Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, has faced water scarcity and low water during several years as a consequence of Uzbekistan’s extensive irrigation of cotton fields. The environmental status of the Mejdurechye Reservoir, which is the largest in the lower Amudarya Delta, is therefore of great local importance. This thesis quantifies pollutant mass flows through the reservoir, concidering for instance salt, DDT and Lindane (HCH). Surface water flow paths through Mejdurechye Reservoir are also conceptualized in order to provide suggestions for future a possible monitoring program. Results show that chloride concentrations have decreased during July 2007-2008 with at least 10% in spite of a large specific evaporation and a reservoir volume reduction of at least 60%. The most important implication of this is that pollutants in the reservoir cannot have been subject of evapoconcentration during this period. DDT and Lindane have on the other hand increased with up to 50000% in concentration and 20000% mass compared to measurements dating back to 2002. A rough age estimation of DDT shows that the DDT has been mobilized recently. The results of this thesis may prove valuable when forming environmental policy plans and setting up future monitoring programs.

Understanding the link between the Sun and climate is vital in the current incidence of global climate change, and 10Be in natural archives constitutes an excellent tracer for this purpose. As cosmic rays enter the atmosphere, cosmogenic isotopes like 10Be and 14C are formed. Variations in solar activity modulate the amount of incoming cosmic rays, and thereby cosmogenic isotope production. Atmospherically produced 10Be enters natural archives such as sediments and glaciers by wet and dry deposition within about a year of production. 10Be from natural archives therefore provides information on past solar activity, and because these archives also contain climate information, solar activity and climate can be linked. One remaining question is to what degree 10Be in natural archives reflects production, and to what extent the local and regional environment overprints the production signal. To explore this, 10Be was measured at annual resolution over the last 600 years in a Greenland ice core. Measurement potentials for these samples benefited from the development of a new laboratory method of co-precipitating 10Be with niobium. To diversify geographic location and archive media type, a pioneer study of measuring 10Be with annual resolution in varved lake sediments from Finland was conducted, with samples from the entire 20th century. Pathways of 10Be into lake sediments are more complex than into glacial ice, inferring that contemporary atmospheric conditions may not be recorded. Here, it is shown for the first time that tracing the 11-year solar cycle through lake sediment 10Be variations is possible. Results also show that on an annual basis, 10Be deposition in ice and sediment archives is affected by local environmental conditions. On a slightly longer timescale, however, diverse 10Be records exhibit similar trends and a negative correlation with solar activity. Cyclic variability of 10Be deposition persisted throughout past grand solar minima, when little or no sunspot activity was recorded. 10Be levels indicate that although solar activity has been high during the 20th century, levels are not unprecedented in the investigated 600 years. Aerosol 10Be/7Be values indicate possible influence of stratosphere-troposphere exchange on isotope abundance and the production signal.

A Quaternary perspective on the paleoceanographic evolution of the central Arctic Ocean has been obtained in this PhD thesis by studying sediment cores from all of the Arctic’s major submarine ridges and plateaus. The included cores were mainly recovered during the Healy-Oden Trans-Arctic expedition in 2005 and the Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland expedition in 2007. One of the main thesis objectives is to establish whether different sediment depositional regimes prevailed in different parts of the central Arctic Ocean during the Quaternary and, if so, establish general sedimentation rates for these regimes. This was approached by dating key cores using the decay of the cosmogenic isotopes 10Be and 14C, and through stratigraphic core-to-core correlation using sediment physical properties. However, the Arctic Ocean sea ice complicated the use of 10Be for dating because a solid sea ice cover prevents the 10Be isotopes from reaching the seafloor, resulting in too old ages. Dating using 14C is also complicated due to uncertain marine reservoir age corrections in the central Arctic Ocean. The core-to-core correlations show five areas with different depositional regimes; the northern Mendeleev Ridge and Alpha Ridge, southern Mendeleev Ridge, Morris Jesup Rise, Lomonosov Ridge and Yermak Plateau, listed in the order of increasing sedimentation rates from ~0.5cm/ka to ~4.8 cm/ka. A detailed study of the relationship between sediment bulk density and grain sizes suggests a strong link between variations in clay abundance and bulk density. Grain size analysis of a Lomonosov Ridge core show that fine silt and clay dominates the interglacials, possibly due to increased suspension freezing of these size fractions into sea ice and/or nepheloid transport. Sediments younger than the marine isotope stage (MIS) 7 generally contain more coarse silt, attributed to a regime shift during the Quaternary with increased iceberg transport into the central Arctic Ocean from MIS 6 and onwards. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: In progress. Paper 4: In progress. Paper 5: In progress. Paper 6: In progress.

