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Browning of surface waters due to increased terrestrial loading of dissolved organic carbon is observed across the Northern Hemisphere. Brownification is often explained by changes in large scale anthropogenic pressures (acidification, climate and land use). We quantified the effect of environmental changes on observed brownification of an important bird lake Kukkia in Central Finland. Water bird densities have decreased there during last decades, probably due to brownification of the lake. We studied past trends of organic carbon loading from catchments based on observations since 1990’s. We created scenarios for atmospheric deposition, climate and land use change to simulate their quantitative effect on brownification of the lake by process-based models (PERSiST for hydrology, INCA-C for carbon loading and MyLake for carbon processes in the lake). Increase in forest cut area appeared to be the primary reason for brownification of the lake. Decrease in acidic deposition has resulted in a lower leaching of dissolved organic carbon, but the effect is small. Runoff and total organic carbon leaching from terrestrial areas to the lake is smaller than it would have been without observed increasing trend in temperature by two degrees.

Browning of surface waters due to increased terrestrial loading of organic carbon is observed in boreal regions. It is explained by large scale changes in ecosystems, including decrease in sulphur deposition that affects soil organic matter solubility, increase in temperature that stimulates export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from organic soils, and increase in precipitation and thus runoff. Land use changes and forestry measures are also observed to be one reason for increased transport of DOC. The effects of brownification extend to ecosystem services like water purification, but also freshwater productivity through limiting light penetration and creating more stable thermal stratification. We studied past trends of organic carbon loading from catchments based on observations since early 1990’s. We made simulations of loading by the physical Persist and INCA models to three small catchments at the Lammi LTER area. We upscaled simulations to the Kokemäenjoki river basin (17 950 km2). Even though river processes did not play a role in small catchments, they had influence on DOC concentration at the whole river basin. Brownification was driven mainly by the change in climate and decay of organic matter in soil, with smaller impact of land use change on organic soil types. Decrease in sulphur deposition had only minor effect on brownification.

We have quantified annual changes of N stocks in forests in Sweden, Finland, Norway and in Denmark in two independent ways. First, we quantified major inflows (atmospheric deposition and biological N fixation) and outflows (leaching of N to runoff and tree harvest). The N outflows were between 70% and 130% of the N inflows, not indicating major loss or build-up of organic matter in any of the four countries. Then we calculated N stock change in forests based on annual C stock changes reported to UNFCCC and known C/N ratios. All four countries report annual increase of forest C stocks. The sources of N to make the C stock increase possible have not been identified in the N budgets based on inflows and outflows. The discrepancy between forest N and C budgets raises the question of the consistency between reported N and C flows and stock changes.

Highlights • Novel techniques for presenting exceedances of critical loads (CL) and their temporal development were developed. • Concentrations and fluxes of N and S compounds in deposition and runoff have decreased as a response to decreasing emissions. • Most sites with higher CL exceedances showed larger decreases in both inorganic N and H+ concentrations and fluxes in runoff. • Effects of the cumulative exceedance of the eutrophication CL were evaluated. • The results provide evidence on the link between CL exceedances and empirical impacts. Anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) compounds and their long-range transport have caused widespread negative impacts on different ecosystems. Critical loads (CLs) are deposition thresholds used to describe the sensitivity of ecosystems to atmospheric deposition. The CL methodology has been a key science-based tool for assessing the environmental consequences of air pollution. We computed CLs for eutrophication and acidification using a European long-term dataset of intensively studied forested ecosystem sites (n = 17) in northern and central Europe. The sites belong to the ICP IM and eLTER networks. The link between the site-specific calculations and time-series of CL exceedances and measured site data was evaluated using long-term measurements (1990–2017) for bulk deposition, throughfall and runoff water chemistry. Novel techniques for presenting exceedances of CLs and their temporal development were also developed. Concentrations and fluxes of sulphate, total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) and acidity in deposition substantially decreased at the sites. Decreases in S deposition resulted in statistically significant decreased concentrations and fluxes of sulphate in runoff and decreasing trends of TIN in runoff were more common than increasing trends. The temporal developments of the exceedance of the CLs indicated the more effective reductions of S deposition compared to N at the sites. There was a relation between calculated exceedance of the CLs and measured runoff water concentrations and fluxes, and most sites with higher CL exceedances showed larger decreases in both TIN and H+ concentrations and fluxes. Sites with higher cumulative exceedance of eutrophication CLs (averaged over 3 and 30 years) generally showed higher TIN concentrations in runoff. The results provided evidence on the link between CL exceedances and empirical impacts, increasing confidence in the methodology used for the European-scale CL calculations. The results also confirm that emission abatement actions are having their intended effects on CL exceedances and ecosystem impacts.

The challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss are deeply interconnected. Successful co-managing of these tangled drivers requires innovative methods that can prioritize and target management actions against multiple criteria, while also enabling cost-effective land use planning and impact scenario assessment. This paper synthesises the development and application of an integrated multidisciplinary modelling and evaluation framework for carbon and biodiversity in forest systems. By analysing and spatio-temporally modelling carbon processes and biodiversity elements, we determine an optimal solution for their co-management in the study landscape. We also describe how advanced Earth Observation measurements can be used to enhance mapping and monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. The scenarios used for the dynamic models were based on official Finnish policy goals for forest management and climate change mitigation. The development and testing of the system were executed in a large region in southern Finland (Kokemäenjoki basin, 27 024 km2) containing highly instrumented LTER (Long-Term Ecosystem Research) stations; these LTER data sources were complemented by fieldwork, remote sensing and national data bases. In the study area, estimated total net emissions were currently 4.2 TgCO2eq a-1, but modelling of forestry measures and anthropogenic emission reductions demonstrated that it would be possible to achieve the stated policy goal of carbon neutrality by low forest harvest intensity. We show how this policy-relevant information can be further utilised for optimal allocation of set-aside forest areas for nature conservation, which would significantly contribute to preserving both biodiversity and carbon values in the region. Biodiversity gain in the area could be increased without a loss of carbon-related benefits. The challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss are deeply interconnected. Successful co-managing of these tangled drivers requires innovative methods that can prioritize and target management actions against multiple criteria, while also enabling cost-effective land use planning and impact scenario assessment. This paper synthesises the development and application of an integrated multidisciplinary modelling and evaluation framework for carbon and biodiversity in forest systems. By analysing and spatio-temporally modelling carbon processes and biodiversity elements, we determine an optimal solution for their co-management in the study landscape. We also describe how advanced Earth Observation measurements can be used to enhance mapping and monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. The scenarios used for the dynamic models were based on official Finnish policy goals for forest management and climate change mitigation. The development and testing of the system were executed in a large region in southern Finland (Kokemäenjoki basin, 27,024 km2) containing highly instrumented LTER (Long-Term Ecosystem Research) stations; these LTER data sources were complemented by fieldwork, remote sensing and national data bases. In the study area, estimated total net emissions were currently 4.2 TgCO2eq a−1, but modelling of forestry measures and anthropogenic emission reductions demonstrated that it would be possible to achieve the stated policy goal of carbon neutrality by low forest harvest intensity. We show how this policy-relevant information can be further utilized for optimal allocation of set-aside forest areas for nature conservation, which would significantly contribute to preserving both biodiversity and carbon values in the region. Biodiversity gain in the area could be increased without a loss of carbon-related benefits.

Natural ecosystems play an important role in regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes between land and water surfaces and the atmosphere. To evaluate the full GHG balance of a region, fluxes from natural ecosystems such as undrained mires, lakes and rivers, should be included in the GHG accounting together with fluxes from forestry, agricultural and anthropogenic activities. We present a method for collating regional GHG balances including natural ecosystem processes, to support strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Our study area is Kokemäenjoki river basin (SW Finland), which includes two eLTER sites (Lammi and Hyytiälä/SMEAR). Empirical data of these sites are used for model developments and calibrations as well as regional extrapolation. We report spatially explicit estimates on sources and sinks of GHG such as carbon dioxide and methane, and nitrous oxide for some ecosystems, and aggregate the regional balance from vertical fluxes of these elements. Spatial data sources include CORINE land use data, soil map, lake and rivers shorelines, national forest inventory data, as well as statistical data on anthropogenic activities. The regionally aggregated vertical balance will be compared to observed total lateral flux to the Bothnian Sea. We quantify the fluxes on the basis of empirical evidence from eLTER site information, literature, as well as on calculations with a forest growth and gas exchange model (PREBAS). Acknowledgements and funding:Irina Bergström, Markus Haakana, Antti Ihalainen and Kari MinkkineneLTER H2020 GA 654359IBC-Carbon Academy of Finland SRC 2017/312559SOMPA Academy of Finland SRC 2017/312912oGIIRFreshabit LIFE IP LIFE14/IPE/FI/023

Browning of surface waters due to increased terrestrial loading of organic carbon is observed in boreal regions. It is explained by large scale changes in ecosystems, including decrease in sulphur deposition that affects soil organic matter solubility, increase in temperature that stimulates export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from organic soils, and increase in precipitation and thus runoff. Land use changes and forestry measures are also observed to be one reason for increased transport of DOC. The effects of brownification extend to ecosystem services like water purification, but also freshwater productivity through limiting light penetration and creating more stable thermal stratification. The research question at the Lammi LTER area (Southern Boreal Aquatic and Terrestrial Long-Term Ecological Research Area) was brownification of the lake Pääjärvi. We studied both past trends of organic carbon loading from catchments and water colour in the lake based on observations since early 1990’s. We also made simulations of loading for future climate by the physical Persist and INCA models. DOC concentration in the lake was simulated by the physical MyLake model. Simulated DOC concentration was transformed to water colour and light climate of the lake by empirical equations to study the influence on macrophytes (as an indicator of the ecosystem state). In future growing depths might decrease from 2 m to 1.2 m corresponding to observed shift from reference lakes to impacted lakes. Brownification was driven mainly by the change in climate and decay of organic matter in soil, with smaller impact of land use change on organic soil types. Decrease in sulphur deposition had only minor effect on brownification.

