Jan Sjöström

Distribution, chemical speciation, and mobility of lead and antimony originating from small arms ammunition in a coarse-grained unsaturated surface sand.

This study quantified the heavy metal contamination caused by firing 500 high-velocity 7.62-mm jacketed Swedish military rounds. Contamination of solid and aqueous phases was studied, with Pb and Sb being the two contaminants of primary interest. The distribution of the Pb and Sb were measured in terms of depth of penetration in sand and grain size distribution of the bullet particles. The Pb- and Sb-contaminated sand was then used as a source material in two bench-scale unsaturated lysimeters to measure the transport of Pb and Sb through two coarse-grained sands, which were taken from the berms on two Swedish military small arms ranges. The lysimeters were subjected to an infiltration cycle that reproduced spring snowmelt, which is the most significant infiltration event of the year in northern climates. The levels of mobile Pb and Sb were monitored in the effluent from the lysimeters. Extended X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy analysis was performed on the contaminated sands to determine Pb speciation before and after leaching. Ninety-three percent of the mass of bullets was found in the top 30 cm of sand. Lead oxide was the predominant species of Pb before and after leaching. Transport of Pb was small, with aqueous concentrations remaining stable at <2 microg L(-1). Antimony was far more mobile, with solute breakthrough occurring between 5 and 14 d and concentrations rising to over 125 microg L(-1) within 1 month.

Betula pendula: A Promising Candidate for Phytoremediation of TCE in Northern Climates

Betula pendula (Silver birch) trees growing on two contaminated sites were evaluated to assess their capacity to phytoscreen and phytoremediate chlorinated aliphatic compounds and heavy metals. Both locations are industrially-contaminated properties in central Sweden. The first was the site of a trichloroethylene (TCE) spill in the 1980s while the second was polluted with heavy metals by burning industrial wastes. In both cases, sap and sapwood from Silver birch trees were collected and analyzed for either chlorinated aliphatic compounds or heavy metals. These results were compared to analyses of the surface soil, vadose zone pore air and groundwater. Silver birch demonstrated the potential to phytoscreen and possibly phytoremediate TCE and related compounds, but it did not demonstrate the ability to effectively phytoextract heavy metals when compared with hyperaccumulator plants. The capacity of Silver birch to phytoremediate TCE appears comparable to tree species that have been employed in field-scale TCE phytoremediation efforts, such as Populus spp. and Eucalyptus sideroxylon rosea.

LONG-TERM CHANGES OF SOIL CHEMISTRY IN CENTRAL SWEDEN

Changes in the chemistry of a Ferriorthic Podzol soil are studied by comparing a field site covered since 1890 with an exposed site. Analytical chemistry data for composite samples from the A2, A2/B, B, B/C, and C horizons were used. The exposed site has a higher exchangeable acidity in the four upper horizons and a lower base saturation in the A2, A2/B, and B/C horizons. The content of nonextractable metal cations is markedly lower in the exposed site, and the amount of extractable metal cations is larger. This is interpreted as the effect of more intense weathering due mostly to infiltrated acidic precipitation. The results reveal that long-term changes of the soil chemistry, including the estimation of metal fluxes, can be determined by this method.

The Swedish model for groundwater policy: legal foundations, decision-making and practical application

