The area between a stream and land is known as a riparian zone. These zones are highly dynamic whichcarry and accumulate heavy metals and environmental contaminants. Discrete Riparian Input Zones(DRIPs) are a subset of such zones that carry concentrated amounts of water into streams at discrete points.These are more active in their ability to channel water than riparian zones. These areas are important sincethey may retain or release metals and thereby affect the stream chemistry. To test if DRIPs accumulatemetals, 7 DRIPs and 4 Non-DRIPs were sampled along the C5 stream in the Krycklan Catchment. Soilsamples were taken from the surface down to 0.5 m depth at 0.1 m increments and were analysed for totalmercury, metals and loss on ignition. Three metals (vanadin, iron and zinc) were identified as having significant differences in concentration between DRIP and Non-DRIPS. Vanadin and Fe had significantlyhigher concentrations in Non-DRIPs, whereas iron had higher concentrations in DRIPs. Mercury,cadmium, iron, and loss on ignition (LOI) were found to decrease as depth increased, whilst Al was foundto increase with depth. Finally many elements are inter-related, but those with the strongest correlation areLOI and mercury, and iron and cadmium, both r > 0.85. LOI and mercury are strongly related as mercurybinds strongly to organic matter. The relationship of Fe and Cd is likely due to the Fe-oxide and Cdrelationship.

Following the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments in wastewater in March 2020, the use of wastewater-based epidemiology is rapidly emerging as a non-invasive approach to assessing community wide COVID-19 prevalence. Wastewater-based epidemiology is promoted as a complement to clinical testing in terms of improving public health authorities’ preparedness and supporting them in taking required interventions to protect the public health.  To utilize the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in a public health context and evaluate trends in viral prevalence on a community level, robust data interpretation is required. This master's thesis work examines what is currently known about the factors that influence the concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, as well as the impact of alternative normalization approaches on the relationship between viral wastewater data and clinical case numbers. The work is divided into two parts where this report provides a state-of-the-art review as well as an overview of key findings in the accompanied scientific paper.  The study involved collection of wastewater samples from two different sized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Luleå municipality, between January and March 2021.  Concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA were quantified in each sample as well as concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV). Average daily WWTP flow and environmental data (precipitation and temperature) were continuously measured over the sampling period. The population size was estimated based on mass loads of TN and TP and literature values of the domestic contribution of these parameters to the sewer system. The viral wastewater data was normalized using the estimations of population size, census data, WWTP flow and PMMoV. The impact of the alternative normalization approaches was evaluated using statistical analyses to explore the relationship to clinical case numbers.  The result showed that the strength of the correlation between the different normalization approaches and clinical case data differed between the WWTPs. However, within each WWTP the differences in correlation between the different normalization approaches and clinical cases were not significant. Moreover, normalization using WWTP flow (i.e., viral loads) showed a stronger correlation to clinical cases compared to population and PMMoV normalized viral loads. However, when comparing wastewater data between the two catchment areas, the normalization approaches utilizing population (either census or TN and TP estimated population) or PMMoV better reflect the number of clinical cases. Additionally, according to time-shifted analysis, wastewater data of SARS-CoV-2 RNA predated an increase in clinical cases by 0-2 and 5-8 days, respectively, for the larger and smaller WWTPs.

Estuaries are dynamic environments that are strongly affected by natural variability, as well as direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts. A better understanding of the drivers of carbon fluxes and biogeochemical variability in estuarine systems is needed, particularly with the increasing threat of ocean acidification. Morro Bay in Central California is a small nationally protected estuary, with seasonally low freshwater inputs. Since 2007, the bay has experienced a significant loss of native seagrass, Zostera marina, which is an important component of the marine ecosystem. Because seagrass photosynthesis decreases carbon dioxide and increases oxygen in the water column, the loss of seagrass has the potential to substantially change short-term carbonate chemistry and long-term carbon fluxes of an estuary. The spatial variability of carbonate chemistry was measured in Morro Bay using ship-board surveys during the low-inflow summer season and measured the temporal variability by collecting samples close to the shore from July to November. Discrete samples show an increase in total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon in the mid and back bay regions, historically dominated by seagrass. Slightly lower total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon were observed in the Fall season compared to the low-inflow Summer season. Analysis of the relative modification of alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon, paired with salinity and temperature data, contributes to an understanding of the drivers of the observed carbonate variability. This understanding may provide clues to the causes and effects of observed changes to the bay with seagrass loss. More broadly, it will inform the vulnerability of other low-inflow estuaries to future acidification and highlight the role seagrasses play in mitigating local acidification.

