According to previous studies, the study area of Göta Älv river has high risk of landslides along the river banks due to the water flow. Soil erosion can affect the increase of the landslides in an area with unstable soils caused by the increase rainfall. The Swedish climate is getting more vulnerable thus there is a potential increased risk in erosion and landslides due to unpredictable rainfall intensity. This study aims to calculate soil erosion for the Göta Älv river using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) where a comparison of data from remote sensing and meteorological and geological agencies were completed. Two research questions will be addressed, first if the different calculation of the soil erodibility (K) factor affects RUSLE result, and second how much soil erosion occurs and will potentially occur in the future. Factors including rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), land cover management (C) and conservation practices (P) were analyzed and used as inputs for the RUSLE model. Moreover, three scenarios were applied for the calculation of K factor in order to show how each one can affect the soil erosion result. The scenarios includes the K-scenario 1, 2 and 3, where the values were derived from a world soil database, a table with literature values and estimated field measurements, respectively. Also, three scenarios for R factor were applied for the periods 2000-2018, 2021-2050 and 2069-2098 (R-scenarios 1, 2 and 3) in order to show how future changes to rainfall patterns could affect soil erosion in the Göta Älv river and if it increases the risk of the landslides. The results suggest that the soil erosion varied between 0 – 0.5 t/ha for all the time periods with mean annual soil loss between 20 – 22 t/ha/yr and maximum soil loss between 2158- 5443 t/ha. The difference between the three K factor scenarios is almost 4%, which is pretty low thus, no influence on the soil erosion results. In conclusion, the different calculations of the K factor affected more the estimated maximum soil loss instead of the mean annual soil loss. The different calculations of R factor showed that more than 90% of the total area was not affected by the soil erosion when the soil loss will not be increased considerably in the future due to the rainfall increase.

Snow cover is a fundamental component of the world’s cryosphere and plays an important role in the hydrological cycle. It is significant as a human water resource but can also be an influencing factor in flood and drought generation. Snow cover shows a great variability and understanding local snow cover and its effect on streamflow is therefore of importance. In this study, the effect of snow-cover area (SCA) change, precipitation and temperature on streamflow and its variability during the season, is studied in Tärnaån drainage basin in northern Sweden with the aim to see whether streamflow levels in Tärnaån drainage basin are mainly controlled by SCA change, precipitation and temperature, or if it is necessary to also consider other influencing factors. This aim will be reached by using MODIS snow-cover data products derived from satellite imagery, meteorological and hydrological data for the drainage basin and by visually analysing SCA changes, streamflow, precipitation and temperature data as well as performing a Pearson moment-product correlation analysis between some of these variables. The results show that the effect of SCA changes, precipitation and temperature on streamflow vary over the studied time period which is also shown by differing correlation coefficients for different sub-periods. The strongest correlations are shown between SCA change and streamflow and between temperature and streamflow during sub-period 2 and sub-period 3 respectively. It is further clear that other variables than SCA change, precipitation and temperature influence streamflow and need to be considered to correctly predict streamflow levels in Tärnaån drainage basin.

No description available.

The purpose of the thesis is to review the effect of ongoing climate change and population growth ongroundwater resources of Katari Basin (Bolivian Andes) and the consequence of reduced groundwaterresources on the quality of water. El Alto city, situated in the Katari basin is most vulnerable to thewater shortage because of climate change and high population growth rate. The expected increase intemperature in Bolivian Andes will decrease the availability of water which will ultimately decreasegroundwater recharge. Decrease in annual precipitation and main rainy season precipitation is alsopredicted by the most stations along the Bolivia/Peru border. The region is undergoing an acceleratedglacier recession and the projected climate change will lead to the disappearance of small glacierswhich will eventually decrease the expected water supplies in the future. The increased water demandby the growing population of El Alto will lead to increased groundwater discharge and the balancebetween recharge and discharge of groundwater resources will be affected severely. Consequently,small reduction in groundwater recharge can severely affect the streamflow. Moreover, thegroundwater in Katari Basin contains high levels of Arsenic, Boron, Antimony, Manganese andsalinity while the surface water is also contaminated by mining activities, agricultural runoff anduntreated sewage water.Change in temperature and precipitation will eventually impact the water demand and if the surfacewater will not be enough to fulfil the increasing demand of water then the dependence on groundwaterwill increase. The decline of glaciers can impact the efficiency of groundwater recharge as thedecrease in snowfall will ultimately lead to the shift from more effective recharge agent (snowfall) toless effective recharge agent (rainfall). Although, groundwater is more resilient to climate change thansnow and glaciers but the water resources are especially vulnerable in cities because of not onlyclimate change but also due to the increase in population. The communities living in mountains areless resilient to local change in water availability because the catchment area of the basin is smaller ascompared to the water resources at the lower elevations which receive water from a larger catchmentarea. The inter-Basin water transfer may resolve the water scarcity issues. The complex topographyand steep climatological gradients of mountain regions are difficult to represent in GCMs therefore theGlobal Climate Models (GCMs) show uncertainties in predicting climate change.

