Impacts of hydro-climatically varying years on ice growth and decay in a subarctic river

Predicting the future changes in river ice development and impacts on seasonal sediment transport requires more in-depth examination of present river ice cover growth processes. This paper therefore investigates: (1) the impacts of hydro-climatically varying years on river ice development in a Scandinavian subarctic meandering river and (2) the accuracy of existing analytical models for predicting ice thickness growth and ice decay. Stefan’s ice growth equation (version by Michel et al.) and Bilello’s ice decay equation are applied to varying hydro-climatic conditions experienced in the years 2013–2019. Estimates from these equations are compared with observed field conditions such as ice thicknesses, ice clearance dates and freeze-thaw days. Overall, the equations were most accurate in the winter of 2016–2017 when the maximum mid-winter snow thickness value was high, the number of freeze-thaw days was the closest to the long-term average of northern Scandinavia, and the rate of thermal snow-melt in the subsequent spring was slow. The equations would need to be adjusted to take into account expected future changes to conditions such as shorter winters, less snow formation and increased frequency of air temperatures crossing 0 °C

Impacts of Hydro-Climatically Varying Years on Ice Growth and Decay in a Subarctic River

Predicting the future changes in river ice development and impacts on seasonal sediment transport requires more in-depth examination of present river ice cover growth processes. This paper therefore investigates: (1) the impacts of hydro-climatically varying years on river ice development in a Scandinavian subarctic meandering river and (2) the accuracy of existing analytical models for predicting ice thickness growth and ice decay. Stefan's ice growth equation (version by Michel et al.) and Bilello's ice decay equation are applied to varying hydro-climatic conditions experienced in the years 2013-2019. Estimates from these equations are compared with observed field conditions such as ice thicknesses, ice clearance dates and freeze-thaw days. Overall, the equations were most accurate in the winter of 2016-2017 when the maximum mid-winter snow thickness value was high, the number of freeze-thaw days was the closest to the long-term average of northern Scandinavia, and the rate of thermal snow-melt in the subsequent spring was slow. The equations would need to be adjusted to take into account expected future changes to conditions such as shorter winters, less snow formation and increased frequency of air temperatures crossing 0 degrees C

Lake salinization drives consistent losses of zooplankton abundance and diversity across coordinated mesocosm experiments

Human-induced salinization increasingly threatens inland waters; yet we know little about the multifaceted response of lake communities to salt contamination. By conducting a coordinated mesocosm experiment of lake salinization across 16 sites in North America and Europe, we quantified the response of zooplankton abundance and (taxonomic and functional) community structure to a broad gradient of environmentally relevant chloride concentrations, ranging from 4 to ca. 1400 mg Cl- L-1. We found that crustaceans were distinctly more sensitive to elevated chloride than rotifers; yet, rotifers did not show compensatory abundance increases in response to crustacean declines. For crustaceans, our among-site comparisons indicate: (1) highly consistent decreases in abundance and taxon richness with salinity; (2) widespread chloride sensitivity across major taxonomic groups (Cladocera, Cyclopoida, and Calanoida); and (3) weaker loss of functional than taxonomic diversity. Overall, our study demonstrates that aggregate properties of zooplankton communities can be adversely affected at chloride concentrations relevant to anthropogenic salinization in lakes.Peer reviewe

Widespread variation in salt tolerance within freshwater zooplankton species reduces the predictability of community-level salt tolerance

The salinization of freshwaters is a global threat to aquatic biodiversity. We quantified variation in chloride (Cl-) tolerance of 19 freshwater zooplankton species in four countries to answer three questions: (1) How much variation in Cl- tolerance is present among populations? (2) What factors predict intraspecific variation in Cl- tolerance? (3) Must we account for intraspecific variation to accurately predict community Cl- tolerance? We conducted field mesocosm experiments at 16 sites and compiled acute LC(50)s from published laboratory studies. We found high variation in LC(50)s for Cl- tolerance in multiple species, which, in the experiment, was only explained by zooplankton community composition. Variation in species-LC50 was high enough that at 45% of lakes, community response was not predictable based on species tolerances measured at other sites. This suggests that water quality guidelines should be based on multiple populations and communities to account for large intraspecific variation in Cl- tolerance.Peer reviewe

Current water quality guidelines across North America and Europe do not protect lakes from salinization