Tephrochronology, or the dating and correlation of stratigraphic sediment sequences by the use of tephra, is a dating method that has been much refined in the last decade. This refinement has enabled the detection of cryptotephra, which has expanded the known distribution of different tephras. At the site Lake Mulakullegöl in the southwest of Sweden, three distinct tephra horizons have been detected, of which two have been geochemically identified. The identified tephras are the Vedde Ash (ca 12,000 cal. yrs BP) and the Hässeldalen Tephra (ca 11,500 cal. yrs BP), both of Icelandic origin. These tephras were deposited during the middle of the Younger Dryas Stadial and the Younger Dryas/Preboreal transition, respectively. The Vedde Ash is one of the most widespread tephras of Icelandic provenance, while the Hässeldalen Tephra so far only has been found at two sites in southeastern Sweden, prior to the current study. A third, unidentified, tephra was also detected. Based on the stratigraphic position, this tephra might be the Borrobol Tephra, which has been dated to ca 14,400 cal. yrs BP. This might indicate that warming had not yet occurred in this part of Sweden. The extended known distribution of especially the Hässeldalen Tephra, but also the Vedde Ash, has enabled a higher potential for correlations between different records deposited during the Last Glacial/Interglacial transition.

In quantitative palaeoecology modern species-environmental relationships can be statistically modelled, and recent development has made the calibration models more statistically robust. These models are used to transform fossil assemblages to quantitative estimates of past environmental conditions. The aim of this thesis is to infer Holocene temperatures from fossil pollen data sampled from lakes in central and southern Sweden. This reconstruction is done by using a north-European pollen-climate calibration model, which was extended with 37 modern pollen samples from the southern deciduous vegetation zone in Sweden within this project. A statistical method is used for deriving the pollen-climate calibration model, weighted averaging partial least square (WA-PLS) method. The long term trends in pollen inferred temperatures from this study reflect low, but rapidly rising temperatures in the early-Holocene, a trend that was temporarily interrupted by a cool period about 8500 cal yr BP, but continued after 8000 cal yr BP. A Holocene thermal maximum (HTM) with temperatures roughly 2°C higher than at present was recorded about 7000 cal yr BP and by 4000 cal yr BP pollen inferred temperatures starts to decline. In order to create a more comprehensive picture of past climate patterns in the investigated area inferred temperatures from this study are compared with independent palaeorecords, a stable oxygen isotope record for moisture variability (paper I) and chironomids for summer temperature (paper II). Taken all together, these records reflect a coherent Holocene climate pattern which also is supported by several studies from Scandinavia and the north Atlantic region. Pollen inferred temperatures and the moisture record are indicating markedly dry, continental climate conditions in southern Sweden during the HTM possibly as a result of reorganisations in regional atmosphere circulations. The local observations in this study of regional climate events, such as the cold period at about 8200 cal yr BP and the dry period at about 7000 to 4000 cal yr BP are of particular interest because they suggest that vegetation in the study region has responded sensitively both to long-term climatic trends and more transient climate events.

