Maankäytön vesistökuormitus ja sen vaikutukset vesiekosysteemeihin – katsaus käynnissä olevaan tutkimukseen ja tietotarpeisiin : Innovative Land-Water Interfaces

Kartoitimme Luonnonvarakeskuksen (Luke) ja muiden organisaatioiden maankäytön vesistökuormituksen ja sen vaikutusten osaamista, käynnissä olevaa aihepiirin tutkimusta, vesistötoimenpiteiden vaikuttavuutta sekä tietotarpeita. Kokonaiskuvan muodostamisen tavoitteena on luoda edellytyksiä uusiin avauksiin maankäytön ja vesistökuormituksen keskeisten haasteiden ja ratkaisujen tunnistamisessa sekä kehittää aiempaa tehokkaammin uusia innovatiivisia lähestymistapoja ja menetelmiä mm. vesistöjensuojelutoimenpiteiden kohdentamiseen yhteistyössä alan toimijoiden kanssa (Innovative land-water interfaces, Innowater). Tiedonkeruu toteutettiin asiantuntijakyselyillä Luken tutkijoille, muiden tutkimusorganisaatioiden tutkijoille ja alan toimijoille. Sitä täydennettiin kirjallisuushauilla ja järjestämällä monitieteinen työpaja. Tämä katsaus tiivistää kartoituksen tulokset. Kartoituksen perusteella tutkijayhteisöllä ja sidosryhmillä on syvällistä ja laaja-alaista osaamista vesistökuormituksesta ja sen vaikutuksista valuma-alueilta vesistöihin. Eri osa-alueita ja vaikutuksia tutkitaan runsaasti, mutta maankäytön sektorit ja skaalat yhdistävää tutkimusta on selvästi vähemmän. Tunnistimme neljä laajaa tutkimusteemaa, joissa tutkijayhteistyön lisääminen vahvistaisi maa- ja metsätalouden ympäristövaikutusten systeemistä ja tieteiden välistä tarkastelua: 1) Valuma-aluenäkökulma: kokonaiskuva kustannustehokkaista ja kohdistetuista vesiensuojelukeinoista maiseman pelto-metsämosaiikissa, 2) maankäytön vesistökuormituksen vaikutukset vesieliöihin ja -ekosysteemeihin, 3) maankäytön vesistövälitteiset kasvihuonekaasupäästöt ja ilmastovaikutukset, 4) maa- ja metsätalouden tuotteiden elinkaariarviointi. Vastaajista suurin osa oli kuormittavien tekijöiden ja kuormituksen vähentämisen asiantuntijoita. Kuormittaviin tekijöihin ja kuormituksen vähentämiseen liittyviä tietotarpeita ovat kuormituslähteiden suhteelliset kuormat ja niiden nykyistä kattavampi seuranta (ravinteet, kiintoaine, hiili, muut haitalliset aineet), prosessit, kuten hiilen muodot ja kulkeutuminen, sekä vesiensuojelu- ja maankäyttötoimenpiteiden vaikutukset kuormiin. Nämä ovat myös keskeisiä tietotarpeita vesiekosysteemien prosessien lisäksi, kun selvitetään maankäytön ilmastovaikutusten kokonaiskuvaa ottamalla huomioon maankäytön muutosten ja kuormituksen vaikutukset valuma-alueen vesistöjen kasvihuonekaasupäästöihin. Vesieliö- ja ekosysteemivaikutuksia tutkittaessa olisi oleellista liittää maa- ja metsätalouden kuormituksen vaikutukset muuttuneen hydrologian ja biologis-fysikaalisten tekijöiden vaikutuksiin sekä selvittää eri vesiensuojelumenetelmien tehokkuutta monimuotoisuuden näkökulmasta. Maa- ja metsätalouden tuotteiden vesijalanjälki- ja elinkaarianalyysin tietotarpeita ovat metsätalouden tuotteiden elinkaarianalyysiin sopiva kuormitusmalli ja maatalouden päivitetty kuormitusmalli. Ylipäätään tarvitaan lisää tutkimusta eri tarkastelutasoilla: prosesseista ja mekanismeista valuma-alueen ja alueelliselle tasolle. Kokonaisuuksien tarkastelun mahdollistavat mallit ja aineistojen yhdistäminen mutta myös entistä kattavampi seurantatieto. Pistekuormituksen vähentyminen nähtiin onnistumisena ja hajakuormituksen hallitseminen nykyisenä haasteena. Kyselyyn vastanneiden alan toimijoiden mukaan kolme tärkeitä vesistöjen tilan uhkaa ovat ilmastonmuutos, maankäytön muutokset sekä ohjauskeinojen ja rahoituksen riittämättömyys tai kohdistuminen ja kolme tärkeintä mahdollisuutta ovat asenteiden ja yhteisen tahtotilan muuttuminen myönteisiksi vesien tilan parantamiselle, rahoituksen saatavuuden parantuminen sekä suunnittelua ohjaavan tiedon lisääntyminen

