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The catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 raised urgent questions about the paleotsunami history in the region. Numerous studies have since been conducted to gain better understanding of the magnitude, frequency and impact of past tsunamis, especially around the coasts of the Indian Ocean. Southwest Thailand directly faces the Sunda Arc trench where the earthquake that generated the Indian Ocean tsunami took place. The lack of historical documents and of suitable geological archives makes paleotsunami research a challenge in this area however. Phra Thong Island, on the Andaman Coast of southwest Thailand, with its marshy swales has proven an exception and is one of the few suitable locations for these types of studies. Apart from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami layer, three to four more distinct paleotsunami layers, separated by organic rich soil horizons have been previously identified and dated using radiocarbon and Optically Stimulated Luminescence techniques. Despite these efforts, several outstanding issues have to be resolved: (1) the correlation of tsunami/paleotsunami layers over larger distances remains ambiguous, particularly older layers; (2) age attributions for several of the paleotsunami layers differ at different locations; and (3) alterations of soil and sand layers by postdepositional processes are still poorly understood This thesis addresses these issues and aims to develop geochemical proxies that allow characterising each tsunami/paleotsunami layer in three different swales. As shown here, X-ray fluorescence elemental geochemistry, combined with loss-on-ignition analysis and mineralogical identification, is a promising tool for identifying paleotsunami layers. The specific geochemical signature of each sand layer can then be used for correlations over larger distances. This approach has the potential to provide a means for estimating past tsunami inundation distances, and thus their magnitude.

Thailand Paleo-Monsoon Project

Many studies have investigated the evolution of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific (EEP) Ocean paleoceanography since the late Neogene because of its role in regulating the Earth’s climate and because global climate has undergone major changes during this time period. However, current understanding of the EEP paleoceanography encounters two basic problems. First, this region is characterized by steep east-west and meridional gradients in Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) and biological productivity, which can vary from one year to another. Second, the seafloor lies below the lysocline in most of the area, leading to poor preservation of biogenic carbonate. As a result, sediments from the EEP exhibit major changes in their physical and compositional properties over short time, and hence sediment depth, increments. Therefore, the study of bulk sediment properties is crucial to further understand the paleoceanography of EEP during the past 8 Myr. Bulk sediment properties are highly appropriate proxies for achieving highly resolved and time comparable SST and biological productivity data because changes in such properties can be traced across the EEP over large distances.This thesis presents two manuscripts. In Paper 1 we examine the positive second-order relationship between wet bulk density (WBD) and carbonate content of sediments from the EEP. This relationship is important because it can be used to determine high-resolution carbonate content records. In Paper 2 we examine bulk sediment stable isotopes records from the EEP to understand what these records actually represent and whether these records are robust across the EEP. The main conclusions of these studies are (1) a single two-component equation cannot be used to determine carbonate content from the WBD. Instead, the WBD-carbonate relationship can only be described by an infinite series of curves representing the mixing of different components; (2) bulk sediment stable isotope records are robust across the EEP and changes in grain-size are not the primary cause of variations of these records. / Reconstructing the Oceanography of the Climatically Sensitive Low-Latitude Pacific Ocean Since the Late Miocene

År 2050 förväntas världens befolkning att uppnå 9 miljarder människor och samtidigt stiger efterfrågan på livsmedel såsom kött-, ägg- och mjölk (FAO, 2012). Om detta ska vara möjligt behöver livsmedelsproduktionens miljöpåverkan minska avsevärt. Vi behöver producera mer mat med lägre resursanvändning, mindre markanvändning och vattenförbrukning, samt utan utarmning av näringsämnen och spridning av kemiska föroreningar. För att få en helhetsbild av den totala miljöpåverkan av en produkts livscykel kan en livscykelanalys (LCA) användas. Metoden analyserar och beräknar miljöpåverkan utifrån en funktionell enhet och i den systematiska inventeringsanalysen utvärderas en produkts miljöpåverkan från ”vagga till grav”. Detta brukar innefatta primärproduktion med utvinning av råmaterial, materialtillverkning, produkttillverkning, användning av produkten och sist avfallshantering. Den internationella standarden, ISO 14 040:2006, beskriver principer och struktur för hur en LCA ska genomföras. Den ger en allmän vägledning och grundläggande definitioner som beskriver de fyra obligatoriska delsteg en LCA analys bör omfatta. I detta examensarbete var syftet att analysera och jämföra LCA av animalieprodukter samt att utifrån dessa resultat diskutera konsekvenser för jämförbarheten beroende på skillnader beträffande: vilken funktionell enhet som används, var systemgränser sätts och vilka miljöpåverkanskategorier som inkluderas. Detta gjordes genom en litteraturstudie med litteratursökning på vetenskapliga artiklar inom LCA för animaliska livsmedel. Databasen Web of Science användes för att ta fram relevanta artiklar utifrån sökord, totalt användes 12 artiklar. Resultatet visade att LCA skilde sig när det gäller vilken funktionell enhet, vilka systemgränser och vilka miljöpåverkanskategorier som ingick. Den funktionella viktenheten var samma i alla LCA men förädlingsgrad på köttet skiljde sig. När det gällde systemgränserna var dessa olika i alla studier och bara en använde perspektivet ”vagga till grav”. De miljöpåverkanskategorier som ingick i alla LCA var global uppvärmning, försurning och övergödning, i övrigt skiljde sig kategorierna. Detta leder till att möjligheterna för att jämföra olika produktgrupper och livsmedel med hjälp av LCA minskar.

