Central Sweden Research Articles

Informal caregivers' experiences of support from a tailored primary healthcare unit for older adults - A focus group study.

Informal caregivers are an essential part of health and social care systems worldwide. As such, they may need professional support. The aim of this study was to describe informal caregivers' experiences and need for support from a tailored primary health care (PHC) unit. This is a qualitative descriptive study using data collected from five semi-structured focus group discussions with a purposeful sample of 16 informal caregivers of older relatives. Respondents were recruited from a tailored PHC unit for people aged 75 years or older in a region in central Sweden. The data were analysed by qualitative content analysis with an abductive approach, based on the principles of the patient- and family-centred care framework. The overarching theme was 'Striving for partnership'. The findings indicate that informal caregivers to some extent felt supported by the healthcare professionals. However, the caregivers expressed a need to be further acknowledged by the professionals in order to participate in the care of their older relatives in the way they wanted. Moreover, insufficient information regarding the older adult's health condition and care provided by the professionals had a negative impact on the caregiver's participation in care. Informal caregivers have unmet needs for support and strive for a partnership with the PHC professionals. PHC professionals should be more attentive and invite informal caregivers to participate in the care of the older adult in order to meet their support needs and build an equal partnership. The patient- and family-centred care framework may be of guidance when providing care for older adults in a PHC context.

Lake survival of hatchery‐reared adfluvial brown trout—A case study in a large natural lake in Sweden

AbstractThroughout their native range, adfluvial brown trout populations have declined due to habitat degradation and over exploitation. As a consequence, numerous restoration projects that include stocking of hatchery‐reared trout have been conducted; however, estimates of survival in large lakes remain scarce. Here, we use telemetry to evaluate the survival of stocked trout smolts and sub‐adults in a large lake in central Sweden. Of the smolts released in the main tributary, 42% entered the lake. Both life stages suffered high rates of mortality. Only 8% of smolts survived the first 10 months after entering the lake and 10% of those released as sub‐adults survived 23 months post‐release. In agreement with studies on anadromous trout, we conclude that stocking of hatchery‐reared individuals is not an efficient method to recover population numbers due to poor performance in the wild. Similar studies from other large lakes and comparisons with wild conspecifics would increase the applicability of the results and promote further understanding of the utilization of hatchery‐origin trout to rebuild wild populations and sustain fisheries.

Principal components analysis and K-means clustering of till geochemical data: Mapping and targeting of prospective areas for lithium exploration in Västernorrland Region, Sweden

To achieve the demand for elements used for the green transition energy, such as lithium, it is necessary to recognize the spatial distribution of the concentrations of these elements in different earth materials such as bedrock and soil and to identify areas with anomalous concentrations of such elements (i.e., mineralization) for further exploration and hopefully exploitation. This study carried out multivariate statistical analyses on compositional (i.e., element concentration) data from till samples to recognize areas that likely contain lithium pegmatite mineralization in the Västernorrland region, central Sweden. We applied principal components analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering techniques to reveal regional-scale patterns in the till geochemical data. We demonstrate that these two methods have potential for recognition of geochemical anomalies related to the underlying bedrock geology as well as to mineralization. The results of PCA- and K-means clustering were validated using known occurrences of lithium mineralization. Two different datasets were compared; one containing all available geochemical data and the second containing only available trace elements in the dataset and it was found that anomalous clusters of samples defined by K-means clustering have anomalous multi-element signatures defined by robust PCA. This demonstrated that principal components are the continuous solutions to the discrete cluster members for the K-means clustering. The results show that both PCA and K-means clustering of till geochemical datasets at the early stages of exploration and target generation may reveal useful information that can be used to identify potential areas for more detailed mapping or exploration activities.

