En studie av endring og påvirkning på containerfraktrater

Covid-19 bydde på store problemer i den globale økonomien, og da spesielt inn i containerindustiren. Dette kunne man tydelig se gjennom den store økningen i fraktrater fra 2020-2021. Studiet forsker på hvilke variabler som har vært drivkraften i den forbindelse, samt hvordan volum og kapasitet normalt også påvirker prisen. Vi har reist problemstillingen: Hva skapte den store økningen i container fraktratene i 2021, og hva er de viktigste driverne for prisen på containerfrakt? Dette skal vi svare på i kvantitativ studie ved hjelp av disse forskningsspørsmålene: Hvordan responderer pris i markedet under det man kan forvente som normale forutsetninger? Hva har ført til at prisen fikk et historisk hopp over en toårs periode? Hva betyr det for fremtiden nå når prisene akkurat er kommet ned igjen på et «normalnivå»? Data er hentet inn fra CTS (Container Trades Statistics Ltd), som har spesialisert seg på statistikker for volum og prisindeks for det globale containermarkedet. CTS fokuserer på aggregert data, containervolum og prisindeks data per handelsrute, slik det rapporteres av et panel av transportører og havner på månedlig basis. Med denne data som grunnlag er det blitt utført analyser for årsakssammenheng mellom disse variablene, samt oppdeling av tidslinjen for å gruppere tiden med store hendelser som har spilt seg frem på verdensbasis de siste årene. Analysen er delt hvor vi på den ene siden ser på visualisering av de faktiske variablene, og beregninger for å si noe om forholdet mellom variablene. Dette ved å studere korrelasjon og utføre en regresjonsanalyse. Med dette kom vi frem til at det er en sterk korrelasjon med pris for både volum og kapasitet, men at dette ved ekstraordinære hendelser som eksterne faktorer bryter opp disse målingene. Resultatet er som forventet, og vi fikk mye av resultatene som allerede er presentert i tidligere forskning, men vår studie har også vist at kombinasjonen med å se på pris og volum gir berikende innsikt. Vi mener at resultatet som fremhever at containermarkedet ikke er så stabilt som det bør være er viktig å belyse. Dette studie vil bidra til eksisterende litteratur av fraktrater, men vil også gi en forklaring av årsakssammenhengen mellom pris og volum i containermarkedet og hvordan disse har påvirket hverandre i en tid med uroligheter, samtidig som vi vil vise hvilke eksterne faktorer som påvirker både pris og volum i dette markedet. Forskningen er kun utført på månedlige observasjoner, og for videre forskning bør dette utvides til dagligobservasjon, som også kan ses på som sanntid data. Det bør også ta hensyn til faktorer som digitalisering og miljøreguleringer,og hvordan dette påvirker fraktratene. Vi vet nå at disse faktorene vil berøre mange ulike sider av verdikjeden og bør tas høyde for i en slik studie.Covid-19 caused significant problems in the global economy, particularly in the container industry. This was evident through the significant increase in freight rates from 2020-2021. The study examines the variables that have been driving this increase and how volume and capacity normally affect prices. We have raised the research question: What caused the significant increase in container freight rates in 2021, and what are the drivers of container freight prices? We will answer this in a quantitative study using the following research questions: How does the market price respond under what can be expected as normal conditions? What led to the price making a historic leap over a two-year period? What does it mean for the future now that prices have just returned to a "normal level"? Data was collected from CTS (Container Trades Statistics Ltd), which specializes in statistics for volume and price index for the global container market. CTS focuses on aggregated data, container volume, and price index data per trade route, as reported by a panel of carriers and ports on a monthly basis. With this data as a basis, analyses have been carried out for causality between these variables, as well as time breakdown to group periods with significant events that have occurred worldwide in recent years. The analysis is divided, where on one hand we look at visualizing the actual variables and calculations to say something about the relationship between the variables. This is done by studying correlation and performing a regression analysis. With this, we found that there is a strong correlation with price for both volume and capacity, but that extraordinary events, such as external factors, disrupt these measurements. The result is as expected, and we obtained many of the results that have already been presented in previous research, but our study has also shown that the combination of looking at price and volume provides enriching insights. We believe that the result highlighting that the container market is not as stable as it should be is important to illuminate. This study will contribute to existing literature on freight rates, but will also provide an explanation of the causality between price and volume in the container market and how these have affected each other in a time of unrest, while also showing which external factors affect both price and volume in this market. The research was only conducted on monthly observations, and for further research, this should be expanded to daily observations, which can also be viewed as real-time data. It should also take into account factors such as digitization and environmental regulations, and how these affect freight rates. We now know that these factors will affect many different aspects of the value chain and should be taken into account in such a study

High abundances of small copepods early developmental stages and nauplii strengthen the perception of a non-dormant Arctic winter