Landscape heterogeneity drives contrasting concentration–discharge relationships in shale headwater catchments

Solute concentrations in stream water vary with discharge in patterns that record complex feedbacks between hydrologic and biogeochemical processes. In a comparison of three shale-underlain headwater catchments located in Pennsylvania, USA (the forested Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory), and Wales, UK (the peatland-dominated Upper Hafren and forest-dominated Upper Hore catchments in the Plynlimon forest), dissimilar concentration–discharge (C–Q) behaviors are best explained by contrasting landscape distributions of soil solution chemistry – especially dissolved organic carbon (DOC) – that have been established by patterns of vegetation and soil organic matter (SOM). Specifically, elements that are concentrated in organic-rich soils due to biotic cycling (Mn, Ca, K) or that form strong complexes with DOC (Fe, Al) are spatially heterogeneous in pore waters because organic matter is heterogeneously distributed across the catchments. These solutes exhibit non-chemostatic behavior in the streams, and solute concentrations either decrease (Shale Hills) or increase (Plynlimon) with increasing discharge. In contrast, solutes that are concentrated in soil minerals and form only weak complexes with DOC (Na, Mg, Si) are spatially homogeneous in pore waters across each catchment. These solutes are chemostatic in that their stream concentrations vary little with stream discharge, likely because these solutes are released quickly from exchange sites in the soils during rainfall events. Furthermore, concentration–discharge relationships of non-chemostatic solutes changed following tree harvest in the Upper Hore catchment in Plynlimon, while no changes were observed for chemostatic solutes, underscoring the role of vegetation in regulating the concentrations of certain elements in the stream. These results indicate that differences in the hydrologic connectivity of organic-rich soils to the stream drive differences in concentration behavior between catchments. As such, in catchments where SOM is dominantly in lowlands (e.g., Shale Hills), we infer that non-chemostatic elements associated with organic matter are released to the stream early during rainfall events, whereas in catchments where SOM is dominantly in uplands (e.g., Plynlimon), these non-chemostatic elements are released later during rainfall events. The distribution of SOM across the landscape is thus a key component for predictive models of solute transport in headwater catchments

Concept of Adjacency

Adjacency, as used in the Law of the Sea, implies a defined area beyond the territorial sea applying to the superadjacent waters, the seabedand the subsoil. It also implies a relationship to the land. This paper is an examination of adjacency as a concept with particular emphasis placed on the possibilities of establishing the outer limits of an adjacent area. The concept of adjacency is addressed from historical,oceanographic, biological, geological and legal perspectives. An investigation into the State practice of projecting limited jurisdiction from shore into the sea by Britain and America is made to determine a possible genesis concerning the adjacency concept. Scientific knowledge gained since the 1958 Conference on the Law of the Sea is examined to see if the concept of adjacency can be identified in scientific terms. Finally, an overview of the legal concept of adjacency from the International Law Commission\u27s work prior to the 1958 Conference is given along with publicist\u27s utterances of the concept. The paper finds that the adjacency concept is valid within certain contexts and invalid in others. In conclusion, it is suggested that only the biological and geological concept of adjacency meet the criteria of defined area and relationship to the land

Water quality influences on fish occurrence in peat swamp forest and its converted areas in North Selangor, Malaysia

Tropical peat swamp forest (PSF) is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. However, the impacts of anthropogenic activities in PSF and its conversion area towards fish biodiversity are less understood. This study investigates the influences of water physico-chemical parameters on fish occurrences in peat swamp, paddy field and oil palm plantation in the North Selangor peat swamp forest (NSPSF), Selangor, Malaysia. Fish and water samples were collected from four sites located in the peat swamps, while two sites were located in the paddy field and oil palm plantation areas. Multivariate analyses were used to determine the associations between water qualities and fish occurrences in the three habitats. A total of 1,382 individual fish, belonging to 10 families, 15 genera and 20 species were collected. The family Cyprinidae had the highest representatives, followed by Bagridae and Osphronemidae. The most abundant species was Barbonymus schwanefeldii (Bleeker 1854), while the least abundant was Wallago leerii Bleeker, 1851. The paddy field and oil palm plantation area recorded significantly higher fish diversity and richness relative to peat swamp (p0.05), but was significantly different from the peat swamp (p<0.05). However, no water quality parameter was consistently observed to be associated with fish occurrences in all of the three habitats, but water temperature, NH3-N, Cl2, SO4, and EC were at least associated with fish occurrences in two habitats studied. This study confirmed that each habitat possess different water quality parameters associated with fish occurrences. Understanding all these ecological aspects could help future management and conservation of NSPSF

