In hydrology, the relationship between water storage and flow is still fundamental in characterizing and modeling hydrological systems. However, this simplification neglects important aspects of the variability of the hydrological system, such as stable or instable states, tipping points, connectivity, etc. and influences the predictability of hydrological systems, both for extreme events as well as long-term changes. We still lack appropriate data to develop theory linking internal pattern dynamics and integral responses and therefore to identify functionally similar hydrological areas and link this to structural features. We plan to investigate the similarities and differences of the dynamic patterns of state variables and the integral response in replicas of distinct landscape units. A strategic and systematic monitoring network is planned in this project, which contributes the essential dynamic datasets to the research group to characterize EFUs and DFUs and thus significantly improving the usual approach of subdividing the landscape into static entities such as the traditional HRUs. The planned monitoring network is unique and highly innovative in its linkage of surface and subsurface observations and its spatial and temporal resolution and the centerpiece of CAOS.
Although global pesticide use increases steadily, our field-data based knowledge regarding exposure of non-target ecosystems is very restricted. Consequently, this meta-analysis will for the first time evaluate the worldwide available peer-reviewed information on agricultural insecticide concentrations in surface water or sediment and test the following two hypotheses: I) Insecticide concentrations in the field largely exceed regulatory threshold levels and II) Additional factors important for threshold level exceedances can be quantified using retrospective meta-analysis. A feasibility study using a restricted dataset (n = 377) suggested the significance of the expected results, i.e. an threshold level exceedance rate of more than 50Prozent of the detected concentrations. Subsequent to a comprehensive database search in the peer-reviewed literature of the past 60 years, analysis of covariance with the relevant threshold level exceedance as the continuous dependent variable (about 10,000 cases) will be performed and the impact of significant predictor variables will be quantified. Parameters not yet considered in pesticide exposure assessment will be included as independent variables, such as compound class, environmental regulatory quality, and sampling design. The simultaneous presence of several insecticide compounds as a well as their metabolites will also be considered in the evaluation. The present approach may provide an innovative and integrated view on the potential environmental side effects of global high-intensity agriculture and in particular of pesticides use.
The formation of biogeochemical interfaces in soils is controlled, among other factors, by the type of particle surfaces present and the assemblage of organic matter and mineral particles. Therefore, the formation and maturation of interfaces is studied with artificial soils which are produced in long-term biogeochemical laboratory incubation experiments (3, 6, 12, 18 months. Clay minerals, iron oxides and charcoal are used as major model components controlling the formation of interfaces because they exhibit high surface area and microporosity. Soil interface characteristics have been analyzed by several groups involved in the priority program for formation of organo-mineral interfaces, sorptive and thermal interface properties, microbial community structure and function. Already after 6 months of incubation, the artificial soils exhibited different properties in relation to their composition. A unique dataset evolves on the development and the dynamics of interfaces in soil in the different projects contributing to this experiment. An integrated analysis based on a conceptual model and multivariate statistics will help to understand overall processes leading to the biogeochemical properties of interfaces in soil, that are the basis for their functions in ecosystems. Therefore, we propose to establish an integrative project for the evaluation of data obtained and for publication of synergistic work, which will bring the results to a higher level of understanding.
The HGF Alliance 'Remote Sensing and Earth System Dynamics' aims at the development and evaluation of novel bio/geo-physical information products derived from data acquired by a new generation of remote sensing satellites; and their integration in Earth system models for improving understanding and modelling ability of global environmental processes and ecosystem change. The Earth system comprises a multitude of processes that are intimately meshed through complex interactions. In times of accelerated global change, the understanding and quantification of these processes is of primary importance. Spaceborne remote sensing sensors are predestined to produce bio-geo-information products on a global scale. The upcoming generation of spaceborne remote sensing configurations will be able to provide global data sets and products with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution in the context of a consistent and systematic observation strategy. The integration of these data sets in existing environmental and climate science components will allow a new global view of the Earth system and its dynamics, initiating a performance leap in ecosystem and climate change modelling.
