| 1. |
- Seco, Roger, et al.
(författare)
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Volatile organic compound fluxes in a subarctic peatland and lake
- 2020
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 20:21, s. 13399-13416
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ecosystems exchange climate-relevant trace gases with the atmosphere, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are a small but highly reactive part of the carbon cycle. VOCs have important ecological functions and implications for atmospheric chemistry and climate. We measured the ecosystem-level surface-atmosphere VOC fluxes using the eddy covariance technique at a shallow subarctic lake and an adjacent graminoid-dominated fen in northern Sweden during two contrasting periods: the peak growing season (mid-July) and the senescent period post-growing season (September-October). In July, the fen was a net source of methanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, dimethyl sulfide, isoprene, and monoterpenes. All of these VOCs showed a did cycle of emission with maxima around noon and isoprene dominated the fluxes (93 +/- 22 mu mol m(-2) d(-1), mean +/- SE). Isoprene emission was strongly stimulated by temperature and presented a steeper response to temperature (Q(10) = 14.5) than that typically assumed in biogenic emission models, supporting the high temperature sensitivity of arctic vegetation. In September, net emissions of methanol and isoprene were drastically reduced, while acetaldehyde and acetone were deposited to the fen, with rates of up to -6.7 +/- 2.8 mu mol m(-2) d(-1) for acetaldehyde. Remarkably, the lake was a sink for acetaldehyde and acetone during both periods, with average fluxes up to -19 +/- 1.3 mu mol m(-2) d(-1) of acetone in July and up to -8.5 +/- 2.3 mu mol m(-2) d(-1) of acetaldehyde in September. The deposition of both carbonyl compounds correlated with their atmospheric mixing ratios, with deposition velocities of -0.23 +/- 0.01 and -0.68 +/- 0.03 cm s(-1) for acetone and acetaldehyde, respectively. Even though these VOC fluxes represented less than 0.5 % and less than 5 % of the CO2 and CH4 net carbon ecosystem exchange, respectively, VOCs alter the oxidation capacity of the atmosphere. Thus, understanding the response of their emissions to climate change is important for accurate prediction of the future climatic conditions in this rapidly warming area of the planet.
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| 2. |
- Skotte, Line, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-wide association study of febrile seizures implicates fever response and neuronal excitability genes
- 2022
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Ingår i: Brain. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-8950 .- 1460-2156. ; 145:2, s. 555-568
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Febrile seizures represent the most common type of pathological brain activity in young children and are influenced by genetic, environmental and developmental factors. In a minority of cases, febrile seizures precede later development of epilepsy. We conducted a genome-wide association study of febrile seizures in 7635 cases and 83 966 controls identifying and replicating seven new loci, all with P < 5 × 10-10. Variants at two loci were functionally related to altered expression of the fever response genes PTGER3 and IL10, and four other loci harboured genes (BSN, ERC2, GABRG2, HERC1) influencing neuronal excitability by regulating neurotransmitter release and binding, vesicular transport or membrane trafficking at the synapse. Four previously reported loci (SCN1A, SCN2A, ANO3 and 12q21.33) were all confirmed. Collectively, the seven novel and four previously reported loci explained 2.8% of the variance in liability to febrile seizures, and the single nucleotide polymorphism heritability based on all common autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms was 10.8%. GABRG2, SCN1A and SCN2A are well-established epilepsy genes and, overall, we found positive genetic correlations with epilepsies (rg = 0.39, P = 1.68 × 10-4). Further, we found that higher polygenic risk scores for febrile seizures were associated with epilepsy and with history of hospital admission for febrile seizures. Finally, we found that polygenic risk of febrile seizures was lower in febrile seizure patients with neuropsychiatric disease compared to febrile seizure patients in a general population sample. In conclusion, this largest genetic investigation of febrile seizures to date implicates central fever response genes as well as genes affecting neuronal excitability, including several known epilepsy genes. Further functional and genetic studies based on these findings will provide important insights into the complex pathophysiological processes of seizures with and without fever.
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| 3. |
- Beaumont, Robin N, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature genetics. - 1546-1718 .- 1061-4036. ; 55:11, s. 1807-19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A well-functioning placenta is essential for fetal and maternal health throughout pregnancy. Using placental weight as a proxy for placental growth, we report genome-wide association analyses in the fetal (n=65,405), maternal (n=61,228) and paternal (n=52,392) genomes, yielding 40 independent association signals. Twenty-six signals are classified as fetal, four maternal and three fetal and maternal. A maternal parent-of-origin effect is seen near KCNQ1. Genetic correlation and colocalization analyses reveal overlap with birth weight genetics, but 12 loci are classified as predominantly or only affecting placental weight, with connections to placental development and morphology, and transport of antibodies and amino acids. Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that fetal genetically mediated higher placental weight is causally associated with preeclampsia risk and shorter gestational duration. Moreover, these analyses support the role of fetal insulin in regulating placental weight, providing a key link between fetal and placental growth.
