Groundwater−surface water interactions in snow-type catchments : integrated resources

Groundwater (GW) and surface water (SW) have been studied as separate resources in most previous hydrological or hydrogeological studies in Finland. This traditional research approach has both underestimated the commonness of natural exchange between GW and SW systems and oversimplified the management of water resources. This thesis research investigated the previously poorly recognized GW−SW interactions in two boreal snow-type catchments, Lake Pyhäjärvi and River Vantaa, with physical methods, isotopic and chemical tracers and thermal methods, particularly low-altitude aerial infrared (AIR) surveys. The aim of the work was to identify the GW−SW interactions sites, to define the ubiquity of these interactions, to assess the applicability of the used methods, to provide baseline data on seasonal variation in isotopic and chemical tracers in the studied catchments and to provide new insights into more integrated water resources management. The field studies performed in Lake Pyhäjärvi revealed that the direct GW discharge areas are associated with the esker deposits and focused on the 10-km NE shoreline of lake. The direct GW discharge was spatially highly variable due to the heterogeneous substrate in lake shoreline area. The results from the various methods correlated and confirmed the GW discharge into Lake Pyhäjärvi at the NE shoreline. The baseline data on isotopic patterns and hydrogeochemistry in the hydrological cycle were provided by a one-year monitoring survey in the Lake Pyhäjärvi catchment. The results revealed strong seasonality in general water chemistry, stable isotopes and dissolved silica concentrations of different water bodies on the catchment scale that should be considered in GW SW interaction studies in northern high-latitude regions with snow-type hydrology. Samples taken during the spring thaw and high-precipitation events could be problematic in terms of both sampling and interpreting the results. In the River Vantaa and its tributaries (a 203-km-long river channel altogether), around 370 GW discharge sites were located with two catchment scale AIR surveys in two consecutive years. The identified interaction locations in the proximity of 12 municipal water intake plants during the low-flow seasons should be considered as potential risk areas for water supply during flood periods and/or with high pumping rates and taken under consideration in water resources management. This work revealed that the GW−SW interactions are a far more general phenomenon in the studied catchments than has thus far been acknowledged, and these two resources should be integrated as one entity in hydrological studies. The GW−SW interaction should be taken account in water resources management, especially in changing climate conditions. This work highlighted the importance of an integrated approach that applies detailed local field measurements combined with chemical and isotopic sampling, as well as AIR surveys on the catchment scale.Pohja- ja pintavettä on aikaisemmissa hydrologisissa ja hydrogeologisissa tutkimuksissa tarkasteltu erillisinä vesivarastoina. Tämä perinteinen lähestymistapa on sekä aliarvioinut pohjavesi−pintavesi vuorovaikutuksen yleisyyttä että yksinkertaistanut vesivarojen hallinnoimiseen liittyviä tekijöitä. Tässä väitöskirjatyössä selvitettiin aikaisemmin huonosti tunnettua pohjavesi−pintavesi vuorovaikutusta Pyhäjärven ja Vantaanjoen valuma-alueilla. Tutkimuksessa hyödynnettiin fysikaalisia, kemiallisia (pääionikoostumus, liuennut silikaatti, happi- ja vetyisotoopit) sekä termisiä menetelmiä, erityisesti helikopterista toteutettua lämpökamerakuvausta. Tutkimuksessa pyrittiin paikantamaan vuorovaikutuskohdat, selvittämään vuorovaikutuksen voimakkuus ja laajuus, arvioimaan käytettyjen tutkimusmenetelmien soveltuvuutta sekä hankkimaan perustietoa kemiallisten muuttujien vuodenaikaisesta vaihtelusta tutkituilla valuma-alueilla sekä tarjoamaan menetelmiä aikaisempaa kokonaisvaltaisemman vesienhallinnan tueksi. Pyhäjärven valuma-alueella kenttätutkimukset osoittivat pohjaveden purkautumisen suoraan järveen tapahtuvan pääasiassa järven koillisrannan 10 km pituisella osuudella ja liittyvän harjumuodostumiin. Pohjaveden purkautumisnopeus vaihteli paikallisesti paljon järven heterogeenisestä pohja-aineksesta johtuen. Eri menetelmillä saadut tulokset tukivat toisiaan ja vahvistivat pohjaveden purkautuvan järveen koillisrannalla, mutta myös järviveden imeytyvän akviferiin järven pohjoiskulmassa. Vuoden kestävä seurantaohjelma toi perustietoa veden stabiilien isotooppien ja hydrogeokemiallisten muuttujien vuodenaikaisvaihtelusta Pyhäjärven valuma-alueella. Veden peruskemiassa, isotooppisuhteissa ja liuenneen silikaatin pitoisuuksissa havaittiin voimakas vuodenaikainen vaihtelu vesistön eri osissa. Tätä saatua tietoa vuodenaikaisvaihtelun systematiikasta voidaan hyödyntää pohjavesi−pintavesi vuorovaikutustutkimuksissa pohjoisilla alueilla. Kevätsulannan ja rankkasateiden aikana kerätyt näytteet voivat olla sekä näytteenotollisesti ongelmallisia että tulkinnallisesti moniselitteisiä. Vantaanjoessa ja sen sivu-uomissa tunnistettiin 370 pohjaveden purkautumispaikkaa kahtena perättäisenä vuotena lennetyissä lämpökamerakuvauksessa. Kunnallisten vesilaitosten läheisyydessä havaittuja vuorovaikutuspaikkoja voidaan pitää potentiaalisina riskeinä vedenottamoille sekä tulvaaikoina että alivirtaamakaudella suurilla pumppausmäärillä, ja vuorovaikutuspaikat tulisi ottaa huomioon vesivarojen hallinnassa muuttuvissa ilmasto-oloissa. Tämä työ havainnollistaa pohjavesi−pintavesi vuorovaikutuksen olevan paljon aikaisemmin luultua yleisempää tutkituilla valuma-alueilla. Tutkimus osoitti, että vesivarojen hallinnassa tulisi pyrkiä aikaisempaa kokonaisvaltaisempaan lähestymistapaan. Vuorovaikutus on dynaaminen ilmiö sekä ajallisesti että paikallisesti, ja se myös vaihtelee suuruudeltaan ja suunnaltaan. Tulevaisuudessa muuttuvat ilmasto-olosuhteet tulevat korostamaan kokonaisvaltaisen tutkimusnäkökannan tarpeellisuutta vesivarojen hallinnassa. Tämä väitöskirjatyö korostaa useamman tutkimusmenetelmän samanaikaisesta käyttämisestä saatavaa hyötyä

