The timing of the ice margin retreat of the Late Glacial Patagonian ice sheet (PIS) in southern Patagonia has been the object of discussion for many years. In order to resolve questions about the complex response of the PIS to past climate change; geological interpretation and modelling data needs evaluation against absolute chronology. The aim of this project is to re-map the landforms and sediment of the Magellan Strait, to reconstruct the late glacial ice retreat during the deglaciation and to investigate the applicability of OSL dating to glaciofluvial sediment from this region. Unfortunately previous studies have shown that the quartz OSL luminescence characteristics, of this region, are unsuitable for dating. Therefore the potential of K-feldspar IRSL signals are reviewed and examined. Samples were collected from landforms interpreted as being deposited during the deglaciation of the Magellan ice lobe, with an expected age range between 17.5 and 23 ka, and from recently deposited sediments (<1 ka). Small aliquots and single grain distributions were studied by applying a IR50 SAR protocol with IRSL stimulation at 50°C for 100 s and a preheat of 250 °C (held at 60 s) are measured.  Appropriate uncertainties were assigned to the dose distribution data, by quantifying the laboratory over-dispersion (σOD) parameter (22.2% for small aliquots and 17.7 % for single grains) in laboratory bleached and γ-irradiated samples.  Thereafter the possible effects of incomplete bleaching and anomalous fading were examined. For the natural samples environmental over-dispersions between 30–130 % and mean interpreted residual doses between ~30 and 80 Gy were observed. Statistical models were further applied to identify the part of the dose population that was most likely to have been completely bleached. The models are consistent with each other which imply that they successfully identified the fully-bleached grains in the distributions; however observed discrepancies between the small aliquot and single grain data were also discussed. Large g2day values (on average 7.92±0.6%/decade for large aliquots) were observed but nevertheless, comparing our fading corrected ages to the expected age range result in 2 out of 3 ages consistent with geological interpretation and an established radiocarbon and cosmogenic nuclide chronology suggesting that this correction was done successfully. The results of these investigations suggest that small aliquot/single grain fading can be corrected for using an average value and that KF-IRSL dating is applicable in this part of Southern Patagonia. The third age is supported by an alternative geological interpretation while the two consistent ages imply that in the Magellan Strait the hills of the Brunswick peninsula (70-100 m.a.s.l) were deglaciated at around ~21 ka. Finally some recommendations for future research are considered.

No description available.

The European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) recommends subsidies are only granted for wooded pastures with less than 100 trees per hectare. This arbitrary guidance exists despite these habitats being among the most biodiverse in rural Europe. To date, most biodiversity research in agricultural landscapes has focused on plants, birds and invertebrates. Bats are also important bio-indicators of agricultural landscapes, but to my knowledge no study has explicitly focused on bat diversity in relation to this policy. In this thesis, I investigate how bat activity, foraging and species richness is affected in twenty-six wooded pastures along a gradient of tree density, from open to dense pastures. In parallel, nearby open fields and deciduous woodlands were sampled, creating a triplet of habitats being surveyed simultaneously. Bat species were divided into feeding guilds to explore how functional diversity affects response to habitat and landscape configuration. The overall contribution of wooded pastures to the species pool of bats within a heterogeneous, low intensity agricultural landscape was also explored. I found a consistent increase in bat activity and species richness within wooded pastures along the tree density gradient and across most feeding guilds. This in combination with shrub density was the strongest predictor of total bat activity and foraging; whilst structural diversity of pastures was most strongly correlated with species richness. Wooded pastures contributed more to total species richness than forested habitats. Interestingly, higher activity levels of forest feeding specialists were observed in pastures compared to forests. At the landscape level, amount of water and deciduous forest were the strongest predictors of bat activity. This study demonstrates that tree density within wooded pastures is not a limiting factor of bat activity and that other habitat and landscape parameters are important. Wooded pastures may also be an important component of current landscapes with little remaining deciduous forest. In conclusion, focusing solely on tree density limits will not help to preserve the ecological requirements for bats within agricultural landscapes.

