Das Projekt "STEREO: An operational model of the effects of stock structure and spatio-temporal factors on recruitment" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hamburg, Zentrum für Meeres- und Klimaforschung, Institut für Meereskunde (IfM) durchgeführt. STEREO is an EU-funded project which is joined by 6 partners from 5 countries: UK, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Germany. The overall objective of STEREO is to improve the methodology for determining limit reference points for the biomass of exploited fish stocks. Limit reference points set boundaries which are intended to constrain harvesting within safe biological limits, and are integral components of the decision making process in fisheries management. STEREO will produce an operational scheme for refining spawning biomass and recruitment data by integrating biological, spatial and temporal information on the stock, with the aim of reducing the uncertainty associated with biological limits. The methodology will be developed for cod and haddock stocks around Iceland, Norway and in the North Sea as case studies. The main goal of STEREO is to produce a model of stock composition and distributional effects on the reproductive output of cod and haddock. One sub-module of this stock composition model is a particle tracking model for egg and larval dispersal which needs input data on circulation and hydrography. The Institute of Oceanography, University Hamburg, is the responsible task leader for the hydrodynamic modelling around Iceland, Norway and in the North Sea. In order to provide the particle tracking model with input data, our institute applies a three-dimensional circulation model (HAMSOM) to the northeast Atlantic and a one-dimensional mixed-layer model to the areas around Iceland, Norway and Scotland.
Das Projekt "SP 2.1 Design, modeling and evaluation of improved cropping strategies and multi-level interactions in mixed cropping systems in the North China Plain" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Kulturpflanzenwissenschaften (340), Fachgebiet Allgemeiner Pflanzenbau (340a) durchgeführt. In China, the productivity of arable land needs to be further increased. However, with N-fertilizer rates being extremely high already and due to a shortage of irrigation water, further yield increases are not possible by increasing the amount of these input factors. Strategies to reduce or avoid negative environmental effects including water saving while maintaining high yields have to be developed. Yield increases, may be possible by appropriately adjusting cropping systems, either by design (e.g. intercropping as a mixed cropping system), crop sequence and rotation, or improved input factor efficiency. The main objective of this subproject will be to design, model and evaluate improved cropping strategies and multi-level interactions in mixed cropping systems. Based on a process-oriented modeling approach, the project will emphasize on the evaluation of cropping system prototypes including different crops (spring maize, summer maize, wheat, peanut), different designs (intercropping, mixed cropping), different crop sequences and rotations (e.g. spring maize monoculture versus double cropping winter wheat-summer maize) and different input factor levels of water and nitrogen for different regions and agro-climatic conditions in the North China Plain. By doing so, the project aims at exploring the possibilities and at creating new methodologies for improving the cropping systems in the North China Plain. Within the modeling approach competitive relationships between crop species regarding yield, solar radiation, water and nitrogen will be analyzed and modeled. The project will design the necessary methods and basic approaches for the description of the relevant indicator parameters and transfer these into a thorough modeling approach.
Das Projekt "A census of viruses through the drinking water cycle" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Institut für Virologie durchgeführt. Waterbome viruses have a high but so far underestimated public health significance. In water monitoring and surveillance regulations, virus detection is until now not mandatory. This is reflected in the methodological repertoire available. To date, methods for detecting the various types of viruses in different types of waters (waste water, surface water, groundwater, drinking water) are insufficiently sensitive. Some of the most important waterborne viruses like noroviruses can only be detected by PCR methods. In the case of waterborne virus outbreaks, underlying circumstances and causes frequently cannot be clarified in the absence of reliable detection methodology. The same would apply to acts of biological crime or terrorism. It is thus of utmost importance to further develop methods for sensitive and reliable virus detection in different types of waters which are technically easy to accomplish in a short time, provide a sufficient concentration of a large range of viruses in a mall volume, have a high virus recovery rate, will not be too costly, and will deliver reproducible results. In this proposal methods for concentrating large volumes of water by which a large spectrum of viruses can be simultaneously detected in water samples will be developed in cooperation with individual project partners. After successful development and testing in the lab, the methods will be evaluated for its use in different waters and water treatment steps for quantitative and qualitative virus analysis.
