Bergslagen (LTSER platform) - Sweden

Bergslagen is an informal region in south-central Sweden (ca. 59–61º N latitude, 13–15º E longitude). The history of industrial natural resource use began with production of metals more than 2000 years ago. The name Bergslagen comes from the words mine (berg in Swedish) and law or team (lag in Swedish). The landscapes of Bergslagen form a gradient between urban areas in Mälardalen with temperate forest remnants in agricultural settings, and rural remote boreal forest regions. Bergslagen includes parts of nine counties, and all municipalities and communities in its core has a peripheral location in relation to regional centres of economic growth. Read more: Angelstam, P., K. Andersson, M. Isacson, D.V. Gavrilov, R. Axelsson, M. Bäckström, E. Degerman, M. Elbakidze, E. Yu. Kazakova-Apkarimova, L. Sartz, S. Sädbom, J. Törnblom. 2013. Learning about the history of landscape use for the future: consequences for ecological and social systems in Swedish Bergslagen. AMBIO 42(2): 150–163. Naumov, V., Manton, M., Elbakidze, M., Rendenieks, Z., Priedniek, J., Uglyanets, S., Yamelynets, T., Zhivotov, A., Angelstam, P. 2018. How to reconcile wood production and biodiversity conservation? The Pan-European boreal forest history gradient as an “experiment”. Journal of Environmental Management 218:1-13.

Last modified

2020-03-24 03:03:33

General Characteristics, Purpose, History

Site Status

existing

Year Established

2011

Purpose

By establishing the Bergslagen region in Sweden as a LTSER platform the ambition is to fill the gap between local and regional governance levels by focusing on providing land owners, stakeholders and municipalities, who are responsible for local comprehensive planning processes, with transparent information and integrated assessment about state and trends of different sustainability criteria. The area of the Bergslagen LTSER platform includes several local LTER sites, which constitute natural science research sites in areas within various land cover and land-use.

History

The development of a stakeholder partnership towards sustainablity in the Begslagen region (i..e., the NGO Sustainable Bergslagen) began in 1999, and long-term socio-ecological research emerged in 2004. When LTSER-Sweden was established in 2010 Sustainable Bergslagen and associated researchers applied to join the LTSER platform network. Read more: Angelstam, P., Törnblom, J. 2004. Maintaining forest biodiversity in actual landscapes – European gradients in history and governance systems as a “landscape lab”. In: Marchetti, M. (ed). Monitoring and indicators of forest biodiversity in Europe – from ideas to operationality. EFI symposium No. 51. pp. 299-313. Axelsson, R., Angelstam, P., Myhrman, L., Sädbom, S., Ivarsson, M., Elbakidze, M., Andersson, K., Cupa, P., Diry, C., Doyon, F., Drotz, M.K., Hjorth, A., Hermansson, J.O., Kullberg, T., Lickers, F.H., McTaggart, J., Olsson, A., Pautov, Yu., Svensson, L., Törnblom, J. 2013. Evaluation of multi-level social learning for sustainable landscapes: perspective of a development initiative in Bergslagen, Sweden. AMBIO 42(2): 241-253.

Photos

Geographic

Size

4388200.00ha

Elevation (average)

150.00msl

Elevation (min)

2.00msl

Elevation (max)

500.00msl

Affiliation and Network Specific Information

Affiliation

Projects

International Model Forest Network

eLTER catalogue

eLTER (H2020)

Download

Site information [.json]

Centroid coordinates [.shp] [.kml]

Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml]

Boundaries [.shp] [.kml]

Site Details

Ecosystem and Environmental Characteristics

GEO-BON Biome

Fresh water lakes

Fresh water rivers

Terrestrial

Biome

Taiga

Ecosystem and Land Use

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

Biogeographical Region

Boreal Bio-geographical Region

Air Temperature: Average Annual

4.00°C

Air Temperature Range (Monthly Minimum)

-6.00°C

Air Temperature Range (Monthly Maximum)

15.00°C

Precipitation Annual

700.00mm

Precipitation Maximum Monthly

90.00mm

Precipitation Minimum Monthly

30.00mm

Geology

The Bergslagen region is situated predominantly in the south-western part of the Svecokarelian orogen in the Fennoscandian Shield. The region is dominated by Palaeoproterozoic rocks formed between 1.9 and 1.8 Ga. These rocks were variably affected by Svecokarelian deformation and metamorphism over the whole region during the same time period and, to variable extent in western areas, by a Sveconorwegian tectonic overprint between 1.0 and 0.9 Ga. Subordinate rocks consist of an alkaline intrusive rock of uncertain age and rock that formed around or after 1.7 Ga. The latter include Proterozoic rocks that formed after the Svecokarelian orogenic activity but are variably affected, in western areas, by Sveconorwegian deformation and metamorphism. Fault-bounded outliers of Neoproterozoic and Lower Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks are also present and form a cover to the crystalline bedrock in this part of the shield.The Bergslagen region in central Sweden forms one of Sweden?s important provinces for the exploitation of metallic mineral deposits, with three currently operating mines at the base metal sulphide deposits Garpenberg, Zinkgruvan and Lovisagruvan.

Vegetation

Bergslagen is located in the transition zone between Fennoscandia´s northernmost temperate deciduous forest areas and the southernmost boreal coniferous forest ares. On average forests cover about 70% of the area. The vast majority of these forests are managed for sustained yield wood production, and with a focus on Norway spruce and Scots pine. Mires, both raised bogs in the south and fens in the north, are common.

