CV o.fl.

English below

6.1 Um ÓA (íslenska)
Ólafur Gestur Arnalds (ÓA) hefur helgað sig rannsóknum á jarðegi og náttúru landsins um langa hríð. Hann hóf störf sem sumarstarfsmaður við beitarrannsóknir á Rannsóknastofnun landbúnaðarins (Rala) árið 1976 og starfaði þar síðan allan sinn feril, í upphafi meðfram námi en síðar sem sérfræðingur og sviðstjóri umhverfissviðs. Árið 2005 varð hann prófessor við Landbúnaðarháskóla Íslands sem varð til við sameiningu Landbúnaðarháskólans á Hvanneyri og Rala og var fyrstu 8 árin deildarforseti umhverfisdeildar.

ÓA þróaði aðferðir fyrir flokkun jarðvegsrofi á Íslandi og stýrði síðan kortlagningu á jarðvegsrofi á landinu öllu, Því verki lauk 1997 og hlaut Umhverfisverðlaun Norðurlandaráðs árið 1998. ÓA vann við rannsóknir á eiginleikum íslensks jarðvegs um langa hríð. Hann mótaði m.a. aðferðir við flokkun moldarinnar og er aðalhöfundur jarðvegskorts fyrir landið. ÓA tók þátt virkan þátt í fjölþjóðlegu samstarfi um jarðveg á eldfjallasvæðum og er höfundur og/eða meðhöfundur að yfirlitsgreinum um slíkan jarðveg (Andisols). ÓA tók þátt í verkefnum eru lutu að þróun regluverks um jarðvegsvernd á vegum Evrópusambandsins.

ÓA hefur ennfremur stundað rannsóknir á landgræðslu, kolefnisbindingu í jarðvegi, vistheimt og ástandi lands, sem nýtast meðal annars fyrir ákvörðun á stöðu beitilanda og endurheimt landgæða. Einnig leiddi ÓA verkefnið Nytjaland sem er viðamikill gagnagrunnur um eðli yfirborðs landsins.

ÓA var hann brautryðjandi við rannsóknir á auðnum, sandfoki og rykmengun á Íslandi. Sandfok er einn helsti ógnvaldur íslenskra vistkerfa. Rykið mótar náttúru landsins og ekki síst moldina – en nú er ljóst að rykmengun frá Íslandi berst um langan veg til annarra landa og hefur líklega áhrif á frjósemi hafsvæða umhverfis landið auk áhrifa á lofthjúp og afkomu jökla.

Niðurstöður rannsókna á öllum þessum sviðum hafa birst á alþjóðlegum ritrýndum greinum auk þess sem ÓA hefur ritstýrt bókum helguðum þessum málefnum hjá alþjóðegum forlögum. Árið 2015 kom út bókin „The Soils of Iceland“ hjá Springer forlaginu. Um alla þesa þætti er fjallað í „Mold ert þú“ (2023). Ritsmíðar ÓA eru aðgengilegar hér á síðunni.

Ólafur Gestur Arnalds hefur tekið virkan þátt í mótun aðferða við mat á ástandi vistkerfa, m.a. á vettvangi S.þ. og var einn þeirra sem komu Landgræðsluskóla sameinuðu þjóðanna á fót hérlendis – sem nú nefnist Landgræðslu GRÓ-LRT þar sem hann sat lengi í fagráði og var meða aðalkennara.

ÓA hefur alla tíð lagt áherslu á miðlun vísinda til almennings með kennslu og skrifumaf margvíslegu tagi. Árið 2015 kom út ritið „Að lesa og lækna landið“ sem hann ritaði í samvinnu við Ásu L. Aradóttur, prófessor við LbhÍ. Sú bók er einnig aðgengileg á ensku (hlutur ÓA um ástand lands).

