Fant 10510 publikasjoner. Viser side 1 av 421:
2026
Classification of Radar Zones on Selected Glaciers in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard
Glacier facies are characteristic properties of glaciers that are an observable and mappable determinant of their health. The occurrence and distribution of facies depend upon several contributing factors such as climatic shifts, sudden events, temperature, precipitation, overall deglaciation, etc. Seasonal variations of facies in one year and annual variations across several years are effective markers of seasonal and long-term glacial evolution. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) allows for efficient generation of seasonal data within multilayer composites which can be exploited for mapping facies. In this study, we utilized Sentinel-1 data to create seasonal composites from 2016-2023 and mapped facies of selected glaciers, in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. We utilized unsupervised classification to obtain facies maps in a data-centric approach. This involved modulating the number of output thematic classes across sets of 3, 5, and 7, as well as changing the spatial extent from multiple glaciers to a single glacier in the classification workflow. Thematic classification revealed mixed clusters across all years and polarizations. Our analysis suggests that seasonal variability of facies leads to mixed signals within a single pixel causing misclassification. Additionally, the spatial extent of the input data drives fluxes in thematic mapping, suggesting that changes in local and global raster statistics can limit spatial scale transferability of a mapping workflow. The present results place thematic classification of glacier facies into a practical context for future applications. Our upcoming experiments will include a longer time-series, various polarizations, and advanced information extraction methods, leading to improved understanding of the operational applications of seasonal SAR data for mapping glacier facies.
2026
2026
Urban areas face growing challenges in ensuring equitable access to essential amenities amid increasing populations and resource constraints. Active mobility modes, including walking and cycling, offer sustainable solutions to these challenges but are significantly influenced by environmental factors. This study introduces a comprehensive framework for evaluating the spatial equity of urban active mobility, defined in this study as the fair spatial distribution of segment-level walkability and bikeability along with neighborhood-level accessibility. Using Oslo, Norway, as a case study, the framework assesses pedestrian and bicycle networks. Accessibility to key amenities was evaluated using a cumulative opportunities approach. Results reveal that approximately 23.5% of Oslo’s population experience active transport inequity, with limited access to well-scored mobility routes. The analysis also showed that over 50,000 individuals reside in areas where detours do not yield a feasible improvement in the active travel experience, resulting in another form of active mobility inequity. By identifying areas where infrastructure improvements can enhance active travel and accessibility, this framework provides insights to promote equitable mobility systems.
2026
Geometrid moth outbreaks are important natural disturbances in mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) forests of northern Fennoscandia and are expected to intensify with climate change. Impacts of these outbreaks and moth herbivory on biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions of birch remain unquantified despite the importance of VOCs in plant-herbivore interactions and atmospheric chemistry. Here, we quantify in situ VOC emission responses of mountain birch (n = 256) to naturally increasing geometrid herbivory across three consecutive growing seasons. We show that VOC emissions increased with rising herbivore pressure across the years, culminating in the outbreak, during which early-season VOC emissions were higher than at peak herbivory. At peak herbivory, birch emitted more complex VOC blends, indicating seasonal shifts in composition. Following the outbreak, a second leaf flush sustained emissions of some VOCs. Our findings demonstrate that VOC emission rates and compositions are dynamically linked to leaf phenology and herbivory intensity across multiple years.