There is a growing need to better understand the dynamics of small and medium Mediterranean low-inflow estuaries (LIEs), which is addressed here by characterizing a heat budget and associated heat transfer processes. A one-dimensional deterministic model was developed from the advection-diffusion equation and applied to Morro Bay, CA using 15-minute water property (temperature, salinity, pressure) and meteorological (wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, irradiance) data collected over a two-year period (2020 – 2021). Seasonal variability is observed in meteorological components, water temperature, and salinity. There is strong seasonal variability in head-mouth temperature and salinity differences. Temperature differences peak in summer (daily mean 2.52 ºC, June – Sept.). Daily average salinity difference is 0.33 (hyposaline, Sept. – Apr.) with strongest gradients observed during the winter storm season following enhanced freshwater discharge. Inverse salinity develops intermittently May – Aug. Subtidal heat flux is dominated by surface heating, whose daily average is always positive (heat input). The developed model does not quantify adequate heat export from the estuary, however, a sensitivity analysis indicates that diffusive flux may be a significant heat export component. Excess heat appears to be exported to the ocean, allowing ocean-estuary temperatures to remain similar. Characterizing estuarine dynamics like these enables us to predict how Morro Bay, and other similar estuarine systems, may respond to long and short-term environmental changes, and how these responses influence estuarine circulation and environmental health.

Infiltration and inflow (I/I) are common problems in the foul sewer system. A method to detect I/I that is not commonly used in Sweden is DTS, Distributed Temperature Sensing. DTS is based on continuous measurements of temperature over a predetermined distance in the sewer system. The I/I is detected as temperature differences in the temperature data that is registered in the sewer system. The measurements often take place over a couple of weeks or months in the sewer system. The aim of this project was to review previous studies where DTS was used to detect I/I in foul sewers.  Data from a wastewater treatment plant in Umeå together with meteorological data were analysed to be able to visualize the problem of I/I and then suggest how DTS can be applied in Sweden. Both automated and visual analyses was performed to find if there were any relationships between wastewater temperature, wastewater flow and precipitation.   The outcome was that it is possible to apply DTS in the foul sewages to detect I/I. DTS seemed to be able to detect I/I in all types of sewage material, however it is dependent on that the I/I temperature differs from the temperature of the foul sewage water. It is an expensive technique but if it is meant to be used many times to analyse bigger areas it can be worth the costs. If larger areas are to be investigated, the costs for DTS and current methods are approximately the same.  At the wastewater treatment plant in Umeå, a slight relationship between wastewater temperature, wastewater flow and precipitation could be detected. The degree of dilution was calculated to 1,34 which means that about 25% of the sewage water is I/I. The conclusion from this was that I/I exists in the foul sewers in Umeå. The leakage points could not be located with this analysis. DTS could be a possible method to detect the leakage points of I/I in foul sewers. Unlike smoke tests, colouring and video-inspection of the sewers, DTS might be able to detect smaller leakage points. / Tillskottsvatten är ett vanligt problem i spillvattenledningsnätet. DTS, Distributed Temperature Sensing är en metod som inte är vanlig i Sverige för kontroll av spillvattenledningar. Tekniken bygger på kontinuerliga temperaturmätningar under en tidsperiod över en förutbestämd sträcka och registrerar temperaturavvikelser som kan uppstå i samband med inläckage av tillskottsvatten. Syftet med projektet var att granska tidigare utförda studier med DTS för att ta reda på hur tekniken kan användas för att lokalisera inläckage i spillvattenledningar. För att vidare illustrera problematiken med tillskottsvatten i spillvattennätet samt föreslå hur DTS