Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Jan 8, 2024
In Central European mountain forests, foliar element concentrations (FECs) of manganese (Mn) in s... more In Central European mountain forests, foliar element concentrations (FECs) of manganese (Mn) in silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) are occasionally approximately 5000 mg kg −1 and can represent stress for these plants. Factors controlling the Mn FECs in silver birch in Central Europe and downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) in Norway have not yet been fully deciphered. In this study, the Central European silver birch specimens were sampled in 2022. The samples were analysed by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Norwegian data were obtained from the literature. Mn FECs are commonly negatively correlated with magnesium and, in certain areas, with potassium. Mn FECs are simultaneously elevated with zinc (Zn), likely because of soil acidification and anthropogenic emissions. Mn FECs in birch were previously thought to be related to altitude, which was assigned to (i) downslope washes of Mn or (ii) the historical load of acid emissions. The highest Mn FECs in silver birch were found in the Harz Mountains, Germany, and have been attributed to historical atmospheric contamination and the abundance of soils on felsic silicic rocks poorly buffering acid rains. The historical emission load from iron and steel production was hypothesised to be the cause of elevated Mn and Zn FECs in the Beskid Mountains, Czech Republic. Mn FECs in birch can be used to map historical soil acidification caused by industrial emissions. Zn FECs in birches can reflect soil contamination by this element.
Detecting and quantifying geochemical transport through the critical zone at the continental to r... more Detecting and quantifying geochemical transport through the critical zone at the continental to regional scale requires reliable statistical procedures that can be uniquely interpreted. We present methods that provide different views on the same data sets and formulate rules for their application and interpretation. The statistical analysis of cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) uses cumulative probability (CP) plots for spatially representative multi-element and multi-media data sets, preferably containing >1000 sites.Mathematical models demonstrate how contamination can influence elemental CDFs of different sample media. For example large-scale diffuse soil contamination leads to a distinctive shift of the low-concentration end of the distribution of the studied element in its top-soil CP plot, whereas high local contamination influences the high-concentration end. But also bio-geochemical processes can generate recognizable changes in elemental CDFs.A related and partly unsolved problem is the correct interpretation of compositional data in terms of their transport through the critical zone.
Newly compiled data from four mineral soil surveys covering the mid- and northern part of Norway ... more Newly compiled data from four mineral soil surveys covering the mid- and northern part of Norway will be presented. The Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) has re-analysed stored soil C-horizon samples, which were collected during two low-density soil surveys in the 1980s in Northern Norway (1 sample/36 km2). Recently, two new soil surveys covering all of Trøndelag, the county in the prolonging southern direction, have been carried out using the same sample density. All analyses were carried out in the same laboratory. Compared to the analyses from the 1980s, lower detection limits were obtained and results for many more elements than previously were reported. Quality control demonstrated that the analytical results from Trøndelag are, for most elements, directly comparable with the results from Northern Norway. It was thus possible to produce uniform geochemical maps covering Norway from Mid-Norway to the coast of the Barents Sea and the Russian/Norwegian border for many chemical ele...
Lead isotope measurements have been carried out using a high-resolution inductively-coupled plasm... more Lead isotope measurements have been carried out using a high-resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Finnigan MAT ELEMENT, configured with CD-1 option). The method can be applied to all types of geological samples brought into solution form. Three common lead standards are used for documentation of the method. Detection limits for 204Pb, 206Pb, 207Pb and 208Pb lie between 0.124 and 2.86 pg ml-1. Optimisation of scanning conditions at a count rate of approximately 200,000 cps for 206Pb and 207Pb, led to a relative standard deviation of 0.05% for the mean 207Pb/206Pb isotope ratio, based on 15 consecutive measurements. The method can be routinely applied to gain geochronological and petrological data for genetic studies of mineral deposits, including deposits of industrial minerals. Because of space charge effects in the skimmer cone region and mass-dependent sensitivity of the mass spectrometer, the measured intensity ratio of samples must generally be calibrated usi...