Retention forestry amplifies microclimate buffering in boreal forests

Retention forestry is increasingly adopted as an alternative to clearcutting practices and involves retaining structural and compositional complexity (e.g., living and dead trees) from preharvest to postharvest. Past studies have examined the role of retention forestry in supporting various ecosystem functions and biodiversity, whilst its microclimate buffering capacity has been largely neglected. We investigated the microclimates and the underlying mechanisms of retention forests relative to clearcuts and old forests in a boreal forest landscape in central Sweden. We found that both air temperature and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) differed significantly between the forest types. Old forests consistently exhibited the most buffered forest microclimates, followed by retention forests, while clearcuts displayed the lowest. Basal area and canopy cover were identified as the key determinants influencing air temperature and VPD across the forest types. Retention practices can also impact a stand's microclimates. Specifically, maintaining diverse tree species had the potential to lower the stand's maximum temperature, given its positive association with canopy cover. Large volumes of lying deadwood were found to be negatively correlated with both basal area and canopy cover, likely contributing to increased maximum temperatures. Furthermore, standing deadwood directly lowered the maximum temperature within forest stands. Finally, edge effects were observed in the retention forests, with south-facing edges experiencing significantly higher maximum temperature and VPD compared to north-facing edges and forest interiors. These south-facing edge effects were positively associated with the difference in lying deadwood volumes between forest edges and interiors. Our findings support the positive influence of retention practices on a stand's microclimate buffering, achieved through preserving diverse tree species, standing deadwood, and implementing measures to prevent severe wind-induced tree mortality, particularly in south-facing edges (e.g. creating south-facing buffer zones). Forest managers and policy makers can utilize these results to minimize the climate-change impacts on below-canopy biodiversity and functioning.

School principals’ role in promoting physical activity for inactive children in school settings: An exploratory study

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the school principal’s role in promoting physical activity for inactive children in school settings. Design: Exploratory qualitative interview study. Setting: The study was conducted in seven elementary schools in central Sweden. Method: Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with eight school principals. Theories of bioecology and teacher agency informed the study and shed light on the environmental factors and resources affecting school principals’ efforts to promote physical activity for inactive children. Result: The most common strategy school principals described was to delegate responsibility for planning organised activities to dedicated school personnel working with the children. In their leadership role, principals described having the power and opportunity to recruit school personnel with positive attitudes towards promoting physical activity, which likely increases inactive children’s opportunities to engage in PA. Conclusion: When provided the adequate resources, and by virtue of their management position within the school, principals have the opportunity to make a difference to promote PA for inactive children. Delegating responsibility to school personnel may however create unequal PA opportunities, and if there are no initiators dedicated to this work, inactive children may be left out of PA opportunities in school.

Validation of primary and outcome data quality in a Swedish population-based breast cancer quality registry

BackgroundPopulation-based cancer quality registries are of great importance for the improvement of cancer care. However, little is known about the quality of recurrence data in cancer quality registries. The aim of this study was to evaluate data quality in the regional Breast Cancer Quality Registry of Central Sweden, with emphasis on the validity of recorded information on recurrence.MethodsValidation by re-abstraction was performed on a random sample of 800 women with primary invasive breast cancer stage I-III diagnosed between 1993 and 2010, of which 400 had at least one registered recurrence and 400 had no registered recurrence. Registry data were compared with data from medical records. Exact agreement, correlation and kappa values, sensitivity and specificity were calculated.ResultsSeven hundred forty-seven women (93%) were available for analysis. Exact agreement was high for diagnostics, tumor characteristics, surgery, and adjuvant oncological treatment (90% or more for most variables). The registry’s sensitivity was low for regional recurrence (47%), but higher for local and distant recurrence (80% and 75%), whereas specificity was overall high (≥ 95%). Combining all recurrence categories irrespective of localization improved sensitivity to 90% with a specificity of 91%. In 87% of women, the date of first recurrence according to medical records fell within ± 90 days of the date recorded in the registry.ConclusionsWhile the quality of data in the regional Breast Cancer Quality Registry was generally high, data accuracy on recurrences was lower. The overall precision of identifying any recurrence, irrespective of localization, was high. However, the accuracy of classification of recurrences (local, regional or distant) was lower, with evidence of underreporting for each of the recurrence categories. Given the importance of recurrence-related outcomes in the assessment of quality of care, efforts should be made to improve the reporting of recurrences.

Pärlugglans Aegolius funereus häckningsekologi i en jämtländsk population 1976–1985

A long-term Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus nest box project ran 1976–1985 in central Sweden. Average occupancy among 200 nest boxes was 16% (range 0–54%) with average clutch size 6.0 eggs and number of fledged per successful breeding 4.6, while 41% of breeding attempts failed, primarily due to predation by pine marten Martes martes or desertion by the female. The highest observed breeding density was 0.9 breedings/km2. Five cases of bigamy were observed. Females weighed 50% more than males during egg laying and incubation, probably because of pre-emptive weight gain to compensate for the risk of subsequent changes to food availability. The male provisioned both the female and chicks for most of the breeding period, mainly with small rodents (87%). Population sizes of small rodents fluctuated in 3–4-year cycles. Reproduction was successful during phases of increasing rodent density (1977–1978, 1980–1981, and 1984–1985), while almost no breedings were initiated during nadir years (1976, 1979, and 1982–1983). Ringing recoveries suggested that juveniles recruited into the local population in years with abundant food resources, but dispersed if food availability was declining. Adult females were often nomadic, while most males were resident.