I Afrika Söder om Sahara är majs idag den viktigaste basfödan för befolkningen. Området är idag också en mycket sårbar region gällande klimatets effekt på jordbruket och de kommande klimatförändringarna förväntas att förvärra situationen. Det finns dock delregioner som kan dra fördel av dessa förändringar. Denna studie jämför vetenskapliga studier och statistik rörande delregionerna Östafrika och Södra Afrika i frågor om majsproduktion, odlingsarealen för majs, klimatologiska förutsättningar och kommande klimatförändringar för att finna orsakssamband mellan majsen och klimatet. Östafrika är en varmare och mer nederbördsrik region än vad Södra Afrika är. Enligt inhämtad statistik har majsproduktionen ökat i båda regionerna mellan åren 1961-2013. I Östafrika haräven den odlade arealen ökat under samma tidsperiod, i Södra Afrika har den däremot reducerats. Båda regionerna har upplevt en temperaturökning under 1900-talet, gällande förändringar i nederbörden går det inte att utläsa några generella förändringsmönster. Trots osäkerheten kring framtidens klimat verkar det sannolikt att temperaturerna i regionerna kommer att fortsätta öka, medan nederbörden förväntas öka i Östafrika och minska i Södra Afrika. Resultatet i denna studie pekar på att Östafrikas idag naturliga klimatologiska förutsättningar är mer fördelaktiga för majsproduktion, och att de förväntade klimatförändringarna möjligtvis påverkar situationen marginellt. Södra Afrika, med lägre temperaturer och nederbörd samt extremare El Niño-förhållanden, är en redan mer sårbar region där de pågående och kommande klimatförändringarna har en större negativ inverkan på majsproduktionen.

The overall aim is to examine how the European Union Water Framework Directive has affected the local water management in the catchment Märstaån situated in the eastern part of the lake Mälaren river basin, Sweden. The first part of the study gives an historical overview of the area with focus on how the old agricultural landscape was handling the nutrient load from farming activities by means of different kinds of wetlands. By using the concept of the procedural landscape, introduced by Torsten Hägerstrand , together with historical maps with dates starting from the 17th century, the pre-modern landscape is analyzed.  The second part is an investigation, based on qualitative data, on how the different actors in the catchment area work together to secure the water quality for the Märstaån river. The analysis shows that the Märstaån catchment river systems are mostly unchanged in the rural areas.  The exception is the mainstream section of the Märstaån river running partly underground today and the Halmsjöbäcken river that is heavily affected by the Arlanda airport situated within the catchment area. A number of new wetlands have also been constructed to compensate for old wetlands affected by the growth of the Märsta and Arlanda urban areas.  The newly formed water cooperation group with representatives from all the major actors in the catchment area is very much alive with stated mission and goals. The main activity today is extended water quality monitoring in order to fulfill the local interpretation of the European Union Water Framework Directive.

Strandlinjen i Sverige har sedan den senaste inlandsisen präglats av isostatisklandhöjning. Höjningen var som kraftigast straxt efter deglaciationen men verkar påtagligt än idag i landets norra delar, framförallt Ångermanland och Västerbotten, medan rörelsen minskat i landets södra delar där den är liten eller avtagit helt. Strandförskjutning är resultatet av isostatisk landhöjning och eustatisk havsytenivåförändring. För att rekonstruera strandförskjutningens utveckling upprättas strandförskjutningskurvor. Kurvan är således resultatet av landhöjning och havsnivåförändringar i meter som en funktion av tiden. Då den isostatiska landhöjning påverkar strandförskjutningsförloppet både i nord-sydlig samt öst-västlig riktning med varierande storlek i olika delar av landet, bör områden modelleras utifrån lokala förutsättningar för att uppnå en så korrekt detaljnivå som möjligt. Examensarbetes syfte är att belysa paleogeografiska förändringar i östra Svealand under de senaste 7000 åren. Information har hämtats från såväl arkeologiska som geologiska källor, såsom strandnära bosättningar och isolerade sjöar. Genom att använda geografiskt läge, nuvarande höjd över havet och ålder, kunde en trendyta anpassas för att beräkna en synkron forntida strandlinje för valfri tidpunkt inom hela undersökningsområdet. Trendytan skapades med hjälp av multivariat regressionsanalys vilket resulterade i en andragradsekvation baserad på åldern i kvadrat, vilket indikerar att hastigheten av strandförskjutningen har varierat med tiden, i detta fall avtagit med tiden. Ytan visade på ojämn isostasi i både nord-sydlig och öst-västlig riktning med högst höjning i nordväst och lägst i sydost. Tidigare studier har påvisat indikationer på transgressiva förlopp söder om Mälardalen under senaste 7000 åren. Inga sådana trender kunde dock identifieras genom denna matematiska funktion då detta kräver fördjupade sedimentstratigrafiska studier.