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Insufficient and fragmented management of TBAs might affect sustainable development both within a... more Insufficient and fragmented management of TBAs might affect sustainable development both within and beyond a country's borders. There are several examples worldwide of disagreements over whether a certain infrastructure scheme planned by one riparian country would have negative impacts on a riparian state. Transborder cooperation and knowledge of transboundary aquifers (TBAs) has evolved through an inventory under the convention on the protection and use of transboundary watercourses and international lakes (Water Convention) from 1992. Within EU countries, the Water Framework Directive (WFD), 2000/60/EC, intends to contribute to achieve the objectives of the Water Convention. The national groundwater management systems in Norway and Sweden and their implementation of the WFD has been studied as a case area. Emphasis has been placed on international river basin districts (IRBD) and transborder cooperation. The findings offer recommendations for authorities and policymakers on ho...
The Science of the total environment, Jan 15, 2018
Geochemical element separation is studied in 14 different sample media collected at 41 sites alon... more Geochemical element separation is studied in 14 different sample media collected at 41 sites along an approximately 100-km long transect north of Oslo. At each site, soil C and O horizons and 12 plant materials (birch/spruce/cowberry/blueberry leaves/needles and twigs, horsetail, braken fern, pine bark and terrestrial moss) were sampled. The observed concentrations of 29 elements (K, Ca, P, Mg, Mn, S, Fe, Zn, Na, B, Cu, Mo, Co, Al, Ba, Rb, Sr, Ti, Ni, Pb, Cs, Cd, Ce, Sn, La, Tl, Y, Hg, Ag) were used to investigate soil-plant relations, and to evaluate the element differentiation between different plants, or between foliage and twigs of the same plant. In relation to the soil C horizon, the O horizon is strongly enriched (O/C ratio > 5) in Ag, Hg, Cd, Sn, S and Pb. Other elements (B, K, Ca, P, S, Mn) show higher concentrations in the plants than in the substrate represented by the C horizon, and often even higher concentrations than in the soil O horizon. Elements like B, K, Ca, S...
Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) methods for high dimensional integrals over unit cubes and products of sp... more Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) methods for high dimensional integrals over unit cubes and products of spheres are well-studied in literature. We study QMC tractability of integrals of functions defined over the product of m copies of the simplex T d ⊂ R d. The domain is a tensor product of m reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces defined by 'weights' γ m,j , for j = 1, 2,. .. , m. Similar to the results on the unit cube in m dimensions, and the product of m copies of the d-dimensional sphere, we prove that strong polynomial tractability holds iff lim sup m→∞ m j=1 γ m,j < ∞ and polynomial tractability holds iff lim sup m→∞ m j=1 γ m,j log(m+1) < ∞. We also show that weak tractability holds iff lim m→∞ m j=1 γ m,j m = 0. The proofs employ Sobolev space techniques and weighted reproducing kernel Hilbert space techniques for the simplex and products of simplices as domain. Properties of orthogonal polynomials on a simplex are also used extensively.
Acid sulfate soils were investigated in a pilot study in the Alta area. The occurrence of the soi... more Acid sulfate soils were investigated in a pilot study in the Alta area. The occurrence of the soils are present close to the shoreline. ASS could be much more widespread in Norway that previously anticipated.
Los metales en los depositos de llanuras de inundacion pueden tener su origen tanto en fuentes na... more Los metales en los depositos de llanuras de inundacion pueden tener su origen tanto en fuentes naturales como antropogenicas y su movilidad depende de su origen asi como de las condiciones en las que se encuentran. El objetivo de este trabajo es caracterizar la influencia antropogenica sobre ellos, mediante el estudio de los contenidos de Pb, asi como de los ratios isotopicos de este elemento. Se han analizado tanto los contenidos totales en Pb, U y Th (ICP-MS + INAA), como los ratios de los isotopos: 206 Pb, 207 Pb y 208 Pb (ICP-SFMS). Se han seleccionado 16 perfiles de sedimentos de llanuras de inundacion en diversas cuencas fluviales a lo largo de la Peninsula Iberica. Cada uno de estos perfiles tiene unas caracteristicas concretas, bien por los usos del suelo (actividad antropogenica desarrollada en el area donde se encuentran), bien por las litologias que aportan el material a estos sedimentos. En todos los perfiles se espera algun tipo de influencia antropogenica. Se ha compro...