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| 4. |
- Bollen, Math, et al.
(författare)
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The Swedish government inquiry on smart meters and intelligent networks
- 2011
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Ingår i: Proceedings of CIRED 21st International Conference on Electricity Distribution.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Energy Markets Inspectorate has conducted an inquiry on smart grids during 2010 and submitted the resulting report to the Swedish government. The inquiry has identified a number of barriers against the introduction of new technology and a number of proposals are made to remove the barriers: an independent council to gather and spread knowledge on smart grids; incentives for network operators to create new services and increase network performance; an action plan for the future development of the electricity network; a new structure of network tariffs to reduce peak loads and price peaks; and functionality requirements on information to customers to allow them to actively participate in the market.
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| 5. |
- Brekke, Karstein, et al.
(författare)
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Monitoring of and regulations on quality of electricity supply in European countries
- 2009
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Ingår i: CIRED 20th International Conference on Electricity Distribution. - Red Hook, NY : Curran Associates, Inc.. - 9781615675227
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) publishes regularly benchmarking reports on the electricity quality of supply (EQS) in its member countries. This paper introduces the content of and describes some of the important highlights from the content given in the 4th CEER Benchmarking Report on Quality of Electricity Supply [1], which is based on detailed information gathered from 27 European countries.
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| 6. |
- Cortes, Dina, et al.
(författare)
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A new model of paired clinical teaching of international and Danish medical students
- 2016
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Ingår i: Danish Medical Journal. - 2245-1919. ; 63:7, s. 1-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Since 2006, one hospital has offered two clinical courses in obstetrics/gynaecology and paediatrics to international (I) students. However, as I-student enrolment increased, the hospital faced cut-backs. As from 2010, I-team course evaluations therefore dropped to unacceptable levels and more I- than Danish (DK) students failed exams. Therefore, in 2012 we started a three-year internationalisation project (I-project) at two hospitals. The primary intervention was to pair training for I- and DK-students at clinical contact, and to offer an exclusive daily lecturer for I-teams.METHODS: We compared the course evaluations and exam grades of I-teams and DK-teams for two years prior to (107 from I-teams - 211 participants from DK-teams) and during the I-project (245 participants from I-teams - 575 from DK-teams).RESULTS: During the I-project, the I-teams' course evaluations increased to acceptable values and to levels comparable to the evaluation scores of DK-teams. Furthermore, I-students now considered that their communication with the patients was acceptable. Before the I-project, I-students had lower exam grades (median = 10 (range: 0-12)) than DK-students (10 (4-12)) (p = 0.03), but during the I-project, exam grades increased to the levels achieved by DK-students (10 (2-12) - 10 (0-12) (p = 0.22), and no more I- than DK-students failed exams (p = 0.51).CONCLUSIONS: Pairing students for clinical training and allocating an exclusive lecturer for I-teams produced improved courses for internationalisation. Allocating an exclusive lecturer was associated with a cost of about 615 EUR per student per course when the team consisted of ten students.FUNDING: The Capital Region of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen.TRIAL REGISTRATION: not relevant.
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| 7. |
- Dancet, Eline A F, et al.
(författare)
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The Role of Scientists and Clinicians in Raising Public Support for Animal Research in Reproductive Biology and Medicine.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Biology of reproduction. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1529-7268 .- 0006-3363.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is important that researchers active in reproductive animal research, as a group, clearly and compassionately convey specific information to students, patients, and the general public on the merit and need for biomedical research using various formats and seek active support from patient organizations, universities, politicians, celebrities, the media, and international professional organizations related to human and animal health.
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| 8. |
- López-Blanco, Efrén, et al.
(författare)
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Plant Traits are Key Determinants in Buffering the Meteorological Sensitivity of Net Carbon Exchanges of Arctic Tundra
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences. - 2169-8953.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The climate sensitivity of carbon (C) cycling in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems is a major unknown in the Earth system. There is a lack of knowledge about the mechanisms that drive the interactions between photosynthesis, respiration, and changes in C stocks across full annual cycles in Arctic tundra. We use a calibrated and validated model (soil-plant-atmosphere; SPA) to estimate net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Reco), and internal C processing across eight full years. SPA's carbon flux estimates are validated with observational data obtained from the Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring program in West Greenland tundra. Overall, the model explained 73%, 73%, and 50% of the variance in NEE, GPP, and Reco, respectively, and 85% of the plant greenness variation. Flux data highlighted the insensitivity of growing season NEE to interannual meteorological variability, due to compensatory responses of photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration. In this modelling study, we show that this NEE buffering is the case also for full annual cycles. We show through a sensitivity analysis that plant traits related to nitrogen are likely key determinants in the compensatory response, through simulated links to photosynthesis and plant respiration. Interestingly, we found a similar temperature sensitivity of the trait-flux couplings for GPP and Reco, suggesting that plant traits drive the stabilization of NEE. Further, model analysis indicated that wintertime periods decreased the C sink by 60%, mostly driven by litter heterotrophic respiration. This result emphasizes the importance of wintertime periods and allows a more comprehensive understanding of full annual C dynamics.
