| 1. |
- Sundell, Jonas, 1984, et al.
(författare)
-
Economic valuation of hydrogeological information when managing groundwater drawdown
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Hydrogeology Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1431-2174 .- 1435-0157. ; 27:4, s. 1111-1130
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2019, The Author(s). A procedure is presented for valuation of information analysis (VOIA) to determine the need for additional information when assessing the effect of several design alternatives to manage future disturbances in hydrogeological systems. When planning for groundwater extraction and drawdown in areas where risks—such as land subsidence, wells running dry and drainage of streams and wetlands—are present, the need for risk-reducing safety measures must be carefully evaluated and managed. The heterogeneity of the subsurface calls for an assessment of trade-offs between the benefits of additional information to reduce the risk of erroneous decisions and the cost of collecting this information. A method is suggested that combines existing procedures for inverse probabilistic groundwater modelling with a novel method for VOIA. The method results in (1) a prior analysis where uncertainties regarding the efficiency of safety measures are estimated, and (2) a pre-posterior analysis, where the benefits of expected uncertainty reduction deriving from additional information are compared with the costs for obtaining this information. In comparison with existing approaches for VOIA, the method can assess multiple design alternatives, use hydrogeological parameters as proxies for failure, and produce spatially distributed VOIA maps. The method is demonstrated for a case study of a planned tunnel in Stockholm, Sweden, where additional investigations produce a low number of benefits as a result of low failure rates for the studied alternatives and a cause-effect chain where the resulting failure probability is more dependent on interactions within the whole system rather than on specific features.
|
|
| 2. |
- Sundell, Jonas, 1984, et al.
(författare)
-
Comprehensive risk assessment of groundwater drawdown induced subsidence
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1436-3240 .- 1436-3259. ; 33:2, s. 427-449
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2019, The Author(s). We present a method for risk assessment of groundwater drawdown induced land subsidence when planning for sub-surface infrastructure. Since groundwater drawdown and related subsidence can occur at large distances from the points of inflow, the large spatial extent often implies heterogeneous geological conditions that cannot be described in complete detail. This calls for estimation of uncertainties in all components of the cause-effect chain with probabilistic methods. In this study, we couple four probabilistic methods into a comprehensive model for economic risk quantification: a geostatistical soil-stratification model, an inverse calibrated groundwater model, an elasto-plastic subsidence model, and a model describing the resulting damages and costs on individual buildings and constructions. Groundwater head measurements, hydraulic tests, statistical analyses of stratification and soil properties and an inventory of buildings are inputs to the models. In the coupled method, different design alternatives for risk reduction measures are evaluated. Integration of probabilities and damage costs result in an economic risk estimate for each alternative. Compared with the risk for a reference alternative, the best prior alternative is identified as the alternative with the highest expected net benefit. The results include spatial probabilistic risk estimates for each alternative where areas with significant risk are distinguished from low-risk areas. The efficiency and usefulness of this modelling approach as a tool for communication to stakeholders, decision support for prioritization of risk reducing measures, and identification of the need for further investigations and monitoring are demonstrated with a case study of a planned railway tunnel in Varberg, Sweden.
|
|
| 3. |
- Dymitrow, Mirek, et al.
(författare)
-
Crossing dichotomies and breaking mental patterns: Green business development when all else fails?
- 2017
-
Ingår i: 8th International Scientific Conference “Rural Development 2017: Bioeconomy Challenges”, 23–24 November, 2017 Kaunas, Lithuania.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Obtaining sustainable and inclusive societal organization is not merely a simple matter of ‘doing it’ by subscribing to some winning formula. Given that conceptual frameworks always guide our thoughts, judgments and actions (Latour, 2013; Harvey, 1996; Dennett, 1993), the ways in which we relate to concepts chosen to serve as guiding forces for future development will eventually determine its outcome. As scholarly evidence continuously suggests the concepts ‘rural’ and ‘urban’ are increasingly recognized as artificial barriers for conducting sound and integrated development endeavors in a globalized reality of interconnectedness. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to eradicate poverty, shield the planet and safeguard prosperity for all, commitment to universal access to healthy food year round has become an important agenda point. This, however, has been exacerbated by binary thinking and separate ways of doing policy. This paper aims to share experiences from a unique project launched in the northern parts of Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city. While the area offers ample resources and immense opportunities for areal economies, it at the same time remains one of Gothenburg’s most segregated, with high levels of unemployment, ill health and crime. The uniqueness of the project lies not only in its way of abridging the rural-urban divide, but also by consciously deferring from the debilitating rhetoric of previous ‘immigrant policies’, and instead focusing on agricultural productivity, small-scale food producers and sustainable food strategies. Such exhortations to bridge between philosophical and material polarities, however, have not come without conceptual and practical challenges, something this paper aims to subsume and open up to debate.
|
|
| 4. |
- Baresel, Christian, et al.