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Ecosystem services have become an important concept in policy-making. Carbon (C) sequestration into ecosystems is a significant ecosystem service, whereas C losses can be considered as an ecosystem disservice. Municipalities are in a position to make decisions that affect local emissions and therefore are important when considering greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. Integrated estimations of fluxes at a regional level help local authorities to develop land use policies for minimising GHG emissions and maximising C sinks. In this study, the Finnish national GHG accounting system is modified and applied at the municipal level by combining emissions and sinks from agricultural land, forest areas, water bodies and mires (land use-related GHG emissions) with emissions from activities such as energy production and traffic (anthropogenic GHG emissions) into the LUONNIKAS calculation tool. The study area consists of 14 municipalities within the Vanajavesi catchment area located in Southern Finland. In these municipalities, croplands, peat extraction sites, water bodies and undrained mires are emission sources, whereas forests are large carbon sinks that turn the land use-related GHG budget negative, resulting in C sequestration into the ecosystem. The annual land use-related sink in the study area was 78tCO2eqkm(-2) and 2.8tCO2eq per capita. Annual anthropogenic GHG emissions from the area amounted to 250tCO2eqkm(-2) and 9.2tCO2eq per capita. Since forests are a significant carbon sink and the efficiency of this sink is heavily affected by forest management practices, forest management policy is a key contributing factor for mitigating municipal GHG emissions.

Increasing the use of forest biomass for energy production is an important mitigation strategy against climate change. Sustainable use of natural resources requires that these policies are evaluated, planned and implemented, taking into account the boundary conditions of the ecological systems affected. This paper describes the development and application of a quantitative modelling framework for evaluating integrated impacts of forest biomass removal scenarios on four key environmental sustainability/ecosystem service indicators: (i) carbon sequestration and balance, (ii) soil nutrient balances (base cations and nitrogen), (iii) nutrient leaching to surface waters (nitrogen and phosphorus), and (iv) dead wood biomass (used as proxy indicator for impacts on species diversity). The system is based on the use of spatial data sets, mass balance calculations, loading coefficients and dynamic modelling. The approach is demonstrated using data from an intensively studied region (Hameenlinna municipality) encompassing the Lammi LTER (Long-Term Ecosystem Research) site in southern Finland. Forest biomass removal scenarios were derived from a management-oriented large-scale forestry model (MELA) based on sample plot and stand-level data from national forest inventories. These scenarios have been developed to guide future Finnish forest management with respect to bioenergy use. Using harvest residues for district heat production reduced fossil carbon emissions but also the carbon sink of forests in the case study area. Calculations of the net removal of base cations of the different scenarios ranged between −36 to −43 meq m −2 a −1 , indicating that the supply of base cations (soil weathering + deposition) would be enough to sustain also energy-wood harvesting. Greatly increased nutrient removal values and increasing nitrogen limitation problems were however predicted. Clear-cuttings and site preparation were predicted to increase the load of total nitrogen (4.0%) and total phosphorus (4.5%) to surface waters, compared with background leaching. The amount of dead wood has been identified as a key factor for forest species diversity in Finland. A scenario maximising harvest residues used for bioenergy production, would decrease stem dead wood biomass by about 40%, compared with a business-as-usual scenario. Clear trade-off situations could be observed in the case study area between maximising the use of energy-wood and minimising impacts on species diversity, soil carbon and nutrient stores, and nutrient leaching. The developed model system allows seeking for optimised solutions with respect to different management options and sustainability considerations.

Climate change may alter the services ecosystems provide by changing ecosystem functioning. As ecosystems can also resist environmental perturbations, it is crucial to consider the different processes that influence resilience. Our case study considered increased NO3− concentration in drinking water due to the climate change. We analyzed changes in ecosystem services connected to water purification at a catchment scale in southern Finland. We combined climate change scenarios with process-based forest growth (PREBAS) and eco-hydrological (PERSiST and INCA) models. We improved traditional model calibration by timing of forest phenology and snow-covered period from network of cameras and satellite data. We upscaled the combined modelling results with scenarios of population growth to form vulnerability maps. The boreal ecosystems seemed to be strongly buffered against NO3- leaching by increase in evapotranspiration and vegetation NO3- uptake. Societal vulnerability varied greatly between scenarios and municipalities. The most vulnerable were agricultural areas on permeable soil types.

Current climate warming is expected to continue in coming decades, whereas high N deposition may stabilize, in contrast to the clear decrease in S deposition. These pressures have distinctive regional patterns and their resulting impact on soil conditions is modified by local site characteristics. We have applied the VSD+ soil dynamic model to study impacts of deposition and climate change on soil properties, using MetHyd and GrowUp as pre-processors to provide input to VSD+. The single-layer soil model VSD+ accounts for processes of organic C and N turnover, as well as charge and mass balances of elements, cation exchange and base cation weathering. We calibrated VSD+ at 26 ecosystem study sites throughout Europe using observed conditions, and simulated key soil properties: soil solution pH (pH), soil base saturation (BS) and soil organic carbon and nitrogen ratio (C:N) under projected deposition of N and S, and climate warming until 2100. The sites are forested, located in the Mediterranean, forested alpine, Atlantic, continental and boreal regions. They represent the long-term ecological research (LTER) Europe network, including sites of the ICP Forests and ICP Integrated Monitoring (IM) programmes under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP), providing high quality long-term data on ecosystem response. Simulated future soil conditions improved under projected decrease in deposition and current climate conditions: higher pH, BS and C:N at 21, 16 and 12 of the sites, respectively. When climate change was included in the scenario analysis, the variability of the results increased. Climate warming resulted in higher simulated pH in most cases, and higher BS and C:N in roughly half of the cases. Especially the increase in C:N was more marked with climate warming. The study illustrates the value of LTER sites for applying models to predict soil responses to multiple environmental changes.

