Nature Of Area Research Articles

Electrochemical Performance of Symmetric Supercapacitor Based on Activated Carbon Biomass TiO2 Nanocomposites

A supercapacitor (SC) is an energy storage device with high energy density, high power density, long life cycle and a bundant material in nature.. Activated carbon based on coconut shell waste (ACCS) is one of the most promising supercapacitor base materials due to its abundance in nature, environmentally friendly, and high surface area. Activated carbon based on coconut shell (ACCS) waste is a potential material as a supercapacitor base material. This is because ACCS has undergone chemical and physical activation, has a high surface area, is abundant in nature, and is environmentally friendly. However, ACCS has common ionic transport diffusion, resulting in inefficient utilization of activated carbon surface area. Therefore, ACCS composite with TiO2 material is needed. TiO2 material with a small particle size can be used to reduce the aggregation so it can increase the electrolyte to an active redox site. Therefore, this research was conducted to obtain information about the most optimum activation method for ACCS biomass and the supercapacitors enhancement with ACCS-TiO2 composite to obtain great ionic diffusion performance and an effective surface area utilization. In brief, the experiment was started by preparing the composite solutions with various compositions of TiO2 (0%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). The deposition was carried out using the doctor blade technique on the aluminum foil based substrate and the liquid electrolyte of 1 M Et4NBF4 was injected between the electrodes. The crystal structure, morphology, and elemental analysis of the composite were identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), respectively. Charge Discharge was applied to measure the electrical performance of the device. The highest performance of symmetric supercapacitor was performed by TiO2 15% that able to show its cyclic reversibility at the voltage range of 0-2 V, generated a specific capacitance of 53.10 F g-1 with the power density and maximum energy density of 367.05 W kg-1 and 26.15 Wh kg-1, respectively. Over 50 cycles, its maximum energy density was decreased to 24.83 Wh kg-1 with the capacity retention of 94.64 %.

Sediment deficit and morphological change of the Rhine–Meuse river mouth attributed to multi-millennial anthropogenic impacts

Many delta systems worldwide are becoming increasingly urbanized following a variety of processes, including land reclamation, embanking, major engineering and port constructions, dredging and more. Here, we trace the development of one system, the Rhine–Meuse delta in the Netherlands (RMD) from two natural estuaries (the RME fed by the Rhine river and the HVL fed by the Meuse river) to a densely urbanized delta and the effect human activities have had on its morphology through time. Estuary outlines determined from palaeogeographical and old maps and tidal range at the estuary mouth were used to reconstruct basic estuary parameters. Depth distribution was predicted with a morphological tool. We have determined that the northern estuary, where port activities dominate, shows a stepwise deepening due to dredging for navigation. The southern port shows stepwise shallowing as humans closed off this branch from tidal action. Both estuaries show narrowing and loss of intertidal width over the past five centuries. The total loss of water volume has been -5.5 m3×109 since 1500 AD coinciding with major human intervention in the system, driven by the rapid economic boom during the mid 16th century. This has led to a reduction of intertidal areas and floodplains and long-term sediment shortage resulting in a myriad of problems, including increased flood risk, threats to bank protection and infrastructure and loss of nature areas. These problems will be exacerbated in coming centuries by predicted sea-level rise. Other urban deltas, unrestricted by engineering and dredging innovations which took place more gradually in earlier centuries, are now undergoing rapid changes in mere decades, changes which took hundreds of years in the RMD. Future predictions indicate that by 2050 the RMD will experience the highest loss of sediment in the 3500 year history of the system, despite these changes only occurring vertically (deepening) and not laterally (narrowing or embanking). This shows an urgent need to reconsider sediment management and spatial planning of port expansion in urbanized systems and the fate of such systems under climate change and rising sea-levels.

Visualising long distance sugar transport in fungi using infrared fluorescence scanning imaging

Mycelia of saprotrophic basidiomycetes can cover large areas in nature that are typified by their heterogeneous nutrient availability. This heterogeneity is overcome by long distance transport of nutrients within the hyphal network to sites where they are needed. It is therefore key to be able to study nutrient transport and its underlying mechanisms. An IRDye-conjugate was used for the first time for imaging transport in fungi. A method was set up for time-lapse, high spatial resolution infrared imaging of IRDye-labelled deoxyglucose (IRDye-DG) in Schizophyllum commune and Agaricus bisporus. Scanning imaging visualised the tracer in individual hyphae as well as deeper tissues in mushrooms (mm-cm depth). The advantage of using fluorescence scanning imaging of IRDye in contrast to radiolabelled tracers studies, is that a higher spatial resolution and higher sensitivity (244 fg/ml) can be obtained. Moreover, it has a large field of view (25 × 25 cm) compared to microscopy (µm-mm range), allowing relatively fast and detailed imaging of large dimension samples.