Public policy concerning groundwater is often complex, with diverse competing interests. With many countries facing similar challenges, it is instructive to examine the policy approaches that have and have not worked abroad. This article contributes to an international exchange of ideas on how best to approach these common problems by explaining how Sweden regulates its groundwater resources. From constitutional foundations to the practical details associated with applying existing policy, a synopsis is provided of groundwater jurisprudence in Sweden. Multiple governmental agencies are involved with groundwater policy in Sweden; this decentralized approach is probably a function of the natural abundance of clean aquifers throughout the country. Historically, the easy accessibility of high-quality groundwater made it a low priority in the context of environmental policy. It has simply never been an economic necessity to control groundwater resources through a single, unified governmental agency. Sweden is lagging behind many industrialized countries when it comes to implementing policies that protect and manage groundwater. Despite this, there are elements of Sweden’s approach that are highly innovative and possibly unique globally and which therefore merit discussion.RésuméLa police concernant l’eau souterraine est souvent complexe, avec des intérêts divers en compétition. Avec de nombreux pays faisant face à des challenges similaires, il est instructif d’examiner les approches des polices qui ont ou non fonctionné à l’étranger. Cet article contribue à un échange international d’idées sur comment approcher au mieux ces problèmes communs en expliquant comment la Suède régit ses ressources en eau souterraine. Depuis les fondements constitutionnels jusqu’aux détails pratiques associés à la politique existante appliquée, un synoptique de la jurisprudence relative à l’eau souterraine en Suède est fourni. De multiples agences gouvernementales sont concernées par la politique de l’eau souterraine en Suède; cette approche décentralisée est probablement une résultante de l’abondance naturelle d’aquifères purs dans tout le pays. Historiquement, la facilité d’accès à une eau souterraine de grande qualité en a fait une priorité secondaire dans le contexte de la politique environnementale. Il n’a simplement jamais été une nécessité économique de contrôler les ressources en eau souterraines à travers une agence gouvernementale unique et unifiée. La Suède reste en arrière de nombreux pays industrialisés quand il s’agit de mettre en place des politiques qui protègent et gèrent l’eau souterraine. Malgré ceci, il y a des éléments de l’approche par la Suède qui sont hautement innovants, peut-être mondialement uniques et qui méritent par suite un débat.ResumenLa política pública concerniente al agua subterránea a menudo es compleja, con diversos intereses competitivos. Como muchos países enfrentan desafíos similares, es instructivo examinar los enfoques políticos que han funcionado o no en el exterior. Este artículo contribuye a un intercambio internacional de ideas sobre cual la mejor manera de abordar estos problemas comunes, explicando cómo Sueca regula sus recursos de agua subterránea. Se proporciona una sinopsis sobre la jurisprudencia del agua subterránea en Suecia desde sus fundamentos constitucionales hasta detalles prácticos asociado con la aplicación de la política existente. Múltiples agencias gubernamentales están involucradas con la política de agua subterránea en Suecia, este enfoque descentralizado es probablemente una función de la abundancia natural de acuíferos limpios a través de todo el país. Históricamente, la fácil accesibilidad al agua subterránea de alta calidad hicieron e este problema una cuestión de baja prioridad baja en el contexto de la política ambiental. Simplemente, nunca ha sido una necesidad económica controlar los recursos de agua subterránea a través de una sola agencia gubernamental unificada. Suecia está retrasada respecto de muchos países industrializados en cuanto la implementación de políticas para proteger y gestionar las aguas subterráneas. A pesar de esto, hay elementos en el enfoque de Suecia que son altamente innovadores y posiblemente únicos a nivel mundial y que por lo tanto merecen discusión.ResumoA política pública respeitante à água subterrânea é frequentemente complexa, com diversos interesses em jogo. Com muitos países a enfrentar desafios similares, será muito útil examinar as abordagens políticas que funcionaram e as que não funcionaram nesses países. Este artigo contribui para um intercâmbio internacional de ideias sobre a melhor maneira de abordar estes problemas comuns, explicando como é que a Suécia regula os seus recursos hídricos subterrâneos. Desde os fundamentos constitucionais até aos pormenores práticos associados à aplicação das políticas existentes, é apresentada uma sinopse da jurisprudência para as águas subterrâneas na Suécia. Na Suécia, são múltiplas as agências governamentais envolvidas nas políticas da água; esta abordagem descentralizada é provavelmente uma função da abundância natural de aquíferos em bom estado no país. Historicamente, a acessibilidade fácil a água subterrânea de boa qualidade tornou os recursos hídricos subterrâneos numa prioridade baixa no contexto da política ambiental. Nunca houve necessidade económica de se controlarem os recursos hídricos subterrâneos através de uma agência governamental unificada. A Suécia está assim menos desenvolvida do que muitos países industrializados quando se trata da implementação de políticas de gestão e proteção de águas subterrâneas. Apesar disso, há elementos dentro da abordagem Sueca que são altamente inovadores e possivelmente únicos a nível global, merecendo ser discutidos.

The effect of subsurface military detonations on vadose zone hydraulic conductivity, contaminant transport and aquifer recharge.

Live fire military training involves the detonation of explosive warheads on training ranges. The purpose of this experiment is to evaluate the hydrogeological changes to the vadose zone caused by military training with high explosive ammunition. In particular, this study investigates artillery ammunition which penetrates underground prior to exploding, either by design or by defective fuze mechanisms. A 105 mm artillery round was detonated 2.6 m underground, and hydraulic conductivity measurements were taken before and after the explosion. A total of 114 hydraulic conductivity measurements were obtained within a radius of 3m from the detonation point, at four different depths and at three different time periods separated by 18months. This data was used to produce a three dimensional numerical model of the soil affected by the exploding artillery round. This model was then used to investigate potential changes to aquifer recharge and contaminant transport caused by the detonating round. The results indicate that an exploding artillery round can strongly affect the hydraulic conductivity in the vadose zone, increasing it locally by over an order of magnitude. These variations, however, appear to cause relatively small changes to both local groundwater recharge and contaminant transport.

SOME ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF UNDERWATER SELF-EXPLOSION OF AMMUNITION IN LAKE LOMTJÄRN, SWEDEN: THE IMPACT FROM MERCURY

After the Second World War, dumping in lakes was a rational way to solve the security problem with the extensive amount of unreliable or unused ageing ammunition. Most commonly the ammunition was d ...