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PubMed1995

Who is a successful quitter? One-year follow-up of a National Tobacco Quit and Win Contest in Sweden.

The first nation-wide Quit and Win Contest in Sweden was held in 1988 with 12,840 participants. This corresponds to a participant rate of 6.4 per 1,000 daily tobacco users in Sweden. In order to follow up the long-term effects of cessation and to analyse the determinants for successful cessation, a panel (n = 946) of randomized participants were followed-up at 6 and 12 months with a mailed questionnaire. This gave a complete set of data for 557 (panel) respondents. Available baseline data from the participants' entry forms included sex, age, occupation, specific tobacco habits, quitting attempts during the previous year, and place of residence. At the 12-month follow-up 21% had been tobacco-free for the whole year. In addition 9% of the participants relapsed into tobacco-use, then quit again and were tobacco-free at the 12-month follow-up. The success rate for those participants (14%) who used smokeless tobacco (oral snuff) was similar to that of smokers. The logistic regression showed a significantly better prognosis for success among those without any earlier quitting attempts during the previous year (OR 2.35), if the subjects participated of their own volition rather than having been recruited by a non-tobacco user (OR 1.74), and if they were married/co-habiting (OR 1.92), the results were also significantly improved. The results also show that as a population-based method, Quit and Win produced many successful tobacco quitters, and one year after the contest one-fifth of the participants were still abstinent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Why was the perinatal mortality rate higher in Denmark than in Sweden? The development in the 1970s and 1980s.

The purpose of this article is to identify factors explaining why the perinatal mortality rate ceased to fall in Denmark during the 1980s, while it continued to do so in Sweden, and to study the ability of known risk factors to predict this development. My analysis is based on routinely collected published data on all births, where I have studied the levels and changes in known risk factors for perinatal deaths in the two countries. The results of the study are: The proportion of low birth weight infants and the mothers' age and parity did not differ or change in a way that explains the higher perinatal mortality rate in Denmark during the 1980s. The weight specific perinatal mortality rate was the same in the two countries, with the exception of very low birth weight babies, i.e. below 1,500 grammes, where the perinatal mortality rate was higher in Denmark; this difference increased during the 1980s. The proportion of very low birth weight infants increased in Denmark from the 1970s to the 1980s while it remained stable in Sweden. The Danish increase in the proportion of low birth weight infants can be due to changed registration practices with more very small infants being registered in the 1980s. Among the factors studied registration practices, smoking and neonatal care seemed to be able to explain part of the differences between the two countries. The relative risk of perinatal death associated with the mothers' age and parity varied depending on the size of the groups at risk: the more women in high age and parity groups the lower the relative risk, which indicates that a selection as well as a causal effect was present. A conclusion is that the changes in relative risk over time associated with age and parity should lead to a closer investigation of the characteristics actually associated with an increased risk in order not to treat all old and multiparous women as patients at risk.

Birth Order↗
PubMed2005

Liver operations in Sweden in 1987-99.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Liver surgery is developing with new techniques and treatment modalities. The aim of this study is to describe liver surgery over a long period of time in a country with a public health care system. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A register study including adult patients admitted for liver resection in Sweden (population 8.8 million) selected from the Inpatient Register 1987-99. Additional data were collected from the Swedish Cancer Register and the Cause of Death Register. Analyses of the patients, indications, mortality and causes of death are presented. RESULTS: 2,405 operations were performed (21 per million per year). The most frequent indication was colorectal metastases (27%). The 5-year survival after an operation for primary liver cancer and colorectal liver metastases was 27% and 26%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Few patients were admitted for liver operations compared to expected figures. The survival rates are in conformity with those previously published. With an increasing awareness of the relatively favourable prognosis and the introduction of new methods, the volume of liver operations will probably increase in Sweden.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Resource consumption and management associated with monitoring of warfarin treatment in primary health care in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Warfarin is used for the prevention and treatment of various thromboembolic complications. It is an efficacious anticoagulant, but it has a narrow therapeutic range, and regular monitoring is required to ensure therapeutic efficacy and at the same time avoid life-threatening adverse events. The objective was to assess management and resource consumption associated with patient monitoring episodes during warfarin treatment in primary health care in Sweden. METHODS: Delphi technique was used to systematically explore attitudes, demands and priorities, and to collect informed judgements related to monitoring of warfarin treatment. Two separate Delphi-panels were performed in three and two rounds, respectively, one concerning tests taken in primary health care centres, involving 34 GPs and 10 registered nurses, and one concerning tests taken in patients' homes, involving 49 district nurses. RESULTS: In the primary health care panel 10 of the 34 GPs regularly collaborated with a registered nurse. Average time for one monitoring episode was estimated to 10.1 minutes for a GP and 21.4 minutes for a nurse, when a nurse assisted a doctor. The average time for monitoring was 17.6 minutes for a GP when not assisted by a nurse. Considering all the monitoring episodes, 11.6% of patient blood samples were taken in the individual patient's home. Average time for such a monitoring episode was estimated to 88.2 minutes. Of all the visits, 8.2% were performed in vain and took on average 44.6 minutes. In both studies, approximately 20 different elements of work concerning management of patients during warfarin treatment were identified. CONCLUSION: Monitoring of patients during treatment with warfarin in primary health care in Sweden involves many elements of work, and demands large resources, especially when tests are taken in the patient's home.

