Mossor och lavar bidrar med mycket till biologisk mångfald i nordiska miljöer, och har även en effekt på ekosystemsfunktioner. För mossor och lavar som växer på träd, har barkens pH-värde stor betydelse. Desto högre pH värde, desto fler arter trivs att växa på träden. Något som tidigare forskning har kommit fram till är att det geologiska underlaget har viss påverkan på lavar som växer på träd. Därför går denna studie ut på att undersöka om barkens pH-värde påverkas av det geologiska underlaget. Fem olika trädarter (två olika barrträd och tre olika lövträd) har undersökts på tre olika geologiska underlag. Därav har även skillnaden mellan barrträd och lövträd testats. Resultaten visade att det finns signifikanta skillnader mellan trädart och geologiskt underlag, samt mellan olika trädtyp (lövträd och barrträd) och geologiskt underlag. Skillnader i bark-pH mellan trädarter var mindre på kalkområden än på gnejs och hyperit. Data tyder på att bark-pH, som är en viktig faktor för mossor och lavar som växer på träd, varierar mellan trädslag men även det geologiska underlaget visar sig påverka barkens pH. Då det geologiska underlaget påverkar barkens pH, kan det styra vilka mossor och lavar som kan växa på träden. / Mosses and lichens play an important role for biodiversity and ecosystem functions in Nordic environments. For mosses and lichens that grow on trees, the pH of the bark is of great importance. The higher the pH of the bark, the more species can be found. It has been speculated that apart from being a tree species-specific trait, also the geological substrate may affect tree bark-pH. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether the pH of the bark may be affected by different geological substrates. Five different tree species (two coniferous and three deciduous) have been studied on three different local geological substrates. Additionally, we compared bark-pH of conifers and deciduous trees as groups. The results showed that there are significant effects on bark-pH of tree species and geological substrates as well as of tree types (deciduous vs. coniferous) and geological substrates. Differences in barkpH between trees were smaller on calcareous substrate than on gneiss or hyperit. The data suggest that bark-pH, as an important factor for mosses and lichens growing on trees, varies between tree species but that the local geological substrate may significantly modify bark-pH. Since the geological substrate has an effect on the pH of the bark, it can control which mosses and lichens that can grow on the trees.

In order to attain sustainable development, there is need for clean and reliable energy. Woodfuel (charcoal and firewood) make up over 70 percent of the national energy consumption in Zambia as only about 25 percent of the population has access to electricity. It is among the most important domestic fuels for low income households in Zambia. The country’s low income are continuously affected by the low availability of sustainable, clean and reliable energy. Cooking with solid fuels and inefficient cook stoves has adverse effects for human wellbeing, health and the environment. One initiative for sustainable energy provision in urban Zambia has been the introduction of improved cook stoves (ICS) based on sawdust pellets to replace traditional cooking on charcoal braziers that have dominated usage in homes since the 1930s. One of the main motivations for improved cook stove interventions has been to reduce household demand for woodfuel thus to reduce pressures on deforestation. However, adoption of improved cook stoves designed to reduce these impacts remain relatively low while the demand for woodfuel remains predominantly high. Using a user centred approach, the study investigated the awareness, adoptability and sustainability of improved pellet cook stoves in view of government policies of Matero- George compound, Lusaka low income households. It sought the factors influencing households’ preference of traditional or modern cook stoves, the knowledge of available energy options, the challenges households had relating to their current cooking solutions and the options available to them and the appropriateness and effectiveness of government policies promoting the use of improved cooking technologies. The study employed a qualitative approach using semi structured interview questionnaires. The study involved thirty (30) respondents comprising ten (10) key informants from Departments of Energy (3) and Forestry (2) and the Lusaka City Council (5), and 20 households from Matero-George Compound. The study revealed three main types of energy used by different households,’ woodfuel, electricity and the pellet cook stoves and four major determinants of energy choice; in/convenience, economic, health, and risks factors. It also revealed that the expense of the pellet cook stove could be the reason for its slow adoption. Further, the study revealed that the awareness levels of the pellet cook stoves and new technologies was low except for the people involved in the projects. It was clearly pointed out that the government had no policy instruments with regard to dissemination, sensitization and communication strategies on the new cook stoves although they were in the process of developing energy efficient strategies on new cook stoves.

No description available.

No description available.