Freedom, joy and wonder as existential categories of childhood – reflections on experiences and memories of outdoor play

ABSTRACT This study conveys how young adults reflect upon their childhood experiences and memories of outdoor play, friluftsliv and outdoor places. Inspired by a phenomenological approach, we conducted walking interviews in nature areas where they used to play as children, revisiting the same informants and places as in a research project 14 years earlier. Today the respondents emphasise the experience of freedom encompassing joy, wonder and communication with surrounding nature and people, associating it with autonomy and self-determination. Joy, wonder and communication in someone’s experience are subjective existential categories often used to characterise friluftsliv in outdoor education. Personally meaningful to the young adults, these experiences have become important parts of who they are today. These results differ from previous research on outdoor play as it highlights freedom, joy and wonder. Based on this, we argue for facilitating self-directed outdoor play, and emphasize conscious choice of location for outdoor pedagogical work.

Porous Aluminum-Based Metal-Organic Framework-Aminoclay Nanocomposite: Sustainable Synthesis and Ultrahigh Sorption of Cephalosporin Antibiotics.

A novel sorbent was synthesized based on MIL-53(Al) MOF grown over an aminoclay (AC) platform, called MIL-53(Al)@AC nanocomposite, via a green and facile hydrothermal method. The nanocomposite was characterized using FT-IR, PXRD, BET, TEM, FESEM, EDS, XPS, TGA, DLS, and zeta potential analyses. BET analysis represented the porous nature and great surface area of MIL-53(Al)@AC. The high crystalline structure for the synthesized nanocomposite was verified using the PXRD pattern. FESEM, EDS, TEM, and XPS analysis proved the successful decoration of MIL-53(Al) over the AC platform. Cephalosporin antibiotics cefixime (CFX) and cephalexin (CPX), which are often present in wastewaters, were utilized to examine the sorption capacity of the nanocomposite. The significant influential factors such as pH, temperature, sorbent amount, ionic strength, and impurity were discussed. At an initial pH of 7.0 ± 0.1, the highest sorption capacities of CFX and CPX on MIL-53(Al)@AC were 784.14 and 747.91 mg g-1 (T = 298 K, and sorbent amount = 0.1 g L-1), which were 1.43 and 1.47 times greater compared to that of MIL-53(Al), respectively. The evaluation of experimental results was implemented through the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. The isothermal data were described nobly by the Freundlich isotherm, which confirmed multilayer adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces (R2 > 0.970). A kinetic study indicated that the nanocomposite could adsorb the majority of cephalosporin antibiotics within 30 min. In addition, the experimental data were evaluated via pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models. The results indicated that the pseudo-second-order equation agreed more closely with the kinetic data (R2 > 0.990). Furthermore, the processes of adsorption were exothermic and spontaneous. The electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic interaction, π-π electron donor-acceptor effect, H-bond, and π-π stacking constituted the main sorption mechanisms. Finally, MIL-53(Al)@AC presented an excellent regeneration performance. Thus, the results revealed the potential application of the MIL-53(Al)@AC nanocomposite for water remediation.

Saddling effect of underlying contracts on sales performance: a multi-group analysis in the takaful industry

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of information overload (referred to as the saddling effect in this study) of underlying contracts on the sales performance of the salesforce at takaful institutions with special reference to addressing the heterogeneous effect among distribution channels. Design/methodology/approach A total of 311 samples were collected from the sales professionals of the takaful industry in Malaysia using a purposive sampling technique and the empirical analysis was conducted with the measures of model fit and bootstrapping technique using partial least square structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis. Findings Empirical results indicate that the saddling effect of the underlying contracts is evident among salesforce and the magnitude of the impact was found to be heterogeneous between the groups of salesforces in different distribution channels. Practical implications Findings recommend respective authorities of takaful institutions to intensify capacity building for their salesforce, particularly in the area of shariah knowledge and nature of underlying Islamic contracts used in the takaful products. A significant heterogeneous effect between distribution channels suggests that the actions and policy formulations should be diverse between the salesforce at different distribution channels and higher attention should be catered for the salesforce at the direct selling channel. Originality/value The increased information expectation (i.e. underlying contract knowledge) on takaful salesforce and its impact on their sales performance have not been documented before. The increase in information may create a burdening effect or what is referred to in this study as the information or knowledge “saddling effect.” If a saddling effect is identified, this may be a formidable reason for the slowing growth of the takaful industry in the respective market. It is expected that the outcome of this study would assist not only to fill the gap in the literature of personnel selling in the takaful industry but also will assist the takaful institutions in formulating appropriate policies for tackling the issue of the saddling effect of underlying contracts.