Human-induced salinization caused by the use of road deicing salts, agricultural practices, mining operations, and climate change is a major threat to the biodiversity and functioning of freshwater ecosystems. Yet, it is unclear if freshwater ecosystems are protected from salinization by current water quality guidelines. Leveraging an experimental network of land-based and in-lake mesocosms across North America and Europe, we tested how salinization-indicated as elevated chloride (C-) concentration-will affect lake food webs and if two of the lowest Cl- thresholds found globally are sufficient to protect these food webs. Our results indicated that salinization will cause substantial zooplankton mortality at the lowest Cl- thresholds established in Canada (120 mg Cl-/L) and the United States (230 mg Cl-/L) and throughout Europe where Cl- thresholds are generally higher. For instance, at 73% of our study sites, Cl- concentrations that caused a >= 50% reduction in cladoceran abundance were at or below Cl thresholds in Canada, in the United States, and throughout Europe. Similar trends occurred for copepod and rotifer zooplankton. The loss of zooplankton triggered a cascading effect causing an increase in phytoplankton biomass at 47% of study sites. Such changes in lake food webs could alter nutrient cycling and water clarity and trigger declines in fish production. Current Cl- thresholds across North America and Europe clearly do not adequately protect lake food webs. Water quality guidelines should be developed where they do not exist, and there is an urgent need to reassess existing guidelines to protect lake ecosystems from human-induced salinization.Peer reviewe

Klimatförändringar och isbildning i vattendrag : effekter på biologisk mångfald

Streams in cold regions are characterized by unique hydrological processes that control flow regime and water levels. One of the most important processes is the formation, growth and melting of different types of ice in and around the stream channel during winter. River ice controls major hydrologic events such as winter floods with magnitudes and frequencies often greater than those created by open-water conditions. While river management in northern countries has already recognized high risk of ice damages, the focus of the risk assessment has been mostly aimed towards the local economy; the ecological role of river ice has been less acknowledged. Along rivers in boreal Sweden, riparian vegetation has developed specific zonation with height and age of the plants increasing the further away they are from the stream channel. On lower levels the vegetation is often comprised of short-lived plants, such as annuals and biennials whereas more permanent woody vegetation is found at higher levels. This zonation has most often been explained by the resilience of different growth forms to the inundation regimes, such as the spring flood in northern systems. Within this framework, I investigated which factors drive the ice formation and how ice and ice-induced floods affect riparian and in-stream vegetation. A 3-year survey was conducted of ice formation and vegetation along 25 stream reaches and a set of experiments were used to evaluate ice as a disturbance agent. Reaches far away from lake outlets which had a low input of groundwater and a high velocity and stream power were most prone to form anchor ice, but many other factors also influenced ice formation. Streams with anchor ice experienced more frequent flooding of the riparian vegetation during winter. Our findings suggests that ice and winter floods favour diversity and create habitat heterogeneity for riparian species. On a community level, woody plants such as evergreen dwarf shrubs are eliminated when flooded during winter, opening up patches for other species to colonize, creating a dynamic riparian understory community. Significant changes in river ice conditions could develop with projected changes in climate which would have important geomorphologic, ecological and socio-economic impacts. One implication of climate change could be less ice disturbance and consequently a riparian vegetation in cold regions that slowly changes from forb to dwarf-shrub dominated with a subsequent decrease in species richness. Changes in species diversity and abundance of groups of species related to changes in ice formation could potentially cascade into riparian and in-stream processes such as nutrient cycling, litter decomposition and organism dispersal

Att undervisa elever som förvånar : Fallstudier av pedagogiska erfarenheter med särbegåvade elever i fyra skolor i olika kommuner

På senare tid har det i media uppmärksammats att många skolor inte tar tillvara på de särskilt begåvade elevernas kapacitet. Till skillnad mot flera andra länder saknar Sverige riktlinjer och strategier kring hur man inom skolan kan arbeta för att bemöta och utmana dessa elever. Syftet med uppsatsen är därför att beskriva några pedagogiska erfarenheter, arbetssätt och organisatoriska lösningar som har utvecklats i svenska skolor för att kunna utmana särbegåvade elever i skolan. Studien består av fallstudier på fyra skolor i olika kommuner. Det empiriska underlaget i undersökningen består av fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem respondenter. De är yrkesverksamma lärare, speciallärare eller specialpedagoger och har utvecklat arbetssätt för att utmana särbegåvade elever. Studien visar att två av skolorna arbetar med att utmana dessa elever i små grupper utanför klassens ram. De andra två skolorna arbetar med utmaningar för eleverna inkluderat inom klassens ram. Detta förekommer framförallt inom ämnet matematik. Arbetssätten som används är fördjupning och berikning inom ämnet men även acceleration, d.v.s. att eleverna får möjlighet att läsa ett ämne med innehåll från en högre årskurs. Dessa arbetssätt har lett till mer tillfredsställda elever och att övriga lärare fått en slags fortbildning angående hur dessa elever kan bemötas och utmanas. Det framkommer dock att några av de intervjuade pedagogerna upplevt svårigheter med att hantera konstellationer och grupper av särbegåvade elever eftersom en del av eleverna haft svårt med det sociala samspelet. De intervjuade pedagogerna har även upplevt att det finns ett motstånd från andra lärare då det avsätts tid för undervisning av högt begåvade elever då denna tid istället skulle kunna läggas på elever som inte når målen. I alla skolor har dock skolledningen uppmuntrat arbetet kring de särbegåvade eleverna och avsatt tid för dessa arbetssätt

