Making European Space in Spatial Planning in Northern Finland

The article explores European integration in northern Finland. It examines the discursive side of the European integration process by investigating the interplay between European‐level spatial policies and regional territorial practices. Spatial planning is often portrayed from an instrumentalist view as a technical, evidence‐based policy. However, spatial planning is highly political and an effective way of space making: As an inclusive and/or exclusive action, it (re‐)defines spatial relations and (re‐)produces spatial scales. Thus, spatial planning is considered here as a central part of the European integration process through which the regions are spatialized as part of Europe. The empirical analysis shows that polycentrism is the main spatial idea underlying the reorganization of European space. The adaptation to European policies manifests itself through the subjectification, rescaling and relocation of the region.     

Needle Structures and Epiphytic Microflora of Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris L.) under Heavy Ammonia Deposition from Fur Farming

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) needles from forest sites differing in distance from big fur farms emitting large amounts of ammonia and ammonium (=NH_y) were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Specific features indicating an ammonium-nitrogen overload, such as an abundance of needle surface organisms and modifications in cellular and wax structures, were classified. Throughout the study area (up to 1000 m from the farms), mesophyll cells had thin cytoplasm and folding plasmalemma indicating frost damage. Phloem damage attributable to a possible nutrient imbalance was also observed. Chloroplast membranes were undulating and the occurrence of leaf surface organisms (e.g. aerophilic algae) was more abundant at the closest sites. The changes were related both to the direct effects of dry NH_y deposition on the needles, and to the effects operating via soil acidification. The needle epicuticular waxes proved to be structurally rather inert against the influence of ammonium compounds, since no significant changes due to NH_y were observed.     

Weak relationships between landscape characteristics and multiple facets of stream macroinvertebrate biodiversity in a boreal drainage basin

Variability in biodiversity is often assessed based on species richness, and this adherence to a single index has been typical in studies of ecology, biogeography, and conservation in the past two decades. More recent studies have suggested that species richness alone is insufficient as a measure of biodiversity, mainly because it is not necessarily correlated with other measures of biodiversity. We examined (1) if nine indices embracing species diversity, functional diversity, and taxonomic distinctness of stream macroinvertebrate assemblages show congruent patterns, and (2) if these indices show similar relationships to landscape characteristics. Not all indices varied similarly and were thus not significantly correlated. There were three principal components that effectively described variation in the correlation structure of the nine indices. These three components were: (1) diversity and evenness indices, (2) two indices of taxonomic distinctness, and (3) species richness and functional richness. Four of the nine biodiversity indices examined showed no significant relationships to landscape-catchment characteristics, and even the significant correlations between the remaining five indices and explanatory variables were rather weak. However, species richness showed a rather strong quadratic relationship to catchment area. Our study provided a number of suggestions for future biodiversity studies at the landscape scale. First, given that different indices describe different components of biodiversity and are not strongly correlated, multiple indices should be considered in any study describing stream biodiversity. Second, despite the study was restricted to near-pristine streams, all indices showed considerable variation. Thus, this natural variability should be accounted for prior to the examination of anthropogenic effects on stream biodiversity. Third, landscape-catchment variables may have only limited value in explaining variability in biodiversity indices, at least in regions with no strong anthropogenic gradients in land-use.     

The environmental impacts of the production of hemp and flax textile yarn

This study aimed to quantify major environmental impacts associated with the production of hemp yarn using Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). A reference scenario of traditional hemp warm water retting was compared to: (1) bio-retting, i.e. hemp green scutching followed by water retting, (2) babyhemp, based on stand retting of pre-mature hemp, (3) dew retting of flax. Overall, neither of the alternative scenarios was unambiguously better than the reference. The impacts of the hemp reference scenario and the flax scenario were similar, except for pesticide use (higher for flax) and water use during processing (higher for hemp). Bio-retting had higher impacts than the reference scenario for climate change and energy use, due to higher energy input in fibre processing. Babyhemp had higher impacts than the reference scenario for eutrophication, land occupation and pesticide use. A reduction of the environmental impacts of hemp yarn should give priority to reduction of energy use in the fibre processing and yarn production stages and to reduction of eutrophication in the crop production phase.     

Carbon loss in drained forestry peatlands in Finland,estimated by re‐sampling peatlands surveyed in the 1980s

The total area of boreal peatlands is about 3.5 million km² and they are estimated to contain 15–30% of the global soil carbon (C) storage. In Finland, about 60 000 km², or 60% of the original peatland area, has been drained, mainly for forestry improvement. We have studied C inventory changes on forestry‐drained peatlands by re‐sampling the peat stratum in 2009 at the precise locations of quantitative peat mass analyses conducted as part of peatland transect surveys during the 1980s. The old and new profiles were correlated mainly by their ignition residue stratigraphies; at each site we determined a reference level, identifiable in both profiles, and calculated the cumulative dry mass and C inventories above it. Comparison of a total of 37 locations revealed broad variation, from slight increase to marked decrease; on average the 2009 results indicate a loss of 7.4 (SE ± 2.5) kg m^?2 dry peat mass when compared with the 1980s values. Expressed on an annual basis, the results indicate an average net loss of 150 g C m^?2 year^?1 from the soil of drained forestry peatlands in the central parts of Finland. The C balance appeared not to correlate with site fertility (fertility classes according to original vegetation type), nor with post‐drainage timber growth.     

Applying Chemometrics to Determine Dispersion of Mine Tailing-Affected Sediments from Submarine Tailing Disposal in Bøkfjorden,Northern Norway

Mine tailing management is one of the largest environmental issues related to mining operation. This study uses chemometrics to assess the dispersion of iron mine tailing-affected sediments in Bøkfjorden, Northern Norway. Metal concentrations (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) and physico-chemical sediment characteristics (conductivity, organic matter, sulphate, chloride, grain size, CaCO₃, pH) were analysed in seven sediment cores collected in a transect out of the fjord along with two reference cores. Results of hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis allowed to distinguish between mine tailing-affected and non-affected sediments. Non-affected sediments were especially characterised by high levels of organic matter whilst mine tailing-affected sediments varied significantly in sediment characteristics depending on location in the fjord. Crucial parameters to reveal mine tailing-affected sediments varied between the target metal Fe along with metals of Cd and Mn, albeit less significant. Variations in mine tailing-affected sediment characteristics could be attributed to other anthropogenic activities in the fjord. Despite potential disturbances, chemometrics made it possible to identify dispersion of mine tailing-affected sediments to cover the inner and middle parts of the fjord. The study demonstrates the advantage of applying chemometrics on complex fjord systems, which in this case was used to distinguish mine tailing-affected sediments from areas with elevated levels of metals not necessarily related to the mine.