Länge har landskapets alla olika processer påverkat och påverkar landskapets utseende och utveckling. Landskapet är i en ständig naturlig förändring, en förändring som är kontinuerlig i tid och rum. Dess strukturer och former är ofta idag avlagringar från istider och processer som skedde för länge sedan och har genom dessa hjälpt människan förstå jordens utveckling. Människan är villkorslöst beroende av landskapet med dess resurser och utnyttjar dem i en allt större utsträckning. Många av resurserna vi utnyttjar har alla sin grund i landskapets geologi. Människans påverkan på landskapet är så pass stor att landskapet med alla dess former och avlagringar hotas om de inte beaktas. För att effektiv kunna anpassa brukande och annan användning av naturens resurser krävs förståelse för landskapets grundstrukturer, geologiska processer och deras resultat. För att i framtiden fortsätta kunna ha kännedom om landskapets bildning och historia och andra samhällsrelevanta faktorer som miljö och vatten är det viktigt att införa de geovetenskapliga värdena i all slags samhällsplanering. När geovetenskapliga värden glöms bort och enbart natur, kultur, friluftslivsvärden etc. sätts i fokus var för sig, förloras helhetssynen. Eftersom de geovetenskapliga värdena är en förutsättning för dessa värden är de ett viktig, idag nästan outnyttjat verktyg för att sammanfoga sektoriella värden till en helhetssyn. I denna studie har en vägplanering valts ut för att illustrera denna brist, där en inventering av studieområdet samt en analys av den valda vägplaneringens rapporter och miljökonsekvensbeskrivningen gjorts. Studien visar att man beaktar värden sektoriellt och oftast objekt för objekt. Helhetssynen på landskapet saknas nästan helt. De geovetenskapliga egenvärdena beaktas inte alls och det verktyg för helhetssyn som geovetenskapen erbjuder används inte alls. / Landscape processes such as erosion and weathering have for very long time shaped and reshaped the landscape. The continuously natural changes of the landscape will never stop. Today its structures and shapes are historical deposits and have helped humans to understand Earth’s history. Humans are unconditionally dependent on Earth’s resources and will continue being so for an unforeseeable future. Human development such as infrastructure alters an unnatural landscape where the natural landscape with all its forms and deposits are threatened to disappear if not protected from exploitation. To continuing understanding Earth’s history in the future and to developing ecological areas, it’s important to introduce the geological values in all types of society planning. When geological values are forgotten or disregarded and ecological values get the majority of attention you loose the bigger picture. Instead a more holistic view is needed that accounts for all natural values. In this study, a path plan has been selected to illustrate this short supply, where an inventory of the study area and an analysis of the selected path plan’s reports and environmental impact assessment have been made. The results from the study indicate that objects are considered object by object and observe the geoscientific values ​​more durable and it’s often unclear how the geological values are affected.

During the planning stages of new business start-ups in Leksand, it was decided that an archaeological survey of the area in question was to be performed in 2013. The reason for this was that in the 1980s findings of Stone Age character had been found in the clay field that once was there. In the 2013 survey, it was found that the area is a stone age settlement, dating back close to 9, 600 BP ( early mesolithic age). Stone age settlements are usually very close to rivers or lakes. For this reason, there arenormally no archaeological surveys of areas not adjacent to water. But this settlement was found on a clay field, 100 meters from the nearest water, Limsjön.The reason for this is that the water level at the time of the settlement's construction was higher in the ground than today. This is b ecause of the uplift of land that occurs in Sweden. The settlement, which was built close to 10,000 years ago was built when the water level was about 10 meters above todays water level at Limsjön. The purpose of this work is to produce maps showing where the whole Siljan shore line was at the time when the first people settled there. This will be done using information for the water surface position close to the settlement from 10,000 years ago to. The old shore line is several 10’s of kilometers long. To get more specific areas the maps also show suitable settlement areas based on the soil types that people have settled on during that time. These maps will then be used as a supportfor choosing areas where archaeological surveys might be of interest. / Under planeringen av nya företagsetableringar i Leksand valde man att 2013 utföra en arkeologisk undersökning av det aktuella området. Anledningen var att man på 1980-talet funnit fynd av stenålderskaraktär i den leråker som låg där då. I undersökningen framkom det att området är en stenåldersboplats, daterad till som äldst omkring 9 600 BP ( tidigmesolitisk tid). Stenåldersboplatser finns i regel i mycket nära anknytning till vattendrag och sjöar. Av denna anledning görs det normalt sett inga arkeologiska undersökningar av denna typ om området inte ligger intill vatten. Men denna boplats hittades alltså på en leråker, 100 meter från det närmsta vattnet, Limsjön. Anledningen till detta är att vattennivån vid tiden för boplatsens uppförande låg högre upp i terrängen än vad den gör idag. På grund av landhöjningen har vattenytans nivå sjunkit i terrängen. Boplatsen som uppfördes för nära 10 000 år sedan uppfördes när vattenytan låg cirka 10 meter högre upp i terrängen vid Limsjön. Syftet med detta arbete är att utifrån information för vattenytans läge vid boplatsen för 10 000 år sedan ta fram kartor som visar var hela Siljans strand låg i terrängen för tiden då de första människorna bosatte sig där. Den forna strandkanten är flera mil lång. För att få fram mer specifika områden ska kartorna även visa områden som är lämpliga boplatsområden, utifrån vilka jordarter som människorna har bosatt sig på under den tiden. Dessa kartor ska sedan kunna användas som underlag för var arkeologiska undersökningar skulle kunna vara intressanta att genomföra.