Mesta losun gróðurhúsaloftegunda frá Íslandi er úr jarðcegi – af mannavöldum. Ólafur hefur barist fyrir því að unnið verði markvisst að því að minnka kolefnislosun frá vistkerfum landsins, m.a. fraræstum mýrum og bindingu í jaðrvegi með náttúrulegra vistkerfa. Einnig hefur hann bent á óheyrilegt kolefnisspor framleiðslu kjöts á illa förnu landi. Þá hefur hann ritað fjölmargar greinar um mál er snerta náttúruvernd, m.a. ástand lands, neikvæð áhrif timburskógræktar, loftslagsmál og mold, vindmyllur o.fl. í blöð og tímarit sem sumar eru aðgengilegar á þessari síðu. ÓA hefur ekki tölu á þeim erindum sem hann hefur haldið fyrir almenning.

Málarekstur ÓA fyrir Úrskurðanefnd um upplýsingamál skilað þeim árangri að upplýsingar um styrki almennings til landbúnaðarframleiðslu, sem áður fóru leynt, eru nú opinber og aðgengileg gögn (sjá moldin.net).

Ólafi hefur hlotnast ýmsar viðurkenningar um æfina (sjá einnig CV), m.a.:

· Umhverfisverðlaun Norðurlandaráðs 1998 fyrir verkefið Jarðvegsvernd

· Viðurkenning Hagþennkis 2023 fyrir bókina “Mold ert þú – Jarðvegur og íslensk náttúra (link)

· Hin íslenska fálkaorða 2026

· Landgræðsluverðlaunin 2018

· Umhverfisviðurkenning Mosfellsbæjar 2018

6.2 ENGLISH CV

Education
Ph.D. Soil Science, Texas A&M University (1990). Co-advicors: Tom Hallmark and Larry Wilding
M.Sc. Soil Science, Montana State University (1984). Advisor: Jerry Nielsen
B.Sc.Geology, University of Iceland (1980).

Professional activities
2024- retired, professor emeritus.
2012- 2024Professor, Faculty of Environment, Agricultural University of Iceland (AUI) (Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands – LbhÍ)
2005-2012 Professor and Dean, Faculty of Environment, AUI
1998-2004. Department head. Environment. Agricultural Research Institute (ARI/Rala).
1980 - 1997. Research Specialist, Agricultural Research Institute (ARI/Rala).
1981-1990. MS and Ph.D. studies (Montana and Texas), and Research Scientist, ARI/Rala

Frequent collaboration with the Soil Conservation of Iceland, now Land and Forest (Landgræðsla ríkisins – now Land og skógur) throughout the carrier. Also lecturer at University of Iceland since 1984, with few lectures per annum (environmental issues) to a full course on soil science (until 2006) .

One of main lecturers at the UNESCO - GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme (a 6-month program for professionals from the developing countries).

Sjá einnig færslu á Vísindavef HÍ .

Main themes

Icelandic soils. Focus: realizing soils as a part of the environment and ecosystems that provide multiple services and are subjected to multiple processes that shape the landscapes of the Earth. OA lead and participated in research related to the basic properties and characterization of Icelandic soils Projects include “The Icelandic Research Fund” (Rannis) funded projects and international co-operation, such as the COST-622 Action “Volcanic Soil Resources of Europe”. Topics include basic properties, chemistry, mineralogy, soil development and cryoturbation, together with capacity building in soil research and characterization.

Much of this work is summarized in the book “The Soils of Iceland” (Springer World Soils Book Series) and "Mold ert þú" ("Earth art thou") - a book about soil science, Icelandic soils, nature and the environmental problems in Iceland (in Icelandic, see moldin.is) Lead author of an Icelandic classification of soils and a soil map of Iceland. Contributed Icelandic soil data to the “European Soil Atlas” and “The Soil Atlas of the Northern Circumpolar Region”. Soil research includes soil development in relation to ecological restoration and carbon sequestration in soils. OA has written and contributed to review texts on Andosols (soils of volcanic regions) and impacts of volcanoes on soils and ecosystems.

Erosion and dust production. OA lead the National Survey of Soil Erosion in Iceland, operated by the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI/Rala) and the Soil Conservation Service (Landgræðsla ríkisins), primarily from 1991-1997; which earned the Nordic Nature and Environmental Award in 1998. The survey resulted in an active land database on erosion and the cover of deserts in Iceland.