Associations between the presence of bacteria and the physico-chemical parameters of water in peat swamp forest, paddy field and oil palm plantation in north Selangor, Malaysia

This study determines the associations between the presence of bacteria and water physico-chemical parameters in peat swamp forest, paddy field and oil palm plantation in north Selangor, Malaysia. Sampling of bacteria and water physico-chemical parameters were conducted from four sites in the peat swamp forest, two sites each in paddy field and oil palm plantations. Oil palm plantation recorded the highest bacterial diversity (Shannon's H = 3.3713) and richness (IMargalef = 11.5955), while peat swamp forest showed highest bacterial evenness (Pielou's e = 0.9526). A total of 3,421 bacterial isolates from 39 bacterial species were obtained, which comprised of 11 Gram-positive and 28 Gram-negative bacteria. The highest number of bacteria was recorded in the oil palm plantation (1,552 isolates from 38 species), followed by the paddy field (1,191 isolates from 30 species) and the peat swamp forest (678 isolates from 22 species). In general, the most abundant bacteria was Escherichia coli (333 isolates; 9.73 %), followed by Salmonella spp. (288 isolates; 8.42 %), and Streptococcus agalactiae (252 isolates; 7.37 %). Moreover, E. coli recorded the highest isolated bacterium in the peat swamp forest (10.47%), paddy field (10.66%) and the oil palm plantation (8.7%). Inconsistent association was observed between the water physico-chemical parameters and the presence of bacteria in all studied habitats. However, multivariate analyses showed that water temperature, NH3-N, Cl2, DO, EC, SO4 and PO4 were able to influence the bacterial presence. This study showed that oil palm plantation and paddy field had the highest number of isolates, species, and bacterial concentrations due to the extensive anthropogenic activities in these areas

Meat revisited? : Qualitative content analysis on the developing meanings of cultured meat in online news comments

The concept of post farmed-animal bioeconomy describes novel activity in the food sector where the conventional animal products and their production methods are replaced with alternatives. Cellular agriculture or technologies using cell cultivation to produce agricultural products such as cultured meat, is an example of this emerging bioeconomy in action. However, cultured meat is not available on the marketplace and the consumers have not tried it yet. Meanwhile, the media presents novel foods and the related technologies to the consumers leaving them wondering about product attributes, new technologies and the science behind the innovations. Although the media publicity of and the consumers’ perceptions about cultured meat are already studied, Finnish people’s reactions to cultured meat are still rather unknown. Our paper presents an on-going research in the field of anthropology of biotechnology: the purpose is to examine the currently developing meaning system of cultured meat and to identify the themes people tend to attach to cultured meat. The data consists of 743 online comments about cultured meat from the Finnish news audiences. The data is analysed by qualitative content analysis. We ask how people perceive the edibility or inedibility of cultured meat, what are those judgements based on, how the public make sense of this new and unfamiliar food technology, and what kind of meanings are associated with cultured meat. Preliminary findings suggest that the tone of people’s overall opinions of cultured meat range from anticipatory positive to fearfully pessimistic. People used traditionally produced meat and more familiar biotechnologies such as genetically modified crops and biomedicine’s tissue engineering as reference points for the cultural categorisation of cultured meat, for the evaluation of its acceptability as food and its possible societal impacts. People anchored and contrasted cultured meat to these products based on their consistency, production method, taste and perceived naturalness. Examples of positive themes associated with cultured meat include increased animal well-being, human health, sustainable production and improvements in global food security. Negative comments revolved around perceived unnaturalness, the quality or originality of the product, harmfulness for the agriculture industry, distrust towards scientists, enterprises, technically tuned foods and overall justification for producing something inferior to the conventional meat or unsustainable compared with vegan alternatives. The research is part of a project “Cultured meat in post-animal bioeconomy - changing relationships between humans and farmed animals” funded by the Kone Foundation 2019-2022.Non peer reviewe

Årsrapport 2022

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