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Greenfluencers and environmental advocacy: Sustainability representations and appeals to action in content by Scandinavian influencers
Full text linkGreenfluencers, also known as environmental influencers, intertwine environmental issues with personal lifestyle content.Their digital platforms provide Spaces where social media users engage With and interpret sustainability issues. However, despite their advocacy for environmental action, greenfluencers operate in a realm marked by commercialisation. This chapter explores the representation of environmental action and agency within greenfluencerplatforms. Specifically, we examine how greenfluencers urge followers to take specific actions, unravelling the reasons and motivations they articulate. Employing a rhetoricalanalysis on a Select group of influencers from Norway and Sweden – countries where greenfluencers play a prominent role in the environmental discourse – we explore their efforts to raise awareness about environmental issues and advocate for sustainable lifestyles.acceptedVersio
Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector in Norway: AI Development as a Hop-on-Hop-off Journey
Full text linkThis paper presents a study of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Norwegian public sector. The study focused particularly on projects involving personal data, which adds a risk of discriminating against individuals and social groups. The study included a survey of 200 public sector organizations and 19 interviews with representatives for AI projects involving personal data. The findings suggest that AI development in the public sector is still immature, and few projects involving personal data have reached the stage of production. Political pressure to use AI in the sector is significant. Limited knowledge and focus on AI development among managements has made individuals and units with the resources and interest in experimenting with AI an important driving force. The study found that the journey from idea to production of AI in the public sector presents many challenges, which often leads to projects being temporarily halted or terminated. While AI can contribute to the streamlining and improvement of public services, it also involves risks and challenges, including the risk of producing incorrect or discriminatory results affecting individuals and groups when personal data is involved. The risk of discrimination was, however, not a significant concern in the public sector AI projects. Instead, other concepts such as ethics, fairness, and transparency took precedence in most of the project surveyed here.Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector in Norway: AI Development as a Hop-on-Hop-off JourneypublishedVersio
Inefficient transfer of diatoms through the subpolar Southern Ocean twilight zone
Full text linkThe Southern Ocean, a region highly vulnerable to climate change, plays a vital role in regulating global nutrient cycles and atmospheric CO2 via the biological carbon pump. Diatoms, photosynthetically active plankton with dense opal skeletons, are key to this process as their exoskeletons are thought to enhance the transfer of particulate organic carbon to depth, positioning them as major vectors of carbon storage. Yet conflicting observations obscure the mechanistic link between diatoms, opal and particulate organic carbon fluxes, especially in the twilight zone where greatest flux losses occur. Here we present direct springtime flux measurements from different sectors of the subpolar Southern Ocean, demonstrating that across large areas of the subpolar twilight zone, carbon is efficiently transferred to depth, albeit not by diatoms. Rather, opal is retained near the surface ocean, indicating that processes such as diatom buoyancy regulation and grazer repackaging can negate ballast effects of diatoms’ skeletons. Our results highlight that the presence of diatoms in surface waters of the Southern Ocean’s largest biome does not guarantee their importance as vectors for efficient carbon transfer through the subpolar twilight zone. Climate change-driven shifts in phytoplankton community composition may affect biologically sequestered carbon pools less than currently predicted.publishedVersio
Leverandørutvikling Forsvaret
Full text linkHøsten 2019 besluttet Finnmark fylkeskommune å etablere prosjektet «Leverandørutvikling Forsvaret». Prosjektet ble etablert på initiativ fra Porsanger kommune, og med bakgrunn i re-etableringen av Finnmark Landforsvar på Porsangmoen for å bidra til å styrke lokal verdiskapning tilknyttet re-etableringen av Finnmark landforsvar og Forsvarets tilstedeværelse i Finnmark. Prosjektet startet opp 15. juni 2020 med to års finansiering, men har siden blitt utvidet ved to anledninger til å vare ut 2023. Troms og Finnmark fylkeskommune og Sapmi Næringshage har stått for organiseringen, i samarbeid med bl.a. NHO, NHO Arktis og Forsvarsbygg. Hovedmålet i prosjektet har vært å få flere lokale små og mellomstore bedrifter i Finnmark inn i forsvarssektorens leverandørportefølje, samt gjøre leverandørene i regionen mer bevisst og bedre rustet til å gripe mulighetene i forsvarsmarkedet. Prosjektet har søkt å oppnå dette gjennom: 1) Mobilisering og kompetanseheving innen faget offentlige anskaffelser blant regionens små og mellomstore bedrifter. 2) Nasjonal politisk påvirkning for å få forsvarssektoren til å rigge anbudskonkurranser slik at også lokale små og mellomstore bedrifter har mulighet til å delta.Leverandørutvikling ForsvaretpublishedVersio
