Respiratory infections are one of the major causes of disease in sheep throughout the world. In the beginning of 2008 the Swedish National Veterinary Institute and the Swedish Animal Health Service together started a project about respiratory infections in Swedish sheep. This study is an initial part of that project and the aim of this study was to investigate different sampling possibilities with focus on nasal swabs. This study is composed partly of a literature review on causative agents of respiratory infections in sheep and existing sampling methods, and partly of an experimental study comprising 56 sheep. These sheep were sampled with both an ordinary nasal swab and a guarded nasal swab. Before the start of this study there was to our knowledge no described method for sampling sheep with a guarded swab.

The aim of this present study was to determine and evaluate whether the presence of brooktrout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and sediment load may be a threat against the reproduction anddistribution of freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) in a creek located innorthern Sweden. Freshwater pearl mussel is an endangered species and is dependent ofbrown trout (Salmo trutta) to reproduce. Therefore there are concerns of indirect effects onthe population of pearl mussel by competition between brown trout and brook trout. Ditchesfrom a nearby gravel road have been fixed to lower the sediment load into the creek. I tried toevaluate this action plan.

Blood sampling is one of the most important diagnostic tools in veterinary medicine, and this is also true for avian medicine. A properly collected and handled venous sample can be used for serology, biochemistry and electrolyte analysis, as well as for blood smears, packed cell volume and cell differentiation. Caring for sick birds is a challenge for all veterinary staff. Many birds are easily stressed individuals, and to a very ill bird a big increase in stress level can even be fatal. Avian patients who are presented in a veterinary clinic are often in a poor condition, and blood sampling is an invasive procedure that can cause stress to the patient.

The county administration asked LKAB to make an inventory of possibly contaminated sites caused by their mining activity. The inventory should be performed according to the MIFO model, a method from SEPA which is used to assess a contaminated site. The first phase involves collection of information through interviews and site inspections and in phase 2 a general survey with field sampling is conducted. LKAB started the work with the first phase of the survey during 2003. During this project the information collected in Phase 1 was evaluated and 16 of the sites were chosen to proceed to MIFO Phase 2 (six sites in Kiruna, and 5 sites respectively in Svappavaara and Malmberget). The sampling of these 16 sites was performed during week 27 2004.

The county administration asked LKAB to make an inventory of possibly contaminated sites caused by their mining activity. The inventory should be performed according to the MIFO model, a method from SEPA which is used to assess a contaminated site. The first phase involves collection of information through interviews and site inspections and in phase 2 a general survey with field sampling is conducted.LKAB started the work with the first phase of the survey during 2003. During this project the information collected in Phase 1 was evaluated and 16 of the sites were chosen to proceed to MIFO Phase 2 (six sites in Kiruna, and 5 sites respectively in Svappavaara and Malmberget). The sampling of these 16 sites was performed during week 27 2004.

This master thesis has been a pilot study preceding a forthcoming project of a larger scale with the long term objective to separate the direct effect of added nitrogen on soil processes from indirect effects via trees. The aim of this study has been to investigate the allocation of nitrogen following direct injection of liquid solutions into the xylem of 40 year old Norway spruce. The field site is located at Flakaliden (64°07?N, 19°27?E), approximately 60 km northwest of Umeå, Sweden. A total of 18 trees were selected for treatment, equally divided between three treatments, potassium nitrate, glutamine and water (control).

Geotextildukar används idag som tillfällig kontroll av sedimentgrumling vid vattenarbeten. Syftet med examensarbetet är att ge ökad kunskap kring olika geotextildukars genomsläpplighet med avseende på suspenderat material, PAH (Polycykliska aromatiska kolväten) och kvicksilver vid suspension av sediment från Karlbergskanalen. Detta har gjorts genom en laboration. Resultaten visar att det inom några minuter bildas en filterkaka på de tre undersökta dukarna. Dukarna blir täta då de utsätts för finpartikulärt suspenderat sediment med koncentrationen 57 g/l hämtat från Karlbergskanalen.

Anlagda våtmarker i avrinningsområden från jordbruksmarker mottar ofta vatten med höga halter av partikelbunden fosfor. Den viktigaste processen för avskiljning av inkommande partikelbunden fosfor är sedimentation. Resuspension är en process som motverkar netto-sedimentationen av partiklar och kan således minska våtmarkers förmåga att hålla kvar fosfor. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka om A. aquaticus påverkar resuspensionen av partiklar, och om större tätheter av A.

