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Towards an enhanced metric for detecting vertical flow decoupling in eddy covariance flux observations
Full text linkAlleviating small sample problem in continuous forest monitoring with remote sensing-assisted Copulas
Full text linkWith model-assisted (MA) estimation, remote sensing (RS) has provided auxiliary modeling data to enhance precision in estimators of forest parameters for continuous forest monitoring as mandated by various official reporting instruments. However, model-assisted estimation is largely reliant on a sample resulting from costly field surveys to meet the precision standard mandated by these instruments. While a large sample is more likely to represent the population in question and ensure meeting the prescribed precision, it is crucial to reduce costs by finding a balance between precision and sample size. Consequently, this study aims to (1) develop and demonstrate estimation using Copulas modeling; (2) propose a sample size optimization procedure for MA estimators in the context of continuous forest monitoring; and (3) compare survey precisions of the estimators using Copulas and Weighted Least Squares regression (WLS) as a function of sample sizes. Four main conclusions are relevant: for both Burkina Faso (BF) and Genhe (GH) study area, (1) Copulas outperforms WLS in modeling and prediction, both in terms of mean values and maximum/minimum values; (2) Copulas consistently demonstrates superior performance and precision across varying sample sizes compared to the WLS with MA estimators; (3) a straightforward sample size optimization approach reveals that variance estimates of Copulas remain lower than those of WLS as the sample size decreases in monitoring surveys; (4) Copulas requires about 20% smaller sample size than WLS does when achieving a specified precision, suggesting enhanced efficiency. Overall, Copulas appears promising to satisfy the precision, cost-efficiency, and flexibility requirements of monitoring surveys, particularly in situations involving small sample sizes
Biohiilen raaka-aineet ja niiden saatavuus Lapissa : Raportti hankkeelle Biohiili ja synteettiset polttoaineet – uuden teollisen toiminnan mahdollistajat Lapissa
Full text linkTämä raportti on laadittu EU:n Oikeudenmukaisen siirtymän rahaston osittain rahoittamassa hankkeessa Biohiili ja synteettiset polttoaineet – uuden teollisen toiminnan mahdollistajat Lapissa. Hanke keskittyy biohiilen tuotannon ja synteettisten polttoaineiden valmistuksen potentiaalin selvittämiseen ja uusien liiketoimintamahdollisuuksien esille tuomiseen Lapissa. Projektin tavoitteena on tukea kestävää kehitystä ja ilmastonmuutoksen hillintää, samalla kun se luo uusia liiketoimintamahdollisuuksia Lapin alueelle. Tässä raportissa selvitetään mahdollisten biohiilen raaka-aineiden – metsähakkeen ja metsäteollisuuden sivuvirtojen – saatavuutta biohiilen raaka-aineiksi
Enhancing Food Supply Chain Resilience Through Digital Innovation: An In-Depth Look at the SecureFood Project
No full textFramework for including national-level LULUC emissions and removals in the GWP of agricultural and forestry products in LCA
Full text linkLand use and land use change (LULUC) encompasses carbon stock changes in living biomass, dead organic matter, and soil organic carbon, causing LULUC-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals reported as global warming potential (GWPLULUC). Regardless of the realised importance, accounting for LULUC in life cycle assessment (LCA) is challenging due to its complex nature and gaps in internationally recommended approaches. As a result, LULUC methods in LCA remain variable and often incomplete. Here, we aim to improve the inclusion of the national-level LULUC emissions and removals in LCA by providing a framework aligning with the National GHG Inventories. That is to enhance the practicality and use of open-access national-level LULUC data. Furthermore, we applied the framework to cropland and forest land, to demonstrate the effect of LULUC emissions and removals on the GWP of two typical Finnish agricultural and forestry products – oats and harvested softwood of Norway spruce. The developed framework provides a comprehensive consideration of carbon stocks, accounts for net carbon removals, and distinguishes mineral and organic soils. The case study results showed that consideration of LULUC increased the GWP of oats and mainly decreased the GWP of harvested softwood. The results highlight the importance of considering organic soils separately from mineral soils in areas high in organic soils, such as Finland. It is also important to consider net carbon removals of forest land, as they have potential to mitigate GWP. The framework includes LULUC emissions and removals based on national-level average data, but it can be specified by data regarding the share of organic soils and land use history. Including LULUC emissions and removals improves the completeness and accuracy of LCA. In the developed framework, the inclusion of LULUC is done by utilizing annually updating national-level GHG inventory data, to avoid partial or double counting and to enhance practicality. Special focus needs to be put on the share of organic soils on the production chain, which needs to be specified in areas high in organic soils such as Finland
