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.
2003
Authors
Trond Knapp Haraldsen Per Anker Pedersen Roald SørheimAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Modern information technology allows the investigation of the characteristic properties of living systems from a new perspective. Which of the ecosystem features are necessary conditions resulting from their constraints, which are accidental, constituting contingent facts of their respective histories?As long as we know of a single phylogenetic tree in nature, the difference is hard to tell, rendering the reconstruction and realisation of artificial ecologies a major challenge. It has been taken up by the high technology of the time since decades; since two decades, IT is leading in this respect.Are there life forms that can be created in contemporary computers, and which ones? Successes and failures of a number of virtualizations are forming de facto constraints for theoretical ecosystem research. Artificial Life (AL) research appears to be not just another attempt towards realistic models for ecological systems, but undermines the basic assumptions of most of conventional modeling in this area: in AL, behavior is in general irreducible to internal mechanisms; behavior results rather from interactive and intentional usage of the simulation.We try to elucidate and demonstrate the crucial role of interaction in these simulations, drawing from current developments in theoretical computer science as well as a number of examples. We propose a new classification of ecosystem models according to its degree of interactivity.
Authors
A. Indriksons Talis Gaitnieks P. ZalitisAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Dominik Röser Antti Asikainen Simen Gjølsjø B. Jaskelevicius D. Johansson P. Jylhä L. Kairiukstis I. Konstantinova Jørn Kristian Lileng Anders Lunnan M. Mandre Juha Nurmi H. Pärn T. Saksa L. Sikanen Kjell Suadicani M. Totopainen L. VilkristeAbstract
The report is investigating the current state of forestry, forest industries and the bioenergy sector in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. The main task of the research is to illustrate the current supply and use of wood based fuels in the Baltic and Nordic countries. Additionally the present use of forest fuels in the different countries in the private and industrial sector is analyzed and bottlenecks in the current supply of forest fuels are identified. The focus on energy policy has been on energy systems with less CO2 emissions in order to meet requirement of international agreements. Therefore, forest fuels offer great potential as a source of renewable energy. There has been a steady increase in the growing stock of European forests. Large amounts of residues are left unutilised both in Nordic and Baltic forests, especially in first thinnings and intermediate cuttings. They offer large potential to further increase the share of wood fuels in total energy consumption. Forest industries utilize a great share of wood residues at present but especially in Baltic regions there is potential to intensify the use of wood residues. An additional increase in wood biomass utilization is also dependent on future expansion of the district heating networks in Nordic and Baltic countries. Potential is available especially in the Baltic countries and Norway. The situation in regards to utilization of wood biomass in private dwellings is similar in all seven countries. Large amounts of fuelwood are consumed annually but new furnace and burner technology is necessary to use resources more efficiently. In regards to energy policy a lot has been done to improve the use of biomass utilization, but more has to be done to strengthen the position of forest fuels in the future. The main bottlenecks for the larger use of forest biomass were found to be a lack of utilisation of available technology for harvesting and transport operations and a lack of district heating. An improved use of technology would decrease the price of forest fuels, necessary to compete with fossil fuel prices on international markets.
Authors
R. Ozolincius Kestutis Armolaitis I. Varnagiryte J. ZenkovaiteAbstract
No abstract has been registered
2002
Abstract
Development of environmentally and economically sound agricultural production systems is an important aim in agricultural policy and has a high priority in agricultural research worldwide. The present work uses results from the first complete crop rotation period (1990-1997) of the Apelsvoll cropping system experiment in south-eastern Norway, to discuss the effect of cropping systems and their management practices on environment, soil fertility, crop yields and the farm economy, and how this knowledge may be used to develop a more sustainable agriculture. The experiment includes conventional arable (CON-A), integrated arable (INT-A), ecological arable (ECO-A), conventional forage (CON-F), integrated forage (INT-F) and ecological forage (ECO-F) cropping systems which were established on model farms of 0.2 ha. On the basis of nutrient runoff, soil erosion and pesticide contamination, the following ranking from the most to the least favourable was made for environmental effects: INT-F> ECO-F> ECO-A> INT-A> CON-F> CON-A. Environmental effects such as N and P runoff losses were very much linked to the proportion of ley in the system. Thus, major improvements to reduce the effects of agriculture on nutrient runoff, cannot be achieved without changing the cropping systems in the direction of more mixed farming with reduced cropping intensity. The nutrient balance calculations showed that there were considerable deficits in the ecological systems, a fact which must be taken into consideration in the development of sustainable ecological cropping systems. The yield reduction experienced with integrated and ecological cropping, relative to conventional cropping, was smaller for forage crops and potatoes than for cereals. This suggests that it is easier to maintain the yield level by reduced cropping intensity in mixed farming systems with livestock than in arable farming systems without livestock. Because of the premium prices and government subsidies to ecological farming, the economic results were equally good in the ecological systems as in the conventional ones. Economically, integrated farming was less favourable than the other systems. It is concluded that, overall, integrated and ecological forage systems results in the least environmental harm, and based upon the present government subsidies, the forage systems also seem the most profitable, along with the ecological arable system.