Soil carbon sequestration is an ecosystem process that can provide important ecosystem services such as climate regulation and mitigation of global warming. Spatiotemporal variation in the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock is the basic information needed for landscape management and determination of regional carbon budgets. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of ecological restoration on SOC stocks and determine the influences of multiple factors in the Yanhe watershed of the Loess Plateau. We coupled the Yasso07 soil carbon model with remote sensing indices as model input. The model performance was evaluated by uncertainty and sensitivity analyses as well as validation against field measurement. The modeling captured the spatial pattern of SOC variability across the landscape generally well. Net primary productivity (NPP) was the foremost factor that affecting the spatiotemporal variation of SOC density. Converting cropland to grassland was the most efficient restoration type in soil carbon sequestration in the study period. Land use change influenced the spatial correlation between NPP and SOC density by altering both litter quantity and quality. The changes in land use area tended to have higher contributions to the changes in SOC stock than did the changes in SOC density for different land use types. The overall effect of ecological restoration on soil carbon sequestration was dependent on the main vegetation restoration type and the time of recovery. Human-derived land use changes could have more substantial effects on soil carbon budgets compared to natural factors in a short period of time.

Context Landscape transition drives environmental change across the globe. However, landscape and its change are complex with high spatial heterogeneity, which challenges strategic decision-making.

We report on preparatory work to develop a virtual laboratory for ecosystem services, ESLab, and demonstrate its pilot application in southern Finland. The themes included in the pilot are related to biodiversity conservation, climate mitigation and eutrophication mitigation. ESLab is a research environment for ecosystem services (ES), which considers ES indicators at different landscape scales: habitats, catchments and municipalities and shares the results by a service that utilizes machine readable interfaces. The study area of the pilot application is situated in the boreal region of southern Finland and covers 14 municipalities and ten catchments including forested, agricultural and nature conservation areas. We present case studies including: present carbon budgets of natural ecosystems; future carbon budgets with and without the removal of harvest residues for bioenergy production; and total phosphorus and nitrogen future loads under climate and agricultural yield and price scenarios. The ESLab allows researchers to present and share the results as visual maps, statistics and graphs. Our further aim is to provide a toolbox of easily accessible virtual services for ES researchers, to illustrate the comprehensive societal consequences of multiple decisions (e.g. concerning land use, fertilisation or harvesting) in a changing environment (climate, deposition).

Land use changes are known to significantly affect the soil C balance by altering both C inputs and losses. Since the late 1990s, a large area of the Loess Plateau has undergone intensive land use changes during several ecological restoration projects to control soil erosion and combat land degradation, especially in the Grain for Green project. By using remote sensing techniques and the Yasso07 model, we simulated the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in the Yangjuangou catchment of the Loess Plateau. The performance of the model was evaluated by comparing the simulated results with the intensive field measurements in 2006 and 2011 throughout the catchment. SOC stocks and NPP values of all land use types had generally increased during our study period. The average SOC sequestration rate in the upper 30 cm soil from 2006 to 2011 in the Yangjuangou catchment was approximately 44 g C m−2 yr−1, which was comparable to other studies in the Loess Plateau. Forest and grassland showed a more effective accumulation of SOC than the other land use types in our study area. The Yasso07 model performed reasonably well in predicting the overall dynamics of SOC stock for different land use change types at both the site and catchment scales. The assessment of the model performance indicated that the combination of Yasso07 model and remote sensing data could be used for simulating the effect of land use changes on SOC stock at catchment scale in the Loess Plateau.

Critical loads for acidification and eutrophication and their exceedances were determined for a selection of ecosystem effects monitoring sites in the Integrated Monitoring programme (UNECE ICP IM). The level of protection of these sites with respect to acidifying and eutrophying deposition was estimated for 2000 and 2020. In 2020 more sites were protected from acidification (67%) than in 2000 (61%). However, due to the sensitivity of the sites, even the maximum technically feasible emission reductions scenario would not protect all sites from acidification. In 2000, around 20% of the IM sites were protected from eutrophication. In 2020, under reductions in accordance with current legislation, about one third of the sites would be protected, and at best, with the maximum technically feasible reductions, half of the sites would be protected from eutrophication. Data from intensively monitored sites, such as those in ICP IM, provide a connection between modelled critical thresholds and empirical observations, and thus an indication of the applicability of critical load estimates for natural ecosystems. Across the sites, there was good correlation between the exceedance of critical loads for acidification and key acidification parameters in runoff water, both with annual mean fluxes and concentrations. There was also evidence of a link between exceedances of critical loads of nutrient nitrogen and nitrogen leaching. The collected empirical data of the ICP IM thus allow testing and validation of key concepts used in the critical load calculations. This increases confidence in the European-scale critical loads mapping used in integrated assessment modelling to support emission reduction agreements.

In this study we compare histidine-tagged and native proteins with regards to adsorption properties. We observe significantly increased adsorption of proteins with an incorporated polyhistidine amino acid motif (HIS-tag) onto tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) compared to similar proteins without a HIS-tag. The effect is not observed on polystyrene (PS). Adsorption experiments have been performed at physiological pH (7.4) and the effect was only observed for the investigated proteins that have pI values below or around 7.4. Competitive adsorption experiments with imidazole and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), as well as adsorption performed at different pH and ionic strength indicates that the high adsorption is caused by electrostatic interaction between negatively charged carboxylate groups on the TCPS surface and positively charged histidine residues in the proteins. Pre-adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) does not decrease the adsorption of HIS-tagged proteins onto TCPS. Our findings identify a potential problem in using HIS-tagged signalling molecule in assays with cells cultured on TCPS, since the concentration of the molecule in solution might be affected and this could critically influence the assay outcome.