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| 9. |
- Lundgaard, Agnete T., et al.
(författare)
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BALDR : A Web-based platform for informed comparison and prioritization of biomarker candidates for type 2 diabetes mellitus
- 2023
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Ingår i: PLoS Computational Biology. - 1553-734X. ; 19:8 August
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Novel biomarkers are key to addressing the ongoing pandemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus. While new technologies have improved the potential of identifying such biomarkers, at the same time there is an increasing need for informed prioritization to ensure efficient downstream verification. We have built BALDR, an automated pipeline for biomarker comparison and prioritization in the context of diabetes. BALDR includes protein, gene, and disease data from major public repositories, text-mining data, and human and mouse experimental data from the IMI2 RHAPSODY consortium. These data are provided as easy-to-read figures and tables enabling direct comparison of up to 20 biomarker candidates for diabetes through the public website https://baldr.cpr.ku.dk.
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| 10. |
- Oddsson, Asmundur, et al.
(författare)
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Deficit of homozygosity among 1.52 million individuals and genetic causes of recessive lethality
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genotypes causing pregnancy loss and perinatal mortality are depleted among living individuals and are therefore difficult to find. To explore genetic causes of recessive lethality, we searched for sequence variants with deficit of homozygosity among 1.52 million individuals from six European populations. In this study, we identified 25 genes harboring protein-altering sequence variants with a strong deficit of homozygosity (10% or less of predicted homozygotes). Sequence variants in 12 of the genes cause Mendelian disease under a recessive mode of inheritance, two under a dominant mode, but variants in the remaining 11 have not been reported to cause disease. Sequence variants with a strong deficit of homozygosity are over-represented among genes essential for growth of human cell lines and genes orthologous to mouse genes known to affect viability. The function of these genes gives insight into the genetics of intrauterine lethality. We also identified 1077 genes with homozygous predicted loss-of-function genotypes not previously described, bringing the total set of genes completely knocked out in humans to 4785.
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| 11. |
- Ruwald, Anne Christine H., et al.
(författare)
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Losartan versus atenolol-based antihypertensive treatment reduces cardiovascular events especially well in elderly patients : the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) study
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Hypertension. - 0263-6352 .- 1473-5598. ; 30:6, s. 1252-1259
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) study has previously demonstrated a beneficial effect of losartan compared to atenolol-based antihypertensive treatment in patients with essential hypertension and left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). However, patient age often influences the choice of antihypertensive drugs. Therefore, we investigated the influence of age on the effects of losartan versus atenolol-based antihypertensive treatment. Methods: A total of 9193 hypertensive patients with LVH aged 45-83 years were followed for a mean of 4.8 years. Blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Sokolow-Lyon voltage, Cornell voltage-duration product and urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) were measured yearly throughout the study. Patients were divided into two age groups according to the median age of 67 years and the effects of losartan versus atenolol-based antihypertensive treatment on the primary composite endpoint (CEP) consisting of cardiovascular death, nonfatal stroke or nonfatal myocardial infarction were investigated. Results: The beneficial effect of losartan versus atenolol-based treatment was greater in the group of patients older than 67 years [hazard ratio 0.79 (0.69-0.91), P=0.001] compared to the group of patients younger than 67 years [hazard ratio 1.03 (0.82-1.28), P=0809], P=0.045 for interaction. The beneficial effects of losartan versus atenolol-based antihypertensive treatment on pulse pressure, HDL-C, UACR, and Cornell and Sokolow-Lyon voltage were not more pronounced in patients older than 67 years compared to patients younger than 67 years. All five risk factors considered as time-varying covariates predicted CEP independently (P<0.01) with the exception of pulse pressure (P=0.37) and the interaction between age and treatment on outcome remained significant (P=0.042). Conclusions: We showed a greater beneficial effect of losartan versus atenolol-based antihypertensive treatment in the group of patients older than 67 years compared to the group of patients younger than 67 years. This difference was not explained by a more pronounced effect of losartan-based treatment on any of the cardiovascular risk factors demonstrated to have independent prognostic importance.
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| 12. |
- Tornling, Göran, et al.
