Roald Amundsen

Contains a biography of the Norwegian explorer, 1872-1928, who was the first to navigate the Northwest Passage and to fly across the Arctic Ocean. His early life, travels in the Antarctic, and financial difficulties are described; his arctic explorations are recounted: through the Northwest Passage on the Gjoa 1903-1906, and the Northeast Passage on the Maud 1918-25, the scientific data accumulated; the north magnetic pole relocated by the Gjoa party. The Amundsen-Ellsworth flight of 1925 and that of Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile in 1926 pioneered the use of aircraft in arctic exploration

Scientific results of the "Nautilus" Expedition, 1931 : under the command of Capt. Sir Hubert Wilkins. Parts I to III

In 1930 Sir Hubert Wilkins announced his plan for exploring the Polar Sea by submarine. Thanks to the courtesy of the U. S. Navy Department and the U. S. Shipping Board the submarine 0 12 was placed at his disposal and the constructor of this vessel, Mr. Simon Lake, undertook to rebuild it and make it suitable for travelling underneath the Arctic pack-ice. After rebuilding the submarine was in the spring of 1931 named Nautilus. ... The expedition did not reach its goal and the scientific results are, therefore; small as compared to what had been hoped for. But we have shown that an extensive scientific program can be carried out under the conditions onboard a submarine, and it is hoped that the following papers will add to our knowledge of the region which was visited

Defining a Conceptual Model for Market Mechanisms in Food Supply Chains, and Parameterizing Price Functions for Coffee, Wheat, Corn, Soybeans, and Beef

The contribution of the study presented in this paper is twofold. Firstly, to add to the present body of knowledge of food supply and demand model dynamics and the associated economics, based on system analysis. It describes a new approach for dealing with price mechanisms in models based on causal links and dynamic feedbacks. It has been applied to some main global food commodities, but has also been used for metals and materials in a parallel study. The price mechanism is described in a way to be useful for other modelers dealing with price mechanism, and it enables modelers to make dynamic price endogenous in models. Secondly, it presents price function curves for different food commodities, parameterizing a fundamental property of the commodity trade

The art of Gamification; Teaching Sustainability and System Thinking by Pervasive Game Development

This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, and originally published in The Electronic Journal of e-Learning. You can access the article on publisher's website by following this link: http://www.ejel.org/volume14/issue3In 2013 Hedmark University College conducted a research project where students from a game development project/study program developed and tested a Pervasive Game for learning as part of a class in System Thinking. The overall game goal was to teach Sustainability through System Thinking, and to give the students a real world experience with their game;. It was tested on 5th and 7th graders in elementary school, spending one school day in each of the classes. This article focuses on the design of the project: how the game was developed, how the children played it and how research was designed and data collected

Using the Kaban Lakes Integrated Assessment Model for Investigating Potential Levels of Antibiotic Pollution of the Nizhniy Kaban and Sredniy Kaban Lakes

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)The Kaban Lakes Integrated Assessment Model (KLIAM) was enhanced in order to assess the possible content of antibiotics in the Kaban lakes, located within the city borders of Kazan City, Tatarstan Republic in the Russian Federation, and potential for adverse environmental effects. The Kaban Lakes Integrated Assessment Model simulations suggest that the concentrations in the Nizhniy Kaban lake and Sredniy Kaban lake may exceed the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) and low-risk limits set by EU and the WHO. Many missing data could be assumed or approximated, and simulation runs were conducted. The results are consistent with other global studies in terms of average concentrations observed elsewhere in rivers and lakes. The results suggest that the study should be followed up with lake water analysis and an assessment of antibiotic loads to the Kaban lakes. It is concluded that the results are too uncertain to initiate any policy action at the present moment and that an assessment supported by measurements would be warranted.Open Access funding provided by Inland Norway University Of Applied Sciences. It is a part of the overall strategy of the development of the WORLD7 model, supported by the SIMRESS grant (funded by the German Federal Ministry for Environment and the German Environmental Protection Agency (FKZ 3712 93 102).Peer Reviewe

System Dynamics Modelling of the Global Extraction, Supply, Price, Reserves, Resources and Environmental Losses of Mercury

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)How mercury flows from geological sources to society and to the environment was modelled for this study. The industrial dynamics of mercury was modelled and included in the integrated assessment model WORLD7. The simulated mercury losses were used as input for a simplified global model for environmental pollution. The outputs were analysed and used to assess mercury pollution amounts and supply to society. In fossil fuels, there are a potential stock of 2 million tons in coal and other hydrocarbons, and 450,000 tons of that could be released to the environment if the fossil fuels are all to be burned. Such release would potentially cause major environmental damage and a significant human health risk. The simulations suggest that environmental mercury flows may peak in 2025, and slowly decline as mercury gets immobilized in nature. The simulations show that the pollution from technical use is eliminated by putting the 2013 Minimata Convention into effect, but that environmental pollution from fossil fuels combustion and from environmental re-emissions will remain a significant problem for the next decades.Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit. Funding number: FKZ 3712 93 102Peer Reviewe

Catchment export of base cations: improved mineral dissolution kinetics influence the role of water transit time