Methods for inclusive design processes at the early stages of a research project in School Environments

This paper explores the use of participatory methods prior to designing interventions within a research project at a primary school in central Sweden. The approach presented in the paper is based on the principles of participatory design (PD), to enhance the use of these methods within the areas of educational research (ER), lighting, and architecture. This approach aims to include participants of educational spaces and incorporate their views prior to design interventions. Two workshops were designed to support teachers’ participation through hands-on activities. Twenty-eight teachers participated in the workshops. Scale models corresponding to two of the school’s classrooms were used to initiate discussions regarding the interconnection between spatial layouts, lighting, and learning activities. The workshops’ data collection analysis assisted the research group in understanding the school’s spatial and learning characteristics. The information gathered from the workshops provided additional knowledge and informed the research project in a way that allowed for further development and changes within the project related to the additional variables measured along with light. According to the analysis, there is a correlation between the activity and the desired layout of the space, while the type of equipment also varies according to the task.

Interactions between soil structure dynamics, hydrological processes, and organic matter cycling: A new soil‐crop model

AbstractThe structure of soil is critical for the ecosystem services it provides since it regulates many key soil processes, including water, air and solute movement, root growth and the activity of soil biota. Soil structure is dynamic, driven by external factors such as land management and climate and mediated by a wide range of biological agents and physical processes operating at strongly contrasting time‐scales, from seconds (e.g., tillage) to many decades (e.g., faunal activity and soil aggregation). In this respect, positive feedbacks in the soil–plant system may lead in the longer term to soil physical degradation or to the recovery of structurally poor soils. As far as we are aware, no existing soil‐crop model can account for such processes. In this paper, we describe a new soil‐crop model (USSF, Uppsala model of Soil Structure and Function) that accounts for the effects of soil structure dynamics on water and organic matter cycling at the soil profile scale. Soil structure dynamics are expressed as time‐varying physical (bulk density, porosity) and hydraulic properties (water retention, hydraulic conductivity) responding to the activity of biological agents (i.e., earthworms, plant roots) and physical processes (i.e., tillage, soil swell‐shrink) at seasonal to decadal time‐scales. In this first application of the model, we present the results of 30‐year scenario simulations that illustrate the potential role and importance of soil structure dynamics for the soil water balance, carbon storage in soil, root growth, and winter wheat yields on two soils (loam and clay) in the climate of central Sweden. A sensitivity analysis was also performed for these two scenarios using the Morris method of elementary effects, which revealed that the most sensitive parameters controlling soil structure dynamics in the USSF model are those determining aggregation induced by organic matter turnover and swell/shrink. We suggest that the USSF model is a promising new tool to investigate a wide range of processes and phenomena triggered by land use and climate change. Results from this study show that feedback in the soil‐crop system mediated by the dynamics of soil physical and hydraulic properties are potentially of central importance for long‐term predictions of soil water balance, crop production, and carbon sequestration under global change.

Freeze-thaw effects on pore space and hydraulic properties of compacted soil and potential consequences with climate change

Freezing and thawing affect the pore-space structure in agricultural soils with implications for soil hydraulic properties and water flow. Previous studies have focused on the upper few centimeters of the tilled topsoil, where most freeze-thaw (FT) cycles occur, even though deeper soil layers are also subject to freezing and thawing in cold climates. Thus, little is known about how freezing and thawing affect untilled soil layers, which often show high bulk densities that restrict vertical water movement. Furthermore, it remains unclear how shifts in FT patterns with climate change may change the pore-space structure and water flow through these soil layers. Here we investigated the effects of freezing and thawing on X-ray imaged pore-space characteristics, water retention and near-saturated hydraulic conductivity (K) in untilled soil directly below plough depth. Intact cores were sampled at two sites in central Sweden under the same long-term reduced tillage management. The two soils, a silt loam and a silty clay loam, were subjected to three FT scenarios in a laboratory environment intended to represent FT patterns that are considered likely under current and future winter conditions for this region. The latter scenario was characterised by more FT cycles and a lower freezing temperature. Freezing and thawing increased K in the near-saturated range in both soils, which we attribute to observed small (<0.01 mm3 mm−3) increases in the volume of pores of diameters close to the X-ray resolution limit. Concomitant increases in pore network connectivity and critical pore diameter, especially in the denser silty clay loam soil, probably contributed to this increase in K. The water retention data suggested that changes in pore-space characteristics below X-ray resolution also occurred in both soils. Furthermore, our results indicate that both soils may show higher drainage rates due to shifts in FT patterns in the future, although longer-term changes in pore-space structure with an increasing number of FT cycles would mostly be limited to soils with relatively high clay contents. These soils are often more compacted below plough depth and, thus, benefits from improvements in soil structure such as improved root growth and plant water supply are also expected to be larger.

