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.
2023
Authors
Ravindu Panditharathne Miyuru Gunathilake Imiya M. Chathuranika Upaka Rathnayake Mukand S. Babel Manoj K. JhaAbstract
Rainfall is one of the dominating climatic parameters that affect water availability. Trend analysis is of paramount significance to understand the behavior of hydrological and climatic variables over a long timescale. The main aim of the present study was to identify trends and analyze existing linkages between rainfall and streamflow in the Nilwala River Basin (NRB) of Southern Sri Lanka. An investigation of the trends, detection of change points and streamflow alteration, and linkage between rainfall and streamflow were carried out using the Mann–Kendall test, Sen’s slope test, Pettitt’s test, indicators of hydrological alteration (IHA), and Pearson’s correlation test. Selected rainfall-related extreme climatic indices, namely, CDD, CWD, PRCPTOT, R25, and Rx5, were calculated using the RClimdex software. Trend analysis of rainfall data and extreme rainfall indices demonstrated few statistically significant trends at the monthly, seasonal, and annual scales, while streamflow data showed non-significant trends, except for December. Pettitt’s test showed that Dampahala had a higher number of statistically significant change points among the six rainfall stations. The Pearson coefficient correlation showed a strong-to–very-strong positive relationship between rainfall and streamflow. Generally, both rainfall and streamflow showed non-significant trend patterns in the NRB, suggesting that rainfall had a higher impact on streamflow patterns in the basin. The historical trends of extreme climatic indices suggested that the NRB did not experience extreme climates. The results of the present study will provide valuable information for water resource planning, flood and disaster mitigation, agricultural operations planning, and hydropower generation in the NRB.
Authors
Espen Rimstad Dean Basic Åsa Maria Olofsdotter Espmark Thomas Fraser Snorre Gulla Johan Johansen Tor Atle Mo Ingrid Olesen Rolf-Erik Olsen Erik Georg Bø-Granquist Sokratis Ptochos Amin Sayyari Bjørnar YtrehusAbstract
Background and terms of reference Farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that escape into the wild could interbreed with native fish, posing a potential risk to the genetic diversity of wild Atlantic salmon populations. The Atlantic salmon in aquaculture are diploid, meaning the fish has two sets of chromosomes. To mitigate the genetic impact on wild populations, the concept of producing sterile triploid farmed Atlantic salmon has been suggested as a solution. However, it is important to ensure that the utilization of triploids in commercial farming aligns with the regulations set forth in the Norwegian Animal Welfare Act. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) requested the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) to do an assessment about health- and welfare consequences in triploid Atlantic salmon under commercial farming conditions, as compared to diploid counterparts. VKM was also requested to describe the underlying physiological mechanisms concerning consequences of triploidy as well as address potential measures to reduce the negative impacts on the health and welfare of the fish. Methods A working group consisting of members with expertise in salmonid biology, aquaculture systems, veterinary medicine, fish health and welfare, virology, bacteriology, parasitology, breeding and genetics has drafted this opinion. To answer the Terms of Reference as mandated by the NFSA, the authors addressed fish health and welfare as a unified concept in this report. Two external experts have reviewed and provided their opinion before it was assessed and approved by the VKM’s Panel on Animal Health and welfare. The literature used in this work was peer-reviewed studies retrieved from a search in four databases as well as non peer-reviewed reports. Selection of studies was conducted independently by two members in the working group and based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conclusions Under commercial farming conditions, triploid Atlantic salmon are often found to have lower standards of health and welfare compared to diploids. For example, field and experimental studies have found triploids to be more prone to skeletal and heart deformities, and cataracts, while field studies suggest that under commercial farming conditions they cope less well with handling and are more susceptible to skin ulcers. However, research has indicated that some of the effects of triploidy can be mitigated through specialized diets or environmental adjustments. There is a noticeable tendency across farm studies and experimental trials for triploid salmon to be equal or larger in size at the end of freshwater phase, but equal or smaller in size at the end of the seawater phase. Most publications conclude that within what is considered the optimal temperature range of diploids, oxygen consumption rate, oxygen binding capacity, and aerobic swimming capacity do not significantly differ between triploid and diploid Atlantic salmon. However, findings from experimental trials suggest a lower optimal temperature range for triploids, and data consistent across studies indicate that triploids possess lower tolerance to hypoxia at elevated temperatures. Triploid Atlantic salmon are less robust to higher water temperatures than diploid, and have other nutritional needs than diploids, especially regarding phosphorus, and histidine. There are few studies on the susceptibility of triploid salmon to infectious agents and diseases. Field observations indicate that triploid fish are more susceptible to primary infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) outbreaks than diploids under commercial farming conditions at the level of the farm, and at cage level within farms that experience an ISA outbreak. A higher susceptibility to the ISA virus would potentially affect not only the health and welfare of the triploid fish at the farm with an outbreak but may potentially spread to other farms. .............