(författare)
-
Uncertainty-Accounting Environmental Policy and Management of Water Systems
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Environmental Science & Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 41:10, s. 3653–3659-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental policies for water quality and ecosystemmanagement do not commonly require explicit stochasticaccounts of uncertainty and risk associated with thequantification and prediction of waterborne pollutant loadsand abatement effects. In this study, we formulate andinvestigate a possible environmental policy that does requirean explicit stochastic uncertainty account. We compareboth the environmental and economic resource allocationperformance of such an uncertainty-accounting environmentalpolicy with that of deterministic, risk-prone and riskaverseenvironmental policies under a range of differenthypothetical, yet still possible, scenarios. The comparisonindicates that a stochastic uncertainty-accountingpolicy may perform better than deterministic policies overa range of different scenarios. Even in the absence ofreliable site-specific data, reported literature values appearto be useful for such a stochastic account of uncertainty.
|
|
| 5. |
- Mangold, Mikael, 1982, et al.
(författare)
-
Who benefits? Effects and perceptions of residential volumetric water billing
- 2012
-
Ingår i: 2nd Nordic Conference on Consumer Research, 29 May-1 June, 2012, Göteborg.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- What are the effects and perceptions of increased installation of water metering and volumetric billing in residential areas in Sweden? An interview study was undertaken in a low-income suburb of Göteborg to explore residents’ experiences and opinions. Additionally, the interests of water and energy companies, social affairs committee, real estate owner and maintainer were investigated to contrast the added value of reduced water consumption. Stakeholders either benefit or are disadvantaged by the introduced system. Furthermore, the applied tariff structure fails to motivate all segments of the population to reduce water consumption, yet still inequitably burdens the most financially exposed groups.
|
|
| 6. |
- Kordi, Maryam, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of increasing fuzziness on analytic hierarchy process for spatial multicriteria decision analysis
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. - : Elsevier. - 0198-9715 .- 1873-7587. ; 36:1, s. 43-53
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) involves techniques which relatively recently have received great increase in interest for their capabilities of solving spatial decision problems. One of the most frequently used techniques of MCDA is Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). In the AHP, decision-makers make pairwise comparisons between different criteria to obtain values of their relative importance. The AHP initially only dealt with crisp numbers or exact values in the pairwise comparisons, but later it has been modified and adapted to also consider fuzzy values. It is necessary to empirically validate the ability of the fuzzified AHP for solving spatial problems. Further, the effects of different levels of fuzzification on the method have to be studied. In the context of a hypothetical GIS-based decision-making problem of locating a dam in Costa Rica using real-world data, this paper illustrates and compares the effects of increasing levels of uncertainty exemplified through different levels of fuzzification of the AHP. Practical comparison of the methods in this work, in accordance with the theoretical research, revealed that by increasing the level of uncertainty or fuzziness in the fuzzy AHP, differences between results of the conventional and fuzzy AHPs become more significant. These differences in the results of the methods may affect the final decisions in decision-making processes. This study concludes that the AHP is sensitive to the level of fuzzification and decision-makers should be aware of this sensitivity while using the fuzzy AHP. Furthermore, the methodology described may serve as a guideline on how to perform a sensitivity analysis in spatial MCDA. Depending on the character of criteria weights, i.e. the degree of fuzzification, and its impact on the results of a selected decision rule (e.g. AHP), the results from a fuzzy analysis may be used to produce sensitivity estimates for crisp AHP MCDA methods.
|
|
| 7. |
- Vinas, Victor, 1988, et al.
(författare)
-
Cross-connections in drinking water distribution networks: Quantitative microbial risk assessment in combination with fault tree analysis and hydraulic modelling
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 831
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deficiencies in drinking water distribution networks, such as cross-connections, may lead to contamination of the drinking water and pose a serious health risk to consumers. Cross-connections and backflows are considered among the most severe public health risks in distribution networks. The aim of this paper was to provide a framework for estimating the risk of infection from cross-connection and backflow events. Campylobacter, norovirus, and Cryptosporidium were chosen as reference pathogens for this study. The theoretical framework was constructed based on the fault tree analysis methodology. National aggregated cross-connection incident data was used to calculate the probability of a contamination event occurring in Swedish networks. Three risk cases were evaluated: endemic, elevated, and extreme. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) was used to assess daily risk of infection for average national estimates. The framework was also evaluated using local data from the Gothenburg network. The daily risk of infection from cross-connection and backflow events in Swedish networks was generally above an acceptable target level of 10−6 for all reference pathogens and modelled cases; the exception was for the Gothenburg system where the risk was lower than 10−7. An outbreak case study was used to validate the framework results. For the outbreak case study, contaminant transport in the network was simulated using hydraulic modelling (EPANET), and risk estimates were calculated using QMRA. The outbreak simulation predicted between 97 and 148 symptomatic infections, while the epidemiological survey conducted during the outbreak reported 179 cases of illness. The fault tree analysis framework was successfully validated using an outbreak case study, though it was shown on the example of Gothenburg that local data is still needed for well-performing systems. The framework can help inform microbial risk assessments for drinking water suppliers, especially ones with limited resources and expertise in this area.