This thesis analyzes the contested struggles for fuelw ood extraction and protection around the Borjomi-Kharagauli Protected Areas (BKPA) of central Georgia in light of wider debates over the reconciliation of biodiversity conservation and livelihood security in the developing world. Particular focus is given to conflicts over local peoples’ struggles in access ing fuelwood and the ways and extent to which these struggles are influenced by broader forces. In endeavoring to answer these questions, interviews were conducted with local people living on the margin of BKPA as well as with conservation authorities involved in the development and ongoing management of the park. The results of the research suggest that considerable obstacles to fuelwood access remain despite BKPA policies permitting fuelwood extraction in several of the studied villages. Furthermore, the association of non-state actors in the development of BKPA coupled with the lack of participation of local people in ongoing management provoke questions of legitimacy and governance. The study underscores that in contexts of widespread poverty and highly subsistence based livelihoods, participatory management embo dies the most effective and socially just approach to conservation.

An increased global food demand requires an increase in agricultural land use, which in turn affects the hydrologic cycle. A central process in this regard is infiltration of rainfall through the land surface. While there are standard values available for different soil types, land cover also has a documented influence on infiltration rates. This makes infiltration highly variable acrosss patiotemporal scales and as such, difficult to measure in field, thus selection of an appropriate measurement technique is important to consider. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a method for robust infiltration measurements and compare rates from various crops (rice andmaize) and soils (sand and clay) to see if there is consistency between physical controls on infiltration and farming practices. The study area is located near the town of Ifakara in south-central Tanzania. Data were gathered during eight weeks (October- November) using variousring infiltrometer set-ups. The results from 12 comparative infiltration measurements indicated that a smaller ring implies less measurement precision. Precision was improved by using a doublering setup and/or a larger single ring. Infiltration measurements from the nine agricultural fields corresponded well to estimations from the Horton infiltration equation (correlation coefficient >0.98). The results from all 36 measurements indicated a statistically significant difference between crop types as well as between soil types. The significance was, however, higher for soils compared to crops. Part of the inconsistency of infiltration rates could be explained by the cultural factor where traditions are important for crop choice and farming. Further, the measured infiltration confirmed the large spatial variations of infiltration rates both within and across fields, with implications for large scale agricultural development.

No description available.

Climate change is expected to lead to increased rainfall and higher temperatures, among other things. This will have a major impact on our cities. Floods can lead to property damage as well as damages to human and animal health. Higher temperatures will increase the frequency of heat-related health risks and premature deaths. The consequences of climate change will be particularly large in our cities because of the city's morphology with a high amount of paved surfaces and buildings that affect the natural processes in areas such as drainage and absorption of solar radiation. Because of this, it is of great importance to adapt our cities to the effects of climate change so that we are well prepared and can avoid risking peoples health and socioeconomic damages. One way to climate adapt an urban area is by using green and blue infrastructures. This study addresses possibilities and obstacles in the physical planning in climate adapting the dense city by using green and blue infrastructure. It shows possible planning tools and demonstrates practical examples from Malmö city about the way that they work with green structure planning and climate adaptation. Methodology in form of a case study on the city of Malmö was made, and data collection was done with the help of the qualitative methods of reading literature and documents and performing semi-structured interviews. The study shows that green and blue infrastructures can be a good way to climate adapt a city but also that it is very important how these structures are designed and the need for more research on this topic. Multi-functional areas can be a way to take advantage of all the positive features that green infrastructures have, and also be a way to make room for green areas for climate adaptation, even in a dense city. The study also shows that spatial planning has a big responsibility to optimize the climate adaptation of the city because of its abilities to design and locate the green and blue infrastructures and multifunctional areas in the city.