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Jan 8, 2024
In Central European mountain forests, foliar element concentrations (FECs) of manganese (Mn) in s... more In Central European mountain forests, foliar element concentrations (FECs) of manganese (Mn) in silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) are occasionally approximately 5000 mg kg −1 and can represent stress for these plants. Factors controlling the Mn FECs in silver birch in Central Europe and downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) in Norway have not yet been fully deciphered. In this study, the Central European silver birch specimens were sampled in 2022. The samples were analysed by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Norwegian data were obtained from the literature. Mn FECs are commonly negatively correlated with magnesium and, in certain areas, with potassium. Mn FECs are simultaneously elevated with zinc (Zn), likely because of soil acidification and anthropogenic emissions. Mn FECs in birch were previously thought to be related to altitude, which was assigned to (i) downslope washes of Mn or (ii) the historical load of acid emissions. The highest Mn FECs in silver birch were found in the Harz Mountains, Germany, and have been attributed to historical atmospheric contamination and the abundance of soils on felsic silicic rocks poorly buffering acid rains. The historical emission load from iron and steel production was hypothesised to be the cause of elevated Mn and Zn FECs in the Beskid Mountains, Czech Republic. Mn FECs in birch can be used to map historical soil acidification caused by industrial emissions. Zn FECs in birches can reflect soil contamination by this element.
Detecting and quantifying geochemical transport through the critical zone at the continental to r... more Detecting and quantifying geochemical transport through the critical zone at the continental to regional scale requires reliable statistical procedures that can be uniquely interpreted. We present methods that provide different views on the same data sets and formulate rules for their application and interpretation. The statistical analysis of cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) uses cumulative probability (CP) plots for spatially representative multi-element and multi-media data sets, preferably containing &gt;1000 sites.Mathematical models demonstrate how contamination can influence elemental CDFs of different sample media. For example large-scale diffuse soil contamination leads to a distinctive shift of the low-concentration end of the distribution of the studied element in its top-soil CP plot, whereas high local contamination influences the high-concentration end. But also bio-geochemical processes can generate recognizable changes in elemental CDFs.A related and partly unsolved problem is the correct interpretation of compositional data in terms of their transport through the critical zone.
Newly compiled data from four mineral soil surveys covering the mid- and northern part of Norway ... more Newly compiled data from four mineral soil surveys covering the mid- and northern part of Norway will be presented. The Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) has re-analysed stored soil C-horizon samples, which were collected during two low-density soil surveys in the 1980s in Northern Norway (1 sample/36 km2). Recently, two new soil surveys covering all of Trøndelag, the county in the prolonging southern direction, have been carried out using the same sample density. All analyses were carried out in the same laboratory. Compared to the analyses from the 1980s, lower detection limits were obtained and results for many more elements than previously were reported. Quality control demonstrated that the analytical results from Trøndelag are, for most elements, directly comparable with the results from Northern Norway. It was thus possible to produce uniform geochemical maps covering Norway from Mid-Norway to the coast of the Barents Sea and the Russian/Norwegian border for many chemical ele...
Lead isotope measurements have been carried out using a high-resolution inductively-coupled plasm... more Lead isotope measurements have been carried out using a high-resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Finnigan MAT ELEMENT, configured with CD-1 option). The method can be applied to all types of geological samples brought into solution form. Three common lead standards are used for documentation of the method. Detection limits for 204Pb, 206Pb, 207Pb and 208Pb lie between 0.124 and 2.86 pg ml-1. Optimisation of scanning conditions at a count rate of approximately 200,000 cps for 206Pb and 207Pb, led to a relative standard deviation of 0.05% for the mean 207Pb/206Pb isotope ratio, based on 15 consecutive measurements. The method can be routinely applied to gain geochronological and petrological data for genetic studies of mineral deposits, including deposits of industrial minerals. Because of space charge effects in the skimmer cone region and mass-dependent sensitivity of the mass spectrometer, the measured intensity ratio of samples must generally be calibrated usi...
