Hopp til hovedinnholdet

Publications

NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2007

Abstract

Model simulations show that an increased frequency in storms and drought periods may result in more frequent and shorter outbreaks of bark beetles. Warmer summers can result in two bark beetle generations per summer instead of one, giving bark beetles the opportunity to attack forests twice in a single year.

2006

To document

Abstract

In a balanced experiment based on 20 field plots located in a 21 km(2) Scots pine forest in southeast Norway covering age classes from newly regenerated to old forest, leaf area index (LAI) was determined in field by a LAI-2000 instrument and hemispheric photography. Based on a fortualized framework, i.e., the so-called Beer-Lambert law, gap fraction derived from small-footprint airborne laser scanner data was regressed against field-measured LAI. LAI was strongly (R-2 =0.87-0.93), positively, and linearly related to the log-transformed inverse of the gap fraction derived from the laser scanner data. This was as expected according to the Beer-Lambert law, as was the absence of an intercept, producing a directly proportionality of the two variables. We estimated an extinction coefficient for the first return echoes to be 0.7, fortunately fairly stable across age classes, and this is likely to be a parameter specific for the applied laser scanner system under the given flight and system settings, such as flying altitude and laser pulse repetition frequency. It was demonstrated that airborne laser was able to detect defoliation in terms of estimated changes in LAI, by three repeated laser data acquisitions over the area where severe insect attacks were going on in between the acquisitions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Abstract

Toxic effects of aluminium (Al) on Picea abies (L.) Karst. (Norway spruce) trees are well documented in laboratory-scale experiments, but field-based evidence is scarce. This paper presents results on fine root growth and chemistry from a field manipulation experiment in a P. abies stand that was 45 years old when the experiment started in 1996. Different amounts of dissolved aluminium were added as AlCl3 by means of periodic irrigation during the growing season in the period 19972002. Potentially toxic concentrations of Al in the soil solution were obtained. Fine roots were studied from direct cores (1996) and sequential root ingrowth cores (1999, 2001, 2002) in the mineral soil (040 cm). We tested two hypotheses: (1) elevated concentration of Al in the root zone leads to significant changes in root biomass, partitioning into fine, coarse, living or dead fractions, and distribution with depth; (2) elevated Al concentration leads to a noticeable uptake of Al and reduced uptake of Ca and Mg; this results in Ca and Mg depletion in roots. Hypothesis 1 was only marginally supported, as just a few significant treatment effects on biomass were found. Hypothesis 2 was supported in part; Al addition led to increased root concentrations of Al in 1999 and 2002 and reduced Mg/Al in 1999. Comparison of roots from subsequent root samplings showed a decrease in Al and S over time. The results illustrated that 7 years of elevated Altot concentrations in the soil solution up to 200 M are not likely to affect root growth. We also discuss possible improvements of the experimental approach.

Abstract

Acid rain emerged as an important environmental problem in China in the late 1970s. Many years of record economic growth have been accompanied by increased energy demand, greater coal combustion, and larger emissions of pollutants. As a result of significant emissions and subsequent deposition of sulfur, widespread acid rain is observed in southern and southwestern China. In fact, the deposition of sulfur is in some places higher than what was reported from the ?black triangle? in central Europe in the early 1980s. In addition, nitrogen is emitted from agriculture, power production, and a rapidly increasing number of cars. As a result, considerable deposition of pollutants occurs in forested areas previously thought to be pristine. Little is known about the effects of acid deposition on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in China. In this article, we present the current situation and what to expect in the future, largely on the basis of results from a five-year Chinese?Norwegian cooperative project. In the years ahead, new environmental challenges must be expected if proper countermeasures are not put into place.