The traditional view is that the Arctic polar night is a quiescent period for marine life, but recent reports of high levels of feeding and reproduction in both pelagic and benthic taxa have challenged this. We examined the zooplankton community present in Svalbard fjords, coastal waters, and the shelf break north of Svalbard, during the polar night. We focused on the population structure of abundant copepods (Calanus finmarchicus, Calanus glacialis, Metridia longa, Oithona similis, Pseudocalanus spp., Microcalanus spp., and Microsetella norvegica) sampled using 64-µm mesh nets. Numerically, copepod nauplii (≥ 50%) and the young developmental stages of small copepods (< 2 mm prosome length as adult) dominated the samples. Three main patterns were identified: (1) large Calanus spp. were predominantly older copepodids CIV–CV, while (2) the small harpacticoid M. norvegica were adults. (3) For other species, all copepodid stages were present. Older copepodids and adults dominated populations of O. similis, Pseudocalanus spp. and M. longa. In Microcalanus spp., high proportion of young copepodids CI–CIII indicated active winter recruitment. We discuss the notion of winter as a developing and reproductive period for small copepods in light of observed age structures, presence of nauplii, and previous knowledge about the species. Lower predation risks during winter may, in part, explain why this season could be beneficial as a period for development. Winter may be a key season for development of small, omnivorous copepods in the Arctic, whereas large copepods such as Calanus spp. seems to be reliant on spring and summer for reproduction and development.publishedVersio

Exploring correlations between neuropsychological measures and domain-specific consistency in associations with n-3 LCPUFA status in 8-9 year-old boys and girls

<div><p>Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) have in some studies been associated with cognitive and socioemotional outcomes in children, but results are inconsistent possibly due to the use of different tests and potential gender-specific effects. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to explore overall patterns in neuropsychological scores as well as correlations between scores within specific domains, and to examine potential gender differences and consistency in associations with n-3 LCPUFA status. In 199 Danish 8–9 year-old children, we performed a large battery of tests and questionnaires on attention, processing speed, executive functions, memory, and socioemotional traits, and measured erythrocyte fatty acid composition. Principal component analyses (PCA) showed that most of the variation in both cognitive performance and socioemotional traits was explained by overall performance, followed by speed-accuracy trade off and externalizing vs. internalizing problems, respectively. Boys had higher speed, lower attention and higher externalizing problem scores than girls. Measures of performance within both processing speed and attention domains correlated moderately, whereas no correlations were found for measures of executive functions apart from some weak correlations for impulsivity. Parent-rated scores for both externalizing and internalizing problems correlated strongly, whereas correlations with child-rated scores were weak. Scores within specific domains did not consistently associate with n-3 LCPUFA, except for processing speed measures which all pointed to faster processing with increased n-3 LCPUFA status. Gender differences in the associations were observed for attention and impulsivity. Child- but not parent-rated internalizing and social problems tended to associate directly with n-3 LCPUFA, supported by increased internalizing problems measured by the PCA component. In conclusion, measures of speed and attention seem to represent these domains in general, whereas single measures of more complex cognitive functions should be interpreted with caution. One approach could be to use multiple tests and create multivariate scores to guide interpretations. Furthermore, the results indicate a need to consider both parent- and child-rated socioemotional scores and gender differences in neuropsychological functions e.g. in investigations of n-3 LCPUFA effects.</p></div

Impurities throughout the EGRIP ice core – a microstructural perspective

Impurities in polar ice cores are analyzed for various reasons, ranging from the reconstruction of the climate of the past to the absolute positioning of age markers. In particular, microstructural impurity research provides insights into the internal deformation of ice and post-depositional stratigraphy changes. However, most stud- ies offer limited snapshots of impurity characteristics at a few specific depth regimes, highlighting the need to determine the localization and chemistry of impurities throughout one ice core with complementary methods. We report a detailed investigation of solid and dissolved impurities throughout the 2120 m long East Green- land Ice Core Project (EGRIP) ice core. Using microstructure mapping and confocal Cryo-Raman spectroscopy, we analyzed solid micro-inclusions inside 25 solid ice samples covering the last 50 ka. Micro-inclusions are heterogeneously distributed inside the ice matrix and in Holocene ice, as an upper limit assumption, between 22.3 and 42.4% are located in the vicinity of grain boundaries. We identified the mineralogy of more than 1600 solid inclusions. Most are terrestrial dust minerals, such as quartz, feldspar, mica, carbonaceous particles, and sulfate minerals, such as gypsum. Less common minerals are e.g., dolomite, hematite, nitrates, rutile, and anatase. However, the upper 900 m are characterized by various sulfate minerals, while gypsum is the domi- nant sulfate species below. In the deepest 400 m of the core, we expose the mineralogy inside and surrounding distinct cloudy bands. Aiming at a holistic picture of soluble and insoluble impurities, we combined two meth- ods for the first time: We further analyzed most samples with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Due to recent adaptions, LA-ICP-MS now enables us to image the 2D distribution of elements, such as Na, Mg, Al, and Fe, with a resolution of up to 10 microns showing element-depended dif- ferences in localization. For example, Na is primarily located at grain boundaries, and Al indicates dispersed particle clusters. Mg, and to some extent also Fe, are found in both regimes. Our results illustrate the merit of combining cryo-Raman spectroscopy and LA-ICP-MS to obtain new insights into small-scale deformation, chemical stratigraphy, and processes in deep ice and the future potential to enhance our understanding of impurities by exploiting such a multi-method approach