Showing papers by "University of Lapland published in 2001"

A habitat island approach to conserving birds in urban landscapes: case studies from southern and northern Europe

Abstract: Wildlife conservation in urban habitats is increasingly important due to current urbanization trends. We review the different approaches to studying birds in urban landscapes, and point out the impor- tance of the habitat island ecological theory as a research framework for the management and conservation of urban birds. Based on two comprehensive research projects conducted at urban parks in Spain (Ma- drid) and Finland (Oulu and Rovaniemi), several different issues related to bird conservation in cities are discussed, main findings of these projects are presented, and future research needs are suggested. Urban parks are important biodiversity hotspots in cities. Fragmentation conditions have the same deleterious effects to urban birds as in other fragmented landscapes. Park size accounts for species accumulation in urban parks; this pattern being highly nested. Urban parks of 10-35 ha would contain most of the species recorded in cities, but other indicators related to the probabilities of persistence of the target species should be obtained. Wooded streets can increase urban landscape connectivity by providing alternative habitat for feeding and nesting during the breeding season. Because increasing the size of parks is difficult in cities, enhancement of habitat diversity and resource availability for birds within parks (e.g. nest boxes, winter feeding tables, etc.) appears to be a straightforward way of increasing urban bird diversity. However, human disturbance (pedestrians) should be controlled since it can negatively influence many urban birds. We present a conceptual model for urban bird conservation, which includes three aspects (management, environmental education and research) and new alternatives to promote the involvement of different sectors of the society.

Are urban bird communities influenced by the bird diversity of adjacent landscapes

Abstract: Summary 1 The species diversity of adjacent landscapes influences the conservation or restoration of several animal groups in urban areas, but the effect on birds is unclear. To address this question, we compared bird species richness (BSR) and community composition between periurban (area surrounding the town) and urban (suburban and centre areas) landscapes across three spatial scales. 2 At a large biogeographical scale (temperate and boreal climatic zone), relationships between the BSR of urban areas and their surrounding landscapes were examined in a meta-analysis of 18 published studies. In general, BSR was negatively correlated with latitude and urbanization. The BSR of suburban and centre landscapes correlated positively with the BSR of periurban landscapes. However, latitudinal effects were also involved, as BSR in urban and periurban landscapes declined as town latitude increased. Similarity indices were low (50%) between periurban and centre bird communities. 3 At a regional scale, we assessed winter bird data from several towns within three regions of temperate and boreal countries (western France, northern Finland and eastern Canada). The type of periurban landscape, number of inhabitants and town diameter did not affect BSR. BSR was similar between the cities of a given biogeographical area. Bird communities were more similar between similar habitat types of different cities than between different habitats of the same city. 4 At a local scale, we tested the influence of proximity to the periurban landscape on BSR in parks of western French towns of different size. Neither BSR nor community similarity changed in relation to the distance of the park from the periurban landscape. 5 Guild composition according to diet and feeding habitat did not vary between urban and periurban locations at regional or local scales. 6 We conclude that, at regional and local scales, urban bird communities are independent of the bird diversity of adjacent landscapes, and that local features are more important than surrounding landscapes in determining BSR. Whatever the biodiversity quality of the periurban landscape, site-specific actions such as shrub and tree planting, water restoration and increasing vegetation diversity can change bird diversity in towns and improve the quality of human–wildlife contacts.

Towards a general theory of touristic experiences: Modelling experience process in tourism

Abstract: Experiences are a main issue in tourism. However, the conceptual configuration of experiences in tourism has proved to be difficult. The English word ‘experience’ is rather neutral and vague; it can be understood to cover all kind of things that a person has passed through, regardless of their mental, emotianal or other relevance. There is a more precise terms available for emotional experiences in some languages: Erlebnis in German, upplevelse in Swedish and elamys in Finnish are examples of these. (Cf. e.g. Ireland & Kivi 1998.) The purpose of this paper is to clarify the nature and main characteristics of experiences in tourism for the benifit of general understanding of experience processes in tourism. The scope, contents and types of experiences are discussed first from functional points or view giving special attention to the scope of processes producing various types of experiences. The types and roles of various personal resources are clarified then. The stages of experience processes in tourism are then figured out in the third section of the paper. Finally, a preliminary model is presented decribing the essential elements and dynamics of the process where tourism experiences evolve.