Die südecuadorianischen Anden beherbergen eine außergewöhnlich hohe Artenvielfalt. Viele verschiedene Umweltfaktoren beeinflussen sich auf sehr limitiertem Raum und erschaffen so einzigartige und komplexe Ökosysteme. Dieses Gebiet ist jedoch auf Grund des zunehmenden menschlichen Einflusses durch die fortschreitende Intensivierung der Landnutzung und des globalen Wandels hochgefährdet. Wir wissen nur wenig über die paläoökologische Geschichte und Landschaftsdynamik dieses Gebiets. Die Information über das warum und wie einer Veränderung von Ökosystemen ist unerlässlich für die Entwicklung innovativer Strategien für Naturschutz und im Hinblick auf zukünftige Klimaveränderungen. In der vorliegenden Studie werden palynologische Analysen aus den südecuadorianischen Anden vorgestellt, die dazu beitragen, Muster und Prozesse heutiger und vergangener Ökosysteme zu beleuchten. Eine paläoökologische Studie des Quimsacocha-Vulkanbeckens auf der östlichen Erhebung der Westkordillere der südecuadorianischen Anden deckt Klima-, Vegetations- und Brandregimeveränderungen in dieser Region seit dem frühen Holozän auf. Das mittlere Holozän war eine Zeit starker Umweltveränderungen, verursacht durch ein trockenes und wohl wärmeres Klima. Während des späten Holozäns wechselten sich mehrere Kalt-und Warmphasen ab. Brände können seit dem frühen Holozän im Gebiet verzeichnet werden. Sie könnten ein erstes Zeichen menschlichen Einflusses darstellen. Mit anderen paläoökologischen Aufzeichnungen aus den südecuadorianischen Anden verglichene multivariate Analysen decken teilweise konstrastierende Entwicklungen an den verschieden Standorten auf, die vermutlich durch die Heterogenität der Umweltfaktoren zu erklären sind. Weiterhin wurden Studien zum Verhältnis von heutigem Pollenregen mit der Vegetation in der Podocarpus Nationalpark-Region durchgeführt, um die Pollenverbreitungsmuster innerhalb der verschiedenen Vegetationstypen, prämontaner Wald, unterer Bergwald, oberer Bergwald und Páramo, zu verstehen und damit eine bessere Grundlage zur Interpretation fossiler Pollendaten zu schaffen. Ein Vergleich von Abundanz und An-/Abwesenheitsdaten von Familien als taxonomischer Einheit für Pollen- und Vegetation zeigt, dass Diversität, Verbreitung und Häufigkeiten beider Datensätze gut miteinander in Verbindung gebracht werden können. Dennoch werden die Muster durch variierende Anteile von durch Ferntransport eingetragenen Pollenkörnern sowie durch unterschiedliche Pollenproduktivität verschiedener Taxa und heterogene Windsysteme beeinflusst. Analysen der Pollenakkumulationsraten, die über drei Jahre erfasst wurden, lassen auf eine geringe inter-annuelle aber hohe räumliche Variation in den Daten schließen. (Text gekürzt)
Landscape and soil changes are strongly coupled to chemical and physical (erosion) weathering and soil production. The erosion rate is preserved in the signal of cosmogenic nuclides (e.g., 10Be) in stream sediments or even directly in a soil profile. The genesis of clastic sediments and soils has been investigated to quantify processes occurring within source areas and catchments, including chemical and physical weathering, and textural and compositional modification of detritus during transition from bedrock to grus and thereafter to soil or a fluvial environment. Well-defined (or -controlled) settings are however needed to calculate mass balances for a given (tectonically active) catchment. Measurements of mid- to long-term erosion rates have recently become more widely available through cosmogenic nuclide techniques. Still, new approaches can be developed to improve our understanding of weathering processes and their rates. Ideal settings and a considerable dataset about mineral weathering are given for the Sila massif in southern Italy (and consequently in a Mediterranean environment). It represents a tectonically active area. The upland plateaus consist of old planation surfaces, bordered by steep slopes, and are characterised by granitic spheroidal boulders which form wide boulder fields. The combination of the major tectonic and relief features with typical upland Mediterranean climate conditions promoted the triggering of severe erosion, that led to the exhumation of the boulders. Data about soil erosion amounts and rates related to the soil formation period would complete the puzzle of the driving forces and enable a more detailed interpretation of landscape and soil evolution. These boulders seemed to 'grow' out of the surface with time. Consequently, by measuring the 10Be content at different levels along a rock boulder (from the soil surface to the top of boulders), the age(s) of exposure could be derived and subsequent total denudation rates will be obtained. This would be an elegant way to calculate erosion rates for different time-steps that cover almost the entire period of soil evolution. Such an approach would give insight into a) the overall denudation and erosion rates over the whole (potential) soil formation period and b) erosion and denudation rates during time segments and would allow for the distinction of different erosion phases during the Pleistocene and Holocene c) volumes of loose material that were removed from the uplands and entered the drainage river system in this time span. (...)