Data Rate Performance of Mobile Multiuser MIMO Underwater Acoustic Communication Systems
Full text linkThis article presents a study of the Multiuser Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) Method for the multiple access of multiuser mobile underwater acoustic communications. Orthogonal multiple access schemes, such as time-division multiple access (TDMA), frequency-division multiple access, or code-division multiple access, suffer from limited data rate due to an orthogonal sharing of communication resources. In an MU-MIMO system, each user is viewed by the receiver as an input of a conventional multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel using spatial multiplexing. The receiver, having multiple hydrophones, can then exploit the spatial diversity to decode the input streams of each user through successive cancellation of interstream interference. However, unlike traditional MIMO decoding, in a mobile context, each user can have its own motion-induced Doppler scale factor that needs to be efficiently treated at the receive side. First, a communication system is presented in detail, where Doppler scale domain equalization is proposed to cope with multiple mobile users having each their own Doppler scale factor. Then, a data rate performance evaluation of MU-MIMO shows its advantages compared to typical orthogonal multiple access schemes. Performance evaluation is carried out for a two-user configuration in terms of the theoretical achievable data rates computed on channels sounded at-sea and by the evaluation of effective rates obtained through channel replay of the full modulation–demodulation stages on the same sounded channels. Achievable rates of MU-MIMO with successive interference cancellation are compared with single user and TDMA, set as upper and lower performance bounds, respectively. For the studied configuration, results show that a data rate gain of 64% over TDMA is expected in MU-MIMO. Finally comparisons with the effective rates are provided for both the static and mobile users. They reveal a gain of the same level as that expected in theory at signa...submittedVersio
Multi-year mesozooplankton flux trends in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
Full text linkWe conducted this study to investigate the relationship between environmental stressors and mesozooplankton fluxes in inner Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. The ongoing Arctic amplification, characterized by phenomena such as increased temperatures, glacial and watershed runoff, and diminishing ice cover, poses significant challenges to marine ecosystems. Our multi-year time-series analysis (2010–2018) of mesozooplankton, collected from a moored automatic sediment trap at approximately 87 m depth, aims to elucidate seasonal and interannual variations in fluxes within this Arctic fjord. We integrate meteorological, hydrological, and chemical datasets to assess their influence on zooplankton populations. Principal component analysis reveals the impact of seawater characteristics on mesozooplankton fluxes and composition, while two-way ANOVA highlights the role of seasonality in driving variations in our dataset. We observe a decrease in swimmer fluxes following the maxima mass flux event (from 2013 onwards), coupled with an increase in community diversity, possibly attributed to copepod decline and functional diversity. Notably, sub-Arctic boreal species such as Limacina retroversa have been detected in the sediment trap since 2016. Our continuous multi-year dataset captures the physical, chemical, and biological dynamics in this extreme environment. With Arctic amplification in Kongsfjorden and increasing submarine and watershed runoff, we anticipate significant shifts in mesozooplankton communities in the medium to long-term. This underscores the urgency for further research on their adaptation to changing environmental conditions and the potential introduction of alien species.publishedVersio
Synthesis Product for Ocean Time Series (SPOTS) - a ship-based biogeochemical pilot
Full text linkThe presented pilot for the Synthesis Product for Ocean Time Series (SPOTS) includes data from 12 fixed ship-based time-series programs. The related stations represent unique open-ocean and coastal marine environments within the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Nordic Seas, and Caribbean Sea. The focus of the pilot has been placed on biogeochemical essential ocean variables: dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nutrients, inorganic carbon (pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, and partial pressure of CO2), particulate matter, and dissolved organic carbon. The time series used include a variety of temporal resolutions (monthly, seasonal, or irregular), time ranges (10–36 years), and bottom depths (80–6000 m), with the oldest samples dating back to 1983 and the most recent one corresponding to 2021. Besides having been harmonized into the same format (semantics, ancillary data, units), the data were subjected to a qualitative assessment in which the applied methods were evaluated and categorized. The most recently