The effect of river regulation on groundwater flow patterns and the hydrological conditions of an aapa mire in northern Finland

Study region Northern Finland. Study focus This study examined long-term (decade-scale) hydrological and ecological consequences of dam construction and subsequent river regulation on the environmentally protected Viiankiaapa mire. Pre-regulation floods affected the hydrology of the riverbanks and the Viiankiaapa mire, which contain habitats of flood-dependent or groundwater-influenced ecosystems. Groundwater discharge and flow patterns and pre-regulation flood coverage were simulated to investigate the impact of river regulation on the mire area. New hydrological insights for the region The flood models indicate that regular flooding covered the westernmost part of the mire before the regulation. Groundwater modelling suggests that the regulation has raised the locations of springs in the river shore, reduced the hydraulic gradient towards the river, raised the groundwater table in the river banks and the western part of the Viiankiaapa mire, and increased groundwater discharge in the mire. The groundwater flow models and the stable isotopic composition of water indicate that the constructed dam changed the groundwater flow directions close to dam. The ecological effects of regulation were mixed: the studied flood-dependent plant species declined due to the reduction in floods after regulation. Conversely, the occurrence of Hamatocaulis vernicosus and Hamatocaulis lapponicus appears to be related to the high water table and groundwater discharge areas in the mire, suggesting suitable habitat for these species may have expanded after the regulation.Peer reviewe

A pilot study: consumer acceptability of Polish style cooked sausages containing house cricket flour

