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Abstract: This article uniquely compares tourists'' weather preferences, aversions and acceptances with present and projected future summer weather in Northern Scandinavia. An in situ survey revealed tourist weather preferences (e.g. clear sky, rather warm) and aversions (e.g. frequent rainfall, low visibility). Weather observations and tailored climate projections depict present and future conditions of ‘wet’, ‘cool’, ‘mild’ and ‘warm’ days, and empirical relationships are developed to establish projections for cloudiness and visibility. The projections indicate that tourists'' preference for rather warm weather will be met by increasing numbers of mild and warm days. However, the number of ‘wet’ days will increase and prospects for enjoying ‘midnight sun’ tend to be slightly reduced. The study offers a novel approach for better understanding the base of future tourist behaviour under climate change conditions and vital implications for tourism management are identified. Furthermore, advantageous interrelations between different scientific areas for climate change research are illustrated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the results of a study on the role of deer keds in the prevalence of hair loss in moose in Norway and Sweden. The hair-loss syndrome was observed to be associated to massive infestations with deer keds after finding their presence in the coat of moose and acute to chronic, eosinophilic to lymphocytic dermatitis concurrent with the absence of any other lesions or dermal infections. It mentions the contributing factors to the occurrence of hair-loss epizootic.

Abstract: This paper presents results from an investigation of the suitability of the exposure coefficient as defined in ISO 4355 “Bases for design of structures—Determination of snow loads on roofs”, based on thorough analyses of weather data from 389 weather stations in Norway for the reference 30-year period 1961–1990. First, the background of the exposure coefficient is examined. Historical field investigations of snow loads on roofs are also evaluated. Next, values for the exposure coefficients in Norway are calculated according to ISO 4355. Finally, possible approaches aiming at improving calculations of wind exposure on roof snow loads are suggested. It is shown that the exposure coefficient as defined in ISO 4355 does not reflect the actual effects of wind exposure on roof snow loads in Norway, the main reasons being oversimplifications in the definition of the coefficient and the extreme variations of the climate in Norway. The definition is based on coarse simplifications of snow transport theories, and must be revised and improved to serve as an applicable tool for calculations of design snow loads on roofs in Norway. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The disintegrative process of freezing and thawing of porous, mineral materials represents a significant challenge in the design and construction of building enclosures. In this paper, we present a simple method for assessing the relative potential of a climate to accelerate frost decay based on multi-year records of daily air temperatures and rainfall, with special emphasis on masonry. Distributions of 4-day rainfall prior to days with freezing events provide quantitative information on the geographically dependant frost decay risk in porous, mineral building materials in a given climate. Data from 168 weather stations in Norway are analysed, using weather data from the reference 30-year period 1961–1990. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]