Das Projekt "Upwind: Development of Improved Wind Turbine Noise Prediction Tools for Low Noise Airfoil Design" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Stuttgart, Institut für Aerodynamik und Gasdynamik durchgeführt. The noise regulations of various countries urge wind turbine manufacturers to reduce the aerodynamical noise emission of their turbines. To reduce the greenhouse gas emission, wind energy has been put in a very front position. EWEA estimates 12percent of worlds energy may come from wind turbines by the year 2020 (approx. 1,260,000 MW). This means wider deployment of wind turbines, at lower wind speed sites i.e. close to people & transmission lines. To reduce the transmission cost between production site and customer, onshore installations are still a cheaper solution. One of the biggest barriers for developing onshore turbines is the noise which has a negative impact on people's daily life. Thus, the goal of developing onshore wind turbines is to design silent wind turbines and silent wind farms and at the same time have a good aerodynamic efficiency. Noise emitted from an operating wind turbine can be divided into two parts, mechanical noise and flow induced noise. Mechanical noise can sufficiently be reduced by conventional engineering approaches but flow-induced noise is more complex and need more focus. The noise mechanisms associated with flow-induced noise emission have different sources. These are, inflow turbulence noise, tip noise, laminar boundary layer separation noise, blunt trailing-edge noise (BTE) and for turbulent boundary-layer trailing-edge interaction noise (TBL-TE). Acoustic field measurements within the European research project SIROCCO showed that the TBL-TE noise is the most dominant noise mechanism for modern wind turbines. Thus, accurate prediction and reduction of the TBL-TE noise is the main focus of the acoustics airfoil design methods for wind turbine rotor blade. For developing 'silent' airfoils, a routinely design fast, less expensive and accurate prediction methodology is desired. In this respect, simplified theoretical model would be the first candidate, and therefore the main goal is development of an accurate and efficient noise prediction model for the low noise wind turbine blade design.
Das Projekt "Recrystallization regimes in an ice sheet - Towards a microstructure-based law of ice" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Heidelberg, Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Wissenschaftliches Rechnen durchgeführt. A detailed understanding of the dynamics of polar ice sheets is essential for an accurate climate reconstruction and for the prediction of sea-level fluctuations. Today, the required simulations of ice movement are based on general, empirical material properties of ice. A more accurate description of these properties has to be extracted from the ice micro-structure over the entire ice sheet. This project will provide the necessary data-set for a quantitative parameterization of the entire grain boundary network based on microscopic image sequence analysis. Owning to the complexity and scope of the image data, specific and efficient methods of digital image processing (DIP) have to be developed and verified. Initially, the DIP methodology will be applied to the entire length of the East Antarctic EDML ice core, where the main emphasis will be the data reduction with regard to geometric parameters of grains and the evolution of grain boundaries. One goal is to document the extend to which the depth profiles of these micro-structural parameters are coupled with profiles of tracers and climate proxies in ice cores. The variability of subgrain boundaries with regard to the change of dislocation density represents a first indications of the depth dependence of ice viscosity and thus the rate of deformation. In this project, we will perform a semi-quantitative analysis of this aspect of micro-structural influence on ice dynamics.
Das Projekt "PROVIA (Programme of Research on Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation) Guidance" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von GCF - Global Climate Forum e.V. durchgeführt. PROVIA is a global initiative which aims to provide direction and coherence at the international level for research on climate change vulnerability, impacts and adaptation (VIA). Towards this end, PROVIA is revising the IPCC Technical Guidelines (1994) and the UNEP Handbook (1996) to produce guidance on tools and research methodologies for VIA.
Das Projekt "Fate of 17-ethinylestradiol in the aqueous environment and the associated effects on organisms" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von RWTH Aachen University, Institut für Umweltforschung, Biologie V, Lehrstuhl für Umweltbiologie und -chemodynamik durchgeführt. Introduction: In aquatic systems, the bioavailability of a compound is dependent on numerous factors such as partitioning between water, different organisms and solids, biotransformation and food web transfer. This project dealt with the fate of an important environmental xeno-estrogen, 17-ethinylestradiol (EE2), in the aquatic environment. Therefore, the kinetics of EE2 in indicator species representing the different trophic levels of an ecosystem were assessed. As primary producers, green algae (Desmodesmus suspicatus) were selected. The water flea Daphnia magna and larvae of the midge Chironomus riparius were introduced as primary consumers of the water phase and the sediment, respectively. Finally, water as well as dietary uptake of EE2 were investigated in a target species and secondary consumer: zebrafish (Danio rerio). Methodology: In a first series of experiments, uptake of 14C-labelled EE2 (14C-EE2) from the water phase and elimination by the different organisms were investigated over time. In a second test series, both primary consumers were fed 14C-EE2 spiked algae in order to study bioaccumulation. Uptake of 14C-EE2 by chironomid larvae after water and sediment spiking was compared, including sediments of different composition. In a third series of experiments, male fish were short term (48 h) exposed to 14C-EE2 through different routes: by water exposure (WE) and by dietary exposure (DE) via both contaminated daphnids and chironomid larvae. Distribution of 14C-EE2 in the fish was studied by measuring the amount of radioactivity (RA) in the different fish tissues. Additionally, the effect of EE2 on the vitellogenin (Vtg) induction in male fish was compared after WE and DE in a long term (14 d) experiment. The RA in liquid samples was quantified by means of liquid scintillation counting (LSC). Solid samples were subjected to combustion in a biological oxidiser, trapping (14)CO2, measured with LSC. Water and organism extracts were analysed by means of HPLC with a radiodetector, except for algae extracts that were subjected to TLC. Metabolites were identified with GC-MS, high resolution LC-MS and enzymatic hydrolysis followed by HPLC with radiodetection. Metabolites, detected in the water phase, were tested for estrogenic activity by means of YES and ER-CALUX assays. Results: Accumulation and effects: Of the four organisms mentioned above, bioconcentration of 14C-EE2 was highest in the algae. Whereas the growth rate of D. subspicatus was significantly affected at high EE2 concentrations compared to unexposed algae, EE2 had no acute effects on D. magna and C. riparius. Daphnids showed a higher bioaccumulation potential after exposure via spiked algae. For chironomids, water exposure was the predominant uptake route. The presence of sediment lowered the bioavailability of 14C-EE2 to the larvae after both water and sediment spiking. Nevertheless, uptake was higher when the nutritional quality of the sediment was better. Etc.