Soils

The terrain in Bergslagen is undulating and consists of hilly till-covered woodlands, and broad valleys covered with the gravelly or sandy deposits of glacial rivers and ice-dammed lakes, ablation (dead-ice) moraine rich in sand and boulders. Below the highest late-glacial coast line of the Baltic Sea there are also fine fraction sediments, e. g. silt, hut as a rule not clay. The highest coast line is situated at about 200 m above the present sea level; most of the cultivated soil is below this limit.

Hydrology

Bergslagen is centered on the watershed between river catchments that flow into the Baltic bay, the Baltis sea and the North sea. Lakes are abundant, and range from oligotrohic at and above the highest late-glacial coast line to eutrophic at low altitudes.

EUNIS habitat

Constructed, industrial and other artificial habitats (J)

Constructed, industrial and other artificial habitats (J) » Buildings of cities, towns and villages (J1)

Constructed, industrial and other artificial habitats (J) » Low density buildings (J2)

Constructed, industrial and other artificial habitats (J) » Extractive industrial sites (J3)

Constructed, industrial and other artificial habitats (J) » Transport networks and other constructed hard-surfaced areas (J4)

Constructed, industrial and other artificial habitats (J) » Highly artificial man-made waters and associated structures (J5)

Constructed, industrial and other artificial habitats (J) » Waste deposits (J6)

Habitat complexes (X)

Habitat complexes (X) » Raised bog complexes (X04)

Habitat complexes (X) » Intensively-farmed crops interspersed with strips of natural and/or semi-natural vegetation (X07)

Habitat complexes (X) » Pasture woods (with a tree layer overlying pasture) (X09)

Habitat complexes (X) » Land sparsely wooded with broadleaved deciduous trees (X13)

Habitat complexes (X) » Domestic gardens of city and town centres (X24)

Habitat complexes (X) » Domestic gardens of villages and urban peripheries (X25)

Inland surface waters (C)

Inland surface waters (C) » Surface standing waters (C1)

Inland surface waters (C) » Surface running waters (C2)

Mires, bogs and fens (D)

Mires, bogs and fens (D) » Raised and blanket bogs (D1)

Mires, bogs and fens (D) » Valley mires, poor fens and transition mires (D2)

Regularly or recently cultivated agricultural, horticultural and domestic habitats (I)

Regularly or recently cultivated agricultural, horticultural and domestic habitats (I) » Arable land and market gardens (I1)

Regularly or recently cultivated agricultural, horticultural and domestic habitats (I) » Cultivated areas of gardens and parks (I2)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Coniferous woodland (G3)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Coniferous woodland (G3) » Scots pine woodland south of the taiga (G3.4)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Coniferous woodland (G3) » Spruce taiga woodland (G3.A)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Coniferous woodland (G3) » Pine taiga woodland (G3.B)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Coniferous woodland (G3) » Boreal bog conifer woodland (G3.D)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Coniferous woodland (G3) » Highly artificial coniferous plantations (G3.F)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Mixed deciduous and coniferous woodland (G4)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Lines of trees, small anthropogenic woodlands, recently felled woodland, early-stage woodland and coppice (G5)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Lines of trees, small anthropogenic woodlands, recently felled woodland, early-stage woodland and coppice (G5) » Lines of trees (G5.1)

Woodland, forest and other wooded land (G) » Lines of trees, small anthropogenic woodlands, recently felled woodland, early-stage woodland and coppice (G5) » Small broadleaved deciduous anthropogenic woodlands (G5.2)

Design and Scale of Site

Site Type (Spatial Design)

Platform

Design of Experimentation

no experimentation

Scale of Experimentation

not applicable

Design of Observation

only observation

Scale of Observation

beyond catchment

Infrastructure

Energy and data infrastructure » Energy supply » Permanent Power Supply Location » All over site/catchment

Energy and data infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (within site) » Telephone line

Energy and data infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (within site) » Cable based

Energy and data infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (from Site) » Telephone line

Energy and data infrastructure » Data transmission » Data Transmission Type (from Site) » Cable based

Maintenance infrastructure » Snow clearing equipment

Supporting infrastructure » Staff room at site » 2 - 5 places

Supporting infrastructure » Lodging at site » > 10 beds

Supporting infrastructure » Transportation » Vehicle 2WD

Supporting infrastructure » Transportation » Boat

Infrastructure notes

Lodging and office facilities are available at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences' units in Skinnskatteberg (School for Forest Management) and Grimsö (Department of Ecology). Both units are centrally located in the Bergslagen region.

Accessible All Year

Yes

All parts of Site Accessible

Yes

Access Type

regular car

Permanent Power Supply

Yes

Operation

Permanent Operation

Yes

Data Management

General Data Policy

Co-authorship on publications resulting from use of the dataset

Data Storage Location

Distributed over multiple institutions

Data Services

Other data service

Network related information

LTER Site Classification

LTSER

Additional data

There is EURO-CORDEX climate scenario data available for this site:

Projected Near Surface Specific Humidity Change	RCP26	RCP45	RCP85
Projected Precipitation Change	RCP26	RCP45	RCP85
Projected Sea Level Pressure Change	RCP26	RCP45	RCP85
Projected Surface Downwelling Shortwave Radiation	RCP26	RCP45	RCP85
Projected Near-Surface Wind Speed	RCP26	RCP45	RCP85
Projected Near-Surface Air Temperature	RCP26	RCP45	RCP85
Projected Daily Maximum Near-Surface Air Temperature	RCP26	RCP45	RCP85
Projected Daily Minimum Near-Surface Air Temperature	RCP26	RCP45	RCP85

You can also download the entire climate scenario dataset for this site from the EUDAT B2SHARE data store.