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- Thunqvist, Eva-Lotta, 1963-
(författare)
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EstimatingChloride concentration in surface water and groundwater duet to deicing salt application
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A road in operation along with its traffic can pose aserious pollutant threat to groundwater and surface water inits vicinity. Examples of pollutants are metals from thecorrosion of vehicles, rails and poles and the wear of roadsurfaces and tyres; hydrocarbons from the wear of roadsurfaces, tyres, exhausts, oils; sodium chloride from roadsalt; and hazardous goods discharged in accidents. Eventuallypollutants that are not degraded or retarded in soil will reachgroundwater and surface water. The chloride ion in deicing saltis a good tracer. It is conservative and highly soluble and notsubject to retardation or degradation. If the chlorideconcentration has increased in groundwater or surface water inthe vicinity of a deiced road, other road-related pollutantsmight also be present in the water.Increased chloride concentrations have been observed inseveral water supplies, in groundwater as well as in surfacewater, since the 1970s. The number of affected water supplieshas also increased. The increase in chloride concentration inwaters is concurrent with the increase in deicing saltapplication and it is clear that most of the increase is due tothe application of deicing salt.The thesis presents a simple tool that quantified theincrease in chloride concentration for water in a catchmentarea, based on a steady-state water balance. The data wereefficiently processed and presented as maps with GIS. At aregional catchment area scale, substantially increased chlorideconcentrations were calculated. The variation between catchmentareas was verified by a national monitoring programme of lakes.Deicing salt application was estimated to account for more thanhalf of the total chloride load for a catchment area in the midsouth of Sweden.A distributed dynamic method was used to evaluate thetemporal and spatial variation of the chloride concentration inan aquifer. The distributed dynamic approach integrated thespreading of deicing salt from the road with the infiltrationin the unsaturated zone in the soil, which in turn wasintegrated with the groundwater flow. The simulation was runfor a 40-year period and showed a potential to describe aspecific system.Keywords:road, deicing salt, monitoring, chloride,catchment area, river basin, simulation, GIS, groundwater,surface water
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| 3. |
- Öhman, May-Britt, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Designing Dam Safeties : Perspectives on Large Scale Dams within the Intra-actions of Technology, Nature and Human Decision-Making
- 2016
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Ingår i: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. - 2212-4209.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analyzing the intra-actions between the actors involved, this paper presents results from interviews and participatory observations with local authorities, local inhabitants, power companies representatives as well as dam operators. We argue that the Swedish model for dam safety currently is suffering from a major deficiency as the expertise and understanding of the technical constructions remain among the dam owners and that the societal authority in charge of supervising the dam owners work have no capability of achieving the same level of understanding and thus to take informed and relevant decisions. Furthermore we argue that the lack of technical understanding of dams and hydropower outside of the dam sector has become a huge threat to dam safety as state representatives and political decision makers currently allow and even encourage mining exploitation both next to high risk classified hydropower dams and even within existing hydropower reservoirs.We argue that the actual challenge to safeguard an increased dam safety is by bridging the gap between the multitude of different actors– engineers/operators, users, political decision makers - in order to generate new understandings and new methodologies to deal with risk, safety and security. It is necessary to bridge the gaps between the sectors and actors involved, and that this should be done through investment in close collaboration between the dam sector and engineering research on the one hand and social sciences and humanities on the other – to ensure understandings of political decision making as well as of technical artifacts and water flows.The geographical focus is on two rivers – the Ume River and the Lule River in the north of Sweden. Both rivers are of major importance for national production of electricity, and the rivers are water suppliers for a large amount of inhabitants.
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| 5. |
- Öhman, May-Britt, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Human Bodies and the Forces of Nature : Regulated Rivers, Safety and Embodied Knowledge
- 2012
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Ingår i: International Commission of Large Dams, Kyoto, 2012.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper discusses human bodies in relation to regulated rivers, via the technology of design and operation of remote control and surveillance systems, in terms of safety and risks. The paper draws on case studies of hydropower in Sweden, both historical and current events, from studies made within the ongoing research project DAMMED: Security, risk and resilience around the dams of Sub Arctica (Swedish Research Council, 2010-2012)The point of departure is that within current civil engineering education, training as well as within societal and company level decision making on large scale technical systems, the human body, with its knowledges, emotions and affections, as well as its vulnerabilities are to a large extent disregarded. The actual body of the engineer or the operator, for instance the body located in control rooms, is at the same time considered both uninteresting and replaceable, at the same time as it is viewed as a machine, as being part of the machinery and as such, an ever well functioning and never failing machine.An important feature of the Swedish hydropower dams in this sense is that they are to a major extent remote controlled, with the operators located many kilometers away from the actual dams of which they are in charge. New technologies for camera surveillance and monitoring have provided opportunities to assemble data on a dam and the water flowing through it. This can be linked to the current idea of regulated rivers as controllable, manageable through the correct, the best, technology designed and used.Accordingly, the engineer – within this paradigm - may perceive him/herself as in control of the river and water flows. However, at the same time, an apparent paradox appears. Within the dam industry sector, it is widely known that on a global level 1-2 large dams break, or fail, each year, and the concept “dam safety” is used to describe a huge amount work and money which is spent to avoid that such events occur. These failures depends both on the human – machine interactions, mistakes made in the daily dam operations, as well as factors depending on materials breaking down, or excessive unpredicted water flows.Another issue at stake is the continuous regulation of a regulated river, which directly affects the people living around the dams and waterways. Unannounced water releases, may cause fatal risks for people and their domestic animals.