This work presents a case study for application of the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methodto investigate presence of groundwater along six profiles in Småland, an area in southern Sweden.The ERT method relies on the fact that different materials indicate different abilities to transmitelectric current through them. Water is a strong electrical conductor, which results in low resistivityvalues in water-saturated geological formations. General electrode array has been used formeasuring resistivity variation over 6 profiles with length of 160-200 m each. The study area isstrongly dominated by the unfractured igneous rocks which are associated with limited watercontent. A computer-based program Res2dinv is used to invert the apparent resistivity data todeduce the resistivity models which is then used for interpretations. Result from seismic refractiondata over the same study area was used to constrain the resistivity models along each profile. Theresult from Profiles 1,4,5 and 6 demonstrates presence of structures which contain groundwater.

Global warming is the one of the most dangerous threats that the entire world is facing today. The emission of greenhouse gases is increasing the impact of global warming. In such a situation, reduction of GHG emissions and finding an alternative source of energy is more and more important. The production of biogas from food wastes is considered as a suitable way for the reduction of GHGs emission. The production of this type of renewable energy is very popular in Asian countries, especially in countries like India and China. Biogas production never creates any harmful effects to the environment but at the same time it also produces byproducts that are not harmful for the environment.  This study tries to investigate the possibility for the production of biogas from food wastes in restaurants under Swedish conditions. In order to do so, three different models of biogas plants in three different restaurants were used as a case study. The results showed that biogas production from food waste in restaurants are practically possible in Sweden and it can be used as an alternative source of cooking fuel with many benefits both economically and environmentally. Temperature problems in Sweden during winter season can be avoided by using pre-heating technique.

Drill cutting samples were collected from two boreholes drilled on the island Sollerön, Dalarna in conjunction with drilling for geothermal energy. The place is located at Sollerön in the Siljan area that was subjected by a meteorite impact 330 million years ago. The island Sollerön is located in the Siljan Ring, which mainly consists of sedimentary rocks. In one of the boreholes, oil -mixed water was found when drilling and in the same borehole geophysical measurements were performed, such as gamma radiation, seismic velocity and temperature. At the bottom of the borehole the gamma radiation increased, while the seismic velocity was continuously low in the interval. The purpose was to determine which rock types the both boreholesconsisted of, what the cause of the low seismic velocity was in borehole two, could it be the oil observed during drilling that was the cause. The method used to identify the mineralogy in both the boreholes was X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), but in borehole two Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also used. To see if organic carbon was present, the stable isotope mass spectrometry method was used. The result from the XRD showed that both borehole one and two consisted of shale, but in borehole two limestone was also present. The XRD results for borehole two could be strengthened by the other methods and also the gamma radiation measurements. The low velocity at the bottom of borehole two is probably caused by oil that has been seeping up from the shale overlaid by limestone, where the organic matter has transformed into hydrocarbons because of the heat that was produced during the impact.

No description available.

Lake Orsa is situated in the county of Dalarna in central Sweden. The lake is part of the Siljan Ring, which formed approximately 380 Ma by the largest known impact in Europe. The area is of high interest due to its location during the Weichselian deglaciation. The deglacial history in the area is complex, and the behavior of the receding ice sheet is to some extent not yet fully understood. Submarine landslides were revealed during a geophysical survey, aimed as a site study for a drilling project with the purpose to retrieve an undisturbed sedimentary sequence for studying late- to postglacial evolution in the area. The largest landslide in Lake Orsa mobilized more than 620 000 m3 of sediment. It has a length of over 630 m and is over 400 m wide. The slides in Lake Orsa are characterized as both confined and emergent submarine landslides. Units with different sedimentological properties have been identified, with a plausible weak horizon in between. The upper unit is believed to prevent up-ward movement of water or gas, possibly leading to overpressure in the lower sediments. The landslides are thought to have occurred during several occasions and seem not to be related to one single event. Plausible causes may be a combination of steep slopes, overpressure zones, and/or low strength horizons in the sub-bottom. The landslides in Lake Orsa have several similarities with the Finneidfjord slide which occurred in northern Norway 1996. The slide was responsible for the loss of four human lives and destroyed nearby houses and a road. Characterizing and understanding submarine landslides are thus an important task to be able to protect citizens as well as infrastructure. Dating the landslides will be possible once the retrieved sediment core during the drilling campaign in one of the slide deposits has been analysed. Relating the slides to the postglacial evolution of the area has proven to be difficult without an age.

No description available.