<p>In the Kisumu District, Kenya, unreliable rainfall pattern has been identified as one of the main causes for poverty in rural areas. The negative effects of such unreliable patterns could be mitigated through improved water resource management and planning. However, estimates of current (and future) water availability will likely differ depending on whether managers draw upon data gathered at a local-scale or regional-scale. This is particularly important in developing regions where, due to lack of data availability, managers are often limited in their choice of data resolution. This study investigates the potential effect of spatial resolution of data on water management and planning by comparing hydro-climatic trends in local-scale data with trends in regional-scale data. The influence of adopting local-scale versus regional-scale data is further demonstrated by estimate the storage requirements of proposed irrigation ponds for farmers in the Orongo village of the Kisumu District located in Kenya, Africa. Results indicate a low correlation between local and regional hydro-climatic trends. Data spatial scale directly influences water resources management leading to a 300% difference in estimated storage requirement for the average farmer.</p>

<p>This thesis documents the development and application of a unique database orientated software package, BugsCEP, for environmental and climatic reconstruction from fossil beetle (Coleoptera) assemblages. The software tools are described, and the incorporated statistical methods discussed and evaluated with respect to both published modern and fossil data, as well as the author’s own investigations.</p><p>BugsCEP consists of a reference database of ecology and distribution data for over 5 800 taxa, and includes temperature tolerance data for 436 species. It also contains abundance and summary data for almost 700 sites - the majority of the known Quaternary fossil coleopteran record of Europe. Sample based dating evidence is stored for a large number of these sites, and the data are supported by a bibliography of over 3 300 sources. Through the use of built in statistical methods, employing a specially developed habitat classification system (Bugs EcoCodes), semi-quantitative environmental reconstructions can be undertaken, and output graphically, to aid in the interpretation of sites. A number of built in searching and reporting functions also increase the efficiency with which analyses can be undertaken, including the facility to list the fossil record of species found by searching the ecology and distribution data. The existing Mutual Climatic Range (MCR) climate reconstruction method is implemented and improved upon in BugsCEP, as BugsMCR, which includes predictive modelling and the output of graphs and climate space maps.</p><p>The evaluation of the software demonstrates good performance when compared to existing interpretations. The standardization method employed in habitat reconstructions, designed to enable the inter-comparison of samples and sites without the interference of differing numbers of species and individuals, also appears to be robust and effective. Quantitative climate reconstructions can be easily undertaken from within the software, as well as an amount of predictive modelling. The use of jackknifing variants as an aid to the interpretation of climate reconstructions is discussed, and suggested as a potential indicator of reliability. The combination of the BugStats statistical system with an enhanced MCR facility could be extremely useful in increasing our understanding of not only past environmental and climate change, but also the biogeography and ecology of insect populations in general.</p><p>BugsCEP is the only available software package integrating modern and fossil coleopteran data, and the included reconstruction and analysis tools provide a powerful resource for research and teaching in palaeo-environmental science. The use of modern reference data also makes the package potentially useful in the study of present day insect faunas, and the effects of climate and environmental change on their distributions. The reconstruction methods could thus be inverted, and used as predictive tools in the study of biodiversity and the implications of sustainable development policies on present day habitats.</p><p>BugsCEP can be downloaded from http://www.bugscep.com</p>

In the Kisumu District, Kenya, unreliable rainfall pattern has been identified as one of the main causes for poverty in rural areas. The negative effects of such unreliable patterns could be mitigated through improved water resource management and planning. However, estimates of current (and future) water availability will likely differ depending on whether managers draw upon data gathered at a local-scale or regional-scale. This is particularly important in developing regions where, due to lack of data availability, managers are often limited in their choice of data resolution. This study investigates the potential effect of spatial resolution of data on water management and planning by comparing hydro-climatic trends in local-scale data with trends in regional-scale data. The influence of adopting local-scale versus regional-scale data is further demonstrated by estimate the storage requirements of proposed irrigation ponds for farmers in the Orongo village of the Kisumu District located in Kenya, Africa. Results indicate a low correlation between local and regional hydro-climatic trends. Data spatial scale directly influences water resources management leading to a 300% difference in estimated storage requirement for the average farmer.