Das Projekt "Sub-seabed CO2 Storage: Impact on Marine Ecosystems (ECO2)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel (GEOMAR) durchgeführt. Objective: The ECO2 project sets out to assess the risks associated with the storage of CO2 below the seabed. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is regarded as a key technology for the reduction of CO2 emissions from power plants and other sources at the European and international level. The EU will hence support a selected portfolio of demonstration projects to promote, at industrial scale, the implementation of CCS in Europe. Several of these projects aim to store CO2 below the seabed. However, little is known about the short-term and long-term impacts of CO2 storage on marine ecosystems even though CO2 has been stored sub-seabed in the North Sea (Sleipner) for over 13 years and for one year in the Barents Sea (Snhvit). Against this background, the proposed ECO2 project will assess the likelihood of leakage and impact of leakage on marine ecosystems. In order to do so ECO2 will study a sub-seabed storage site in operation since 1996 (Sleipner, 90 m water depth), a recently opened site (Snhvit, 2008, 330 m water depth), and a potential storage site located in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea (B3 field site, 80 m water depth) covering the major geological settings to be used for the storage of CO2. Novel monitoring techniques will be applied to detect and quantify the fluxes of formation fluids, natural gas, and CO2 from storage sites and to develop appropriate and effective monitoring strategies. Field work at storage sites will be supported by modelling and laboratory experiments and complemented by process and monitoring studies at natural CO2 seeps that serve as analogues for potential CO2 leaks at storage sites. ECO2 will also investigate the perception of marine CCS in the public and develop effective means to disseminate the project results to stakeholders and policymakers. Finally, a best practice guide for the management of sub-seabed CO2 storage sites will be developed applying the precautionary principle and valuing the costs for monitoring and remediation.
Das Projekt "NJESD New Jobs through ESD competences" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Lüneburg, Institut für integrative Studien durchgeführt. Objective of the project: NJ ESD is a tri-national project targeting on regional development towards sustainable development in the province of Grosseto, Tuskany/ltaly. The objective is to increase and enhance local competencies and resources in order to advance the economic, social, ecologic and cultural development of this region, using the existing potential in a large and comprising transformation process. The Institute for integrative Studies is providing its experience and competencies to this project by bringing in its scientific advice. Project description: The project is working on different levels and operates with three target groups: partners from the public administration, from education and business. In the course of the project several workshops and education initiatives will take place, organized by a local ESD institution - la Finoria. In the course of this project the Institute for integrative Studies will provide its good-practice experiences and support the project with its theoretical and didactical competencies. The initial meeting took of all partners place in March 2011 in Grosseto. Two other competence building meetings until 2011 are intended.
Das Projekt "IAGOS for the GMES Atmospheric Service (IGAS)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie durchgeführt. IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System), one of the European Research Infrastructures (ERI) on the ESFRI roadmap and currently in its preparatory phase, is establishing a distributed infrastructure for long-term observations of atmospheric composition on a global scale from a fleet of initially 10-20 long-range in-service aircraft of internationally operating airlines. IAGOS will provide accurate, spatially highly resolved in-situ observations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and reactive gases, as well as aerosol and cloud particles, in fact covering the essential climate variables (ECVs) for atmospheric composition as designated by the GCOS programme (Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate in Support of the UNFCCC, 2010). With the CARIBIC container, operated aboard an in-service aircraft on a four flights per month basis as part of IAGOS, a much larger number of parameters are routinely available. This project aims to make these valuable in-situ measurements available to the GMES Atmospheric Service in both near-real-time (for the IAGOS measurements) and delayed mode (for CARIBIC measurements). The interface between GMES and the IAGOS and CARIBIC communities is established in work package two, which also includes work on the development of database and graphical tools to make the data availalbe for the broader scientific community as well. The near-real-time provision of data requires the installation of Real Time Transmissin Units (RTTUs) on the in-service aircraft, which is carried out in work package three. Work package four focuses on the harmonization and systematic evaluation of the data quality collected on board the aircraft, and work package five supports the development of four new instruments designed to measure atmospheric quantities on board in-service aircraft, as well as a study to investigate the possible modular redesign of the IAGOS system to improve its flexibility in the future.
Das Projekt "Turn Down the Heat III: Regional Analysis - The Case for Climate Resilience" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung e.V. durchgeführt. The objective of the Economic and Sector Work (ESW) is to get a science-based unde1rstanding of the nature and magnitude of development impacts, by examining physical and biophysical climate change impacts at the regional scale. The focus of this work is to provide for each region (MNA, ECA and LAC) an analysis of climate risks at present day (0.8°C), 2°C and 4°C scenarios through the examination of stressors that are widely held to represent critical vulnerabilities, at scale and with sufficient spatial resolution. A central part of the work will be to explore the application of a scientific and evidence-based approach in the development of case studies which reflect an emphasis on different climate vulnerabilities (or stressors) at scale and with sufficient spatial resolution to form the basis for convening a dialogue on transformational development pathways. For this, three region specific case-studies will be integrated into a global inter-sectoral assessment of climate change impacts at different levels of global warming. Building on the methodology used in the Phase II report Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and the Case for Resilience and through a series of questions related to timing, scale, social vulnerability and previously identified tipping point considerations, the consultant firm will undertake analysis that will seek to characterize the nature and magnitude of impacts. The consulting firm would be expected to explore the application of a scientific and evidence-based approach in the development of case studie:s that reflect an emphasis on different climate vulnerabilities at scale and with sufficient spatial resolution. The analysis should also include a consideration of uncettainties, and an indication of the significance and likelihood of their occurrence.
