Alari, V. & Raudsepp, U. 2010: Depth induced breaking of wind generated surface gravity waves in Estonian coastal waters. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 295–300.
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Parviainen, M., Luoto, M. & Heikkinen, R. K. 2010: NDVI-based productivity and heterogeneity as indicators of plant-species richness in boreal landscapes. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 301–318.
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Berger, J., Walker, S.-E., Denby, B., Berkowicz, R., Løfstrøm, P., Ketzel, M., Härkönen, J., Nikmo, J. & Karppinen, A. 2010: Evaluation and inter-comparison of open road line source models currently in use in the Nordic countries. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 319–334.
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Anttila, S. & Kairesalo, T. 2010: Mean and variance estimations with different pixel sizes: case study in a small water quality monitoring area in southern Finland. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 335–346.
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Silvan, N., Silvan, K. & Laine, J. 2010: Excavation-drier method of energy-peat production reduces detrimental effects of this process on watercourses. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 347–356.
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Šantrůčková, H., Kaštovská, E., Kozlov, D., Kurbatova, J., Livečková, M., Shibistova, O., Tatarinov, F. & Lloyd, J. 2010: Vertical and horizontal variation of carbon pools and fluxes in soil profile of wet southern taiga in European Russia. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 357–369.
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Hansson, S., Dippner, J. W. & Larsson, U. 2010: Climate effects on zooplankton biomasses in a coastal Baltic Sea area. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 370–374.
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Alari, V. & Raudsepp, U. 2010: Depth induced breaking of wind generated surface gravity waves in Estonian coastal waters. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 295–300.

Depth-induced wave breaking is a key term for wave energy dissipation in the action balance equation of the third generation spectral wave models, and becomes an essential consideration in modelling wave behaviour in shallow water and near the coast. Neglecting this sink function leads to an overestimation of significant wave heights. Current paper addresses the importance of depth induced wave breaking, using the SWAN wave model, at two locations in Estonian coastal waters in case of NNW storms — the first site is the Harilaiu Bank, situated in the north-west of the Saaremaa Island while the other one is Tallinn Bay. We performed simulations using SWAN with two different setups, i.e. the depth induced wave-breaking accounted and not accounted. The computed wave height in the first case was smaller than in the second case with maximum difference of 4.8 m in the Harilaiu Bank and 2.3 m in Tallinn Bay. Previous studies using the WAM model suggest that remarkable wave maxima exist in these regions due to focusing of wave rays e.g. due to topographic refraction of surface waves. As these maxima were reproduced by SWAN when depth-induced wave breaking was turned-off, we conclude that the maxima simulated by WAM can be an artefact of the model.

Parviainen, M., Luoto, M. & Heikkinen, R. K. 2010: NDVI-based productivity and heterogeneity as indicators of plant-species richness in boreal landscapes. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 301–318.

Decision making in managing biological diversity is critically dependent on adequate information concerning species-richness patterns and a rigorous understanding of species–habitat relationships. Measures of primary productivity derived from satellite images may provide useful cost-effective estimates of species richness and distribution patterns over wide areas. We constructed Generalized Additive models (GAM) to investigate the potential of primary productivity and its heterogeneity based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to explain the species richness in 28 separate vascular plant families in boreal forest landscapes, northern Finland. The productivity models explained on average more of the species richness than the heterogeneity models. However, models that performed best were produced by combining productivity and heterogeneity variables into the same models. Species richness responded mainly unimodally or positively to productivity and its heterogeneity. We conclude that measures of productivity and heterogeneity based on remote sensing can provide useful 'first filters' of locations of high diversity in plant families in boreal landscapes.

Berger, J., Walker, S.-E., Denby, B., Berkowicz, R., Løfstrøm, P., Ketzel, M., Härkönen, J., Nikmo, J. & Karppinen, A. 2010: Evaluation and inter-comparison of open road line source models currently in use in the Nordic countries. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 319–334.

The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate operational open-road Gaussian line-source models currently in use in Norway, Denmark and Finland. Four models, HIWAY2-AQ, OML-Highway, CAR-FMI and WORM, were applied to datasets from three measurement campaigns from each of the mentioned countries. The results were assessed through analysis with regard to normalisation, wind speed, wind direction, horizontal profiles and stability. Generally, the correlation between model estimates and observations decreased when normalising with emissions, due to the significant positive correlation between observed concentrations and emissions. Furthermore, we found a reduction of bias when normalising the Norwegian and Danish data, caused by overestimation of the dispersion at lower emission values. Due to OML-Highway's more advanced parameterisation of traffic-produced turbulence, this model performed best at higher emission values when the influence of traffic density and vehicle speed on traffic produced turbulence was higher. With regard to horizontal profiles, the relative bias for CAR-FMI increased as a function of distance from the road, indicating that the Lagrangian time scales are too short.