2026
Substantial efforts and improvements in air quality across Europe lowered levels of air pollutants including particulate matter (PM) in the last decades. However, significant proportion of the European population still lives in areas exceeding WHO recommendations, especially in Northern Italy, Balkans, and Eastern Europe, including Serbia. Targeted PM mitigation strategies require extensive air quality monitoring and modelling including source apportionment (SA) studies. In the past, numerous SA studies were conducted for Belgrade city, capital of Serbia. Nevertheless, comparisons across the results are difficult, as they encompass different datasets of pollutants contained in PM fractions such as elements and/or ions and/or PAHs. Here, the aim is to offer a broader insight on PM 10 sources at an urban background site in Belgrade by including 34 species as input variables for SA (carbonaceous aerosols, elements, ions and specific organic tracers). For SA, the USEPA PMF 5.0 software was applied. The factor that dominated PM 10 mass was biomass burning (21 %), primarily during heating season, followed by ammonium sulphate (18 %) and mineral dust (17 %). A mixed traffic and industrial activity accounted for 15 % of PM 10 mass while contribution of factors from biological origin, primary biological aerosol particles and biogenic secondary organic aerosols from isoprene, was 10 % each. Mixed factor of long-range transport and road salt/local combustion contributed to the PM 10 mass 9 %. This analysis provides more detailed perspective on the composition and sources of PM 10 in Belgrade, both from anthropogenic and natural, including biological origin. These findings are valuable for defining targeted PM 10 mitigation strategies.
2026
Background
Tire wear particles release additives and transformation products into the environment. Among these, p-phenylenediamines (PPDs) and their quinone transformation products (PPD-Qs), including 6PPD-Q, have attracted increasing attention. However, data on tire wear contaminants (TWCs) in Central and Eastern Europe remain limited, and their hydrolytic stability is poorly characterized. This study investigated the hydrolytic stability of 16 TWCs, optimized sample pre-treatment, and assessed their occurrence and preliminary ecological risks in water and soil samples from northern Poland.
Results
Under OECD Test Guideline 111 conditions, parent PPDs generally showed lower hydrolytic stability than PPD-Qs. Ten TWCs were detected in soils, with benzothiazole (BTH) reaching 387 ng/g, whereas all target analytes were detected in water, with 6PPD-Q occurring at 1.85–297 ng/L and BTH at up to 326 ng/L. Moreover, PPD-Qs predominated over parent PPDs in water, whereas the opposite pattern occurred in soils. Additionally, sites subject to greater traffic influence generally showed more complex TWC profiles. A preliminary environmental risk assessment based on measured concentrations indicated that 6PPD-Q posed high ecological risks at all water sites.
Significance
This study provides the first dataset on TWC occurrence in surface waters and soils in Poland. The findings demonstrate the environmental relevance of PPD transformation products and support their inclusion alongside parent tire additives in environmental monitoring and risk assessment. The observed ecological risk associated with 6PPD-Q further highlights the need for continued monitoring of tire-derived contaminants in Polish aquatic environments.
2026
Revised direct radiative forcing of airborne microplastics suggests warming
Microplastics are a common airborne pollutant, capable of being transported over large distances and with potential to alter the radiative properties of the atmosphere in large enough quantities, with implications for global climate. Since the first estimates of microplastic radiative forcing were published in 2021, new constraints on many aspects of the spatial and temporal distribution of airborne plastics and their physical and optical properties have emerged. Using these updated findings concerning the size distribution of airborne microplastics, new spectral absorption data for coloured plastics, and a new microplastic emissions dataset, we investigate the sensitivity of the direct radiative effect of airborne microplastics. We find clear-sky effective radiative forcings ranging from −3.28 to +46.7 mW m−2 depending on assumptions concerning colour, size distribution, vertical profile and spatial distribution. Assuming likely real-world conditions—a mix of coloured microplastics, a power law size distribution and distributing microplastics non-uniformly through the troposphere based on a new emissions dataset—we calculate an updated estimate of +42.1 ± 4.62 mW m−2 for a global-average surface concentration of 3.99 microplastics m−3. This revised radiative forcing is at least as large in forcing magnitude as the contributions of a number of other species routinely evaluated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Our findings suggest that microplastics are likely contributing to atmospheric warming and, given that plastic pollution is projected to increase, should be included in climate change projections.
2026
Coarse-mode aerosol particles influence the environment, climate, and human health in diverse ways depending on their type. While mineral dust and sea spray aerosol (SSA) dominate this size range, rarer biological particles can have outsized impacts, such as initiating hydrometeor freezing at relatively warm temperatures. Accurate type-specific characterization of coarse-mode aerosol is therefore essential for investigating their roles in climate and the environment. We provide a new reference dataset for fluorescence spectra and morphology characteristics of coarse-mode aerosols from common sources, including pollen, dust, bacteria, and microplastics, measured in controlled experiments with a Multiparameter Bioaerosol Spectrometer (MBS). Comparisons with published datasets revealed consistent source-dependent fluorescence features, but also highlighted similarities between biological and non-biological particles that can bias fluorescence-based classifications.