There is a growing interest on insects as food in Western countries. Currently, EU legislation limits the use of insects as food, however, new regulation coming to force in 2018 will clarify the situation. In the ScenoProt project funded by Strategic Research Council of Finnish Academy insects are considered as potential protein source for human consumption, and therefore, some food technological properties of insects are studied in the project. Scientific research has proven mealworm larvae and silkworm pupae originated protein fraction equal to meat protein in emulsion sausages. Generally, it is also of interest how unfractionated, chitin containing insect flour would affect the sensory properties of sausages. The objective of the present study was to investigate the consumer attitudes to Polish style sausages containing unfractionated house cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour. Lean and fatty meat was purchased from local supplier, and three different sets of smoked and cooked sausages were made. The basic recipe contained pork, water, house cricket flour, nitrite salt, and spices. Salt content of sausages was approx. 1.8%. In the first set 1/5, and in the second and third set approx. 1/6 of lean meat was replaced with house cricket flour. The fat content was approx. 12% in the first and 19–20% in the second and third set of sausages. The third set included ordinary Polish style sausage as a reference. Cooking loss of the sausages was acceptable, below 10%. Odor, texture and taste were evaluated by ordinary consumers (n=26) for the first, by media people (n=34) for the second, and by representatives of food industry (n=17) for the third set. Because of potential allergic reaction in shellfish sensitive people, the consumers were informed about the contents of the sausages. Consumer willingness to eat sausages again was recorded for the first and second set and free comments were collected for all the sets. The evaluation scale had five points (1=extremely negative, 5=extremely positive).Only in the first set the evaluations on odor, texture, and taste of the sausages averaged lower than 3. Even the willingness to eat sausages again was approx. 3. This may reflect the interest of the consumers towards food containing insects in general. The increased fat content in the second and third sets of sausages may be one factor responsible for increase in the valuation of the sensory parameters as Finnish consumers are used to the fat content of around 20 % in cooked sausages. In the third set the control sausages showed slightly higher acceptance for texture than the house cricket sausages. In free comments, dryness, dark colour, floury texture, and liver flavor were most often mentioned. In conclusion, consumers may accept non-fractionated house cricket flour as a sausage ingredient but its strong flavor may limit the level of inclusion or lead towards stronger, masking, spicing in the house cricket sausages

Hydrogeological Characterization Of Crystalline Bedrock Using Borehole Magnetic Resonance At A Mining Development Site, Northern Finland

The Borehole Magnetic Resonance (BMR) method was tested for measuring porosity and estimating groundwater flow parameters required for hydrogeological modelling in a crystalline rock setting at the Sakatti Ni‐Cu‐PGE mining project site in Northern Finland. The characterization of hydraulic properties of deep bedrock, shallow fractured bedrock, surficial deposits as well as groundwater and surface water flow patterns and interactions between them is informative already during ore prospecting phase. Although BMR is widely used for determining storage and flow properties in sedimentary rocks forming hydrocarbon reservoirs, there have been few studies in basement rocks as described here. The BMR method allows the detection of water in the subsurface by applied electromagnetic fields in a continuous manner with decimetre‐scale measurements along the boreholes. The measured response is inverted to give a continuous distribution of relaxation time T2 which is a direct measure of the amount of water, or pore volume. This can further be divided into bound water and free water using specific cut‐off values for each lithology, which can then be used to calculate estimates of hydraulic conductivity. The Sakatti Cu‐Ni‐PGE deposit, located several hundred meters below the Natura2000‐protected Viiankiaapa mire, displays complex and heterogeneous subsurface geology, hydrogeology and deformational history. The BMR data was acquired from six drillholes in order to obtain specific information about the structural heterogeneity and free water content within the depth interval of 50 to 360m, and thus estimations of the local flow parameters. Other available survey data, such as natural gamma ray, acoustic image data, core logging and packer tests were compared with the BMR data in order to compare and calibrate the groundwater flow parameters calculated based on these measurements. The initial results indicate that BMR is a suitable tool for studying lithologically and hydrogeologically heterogeneous fractured crystalline rocks. Flow parameters derived from the measured T2 distributions vary significantly throughout the intervals. In this crystalline bedrock setting, independently from the lithological composition, the measured intervals locally display relatively high hydraulic conductivities, and may be correlated to the more intensely fractured and/or brecciated zones. In addition, BMR may reduce more time‐consuming methods such as packer tests or replace them altogether in regions where borehole conditions prevent the likelihood of successful testing. Furthermore, the BMR log provides continuous data over fractured crystalline basement rocks. This will include questions dealing with interactions between surface water, shallow groundwater as well as groundwater in fractured and weathered bedrockPeer reviewe

Lähisuhdeväkivallan seulontaa tulee vahvistaa

Lähes joka viides parisuhteessa olevista on kokenut jonkinlaista väkivaltaa parisuhteensa aikana.Vakavimmat lähisuhdeväkivaltatapaukset voivat johtaa uhrin kuolemaan.Euroopan unionin Istanbulin-sopimuksessa ja Suomen seksuaali- ja lisääntymisterveyden toimintaohjelmassa esitetään kehittämis- ja toimenpidesuosituksia lähisuhdeväkivallan torjumiseksi.Turun yliopistollisessa keskussairaalassa seulotaan potilaiden kokemaa lähisuhdeväkivaltaa, ja seulontapositiivisille potilaille on luotu hoitoonohjausmalli

Appendiceal neoplasm risk associated with complicated acute appendicitisa population based study