applied methods of the time-series programs usually follow the recommendations outlined by the Bermuda Time Series Workshop report (Lorenzoni and Benway, 2013), which is used as the main reference for “method recommendations by prevalent initiatives in the field”. However, measurements of dissolved oxygen and pH, in particular, still show room for improvement. Additional data quality descriptors include precision and accuracy estimates, indicators for data variability, and offsets compared to a reference and widely recognized data product for the global ocean: the GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP). Generally, these descriptors indicate a high level of continuity in measurement quality within time-series programs and a good consistency with the GLODAP data product, even though robust comparisons to the latter are limited. The data are available as (i) a merged comma-separated file that is compliant with the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) exchange format and (ii) a format dependent on user queries via the Environmental Research Division's Data Access Program (ERDDAP) server of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The pilot increases the data utility, findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability following the FAIR philosophy, enhancing the readiness of biogeochemical time series. It facilitates a variety of applications that benefit from the collective value of biogeochemical time-series observations and forms the basis for a sustained time-series living data product, SPOTS, complementing relevant products for the global interior ocean carbon data (GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project), global surface ocean carbon data (Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas; SOCAT), and global interior and surface methane and nitrous oxide data (MarinE MethanE and NiTrous Oxide product).publishedVersio
Fastlege- og legevaktdata: Forslag til endringer i Normaltariffen som grunnlag for Kommunalt pasient- og brukerregister (KPR)
Full text linkHelsedepartementet har etablert Nasjonalt kompetansesenter for legevaktmedisin (NKLM). Senteret er organisert i NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, avdeling Helse og samfunn, og knyttet faglig til Institutt for global helse og samfunnsmedisin, Universitetet i Bergen. NKLM skal gjennom forskning og fagutvikling og i samarbeid med andre fagmiljøer bidra til å bygge opp og formidle faglig kunnskap innen kommunal legevaktmedisin.Fastlege- og legevaktdata: Forslag til endringer i Normaltariffen som grunnlag for Kommunalt pasient- og brukerregister (KPR)publishedVersio
Worker and workplace determinants of employment exit: A register study
Full text linkBackground Workers with chronic illness are in higher risk of unemployment. This article investigated the worker and workplace characteristics associated with labour market inclusion for workers with a diagnosed chronic illness. Methods Linked employer-employee register data covering all Norwegian employers and employees each month from February 2015 to December 2019 were merged with patient data from specialist healthcare (136 196 observations (job spells); 70 923 individual workers). Survival analysis was used to estimate the risk of employment exit, with age, gender, chronic illness, full-time/part-time employment, skill level, marital status, children in household, branch, share of chronically ill workers, firm size and unemployment rate as covariates. Results 85% of the study population was employed in December 2019; 58% remain employed throughout the follow-up period. Mental illness, male gender, young age, part-time employment and lower skill levels were the worker-level predictors of labour market exit. Employments in secondary industries, in firms with high shares of chronically ill workers and, to some extent, in larger firms were the significant workplace-level determinants. Conclusion Only a minority of our sample of workers with chronic illness experienced labour market exclusion. Targeted measures should be considered towards workers with poor mental health and/or low formal skills. Chronically ill workers within public administration have the best labour market prospects, while workplaces within the education branch have an unfulfilled potential.publishedVersio
The Coldest and Densest Overflow Branch Into the North Atlantic is Stable in Transport, But Warming
Full text linkThe overflow of cold water through the Faroe Bank Channel (FBC) is the densest water crossing the Greenland-Scotland Ridge and the densest source for the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Here, we show that the overflow volume transport remained stable from 1996 to 2022, but that the bottom water warmed at an average rate of 0.1°C per decade, mainly caused by warming of deep waters upstream. The salinity of the overflow water has increased as a lagged and reduced response to the salinity increase seen in the upper-layer source waters. Therefore, the potential density of the bottom water over the FBC sill shows no statistically significant trend. After entrainment of warmer ambient waters downstream of the FBC, the nonlinear density dependence upon temperature implies, however, that the overflow contributed water of reduced density to the local overturning and the deep limb of the AMOC.publishedVersio