In contrast to their advances in other areas, weather forecast models have not been successful in improving the Quantitative Precipitation Forecast during the last 16 years. One reason for this stagnation is the lack of comprehensive, high-quality data sets usable for model validation as well as for data assimilation, thus leading to improved initial fields in numerical models. Theoretical analyses have identified the requirements measured data have to meet in order to close the gaps in process understanding. In field campaigns, it has been shown that the newest generation of remote sensing systems has the potential to yield data sets of the required quality. It is therefore time to combine the most powerful remote sensing instruments with proven ground-based and airborne measurement techniques in an Intensive Observations Period (IOP). Its goal is to serve as a backbone for the SPP 1167 by producing the demanded data sets of unachieved accuracy and resolution. This requires a sophisticated scientific preparation and a careful coordination between the efforts of the institutions involved. For the first time, the pre-convective environment, the formation of clouds and the onset and development of precipitation as well as its intensity will be observed in four dimensions simultaneously in a region of sufficient size. This shall be achieved by combining the IOP with international programs and by collaboration between leading scientists in Europe, US and other countries. Thus, the IOP is a unique opportunity to make Germany the setting of an international field campaign featuring the newest generation of measurement systems such as scanning radar and lidar and leading to outstanding advances in atmospheric sciences.
Soil moisture - the water stored in soil within reach of the plants - is a crucial parameter for a large number of applications. Consequently, the field of microwave remote sensing of soil moisture has been an important research topic since the 1970s. But only in the last few years significant progress towards operational soil moisture services has been made. This progress became possible due to advances in sensor technology and new algorithmic approaches. With the improved algorithms it has been possible to derive soil moisture from existing operational microwave sensors. The first global soil moisture dataset derived from ERS-1/2 scatterometer measurements was released in 2002. The first near-real-time operational soil moisture service was started by EUMETSAT in May 2008 based on METOP ASCAT, which is the successor instrument of the ERS-1/2 scatterometer. Austria has made important contributions to these developments. The algorithms for retrieving soil moisture from the C-band scatterometers on board of ERS-1/2 and METOP have been developed by the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). Within EUMETSAT's Satellite Application Facility in Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (Hydrology SAF) the Austrian meteorological service (ZAMG) coordinates the soil moisture activities and is responsible for building up operational services for value-added METOP ASCAT soil moisture products. The overall goal of the proposed project is to advance the use of soil moisture services based on METOP ASCAT and complementary satellite systems, most importantly SMOS and ENVISAT ASAR, by extending the Hydrology SAF products to Africa and Australia, carrying out extensive calibration and validation (Cal/Val) activities and by developing novel water hazards applications. The considered applications are weather forecasting, drought and yield monitoring, hydrologic prediction, epidemiological modelling, climate change, desertification monitoring and societal risks assessment. A project of comparable thematic focus and breath has not been proposed before. It is expected that the interdisciplinary cooperation of specialists from different fields will lead to important scientific innovations that will promote a wide use of satellite technology in water hazards applications.