Anttila, S. & Kairesalo, T. 2010: Mean and variance estimations with different pixel sizes: case study in a small water quality monitoring area in southern Finland. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 335–346.

Spatial variation of water quality parameters produces inaccuracy in freshwater monitoring programs. Using spatially continuous measurements, such as remote sensing observations, this variation can be estimated. However, spaceborne remote sensing data that are usable for the operative monitoring of lake water quality suffer from coarse spatial resolution. Observations in small monitoring regimes are often restricted to only a few satellite image pixels that are not disturbed by the adjacent land areas. Consequently, it is often assumed that a medium- to coarse-resolution remote sensing does not contribute additional information for monitoring programs in these areas. The usability of pixel-type observations in a small monitoring area was assessed using a flow-through fluorometer in a moving boat. Nine spatially extensive data sets were collected from the Enonselkä basin of Vesijärvi in southern Finland during the summers of 2005–2007. The effect of spatial resolution on the observed mean and standard deviation of the chlorophyll-a concentration was studied. The Getis-Ord Gi* analysis and spatial interpolation were used to define surface areas of locations, where chlorophyll-a concentration varied from the mean concentration. Our results suggest that the mean value can be estimated with reasonable accuracy even with a single pixel observation. The information of the variation is, however, lost with the coarser resolution observations.

Silvan, N., Silvan, K. & Laine, J. 2010: Excavation-drier method of energy-peat production reduces detrimental effects of this process on watercourses. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 347–356.

In Finland, peat is used for energy production, its share being ca. 7% of the total primary energy source in 2006. However, with the increasing use of energy peat, also the detrimental effects on watercourses have received increasing attention. Consequently, to reduce the detrimental effects on watercourses and to minimize the weather risks, Vapo Ltd. started the development of a new excavation-drier peat production method (EDM), in which vegetation cover can be kept intact in the area until the extraction starts, and there is no need for effective drainage of the area. Runoff and water quality were monitored in the study sites located from southern to northern Finland in 2006–2007. The nutrient, suspended solids and DOC loads were greatly reduced using the EDM method, and in some cases the loads were < 1% of corresponding to the milling method when calculated per energy unit produced. The main reason why the EDM method is more "watercourse friendly" is the small extraction area open at one time; usually under 5% of the area of the milling method, when the same amount of energy is produced.

Šantrůčková, H., Kaštovská, E., Kozlov, D., Kurbatova, J., Livečková, M., Shibistova, O., Tatarinov, F. & Lloyd, J. 2010: Vertical and horizontal variation of carbon pools and fluxes in soil profile of wet southern taiga in European Russia. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 357–369.

Vertical and horizontal distributions of soil organic carbon, potential microbial activity and basic soil properties were studied in a boreal mixed forest (Central Forest Reserve, TVER region) to elucidate whether the soil CO₂-efflux is related to basic soil properties that affect the C pool and activity. Soil cores (0–100 cm depth) were taken from two transects every 50 meters (44 points) immediately after completion of soil CO₂-efflux measurements. Soil was separated into layers and moisture, bulk density, root density and bacterial counts were determined within one day after soil was taken. Microbial respiration, biomass, CN contents and pH were measured within few months. The variability in the soil CO₂-efflux and microbial activity was mainly explained by soil bulk density. Results further indicate that laboratory measurements of microbial respiration can represent heterotrophic soil respiration of a distinctive ecosystem in natural conditions, if microbial respiration is measured after the effect of soil handling disappears.

Hansson, S., Dippner, J. W. & Larsson, U. 2010: Climate effects on zooplankton biomasses in a coastal Baltic Sea area. Boreal Env. Res. 15: 370–374.

To evaluate if climate influence zooplankton densities and dynamics in a coastal Baltic Sea area, we performed statistical analyses of two 12–13-year-long data series. The winter (December–March) North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAO) was used as the independent variable and monthly biomasses of seven groups of zooplankton as the dependent variables. Most of the statistically significant correlations were obtained for the spring–early-summer period and they all indicate higher zooplankton biomasses after winters with high NAO values (mild winters). This supports results from other Baltic Sea studies, indicating that winter/spring climate is important to the early summer zooplankton community.