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| 6. |
- Öhman, May-Britt, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Human Bodies and the Forces of Nature : Technoscience Perspectives on Hydropower Dams, Safety, Human Security, Emotions and Embodied Knowledges
- 2016
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Ingår i: International Journal of Technoscience and Development. - Karlshamn : Makerere University and the Research Division of Technoscience Studies at Blekinge Institute of Technology. - 2001-2837. ; 1:1, s. 1-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hydropower has commonly been promoted as an environmentally friendly and renewable energy resource. Despite this, the major negative social and ecological impacts on the environment and its local inhabitants have been well established for a long time, as well as the high risks for large-scale disasters caused by hydropower dam failures. Drawing on a qualitative study that focuses on the Lule River in Sweden, this article analyses the cultural politics of emotions with regard to dams, reservoirs, safety and human security.Annually between one and two major dam failures occur around the world, with major consequences for human and non-human lives, the environment and the economy, and the issue has been addressed in policy making and within the work of power companies since the 1970’s. However, more people die due to accidents on dams and reservoirs than due to dam failures. In Sweden, the number of hydropower regulation related deaths within the demographically small municipality of Jokkmokk, where a major part of Sweden’s hydropower is being produced, is on average 0,02 per cent per year, or 1-2 persons, which would correspond to 180-360 deaths in the Swedish capital Stockholm. Yet, there are no calls for inquiries, investigations and measurements to ensure public safety around dams in Sweden. Linking these two aspects on hydropower dams and safety through the concept of human security we identify a void of understanding and valuing the importance of humans’ – operators - lived experiences and invested emotions in the work to avoid dam failures, accidents on the reservoirs and loss of lives. We address the fact that the operators live and are related to the inhabitants of the regulated Lule River and what role this may play in enhanced human security. We argue that technical reports and studies on dam safety are written in a way that invokes false emotions of control, safety and security for inhabitants as well as political decision makers. New technologies for camera surveillance and monitoring provide opportunities to assemble data on a dam and the water flowing through it (seepage), with the purpose to enhance safety. However, we suggest that these systems actually may produce false emotions of safety and security, reinforcing a paradigm of perceived control of nature’s forces and thereby may contribute to decreased safety and human security.
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| 8. |
- Öhman, May-Britt, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Parki och Randi och gruvor i vattenkraftreglerad älv: : Inspektion, observation, analys av och med dammsäkerhetsexpertis
- 2013
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Konferensbidrag (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Lule älv är ett av Sveriges mest reglerade vattendrag med ett flertal större dammar, klassade inom högsta konsekvenskategorin som producerar uppemot en femtedel av all el inom Sverige. Lule älv är dessutom färdväg, fiskevatten och dricksvatten för invånarna längs älven. Dessutom är Lule älvområdet där den största ansamlingen av renar finns och därmed renskötsel sker.I dagsläget finns ett flertal undersökningsstillstånd och även ett provbrytningstillstånd invid Lule älv, och invid vattenkraftdammarna (Seitevare och Parki – båda högsta högsta konsekvensklass vid dammbrott). Sommaren 2013 sker provbrytningen vid Kallak – Parki, under ledning av JIMAB, Jokkmokk Iron AB.Samtidigt, trots alla de risker som detta innebär så finns en stark önskan från flera i lokalbefolkningen för att få ett uppsving till Jokkmokks Kommun, där en gruva framhålls som lösningen på arbetslösheten och utflyttningen.Nationellt, regionalt och lokalt finns även politiskt stöd för gruvprojekten, där stora satsningar görs eller planeras för infrastruktur – vägar, järnvägar, bostäder etc – finansierade med skattemedel. Parallellt finns farhågor om miljöförstörelse, tvångsförflyttningar och kraftig negativ påverkan på lokala existerande näringar och kultur; rennäring, fiske, turism, nationalparker och naturreservat.Ytterligare en aspekt i sammanhanget är att de flesta undersökningstillstånd och planerade gruvprojekt är ledda av utländska företag, något som skiljer sig från tidigare erfarenheter i Sverige. Mineralavgiften ligger idag på 2 promille av övervinsten/år, vilket medför att en väldigt liten del av vinsten från mineralutvinningen idag kan återföras till skattebetalarna eller markägarna. Till detta kommer att nuvarande miljölagstiftning (sedan 1999) bygger på sk. egenkontroll – där allt ansvar lämnas till verksamhetsutövare. Tillsynsmyndigheternas uppgift är framförallt att ta del av de rapporter som sänds in av verksamhetsutövare – något som