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on earth, in particular when it comes to long- term storage of carbon. Their unique conditions of saturated soils and vegetation cover have resulted in them playing an important role in the regulation of atmospheric greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. However, wetlands have faced high levels of degradation worldwide, often in the form of conversion into other land types for agricultural or other purposes. This has lead to depletion of their carbon stores and turned many of them into sources of atmospheric CO2 . In light of global efforts to keep global warming to below 2°C, various climate frameworks and goals have been devised both on national and supranational levels. For Sweden, one of these frameworks is the goal of being domestically climate neutral by year 2045. In order to reach this goal, in addition to reduction of CO2 emissions, there is a need for increased uptake of CO2 by natural environments. This study applied various data on carbon sequestration for both natural and restored wetlands to eight selected Swedish counties in order to determine whether a large-scale restoration of these environments could yield results with a notable impact on achieving the neutrality goal. Furthermore, sample financial calculations were made to assess whether this strategy is economically possible and, by some extent, societally acceptable. The study found that the scale to which wetland restoration would have to be implemented for results to have a notable impact on 2045 goals is not achievable financially. The use of wetlands have the potential of being an important tool on a longer timescale due to the time frame needed for wetland restoration and accumulation of soil organic carbon, whereas for increasing uptake of CO2 for the purpose of reaching 2045 goals, they will have a negligible impact. Rather, the study emphasises the need for conservation and management of healthy wetlands, as well as rewetting of drained soils to reduce their CO2 emissions. Keywords: wetland restoration, Swedish climate neutrality goals, soil organic carbon, carbon sequestration.

Paleoglaciological reconstructions based on glacial geological and geomorphological evidence areused to constrain and test numerical models of ice sheet extent and dynamics. The MAGIC-DMLresearch project (“Mapping, Measuring and Modelling Antarctic Geomorphology and Ice Change, inDronning Maud Land”) is trying to reconstruct the timing and pattern of ice surface elevation changessince the mid-Pliocene across western Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. This reconstructionwill work as the basis for testing and constraining ice sheet numerical models to improve climateunderstanding in Antarctica. This master thesis project contributes to MAGIC-DML by adopting a high-resolution remote sensingbasedmapping of glacial geomorphology and ice sheet surface structures, for a coast-inland transectincluding the Ahlmannryggen, Borgmassivet, and Kirwanveggen nunatak ranges. The primary aimof this study is to investigate the glaciology and paleoglaciology of the study area, in order to mapevidence for a former thicker ice sheet on nunatak slopes and plateaus, and patterns of ice flow of thecurrent ice sheet surface. Meso-scale glacial landforms and ice flow features were identified andmapped using different remote sensing data sets: the LANDSAT Image Mosaic of Antarctica(LIMA), DigitalGlobe Worldview-2 (WV02) and Worldview-3 (WV03) panchromatic andmultispectral images, the Radarsat Antarctica Mapping Project (RAMP) Ice Surface Digital ElevationModel (DEM) version 2, and the Bedmap2 datasets. The satellite imagery was analysed in a multistepprocedure using ArcGIS, including image processing and mosaicking, visual feature recognition,and mapping. The identification of some key landforms required the adoption of assumptions, forexample in order to distinguish till cover from regolith or boulders derived from rock fall from glacialerratics. Present-day ice flow directions were traced according to the distribution of ice surfacefeatures such as blue ice areas, crevasse fields, longitudinal surface structures, and supraglacialmoraines. The occurrence of till cover and erratics above the present-day ice surface on somenunataks slopes and plateaus was considered indicative of a thicker ice sheet in the past. Paleo-iceflow directions were inferred from the proximity of locations to the closest ice streams, since thatlatter have been active since the Oligocene. Geomorphological and ice flow direction maps were obtained and used to infer the paleoglaciologyof the three nunatak ranges. Ice sheet thinning reconstructions reveal a minimum ice surface loweringof ~400–500 m in the Ahlmannryggen and Borgmassivet nunatak ranges, of ~300 m north of theKirwanveggen escarpment and of ~100 m on the edge of Amundsenisen polar plateau. The paleo-icesheet flow pattern probably differed from today, because ice flow has locally been influenced by anincreased topographical complexity, due to the thinning of the ice sheet and the emerging of nunatakoutcrops. According to dating studies conducted elsewhere in DML, the inferred ice surface decreasewas probably initiated in the Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene, and continued after the Last GlacialMaximum interruption across the coastal sector of the ice sheet. The reliability of derived paleo-icesheet reconstructions, based on the mapping and interpretation of landforms, needs to be verified infuture field studies. This master thesis project has identified 34 well-suited locations for the samplingof erratic boulders and bedrock surfaces for cosmogenic nuclide (CN) surface exposure dating duringthe MAGIC-DML 2017/18 field season. The chronology derived from CN dating and fieldverification of the presented mapping will permit the delineation of ice sheet surface elevations astargets for ice sheet modelling.