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Livestock husbandry has raised enormous environmental concerns around the world, including water quality issues. Yet there is a need to document long-term water quality trends in livestock-intensive regions and reveal the drivers for the trends based on detailed catchment monitoring. Here, we assessed the concentration and load trends of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in streamwater of a livestock-intensive catchment in southwestern Norway, based on continuous flow measurements and flow-proportional composite water sampling. Precipitation and catchment-level soil P balance were monitored to examine the drivers. At the field level, moreover, the relationship between soil P balance and soil test P (measured using the ammonium lactate extraction method, P-AL) was assessed. Results showed that on average of 20 years 95 % of the P was applied to the catchment during March–August, when 40 % of annual precipitation and 25 % of annual discharge occurred. The low runoff helped reduce P loss following P applications. However, flow-weighted annual mean DRP concentration significantly increased with increasingly cumulative soil P surplus (R2 = 0.55, p = 0.0002). With a mean annual P surplus of 8.8 kg ha−1, the annual mean DRP concentration (range: 49–140 μg L−1; mean: 80 μg L−1) and annual DRP load (range: 0.35–1.46 kg ha−1; mean: 0.65 kg ha−1) significantly increased over the 20-year monitoring period (p = 0.001 and 0.0003, respectively). At the field level, P-AL concentrations were positively correlated with soil P balances (R2 = 0.48, p < 0.0001), confirming the long-term impact of P balances on the risks of P loss. The study highlights the predominant role of long-term P balances in affecting DRP loss in livestock-intensive regions through the effect on soil test P.
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No abstract has been registered
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Background Doctors’ health is of importance for the quality and development of health care and to doctors themselves. As doctors are hesitant to seek medical treatment, peer support services, with an alleged lower threshold for seeking help, is provided in many countries. Peer support services may be the first place to which doctors turn when they search for support and advice relating to their own health and private or professional well-being. This paper explores how doctors perceive the peer support service and how it can meet their needs. Materials and methods Twelve doctors were interviewed a year after attending a peer support service which is accessible to all doctors in Norway. The qualitative, semi-structured interviews took place by on-line video meetings or over the phone (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) during 2020 and were audiotaped. Analysis was data-driven, and systematic text condensation was used as strategy for the qualitative analysis. The empirical material was further interpreted with the use of theories of organizational culture by Edgar Schein. Results The doctors sought peer support due to a range of different needs including both occupational and personal challenges. They attended peer support to engage in dialogue with a fellow doctor outside of the workplace, some were in search of a combination of dialogue and mental health care. The doctors wanted peer support to have a different quality from that of a regular doctor/patient appointment. The doctors expressed they needed and got psychological safety and an open conversation in a flexible and informal setting. Some of these qualities are related to the formal structure of the service, whereas others are based on the way the service is practised. Conclusions Peer support seems to provide psychological safety through its flexible, informal, and confidential characteristics. The service thus offers doctors in need of support a valued and suitable space that is clearly distinct from a doctor/patient relationship. The doctors’ needs are met to a high extent by the peer-support service, through such conditions that the doctors experience as beneficial.
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No abstract has been registered
Authors
Iben Margrete Thomsen Beatrix Alsanius Daniel Flø Paal Krokene Per Hans Micael Wendell Sandra A. I. Wright Christer Magnusson Johan Stenberg Jorunn Børve Line Nybakken Mogens Nicolaisen May-Guri SæthreAbstract
Key words: VKM, pest risk analysis, Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Sudden oak death, Phytophthora ramorum Introduction The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has asked the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment for an updated pest risk assessment of Phytophthora ramorum in Norway. The previous risk assessment of P. ramorum for Norway is from 2009. Since then, the pathogen has been detected repeatedly in Norway, primarily in parks, garden centres, and nurseries in southwestern Norway. The knowledge base concerning P. ramorum has changed since the last pest risk assessment, with increased genetic knowledge about different populations, lineages, and mating types. The risks associated with P. ramorum have also changed, since the disease has become epidemic in new host plants, such as larch trees in England. This updated pest risk assessment will provide important input to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s efforts to develop the Norwegian plant health regulation. Methods VKM established a project group with expertise in plant health, forest pathology, horticultural plant pathology, plant disease modelling, and pest risk assessment. The group conducted systematic literature searches and scrutinized the relevant literature. In the absence of Norwegian studies, VKM relied on literature from other countries. The group did a quantitative risk assessment describing the level of confidence in the conclusions and identifying uncertainties and data gaps. The report underwent pre-submission commenting and external expert reviewing before final approval and publication. Results and conclusions Phytophthora ramorum is present in the PRA area but has a restricted distribution, mainly being detected in the southern and southwestern parts of Norway. The only P. ramorum lineage considered to be present in Norway is EU1 with mating type A1. The other lineage in Europe, EU2, has so far mainly been documented from the UK. The most widely distributed multilocus genotype of P. ramorum in Norway is EU1MLG1, which became dominant in Europe (including Norway) after 2008. In North America, the NA1, NA2, and EU1 lineages are known from both nurseries and forests. NA1 and NA2 are of the opposite mating type (A2) than European lineages. Recently, various other lineages of P. ramorum have been described from Asia. The main risks for future problems with P. ramorum in Norway are related to entry and establishment of non-European isolates (of all lineages), as well as emergence of new genotypes in European P. ramorum populations. There are several options for diagnosing P. ramorum to species and lineage (mainly EU1, EU2, NA1, and NA2). From a management perspective it is more important to distinguish these entities than mating type and isolate groups (genotypes). The latter are mainly relevant for research purposes or in cases of unexpected disease developments, such as new hosts, increased spread or more severe symptoms on known hosts. However, for more detailed regulation, monitoring, and management of P. ramorum it could also be useful to test for genotypes, i.e. to distinguish EU1MLG1 from other genotypes. Rhododendron remains the most important host plant for P. ramorum in Norway, both in terms of imported plants and detections (mainly in nurseries, garden centres, and public parks). Species in other ornamental plant genera, such as Viburnum, Pieris, and Kalmia, are also listed as major hosts in Europe, and P. ramorum has been detected at least once on species in all these genera in Norway. In the US, Rhododendron, Viburnum, Pieris, Syringa, and Camellia are considered to be the main ornamental hosts. .....................