PurposeAppendiceal tumors are rare, but high neoplasm rates have been reported at interval appendectomy after periappendicular abscess. Non-operative management of uncomplicated acute appendicitis has shown promising results. The data on appendiceal tumor incidence and presentation among acute appendicitis patients is limited, especially in patient cohorts differentiating between uncomplicated and complicated acute appendicitis. Objective was to assess appendiceal tumor incidence and tumor association to appendicitis in patients with uncomplicated and complicated acute appendicitis.MethodsThis nationwide population-based registry study was conducted from 2007 to 2013. The Finnish Cancer Registry and the National Institute for Health Registry were used to combine data on all appendiceal tumors and acute appendicitis diagnosis with medical reports evaluated at eight study hospitals.ResultsAltogether, 840 appendiceal tumors were identified, and out of these, 504 patient reports were reviewed, including 472 patients in this study. Tumor was diagnosed at appendectomy for suspected acute appendicitis in 276 patients (58%). In the whole study, histologically acute appendicitis and tumor were both present in 53% (n=250), and out of these, 41% (n=102) were complicated and 59% (n=148) uncomplicated acute appendicitis. The associated tumor risk was significantly higher in complicated acute appendicitis compared with uncomplicated cases (3.24% vs. 0.87%, pPeer reviewe

Keyhole versus Sugarbaker techniques in parastomal hernia repair following ileal conduit urinary diversion : a retrospective nationwide cohort study

Background Previous research on parastomal hernia repair following ileal conduit urinary diversion is limited. This nationwide cohort study aims to present the results of keyhole and Sugarbaker techniques in parastomal hernia repair in the setting of ileal conduit urinary diversion. Method All patients in this cohort underwent primary elective parastomal hernia repair following ileal conduit urinary diversion in four university hospitals and one central hospital in Finland in 2007-2017. Retrospective clinical data were collected from patient registries to compare keyhole and Sugarbaker parastomal hernia repair techniques. The primary outcome was parastomal hernia recurrence during the follow-up from primary surgery to the last confirmed follow-up date of the patient. The secondary outcomes were reoperations during the follow-up and complication rate at 30 days' follow-up. Results The results of 28 hernioplasties were evaluated. The overall parastomal hernia recurrence rate was 18%, the re-operation rate was 14%, and the complication rate was 14% during the median follow-up time of 30 (21-64) months. Recurrence rates were 22% (4/18) after keyhole repair and 10% (1/10) after Sugarbaker repair. Re-operation rates referred to keyhole repair were 22% and Sugarbaker repair 0% during follow-up. The majority of reoperations were indicated by recurrence. Complication rates were 17% after keyhole and 10% after Sugarbaker repair during the 30 days' follow-up. Conclusion The results of parastomal hernia repair in the setting of ileal conduits are below optimal in this nationwide cohort comparing keyhole to Sugarbaker repair in elective parastomal hernia repair. Nonetheless, the Sugarbaker technique should be further studied to confirm the encouraging results of this cohort in terms of recurrence.Peer reviewe

Response of ground macrolichens to site factors, co‐existing plants and forestry in boreal forests

Aim Ground lichens have declined in boreal and temperate Europe. The potential causes of the decline were explored by analysing the response of lichen cover to forest management, site and stand variables as well as co-existing plants in different boreal vegetation subzones. Location Finland. Methods Understorey vegetation was surveyed on a systematic network of 1721 sample plots in forests on mineral soil. The response of macrolichen cover to explanatory variables was analysed by generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs). Results Ground lichens favoured old Pinus sylvestris forests on xeric sites with sufficient light conditions. Intensive forest management regimes, such as regeneration cutting and soil ploughing decreased lichen cover, while lighter scarification methods had less effect on lichens. Lichens benefitted from intermediate cutting on sites with low bryophyte cover. Lichens responded similarly to site and stand variables in all boreal subzones, showing that despite heavy reindeer grazing these response patterns apply also in the northern boreal subzone. Lichens showed both negative (Vaccinium myrtillus, Empetrum nigrum and Calluna vulgaris) and positive (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) responses to increasing dwarf shrub cover. Generally, lichens negatively responded to increasing bryophyte cover, indicating either that bryophytes benefit from a decline of lichens or that there is real competition between these groups. The negative relationship between bryophytes and lichens strengthened as the tree canopy becomes denser. Conclusions Our study provides new quantitative insights into the effects of forest management and changes in forest structure as underlying factors for lichen decline both inside and outside the reindeer-herding area (i.e., the northern boreal subzone). These factors include increased canopy cover with increased shading as well as disturbance caused by regeneration cutting and soil preparation. The possible effects of the long-term legacy of nitrogen deposition, lack of forest fires and climate change are also discussed