Paleoglaciological reconstructions based on glacial geological and geomorphological traces are used to test and constrain numerical models of ice sheet extent and dynamics. MAGIC-DML (“Mapping, Measuring and Modelling Antarctic Geomorphology and Ice Change in Dronning Maud Land”) project is trying to reconstruct the timing and pattern of ice surface elevation changes since the mid-Pliocene across western Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. The study area has sparse pre-existing field data and considerable ice sheet model uncertainties. A remote sensing-based mapping of glacial geomorphology on nunataks and structures on the ice sheet surface is presented for a coastal-inland transect including Ahlmannryggen, Borgmassivet, and Kirwanveggen using high-resolution WorldView imagery. The primary aim of the study is to map traces of a thicker ice sheet on nunatak slopes that were formerly partly or entirely covered during ice surface highstands. Panchromatic and multispectral images were analysed in a multi-step procedure using ArcGIS, including image processing and mosaicking, visual feature recognition, and mapping. The identification of key landforms (such as till veneers and erratic boulders) required the adoption of some assumptions to differentiate, for example, till from regolith. Where patterned ground was mapped, we infer a presence of till rather than regolith because subglacial erosion is more likely to produce finer material than subaerial weathering. Very large boulders on plateau surfaces are mapped as erratics because they could not have been delivered by slope processes to local highpoints. However, the reliability of derived paleo-ice sheet reconstructions is limited by both the necessary assumptions and the absence of crosscutting relationships between landforms. At face value, the presence of till cover and erratics above the present ice surface on some nunataks indicate thicker ice in the past. According to the geomorphological mapping of the transect, in Kirwanveggen the former ice elevation was at least 100 m higher, in Borgmassivet the ice lowered more than 600 m and in Ahlmannryggen the ice was at least 300 m thicker. Additional mapping of structures on the ice sheet surface is used to yield target field routes for upcoming field season(s) to potential cosmogenic nuclide (CN) sampling locations. The chronology derived from CN dating will permit the delineation of ice sheet surface elevations as targets for ice sheet modeling. / MAGIC DML

The concept of Ecosystem services was developed mainly in the 1980’s, but one of the most important milestones in that process was publication of Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005 which divided ecosystem services into four different types: provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting. Ecosystem services are being degraded in many cases all over the world. Integrating the concept into the planning process may help to improve this situation. Sweden and Stockholm have long tradition in spatial planning, but there is still a lot to improve when it comes to sustainable management of ecosystem services. One of the reasons is that there is a lack of holistic perspective in planning and systems thinking might be a tool to decrease this deficiency. The aim of the project is to identify the most representative and significant ecosystems in Stockholm County and explain the dynamics within the system of maintenance of ecosystem services on the both regional and local level of planning in Stockholm County. The research has been conducted using literature review as well as semistructured interviews with the most significant stakeholders who are involved in physical planning in Stockholm County both on regional and municipal level. During the interviews five Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) where developed. The study concludes that four most representative ecosystems in Stockholm County are: Lake Mälaren, Local green structures, Green wedges and Rural areas. They provide various types of ecosystem services, but the most important and strategic ones seem to be regulating and cultural types since they were the ones easily (and in biggest number listed by the interviewees). The research furthermore concludes that the biggest threats for the identified ecosystems are connected with development of the County, growing population and pressure from the building industry as well as the climate change. Physical planning in Stockholm County has the opportunity to counteract these threats by implementing the concept of ecosystem services planning process and due to collaborative work between municipalities. It is also important to distinguish between ecosystem services per se and what is a requirement for the provision of ecosystem services. In the future this qualitative research could be supplemented with a more detailed/quantitative studies which would contribute to better estimation the results of different planning decisions and include the money factor which have not been researched in this study.