Das Projekt "Scenarios of the Global Water System" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Kassel, Center for Environmental Systems Research durchgeführt. The global water system is undergoing significant changes in its physical, chemical and biological characteristics, as well as in its human dimensions. The transformations currently taking place in the system raise key scientific questions: Will these changes continue at their current pace and intensity over the coming decades? If so, what impact will they have on nature and society? Researchers have begun addressing these questions through a growing number of comprehensive scenario studies that examine future trends in water resources from the continental and global perspectives. The first objective of this one year project is to review and appraise the existing body of global water scenarios in order to extract out important scientific insights, identify gaps and shortcomings, and derive scientific procedures for developing a new generation of global water scenarios. The second objective is to carry-out model experiments with an existing model to produce new continental scale water scenarios for Africa that address some of the deficits of current global water scenarios. The new scenarios will advance previous continental/global scenarios by simultaneously taking into account the effect of changing land use, climate and socioeconomic factors on future water use and water availability. Africa is selected as a case study for these model experiments because of the particularly significant changes it is experiencing in its freshwater system. To ensure that the information and perspectives of developing countries are taken into account, the principal investigator proposes to spend 7 months out of the 12-month project at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa (residing at this university will provide advantages such as access to a network of African water researchers). It is critical for the German research community, especially researchers working on international and global-scale scientific problems, to develop stronger ties with the scientific community in developing countries. This project will provide direct scientific input to the Global Water System Project of the Earth System Science Partnership, as well as the World Water Development Report being prepared by a consortium of UN water-related organizations. This is an eigenständiges Projekt within the framework of the Global Water System Project of which the Antragssteller is Co-Chairman. It is expected that the evaluation of scenarios will make a major contribution to anticipating future changes in the global water system.
Das Projekt "Standardization of Ice Forces on Offshore Structures Design (STANDICE)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Dr. J. Schwarz durchgeführt. Objective: During the past six years two RTD-projects have been performed by a consortium of seven European partners to investigate ice forces on marine structures. The aim of this work has been to establish new methods for ice load predictions. The work has been supported by the EC under the projects LOLEIF and STRICE. The data compiled by these projects are of great importance for the future development of offshore wind energy converters, OWECS, in the ice-covered seas of Europe. Because the ice forces on marine structures are internationally heavily disputed the present design codes for OWECS as well as for all marine structures in ice-infested waters are not been considered reliable. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to contribute to the development of an international standard for the design of marine structures such as OWECS against ice loads with special emphasis on European sub-arctic ice conditions.
Das Projekt "High density power electronics for FC- and ICE-Hybrid Electric Vehicle Powertrains (HOPE)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Siemens AG durchgeführt. Objective: The project HOPE is addressing power electronics. It is based on previous EU research projects like the recently finished FW5 HIMRATE (high-temperature power modules), FW5 PROCURE (high-temperature passive components), and MEDEA+ HOTCAR (high-temperature control electronics) and other EU and national research projects. The general objectives of HOPE are: Cost reduction; meet reliability requirements; reduction of volume and weight. This is a necessity to bring the FC- and ICE-hybrid vehicles to success. WP1 defines specifications common to OEM for FC- and ICE-hybrid vehicle drive systems; Identification of common key parameters (power, voltage, size) that allows consequent standardisation; developing a scalability matrix for power electronic building blocks PEBBs. The power ranges will be much higher than those of e.g. HIMRATE and will go beyond 100 kW electric power. WP2 works out one reference mission profile, which will be taken as the basis for the very extensive reliability tests planned. WP3 is investigating key technologies for PEBBs in every respect: materials, components (active Si- and SiC switches, passive devices, sensors), new solders and alternative joinings, cooling, and EMI shielding. In WP4 three PEBBs will be developed: HDPM (high density power module) which is based on double side liquid cooling of the power semiconductor devices; IML (power mechatronics module), which is based on a lead-frame technology; and SiC-PEBB inverter (silicon carbide semiconductor JFET devices instead of Si devices). WP5 develops a control unit for high-temperature control electronics for the SiC-PEBBs. Finally WP6 works on integrating the new technologies invented in HOPE into powertrain systems and carries out a benchmark tests. All the results achieved in HOPE will be discussed intensively with the proposed Integrated Project HYSIS where the integration work will take place. It is clear from the start that many innovations are necessary to meet the overall goal.