Upplevelser hos föräldrar till barn som behandlas för cancer

Bakgrund: Över 400 000 barn insjuknar i cancer varje år globalt. Cancerdiagnosen samt behandlingen drabbar hela familjen och föräldrarna genomgår därmed en stor kris. Beroende på hur individen i sig kan hantera situationen och känna en känsla av sammanhang, kommer de uppleva och agera olika. Tidigare forskning nämner att sjuksköterskan kan uppleva familjecentrerad omvårdnad komplicerad att utföra på grund av föräldrarnas reaktioner, attityder samt beteenden. Vidare påpekar litteratur att föräldrarna ofta upplever mer ångest än patienten själv. Oavsett om detta anses svårt har sjuksköterskan en skyldighet att arbeta i partnerskap med patienten och dess närstående. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva upplevelser hos föräldrar till barn som behandlas för cancer.  Metod: En litteraturstudie med en deskriptiv design genomfördes och baserades på tio kvalitativa originalartiklar som inhämtades från databaserna CINAHL och PubMed. De tio artiklarna som inkluderades har uppnått hög kvalitet efter kvalitetsgranskning. Resultat: Föräldrarnas upplevelser visade sig skilja mycket mellan varandra. Fyra copingstrategier identifierades. Föräldrarna beskrev även emotionella upplevelser i form av oro och skuld. Vidare beskrev vårdnadshavarna olika upplevelser av vårdpersonalen och att en god relation var en viktig faktor för en tillfredsställd vårdtid. Slutsats: Resultatet visade på att ett ökat samarbete mellan sjuksköterska och föräldrar kan förbättra hela vårdupplevelsen. En ökad förståelse om föräldrarnas upplevelser kan underlätta för sjuksköterskan att möta deras behov i krissituationer. Sjuksköterskan får då större möjlighet till att kunna möta deras behov under vårdtiden, det vill säga genom personcentrerad och familjecentrerad vård. Background: More than 400,000 children survive from cancer each year. The cancer diagnosis and treatment affects the whole family and the parents are thus undergoing a major crisis. Depending on how the individual can handle the situation and feel a sense of coherence, they will experience and act differently. Previous research mentions that the nurse may experience family-centered care complicated to perform due to the parents' reactions, attitudes and behaviors. Furthermore, literature points out that parents often experience more anxiety than the patient itself. Regardless of whether this is considered difficult, the nurse has an obligation to work in partnership with the patient and their relatives. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the experience of parents who have children being treated for cancer.Method: A literature study with a descriptive design was conducted and based on ten qualitative original articles from the databases CINAHL and PubMed. The ten articles achieved high quality after quality review.  Result: Parents' experiences turned out to be very different from each other. Four coping strategies were identified. The parents also described emotional experiences in the form of worry and guilt. Furthermore, the guardians described different experiences of caregivers and that a good relationship between them was an important issue for a satisfied hospital stay.  Conclusion: The results showed that increased collaboration between the nurse and parents can improve the entire care experience in general. An increased understanding of the nurse regarding the parents' experiences provides insight into how the parents can act in a crisis. The nurse has then a greater opportunity to be able to meet their needs during the hospital stay, and therefore perform person-centered and family-centered care

Legitimacy of Accounting Regulation Processes : The Case of Swedish Municipalities and Regions

Accounting regulation, like any other institution, must be legitimate in order to be complied with. A key component for the legitimacy achievement is a legitimate regulation process. Consequently, the legitimacy of the accounting regulation process has real economic consequences for society as a whole. By building on a framework of prerequisites for a legitimate standard-setting process, the study develops a theoretical model for the analysis of an accounting regulation process’ legitimacy. The empirical setting of the study is distinct from the empirical setting of the literature included in the literature review, as it captures the regulation process of the new municipal accounting act in Sweden. By analyzing all the official documents corresponding to the regulation process of the new municipal accounting act, the study analyses the legitimacy achievement of the accounting regulation process. The results of the study showcase a heavily politically influenced regulation process, where there were deficiencies with the legitimacy achievement. Based on the results of the study, avenues for further research are suggested