We have investigated the adsorption of albumin and fibrinogen onto PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and glass surfaces and how pre-adsorption of albumin onto these surfaces can affect the adsorption of later added fibrinogen. For materials and devices being exposed to blood, adsorption of fibrinogen is often a non-wanted event, since fibrinogen is part of the clotting cascade and unspecific adsorption of fibrinogen can have an influence on the activation of platelets. Albumin is often used as blocking agent for avoiding unspecific protein adsorption onto surfaces in devices designed to handle biological samples, including protein solutions. It is based on the assumption that proteins adsorbs as a monolayer on surfaces and that proteins do not adsorb on top of each other. By labelling albumin and fibrinogen with two different radioactive iodine isotopes that emit gamma radiation with different energies, the adsorption of both albumin and fibrinogen has been monitored simultaneously on the same sample. Information about topography and coverage of adsorbed protein layers has been obtained using AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) analysis in liquid. Our studies show that albumin adsorbs in a multilayer fashion on PET and that fibrinogen adsorbs on top of albumin when albumin is pre-adsorbed on the surfaces.

Competitive protein adsorption from human serum onto unmodified polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surfaces and plasma-polymerized PET surfaces, using the monomer diethylene glycol vinyl ether (DEGVE), has been investigated using radioactive labeling. Albumin and immunoglobulin G (IgG) labeled with two different iodine isotopes have been added to human serum solutions of different concentrations, and adsorption has been performed using adsorption times from approximately 5 s to 24 h. DEGVE surfaces showed indications of being nonfouling regarding albumin and IgG adsorption during competitive protein adsorption from diluted human serum solutions with relatively low protein concentrations, but the nonfouling character was weakened when less diluted human serum solutions with higher protein concentrations were used. The observed adsorption trend is independent of adsorption time, indicating that the protein concentration has a stronger influence on observed adsorption characteristics of the material than the adsorption time has.

Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) are increasing in many surface waters across Europe. Two of the main mechanisms proposed to explain this increase are declines in sulfate (SO 4 2− ) deposition and changes in climate. Many of the reductions in SO 4 2− have already occurred; climate change related effects are occurring now and will continue in the future. This paper presents the first application of a new version of INCA-C, the In tegrated Ca tchments model for C arbon, which simulates the effects of both climate and SO 4 2− deposition on surface water DOC concentration ([DOC]). The model was applied to Valkea-Kotinen, a small headwater catchment in Finland, where it was able to simulate present-day (1990–2007) trends in [DOC] in the lake and catchment outflow as functions of observed climate and European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP)-modelled SO 4 2− deposition. Using a parameter set derived from a present-day calibration, the model was run with two climate scenarios from the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) and three EMEP deposition scenarios to simulate surface water [DOC] between 1960 and 2100. The results show that much of the historical increase in [DOC] can be explained as a result of historical declines in SO 4 2− deposition and that surface water [DOC] will continue to increase as climate changes.

In this study, competitive adsorption of albumin and IgG (immunoglobulin G) from human serum solutions and protein mixtures onto polymer surfaces is studied by means of radioactive labeling. By using two different radiolabels (125I and 131I), albumin and IgG adsorption to polymer surfaces is monitored simultaneously and the influence from the presence of other human serum proteins on albumin and IgG adsorption, as well as their mutual influence during adsorption processes, is investigated. Exploring protein adsorption by combining analysis of competitive adsorption from complex solutions of high concentration with investigation of single protein adsorption and interdependent adsorption between two specific proteins enables us to map protein adsorption sequences during competitive protein adsorption. Our study shows that proteins can adsorb in a multilayer fashion onto the polymer surfaces and that the outcome of IgG adsorption is much more sensitive to surface characteristics than the outcome of albumin adsorption. Using high concentrations of protein solution and hydrophobic polymer surfaces during adsorption can induce IgG aggregation, which is observed as extremely high IgG adsorptions. Besides using a more hydrophilic substrate, surface-induced IgG aggregation can be inhibited by changing the adsorption sequence of albumin and IgG.

The dynamic hydro-geochemical Model of Acidification of Groundwater in Catchments (MAGIC) was used to predict the response of 163 Finnish lake catchments to historic and future atmospheric deposition (1880–2100) and future tree harvesting practices. Deposition was assumed to follow current legislated European emission reduction policies (CLe) and a scenario based on maximum (technically) feasible reductions (MFR). Future harvesting was assumed to shift from stem-only harvesting (SOH) to whole-tree harvesting (WTH) owing to the potential increased utilisation of biofuels. Despite the modest changes in atmospheric deposition under CLe (compared to current day), these reductions are predicted to halt the decline in soil base saturation; however, further reductions are required to improve soil and lake water chemistry. The MFR scenario predicted a significant long-term improvement in soil base saturation leading to continued long-term recovery in surface waters (all lakes with ANC > 0 by 2100). However under the WTH scenario, significant long-term impacts (re-acidification) were predicted for soil and surface water chemistry (14 lakes with ANC < 0 by 2100). To some extent the long-term negative impacts were reduced under MFR, indicating that increased utilisation of biofuels will necessitate ‘trading emissions for timber’, or soil amendment, to maintain ecosystem quality and sustainable forest growth. The current practice of SOH is close to the sustainable maximum harvesting under current (legislated) atmospheric deposition in Finland.