kan appliceras i Sverige genomfördes en analys av mätdata på inkommande vatten till reningsverket på Ön, Umeå. Både visuella och automatiserade analyser genomfördes där tolkningar gjordes utifrån mätdata från reningsverket tillsammans med nederbörds- och lufttemperaturdata. En regressionsanalys genomfördes som automatiserad analys för att undersöka eventuella samband mellan spillvattentemperatur, spillvattenflöde och nederbörd. Projektet inleddes med en litteraturstudie där det utreddes hur DTS fungerar teoretiskt och praktiskt. Litteraturstudien visade att DTS är praktiskt möjligt att applicera i spillvattenledningsnätet för att leta inläckagepunkter för tillskottsvatten. Inläckage kan registreras som ökningar eller sänkningar i spillvattentemperaturen beroende på lufttemperaturen. Den är inte beroende av material på ledningarna men däremot är DTS beroende av att tillskottsvattnet är av annan temperatur än spillvattnet. Det är en dyr teknik men kan vara värt investeringskostnaderna om mätningar tänkt ske många gånger under längre perioder. Vid kontroll av större områden med hjälp av röktest kombinerat med färgning av vatten och filmning är kostnaderna ungefär de samma. Utifrån mätdatan från reningsverket och nederbördsdatan från Umeå universitet kunde vissa samband påvisas mellan spillvattentemperatur, spillvattenflöde och nederbörd. Ett visst samband kunde även urskiljas mellan spillvattentemperatur och spillvattenflöde. Utspädningsgraden av spillvattnet beräknades till 1,34 vilket innebär att cirka 25% av vattnet i spillvattenledningarna är tillskottsvatten. Slutsatsen som kunde dras utifrån detta var att tillskottsvatten existerar i spillvattenledningsnätet som leder till reningsverket på Ön i Umeå. Däremot kunde inga slutsatser dras för att säga var inläckage av tillskottsvatten sker. DTS skulle kunna appliceras i ledningsnäten för att undersöka närmare var inläckagepunkterna är och tillskillnad från rökning, färgning av vatten och filmning som används idag kan DTS sannolikt upptäcka fler typer av inläckage.

Utbyggnation av städer och allt större andel hårdgjorda ytor leder till problem med dagvattenhanteringen. Flödena blir snabbare samtidigt som större mängder än tidigare bildar avrinning och då är det viktigt att de befintliga systemen klarar av att hantera dem. Dagvatten från tak och hårdgjorda ytor och dräneringsvatten från källarfastigheter kan vara kopplat till spillvattennätet och leda till att vattenflödena i ledningarna vid stora regn kan bli betydligt större än de är dimensionerade för, med kapacitetsproblem som följd. En lösning som många VA-huvudmän har implementerat är att använda öppna dagvattenlösningar istället för att välja det mer kostnadskrävande alternativet att bygga ut ledningssystemet. Att koppla om stuprör, brunnar och dräneringsledningar och gräva diken för att leda om vattnet är både kostnads- och resurskrävande. Syftet var därför att undersöka om multikriterieanalys kan fungera som ett lämpligt verktyg för att allokera resurserna till de områden som ger mest nytta per satsad krona. Detta genom att ta fram en metodik för detta syfte och testa dess robusthet för att avgöra om den är lämplig att applicera eller om osäkerheterna i parametervärdena blir för stora för att några slutsatser ska kunna dras. Metodiken som togs fram testades på Bjursås, ett litet samhälle två mil utanför Falun, eftersom omfattande utredningar gjorts i området tidigare, vilket innebar att mycket data fanns att tillgå. Undersökningar gjordes av var mängderna kunde förväntas bli stora, var det fanns stor risk för källaröversvämningar och vilka områden som bidrog mest till bräddningar. Detta utvärderades tillsammans med förväntade åtgärdskostnader och en samlad bedömning gjordes av var nyttan per satsad krona bör bli störst. Stora osäkerheter återfanns i bedömningen. Slutsatsen blev att metoden kan fungera som stöd vid beslutsunderlag, men att den inte är tillräckligt robust för att kunna användas uteslutande utan att efterföljande utvärderingar och kritisk granskning av resultaten måste göras. Detta kan lämpligtvis ske genom en känslighetsanalys. För att resultaten ska utgöra ett användbart verktyg för VA-huvudmannen måste också kostnaderna utvärderas noggrannare än de har gjorts i den här studien. / Urbanization along with a greater amount of hardened surfaces