The purpose of this study is to find datable interstadial sediments in the core area of the LateWeicheslian ice sheet extent. Based on geomorphological evidence, three coring sites wereidentified close to the Ultevis plateau in Norrbotten, northern Sweden. Sediment coring wascarried out in two pre-Late Weichselian stream channels and in a sediment basin. Stratigraphyfrom one of the sites, a 100 meter wide meltwater channel, was chosen for further analysis. Thestudied core was 5,93 m long and ended in a lower till unit.

In Halland, agriculture is the major source of eutrophication of water. In the study, synoptic sampling were performed in the three watercourses Nyrebäcken, Skintan and Vinån all located in the county of Halland. Sampling occurred during the period February to May on three occasions with different flow rates: high, low and base flow. Samples were taken in the mainstream and tributaries with intention to show how big the impact of eutrophication it is in the water and  to assess the impact of the tributariesThe results show that all watercourses are affected by eutrophication. Nyrebäcken has the highest concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the mainstream, then Skintan and last Vinån.

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAH´s) were used widely within dry cleaning facilities and for metal degreasing until their toxicity was discovered. PCE is still used as dry cleaning liquid. Today CAH´s are found in soil environment at places where they have been used in the past. The CAH-concentration in trees growing on contaminated land has quite recently received attention as a cheap and effective way of assessing the extent of a CAH-contamination. The method has however, not been put into use in Sweden.The aim of the study has been to investigate whether the CAH-concentration in tree cores could be used to delineate the spread of CAH in a soil environment under Swedish conditions in different seasons.

Projektet baserades på analyser av Munksjöns sediment. Munksjön är belägen i centrala Jönköping och har under många decennier omgivits av miljöbelastande verksamheter. Detta har resulterat i att sjön är så starkt förorenad att den ligger på första plats i Länsstyrelsens 30-lista över prioriterade objekt i det regionala programmet för undersökning, utredning och åtgärder av förorenade områden i Jönköpings län. Den mest förorenade delen av sjön, fiberbanken, är belägen utanför Munksjö AB som tidigare släppt ut stora mängder fibermaterial och kvicksilver med sitt processvatten från papperstillverkningen.Analyserna har omfattat syreförbrukning och svavelinnehåll. Sedimentprovertogs från fyra lokaler i olika områden och djup.

Benthic invertebrates play important roles as feeding resources for many organisms in different food webs. Shifts in predation of these organisms can generate cascading effects and potentially lead to the disappearance of one or more species from a site. Cascading effects can bring impacts to organisms who aren?t even directly involved, why studies in this field are important for understanding sudden changes in ecosystems. I examined the predation from fish and waterfowl on benthic invertebrates in the shallow and eutrophic Lake Tåkern in the plains of Östergötland County, southern Sweden.

A system for sampling of alcohol and aldehyde from diluted exhaust gases from vehicles powered by ethanol has been developed and tested. The major part of the work has been research of earlier work in the field and the construction of the sampling system.The part of the system constructed for the measurement of alcohol has been shown to work, however, more test should be performed. The part of the system constructed for the measurement of aldehyde was tested parallel to a commercially available system, based on the same principle of measurement, and has been shown to work well.Determination of the concentration of gaseous ethanol using a FID has shown the since earlier known fact that a FID is not able to measure a correct concentration of ethanol. Furthermore it has been shown that high concentrations of gaseous ethanol can not be kept in a bag more than a few minutes without a substantial decrease of the measured concentration..

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) has for many years been used in products to reduce their flammability, mainly in electronic products, textiles and construction materials. In 2003, Sweden imported 300 tons of brominated flame retardants. Leakage of these compounds has polluted natural environments. Fishes has shown increased contents of these substances, especially fat fish, since brominated flame retardants tends to accumulate in fatty tissues. They are also regarded as persistent and that gives them the ability to travel long distances. What also is really scary is that increased levels of brominated flame retardants have been detected in human breast milk. The knowledge of the brominated flame retardants is limited and not so much research has been done in this field. There are many reasons though, to keep the research going. Partly their structural resemblance to well-known toxics as PCB, but also their ability to accumulate in biological systems and enrich in food chains. In which way they affect humans we really don?t know yet.