MANAGEMENT OF LANDSCAPES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF NATURE PROTECTION

INTRODUCTION
 In Latvia, the most important landscape areas and sites have historically been included in various categories of specially protected nature territories (SPNT). This approach is also established in the regulatory framework. According to the law “On Specially Protected Nature Territories”, the common goal of protected territories is to include the protection and conservation of unique, beautiful and Latvian-characteristic landscapes. However, only half of the eight identified categories of protected territories – national parks, biosphere reserve, nature parks and protected landscape areas – take landscape-related aspects into consideration. Practically all of these specially protected nature areas were also included in the network of Natura 2000 sites, the main purpose of which is to ensure the protection of protected biotopes and specially protected species habitats. To assess issues of whether nature conservation creates synergies with landscape management and to what extent, we performed quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 The calculation uses data from the European Environment Agency's NATURA 2000 database for these areas – (SPNT area) and biotopes (the area of protected habitats). For the map display of the proportion of specially protected nature areas and the included protected biotopes, ArcGIS mapping software was used. The spatial data layers on SPNT’s are derived from the nature data management system OZOLS. Likewise, an analysis of the long-term protection targets of SPNT’s has been carried out by summarising the keywords therein. The descriptive words are displayed with text visualisation tools that illustrate the words according to their frequency of mention.
 RESULTS
 The proportion of protected biotopes is determined for all 55 landscape-related SPNT’s in line with the law “On Specially Protected Nature Territories” (4 national parks, 42 nature parks, and 9 protected landscape areas). The average proportion of protected biotopes in the landscape-related SPNT’s is 21%; however, its range is very wide – from 5% to 98%. When assessing the proportion of protected biotopes by SPNT category, there are no significant differences between nature parks, national parks and protected landscape areas – the proportion of protected biotopes varies from 20% in nature parks to 23% in protected landscape areas. The most frequently mentioned descriptive word in the long-term protection targets of SPNT’s is biotope protection, while in one fifth of the considered SPNT’s, the long-term protection targets don’t even include landscape-related aspects.
 DISCUSSION
 The study results revealed the different approach to defining SPNT’s in Latvia, the individual non-conformities in relation to the regulatory framework, as well as a number of challenges to landscape management. The analysis of nature conservation targets shows that the main emphasis is on the protection of habitats and species; however, landscape-related aspects are also defined generally. Characteristics such as socio-economic development, recreation, cultural and historical heritage, landscape values, tourism, nature education are mentioned. In the context of landscapes, the long-term goals most often mention cultural and historical heritage, landscape conservation, landscape structure and aesthetic value; however, these goals are general, mostly only detecting that the site has a landscape value and expressing the need to preserve it. The performed analysis of the targets and the relatively small proportion of biotopes in the Natura 2000 areas indicate that the ecological network in Latvia should be improved, not only by specifying the protected areas, but also by a more targeted separation of conditions for nature protection and for landscape management in the regulatory framework. In particular, in view of the fact that landscape management in Latvia is primarily implemented through spatial planning.

Impact assessment of emissions from energy facilities on the Baikal natural area

This work aims to establish a technology for conducting a comprehensive assessment of the impact of energy facilities on the environment. The proposed strategy combines regulatory methods for calculating pollutant emissions and dispersion, as well as the laboratory findings on pollutant content in snow samples. To assist the technology, a scientific prototype of an intelligent decision-making support system known as WIAIS (Web-oriented Impact Assessment Information System) was developed. The proposed technology includes three principal stages: calculating the quantitative indicators of pollutant emissions, calculating the pollutant dispersion in the atmosphere, examining snow samples for the pollutant content and comparing them with the obtained results. For practical evaluation of the proposed technology, a computational experiment was performed, which assessed the impact of emissions from the boiler plants located in the Baikal natural area and powered by different types of coal. The testing was performed using the data on 48 boiler plants of various installed capacities having different equipment and located all over the Baikal nature area. Data on the main pollutants emitted by energy facilities (sulfates, nitrogen oxides, solids) were obtained. Quantitative indicators of pollutant emissions were established; thus, the total volume of pollutants amounts to 18.33 thousand tons/year. Furthermore, the largest sources of pollutants were identified, including boiler plants in Slyudyanka, Elantsy settlement, Severobaikalsk, and Nizhneangarsk settlement. Therefore, the proposed methodology can be used for environmental assessments of the existing power plants, as well as for designing new power facilities and developing recommendations for reducing pollutant emissions.