Anthropogenic disturbance and patch dynamics in circumpolar arctic ecosystems

Abstract: It has been 30 years since environmental concern was first expressed over the prospect of large- scale resource development in the Arctic. Human effects are more extensive within the tundra biome now than at any time in the past. With or without predicted climatic changes, interaction among different natural and contemporary anthropogenic disturbance regimes are bound to have a significant effect on local and re- gional vegetation patterns and plant migration. We summarize the results of recent studies of patchy anthro- pogenic disturbance. We pay particular attention to the natural regeneration of plant communities, empha- size patch dynamics over the medium term (20- 75 years), and discuss the data in the context of popular models of vegetation change following disturbance. Disturbance is important because it produces patches of partially or totally denuded ground that permit propagule establishment but may also open affected areas to erosion. Even relatively low-intensity, small-scale disturbances have immediate and persistent effects on arc- tic vegetation and soils. On all but the wettest sites, the patches support new, relatively stable vegetation states. Where slope is minimal, such disturbances are capable of expanding over large areas in as short a time as 4 years. The effects result in an artificial mosaic of patches of highly variable quality and quantity that comprise feeding and nesting habitats for terrestrial herbivores.

Holocene development of the Rogovaya River peat plateau, European Russian Arctic:

Abstract: In this study, the Holocene development of a peat plateau area in the east-European Russian Arctic is reconstructed based on detailed macrofossil, physico-chemical and radiocarbon analyses from two peat sequences. Basal dates from these two, c. 2 m long, peat profiles are c. 9420 BP and c. 9250 BP. From another six peat sequences gross-stratigraphic descriptions and additional radiocarbon dates are available. Basal dates from two short (<1 m) peat profiles indicate further peatland expansion at c. 3635 BP and c. 1285 BP. The oldest macrofossils of tree birch are dated to c. 9500 BP and those of conifers, presumably spruce, to c. 8000 BP. Tree stands became rare in the study area after c. 2800 BP, but occasionally occur until present. Peatlands formed through terrestrialization of ponds or paludification of forested uplands. Between 9000 and 3100 BP the peatlands were wet rich fens. Beginning from c. 3100 BP there are marked changes in their surface hydrology, connected with climatic cooling and permafrost...

A new ice-core record from Lomonosovfonna, Svalbard: viewing the 1920-97 data in relation to present climate and environmental conditions

Abstract: In 1997 a 121 m ice core was retrieved from Lomonosovfonna, the highest ice field in Spitsbergen, Svalbard (1250 m a.s.l.). Radar measurements indicate an ice depth of 126.5 m, and borehole temperature measurements show that the ice is below the melting point, High-resolution sampling of major ions, oxygen isotopes and deuterium has been performed on the core, and the results from the uppermost 36 rn suggest that quasi-annual signals are preserved. The 1963 radioactive layer is situated at 18.5-18.95 m, giving a mean annual accumulation of 0.36 m we. for the period 1963-96. The upper 36 rn of the ice core was dated back to 1920 by counting layers provided by the seasonal variations of the ions in addition to using a constant accumulation rate, with thinning by pure shear according to Nye (1963). The stratigraphy does not seem to have been obliterated by meltwater percolation, in contrast to most previous core sites on Svalbard. The anthropogenic influence on the Svalbard environment is illustrated by increased levels of sulphate, nitrate and acidity. Both nitrate and sulphate levels started to increase in the late 1940s, remained high until the late 1980s and have decreased during the last 15 years. The records of delta O-18, MSA (methanesulphonic acid), and melt features along the core agree with the temperature record from Longycarbyen and the sea-ice record from the Barents Sea at a multi-year resolution, suggesting that this ice core reflects local climatic conditions.

Singular spectrum analysis of Baltic Sea ice conditions and large-scale atmospheric patterns since 1708

Abstract: We examine the relationship between ice conditions in the Baltic Sea and the large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns that create them. Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) is used to extract long-term trends and quasi-regular oscillations from time series of winter air temperature, date of ice break-up, maximum annual ice extent in the Baltic Sea (BMI) since 1708 and seasonal North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) indices. The AO exhibits power at periods of 2.3 and 13.9 years as well as at 7.8 years, and in general the NAO can be viewed as a subset of the AO as regards the Baltic region. Time series of ice break-up date also reflects variations in winter AO power in the 13.9-year power band, but not in the NAO 7.8-year band. The BMI seems to act as a non-linear filter on the fairly weak climate oscillations, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the oscillations significantly.

The effect of wintertime undernutrition on the fatty acid composition of leg bone marrow fats in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.)

Abstract: We studied the effects of wintertime undernutrition on the fatty acid composition of bone marrow triacylglycerols (TAGs) of legs in freely-ranging reindeer calves (

Health problems and long‐term unemployment

Abstract: The article deals with the relation between unemployment and health problems using as a case a local support project for long-term unemployed in northern Finland. Mass unemployment has increased competition on the labor market, and successful job-seekers must have a wider range of qualifications than before. As demands have intensified on the labor market, health has become a salient criterion in the recruitment process. At the same time the incidence of illness among long-term unemployed is surprisingly high. The situations of the project clients strongly indicate that health-related difficulties are one distinct risk factor for the long-term unemployed in finding work. We need new means for health promotion, more extensive psychosocial rehabilitation and local solutions for people who are unemployed.