To explore solutions for these confounding similarities, we developed a supervised machine learning classification algorithm integrating fluorescence and morphology information, and evaluated it using MBS and comprehensive chemical tracer observations from Zeppelin Observatory, Svalbard. This evaluation illustrates challenges for inductive methods in distinguishing biomass burning from biological particles, and dust from SSA, suggesting that important particle classes may be missing and/or laboratory-generated aerosols significantly differ from real-world counterparts. We show that domain adaptation using complementary observations can help address these difficulties. Compared to a fluorescence-only approach, the domain-adapted algorithm reproduces the previously published annual bioaerosol cycle while yielding higher summertime concentrations matching those reported from offline analyses. This open-source algorithm provides a basis for quantifying bioaerosols across diverse environments and can be refined with future field and laboratory efforts.
2026
2026
Environmental pollutants in the terrestrial and urban environment 2025
Samples from the urban terrestrial environment in the Oslo area were analysed for metals and a large number of organic environmental pollutants. The selected sample types that were analysed were sparrowhawk egg and liver samples of red fox and badger. Biomagnification potential was estimated based on detected data for relevant predator-prey pairs using data from year 2021 to 2025.
NILU
2026
Måleprogram for tungmetallinnhold i støv og svevestøv i Rambergstua
NILU har kartlagt konsentrasjoner og kilder til tungmetaller i støv og luft i Rambergstua etter funn av høye blynivåer i 2025. Original rosemaling fra 1784 er hovedkilden, med høyt blyinnhold i hvit, rød og grønn maling, samt kvikksølv i rødfargen. Støvsugd støv inneholder fortsatt tungmetaller, men blynivået er vesentlig lavere enn i 2025. Svevestøv og kvikksølvgass ligger langt under Folkehelseinstituttets (FHI) helsebaserte luftkvalitetskriterier. Forvitret maling faller raskt til gulvet fremfor å holdes svevende.
Det konkluderes med at bygget er trygt å oppholde seg i. Det anbefales regelmessig støvsuging, opphør av bespisning, begrenset overflateberøring og god håndvask for å sikre et trygt innemiljø.
NILU
2026
Constraining methane (CH4) emissions at high spatial and temporal resolution is critical for accurate European greenhouse gas budgets and mitigation policy. We use the Community Inversion Framework to estimate monthly CH4 fluxes across Europe (2017–2022) at 0.2°×0.2°, coupling FLEXPART and assimilating observations from 46 in situ stations, including Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) and non-ICOS sites. Prior emissions combine anthropogenic inventories, biomass burning estimates, wetland models, and climatological natural sources. The inversion substantially improves agreement with atmospheric observations (r2=0.87, RMSE=24.4 ppb, mean bias=2.1 ppb), performing best at northern European stations. For the European Union countries, together with the UK, Norway, and Switzerland, we estimate total methane emissions of 23.3±2.3 Tg CH4 yr−1, which is 6.6 % higher than the prior. For these countries, we found an average anthropogenic emissions of 17.6 Tg CH4 yr−1, with a decreasing trend of 0.3 Tg yr−1. This estimate exceeds the prior by 11 %, EDGARv8 by 4 %, and UNFCCC NGHGI (2023) by 3 %, while remaining consistent with recent studies. Country-level differences are notable, with higher emissions estimated for the Netherlands and Germany, and lower for Romania and Italy. Sectoral changes mainly reflect agricultural increases, alongside reductions in northern wetlands and southern geological sources. Sensitivity tests highlight the influence of spatial spread of emissions distribution assumptions and the importance of dense observational networks for refining regional CH4 budgets.