The effect of first- and second-generation antipsychotics on brain morphology in schizophrenia: A systematic review of longitudinal magnetic resonance studies with a randomized allocation to treatment arms.

Schizophrenia manifests as loss of brain volume in specific areas in a progressive nature and an important question concerns whether long-term treatment with medications contributes to this. The aim of the current PRISMA systematic review was to search for prospective studies involving randomization to treatment. PROSPERO ID: CRD42020197874. The MEDLINE/PUBMED was searched and it returned 2638 articles; 3 were fulfilling the inclusion criteria. A fourth was published later; they included 359 subjects, of whom 86 were healthy controls, while the rest were first-episode patients, with 91 under olanzapine, 93 under haloperidol, 48 under risperidone, 5 under paliperidone, 6 under ziprasidone, and 30 under placebo. Probably one-third of patients were suffering from a psychotic disorder other than schizophrenia. The consideration of their results suggested that there is no significant difference between these medications concerning their effects on brain structure and also in comparison to healthy subjects. There does not seem to be any strong support to the opinion that medications that treat psychosis cause loss of brain volume in patients with schizophrenia. On the contrary, the data might imply the possible presence of a protective effect for D2, 5-HT2, and NE alpha-2 antagonists (previously called SGAs). However, the literature is limited and focused research in large study samples is essential to clarify the issue, since important numerical differences do exist. The possibility of the results and their heterogeneity to be artifacts secondary to a modification of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal by antipsychotics should not be easily rejected until relevant data are available.

Detection of forest roads in Sentinel-2 images using U-Net

This paper presents a new method for semi-automatic detection of nature interventions inSentinel-2 satellite images with 10 m spatial resolution. The Norwegian Environment Agency ismaintaining a map of undisturbed nature in Norway. U-Net was used for automated detection ofnew roads, as these are often the cause whenever the area of undisturbed nature is reduced. Themethod was able to detect many new roads, but with some false positives and possibly some falsenegatives (i.e., missing new roads). In conclusion, we have demonstrated that automated detection ofnew roads, for the purpose of updating the map of undisturbed nature, is possible. We have alsosuggested several improvements of the method to improve its usefulness.

Mapping important roost sites for waders to alleviate human-waterbird conflicts in the Danish Wadden Sea

The coastal zone is subject to growing recreational human activity, which may compromise the suitability of coastal habitats for coastal wildlife. Waders rely extensively on the coastal zone, and they are easily disturbed by human activity when they congregate in large flocks at communal high tide roost sites. To ensure sustainable future development of outdoor recreational activities, emphasis has been given on differentiating between areas prioritized for nature conservation and areas open to human recreation, but only rarely have nature conservation interests been mapped explicitly on a fine spatial scale. The Danish Wadden Sea has recently been identified as a high-conflict area between outdoor activities and waterbirds, and in this paper, we apply 40 years of bird counts covering 12 wader species to build a priority map identifying the most important areas for the future conservation of waders in the region. We outline the most important areas for roosting waders across the Danish Wadden Sea, describe the preferred habitats used for roosting at high tide and assess the persistence of importance of individual areas across 4 decades. Our analysis indicates that importance changes only little even on long temporal scales, demonstrating that the presented priority map will be a useful tool for managers and policy makers when planning the sharing of the Wadden Sea between humans and waders. As such, spatially referenced long-term monitoring data may significantly improve the scientific basis underpinning decision- and policymaking, and ensure that nature conservation interests are explicitly accounted for.

Estimated acceptable critical load values for the ecosystem at the Russian Far East using EANET monitoring data

Abstract Natural ecosystems have become at risk due to the accelerating industrial and technological development over the past century accompanied by increasing pollutant emissions into the atmosphere. It realized mostly by means of matter overloads into nature areas caused by deposition of pollutants, especially sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which can significantly affect to change ecosystem state and on substance migration. The Critical Loads method is used to assess the sustainability of ecosystems exposed to atmospheric deposition. The corresponding maximum intake of sulfur and nitrogen is estimated based on the scheme of the stationary mass balance of ions in soil solutions. The critical loads were calculated for estimating the risk threshold of acid deposition for the ecosystem of the Russian Far East using the results of regular monitoring at the EANET Primorskaya station.