affects the storm water management. When the flows get faster and larger amounts create runoff, it is crucial that the available systems are able to handle the water. Storm water from roofs and asphalt surfaces and drainage water can be connected to the sewage water pipelines and make the flows in the conduits at rainfall much greater than they are designed for, leading to capacity issues. Many municipalities have implemented open storm water solutions instead of choosing the more cost-ineffective way of expanding the conduit system. Reconnecting downspouts, wells and drainage pipelines and digging trenches to lead the water is both cost and resource demanding. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate whether multi criteria analysis can be used as an appropriate tool in order to allocate the resources to the most beneficial areas. This was done by developing a method for this aim and testing its robustness in order to determine if it is suitable to use in this context or if the uncertainties make the method too unreliable. The robustness in the method developed can be questioned since the uncertainties can be substantial. To be able to use this method, a lot of data is needed and the method needs to be updated relatively often in order to contain relevant information. It is recommended that a sensitivity analysis is performed along with the method, since the use of only one set of parameters can make the result relatively arbitrary. Using a Monte Carlo procedure with the uncertainties defined can reduce the time needed to measure and identify the values. The sensitivity analysis showed that the parameters that have the largest impact on the results are the number of residents living in every real estate with a basement, the catchment areas, the roughness parameters of the pipelines and the use of energy and chemicals in the system. In the future, the urbanization is expected to increase as well as the amount of rainfall and problems related to inflow and infiltration are expected to become more common. The hope is that the method used and its results will be useful for the municipalities’ future planning and to inspire to more studies on this topic.

Efficient temporal resolution and spatial grids are important in simulation of the inflow turbulence for wind turbine loads analyses. There have not been many published studies that address optimal space-time resolution of generated inflow velocity fields in order to estimate accurate load statistics. This study investigates turbine extreme and fatigue load statistics for a utility-scale 5MW wind turbine with a hub-height of 90 m and a rotor diameter of 126 m. Load statistics, spectra, and time-frequency analysis representations are compared for various alternative space and time resolutions employed in inflow turbulence field simulation. Conclusions are drawn regarding adequate resolution in space of the inflow turbulence simulated on the rotor plane prior to extracting turbine load statistics. Similarly, conclusions are drawn with regard to what constitutes adequate temporal filtering to preserve turbine load statistics. This first study employs conventional Fourier-based spectral methods for stochastic simulation of velocity fields for a neutral atmospheric boundary layer. In the second part of this study, large-eddy simulation (LES) is employed with similar resolutions in space and time as in the earlier Fourier-based simulations to again establish turbine load statistics. A comparison of extreme and fatigue load statistics is presented for the two approaches used for inflow field generation. The use of LES-generated flows (enhanced in deficient high-frequency energy by the use of fractal interpolation) to establish turbine load statistics in this manner is computationally very expensive but the study is justified in order to evaluate the ability of LES to be used as an alternative to more common approaches. LES with fractal interpolation is shown to lead to accurate load statistics when compared with stochastic simulation. A more compelling reason for using LES in turbine load studies is the following: for stable boundary layers, it is not possible to generate realistic inflow velocity fields using stochastic simulation. The present study presents a demonstration that, despite the computational costs involved, LES-generated inflows can be used for loads analyses for utility-scale turbines. The study sets the stage for future computations in the stable boundary layer where low-level jets, large speed and direction shears across the rotor, etc. can possibly cause large turbine loads; then, LES will likely be the inflow turbulence generator of choice. / text