We designed artificial neural networks to model daily total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (N tot ) and total phosphorus (P tot ) concentrations in streamwater and used the simulated concentrations to predict future fluxes under scenarios of climate change. The streams drain two forested catchments located in southern and eastern Finland. In the period 1990–2000, observed TOC, N tot and P tot concentrations were in the range 2–60 mg C L −1 , 0.1–1.4 mg N L −1 and 1–60 μg P L −1 with mean discharge per unit area in the range of 10–15 L s −1 km −2 for the three streams. Artificial neural networks consisting of 13 input variables, 1 hidden layer with 7 nodes and 1 output variable each were trained with the backpropagation algorithm to estimate the concentration of TOC, N tot and P tot in streamwater. Daily air temperature, precipitation and runoff observations were included in the input variables as well as catchment characteristics such as catchment area and the area of lakes and peatland within the catchment. The networks performed well in comparison with the alternative method, i.e. flow-weighted average concentrations. Artificial neural networks are a useful method for creating black-box models of streamwater quality in cases where the involved processes are too complex to simulate directly. Projected changes in monthly temperature and precipitation under a changing climate were used to generate daily temperature and precipitation series for the 2050s. Daily runoff values for this hypothetical year were produced with an operational runoff model. Carbon and nitrogen loads were calculated for the 2050s using the neural network models of TOC, N tot and P tot concentrations. The low change scenario resulted in annual fluxes close to present fluxes, while the high change scenario gave an increase of approximately 26% of annual TOC, N tot and P tot fluxes.

The purpose of this inquiry was to increase the understanding of the significance of hope and hopelessness for patients’ vitality. Fifty women suffering from breast cancer have contributed their stories. The stories were submitted to an analysis of content and were interpreted within the framework of Eriksson’s theory. The findings show that hope and hopelessness succeed each other in a borderland situation of threatening death. The threat of death opens up the possibility of receiving hope. Communion with others and meaning in life are the sources of hope that provide strength to live and to endure hopelessness. Hope and hopelessness presuppose each other and stimulate vitality, the core substance of health.

In the central parts of western Finland, many streams are severely acidified as a result of land-use activities on overburden (soils) capable of producing and ultimately releasing extreme acidity. Consequently, the extent of the acidification problem is likely to have varied over time in response to the type and extent of contemporary land use. In this study, we have combined historical information on land use and knowledge on hydrogeochemical processes in order to assess the pH declines that are likely to have occurred in streams in this area since the Middle Ages. The results show that among several potentially acidifying activities, reclamation of mires for farmland (19th and 20th centuries) and subsurface drainage of acid sulphate soils (post-war times) are the major causes of the pH decline. Recent methods developed to combat the acidification and possible future changes in pH are discussed.

When analyzing surfaces related to biosensors with in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM), the existence of nanobubbles called for our attention. The bubbles seem to form spontaneously when gold surfaces are immersed in clean water and are probably a general phenomenon at water−solid interfaces. Besides from giving rise to undesired effects in, for example, biosensors, nanobubbles can also cause artifacts in AFM imaging. We have observed nanobubbles on unmodified gold surfaces, immersed in clean water, using standard silicon AFM probes. Nanobubbles can be made to disappear from contact mode AFM images and then to reappear by changing the scanning force. By combining contact mode AFM imaging and local force measurements, the interaction between the nanobubbles and the probe can be analyzed and give information about the characteristics of nanobubbles. A model of the forces between the AFM probe tip and the nanobubble indicates that a small tip cone angle and a relatively hydrophilic tip surface makes it pos...

Long-term base cation balances (Ca, Mg and K) for forest mineral soils in Finland were calculated with mass balance methods. The aim of the study was to identify the areas in which weathering and base cation deposition do not support leaching and uptake of base cations by vegetation. The effect of stem harvesting and whole-tree harvesting on the base cation balances was studied and preliminary calculations were made about the amounts of ash needed for compensation of the potential base cation depletion. The effect of sulphur emission reduction till 2010 was also considered. The study demonstrated that there would be depletion of base cations in forest mineral soils in southern, central and northeastern Finland (40–50% of the grids) in the long term if whole-tree harvesting would be practised. Theoretical calculations showed that ash application would be most useful in those areas to compensate the base cation depletion. If stem harvesting is practised, only small areas (20%) in southwestern and southeastern Finland and northeastern Lapland would show depletion of base cations in the long term.