High Performance Copper Based Metal Organic Framework for Removal of Heavy Metals From Wastewater

The biggest challenge of this century is the generation of wastewater which is released to the environment due to industrial expansion. Industrial development has caused the release of various pollutants including heavy metals such as Cd, Pb, and Cr into the environment. In this study, copper diphenylamine metal-organic framework (Cu-DPA MOF) has been synthesized via hydrothermal method and its adsorption capacity toward the removal of heavy metals from wastewater was examined. The removal efficiency of heavy metals by Cu-DPA MOF was tested at optimized adsorption parameters such as optimal adsorbent dosage, pH, initial metals concentration, and adsorption time. The heavy metals concentration in the wastewater before treated with the as-synthesized MOF was determined to be 0.3027, 0.0098, and 0.1021 mg/L for Cr, Cd, and Pb, respectively. The corresponding concentrations of heavy metals in wastewater were reduced to 0.0015, 0.00024, and 0.00016 mg/L when treated with the as-synthesized MOF. As a result, a maximum removal efficiency of 97.6%, 99.5%, and 99.5% was achieved for Cd, Cr, and Pb metals, respectively. This is possibly due to the high porous nature and huge surface area of the as-synthesized MOF. The adsorption data were best fitted with Freundlich isotherm throughout this study. The study sheds light on the design of adsorbents with high removal efficiency of pollutants found in the environment.

On-site communication measures as a tool in outdoor recreation management: a systematic map protocol

BackgroundCommunication is a central tool in managing the balance between outdoor recreation and environmental protection. Several studies have evaluated different communication measures in nature area case studies, but rarely are these measures compared across contexts. We systematically map the literature guided by the question, what is the evidence base of on-site communication in outdoor recreation to change human behavior towards a more sustainable direction? Taking vulnerable natural areas as our starting point, we map distribution and abundance of communication measures, study design and outcome-related themes.MethodsThe target population for our mapping review (hereafter review) are outdoor recreationists and nature-based tourists who visit natural or near-natural settings. We will examine the studies that have crafted written, oral and visual intervention measures to change behavior by using persuasion, education and information instead of legal restrictions or bans. Some examples of challenges addressed with communication measures are proper waste disposal, using designated trails, minimizing wear and tear at campsites, avoid disturbing wildlife, and encouraging appropriate and safe behavior. No geographic restrictions will be applied but we will focus on protected areas. We will search publication databases for peer-reviewed published articles using internet and specialist searches to identify grey literature in English. We will screen first by title, followed by abstract and finally full text. For each article selected for full-text screening, metadata will be extracted on key variables of interest.The extracted data from the coding will be used to group and compare the studies to reveal knowledge gaps and knowledge clusters. We will briefly describe findings from the included studies. The review will help identify what type of human behavior researchers have addressed with communication in nature management and conservation. In addition it will highlight which communication measures are frequently used in each behavioral context. It will identify which frameworks and communication theories have been the basis for designing intervention measures and provide support to practitioners and researchers in future framing and implementation of communication measures in natural settings.

A Composting Bedding System for Animals as a Contribution to the Circular Economy

By-products from forestry, agriculture and nature areas are used in compost bedded-pack housing (CBP) systems for animals. In this communication, we discuss the application of a CBP system to animal farms and aspects related to the recycling and reuse of the materials in the context of a circular economy. This study is based on data from ongoing projects and literature. The following systems are discussed: (i) composting material applied to a specialized animal housing system; (ii) adding a horticultural component to the animal farm by reusing the compost, and (iii) a cooperative mixed cattle and crop farming system. The success of integrating a compost bedding component in the system depends largely on the skills of managing the composting process, the application of the material in the field, and the cost of acquiring the material. When materials are amply available, then a real contribution to the circular economy can be made. Cooperation between farmers in the utilization of by-products is another route to a more circular economy. Moreover, the analyzed systems can be seen as a Greenhouse Gases (GHG) mitigation practice because they store carbon in the soil and improve soil quality.