Rubber-Tracked Forwarders—Productivity and Cost Efficiency Potentials

The extraction of timber is expensive, energy intensive, and potentially damaging to the forest soil. Machine development aims to mitigate risks for environmental impact and decrease energy consumption while maintaining or increasing cost efficiency. The development of rubber-tracked forwarders has gained renewed interest, not least due to climate change leading to unreliable weather in combination with low tolerance for soil damage. The increased cost of rubber tracks compared to wheels is believed to be compensated by higher driving speed enabled by semi-active suspension. Thus, the aim of this study was to theoretically investigate how the productivity and cost efficiency of rubber-tracked forwarders are affected by variations in driving speed and machine costs. The calculations were made with fixed stand parameters, to evaluate performance in well-defined working conditions, and with parameters from 2500 final felling stands in central Sweden, to evaluate performance in varied working conditions. Scenarios were compared to a baseline corresponding to mid-sized wheeled forwarders. The results show higher productivity with the increased driving speed enabled by rubber tracks and suspension at all extraction distances, with larger differences at long extraction distances. Assuming a 15% higher machine price for the rubber-tracked forwarder and a variable cost increase proportional to speed increase, extraction costs break even with the baseline at 400 m and 700 m extraction distance for moderate and fast driving speed, respectively. Furthermore, a rubber-tracked forwarder is likely to enable access to a larger part of the harvest area during longer seasons. For the studied set of stands, the year-round accessible volumes are estimated to increase from 9% to 92% with a rubber-tracked forwarder. With rubber tracks instead of wheels, good accessibility has the potential to be combined with low soil impact and cost efficiency in a favourable way for both industry and ecosystem.

100 years of change in an old-growth Scots pine forest in Hamra National Park: insights from permanent plots established in central Sweden in 1922

ABSTRACT Hamra National Park in the province of Dalarna in central Sweden was established in 1909 to protect a unique unlogged old-growth forest. In 1922, Henrik Hesselman set up two permanent plots in Hamra to be able to follow the development of the forest over time. In 2022, we re-inventoried the Scots pine-dominated plot and found that (1) the number of trees in the plot almost doubled from 593 trees in 1922 to 1013 trees in 2022, (2) Norway spruces are starting to take over the initially Scots pine-dominated plot, (3) the basal area of dead trees has increased by 286% and (4) the variability in annual Scots pine growth has increased over the studied time period. Given this strong deviation from the original state of the forest, we suggest restoring part of the forest to its early-1900s state while allowing the permanent plot to evolve naturally.

Continental scientific drilling and microbiology: (extremely) low biomass in bedrock of central Sweden

Abstract. Scientific drilling expeditions offer a unique opportunity to characterize microbial communities in the subsurface that have long been isolated from the surface. With subsurface microbial biomass being low in general, biological contamination from the drilling fluid, sample processing, or molecular work is a major concern. To address this, characterization of the contaminant populations in the drilling fluid and negative extraction controls are essential for assessing and evaluating such sequencing data. Here, rock cores down to 2250 m depth, groundwater-bearing fractures, and the drilling fluid were sampled for DNA to characterize the microbial communities using a broad genomic approach. However, even after removing potential contaminant populations present in the drilling fluid, notorious contaminants were abundant and mainly affiliated with the bacterial order Burkholderiales. These contaminant microorganisms likely originated from the reagents used for isolating DNA despite stringent quality standards during the molecular work. The detection of strictly anaerobic sulfate reducers such as Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator suggested the presence of autochthonous deep biosphere taxa in the sequenced libraries, yet these clades represented only a minor fraction of the sequence counts (&lt; 0.1 %), hindering further ecological interpretations. The described methods and findings emphasize the importance of sequencing extraction controls and can support experimental design for future microbiological studies in conjunction with continental drilling operations.