Anticoagulants↗
PubMed2001

The dynamics, prevalence and impact of nematode infections in organically raised sheep in Sweden.

A three-year survey (1997-99) was carried out on organically reared sheep flocks throughout Sweden. The aim was to determine the prevalence and intensity of nematode infections and to establish relationships between sheep management practices and parasite infections. Faecal samples from ewes and lambs were collected from 152 organic flocks around lambing-time and during the grazing-period for analysis. Results were compared with the different management practices that farmers use to prevent parasitism in their flocks. A high proportion of the flocks was infected with nematodes. The most prevalent species were Haemonchus contortus, Teladorsagia circumeincta, Trichostrongylus axei. T. colubriformis and Chabertia ovina and infections progressively increased during summer in lambs grazing on permanent pastures. Severity of parasitic infection in lambs was highly dependent on egg output from the ewes. H. contortus was found in 37% of the flocks, even at latitudes approximating the Polar Circle. Nematodirus battus was recorded for the first time in Sweden during the course of this study. Lambs turned out onto permanent pasture showed higher nematode faecal egg counts (epg) than lambs that had grazed on pastures, which had not carried sheep the previous year. This beneficial effect of lambs grazing non-infected pastures persisted if the ewes were treated with an anthelmintic before turn-out and if the lambs were kept on pastures of low infectivity after weaning. In lambs, the prevalence and the magnitude of their egg counts were higher during autumn in flocks where lambs were slaughtered after 8 months of age, compared with flocks where all lambs were slaughtered before this age. These results will be used in providing advice to farmers of ways to modify their flock management in order to minimise the use of anthelmintics, but at the same time efficiently produce prime lambs.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Prevalence of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in tonsils of domestic pigs and wild boars in Sweden.

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (ER) causes erysipelas in multiple animal species and may persist in the environment or be carried asymptomatically. It is estimated that 30-50% of apparently healthy or convalescent pigs harbour ER in their tonsils and other lymphoid tissues. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ER in the tonsils of healthy Swedish fattening pigs and wild boars. Tonsils were collected from 200 fattening pigs at slaughter from ten abattoirs across Sweden in 2017, with one pig per herd sampled. Wild boars (n = 180) were sampled during hunting, primarily in Östergötland County, in 2018. Cultures were performed using selective media and isolates were confirmed as ER by MALDI-TOF MS. ER was recovered from 6/200 pig tonsils (3.0%), all originating from three abattoirs in southern Sweden. ER was isolated from 76/167 (45.5%) of wild boar tonsils. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a high genetic diversity among the isolates with no dominant clones. Overall, these results indicate that Swedish pig husbandry, characterized by indoor rearing of fattening pigs, age-segregated rearing, sow vaccination, enhanced biosecurity, and restricted straw access largely prevents tonsillar colonization by ER aligning with the low occurrence of clinically diagnosed erysipelas in such herds. For wild boars, the high isolation rate suggests that wild boar could act as a reservoir and potential source of infection for domestic pigs. The potential zoonotic risk should also be considered.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Organized medicine and Scandinavian professional unionism: hospital policies and exit options in Denmark and Sweden.

