatively energy-consuming due to the material manufacturing process. Characterization of phosphorus compounds in used reactive media provided evidence for calcium phosphate precipitation as the predominating P removal mechanism in alkaline filter materials. However, in soil treatment systems with noncalcareous soils, batch experiments and extractions suggested that aluminium compounds were important for P removal. According to mass balance calculations that compared accumulated P with the estimated P load in a soil treatment system, the long term P removal capacity was very low; only 6.4 % of the applied phosphorus had been removed during 16 years of operation. / <p>QC 20110413</p>

Carbon storage in agricultural soils is an important measure to mitigate climate change. As the soil management techniques can greatly influence the amount of carbon stored in agricultural soils, the influence of different managements was analyzed in a literature review for northern Europe and Sweden. With a unique dataset, the temporal development of soil organic matter, and in a case study the influence of SOM on crop yield in Sweden was examined, as well as the relationship of SOM towards clay content and pH level. For northern Europe, organic amendments in form of manure and sewage sludge application and crop residue incorporation as well as nitrogen fertilization and diverse crop rotations indicate a positive impact on soil organic carbon. The influence of reduced tillage was found to be less impactful. Detailed development of SOM in Swedish agricultural fields remains unclear due to data restraints and scarcity, but for the Skåne region the data analysis suggests a stable SOM content for the time period analyzed. The relationship of SOM to crop yield remains unclear but indicates that SOM can have a positive effect on crop yield. More research is needed to understand underlying mechanisms of development, management influence and yield response on soil organic carbon for northern Europe.

I Sverige finns idag inom jordbruket runt 30 000 markavvattningsföretag och det räknas med att 1,3 miljoner hektar av jordbruksmarken är dikad. Tidigare undersökningar har visat att flera av dessa dräneringssystem som byggdes för 60–100 år sedan inte längre är anpassade för det nuvarande klimatet och att dagens riktvärde på 1,2 m djup för dräneringsledningarna bör ses över. Detta, i samband med att klimatförändringarna väntas leda till bland annat en ökad årlig nederbörd, ställer Sverige inför stora utmaningar att anpassa dräneringssystemen därefter. En väldränerad jordbruksmark är en förutsättning för att minimera kväveläckage och säkra den nuvarande samt i framtiden ökade matproduktionen som krävs för att underhålla en växande befolkning. Syftet har varit att med hjälp av hydrologimodellen DRAINMOD dimensionera dräneringssystem för två fält med olika markfysikaliska egenskaper som är anpassade för dagens samt framtidens klimat. DRAINMOD simulerar grundvattennivån mellan två dräneringsrör och kan med hjälp av grödparametrar såsom rotdjup och längd på odlingssäsonger uppskatta den relativa avkastningen för en specifik gröda med hjälp av ett stressindex. Detta stressindex beräknas av DRAINMOD baserat på över- eller underskott av vatten i markprofilen. DRAINMOD beräknar även vattenförluster i form av dränering, ytavrinning samt evapotranspiration. Efter att modellen validerats mot historiska klimatdata testades varje fält mot genererad framtida klimatdata. Flera olika dräneringsdjup och avstånd analyserades med avseende på dränering, ytavrinning och relativ avkastning. Det ena fältet beläget i Östergötland, med ett dräneringsdjup på riktvärdet 1,2 m och ett dräneringsavstånd på 25–50 m ger en minimerad dränerad volym samt en relativ avkastning på 80–100 % i ett framtida klimat. Det andra fältet beläget i Skåne uppnådde en minimerad dränerad volym och en relativ avkastning på 100 % vid dräneringsdjup på 0,9 m och ett avstånd mellan ledningarna på 20–50 m. / About half of Sweden’s cultivated lands are estimated to be using artificial subsurface drainage. Earlier studies have shown that several of these drainage systems are obsolete and ill-equipped to handle the present climate conditions. Sweden has used a drain depth of 1.2 meters for the drainage systems as a guideline value, although studies have suggested it is necessary to be re-evaluated. Poorly dimensioned drainage systems in combination with an expected increase in precipitation due to climate change puts Sweden into challenges to adapt current drainage systems for the future. A well-drained soil is a crucial fundament to minimize nitrogen-losses and maximize crop yields to sustain a growing population. The aim was to model two different types of soils’ drainage systems with the hydrology model DRAINMOD and adapt these for today’s and the future’s climate. DRAINMOD simulates the hydrology of a soil for long periods of climatological records. The model predicts water table, soil water regime, drainage, run-off and crop yields associated with a certain drainage system design. Several different drainage depths and spaces for each of the two soils were analysed and evaluated. For the field located in the county of Östergötland, a drainage depth of 1.2 m and spacing of 25–50 m were sufficient to minimize drainage losses and maximize crop yield. Furthermore, a depth of 0.9 m and spacings of 20–50 m would be sufficient for the second field located in the county of Skåne.