Passively aligned fiber-optic transmitter integrated into LTCC module

Abstract: We studied the possibilities of LTCC (low temperature cofired ceramics) technology to fabricate fiber-pigtailed transmitter arrays using surface-emitting sources, such as VCSELs, equipped with vertical-mounted multimode fiber pigtails. The designed LTCC module can be mounted vertically on a printed-circuit-board (PCB), thus providing small, essentially one-dimensional PCB footprint.

Pre-disclosure Information Asymmetry and Information Content as a Means of Explaining Trading Volume Responses to Interim Earnings Announcements in a Thinly Traded Stock Market

Abstract: This study contains empirical findings regarding the effect of interim earnings announcements on investors' trading behavior. The aim of the paper is to empirically investigate whether the trading volume reaction to an interim earnings announcement is associated with the information content of the announcement and the existence of pre-disclosure information asymmetry in the Finnish stock market. The reason for using Finnish data is to establish whether findings from the US in respect of explaining volume inducement around an information event also hold in thin security markets. Pre-disclosure information asymmetry is proxied by the range in analysts' earnings forecasts. Information content is proxied by beta-adjusted returns and the divergence in reported EPS from analysts' mean EPS forecast. The data consist of 118 interim earnings announcements released by 21 firms traded on the Helsinki Stock Exchange (HSE) between 1992 and 1996. It was found that the trading volume reaction is positively associated with the information content of an announcement and also to some extent with the level of pre-disclosure information asymmetry. These results are in line with Kim and Verrecchia's theoretical trading volume proposition and with empirical findings in the US markets. Thus, previous findings produced in more developed stock markets with respect to volume generation around earnings announcements also seem to be applicable to thin markets. However, the significance levels are lower than in similar US studies and the association between positive and negative news is slightly asymmetric.

Intraday Trading Behavior Around Interim Earnings Announcements on the Helsinki Stock Exchange

Abstract: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether and how an anticipated information event such as an interim earnings announcement affects intraday trading on the Helsinki Stock Exchange, the HSE. The Finnish stock market, with its special characteristics, provides a suitable forum to study the robustness of previous findings produced in more developed stock markets (e.g. the US). The article finds evidence from the HSE that the widely documented U-shape pattern in trading activity - namely heavy trading in the beginning and at the end of the trading day and relatively light trading in the middle of the day - is affected by an anticipated information event (i.e. interim earnings announcement). Before the announcement day, trading is more concentrated at the close. This is consistent with investors' heterogeneous willingness to bear expected overnight risk, which is especially prevalent before an announcement. Moreover, a somewhat greater concentration of trading on the open is evident after the announcement day, indicating unexpected overnight information. The results of the paper further indicate that the change in the trading concentration pattern is associated with announcement-related factors, such as the range of analysts' earnings forecasts, the magnitude of unexpected earnings and firm size. This association is evident for the overall change in the trading pattern and to some extent during the transition between trading and non-trading regimes.

Water, Oil and Blood: The Cameroon-Nigeria Boundary Dispute Regarding Bakassi Peninsula and Lake Chad and the Threat of War over Water Resources

Abstract: It has often been said that the wars of the future will be a reminder of the wars of the distance past, when not political ideas were the basis for a conflict, but the need to survive. The third Gulf War has been seen by some as a war for oil, yet true resource wars between neighboring nations over water and oil might not be too far away. Just how close the world has come to such conflicts shows the boundary dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria, which has now been brought to an end by the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In this paper, which was written before the judgement of the I.C.J., we will have a look at the issue from a Cameroonian perspective, examining the history behind the conflict as well as the current legal problems posed by it, which might return again in other conflicts in a not too distant future.

Changes in Permafrost Landscapes Under Global Change

Abstract: Permafrost is susceptible to subtle changes in environmental conditions, including climate and surface disturbance. Relative to climate, land use is anticipated to be a more important component of global change in the coming decades. However, climate is anticipated to surpass land use as a factor later in the next century, particularly in the Arctic. Discussed here are the implications of land use and climate change in tundra ecosystems of the Yamal Region, Northwest Siberia. Since the discovery of super-giant natural gas fields in Yamal in the 1960’s, extensive exploration has resulted in the direct withdrawal of large areas for infrastructure development and associated disturbance regimes have led to cumulative impacts on thousands of additional hectares of land. The land withdrawals have pushed a relatively consistent or increasing number of reindeer onto progressively smaller parcels of pasture. This has led to excessive grazing and trampling of vegetation and, in many areas, erosion of sandy soils via deflation. The low arctic tundra lies entirely within the continuous permafrost zone and ice-rich substrates are widespread. One implication of this is that both anthropogenic and zoogenic disturbance regimes may easily initiate thermokarst and aeolian erosion, leading to significant further degradation of landscapes. Even without industrial disturbance, a slight change of the climate would result in massive thermokarst erosion. This would have negative consequences equal to or greater than the mechanical disturbances described above. The synergistic effects of land use coupled with climate change therefore have profound implications for the ecosystems of Yamal.