Adjustments in Interprofessional Communication: A Focus Group Study in Psychiatric Outpatient Units

Communication in healthcare extends beyond patient care, impacting the work environment and job satisfaction. Interprofessional communication is essential for fostering collaboration, but challenges arise from differences in training, roles, and hierarchies. The study aimed to explore psychiatric outpatient clinicians’ experiences of interprofessional communication and their perceptions of how the communication intersects the organizational and social work environment of healthcare. Qualitative research involved focus group interviews with clinicians from five psychiatric outpatient units in Central Sweden, representing diverse professions. The authors analyzed semi-structured interview data thematically to uncover clinicians’ perspectives on interprofessional communication. An overarching theme, “Adjustment of communication,” with subthemes “Synchronized communication” and “Dislocated communication,” emerged. Clinicians adapted communication strategies based on situations and needs, with synchronized communication promoting collaboration and dislocated communication hindering it. Communicating with each other was highly valued, as it contributed to a positive work environment. The study underscores the importance of an open, supportive environment that fosters trust, and respect among healthcare clinicians. Consistent with prior research, collaboration gaps underscore the urgent need to improve interprofessional communication.

Monitoring genome-wide diversity over contemporary time with new indicators applied to Arctic charr populations

Genetic diversity is fundamental to the adaptive potential and survival of species. Although its importance has long been recognized in science, it has a history of neglect within policy, until now. The new Global Biodiversity Framework recently adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity, states that genetic diversity must be maintained at levels assuring adaptive potential of populations, and includes metrics for systematic monitoring of genetic diversity in so called indicators. Similarly, indicators for genetic diversity are being developed at national levels. Here, we apply new indicators for Swedish national use to one of the northernmost salmonid fishes, the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). We sequence whole genomes to monitor genetic diversity over four decades in three landlocked populations inhabiting protected alpine lakes in central Sweden. We find levels of genetic diversity, inbreeding and load to differ among lakes but remain stable over time. Effective population sizes are generally small (< 500), suggesting a limited ability to maintain adaptive variability if genetic exchange with nearby populations became eliminated. We identify genomic regions potentially shaped by selection; SNPs exhibiting population divergence exceeding expectations under drift and a putative selective sweep acting within one lake to which the competitive brown trout (Salmo trutta) was introduced during the sampling period. Identified genes appear involved in immunity and salinity tolerance. Present results suggest that genetically vulnerable populations of Arctic charr have maintained neutral and putatively adaptive genetic diversity despite small effective sizes, attesting the importance of continued protection and assurance of gene flow among populations.

Influence of mental health service provision on the perceived quality of life among psychiatric outpatients: associations and mediating factors.

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between perceived mental health service provision and quality of life (QoL) as perceived by patients in psychiatric outpatient care.MethodsA total of 373 adult patients registered at 15 psychiatric outpatient clinics in three regions in central and southern Sweden were included in the study. Survey data were collected using a questionnaire on mental health service provision, symptom severity, recovery, clinical diagnosis, sociodemographics (serving as independent variables) and QoL (serving as the dependent variable). Three aspects of mental health service provision were used: patients’ perceived quality of care, perceived staff-patient interaction, and patient reported psychiatric treatments. Structural equation modelling was used to model the relationship among the variables.ResultsVariables in mental health service provision showed few direct associations with patients’ perceived QoL. Instead, the associations of mental health service provision on QoL were mainly mediated through symptom severity and recovery. These relationships were retained after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and clinical diagnoses. The final model achieved excellent goodness of fit (χ2 = 49.502, p = 0.230, RMSEA = 0.020, CFI = 0.997 and a SRMR = 0.024).ConclusionThis study shows that mental health service provision is associated with patients’ perceived QoL; however, this association is mostly indirect and mediated by reduced symptom severity and increased recovery. This finding can help inform the design of future interventions to enhance service provision to improve patients’ QoL.

Exploring expectations and readiness for healthy lifestyle promotion in Swedish primary health care: a qualitative analysis of managers, facilitators, and professionals

Objective Prior to a multifaceted implementation strategy for a healthy lifestyle-promoting practice the expectations of primary health care managers, appointed internal facilitators and health care professionals on supporting change was explored. Design This study had an explorative qualitative design using data gathered from individual interviews and focus groups. Qualitative content analysis with a deductive category development was applied using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Setting and participants The study was conducted in a primary care setting in central Sweden as a part of the Act in Time research project. Prior to a multifaceted implementation strategy, we held 16 individual interviews with managers and appointed facilitators and five focus groups with 26 health care professionals. Results Managers, facilitators, and professionals held similar expectations, where their expressed need for support corresponded to three constructs: Readiness for implementation, Implementation climate, and Engaging. Our findings indicate the need for strong leadership engagement to focus on how the healthy lifestyle-promoting practice can be anchored among the professionals. Managers at all levels should communicate the vision and goals, enable facilitators and professionals to improve their competencies, build inter-professional teams, and jointly plan the new practice. Conclusion To change to a healthy lifestyle promoting practice professionals request support from their managers, who in turn need support from the middle and top managers. The requested support includes helping to prioritise health promotion and enabling the primary care centres to build competence and take ownership of the implementation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04799860

The influence of contextual factors on an intervention for people with disabilities from support persons' and health personnel's perspectives: a focus group study.