Strikes by junior hospital doctors over the issue of on-call remuneration in Denmark and Sweden in 1981 are analyzed to clarify the impact of public-sector cost-control policies on intra- and interprofessional solidarity within the Scandinavian professional peak associations. The junior doctors' grievances could find expression either through increased "voice" within the medical negotiating machinery, or by pursuing the exit option in having the medical associations quit the peak associations. The article explains why the "exit" option was selected in Denmark, while in Sweden the granting of additional voice helped persuade the medical association to withdraw its exit threat and to remain within the peak association. The two cases are interpreted as presaging a divergence in the paths being taken by the various Scandinavian welfare states.

Collective Bargaining↗
PubMed1998

Reduced cadmium levels in human kidney cortex in sweden.

Environmental pollution with the nephrotoxic metal cadmium is considered a potential health risk for the general population. In 1976 it was reported that the cadmium concentration in human kidney cortex in Sweden had increased in parallel with increasing levels in soil and grain during the twentieth century. Since the cadmium concentration in farming lands is still increasing, the present study was undertaken to further elucidate whether the cadmium concentration in the kidney is still increasing. Kidney cortex biopsies were collected at 171 autopsies of victims to sudden and accidental death during 1995 and 1996, and the cadmium concentrations were determined and compared with previously published Swedish data obtained from forensic autopsies. The geometric mean cadmium concentration in kidney cortex in subjects 40 years of age and younger was about 40% of the concentration found in the 1970s, while the reduction was less pronounced among older people. The highest individual concentration of cadmium was 41.5 microg/g wet weight (ww). The geometric mean concentration was less than 14 microg/g ww at ages around 50 years of age, when the cadmium concentration in kidney cortex is highest, as compared with approximately 20 microg/g ww in the 1970s. There was also a reduction in cadmium concentrations among nonsmokers; thus, a decrease in tobacco smoking in Sweden during the last decades is not the only explanation for the reduction of cadmium in the kidney cortex. Other reasons for this reduction could be changes in dietary habits and reduced cadmium contamination from Swedish industries.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Sweden and the United States: is the challenge of an aging society leading to a convergence of policy?

The aging of the population is one of many forces behind a current reconstruction of welfare benefits in both Sweden and the United States. While both countries represent ideological polarities regarding social policy, they are struggling to meet their welfare goals with limited resources, and both are adopting similar strategies, for example, decentralization, targeting, and an increased emphasis on privatization and evaluation. This paper summarizes some of the differences between Sweden and the United States and describes some of the forces at work that are lessening the differences between the two countries in strategies and policy regarding care services for elderly people.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

State policy, popular discourse, and the silence on homosexual acts in early modern Sweden.

In Sweden, homosexual acts between men were mentioned in secular law for the first time in 1608. Despite the explicit criminalization, very few trials are known from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the new National Law Code of 1734 contained no sanction at all. The central issue of this essay is how the insignificant number of court cases and the seemingly very limited judicial interest in the issue of sodomy in Early Modern Sweden should be interpreted. The silence of the new law is explained by a shift in the official policy from deterrence to a policy of silence, but the low number of court cases was foremost dependent on a lacking actualization and problematization of homosexual acts in the Swedish popular discourse on sexuality, gender, and prestige. Finally, it is argued that this undeveloped popular discourse probably also corresponded to a meagre and rather restricted sexual practice.

Female↗
PubMed2003

The androgen receptor gene and psychological traits: are results consistent in Sweden and Australia?

Studies in Sweden and Australia have examined the relationship between number of CAG repeats in the androgen receptor gene and psychological traits - three Masculinity-Femininity (M-F) measures in Australia, and the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) in Sweden. The present study derived M-F scales from the KSP items, and scales corresponding to several KSP scales from the items of the inventories used in Australia, to permit cross-validation of the Australian results in the Swedish sample, and vice versa. The derivation of scales was facilitated by the fact that items from both inventories had been used with a large twin sample in the US. Correlation of the derived scales with androgen receptor gene CAG-repeat scores for women in the Australian and Swedish samples failed to provide clear evidence of replication of either set of original correlations in the other sample, although there were a few hints of consistency. It was concluded that if the number of CAG repeats on this gene is related to psychological traits at all, the relationship is a weak one.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Deaths in bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia. A comparison of two populations--Huntington, WVa, and Stockholm, Sweden.