Soil mineral weathering is one of the major sources of base cations (BC), which play a dual role in forest ecosystems: they function as plant nutrients and buffer against the acidification of catchment runoff. On a long-term basis, soil weathering rates determine the highest sustainable forest productivity that does not cause acidification. It is believed that the hydrologic residence time plays a key role in determining the weathering rates at the landscape scale.The PROFILE weathering model has been used for almost 30 years to calculate weathering rates in the rooting zone of forest soils. However, the mineral dissolution equations in PROFILE are not adapted for the saturated zone, and employing these equations at the catchment scale results in a significant overprediction of base cation release rates to surface waters. In this study, we use a revised set of PROFILE equations which, among other features, include retardation due to silica concentrations. Relationships between the water transit time (WTT) and soil water concentrations were derived for each base cation, by simulating the soil water chemistry along a one-dimensional flow path, using the mineralogy from a glacial till soil. We show how the revised PROFILE equations are able to reproduce patterns in BC and silica concentrations as well as BC ratios (Ca2+/BC, Mg2+/BC and Na+/BC) that are observed in the soil water profiles and catchment runoff. In contrast to the original set of PROFILE equations, the revised set of equations could reproduce the fact that increasing WTT led to a decreasing Na+/BC ratio and increasing Ca2+/BC and Mg2+/BC ratios. Furthermore, the total release of base cations from a hillslope was calculated using a mixing model, where water with different WTTs was mixed according to an externally modeled WTT distribution. The revised set of equations gave a 50% lower base cation release (0.23 eqm 2 yr 1) than the original PROFILE equations and are in better agreement with mass balance calculations of weathering rates. Thus, the results from this study demonstrate that the revised mineral dissolution equations for PROFILE are a major step forward in modeling weathering rates at the catchment scale

On the long-term sustainability of copper, zinc and lead supply, using a system dynamics model

Publisher's version (útgefin grein).The long-term supply sustainability of copper, zinc and lead was assessed. Copper will not run into physcal scarcity in the future, but increased demand and decreased resource quality will cause significant price increases. The copper price is suggested to increase significantly in the coming decades. A similar situation applies for zinc and lead with soft scarcity and increased prices for zinc. The total supply of copper reaches a maximum 2030–2045, zinc 2030–2050 and lead 2025-2030. The copper supply per person and year and decline after 2130, and the copper stock-in-use reaches a maximum in 2050 and decline afterwards. The zinc supply per person per year reach a maximum in 2100 and decline after 2100, and the zinc stock-in use shows a similar pattern. The lead supply per person reach a plateau in 1985, and decline after 2070, whereas the lead stock-in-use reach a plateau in 2080 and decline after 2100. For copper, zinc and lead, scarcity will mainly be manifested as increased metal price, with feedbacks on demand. The predicted price increase will cause recycling to increase in the future. The supply situation for copper would be much improved if the recycling of copper could be strongly promoted through policy means, as well as it would work well to limit the price increases predicted under business-as-usual. Considering the importance of these metals for society, it is essential to set adequate policies for resource efficiency and resource conservation for society.This study contributed to the SimRess project (Models, potential andlong-term scenarios for resource efficiency),funded by the GermanFederal Ministry for Environment and the German EnvironmentalProtection Agency (FKZ 3712 93 102). Dr. Ullrich Lorenz is projectofficer at the German Environmental Protection Agency (UBA). Onbehalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is noconflict of interest.Peer Reviewe

Applying System Analysis and System Dynamics Modelling In Complex Research Projects - The Case Of VALUMICS

VALUMICS is a Horizon 2020 project funded by the European Commission (2017-2021). The project structure is highly integrated and transdisciplinary, building on the expertise of over 30 specialists in various fields of research including knowledge integration through systems analysis and system dynamics modelling, food science, supply chain management, life cycle assessment, logistics, economics and social science. The aim of the project is to analyze the dynamics of food supply systems using a structural analysis including system analysis and perform system simulations using system dynamics. The VALUMICS research approach and the project design are explained and it is justified why system analysis is needed to obtain an understanding of the complex connections and interactions of the distinct parts of food systems. Patterns will be recognized and thus causes and effects of complex relations within the selected food supply system and networks will be identified. This understanding of the functioning of the system can in turn be used to identify policy interventions

System Dynamics Modelling and System Analysis Applied in Complex Research Projects - the Case of VALUMICS

VALUMICS is a Horizon 2020 project funded by the European Commission (2017-2021). The project structure is highly integrated and transdisciplinary, building on the expertise of over 30 specialists in various fields of research including knowledge integration through systems analysis and system dynamics modelling, food science, supply chain management, life cycle assessment, logistics, economics and social science. The aim of the project is to analyze the dynamics of food supply- and value chain systems using a structural analysis including system analysis and perform system simulations using system dynamics. The VALUMICS research approach and the project design are explained and it is justified why system analysis is needed to obtain an understanding of the complex connections and interactions of the distinct parts of food systems. Patterns will be recognized and thus causes and effects of complex relations within the selected food supply system and networks will be identified. This understanding of the functioning of the system can in turn be used to identify policy interventions