Correction to: Keeping pace with forestry: Multi-scale conservation in a changing production forest matrix

Ambio - In the original published article, the sentence “Nevertheless, semi-natural forest remnants continue to be harvested and fragmented (Svensson et al. 2018; Jonsson et al. 2019), and...     

Chlorine cycling and the fate of Cl in terrestrial environments

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Chlorine (Cl) in the terrestrial environment is of interest from multiple perspectives, including the use of chloride as a tracer for water flow and...     

The first direct evidence of a Late Devonian coelacanth fish feeding on conodont animals

We describe the first known occurrence of a Devonian coelacanth specimen from the lower Famennian of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland, with a conodont element preserved in its digestive tract. A small spiral and phosphatic coprolite (fossil excrement) containing numerous conodont elements and other unrecognized remains was also found in the same deposits. The coprolite is tentatively attributed to the coelacanth. Although it is unclear whether the Late Devonian coelacanth from Poland was an active predator or a scavenger, these finds provide the first direct evidence of feeding on conodont animals by early coelacanth fish, and one of the few evidences of feeding on these animals known to date. It also expands our knowledge about the diet and trophic relations between the Paleozoic marine animals in general.     

Urban mining: hibernating copper stocks in local power grids

Large technical systems serving the everyday needs of people, such as water supply systems, power grids or communication networks, are rich in accumulated metals. Over time, parts of these systems have been taken out of use without the system infrastructure being removed from its original location. Such metal stocks in hibernation thus constitute potential resource reservoirs accessible for recovery. In this paper, obsolete stocks of copper situated in the local power grids of two Swedish cities are quantified. Emphasis is also on economic conditions for extracting such “hibernating” cables. The results show that on a per customer basis, the two power grids contain similar amounts of copper, i.e. 0.04–0.05 tonnes per subscriber. However, the share of the copper stock that is in hibernation differs between the grids. In the larger grid of Gothenburg, almost 20% of the copper accumulated in the grid is no longer in use, while the obsolete share does not exceed 5% in the city of Linköping. For managers of local power grids, recovery of hibernating cables could be beneficial if integrated with other maintenance work on the grid. At the present price of copper, however, separate recovery of obsolete cables is not economically justified.     

Transport and degradation of toluene and o-xylene in an unsaturated soil with dipping sedimentary layers

A lysimeter trench was established at the Gardermoen delta (50 km north of Oslo, Norway) to study the flow of water and transport and degradation of aromatic jet fuel components (toluene and o-xylene) in the undisturbed unsaturated zone. Site investigations with ground-penetrating radar revealed the presence of dipping sedimentary layers within the foreset unit. This study has shown that the foreset bed of the Gardermoen delta structure provided a preferential flow path for the transport of the solute plumes, but did not have dramatic effects on the degradation potential under the current conditions. The degradation potential for toluene and o-xylene in the unsaturated zone at Gardermoen was very high and almost all of the injected hydrocarbons were biodegraded before reaching the saturated zone. However, the horizontal displacement of the plume showed that knowledge about sedimentary structures in the unsaturated zone is important for a sufficient monitoring of contaminant transport and for remediation purposes. Carbon dioxide and O2 were measured in situ simultaneously with extraction of water samples, and indicated aerobic biodegradation of toluene and o-xylene. Overall, first-order degradation coefficients were calculated to be in the range of 0.19 to 0.21 d(-1) and 0.10 to 0.11 d(-1) for toluene and o-xylene, respectively.     

Solving Problems in Social–Ecological Systems: Definition, Practice and Barriers of Transdisciplinary Research

Translating policies about sustainable development as a social process and sustainability outcomes into the real world of social–ecological systems involves several challenges. Hence, research policies advocate improved innovative problem-solving capacity. One approach is transdisciplinary research that integrates research disciplines, as well as researchers and practitioners. Drawing upon 14 experiences of problem-solving, we used group modeling to map perceived barriers and bridges for researchers’ and practitioners’ joint knowledge production and learning towards transdisciplinary research. The analysis indicated that the transdisciplinary research process is influenced by (1) the amount of traditional disciplinary formal and informal control, (2) adaptation of project applications to fill the transdisciplinary research agenda, (3) stakeholder participation, and (4) functional team building/development based on self-reflection and experienced leadership. Focusing on implementation of green infrastructure policy as a common denominator for the delivery of ecosystem services and human well-being, we discuss how to diagnose social–ecological systems, and use knowledge production and collaborative learning as treatments.     

Protected Area as an Indicator of Ecological Sustainability? A Century of Development in Europe’s Boreal Forest

Protected area (PA) is an indicator linked to policies on ecological sustainability. We analyzed area, size, and categories of PAs in the European boreal forest biome in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia from 1900 to 2010. The PA increased from 1.5 × 10³ ha in 1909 to 2.3 × 10⁷ ha in 2010. While the total PA in the boreal biome was 10.8 %, the figures ranged from 17.2 % in the northern, 7.9 % of the middle, and 8.7 % of the southern boreal sub-regions. The median size of PAs varied from 10 to 124 ha among countries. The categories of less strictly PAs increased over time. The proportion of area occupied by PAs is an important response indicator for conservation efforts. However, the use of PA as an indicator of ecological sustainability needs to consider ecosystem representation, functional connectivity and management categories.     

Techniques for the stabilization and assessment of treated copper-, chromium-, and arsenic-contaminated soil

Remediation mainly based on excavation and burial of the contaminated soil is impractical with regard to the large numbers of sites identified as being in need of remediation. Therefore, alternative methods are needed for brownfield remediation. This study was conducted to assess a chemical stabilization procedure of CCA-contaminated soil using iron (Fe)-containing blaster sand (BS) or oxygen-scarfing granulate (OSG). The stabilization technique was assessed with regard to the feasibility of mixing ameliorants at an industrial scale and the efficiency of the stabilization under different redox conditions. The stability was investigated under natural conditions in 1-m3 lysimeters in a field experiment, and the effect of redox conditions was assessed in a laboratory experiment (10 L). The treatments with high additions of ameliorant (8% and 17%) were more successful in both the laboratory and field experiments, even though there was enough Fe on a stochiometric basis even at the lowest addition rates (0.1% and 1%). The particle size of the Fe and the mixing influenced the stabilization efficiency. The development of anaerobic conditions, simulated by water saturation, increases the fraction of arsenic (AsIII) and, consequently, As mobility. The use of high concentrations of OSG under aerobic conditions increased the concentrations of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) in the pore water. However, under anaerobic conditions, it decreased the As leaching compared with the untreated soil, and Ni and Cu leaching was not critical. The final destination of the treated soil should govern the amendment choice, that is, an OSG concentration of approximately 10% may be suitable if the soil is to be landfilled under anaerobic conditions. Alternatively, the soil mixed with 1% BS could be kept under aerobic conditions in a landfill cover or in situ at a brownfield site. In addition, the treatment with BS appeared to produce better effects in the long term than treatment with OSG.