Authors
Mehreteab TesfaiAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Svein Ole BorgenAbstract
The article evaluates the usefulness and shortcomings of agency theory as a framework for discussing the future of Norwegian agricultural cooperatives. The first argument is that agency theory ignores the significance of the traditional collective thinking in Norwegian agricultural cooperatives. In this respect, agency theory is incomplete and its explanatory power is low. The second point is that, nevertheless, the value of applying agency theory as a conceptual tool may increase in the close future, due to the emerging of novel industrial strategies and new cooperative forms. Some of the crucial agencyproblems may come to the forefront, and increasingly imprint the agenda of Norwegian agricultural cooperatives.
Authors
Helge Lundekvam Eirik Romstad Lillian ØygardenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Dan AamlidAbstract
Extended summary and conclusions The Pechenganikel combine in the Nikel-Zapolyarny area was established in 1933. During the first 30 years of production, 100 000 tons of sulphur dioxide (SO2) were emitted annually. Since 1971, nickel from the Norilsk ores in Siberia have been processed in the smelters. The Norilsk ore contains more sulphur than the Nikel ore. As a result of the processing of this sulphur-rich ore, emissions of SO2 increased rapidly, reaching 400 000 tons in 1979. Current annual emissions are much lower, about 150 000 tons. However, the present emission is still above the critical level for sensitive biota in the Nikel-Pasvik area. Investigations of soils show that the soil layers are contaminated by heavy metals (nickel and copper). The results also indicate an influence on soil fertility expressed as changes in base saturation (BS), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil acidity. According to the calculations (critical loads) future sulphur deposition has to be reduced to very low levels in order to stop the ongoing soil acidification. Air pollution influence has had severe effects on forest vegetation in the Nikel-Pasvik area. Trees, vascular plants, mosses and lichens are all affected. In the close vicinity of the smelters forests are dead or severely damaged. Visible injuries to vegetation caused by SO2 have some years been frequent. Symptoms are recognised on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and downy birch (Betula pubescens), which are the dominant tree species in the region, and on other plants, e.g. dwarf birch (Betula nana) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). The species composition of the ground vegetation in the forest has been influenced, and epiphytic lichen vegetation has been severely influenced over large areas. Critical levels are exceeded on more than 3200 square kilometres of Russian and Norwegian territory. Air pollution has reduced invertebrate and animal diversity due to lack of forest vegetation and contamination of surface soils in the vicinity of the nickel smelters. Small vertebrates are impacted by an increased heavy metal content in the liver. However, no negative health effects to reindeer are foreseen. Long-term monitoring of water chemistry in lakes and rivers has revealed that extensive surface water acidification has taken place, particularly on the Norwegian side of the border. Critical loads are exceeded in large areas of Sør-Varanger municipality, especially in the Jarfjord area, and in areas situated around Nikel and Zapolyarny. However, on the Russian side, the contamination of lakes by the heavy metals (nickel and copper) is more severe than acidification, especially in the vicinity of the smelters, where damage to fish populations as well as phytoplankton and invertebrate communities are observed. Studies of human health in the Nikel-Pasvik area revealed no major health effects that can be ascribed to the air pollution by nickel and sulphur dioxide in the Nikel-Zapolyarny area or in the Pasvik valley. The most severe effects of air pollution in the border areas between Norway and Russia, caused by sulphur dioxide emission from Nikel and Zapolyarny, on the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems seem to be on vegetation, surface water and soils, and thus also on other compartments of the ecosystem.