High mercury (Hg) levels have been measured in fish in Kusawa Lake (KL), a subalpine, partly glacier-fed lake situated in the southwestern Yukon, Canada, but it is presently unknown where this Hg comes from. One possible source may be atmospheric deposition of Hg in snow and subsequent release by melt into the lake. In this study, the amounts of total Hg (THg) deposited in sampled alpine snow and glacial ice from the KL catchment area were measured in order to quantify this input. Samples of snow and glacial firn were also collected from another site (DIV) located on an icefield in the central St. Elias Mountains, to investigate possible spatial variations in Hg deposition as a function of altitude or distance from the Pacific Ocean. The samples were analysed for THg, major ions (incl. Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Na+, NH4+, Cl-, and SO42-) and stable O/H isotopes. These analyses were performed to obtain clues on the sources/conditions of atmospheric Hg deposition in snow, and identify possible relationships between THg and other snow chemical properties. This is the first study to provide data on Hg deposition in snow from this vast mountain region. Measured THg concentrations ranged from 0.24 to 6.17 ng L-1 in snow and from 0.20 to 1.57 ng L-1 in glacial ice, which are comparable values to those measured at other sites in the North American subarctic and Arctic. The calculated net accumulation rates of THg varied from 0.57 to 0.71 µg m-2 a-1, which are relatively high compared to rates reported for the eastern Canadian Arctic. This could indicate that wet deposition in snowfall may be particularly important in promoting THg accumulation in mountains of the subarctic Yukon, when compared to the polar desert of the High Arctic. The stable O/H isotope data indicate that snowfall in the study area is primarily derived from moisture of marine origin, with only minor continental contributions, which points to the nearby Gulf of Alaska as the main source. The major ion analyses suggest a local dust source containing Ca2+ and SO42- at KL, and a local dust source containing mostly Mg2+ and Ca2+ but also SO42- at DIV. High correlation between NO3- and SO42- in snow could be due to distant pollution sources, and higher concentrations at DIV than KL could indicate a higher impact of these sources at higher-altitude sites. High correlation was found among the analysed sea salt ions at both sites. No correlations were found between THg and major ions, except that relatively high THg and ionic concentrations were often found in the surface and bottom samples of the snowpits, which correspond to the current and previous summer surfaces. The higher THg concentrations in the summer layers suggests that Hg attaches itself to dust particles either in the air prior to deposition, and/or in the snowpack after deposition, thereby limiting migration or losses in percolating meltwater. / Höga halter av kvicksilver (Hg) har uppmätts i fisk i Kusawa Lake (KL), en subalpin sjö i sydvästra Yukon, Kanada, som delvis får sitt vatten från omkringliggande glaciärer. I nuläget är det okänt var detta Hg kommer ifrån. En möjlig källa kan vara atmosfärisk avsättning av Hg i snö vilket senare kan föras till sjön med smältvatten. I denna studie har den totala mängden Hg (THg) avsatt i provtagen alpin snö och glaciäris från KLs uppsamlingsområde uppmätts för att kvantifiera detta bidrag. Snö- och firnprover samlades också in från en annan plats (DIV) belägen på ett isfält i centrala St. Elias Mountains, för att undersöka möjliga rumsliga skillnader i Hg-avsättning beroende på höjd och avstånd från Stilla havet. Proverna analyserades för THg, joner (inkl. Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Na+, NH4+, Cl- och SO42-) och stabila O/H isotoper. Dessa analyser genomfördes för att undersöka källorna och förhållandena för atmosfärisk Hg-avsättning i snö, och för att identifiera möjliga relationer mellan THg och andra snökemiska egenskaper. Detta är den första studien som tillhandahåller Hg-data i snö för denna bergsregion. Uppmätta THg koncentrationer varierade mellan 0.24 och 6.17 ng L-1 i snö och mellan 0.20 och 1.57 ng L-1 i glaciäris. Dessa värden är jämförbara med de uppmätta på andra platser i Nordamerikanska subarktis och Arktis. Beräknade nettoackumulationshastigheter av THg varierade mellan 0.57 och 0.71 µg m-2 a-1, vilka är relativt höga jämfört med hastigheter rapporterade för östra kanadensiska Arktis. Detta kan indikera att våtdeposition vid snöfall kan vara av särskild betydelse vid THg-ackumulation i bergen i det subarktiska Yukon, vid jämförelse med de polaröknar som återfinns på högre latituder. Det stabila O/H isotopdatat indikerar att den snö som faller i dessa områden är till största del av maritimt ursprung med enbart små kontinentala tillskott, vilket tyder på att den närliggande Alaskabukten är den största källan. Jonanalyserna tyder på en partikelkälla innehållande Ca2+ och SO42- i närheten av KL och en partikelkälla till största del innehållande Mg2+ och Ca2+ men även SO42- i närheten av DIV. Hög korrelation mellan NO3- och SO42- i snö kan bero på avlägsna föroreningskällor, och högre koncentrationer vid DIV än KL kan indikera en högre påverkan av dessa källor på platser belägna på högre altituder. Hög korrelation fanns mellan de analyserade havssaltjonerna på de båda undersökta platserna. Ingen korrelation kunde hittas mellan THg och joner, förutom att relativt höga THg- och jonkoncentrationer ofta hittades i yt- och bottenprover i de grävda provtagningsgroparna, vilket motsvarar nuvarande- och förra årets sommarytor. De högre halterna Hg i sommarlagren kan tyda på att Hg fäster sig vid partiklar, antingen i luften innan avsättning och/eller i snöpacken efter avsättning, och därigenom minskar förluster via smältvatten.