OA has devoted considerable effort in studying Icelandic deserts, their nature and aeolian processes (wind erosion), which are unique on a world scale. OA lead an effort to identify dust hot-spots, and to quantify and map dust production from Icelandic dust sources (which are of global scale) with colleagues and students. Iceland has subsequently been recognized as a global hotspot of dust prduction with a wide-ranging influence on glaciers, climate, health etc.

Nytjaland (The Icelandic Farmland Database). OA was project leader. The project aimed to use satellite images to classify all Icelandic surfaces into several vegetation and geomorphic classes, and to gather farmland boundaries as possible. The project was initiated in 2000, funded directly by the government and by competitive research funds. The results are a detailed land cover database was used for a variety of purposes, both research and development, and administration and reporting such as part of the IGLUD database used for reporting to the UN-FCCC.

Land condition and restoration OA participates in work related to methods of assessing condition of the land and restoration. Activities include basic and applied research, method development for Icelandic conditions, assessment in the field (both soil erosion, but also rangeland condition assessment), government committees and consultation, outreach and development of educational materials. OA has been an active critic of the failure of the sheep industry and the government to adjust land use to land condition. He has also criticized perverse government subsidies in public, reports as well by peer-reviewed papers, subidies that have maintained large scale unsustainable grazing practices.

Campaign to make information on agricultural subsidies public OA has campaigned successfully under the Freedom of information Act to make information about agricultural subsidies and related materials (cross-compliance etc) as open public information. Legal appeals (a long road) were eventually successful, with a major milestone reached when the information on agricultural subsidies became public in 2020.

OA published the book "Mold ert þú" ("Earth art thou") in Icelandic (525 pages; available on https://moldin.is/) in 2023 covering soil science and a range of geomorphical subjects, nature and linking soils and burning global and Icelandic environmetnal issues, including land degradation and climate change. The book received the Hagþenkir, the Association of Icelandic Non-fiction Writers Award 2024, citing the book as major achievement, xxxx

Boards, awards etc
The Nordic Council “Nature and Environmental Award” 1998. On behalf of the project Jarðvegsvernd.
Hagþenkir, the Association of Icelandic Non-fiction Writers Award 2024 for "Mold ert þú". hagthenkir.is Award justification (Icelandic): .hagthenkir.is/greinargerd-vidurkenningarrads-hagthenkis-2/

The “Order of the Falcon” (Fálkaorðan) 2026, which is the highest honor awarded by the Icelandic state, by the President of Iceland.

Landgræðsluverðlaunin 2018 (Icelandic Soil Conservation Service Award).
ÓA hlut einnig umhverfisviðurkenningu umhverfisnefndar Mosfellsbæjar 2016 ásamt Ásu L. Aradóttur og Andrési Arnalds fyrir störf að umhverfismálum (recognitiion for work for the environment - Mosfellsbær community).

United Nations University Land Restoration Program: Studies Committee (academic governance body) and teaching, 2007 – present.
Rammaáætlun I and II, Master Plan for hydro and geothermal energy resources in iceland. Working Group I (Phase 2) and Working Group II (Phase 1).
SoilSoc - Network for soils in the Nordic Countries (chair from 2009-2011).
Board of Rannsóknasjóður (The Icelandic Research Fund), 2006-2009.
(National Committee on United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification – UN CCD). Discontinuous from 2005 to 2011.
EU Soil Bureau. Plenary member of the EU Soil Bureau, ISPRA, Italy,
SCAPE, Soil Conservation and Protection in Europe. EU-Concerted Action, Steering committee, special advisor; 2001-2005
Agricultural University of Iceland. University Council (háskólaráð). 2005-2006.
Management committee for EU-COST Action 622: Volcanic Soil Resources of Europe. Co-chair of working group IV, land-use. 1998-2003.
Management committee for EU-COST Action 623. Soil Erosion and Global Change.
Steering committee for Local Agenda 21 (Staðardagskrá) for the Mosfellsbær community. 1999 – 2001