The aim of this study was to develop GISSMART, a GIS-based model, for estimating relative regional changes in soil andsoil water chemistry for given atmospheric deposition and nutrient uptake scenarios. The regional application was performed by dividing the study area into grid cells, the size and the form of the pixels being determined on the basisof the available GIS data bases of Finnish soil and vegetationtypes. GISSMART is the biogeochemical model SMART, extended forhandling GIS data in space and time. The Kangasvaara catchment(56 ha) in eastern Finland was used as the first test site. Data from four other nearby catchments were also used, togetherwith Multisource National Forest Inventory data (25 × 25 m2) from an area of 10 × 40 km2 for estimating soil chemistry. Multisource forest inventory datafrom the Finnish Forest Research Institute, including tree species, age and growth by tree species was based on LandsatTM-images and field measurements. The same satellite based estimation method was applied to obtain regional soil chemistry input data for GISSMART. Base saturation was the key state variable and nutrient uptake the key driving variablein this application of GISSMART. The results of the model testruns were reasonable. A slight decrease in base saturation waspredicted for the assumed deposition and nutrient uptake scenarios. In future work, the aim is to improve the description of hydrological processes and land use management in the model. This would also enable assessment of the effectsof climate change and land use management scenarios.

We reviewed the current methods for calculatingcritical loads of acidity for forest soils. The consequencesof four sets of assumptions concerning the soil modelstructure, parameter values and the critical loads criterionwere explored by comparing the values of the averageaccumulated exceedance (AAE) calculated for Finland withdeposition values for the year 1995. The AAE index is given inthe unit of deposition and is a measure of how far a region isfrom being protected in terms of fulfilling a certaincriterion, taking into account the size of the ecosystem areas.Using a critical limit for the molar ratio of theconcentrations of base cations to aluminium in soil solutiongave the lowest average accumulated exceedance. Assumingorgano-aluminium complexes and leaching of organic anions gaveAAE = 4 eq ha-1 a-1, which was close to the valueobtained with the standard approach used in Finland, assuminggibbsite equilibrium and no leaching of organic anions,yielding AAE = 5 eq ha-1 a-1. With a critical basesaturation limit, instead of the concentrations criterion, theAAE index was 17 eq ha-1 a-1. The highest averageaccumulated exceedance (AAE = 25 eq ha-1 a-1),corresponding to the lowest critical load, was obtained whenthe effects-based criterion (critical concentration or criticalbase saturation) was substituted with one restricting thedeterioration of the neutralizing capacity of the soil, ANCle(crit) = 0. These tests illustrate the variabilityof the critical load values for acidity that can be introducedby changing the criterion or by varying the calculation method,without, however, representing the extreme values of criticalloads that could be derived.

We report an investigation concerning the impacts of acid deposition and forest growth scenarios on simulated soil effective base saturation for a forested catchment in eastern Finland. These forests have not been managed during the last 150 yr and the area receives low levels of acidifying deposition. The fluxes of sulphur, nitrogen and base cations were assessed with models simulating historic and future deposition, stand uptake and leaching. We tested the effects of calibrating the modelled deposition time series to high and low estimates of current levels of deposition. The highest future soil base saturation was predicted when using the year with the lowest observed sulphur and nitrogen deposition (1993) as representative of the present deposition. The lowest historical and future soil base saturation resulted for using the year with the highest observed deposition of sulphur and nitrogen (1988). All scenarios concerning nutrient uptake, emission reduction levels and timing of the reductions resulted in simulated future soil base saturation values located between those predicted with the high and low observed present deposition. The standard deviation in the soil base saturation introduced by varying the present forest biomass and growth was smaller than that produced by varying the present deposition values.

At its meeting in October 2012, the EURAMET Technical Committee for Length, EURAMET TC-L, decided that a key comparison on high precision roundness measurement by multi-step method shall be carried out with CEM acting as the pilot laboratory. The roundness standards to be calibrated were chosen to be a glass hemisphere with a diameter of about 50 mm and a sphere with a diameter of about 30 mm. A goal of the key comparisons for topics in dimensional metrology is to demonstrate the equivalence of routine calibration services offered by NMIs to clients, as listed in appendix C of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). To this end, participants in this comparison agreed to use the same apparatus and methods as routinely applied to client artefacts. The comparison was registered in March 2013 as Project EURAMET 1269 and at KCDB as supplementary comparison EURAMET.L-S23.2013. Main text To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCL, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

The behaviour of 137Cs from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in the Ukraine on 26 April 1986 was monitored during a 3-year period in the canopy of a young Scots pine (Pinussylvestris L.) stand in southern Finland. Needle samples were collected from the same whorls on 13 sample trees marked at the beginning of the study. The 137Cs activity of throughfall water was determined in summer 1986. The oldest needles at the time of the radioactive deposition (formed in 1983) had the highest l37Cs activity (20 000 Bq/kg) in June 1986, when the monitoring was started, 58 days after deposition. About 50% lower 137Cs activity was observed in the needles formed in 1984 and 1985, and an even lower activity of 3050 Bq/kg in the needles formed in 1986 following the incident. During the summer of 1986, the 137Cs activity of the whole canopy decreased from 106 000 to 42 500 kBq/ha, corresponding to a weathering half-life of 72 days. Washout by throughfall accounted for 79% of the decrease, while the rest was mainly due to the gradual shedding of the highly contaminated 1983 needles. The needles formed in the summers of 1987 and 1988 had rather high 137Cs activities of 2700 and 4800 Bq/kg, respectively. The reduction in the 137Cs activity of the canopy was considerably less in 1987 and 1988, with weathering half-lives of 435 and 242 days, respectively. The total 137Cs activity of the canopy was still 13 500 kBq/ha on 20 October 1988, which was 896 days after deposition. An increase in the 137Cs activity was observed in the autumns 1987 and 1988, and to a lesser degree in the autumn of 1986, a time of year when needle potassium concentrations normally tend to increase. It was concluded that the Chernobyl 137Cs had become mixed with the chemically analogous K, and was recirculated within the trees together with K.

