Characteristics of precipitation extremes over the Nordic region: added value of convection-permitting modeling

It is well established that using km scale grid resolution for simulations of weather systems in weather and climate models enhances their realism. This study explores heavy and extreme precipitation characteristics over the Nordic region generated by the regional climate model, HARMONIE-Climate (HCLIM). Two model setups of HCLIM are used: ERA-Interim driven HCLIM12 covering Europe at 12 km resolution with parameterized convection and HCLIM3 covering the Nordic region with 3 km resolution and explicit deep convection. The HCLIM simulations are evaluated against several gridded and in situ observation datasets for the warm season from April to September regarding their ability to reproduce sub-daily and daily heavy precipitation statistics across the Nordic region. Both model setups are able to capture the daily heavy precipitation characteristics in the analyzed region. At sub-daily scale, HCLIM3 clearly improves the statistics of occurrence of the most intense heavy precipitation events, as well as the timing and amplitude of the diurnal cycle of these events compared to its forcing HCLIM12. Extreme value analysis shows that HCLIM3 provides added value in capturing sub-daily return levels compared to HCLIM12, which fails to produce the most extreme events. The results indicate clear benefits of the convection-permitting model in simulating heavy and extreme precipitation in the present-day climate, therefore, offering a motivating way forward to investigate the climate change impacts in the region.

The curation of European Netflix catalogues on social media: The key role of transnational and local cultural traits

This article aims to analyse how Netflix uses social media to generate a dialogue between the local and transnational layers of television, to position its brand and curate content in domestic markets. Within the frame of transnationalism, a cross-cultural comparative study has been conducted in three different local European markets: the United Kingdom, Spain and the Nordic region. The results show the negotiation between transnationalisation and the needs of local cultural distinctiveness through language adaptation, emphasis on in-house original US flagship productions, the overrepresentation of original local content and use of cultural references at different levels.

Towards Understanding Post-Socialist Migrants’ Access to Physical Activity in the Nordic Region: A Critical Realist Integrative Review

Experiences of, and access and barriers to, physical activity (PA) differ between individuals. This becomes perpetuated in a migration context. Although there is super-diversity between migrant groups, health research rarely accounts for this cultural diversity. More concerningly, the matter of context is rarely scrutinized or juxtaposed with the specifics of certain ethnic groups. This integrative review assessed the evidence on post-socialist migrants’ PA levels, constraints, and enablers for PA in the Nordic region. The results show that post-socialist female migrants have an especially high risk of being physically inactive. The qualitative work elucidates socio-cultural factors that impose specific constraints on females when attempting to engage in PA. Furthermore, in scrutinizing the context, Nordic nature (Friluftsliv) is a viable way for migrants to access PA with additional health benefits (e.g., mental). However, the Nordic environment also poses specific PA challenges, such as harsh winters. This can be understood by considering post-socialist migrants’ prior use of, and attitude to, nature. The review highlights the importance of understanding specifics about both migrant groups and contexts through a critical-realist lens in the pursuit of providing PA opportunities. Future PA programs need to understand the contextual, sociohistorical, and cultural settings in which they and migrants are embedded.

Personalised Support and Services for Persons with Disabilities – mapping of Nordic models

In what way and how can models for personalised support such as personal budgeting strengthen the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? Personal budgeting refers to a sum of money that is granted to the individual on the basis of an assessment of the need for service and calculation of a budget for this purpose. The individual can buy the service he needs for his budget. Personal budgeting is in use in social and health care in several countries. In the Nordic region, personal assistance is the main example of such solutions, but other models have also been tried and adopted in social and health care, such as systems of freedom of choice and increased opportunities for users to choose a provider. The report presents a number of personalised systems for support for people with disabilities that have been implemented in the Nordic countries and their experiences. The mapping was carried out jointly by the Nordic Welfare Center and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). The report will be considered when forming a proposal for a future reform of support and services for people with disabilities in Finland.

Impact of temperature on the leaching of sulphate, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn from the Ballangen tailings deposit, Norway: a laboratory column experiment

Temperature is an important factor affecting the leaching of contaminants from waste deposits, especially in the Nordic region where temperature change is more drastic than other areas. In this study, the impact of temperature variation in the leaching of sulphate, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn from the Ballangen tailings deposit, northern Norway, was investigated using a column leaching experiment. Unoxidized tailings were fed into four columns, which were subsequently put into four wine fridges set at 5, 10, 14 and 18 °C, respectively. The columns were filled with 600 ml of deionized water from the top every second week. Leachate was collected at the bottom and tested for pH, conductivity and concentrations of , Co, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn. The saturation index for ferrihydrite and the activity of Fe2+ in the leachate were calculated with PHREEQC. The results showed that the conductivity and leachate concentrations of , Co, Fe, Mn and Ni were highest at 14 and 18 °C, and lowest at 5 °C, which showed high tailings oxidation and subsequent leaching of contaminants at higher temperatures. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis of the residual material confirmed the oxidation of sulphides and leaching of many elements. Ferrihydrite was supersaturated in the leachate from the 14 and 18 °C columns, which showed the oxidation of pyrrhotite and olivine and the precipitation of ferrihydrite. The cumulative mass of Zn leached out was highest at 10 °C, which might be the threshold temperature for the leaching of Zn.

The Lutheran Imaginary That Underpins Social Democracy

Scandinavian social democracy is increasingly upheld as an alternative that could reform capitalism. The Nordic Model produces income equality, low-conflict politics, and happy people. When half of young Americans express that they would prefer “socialism,” they generally mean to live in a society that provides for its citizens as the Nordics do. Such aspirations are complicated by how social democracy can be viewed as a secularized form of Lutheranism, the Protestant creed that the Nordic region embraced in the 16th century. Lutheran norms and values carried into the modern era and made possible social democracy's two distinguishing features: fascist corporatism and socialist redistribution. A strong state facilitates statist individualism, which empowers individuals vis-à-vis employers, parents, and spouses. The outcome could be cross-culturally salient, as it brings people closer to our species' fission-fusion baseline. Yet in the modern environment, only Nordics seem to have a cultural imaginary that makes compelling the politics that drive such high levels of both productivity and egalitarianism. The region's storytelling reflects this Lutheran past and is used to negotiate modern adaptations. A better understanding of social democracy could help prevent that demands for “socialism” motivate a turn to actual socialism.