Contextual factors influence interventions in healthcare and pose a particular challenge in interventions designed for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). Exploring support persons' and health personnel's experience of an intervention may improve our understanding of the influence of contextual factors. Such exploration is important for revealing areas and focus points for future implementations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore support persons' and health personnel's experience of contextual factors during involvement in an intervention for people with PIMD. This focus group study includes eight groups, comprising a total of 34 support persons and health personnel, at habilitation centres at four regions in central Sweden. Data were analysed inductively using a content analysis approach. Three themes emerged from the analysis of the informants' perspectives on the contextual factors: (1) structure and support enhances intervention feasibility; (2) an intervention's benefit for people with PIMD increases its acceptability; and (3) being engaged and involved increases support persons' and health personnel's motivation. Our findings show that the implementation of an intervention for people with PIMD should focus on the recipients of the intervention in its context, forming a clear communication plan. A training programme should be provided for the recipients and providers of the intervention. Finally, the implementation process can be facilitated by creating space for staff to contribute and by encouraging participation and ownership for everyone involved. Using a co-design strategy can enable a shared responsibility to solve the identified challenges, while contributing to the development and design of future interventions for people with disabilities.

Lithological Investigation of The Drill Core from a Sedimentary Cover in the Area of the Siljan Ring, Central Sweden

The ring structure of Siljan, located in the central part of Sweden, is considered by many researchers to be a meteorite (impact) crater. Impact craters are among the most complex geological objects on the Earth. The origin and formation of these structures still raises many questions. To find answers to these questions we need reliable geological information about the structure of the crater and the composition of the rocks. Information about the thickness and geological structure of the Siljan Ring area sedimentary cover will help to understand the process of the Siljan Ring structure’s formation as well as other similar geological formations on the Earth. Here, we present the results of laboratory studies of sedimentary rock samples taken from four exploration wells drilled in the vicinity of the Siljan Ring crater, which made it possible to compile their detailed lithological description. The laboratory studies included a structural analysis of the samples, and a texture and mineralogical analysis in thin sections. A structure analysis was carried out visually, while structural and mineralogical analyses were carried out on thin sections using a polarizing microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The main components of the rocks (minerals and fragments), along with their ratio and secondary transformations, were determined. The results of the structural analysis of the samples, and the textural and mineralogical analysis of the rocks in thin sections, showed that the sediments’ composition in the sedimentary cover near the Siljan Ring structure changes in different areas in accordance with their facies and stratigraphic characteristics. Furthermore, a change in the thickness of the sections and the succession sequences of rock units was established. A change of this nature is presumably caused by tectonic disturbances of an endogenous or impact source.

Six Decades of Changes in Pool Characteristics on a Concentric-Patterned Raised Bog

AbstractRaised bogs are wetland ecosystems which, under the right climatic conditions, feature patterns of pool hollows and hummock ridges. The relative cover and the spatial arrangement of pool and ridge microforms are thought to be influential on peatland atmosphere carbon gas fluxes and plant biodiversity. The mechanisms responsible for the formation and maintenance of pools, and the stability of these features in response to warming climates, remain topics of ongoing research. We employed historical aerial imagery, combined with a contemporary uncrewed aerial vehicle survey, to study 61 years of changes in pools at a patterned raised bog in central Sweden. We used a pool inheritance method to track individual pools between image acquisition dates throughout the time series. These data show a rapid loss of open-water pool area during the study period, primarily due to overgrowth of open-water pools by Sphagnum. We postulate that these changes are driven by ongoing climate warming that is accelerating Sphagnum colonisation. Open-water pool area declined by 26.8% during the study period, equivalent to a loss of 1001 m2 y−1 across the 150-hectare site. This is contradictory to an existing theory that states pools are highly stable, once formed, and can only convert to a terrestrial state through catastrophic drainage. The pool inheritance analysis shows that smaller pools are liable to become completely terrestrialised and expire. Our findings form part of a growing body of evidence for the loss of open-water habitats in peatlands across the boreal and elsewhere.