Satellite measurements strongly contribute to the understanding of the processes related to stratospheric ozone loss, e.g. by global and long term monitoring of ozone and its depleting substances. For instance, measurements performed in limb geometry by SCIAMACHY on ENVISAT largely improved the knowledge about the vertical distribution of species like BrO and OClO only recently. However, there are still important open questions, like e.g. the chlorine activation processes on different kinds of aerosols and polar stratospheric clouds. Also, the role of very short lived species in the stratospheric bromine budget or the effects of a possible enhancement of the Brewer-Dobson circulation are not fully understood.Globally, the vertical distribution of ozone depleting species varies significantly in space and time due to solar illumination, atmospheric chemistry and transport. Especially strong gradients occur near the twilight zone or across stratospheric transport barriers (polar vortex boundary, subtropical transport barriers). These regions are of particular importance for chemistry and transport of the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere, since they separate air masses on large scales but also enable exchange between them.Standard 1-D profile retrievals, which assume horizontal homogeneity, result in large systematic biases due to neglecting the effect of horizontal gradients on the measurement. We propose to develop, improve and apply a tomographic profile retrieval algorithm, which optimally combines the information provided by the SCIAMACHY limb and nadir measurements. An improved global dataset of 3D stratospheric profiles for NO2, BrO and OClO for the 10 years of the SCIAMACHY mission (2002-2012) will be developed, compared to atmospheric chemistry simulations and applied to selected questions of atmospheric science. The dataset developed in this project will be very useful for investigating the complex interplay of stratospheric chemistry and transport processes, and will help to reduce the uncertainties in the distribution of ozone depleting species, in particular for regions with large horizontal inhomogeneity.
The investigation of high-silica rhyolitic rocks collected in the recent ICDP drilling from the Snake River Plain (SRP) volcanic province (western United States) as well as rocks from the adjacent rhyolitic complexes offers a unique opportunity to track the evolution of magma storage conditions in time and space in the 'Yellowstone hotspot' intracontinental volcanic province. The application of various geothermometers which can be used to determine pre-eruptive temperatures show a general trend indicating a general decrease of temperature over the last 16 Ma. However, the depth (or pressure) of the magma chambers is difficult to constrain and remains mainly unknown because the mineral assemblage in the rhyolitic systems is not suitable for geobarometry. As an alternative to mineral compositions, the silica content of rhyolitic melts can be used to constrain pressure, provided that the silicate melts have cotectic compositions (melts coexisting with quartz and feldspar), which is the case for most SRP rhyolites. From studies in synthetic systems, it is well known that the silica content of cotectic melts decreases with increasing pressure and that it may be used as barometer in pressure ranges of ca 1000 - 50 MPa. However, the evolution of silica content with pressure is not calibrated for natural systems containing up to 2 wtProzent Cao and 4 wtProzent FeO. In this study, we plan to determine the role of pressure on the silica content of cotectic melts compositions relevant for SRP compositions. The experimental data are crucial to interpret the natural glass compositions (matrix glass and glass inclusions) analyzed in the ICDP core samples and will be used to extract quantitative information on the depth of magma storage prior to eruption. The dataset obtained from various eruptive events (samples from ICDP drillings and other SRP rhyolites) will be used to check if there is an evolution of the depth of magma storage over the lifetime of the 'Yellowstone hotspot' in the last 16 Ma and if there is a correlation between the pre-eruptive pressure, the volume of erupted material, the temperature (or differentiation level) and the water activity of magmas. This study will be conducted in close cooperation with other U.S. groups who are in charge of the analysis of ICDP rhyolitic samples. It is emphasized that the experimental database obtained in this project can also be applied to other case studies (high silica rhyolites, A-type granites).