Water has long-standing history in terms of delivering adequate security to human well-being and the environment, however, a significant attention towards numerous waters related threats have been growing since the recent past years due to the increasing water crisis. Hence, a growing interest towards water security has become an essential concern to humankind as it critically supports health, economic transformation, political stability as well as environmental sustainability. Moreover, in various aspects, water security is also concerned with disaster risk reduction endeavors globally.In this particular research study, the focus has been mainly on analyzing the factors of trans-boundary river disputes. Correspondingly, the study aims at getting an understanding of the same based on the case study of South Indian River. In this regard, the key objectives of the study included understanding the reason for repeated failures of riparian states of the Cauvery River in reaching utmost sustainability. Correspondingly, the research been conducted mainly on the basis of the information that has been derived from secondary sources such as journals and literature along with online sources. The study is qualitative in nature and based on the analysis of the case study of Cauvery River to get the key findings in the eventual stage along with a review of past literature. The review of past literature has suggested that water conflict has been one of the major contributors to water scarcity in India. Also, the presence of limited water resources in this part of the world has also been a major concern that has been contributing to the overall issues of water scarcity altogether. The findings of this study have mainly focused on the Cauvery river dispute between the government of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The issue dates back from the 19th century where draught in each of the states has been as a result of the water dispute. Arbitration rule was also been made applicable within the entire case as a result of the dispute. Therefore, the findings clear depicted that Trans-Boundary Water Disputes has been a major reason for water scarcity in different parts of India.