Das Projekt "Quantifying and Understanding the Earth System - JI Forest-Climate-Projects in North-West Russia" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von GFA Envest GmbH durchgeführt. The QUEST project builds capacity through the development of new REDD+ like methodologies for Joint Implementation forest. This includes the development of the first methodology for Improved Forest Management based on 'Forest Management' under Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol. These methodologies may be applied by other JI project developers. The QUEST project will, therefore, strenghten project activities in Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry sector. QUEST also involves the application on four demonstrator forestry projects in Russia and Romania allowing for the investigation of the projects impact with respect to energy use, policy, verification and methodological issues and social, environmental and hydrological concerns with Agriculture Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) in a 'hands on', 'learning by doing' approach. It is the projects intention to contribute to the conservation of the Dvinsky, one of intact forest as well as to generate emission reductions. A successful implementation of the Dvinsky Climate Action Project might serve as a lighthouse example for the JIs potential to conserve Russias endangered HCV forests. The project activity will improve existing forest practices aiming at an increment of biomass volume in forests under concession. Carbon finance will enable logging firms to switch from the traditional clear cutting to a group felling system, thereby reducing the negative impact of forest management on the ecological system. Concluding, JIFor explores the LULUCF framework, develops baseline and monitoring methodologies, facilitates forest climate projects based on 'Forest Management', Art. 3.4. This provides important lessons learnt for a future REDD+ policy scheme under a follow up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. GFA ENVEST contributes to: Assessment of the policy context of LULUCF and JI in Europe including permanence, issuance of AAUs for LULUCF projects, issuance of RMUs for LULUCF projects (considering the design of the IET) and evaluation of annual- vs- five year accounting on a national level; Baseline and monitoring methodologies for JI; development of methodologies for Improved Forest Management and Forest Conservation; JI Project Design Document development - Dvinsky Forest Conservation in Russia; JI Project Design Document development - Svetloserskles Improved Forest Management in Russia; Development of tools, Transferability, Scalability, and Identification of Future Projects and Research Needs; Assessment of carbon rights ownership for forestry projects in Russia.
Das Projekt "Aalborg Commitments Tools and Resources (ACTOR)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von ICLEI - Local Goverments for Sustainability, Europasekretariat GmbH durchgeführt. The Aalborg Commitments were adopted by the delegates to the June 2004 Aalborg+10 Conference with the intention that these clearly targeted actions will support European local governments in their implementation of the Aalborg Charter agreed at the 1994 Aalborg Conference. The initial commitment by signatory local governments is to undertake a baseline review within 12 months and then to enter into a local target-setting process in consultation with citizens and stakeholders in order to develop within 24 months a local programme of action under the ten Commitment themes. The evolution of the Aalborg process has been taking place at the same time as the European Commission has been preparing the Urban Thematic Strategy (UTS). This is one of seven Thematic Strategies, which together comprise the European Community's 6th Environment Action Programme. The EU has agreed that the theme of sustainable development should underpin all EU actions and this, therefore, is the key organising principle for the UTS. The SSP Fourth Call for Proposals outlines the following the core objective for 3.5. Task 5 as the 'Development of a set of guidelines and tools for signatories to the Aalborg +10 Commitments agreed in June 2004'. ACTOR will therefore have as its principal aim the development of a web-based innovative Toolkit, and a Training Package to support and assist Aalborg Commitments signatories to make efficient and effective progress. This Toolkit will include a comprehensive package of materials that can be provided to new towns and cities once they have signed the Commitments. In association with the Toolkit, the project will involve the design of Training Package on the methodology and operationalisation of the Aalborg Commitments. The Project will actively involve Signatory local authorities and the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign Networks in developing and testing the Toolkit and Training Package. Prime Contractor: University of Northumbria at Newcastle; Newcastle Upon Tyne; United Kingdom.
Das Projekt "Analysis of Methodologies for Ecobalances for Packaging and Packaging Waste" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Öko-Institut. Institut für angewandte Ökologie e.V. durchgeführt.