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.
2020
Abstract
Heavy metals in soil pose a constant risk for animals and humans when entering their food chains, and limited means are available to reduce plant accumulation from more or less polluted soils. Biochar, which is made by pyrolysis of organic residues and sees increasing use as a soil amendment to mitigate anthropogenic C emissions and improve agronomic soil properties, has also been shown to reduce plant availability of heavy metals in soils. The cause for the reduction of metal uptake in plants when grown in soils enriched with biochar has generally been researched in terms of increased pH and alkalinity, while other potential mechanisms have been less studied. We conducted a pot experiment with barley using three soils differing in metal content and amended or not with 2% biochar made from Miscanthus x giganteus, and assessed plant contents and changes in bioavailability in bulk and rhizosphere soil by measuring extractability in acetic acid or ammonium nitrate. In spite of negligible pH changes upon biochar amendment, the results showed that biochar reduced extractability of Cu, Pb and Zn, but not of Cd. Rhizosphere soil contained more easily extractable Cu, Pb and Zn than bulk soil, while for Cd it did not. Generally, reduced plant uptake due to biochar was reflected in the amounts of metals extractable with ammonium nitrate, but not acetic acid.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Hannu Marttila Ahti Lepistö Anne Tolvanen Marianne Bechmann Katarina Kyllmar Artti Juutinen Hannah Wenng Eva Skarbøvik Martyn Futter Pirkko Kortelainen Katri Rankinen Seppo Hellsten Bjørn Kløve Brian Kronvang Øyvind Kaste Anne Lyche Solheim Joy Bhattacharjee Jelena Rakovic Heleen de WitAbstract
Nordic water bodies face multiple stressors due to human activities, generating diffuse loading and climate change. The ‘green shift’ towards a bio-based economy poses new demands and increased pressure on the environment. Bioeconomy-related pressures consist primarily of more intensive land management to maximise production of biomass. These activities can add considerable nutrient and sediment loads to receiving waters, posing a threat to ecosystem services and good ecological status of surface waters. The potential threats of climate change and the ‘green shift’ highlight the need for improved understanding of catchment-scale water and element fluxes. Here, we assess possible bioeconomy-induced pressures on Nordic catchments and associated impacts on water quality. We suggest measures to protect water quality under the ‘green shift’ and propose ‘road maps’ towards sustainable catchment management. We also identify knowledge gaps and highlight the importance of long-term monitoring data and good models to evaluate changes in water quality, improve understanding of bioeconomy-related impacts, support mitigation measures and maintain ecosystem services.
Abstract
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Abstract
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Authors
Trygve S. Aamlid Anne Falk Øgaard Karin Juul Hesselsøe T. Krogstad M. Woods Yajun Chen K. Sintorn N. Dokkuma Wolfgang Prämassing D. CleaverAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Karin Juul Hesselsøe K. Sintorn Koert Donkers N. Dokkuma Yajun Chen Trond Olav Pettersen Wolfgang Prämassing M. Woods D. Cleaver Anne Falk Øgaard Tore Krogstad Trygve S. AamlidAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Cornelya Klutsch Paul Eric Aspholm Natalia Polikarpova Olga Veisblium Tor-Arne Bjørn Anne Wikan Victoria Gonzalez Snorre HagenAbstract
Citizen science can facilitate in‐depth learning for pupils and students, contribute to scientific research, and permit civic participation. Here, we describe the development of the transnational school‐based citizen science project Phenology of the North Calotte. Its primary goal is to introduce pupils (age 12–15; grades 7–10) in northern Norway, Russia, and Finland to the local and global challenges of climate change resulting in life cycle changes at different trophic and ecosystem levels in their backyards. Partnerships between regional scientists and staff from NIBIO Svanhovd, State nature reserves, national parks, and teachers and pupils from regional schools aim to engage pupils in project‐based learning. The project uses standardized protocols, translated into the different languages of participating schools. The phenological observations are centered around documenting clearly defined life cycle phases (e.g., first appearance of species, flowering, ripening, leaf yellowing, snow fall, and melt). The observations are collected either on paper and are subsequently submitted manually to an open‐source online database or submitted directly via a newly developed mobile app. In the long term, the database is anticipated to contribute to research studying changes in phenology at different trophic levels. In principle, guided school‐based citizen science projects have the potential to contribute to increased environmental awareness and education and thereby to transformative learning at the societal level while contributing to scientific progress of understudied biomes, like the northern taiga and (sub)arctic tundra. However, differences in school systems and funding insecurity for some schools have been major prohibiting factors for long‐term retention of pupils/schools in the program. Project‐based and multidisciplinary learning, although pedagogically desired, has been partially difficult to implement in participating schools, pointing to the need of structural changes in national school curricula and funding schemes as well as continuous offers for training and networking for teachers.
Abstract
This chapter highlights the challenges in the agriculture sector in Africa and shows that the current systems are not productive, but are linear, dependent on fossil fuels, and even depleting natural resources. The chapter reviews the potential of sustainable intensification of agriculture with an emphasis on diversified cropping systems and value chain enhancement as an option to promote the bio-based economy in the rural regions of Africa. The chapter uses data and experiences from an ongoing programme in Malawi (www.innovafrica.eu), where maize-legume cropping systems were adopted by smallholders. There is great potential to apply the 3Rs principle of the bio-based economy (i.e., reduce, reuse and recycle) in the farming systems at the production, post-production, marketing and processing stages of the value chain. To sum up, the sustainable intensification approach, inclusive of value chain development, appears to be a promising option for smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa, which can improve productivity, increase farmers’ income, encourage gender mainstreaming and at the same time reduce environmental impacts.