Limnological effects of growth and cessation of agricultural land use in Ladoga Karelia: sedimentary pollen and diatom analyses

Reference conditions and changes in limnological conditions during the 20th century have been inferred in a palaeolimnological study of sediments from six lakes of the District of Sortavala, Karelian Republic, Russia. The area is former Finnish territory, which was in intensive use for arable field cultivation until the World War II, when the area was ceded to the Soviet Union. After the war, farming was resumed by cattle sovkhozes, and the fields were mainly used as pasture without regular ploughing. We have studied the history of eutrophication and recovery in some lakes related with the changes of agricultural intensity. The trophic level of the lakes was studied by sedimentary diatom assemblages, including reconstructions of total phosphorus levels in the lakes based on a weighted averaging transfer function. Pollen analyses were used to assess the changes in the land use near the lakes. Valuable background data on all the lakes used in the present study are provided by a doctoral thesis done on their limnology from the 1920s. According to our results, the four lakes situated on the clayey lowlands near the coast of Lake Ladoga were eutrophicating during the first half of the 20th century, and in two of them, a rapid recovery is evident. In two lakes situated in hilly landscape with limited agricultural activities, only minor changes are recorded in the diatom profiles.     

Effects of neighboring vascular plants on the abundance of bryophytes in different vegetation types

Due to the climate change, vegetation of tundra ecosystems is predicted to shift toward shrub and tree dominance, and this change may influence bryophytes. To estimate how changes in growing environment and the dominance of vascular plants influence bryophyte abundance, we compared the relationship of occurrence of bryophytes among other plant types in a five-year experiment of warming (T), fertilization (F) and T + F in two vegetation types, heath and meadow, in a subarctic–alpine ecosystem. We compared individual leaf area among shrub species to confirm that deciduous shrubs might cause severe shading effect. Effects of neighboring functional types on the performance of Hylocomium splendens was also analyzed.Results show that F and T + F treatments significantly influenced bryophyte abundance negatively. Under natural conditions, bryophytes in the heath site were negatively related to the abundance of shrubs and lichens and the relationship between lichens and bryophytes strengthened after the experimental period. After five years of experimental treatments in the meadow, a positive abundance relationship emerged between bryophytes and deciduous shrubs, evergreen shrubs and forbs. This relationship was not found in the heath site. Our study therefore shows that the abundance relationships between bryophytes and plants in two vegetation types within the same area can be different. Deciduous shrubs had larger leaf area than evergreen shrubs but did not show any shading effect on H. splendens.     

Close-range constrained image sequences

This paper deals with a novel imaging arrangement for special modeling purpose. The method introduced here will take care of the geometrical consistence of photography. It is based on image ray bundles and is meant for conditions where imaging is accomplished inside the object space (e.g. in case of interior model reconstruction). Imaging is designed to be constrained in terms of camera position and orientation and to consist of two image sequences. The image orientations will be resolved by use of LSQ-estimation in heavily overdetermined conditions. The benefits of overdetermination are discussed and the accuracy assessment in a real experiment is published. The accuracy assessment is accomplished with help of exterior reference and stochastic error propagation.     

On the Honkasalo term in tidal corrections to gravimetric observations

The Honkasalo term is discussed and the author arrives at the conclusion that its application to gravimetric observations is harmful and should be avoided.     

An assessment of arctic sea ice concentration retrieval based on “HY-2” scanning radiometer data using field observations during CHINARE-2012 and other satellite instruments

A retrieval algorithm of arctic sea ice concentration (SIC) based on the brightness temperature data of “HY-2” scanning microwave radiometer has been constructed. The tie points of the brightness tempe...     