This thesis provides new insight concerning drivers behind differences in arthropod diversity and abundance in Baltic shore ecosystems and how the arthropod communities might be affected when the conditions in the Baltic Sea are altered due to climate change.  The focus has been on climate related changes that are unique for coastal ecosystems, especially sea level rise and changes in the inflow of marine nutrients. As sea levels rise, features in coastal landscapes will be altered, islands and habitats will be flooded and diminished, and structural connectivity within the island landscape will therefore change. This thesis shows that arthropod diversity within the two arthropod groups, spiders and beetles, increases with island size but also that diversity is positively influenced by a high number of islands in the surroundings. A changed distribution and occurrence of marine species, due to climate change or eutrophication, can also affect terrestrial organisms on the shore.  In the Baltic Sea the new conditions following climate change will decrease the prevalence of bladder-wrack and benefit filamentous algae. Algal deposits on shores reflect the marine species composition and a decreased prevalence of bladder-wrack in the Baltic Sea will also be visible on the shores.  This thesis shows that a lower proportion of bladder-wrack in the algal deposits will decrease the diversity and abundance of arthropods in these deposits. Changes in the marine environment may also affect the inflow of insects with aquatic life stages and terrestrial adult stages.  On Baltic shores, prey species with aquatic life stages, especially chironomids, constitute a large proportion of the diet of the terrestrial predatory group, wolf spiders. In freshwater system, the inflow of chironomids is known to decrease with elevated water temperatures if this is true in the Baltic Sea prey availability of wolf spiders would decrease.  This thesis supports the importance of chironomids as a prey for coastal wolf spiders, but also shows that the diet varies over season with dominance of terrestrial prey in early summer shifting to a dominance of marine prey in late summer and autumn. This seasonal variation is primarily due to a gradual increase in the consumption of chironomids over season. Climate change has the potential to alter the biogeographical conditions in coastal landscapes as well as the density and quality of marine nutrient inflow. Sea level rise will diminish and flood islands and this thesis shows that a moderate sea level rise of 0.5 meters would make the total number of islands in the outer part of Stockholm archipelago decrease with about 25 %. Sea level rise could thus have consequences for arthropod diversity in Baltic shore meadows in the near future. The combined effects of sea level rise and changed prevalence of marine species in the Baltic Sea will affect the abundance and diversity of arthropods substantially. The abundance and diversity of spiders and beetles will decrease on shores that today have a high occurrence of bladder-wrack and prey availability for coastal predators might decrease due to a decreased inflow of chironomids. Changes in the arthropod communities could have consequences also further up in the food chain, such as for shore birds feeding on these arthropods. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

The main subject of the thesis "The global financial crisis and its impact on the economy of Russia" is an investigation of the main course and causes of this financial crisis and an analysis of the impact of it on the economy of Russia from the perspective of the main macroeconomical indicators, social structure, real property market and funds market. Also some chapters of this thesis are devoted to the tasks for the leadership of this country for the purpose of stabilization of economy and prognosis of potencial further development of Russian economy in the coming years.