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Insufficient and fragmented management of TBAs might affect sustainable development both within a... more Insufficient and fragmented management of TBAs might affect sustainable development both within and beyond a country's borders. There are several examples worldwide of disagreements over whether a certain infrastructure scheme planned by one riparian country would have negative impacts on a riparian state. Transborder cooperation and knowledge of transboundary aquifers (TBAs) has evolved through an inventory under the convention on the protection and use of transboundary watercourses and international lakes (Water Convention) from 1992. Within EU countries, the Water Framework Directive (WFD), 2000/60/EC, intends to contribute to achieve the objectives of the Water Convention. The national groundwater management systems in Norway and Sweden and their implementation of the WFD has been studied as a case area. Emphasis has been placed on international river basin districts (IRBD) and transborder cooperation. The findings offer recommendations for authorities and policymakers on ho...
The Science of the total environment, Jan 15, 2018
Geochemical element separation is studied in 14 different sample media collected at 41 sites alon... more Geochemical element separation is studied in 14 different sample media collected at 41 sites along an approximately 100-km long transect north of Oslo. At each site, soil C and O horizons and 12 plant materials (birch/spruce/cowberry/blueberry leaves/needles and twigs, horsetail, braken fern, pine bark and terrestrial moss) were sampled. The observed concentrations of 29 elements (K, Ca, P, Mg, Mn, S, Fe, Zn, Na, B, Cu, Mo, Co, Al, Ba, Rb, Sr, Ti, Ni, Pb, Cs, Cd, Ce, Sn, La, Tl, Y, Hg, Ag) were used to investigate soil-plant relations, and to evaluate the element differentiation between different plants, or between foliage and twigs of the same plant. In relation to the soil C horizon, the O horizon is strongly enriched (O/C ratio > 5) in Ag, Hg, Cd, Sn, S and Pb. Other elements (B, K, Ca, P, S, Mn) show higher concentrations in the plants than in the substrate represented by the C horizon, and often even higher concentrations than in the soil O horizon. Elements like B, K, Ca, S...
Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) methods for high dimensional integrals over unit cubes and products of sp... more Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) methods for high dimensional integrals over unit cubes and products of spheres are well-studied in literature. We study QMC tractability of integrals of functions defined over the product of m copies of the simplex T d ⊂ R d. The domain is a tensor product of m reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces defined by 'weights' γ m,j , for j = 1, 2,. .. , m. Similar to the results on the unit cube in m dimensions, and the product of m copies of the d-dimensional sphere, we prove that strong polynomial tractability holds iff lim sup m→∞ m j=1 γ m,j < ∞ and polynomial tractability holds iff lim sup m→∞ m j=1 γ m,j log(m+1) < ∞. We also show that weak tractability holds iff lim m→∞ m j=1 γ m,j m = 0. The proofs employ Sobolev space techniques and weighted reproducing kernel Hilbert space techniques for the simplex and products of simplices as domain. Properties of orthogonal polynomials on a simplex are also used extensively.
Acid sulfate soils were investigated in a pilot study in the Alta area. The occurrence of the soi... more Acid sulfate soils were investigated in a pilot study in the Alta area. The occurrence of the soils are present close to the shoreline. ASS could be much more widespread in Norway that previously anticipated.
Los metales en los depositos de llanuras de inundacion pueden tener su origen tanto en fuentes na... more Los metales en los depositos de llanuras de inundacion pueden tener su origen tanto en fuentes naturales como antropogenicas y su movilidad depende de su origen asi como de las condiciones en las que se encuentran. El objetivo de este trabajo es caracterizar la influencia antropogenica sobre ellos, mediante el estudio de los contenidos de Pb, asi como de los ratios isotopicos de este elemento. Se han analizado tanto los contenidos totales en Pb, U y Th (ICP-MS + INAA), como los ratios de los isotopos: 206 Pb, 207 Pb y 208 Pb (ICP-SFMS). Se han seleccionado 16 perfiles de sedimentos de llanuras de inundacion en diversas cuencas fluviales a lo largo de la Peninsula Iberica. Cada uno de estos perfiles tiene unas caracteristicas concretas, bien por los usos del suelo (actividad antropogenica desarrollada en el area donde se encuentran), bien por las litologias que aportan el material a estos sedimentos. En todos los perfiles se espera algun tipo de influencia antropogenica. Se ha compro...
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