|
|
| 8. |
- Kharazmi, Parastou, 1977-
(författare)
-
Experimental evaluation of a rubber-epoxy polymeric system used in the rehabilitation of sewer infrastructure- Dataset
- 2019
-
Annan publikationabstract
- This dataset includes data related to water sorption analyses to support research findings stated in the article:"Experimental evaluation of a rubber-epoxy polymeric system used in the rehabilitation of sewer infrastructure: a case study in Sweden" with the following abstract: One rehabilitation method used mainly for wastewater sewers in residential buildings involves applying a rubber-epoxy composite to the inner surface of the aged pipeline. In order to understand the material’s performance and stability in operation, during which it is constantly exposed to deteriorative factors, the properties of the material were studied in the laboratory under artificial water and air aging conditions. Changes in the material were monitored by means of tests such as thermal analyses, mechanical testing and water absorption assessment.
|
|
| 9. |
- Waara, Sylvia, et al.
(författare)
-
Performance of a constructed wetland system for treatment of landfill leachate.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Waste 2008. Waste and Resource management-A shared responsibility. - Stanton-on-the-Wolds : Waste Conference Ltd.. ; , s. 655-667, s. 655-667
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The performance of a constructed wetland for treatment of landfill leachate has been evaluated based upon data obtained during 4 years (2003-2006). It consists of a series of 10 ponds with a total capacity of 52.000 m3 covering 8 ha. Using univariate and multivariate statistics (PCA) the reduction pattern of a large number of chemical parameters including heavy metals has been investigated in 3 parts of the wetland with equal volume. Analyses show that many parameters are removed to the greatest extent in the first part of the system (e.g. many heavy metals, total suspended solids) or the second part of the system (N-NH4) while other parameters such as total nitrogen are more gradually reduced (10 ton/year removed). Toxicity testing with 5 bioassays showed that toxicity was sometimes observed at the inlet but no toxicity was observed at the outlet for 4 of the test species. The data presented will be used for optimizing the treatment process as well as to improve the monitoring program.
|
|
| 10. |
- Bundschuh, Jochen, et al.
(författare)
-
Emerging mitigation needs and sustainable options for solving the arsenic problems of rural and isolated urban areas in Latin America : A critical analysis
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Water Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0043-1354 .- 1879-2448. ; 44:19, s. 5828-5845
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work, current information about the contamination of ground- and surface-water resources by arsenic from geogenic sources in Latin America is presented together with possible emerging mitigation solutions. The problem is of the same order of magnitude as other world regions, such as SE Asia, but it is often not described in English. Despite the studies undertaken by numerous local researchers, and the identification of proven treatment methods for the specific water conditions encountered, no technologies have been commercialized due to a current lack of funding and technical assistance. Emerging, low-cost technologies to mitigate the problem of arsenic in drinking water resources that are suitable for rural and urban areas lacking centralized water supplies have been evaluated. The technologies generally use simple and low-cost equipment that can easily be handled and maintained by the local population. Experiences comprise (i) coagulation/filtration with iron and aluminum salts, scaled-down for small community-and household-scale-applications, (ii) adsorption techniques using low-cost arsenic sorbents, such as geological materials (clays, laterites, soils, limestones), natural organic-based sorbents (natural biomass), and synthetic materials. TiO2-heterogeneous photocatalysis and zerovalent iron, especially using nanoscale particles, appear to be promising emergent technologies. Another promising innovative method for rural communities is the use of constructed wetlands using native perennial plants for arsenic rhizofiltration. Smallscale simple reverse osmosis equipment (which can be powered by wind or solar energy) that is suitable for small communities can also be utilized. The individual benefits of the different methods have been evaluated in terms of (i) size of the treatment device, (ii) arsenic concentration and distribution of species, chemical composition and grade of mineralization in the raw water, (iii) guidelines for the remaining As concentration, (iv) economical constrains, (v) complexity of installation and maintenance, and infrastructure constraints (e.g. electricity needs). (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
|
|