The case fatality rate in bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (Pnb) has been reported to be lower in Sweden than in the United States. We retrospectively compared 231 adult Pnb patients in Stockholm (STO), Sweden, with 107 patients infected with the same serotypes or groups in Huntington, WVa (HWV). The total case fatality rate was 11/231 (5 percent) in STO versus 28/107 (26 percent) in HWV (p < 0.001), being significantly lower in STO for all age groups. Patients from HWV more often had preexisting chronic diseases, while alcoholism was more prevalent in STO. The case fatality rate was similar among alcoholics in STO and HWV, while it was much higher in nonalcoholic patients with chronic diseases in HWV (22/73;30 percent) than in STO (2/88;2 percent) (p < 0.001). No bias was found that could account for more than a small part of the higher case fatality rate in HWV. Thus, underlying chronic diseases in HWV accounted for some of the increased risk of death in this patient group. However, the major part of the difference in death rates between HWV and STO remains unexplained.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Smoking, respiratory symptoms, and diseases : a comparative study between northern Sweden and northern Finland: report from the FinEsS study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The influences of different smoking categories on the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, asthma, and chronic bronchitis have been examined in the most northern province of Sweden, Norrbotten, and in Lapland, Finland. The two areas have similar geographic and demographic conditions. METHODS AND STUDY POPULATION: The study is a part of the FinEsS studies, which are epidemiologic respiratory surveys in progress in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia. A random sample of 20- to 69-years-olds were invited to answer a postal questionnaire about respiratory symptoms, smoking habits, and occupation. In Norrbotten, 8,333 subjects were invited and 7,104 responded (85%). In Lapland, 8,005 were invited and 6,633 responded (83%). RESULTS: The participation by age and sex was similar in both countries. The prevalence of smokers in Lapland was 32% vs 26% in Norrbotten. Significantly more women than men in Norrbotten were smokers, while the opposite was true for Lapland. Sputum production was the most prevalent symptom in both areas, 25% in Lapland vs 19% in Norrbotten. The prevalence of chronic productive cough was 11% in Lapland and 7% in Norrbotten. Bronchitic symptoms were more prevalent in Lapland among both smokers and nonsmokers. A positive family history of chronic obstructive airway disease together with increased number of consumed cigarettes showed an additive effect for both chronic productive cough and wheezing. The odds ratio (OR) for wheezing during the last 12 months was 3.8 for subjects without a family history of obstructive airway disease who consumed > 14 cigarettes per day compared with nonsmokers, but if the subjects had a family history of obstructive airway disease, the risk for wheezing increased to OR 8.4. CONCLUSION: Bronchitic symptoms were more common in Finland. The difference remained also after correction for demographic variables including smoking habits, age and socioeconomic group, and family history of obstructive airway disease. Identical methods, sample composition, and the high participation rate contribute to the validity of the results. Air pollution, including environmental tobacco smoke, may contribute to the difference. To explain the difference, further analysis and investigations of social and environmental factors as well as genetic factors are needed.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The cost utility of bupropion in smoking cessation health programs: simulation model results for Sweden.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To calculate incremental cost-utility ratios (cost per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY] gained) for bupropion (Zyban; GlaxoSmithKline; Gothenburg, Sweden), as compared to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in smoking cessation programs for a follow-up period of 20 years. DESIGN: The Global Health Outcomes simulation model was used for a male cohort and for a female cohort as a point of departure but was further extended in order to include the following: (1) the indirect effects of smoking cessation on production and consumption in the economy, and (2) morbidity-specific QALYs gained. SETTING: Sweden in 2001. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Model cohort consisting of 612,851 male and 780,970 female smokers, distributed by age, > or = 35 years old, as in the Swedish population of 2001. INTERVENTIONS: Bupropion, as compared to NRT (nicotine patches and nicotine gums), in smoking cessation programs for a follow-up period of 20 years. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: When the indirect effects on production and consumption were taken into account, bupropion was cost saving in comparison to both NRTs. When only the direct costs were included, bupropion was still cost saving in comparison to nicotine gum. The incremental costs per QALY gained were relatively low for bupropion in comparison to nicotine patches, 6,600 Swedish kronas (SEK) (approximately 725 euro) per QALY gained for men and 4,900 SEK (approximately 535 euro) for women, all calculations in 2001 Swedish prices. The comprehensive sensitivity analysis showed robust results; results were, however, more sensitive to quit rates and intervention costs than to other variables. CONCLUSIONS: Bupropion is a cost-effective therapy in smoking cessation programs. Furthermore, recent studies report even higher effectiveness in terms of quit rates than was assumed here, indicating that our estimated cost-utility ratio should be even more favorable to bupropion.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Role of alcohol in traffic crashes involving women: passenger car fatalities in northern Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: Since increased alcohol consumption and increased driving among women may lead to a growing mortality due to drunken driving among women, the study analyzed gender differences among traffic fatalities. METHOD: Traffic fatalities (597 victims, 159 women) in northern Sweden were investigated, using autopsy and police reports, for a 10-year period, 1980-1989. RESULTS: The incidence of inebriated female driver fatalities was 0.51 per 100 million km (men, 0.66). Eighty-six percent of the female inebriated drivers (98% of men) and 68% of female sober drivers (78% of men) initiated the crash. Blood alcohol was detected in 10% of the women (men, 32%) with a mean blood alcohol concentration of 1.1 g/kg (men, 1.9 g/kg). Of the women, 13% had liver steatosis (men, 28%). The proportion of victims with liver steatosis increased with increasing blood alcohol concentration. Only one case of liver cirrhosis was found (a man). The majority of the inebriated victims were killed from May through October (women, 73%; men, 76%), and from Fridays through Sundays (women, 87%; men, 70%). Only 27% of the inebriated women crashed between 9 PM and 6 AM, compared to 62% of the men. The body location of fatal trauma was similar in men and women and was not influenced by alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Female traffic fatalities differ from those of men in several respects. No evidence was found for an increase in the number of women in alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Sweden over the 10-year period studied. Drunken driving and alcohol abuse in traffic is still mainly a male problem.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1998