Development of requirements for design and steps for protection of the environment, illustrated by two major bridge projects in Denmark

This paper describes how the Danish Road Directorate (DRD) works with the development and execution of construction of large infrastructure projects. The paper covers two parts: On the one hand the framework for reducing climate and environmental impact, and on the other the challenge of norms and standards. As cases, we will use two major bridge projects. As part of the basis for decisions the planning phase of infrastructure projects aims at providing the best way of meeting society's need for mobility, yet balancing many factors such as cost, time and environmental impact. The latter includes using the latest knowledge on climate and environmental impact as well as on the life cycle from cradle to grave of the infrastructure as input for a focused and cost-effective climate action. The planning also comprises factors that determine how biodiversity can be maintained as well as other considerations for the surrounding environment, including protected nature and habitat areas. This is exemplified by the new Roskilde Fjord Link project. Another major project, the future road and railway bridge crossing the Storstrøm, provides examples of the optimization of the design assumptions, considering the risks associated with the geotechnical conditions and relevant load conditions such as ice and ship impact.

Functional differences in scavenger communities and the speed of carcass decomposition.

Carcass decomposition largely depends on vertebrate scavengers. However, how behavioral differences between vertebrate scavenger species, the dominance of certain species, and the diversity of the vertebrate scavenger community affect the speed of carcass decomposition is poorly understood. As scavenging is an overlooked trophic interaction, studying the different functional roles of vertebrate species in the scavenging process increases our understanding about the effect of the vertebrate scavenger community on carcass decomposition. We used motion‐triggered infrared camera trap footages to profile the behavior and activity of vertebrate scavengers visiting carcasses in Dutch nature areas. We grouped vertebrate scavengers with similar functional roles. We found a clear distinction between occasional scavengers and more specialized scavengers, and we found wild boar (Sus scrofa) to be the dominant scavenger species in our study system. We showed that these groups are functionally different within the scavenger community. We found that overall vertebrate scavenger diversity was positively correlated with carcass decomposition speed. With these findings, our study contributes to the understanding about the different functional roles scavengers can have in ecological communities.

An Ecofeminist Study of Saul Bellow’s Herzog

Saul Bellow is a famous Jewish American writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976 for Herzog, which is about the life of an intellectual after his divorce from his second wife, and the author has created a number of distinctive female characters and ecological thinking in the book. This paper makes a close reading of Herzog from the perspective of ecofeminism, analyzing the state of urban nature and rural areas in the industrial society, as well as the situation of traditional women and modern women in the patriarchal society, and then revealing the oppression of nature and women in the context of anthropocentrism and male hegemony. This paper aims to arouse people’s reflection on the situation of women and nature, so as to achieve harmony between human and nature.

Greenhouse gas dynamics in an urbanized river system: influence of water quality and land use.

Rivers act as a natural source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, anthropogenic activities can largely alter the chemical composition and microbial communities of rivers, consequently affecting their GHG production. To investigate these impacts, we assessed the accumulation of CO2, CH4, and N2O in an urban river system (Cuenca, Ecuador). High variation of dissolved GHG concentrations was found among river tributaries that mainly depended on water quality and land use. By using Prati and Oregon water quality indices, we observed a clear pattern between water quality and the dissolved GHG concentration: the more polluted the sites were, the higher were their dissolved GHG concentrations. When river water quality deteriorated from acceptable to very heavily polluted, the mean value of pCO2 and dissolved CH4 increased by up to ten times while N2O concentrations boosted by 15 times. Furthermore, surrounding land-use types, i.e., urban, roads, and agriculture, could considerably affect the GHG production in the rivers. Particularly, the average pCO2 and dissolved N2O of the sites close to urban areas were almost four times higher than those of the natural sites while this ratio was 25 times in case of CH4, reflecting the finding that urban areas had the worst water quality with almost 70% of their sites being polluted while this proportion of nature areas was only 12.5%. Lastly, we identified dissolved oxygen, ammonium, and flow characteristics as the main important factors to the GHG production by applying statistical analysis and random forests. These results highlighted the impacts of land-use types on the production of GHGs in rivers contaminated by sewage discharges and surface runoff.

Outdoor recreation in Sweden during and after the COVID-19 pandemic – management and policy implications

This paper reports results from three studies concerning outdoor recreation participation and trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. The studies, undertaken at national, regional and local levels, used surveys, interviews and PPGIS approaches, to build a solid knowledge base. Results are analyzed with particular attention given to management and policy implications based on the following observations: increased outdoor recreation participation, changes in lifestyle and routines, new visitor profiles and activity trends, spatial changes, visitor displacement, spatial redistribution, and indications of post-pandemic outdoor recreation behavior. The Swedish case is of special interest because of high accessibility to nature areas and few restrictions to recreate in nature due to the pandemic. Hence, this study could serve as a reference for other countries with more COVID-19 related restrictions and less accessible nature for recreation.