2026
Forurensning i de norske havområdene - Barentshavet, Norskehavet og Nordsjøen
Denne rapporten fra Overvåkingsgruppen gir en oversikt over forurensningstilstanden i norske havområder. Overvåkingsgruppen har ansvar for 42 indikatorer med relevans for forurensning, publisert på miljostatus.no. Disse dekker blant annet lufttilførsler av miljøgifter og forurensning i sedimenter, forurensning i en rekke ulike marine arter, og tilførsler som skyldes aktiviteter i havområdene. Rapporten oppsummerer resultater fra indikatorene på miljostatus.no og fra andre publikasjoner om forurensning i de norske havområdene, for å gi en vurdering av hvordan ulike forurensende stoffer varierer med hensyn til bakgrunnsnivå, geografi, utvikling siste ti år, mattrygghet og mulige effekter på økosystemet. Som grunnlag for senere utvikling av egnede indikatorer for marin forsøpling, er det et eget kapittel som oppsummerer overvåkingen som finnes om marin forsøpling i Norge, både overvåking av mikroplast, strandsøppel, forsøpling i elver og søppel på havbunnen. Rapporten inneholder også et temakapittel om transportmodellering av miljøgifter som gir en oversikt over metoder for modellering samt hvordan disse kan brukes i miljøgiftovervåking.
Havforskningsinstituttet
2026
2026
2026
Proton therapy is increasingly used, due to its favourable physical properties such as the Bragg peak, which enable precise dose deposition while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. One of the main indications for proton therapy is head and neck tumours. In addition to their therapeutic relevance, protons are also a key component of space radiation spectrum, raising concerns about their biological impact on normal tissues, particularly the central nervous system. Despite this growing concern, the effects of proton irradiation on adult post-mitotic neurons in vivo remain poorly understood. In this context, we analysed the impact of proton central nervous system micro-irradiation using the MIRCOM microbeam, in young adults of Caenorhabditis elegans, with a focus on DNA damage and behaviour. Protons induce localized oxidative DNA damage, confirmed by an increase in 8-oxoG signals within both the nuclei and cytoplasm of irradiated neurons. The biological response remained strictly confined to the targeted area; no signal propagation or damage was observed in neighbouring non-irradiated tissues. Despite molecular changes, there was no observable impact on behaviours such as motor activity, foraging, habituation, or touch-avoidance. These results suggest that proton exposure in post-mitotic neurons induces complex oxidative DNA damage and activates specific BER pathways without compromising functional behaviour or triggering systemic bystander effects. These insights are important for refining clinical radiation protection and understanding risks in space exploration.
2026
2026
Assessment of the extremely low TOC at three European stations during February 2023
Exceptionally low total ozone column (TOC) values were observed over Europe in February 2023, affecting both Arctic and mid-latitude regions. This study investigates the evolution and underlying mechanisms of this low-ozone episode by integrating ground-based observations, satellite measurements, and atmospheric reanalysis data. Daily TOC data from Andøya, Oslo/Kjeller, and Hradec Králové are complemented by multi-sensor reanalysis products and vertically resolved measurements from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). The lowest TOC values occurred on 14 February 2023, when all three stations recorded anomalies below the 2σ climatological threshold. This period coincided with a cold stratospheric polar vortex, which promoted the formation of polar stratospheric clouds and subsequent chemical ozone loss. MLS observations reveal pronounced decreases in HNO3 and HCl, accompanied by enhanced ClO concentrations, indicating active halogen-driven ozone loss. The strongest chemical ozone depletion was observed over Scandinavia and later extended toward Central Europe. In addition to chemical processes, dynamical factors significantly contributed to the observed TOC reduction. Elevated tropopause heights and the transport of ozone-poor air from lower latitudes further reduced TOC, particularly over Central Europe. The results demonstrate that the February 2023 low-ozone event arose from the combined effects of chemical ozone loss within cold polar vortex air and large-scale dynamical processes, emphasizing the importance of integrated chemical–dynamical analyses for understanding extreme Arctic ozone events.
2026
2026