Benefits of neonatal screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (21-hydroxylase deficiency) in Sweden.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of neonatal screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). METHODS: All children with CAH born in Sweden from January 1989 to December 1994 were subjected to a systematic follow-up. Clinical symptoms were recorded and laboratory data collected. The clinical diagnosis versus diagnosis by screening was investigated. The results were compared with those of a retrospective study of all patients diagnosed during 1969-1986 (before the introduction of neonatal screening). RESULTS: The prevalence of CAH in Sweden was 1:9800 with screening. Patients with CAH were identified earlier by screening. Half of the infants (47%) were not diagnosed at the time of recall, which was 8 days (median). In the study population, 25% of the girls and 73% of the boys were diagnosed by screening alone. The median age at the time of the definite diagnosis in boys was 21 days before screening as compared with 9 days (median) during the last part of the screening period. During the screening period, only 1 boy had a severe salt loss crisis, which occurred at the age of 8 days. Before screening, (1969-1986) 2 boys had died in the neonatal period because of an adrenal crisis. The lowest serum sodium recorded at the time of diagnosis was 124 mmol/L (median; range, 93-148) before, as compared with 134 mmol/L (median; range, 115-148) after the introduction of screening. The number of girls who were initially considered to be boys was not reduced by screening (17% vs 18%). The period of uncertainty regarding gender attributable to virilization was shortened considerably, as well as the time it took to make a correct gender assignment: 23 days (median) before screening versus 3 days (median) with screening. The maximum time it took to make the correct gender assignment was 960 days before screening and 14 days with screening. The number of patients diagnosed late, ie, after the first year of life, decreased considerably after the introduction of screening. The false-positive rate (when a new filter paper blood sample was requested or when a child was referred to a pediatrician for follow-up) was <0.05% and in about 60% of the cases, it was attributable to preterm infants. The cost of screening was US dollar 2.70 per screened infant. CONCLUSION: The main benefits of screening were avoidance of serious salt loss crises, earlier correct gender assignment in virilized girls, and detection of patients who would have otherwise been missed in the neonatal period. Deaths in the neonatal period were prevented by screening. The aim of the screening program was to identify patients with the severe forms of CAH. Nevertheless, it must be considered a distinct benefit that a number of patients with milder forms of CAH were detected earlier, because earlier therapy results in decreased virilization, normalized growth and puberty, and, in all probability, an improved psychosocial situation for these children. We conclude that, in the Swedish health care system, the benefits of screening for CAH outweigh the costs.