framhålls av forskare ha lett till att kontrollen av miljöfarliga utsläpp minskat avsevärt. Syftet med denna workshop som organiseras av Teknovetenskap/Centrum för Genusvetenskap, Uppsala Universitet i samverkan med Centrum för Hälsa och Byggande, Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Urbergsgruppen Jokkmokk, och Nätverket Inga Gruvor i Jokkmokk är att på plats inventera och analysera provborrningar och provbrytning utifrån frågor om dammsäkerhet, vattensäkerhet, trygghet, hållbar utveckling, drömmar om arbetstillfällen och sysselsättning samt reaktioner mot olika sorters exploatering, kulturarv – fornlämningar, historia -nutid - framtid likväl som hur vi ska finna ett sätt att kommunicera dessa aspekter utifrån olika perspektiv. Detta görs genom att på plats observera och i samverkan med berörda utifrån en supradisciplinär ansats. Denna ansats innebär att varje deltagares olika kunskaper och kompetenser på olika områden kommer till användning för observation, diskussion och analys.
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| 9. |
- Öhman, May-Britt, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Public participation, Human Security and Public Safety around Dams in Sweden : a case study of the regulated Ume and Lule Rivers
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents findings from an empirical study of the current situation in regard to Public Safety around dams in Sweden. The geographical focus is on the Ume and Lule Rivers.Currently the focus within “dam safety” is on the prevention of dam failure, and to a certain extent also on emergency preparedness in case of dam failure. Although this is an important work, we argue that the issue of “public safety around dams” is left outside of the dam safety work to the detriment of “human security” (UNDP, 1994). While a major dam failure may cause the death of hundreds up to thousands of people, the current rate of human deaths caused by dam failure the last 40 years is one person, while the number of fatalities that may be referred to as “public safety around dams” on the Lule River only amounts to 1-2 persons per year.From a study of literature, available statistics as well as lack of statistics, interviews and newspaper reports, the paper analyses the number of fatal accidents over the last decade (2003-13), how these accidents may be defined as “public safety around dams” related, what the work to prevent such accidents looks like and how the surrounding societal contexts plays in, such as communication systems and the availability to fast and efficient emergency rescue services to save lives when accidents occur.Finally we discuss the lack of public participation in current dam safety practices and make recommendations to enhance public participation and thereby possibilities to an enhanced public safety around dams as dam safety work.The research was funded by the research projects DAMMED: Security, Risk and Resilience around the Dams in Sub Arctica (Swedish Research Council, 2010-12) and Rivers, resistance, resilience: sustainable futures in Sápmi and other indigenous peoples’ territories (FORMAS, 2013-16) Keywords: Dam Safety, Public participation, Public Safety around Dams, Human Security
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| 10. |
- Öhman, May-Britt, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Public participation, Human Security and Public Safety around Dams in Sweden : A case study of the regulated Ume and Lule Rivers
- 2016
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Ingår i: Safety Science Monitor. - : Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. - 1443-8844. ; 19:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents findings from an empirical study of the current situation with geographical focus on two rivers in the north of Sweden, encompassing parts of the indigenous territory Sápmi. The major focus in Sweden with regards to “dam safety” is on the prevention of dam failure, and emergency preparedness. The issue of “public safety around dams” is left aside to the detriment of “human security”. While a major dam failure may cause the death of hundreds up to thousands of people, the current rate of human deaths caused by dam failure in the last 40 years is one person. The number of fatalities that may be referred to as having been caused by a lack of “public safety around dams” on the Lule River only amounts to 1-2 individuals per year. The risks and dangers involved also cause stress, anxiety, and difficulties on an everyday basis for residents along the regulated rivers and water courses. From a study of literature, available statistics, interviews and newspaper reports we discuss the accidents and incidents over the last decade (2002-12), how these may be defined as “public safety around dams”, the void of work to prevent such accidents and how the surrounding societal contexts play in, such as the lack of availability to fast and efficient emergency rescue services to be able to save lives in the event of a major disaster.Finally, we discuss the current void of public participation and make recommendations to enhance public participation and thereby possibilities to an enhanced public safety around dams in Sweden.
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