Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
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Authors
Junbin Zhao Mounir Takriti Per-Erik Jansson Ed Jones Mikhail Mastepanov Erling Fjelldal Cornelya Klutsch David Kniha Runar Kjær Simon Weldon Kjetil Fadnes Knut Bjørkelo Jonathan Rizzi Christian Wilhelm Mohr Gunnhild Søgaard Jagadeesh YeluripatiAbstract
Abstract Peatlands drained for agriculture and other uses release substantial carbon dioxide. Many countries estimate these emissions using the 2014 IPCC Tier 1 emission factors. Here we calibrated an ecosystem model with data from two cultivated peatland sites in Norway and simulate carbon dioxide emissions at 50 sites nationwide for 2001–2022. Model results showed that carbon dioxide emissions were strongly controlled by water table depth and aligned well with observations from other European peatlands of similar climate zones. Crucially, the Tier 1 emission factor matched our simulations only under very deep water tables (< –0.7 m), but overestimated emissions by 31–88% when water levels ranged from –0.7 m to –0.3 m. This indicates that Tier 1 methods may overstate emissions from cultivated peatlands in cool temperate and boreal regions, inflating estimates of mitigation potential. Tier 2 or 3 approaches can reduce uncertainty but require more field data.
Authors
Trygve S. Aamlid Sigridur Dalmannsdottir Kristoffer Herland Hellton Marit Jørgensen Ievina Sturite Carl Gunnar Fossdal Akhil Reddy Pashapu Mallikarjuna Rao Kovi Helga Amdahl Odd Arne RognliAbstract
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Plant selection is critical for the performance and long-term functionality of NBS. However, selecting suitable species remains challenging due to factors such as the need to balance multiple performance criteria. This study addressed this gap by proposing a structured decision-making framework for roadside rain gardens (RGs) in cold climates, based on three objectives, thirteen criteria, and sixteen quantitative metrics scored on a 1–5 scale. The framework was tested on five plant species commonly used in RGs in Norway to demonstrate its application and assess data availability for the metrics. Results showed that the evaluated plant species exhibit different strengths across objectives: for instance, Bolboschoenus maritimus excelled in plant procurement and establishment support, while Iris pseudacorus scored highest in functions of interest. Consequently, a combination of high-performing species was recommended for RG vegetation design. While the framework was successfully applied, limited data for some metrics required assumptions, highlighting the need for more comprehensive species-specific databases. Given the critical role of plants in the success of NBS, it is recommended that the framework be integrated into official RG design guidelines, with criteria tailored to local conditions.
Authors
Tor MykingAbstract
Invitert foredrag UiB i forbindelse med tildeling av æresdoktorat til Paul Smith, BCGI
Authors
Michele Torresani Vítězslav Moudrý Christopher R. Hakkenberg Vojtěch Barták Duccio Rocchini Stefano Puliti Paweł Hawryło Krzysztof Stereńczak Alexander Cotrina-Sanchez Gabriele Giuseppe Antonio Satta Luca da Ros Patrick Kacic Roberto TognettiAbstract
Monitoring forests globally through the assessment of structural characteristics is indispensable in times of increasing disturbances and biodiversity loss. The recent development of a 1-meter resolution Global Canopy Height Map by Meta and the World Resources Institute (Meta/WRI CHM) offers new opportunities for large-scale forest structure analysis. However, its reliability for estimating key forest structural metrics in selected forest sites of the Italian Alps remains largely untested. In this study, we compared estimates of canopy cover, mean and maximum canopy height, tree count, and crown size computed from the Meta/WRI CHM with the corresponding metrics computed from airborne laser scanning (ALS)-based CHMs across five forested sites in Alpine ecosystems representing diverse forest structures, species compositions, and management practices. Our results show that the Meta/WRI CHM provides reliable estimates of canopy cover (R = 0.82–0.92, RMSE = 8%–15%) and, to some extent, mean canopy height (R = 0.69–0.85, RMSE = 2.2–2.9 m). However, it substantially underestimates maximum canopy height and fails to reliably estimate tree count, positions, and crown size, overestimating the number of trees by 200–750 per hectare. In addition, the quality of the evaluated metrics estimates varied with respect to topographic gradients (i.e., slope, aspect, and altitude). Our findings define clear application boundaries for the Meta/WRI CHM in Alpine forest environments: while the product can support stand-level estimates of canopy cover and mean canopy height, it remains unsuitable for estimating maximum canopy height and individual-tree-level metrics such as tree count, tree position, and crown size. Future efforts should focus on refining global CHMs to improve accuracy and expand their applicability for forest monitoring.