17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone↗
PubMed2001

Incidence and remission of asthma in schoolchildren: report from the obstructive lung disease in northern Sweden studies.

OBJECTIVE: An increasing prevalence of asthma has been reported worldwide as well as in Sweden. In 1996, the prevalence of asthma and type 1 allergy was investigated in a cohort of 3525 children 7 and 8 years old in 3 areas of northern Sweden. The aim of the present study was to estimate the incidence of asthma and to identify risk factors for incident cases over 1 year. METHODS: The study started with a parental questionnaire, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire with additional questions, a skin prick test, and a validation study. The cohort was followed up after 1 year with the same questions. The response rate to the questionnaire was 97% in 1996, and 3339 children (97%) participated both in 1996 and 1997. RESULTS: The incidence of physician-diagnosed asthma was 0.9/100/year; of wheezing, 3.8/100/year; and of new frequent or daily users of asthma medicines, 1.1/100/year. There was no difference by sex. The risk factor pattern based on incident cases of asthma was different from that based on prevalent cases. Significant risk factors for incident asthma were a positive skin test (odds ratio [OR]: 9.3; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.8-22.7); low birth weight (OR: 7.4; 95% CI: 2.2-24.5); and family history of asthma (OR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.1-6.3). Having or having had pets at home was associated with a decreased risk for asthma and wheezing based on prevalent cases, although it was associated with an increased risk for incidence of wheezing (OR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.3-6.2). Remission of asthma, which was reported by 10% of the children with current asthma during 1 year, was associated with a negative skin test. CONCLUSION: The incidence of asthma at the age of 8 years was high, but remission was also common. Important risk factors for the development of asthma at this age were type 1 allergy, low birth weight, and family history of asthma. Furthermore, the results suggest that in a region where sensitivity to domestic animals is a strong risk factor for asthma, the presence of pets in the home may have different effects in early childhood compared with later in childhood.

Asthma↗
PubMed2006

What determines the current presence or absence of permafrost in the Torneträsk region, a sub-arctic landscape in northern Sweden?

In a warming climate, permafrost is likely to be significantly reduced and eventually disappear from the sub-Arctic region. This will affect people at a range of scales, from locally by slumping of buildings and roads, to globally as melting of permafrost will most likely increase the emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, which will further enhance global warming. In order to predict future changes in permafrost, it is crucial to understand what determines the presence or absence of permafrost under current climate conditions, to assess where permafrost is particularly vulnerable to climate change, and to identify where changes are already occurring. The Torneträsk region of northern sub-Arctic Sweden is one area where changes in permafrost have been recorded and where permafrost could be particularly vulnerable to any future climate changes. This paper therefore reviews the various physical, biological, and anthropogenic parameters that determine the presence or absence of permafrost in the Torneträsk region under current climate conditions, so that we can gain an understanding of its current vulnerability and potential future responses to climate change. A patchy permafrost distribution as found in the Torneträsk region is not random, but a consequence of site-specific factors that control the microclimate and hence the surface and subsurface temperature. It is also a product of past as well as current processes. In sub-Arctic areas such as northern Sweden, it is mainly the physical parameters, e.g., topography, soil type, and climate (in particular snow depth), that determine permafrost distribution. Even though humans have been present in the study area for centuries, their impacts on permafrost distribution can more or less be neglected at the catchment level. Because ongoing climate warming is projected to continue and lead to an increased snow cover, the permafrost in the region will most likely disappear within decades, at least at lower elevations.

Animals↗