Tracing of Peroxidase Activity in Humic Lake Water

An enzyme assay was developed for studies on peroxidase activities in humic lake water. 3,4-Dimethoxybenzyl alcohol (veratryl alcohol, VeraOH) was used as tracer substrate, and peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) activity was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The chemical stability of VeraOH and its application as peroxidase substrate was tested under light and dark conditions, different hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentrations and humic matter contents. VeraOH was stable under low UV radiation at in situ conditions in lake water (<0.010...0.25 kJ m^–2 d^–1), laboratory conditions (<0.05...0.30 kJ m^–2 d^–1), and low (1...100 μM) H₂O₂ concentrations. However, peroxides oxidized VeraOH above 1...10 mM H₂O₂ concentration in sterile Millipore-Q and humic lake water. Dark incubations showed little VeraOH oxidation products. The developed peroxidase assay was tested in the growth medium of Phanerochaete chrysosporium and a bacteria isolate (P.M.D. 20.4.3.1) from mesohumic lake Pääjärvi. Peroxidase activities were also measured in natural microbial communities under standard laboratory and under in situ conditions in humic lake water. Incubation times of about 5 to 12 days were usually needed to record significant (P < 0.05) peroxidase activities, in lake waters. In situ peroxidase activities varied in pelagial surface water (0...0.5 m) on a seasonal scale between 74 nmol L^–1 h^–1 and 273 nmol L^–1 (mean: 176 nmol L^–1 h^–1) and within the water column between 110 nmol L^–1 h^–1 and 800 nmol L^–1 h^–1 (mean: 500 nmol L^–1 h^–1) in polyhumic lake Mekkojärvi.     

Mineralogical and geochemical alteration of Hitura sulphide mine tailings with emphasis on nickel mobility and retention

Weathering of Hitura (W Finland) nickel sulphide mine tailings and release of heavy metals into pore water was studied with mineralogical (optical and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction) and geochemical methods (selective extractions). Tailings were composed largely of serpentine, micas and amphiboles with only minor carbonates and sulphides. Sulphides, especially pyrrhotite, have oxidized intensively in the shallow tailings in 10–15 years, but a majority of the tailings have remained unchanged. Oxidation has resulted in depletion of carbonates, slightly decreased pH, and heavy metal (Ni, Zn) release in pore water as well as in the precipitation of secondary Fe precipitates. Nevertheless, in the middle of the tailings area, where the oxidation front moves primarily downward, released heavy metals have been adsorbed and immobilized with these precipitates deeper in the oxidation zone. In contrast to what was seen in pore water pH, but in accordance with static tests of the previous studies, the neutralisation potential ratio (NPR) calculated based on the mineralogical composition and the total sulphur content suggested that tailings are ‘not potentially acid mine drainage (AMD) generating’. However, the calculated buffering capacity of the tailings resulted largely from the abundant serpentine because of the low carbonate content. Despite its slow weathering rate, serpentine may buffer the acidity to some extent through ion exchange processes in fine ground tailings. Nevertheless, in practice, acid production capacity of the tailings depends primarily on the balance between Ca–Mg carbonates and iron sulphides. NPR calculation based on carbonate and sulphur contents suggested, that the Hitura tailings are ‘likely AMD generating’. The study shows that sulphide oxidation can be significant in mobilisation of heavy metals even in apparently non-acid producing, low sulphide tailings. Therefore, prevention of oxygen diffusion into tailings is also essential in this type of sulphide tailings.     

Geomorphological evidence of paleoseismicity: Surficial and underground structures of Pasmajärvi postglacial fault

The cyclic nature of glaciations and related postglacial faulting represents a risk for the deep geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel in areas likely to be affected by future glaciations. Seismic history was therefore studied by means of detecting geomorphological structures on airborne laser scanning digital elevation models and underground by excavating in an esker and trenching across a postglacial fault located in northern Fennoscandia. OLS dating and assessing the geomorphological structures was used for timing of the seismic history. The results suggest that the faulting of different segments in the Pasmajärvi complex is due to at least two late Weichselian events, which probably occurred both subglacially and postglacially. The most reliable input for the moment magnitude estimates was vertical slip profiles, and therefore these estimates (M_W ≈ 6.4–6.9) are suggested. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.