Konsumenter och producenter har glidit längre ifrån varandra i samband med tillväxten av det globaliserade livsmedelssystemet. En ökad oro om vad maten innehåller och hur den produceras har fått fler konsumenter att vilja köpa lokalproducerade livsmedel i Sverige. Men begreppet lokalproducerat används i olika syften och förutom avståndsfaktorn följer en rad olika förväntningar om innebörden. En litteraturstudie har utförts för att kartlägga vilka förväntningar och faktorer som kopplas samman med begreppet och för att ta reda på om dessa kan bidra till att nå miljömål i Agenda 2030.  Resultatet visar att konsumenter förväntar sig, förutom ett nära avstånd, att lokalproducerade livsmedel är producerat småskaligt, mindre intensivt, med användandet av lokala sorter och insatsvaror samt anpassat utefter lokala förhållanden. Om dessa förväntningar inkluderas i definitionen på lokalproducerat kan det bidra till att nå flera delmål i Agenda 2030. Resultatet visar också att det sociala mötet mellan konsument och producent som sker i samband med försäljning av lokalproducerat kan påverka hållbarheten i jordbruket och därmed målen i Agenda 2030. På grund av begreppets flexibla användning finns en risk att konsumenter inte får det de förväntar sig när de köper lokalproducerat. Samtidigt väger fördelarna tungt och begreppets olika tolkningar kan representera ett motstånd till dagens livsmedelsystem. Studien påvisar att det antingen kan finnas behov av tydligare definitioner eller så kan begreppet användas för att representera ett ställningstagande. Det vore intressant med mer forskning för att kunna koppla samman förväntningarna med hur det ser ut i lokala jordbruk för att kunna dra slutsatsen att lokalproducerat bidrar till Agenda 2030.

The volume and complexity of solid waste have increased locally and globally. Waste pollution has environmental, social, and economic impacts on every country, such as mistreatment of waste caused air quality and water contamination, plastic particles from human activities are carried out to the seas and harm marine creatures, people can face health problems from polluted air and water as well as plastic-contaminated seafood. Thus the government might spend budgets on improving these problems. Strategies and tools have been provided to find better solutions to reduce waste and transform them into other materials. The circular economy is an alternative economic model for the old-style linear production. The core concept of a circular economy is to minimize waste from the production cycle by using the residual waste to produce new products. The idea gains recognition in Thailand, but it has not been established at the national policy as the European Commission initiates the Member States through the CE direction and policies. Therefore, the study aims to explain how solid waste management in Thailand aligns the CE principle and provides further implementation to the country's sustainable development. The study conducts a literature review of implications and practices of CE and solid waste management in the European Union Member States and some countries in Asia, as well as the interview and observation at the case study municipality in the northeast of Thailand. Feedback from the experts on the current situation and future perspective about solid waste management and circular economy in Thailand is also provided. The case of Muang Kalasin Municipality reveals the prominent factors driving waste campaign success. Local communities learn to separate waste with 3R, the core element of CE. Nevertheless, the communities need more inputs and tools to enable circular economy achievement. The national direction has not been formulated in circularity. Considering the global trend about CE and current domestic and international collaboration, it is the opportunity for Thailand to develop the CE national policy and strategies. CE indicators on production and consumption and waste management should get employed in local municipalities.

It is estimated that 3,700 major dams are either planned or under construction, notably in developing countries. Dams can pose a threat to fish diversity, as one of the biggest impacts of damming is habitat fragmentation. Damming causes the isolation of small fish habitats, which reduces genetic diversity and expose fish species to vulnerability of local extinction, hence habitat fragmentation is one of the causes of biological loss. There are tools, which are used to balance between development and biodiversity conservation. One of the tools, which is commonly used, is environmental impact assessment (EIA). EIA uses both science and political knowledge. Science knowledge is important in EIA process as it is required to generate reliable baseline information, impact prediction and effective proposed mitigation. However, no studies have investigated the extent of the use of science knowledge in EIA for hydropower dams in Southern Africa. The purpose of this study is to examine the usage of scientific knowledge in environmental impact statements (EIS), focusing on EISs of dam construction on the impact of habitat fragmentation in fish. Ten EISs were collected from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe. These countries were chosen because they are the hotspots for hydropower planning. I conducted EIS quality   review to answer the research purpose. I adopted and used EIS quality review package, which was developed by Lee and Colley (1991), to assess the content and quality of EISs. The results show that the use of science knowledge varies from one EIS to the other, and from one area of review to the other. The baseline and mitigation areas of EISs aligned with the scientific consensus the best, while the identification, prediction and evaluation of impacts area is generally unsatisfactory. Overall, six EISs out of ten EISs use science in a satisfactory way, and four EISs are unsatisfactory, meaning they attempted or completely omitted methods for assessing the ecological concept of fragmentation. I recommend a comprehensive study to review the use biodiversity concepts and methods in EISs for all the dams in southern Africa.