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Addressing the issues of soil degradation and declining crop quality caused by the excessive application of chemical fertilizers, this study prepared a cyanobacterial–bamboo growth elicitor (CBGE) from cyanobacterial and bamboo powder through acid-hydrolysis technology and then co-applied with cyanobacterial biochar (CB). Five pot treatments were established: control (CK), root-applied CB (BR), soil-applied CB (BF), root-applied CBGE-modified CB (LZBR), and soil-applied CBGE-modified CB (LZBF). The results demonstrated that CBGE was rich in essential macronutrients (N, P, K) and bioactive substances including polysaccharides and dipeptides, while cyanobacterial biochar, with its abundant hydroxyl/carboxyl groups, showed strong adsorption of CBGE organic components. During cultivation, the LZBR treatment exhibited comprehensive advantages in improving rhizosphere soil organic carbon, humic substances, and cation exchange capacity. Environmental risk assessment indicated that soil heavy metal levels and associated health risks were low across all treatments, with no obvious short-term adverse effects observed. Soil application (BF, LZBF) maintained Bradyrhizobium dominance, whereas root application (BR, LZBR) enriched Chryseobacterium and Pseudomonas, driving organic matter mineralization and carbon‑nitrogen cycling. Moreover, functional predictions suggested that CBGE addition has the potential to reduce the abundance of functional genes associated with human pathogens, animal parasites, and plant pathogens. The LZBR treatment achieved balanced nutrient utilization through microbial functional network reconstruction, yielding the highest soybean whole-plant biomass (65.8 g/plant, +10.9% vs CK) and grain crude protein (210.56 g/kg, +33.3% vs CK). In conclusion, under the tested pot conditions, the application strategy of LZBR exhibited promising potential to synergistically improve soil health and crop quality.
Abstract
Increasing disturbance pressure from the spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) challenges the reliability of timber supply in managed boreal forests. This study evaluates alternative optimization approaches for integrating bark beetle damage into regional forest planning in southern Norway. Using a simulation and optimization process, we compare three alternative optimization approaches: (i) deterministic linear programming ignoring disturbance risk, (ii) robust optimization protecting even-flow constraints against income variability, and (iii) stochastic programming using probabilistic disturbance scenarios. Two planning objectives were examined: maximizing the net present value (NPV) alone, and maximizing NPV subject to a minimum periodic timber harvest requirement. When only NPV was maximized, differences among the solutions were minor. The stochastic solution yielded a slightly higher expected NPV (0.1%) through earlier harvesting. Approximately 22% of deterministic scenarios outperformed the stochastic solution, highlighting the limited economic gains when focused on a purely financial objective. When prioritizing a targeted periodic timber supply the deterministic solution resulted in systematic harvest shortfalls under realized disturbances while the robust solution reduced shortfalls by increasing periodic harvests. The stochastic formulation substantially improved supply reliability, reducing expected harvest shortfalls from 1.9% (deterministic) and 1.1% (robust) to nearly 0% for the stochastic solution, albeit with a moderate reduction in the expected NPV. Results demonstrate that the value of incorporating disturbance uncertainty depends on management objectives. While economic efficiency alone provides limited incentive for risk integration, maintaining stable timber supply under increasing disturbance pressure benefits substantially from stochastic planning approaches.