The aim of these studies is to determine spatial climatological effects on hurricane intensification rates. Previous studies have noted that the skill in predict a hurricane's track has improved at a much greater rate than the skill to predict its intensity. There is even less research concerning hurricane intensification rates, let alone research done spatially and climatologically. Therefore, the research herein aims to understand what drives hurricane intensification rates. This is done by using spatial climatological analyses to determine the effects that intensity, sea surface temperatures (SSTs), ocean heat content (OHC), El Niño--Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Madden--Julian Oscillation (MJO), and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) have on hurricane intensification rates. Using both equal-area hexagons and raster techniques, hurricane track data is plotted spatially. SST, ocean salinity, and OHC values are also represented on a spatial grid. Finally, climate variables are represented temporally as mean yearly values. A generalized linear model from a gamma family and a logarithmic link function, as well as a full probability model are used to determine the effects that the variables of interest have on hurricane intensification rates. It is found that intensity has a positive effect on hurricane intensification rates with an average increase of 0.024 ± 0.0032 m s⁻¹ in intensification for a 1 m s⁻¹ increase in intensity. SST is also found to have a positive effect on intensification rates with an average increase in hurricane intensification of 16% for a 1° C increase in mean SST. It is also found that decreased salinity may have a positive effect on hurricane intensification rates by inhibiting vertical mixing. In the North Atlantic basin, it is found that the NAO has a negative effect on intensification rates of ‒0.18 m s⁻¹ h⁻¹ per 1 SD, while ENSO and MJO do not have a statistically significant effect. In the Eastern North Pacific basin, it is found that both the NAO and ENSO have a positive effect on hurricane intensification rates, while the MJO and PDO do not have a statistically significant effect. Finally, in comparing the largest intensification rates during the most extreme NAO events in the North Atlantic basin, as well as the most extreme ENSO events in the Eastern North Pacific basin, it appears that rapid intensification (RI) may simply be normal intensification occurs over a longer time period. These studies confirm the previously held idea that warmer SSTs will lead to higher intensification rates. Along with this is the finding that the NAO has a negative effect on hurricane intensification rates in the North Atlantic basin. This was not something that was previously mentioned in the research. Finally, the idea that RI may not be due to small thermodynamic processes but instead normal intensification over a longer amount of time is an intriguing notion that deserves further analysis. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Geography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2016. / March 15, 2016. / climatology, hurricane, hurricane climatology, intensification, rapid intensification, tropical cyclone / Includes bibliographical references. / James B. Elsner, Professor Directing Dissertation; Robert Hart, University Representative; Chris Uejio, Committee Member; Tingting Zhao, Committee Member.

This project attempts to gather more information to link the rise in the topography during the Miocene in Eastern Africa with climate changes that lead to the aridification of the area and ultimately to the split between chimpanzees and hominids. The candidate analysed a series of sensitivity experiments simulated with a climate model EC-Earth by changing the topography in Easter Africa and comparing with control run (pre-industrial-era) to assess the impact of the changes in the superplume in Africa and consequent topography on the climate and environment. The results show that the model data are in accordance with the changes proposed by the literature review which is largely based in paleoclimatological proxies. The evolution in the precipitation regimes in the sensitive experiments follow a parallel evolution with the changes in the topography in the area originated by the African superswell. It is possible to observe in the analysis how the climate has evolved from the Middle-Miocene period to a more arid one in the Pliocene(ultimately represented by the pre-industrial control simulation) and how the changes in the precipitation patterns are related to the main topographic features developed. / <p>The presentation of the thesis was done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>