Fontes renováveis de energia representam alternativas para a mitigação da mudança do clima global, no entanto, são mais suscetíveis a mudanças nas condições climáticas. O sistema elétrico brasileiro (SEB) possui a peculiaridade de ter maior parte de sua energia gerada a partir de fontes renováveis, principalmente usinas hidrelétricas. Por essa razão, constitui uma amostra representativa das dificuldades de operar uma matriz energética de base predominantemente renovável. A geração predominantemente hidrelétrica de energia permite operar com baixas emissões e baixos custos operacionais, nada obstante a forte dependência dessa envolve considerável risco hidrológico, principalmente em um contexto em que as restrições à armazenagem de energia em grandes barragens são maiores. Por conseguinte, a combinação de investimentos inadequados na capacidade de geração com escassez de chuvas pode, eventualmente, levar a situações nas quais a capacidade de oferta seja inferior à demanda e até mesmo a racionamentos (2001). É evidente que a capacidade de prever com precisão o índice de chuvas e, consequentemente, as vazões disponíveis para o próximo período caracteriza-se como uma importante ferramenta para a operação do setor elétrico brasileiro. Hoje, as previsões de vazões futuras são realizadas com base na observação de vazões passadas sem incorporar nas análises as variáveis que as determinam (por exemplo, variáveis climáticas). Entretanto, existem evidências de que a variabilidade das vazões na América do Sul é cadenciada pelos sistemas acoplados do tipo oceano-atmosférico, os chamados fenômenos de grande escala como é o caso do El Niño. No entanto as técnicas tradicionais de previsão até então não utilizam de forma sistêmica as informações climáticas. A metodologia aqui apresentada incorpora informações sobre o clima para tomada de decisões envolvendo recursos hídricos, sendo demonstrada sua aplicação para a região Sudeste do Brasil. Demonstra-se que o manuseamento de variáveis climáticas (mais particularmente aquelas vinculadas ao fenômeno do El Niño) permite calcular a previsão de vazões tão bem quanto os programas oficiais, tendo como vantagem acompanhar as mudanças climáticas eminentes. A metodologia proposta é formada pelas seguintes partes: Modelo SARIMAX; Levantamento de Dados; Análise Gráfica de Correlações; Análise de Séries Temporais; Análise de Gráfica de wavelets e Análise de correlação em Mapas georreferenciados. Esses procedimentos são necessários para visualizar-se com clareza o histórico embutido nas informações analisadas e uma melhor compreensão para a fase de modelagem com o método SARIMAX. Os resultados indicam que o modelo SARIMAX, com variáveis macroclimáticas, é melhor que o NEWAVE. / Renewable energy sources represent alternatives to the mitigation of global climate change, but they are more susceptible to changing on weather conditions. The Brazilian electricity system has the peculiarity that most of its energy is generated from renewable sources, mainly by hydroelectric plants. For this reason, it provides a representative sample of the difficulties for operating a predominantly renewable basis energy matrix. On one hand, the main hydroelectric generation allows low emissions and low operating costs; on the other hand, the heavy dependence on hydropower involves considerable hydrological risks, specially in an environment where restrictions on energy storage (large dams) are high. Thus, the combination of inadequate investment in generation capacity with low rainfall may, eventually, lead to situations in which the supply capacity is less than the demand, leading even rationing (2002). It is then clear that the ability to accurately predict the rainfall index and hence flow rates available for the next period is an important tool for the operation of the Brazilian electric sector (SEB). Presently, future flows forecasting are only based on observation of past flows without incorporating the analysis of the variables that determine such flows (e.g. climate variables). However, there are evidences that the variability of flows in South America is punctuated by coupled ocean-atmosphere type systems, the so-called large-scale phenomena such as El Niño. However, the traditional forecasting techniques still do not use climate information in a systematic way. The methodology presented here incorporates weather information for decision making in water resources, and demonstrates its applicability to the Southeastern region of Brazil. It is showed that the use of climatic variables (particularly those related to the El Niño phenomenon) predicts streamflow forecasting as well as the official programs do, with the advantage of following eminent climate change. The proposed methodology is formed of the following parts, not necessarily in this order: Model SARIMAX; Data Collection; Graphic analysis of correlations; Time Series Analysis; Wavelets Graphical analysis and Correlation analysis of geo-referenced maps. These procedures are necessary to clearly see the embedded historical information of the information analyzed and better understanding of the modeling stage with SARIMAX method. The results indicate that the SARIMAX model, with large scale variables, is better than the NEWAVE.