Brownfield Topsoil Vertical Heterogeneity: Implications for Germination and Soil Microbial Functioning.

Soil vertical heterogeneity refers to the variation in soil properties and composition with depth. In uncontaminated soils, properties including the organic matter content and nutrient concentrations typically change gradually with depth due to natural processes such as weathering, leaching, and organic matter decomposition. In contaminated soils, heavy metals and organic contaminants can migrate vertically through leaching or root uptake and translocation by plants and macrobiota, if present, leading to vertical heterogeneity in contaminant concentrations at different depths.

Faecal nutrient deposition of domestic and wild herbivores in an alpine grassland.

The contribution of herbivores to ecosystem nutrient fluxes through dung deposition has the potential to, directly and indirectly, influence ecosystem functioning. This process can be particularly important in nutrient-limited ecosystems such as alpine systems. However, herbivore dung content (carbon, C; nitrogen, N; phosphorus, P; potassium, K) and stoichiometry (C/N) may differ among species due to differences in diet, seasonality, body type, feeding strategy, and/or digestive system with consequences for soil biogeochemistry.

Anthropogenic effects on global soil nitrogen pools.

The amount of nitrogen stored in terrestrial soils, its "nitrogen pool", moderates biogeochemical cycling affecting primary productivity, nitrogen pollution and even carbon budgets. The soil nitrogen pools and the transformation of nitrogen forms within them are heavily influenced by environmental factors including anthropogenic activities. However, our understanding of the global distribution of soil nitrogen with respect to anthropogenic activity and human land use remains unclear.

Sociodemographic inequalities in mortality from drowning in the Baltic countries and Finland in 2000-2015: a register-based study.

Background: Drowning is an important public health problem. Some evidence suggests that the risk of drowning is not distributed evenly across the general population. However, there has been comparatively little research on inequalities in drowning mortality.

Educational inequalities in hypothermia mortality in the Baltic countries and Finland in 2000-15.

Background: Despite an increased focus on cold-related mortality in recent years, there has been comparatively little research specifically on hypothermia mortality and its associated factors.

Methods: Educational inequalities in hypothermia mortality among individuals aged 30-74 in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and Finland in 2000-15 were examined using data from longitudinal mortality follow-up studies of population censuses (the Baltics) and from a longitudinal register-based population data file (Finland).

Results: Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) were much higher in the Baltic countries than in Finland across the study period.