Das Projekt "Forest management in the Earth system" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie durchgeführt. The majority of the worlds forests has undergone some form of management, such as clear-cut or thinning. This management has direct relevance for global climate: Studies estimate that forest management emissions add a third to those from deforestation, while enhanced productivity in managed forests increases the capacity of the terrestrial biosphere to act as a sink for carbon dioxide emissions. However, uncertainties in the assessment of these fluxes are large. Moreover, forests influence climate also by altering the energy and water balance of the land surface. In many regions of historical deforestation, such biogeophysical effects have substantially counteracted warming due to carbon dioxide emissions. However, the effect of management on biogeophysical effects is largely unknown beyond local case studies. While the effects of climate on forest productivity is well established in forestry models, the effects of forest management on climate is less understood. Closing this feedback cycle is crucial to understand the driving forces behind past climate changes to be able to predict future climate responses and thus the required effort to adapt to it or avert it. To investigate the role of forest management in the climate system I propose to integrate a forest management module into a comprehensive Earth system model. The resulting model will be able to simultaneously address both directions of the interactions between climate and the managed land surface. My proposed work includes model development and implementation for key forest management processes, determining the growth and stock of living biomass, soil carbon cycle, and biophysical land surface properties. With this unique tool I will be able to improve estimates of terrestrial carbon source and sink terms and to assess the susceptibility of past and future climate to combined carbon cycle and biophysical effects of forest management. Furthermore, representing feedbacks between forest management and climate in a global climate model could advance efforts to combat climate change. Changes in forest management are inevitable to adapt to future climate change. In this process, is it possible to identify win-win strategies for which local management changes do not only help adaptation, but at the same time mitigate global warming by presenting favorable effects on climate? The proposed work opens a range of long-term research paths, with the aim of strengthening the climate perspective in the economic considerations of forest management and helping to improve local decisionmaking with respect to adaptation and mitigation.
Das Projekt "Impact of transgenic crops on fertility of soils with different management history" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau Deutschland e.V. durchgeführt. What impact does transgenic maize have on soil fertility? Among the factors that determine soil fertility is the diversity of the bacteria living in it. This is in turn affected by the form of agriculture practiced on the land. What role do transgenic plants play in this interaction? Background Soil fertility is the product of the interactions between the parental geological material from which the soil originated, the climate and colonization by soil organisms. Soil organisms and their diversity play a major role in soil fertility, and these factors can be affected by the way the soil is managed. The type of farming, i.e. how fertilizers and pesticides are used, has a major impact on the fertility of the soil. It is known that the complex interaction of bacterial diversity and other soil properties regulates the efficacy of plant resistance. But little is known about how transgenic plants affect soil fertility. Objectives The project will investigate selected soil processes as indicators for how transgenic maize may possibly alter soil fertility. The intention is in particular to establish whether the soil is better able to cope with such effects if it contains a great diversity of soil bacteria. Methods Transgenic maize will be planted in climate chambers containing soils managed in different ways. The soil needed for these trials originates from open field trials that have been used for decades to compare various forms of organic and conventional farming. These soils differ, for example, in the way they have been treated with pesticides and fertilizers and thus also with respect to their diversity of bacteria. The trial with transgenic maize will measure various parameters: the number of soil bacteria and the diversity of their species, the quantity of a small number of selected nutrients and the decomposition of harvest residues. It will be possible to conclude from this work how transgenic plants affect soil fertility. Significance The project will create an important basis for developing risk assessments that incorporate the effects of transgenic plants on soil fertility.
Das Projekt "Fuel cell power trains and clustering in heavy-duty transports (FELICITAS)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Fraunhofer-Institut für Verkehrs- und Infrastruktursysteme IVI durchgeführt. Objective: The FELICITAS consortium proposes an Integrated Project to develop fuel cell (FC) drive trains fuelled with both hydrocarbons and hydrogen. The proposed development work focuses on producing FC systems capable of meeting the exacting demands of heavy-dut y transport for road, rail and marine applications. These systems will be: - Highly efficient, above 60Prozent - Power dense, - Powerful units of 200kW plus, - Durable, robust and reliable. Two of the FC technologies most suitable for heavy-duty transport applic ations are Polymer Electrolyte FuelCells (PEFC) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC). Currently neither technology is capable of meeting the wideranging needs of heavy-duty transport either because of low efficiencies, PEFC, or poor transient performance,SO FC. FELICITAS proposes the development of high power Fuel Cell Clusters (FCC) that group FC systems with other technologies, including batteries, thermal energy and energy recuperation.The FELICITAS consortium will first undertake the definition of the requirements on FC power trains for the different heavy-duty transport modes. This will lead to the development of FC power train concepts, which through the use of advanced multiple simulations, will undertake evaluations of technical parameters, reliab ility and life cycle costs. Alongside the development of appropriate FC power trains the consortium will undertake fundamental research to adapt and improve existing FC and other technologies, including gas turbines, diesel reforming and sensor systems f or their successful deployment in the demanding heavy-duty transport modes. This research work will combine with the FC power trains design and simulation work to provide improved components and systems, together with prototypes and field testing where ap propriate.The FELICITAS consortium approach will substantially improve European FC and associated technology knowledae and know-how in the field of heavv-duty transport.
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