Optimization of protein recovery from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) head and backbone by response surface methodology and characterization of functional properties and nutritional value
Full text linkAtlantic salmon (Salmo salar) head and backbone by-products were hydrolysed using non-commercial protease enzyme (ERM 1) to produce protein. Response surface methodology was used to optimise conditions, including hydrolysis time, hydromodule and enzyme–substrate (E:S) ratio for maximum protein recovery. Highest protein recovery was obtained after 4 h hydrolysis, 1 L/kg hydromodule, and 0.39% of E:S ratio for the salmon head. Similarly, 3.75 h of hydrolysis time, 2.67 L/kg of hydromodule and 0.499% of E:S were found optimal for the salmon backbone. Total amino acid (TAA) composition revealed the presence of all essential amino acids in both hydrolysates. The sum of 16 TAAs was approximately both in salmon head and backbone samples 70 g/100 g, while FAAs were much higher in salmon head (13.4 g/100 g) then in the salmon backbone (8.8 g/100 g). The hydrolysates prevented the growth of E. coli K-12, but no significant effect on Listeria innocua (ATTC 33090) growth was seen. Fish hydrolysates showed nitrogen solubility indices above 90% at pH 5–8, with one exception of the salmon head hydrolysate at pH 5 with a value of 67.8%. Samples formed gels at 5 and 10% protein concentration. Gels were weak compared to gelatine gels
Cormorant predation in fyke net fishing: The direct effects of a protected bird on coastal commercial fishing
Full text linkThe population size of great cormorants, Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis, has risen steeply in the Baltic Sea over the past 40 years. The growing population has resulted in polarized conflicts between conservation and coastal fisheries due to the losses cormorants may inflict on fisheries. Mitigation of the conflicts requires objective estimates of true losses to fisheries, but quantitative research on losses has been scarce. We used continuous video-recordings to systematically quantify cormorant visits and their activity at 15 fyke nets during the 2022–2023 breeding and post breeding seasons. More than 2400 h of video footage were recorded, in which cormorants were found for 664 h. We also quantified the frequency of fish injured by birds in coastal fishing catches using data from the EU Fisheries Data Collection Program including data from fyke nets and gill nets. Our results show that cormorants frequently foraged in open, floating fyke nets but relatively rarely in submerged nets, leading to significantly higher losses in the former. Monitoring data from fyke and gill net catches covering the entire Finnish coast revealed that the proportion of bird-injured fish in catches is very modest (0.5 %) but can be considerable in individual catches. Finally, results indicate that cormorant visits and the proportion of injured fish in the catch tend to increase when distance to the nearest cormorant colony decreases. We conclude that the losses caused by birds are generally modest, except in open fyke nets where cormorants may conduct hundreds of dives and catch dozens of fish a day. Our study shows that cormorant depredation is highly variable in time and space, but also partly manageable by selecting gear that conforms to local cormorant pressures. We underline the importance of systematic scientific research when measuring damage caused by cormorants and ask for evidence-based political strategies to mitigate perceived cormorant problems
Forest Owners' and Forestry Stakeholders' Perceptions
Full text linkIn Finland, the new Forest Act in 2014 made continuous cover forestry (CCF) a possible forest management option. This triggered research on how forest owners and forestry professionals perceive CCF. In Sweden and Norway, the CCF method has been legal but not encouraged. Research on stakeholder views on CCF has only recently emerged, so only a few studies have been published on the topic.
In Finland, according to surveys, less than 10% of forest owners have converted to CCF in all their forests and around 20–25% in part of their forests. About a fifth of forest owners expressed an interest in testing it.
In the Finnish studies, CCF has been of particular interest to forest owners whose holdings are smaller than average and where they have recreational objectives.
The interest of forest owners clearly increased if they were compensated for converting to CCF.
Forestry companies, as well as their associations in Sweden and Finland, promote CCF as an alternative forest management method, according to statements on their official websites. How well this supportive attitude will materialise in their actions remains an open question.
The current forestry culture, the power of industrial networks, uncertainties concerning economic profitability and ecological outcomes, as well as current forestry education and technical knowledge, are the main barriers for CCF