In this paper, we report the results of a comparison of soil solution and exchangeable cation data from a laboratory experiment with those predicted by MIDAS, a simple soil acidification model based on Gaines‐Thomas cation exchange. In the laboratory experiment three different acid treatments (pH 3.3, 3.8 and 4.6) were used. The treatment solution was first allowed to equilibrate with the humus layer sample. After this an aliquot of the leachate was taken for chemical analyses and the rest of the leachate was used as a treatment solution for eluvial layer soil samples. The procedure was continued for illuvial layer samples in the similar way. The soil samples used in the experiment were collected from Scots pine and Norway spruce stands. The laboratory experiment described was found to be useful for testing the dynamic behaviour of soil cation exchange and acidification models, and for narrowing the range of exchange parameter values used by such models. The MIDAS model adequately explained the changes in...

Dissolved organic carbon concentrations ([DOC]) in surface waters are increasing in many regions of Europe and North America. These increases are likely driven by a combination of changing climate, recovery from acidification and change in severity of winter storms in coastal areas. INCA-C, a process-based model of climate effects on surface water [DOC], was used to explore the mechanisms by which changing climate controls seasonal to inter-annual patterns of [DOC] in the lake and outflow stream of a small Finnish catchment between 1990 and 2003. Both production in the catchment and mineralization in the lake controlled [DOC] in the lake. Concentrations in the catchment outflow were controlled by rates of DOC production in the surrounding organic soils. The INCA-C simulation results were compared to those obtained using artificial neural networks (ANN). In general, "black box" ANN models provide better fits to observed data but process-based models can identify the mechanism responsible for the observed pattern. A statistically significant increase was observed in both INCA-C modelled and measured annual average [DOC] in the lake. This suggests that some of the observed increase in surface water [DOC] is caused by climate-related processes operating in the lake and catchment. However, a full understanding of surface water [DOC] dynamics can only come from catchment-scale process-based models linking the effects of changing climate and deposition on aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Surface modification by "soft" plasma polymerisation to obtain a hydrophilic and non-fouling polymer surface has been validated using radioactive labelling. Adsorption to unmodified and modified polymer surfaces, from both single protein and human serum solutions, has been investigated. By using different radioisotopes, albumin and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) adsorption has been monitored simultaneously during competitive adsorption processes, which to our knowledge has not been reported in the literature before. Results show that albumin and IgG adsorption is dependent on adsorption time and on the presence and concentration of other proteins in bulk solutions during adsorption. Generally, lower albumin and IgG adsorption was observed on the modified and more hydrophilic polymer surfaces, but otherwise the modified and unmodified polymer surfaces showed the same adsorption characteristics.

Protein adsorption on modified and unmodified polymer surfaces investigated through radiolabeling experiments showed a tendency for higher than expected albumin and immunoglobulin G (IgG) adsorption. Possible enhanced protein aggregation and degradation caused by the iodine labeling method used were analyzed through chromatography and spectroscopy techniques. Results show that the iodine labeling method using chloramine-T (CAT) as an oxidizing agent can cause both enhanced aggregation and fragmentation of proteins. Albumin shows an enhanced tendency to aggregate after iodine labeling using the CAT method, and higher amounts of fragmentation are observed for CAT-labeled IgG molecules relative to unlabeled IgG molecules as well as to IgG molecules labeled using the Iodo-Gen method. These results show that the widely applied method of radioisotope labeling for quantitative assessment of protein adsorption should be used with caution and preferably should be validated by a label-free methodology for each combination of radiolabel and protein. The results obtained in this study can be used to optimize investigation of protein adsorption on surfaces of materials for biomedical devices.

The anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere have changed the material flows in the system formed by the atmosphere, vegetation, soil, ground and surface waters. The concentrations of several nutrients and toxic compounds are changing. These concentrations are environmental factors and forests are reacting to the changes in the environment.

A dynamic model of soil processes was applied to soil chemistry data from four forest sites in southern Sweden. The sites were sampled in 1949 and resampled in 1984. The model simulates transport of ions with percolating water, cation exchange, weathering of base cations and dissolution of Al3+. The model is driven by deposition of H+ and base cations which cause changes in the simulated base saturation and the concentration of ions in solution. After calibration, the model results are in reasonable agreement with observed changes in base saturation whereas the changes in pH are underestimated. The simulated trends are correct, and the results correspond qualitatively to those obtained by another model, the RAINS soil model.

Summary A major difficulty in evaluating the optimization theory of leaf gas exchange under conditions of water deficit has been that of obtaining suitable experimental data. Mathematical solutions to three formulations of optimal stomata1 control are presented which can be tested experimentally. First, it is assumed that the movement of stomata and changes in environmental factors are slow compared to changes in the internal CO, concentration. The optimization problem is solved under this assumption, and the procedures for testing the solution experimentally are described. Second, instantaneous stomata1 response is postulated and the solution suggests that very rapid oscillations provide optimal CO2 uptake. Third, variable stomata1 dynamics are postulated and the mathematical solution shown to be similar to that of the second case. The second and third cases can also be tested empirically.