(författare)
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Seven days treatment with the angiotensin II type 2 receptor agonist C21 in hospitalized COVID-19 patients; a placebo-controlled randomised multi-centre double-blind phase 2 trial
- 2021
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Ingår i: eClinicalMedicine. - : Elsevier. - 2589-5370. ; 41
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: COVID-19 morbidity and mortality remains high and the need for safe and effective drugs continues despite vaccines.Methods: Double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre, randomised, parallel group phase 2 trial to evaluate safety and efficacy of oral angiotensin II type 2 receptor agonist C21 in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and CRP > 50-150 mg/L conducted at eight sites in India (NCT04452435). Patients were randomly assigned 100 mg C21 bid or placebo for 7 days in addition to standard of care. Primary endpoint: reduction in CRP. The study period was 21 July to 13 October 2020.Findings: 106 patients were randomised and included in the analysis (51 C21, 55 placebo). There was no significant group difference in reduction of CRP, 81% and 78% in the C21 and placebo groups, respectively, with a treatment effect ratio of 0.85 [90% CI 0.57, 1.26]. In a secondary analysis in patients requiring supplemental oxygen at randomisation, CRP was reduced in the C21 group compared to placebo. At the end of the 7-day treatment, 37 (72.5%) and 30 (54.5%) of the patients did not require supplemental oxygen in the C21 and placebo group, respectively (OR 2.20 [90% CI 1.12, 4.41]). A post hoc analysis showed that at day 14, the proportion of patients not requiring supplemental oxygen was 98% and 80% in the C21 group compared to placebo (OR 12.5 [90% CI 2.9, 126]). Fewer patients required mechanical ventilation (one C21 patient; four placebo patients), and C21 was associated with a numerical reduction in the mortality rate (one vs three in the C21 and placebo group, respectively). Treatment with C21 was safe and well tolerated.Interpretation: Among hospitalised patients with COVID-19 receiving C21 for 7 days there was no reduction in CRP compared to placebo. However, a post-hoc analysis indicated a marked reduction of requirement for oxygen at day 14. The day 14 results from this study justify further evaluation in a Phase 3 study and such a trial is currently underway.
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| 13. |
- Westergaard, David, et al.
(författare)
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Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies five loci associated with postpartum hemorrhage.
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nature genetics. - 1546-1718.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bleeding in early pregnancy and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) bear substantial risks, with the former closely associated with pregnancy loss and the latter being the foremost cause of maternal death, underscoring the severe impact on maternal-fetal health. We identified five genetic loci linked to PPH in a meta-analysis. Functional annotation analysis indicated candidate genes HAND2, TBX3 and RAP2C/FRMD7 at three loci and showed that at each locus, associated variants were located within binding sites for progesterone receptors. There were strong genetic correlations with birth weight, gestational duration and uterine fibroids. Bleeding in early pregnancy yielded no genome-wide association signals but showed strong genetic correlation with various human traits, suggesting a potentially complex, polygenic etiology. Our results suggest that PPH is related to progesterone signaling dysregulation, whereas early bleeding is a complex trait associated with underlying health and possibly socioeconomic status and may include genetic factors that have not yet been identified.
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| 14. |
- Zhang, Wenxin, et al.
(författare)
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Model-data fusion to assess year-round CO2 fluxes for an arctic heath ecosystem in West Greenland (69°N)
- 2019
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Ingår i: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-2240 .- 0168-1923. ; 272-273, s. 176-186
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Quantifying net CO2 exchange (NEE) of arctic terrestrial ecosystems in response to changes in climatic and environmental conditions is central to understanding ecosystem functioning and assessing potential feedbacks of the carbon cycle to future climate changes. However, annual CO2 budgets for arctic tundra are rare due to the difficulties of performing measurements during non-growing seasons. It is still unclear to what extent arctic tundra ecosystems currently act as a CO2 source, sink or are in balance. This study presents year-round eddy-covariance (EC) measurements of CO2 fluxes for an arctic heath ecosystem on Disko Island, West Greenland (69 °N) over five years. Based on a fusion of year-round EC-derived CO2 fluxes, soil temperature and moisture, the process-oriented model (CoupModel) has been constrained to quantify an annual budget and characterize seasonal patterns of CO2 fluxes. The results show that total photosynthesis corresponds to -202 ± 20 g C m−2 yr-1 with ecosystem respiration of 167 ± 28 g C m-2 yr-1, resulting in NEE of -35 ± 15 g C m-2 yr-1. The respiration loss is mainly described as decomposition of near-surface litter. A year with an anomalously deep snowpack shows a threefold increase in the rate of ecosystem respiration compared to other years. Due to the high CO2 emissions during that winter, the annual budget results in a marked reduction in the CO2 sink. The seasonal patterns of photosynthesis and soil respiration were described using response functions of the forcing atmosphere and soil conditions. Snow depth, topography-related soil moisture, and growing season warmth are identified as important environmental characteristics which most influence seasonal rates of gas exchange.
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