In Bolivia's western highlands, at an altitude of some 3,600 metres, lie the largest identified reserves of lithium in the world. According to the latest estimates by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), beneath the 10,000 square kilometres of what are the world's most extensive salt flats, the Salar de Uyuni, there are some 6 to 9 million tonnes of lithium (Roskill 2008 nach Angerer, Marscheider-Weidemann, Wendl et al. 2009, Jaskula 2010a). Exploitation of those reserves has not yet begun, though the Bolivian government has constructed a small 6 million US Dollar pilot plant on the edge of the Salar de Uyuni, and has some ambitious plans. Veröffentlicht in Texte | 30/2011.
In Boliviens westlichem Hochland liegen auf ca. 3.600 m Höhe die größten identifizierten Lithiumreserven der Welt. Laut neuester Schätzungen des United States Geological Survey (USGS) verbergen sich hier unter der mit über 10.000 km2 größten Salztonebene der Welt, dem Salar de Uyuni, ca. 6-9 Millionen Tonnen Lithium (Roskill 2008 nach Angerer, Marscheider-Weidemann, Wendl et al. 2009, Jaskula 2010a). Bis jetzt sind diese Reserven nicht erschlossen. Doch die bolivianische Regierung hat am Rande der Salar de Uyuni eine kleine 6-Millionen-US-Dollar-Pilotanlage errichtet und hat große Ambitionen. Veröffentlicht in Texte | 25/2011.
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 "Studying imprints of climatic and environmental change in a regional aquifer system in an arid part of India using noble gases and other environmental tracers" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Heidelberg, Institut für Umweltphysik durchgeführt. Temperatures estimated using dissolved noble gases in groundwater have played a major role in determining continental climate during the last glacial maximum, particularly for the tropics. Such tropical paleotemperature records are available from South America, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula, but not from Asia. A major goal of the proposed study of an aquifer system in the North Gujarat - Cambay (NGC) region in a semi-arid part of western India is therefore to provide high-quality paleotemperature information from an area that has not been well studied so far. Recent research has shown that noble gas temperatures (NGTs) in semi-arid tropical regions may in part reflect the influence of changing humidity and vegetation conditions on soil temperature, and the 'excess air component in groundwater may be a potential indicator of past changes of humidity. These important research issues shall be addressed in more detail in the proposed study. A major goal will be to see how the known changes of humidity in the NGC region are reflected in the excess air and NGT records. Together with supporting investigations using water isotopes and environmental dating tracers (14C, 3H-3He, CFCs, SF6), the study is also expected to provide information useful to sustainable exploitation of the regional aquifer system, in particular with respect to the recently discovered problem of fluoride contamination in the NGC region. The hypothesis that high fluoride concentrations are linked to arid climatic phases shall be tested by looking for corresponding variations of the excess air component. Furthermore, a possible connection between natural SF6 and high groundwater fluoride shall be investigated.
Das Projekt "Investigation of reactive halogen species in a smog chamber and in the field" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Heidelberg, Institut für Umweltphysik durchgeführt. The objective of the proposed activities as part of the DFG research group HaloProc is the investigation of Reactive Halogen (RH) chemistry in the atmosphere by Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy. The importance of RH includes the destruction of ozone, change in the chemical balance, increased deposition of toxic compounds (like mercury) and potential indirect effects on global climate. In our laboratory experiments we observed events of 'Bromine Explosion' (auto catalytic release of reactive bromine from salt surfaces - key to ozone destruction) that were strongly dependent on pH and humidity. Our measurements from field campaigns in Namibia/Botsuana, Southern Russia and Mauritania during HaloProc1 showed 1 to 2 orders of magnitude lower BrO and IO levels than expected based on previous observations at salt flats. Environmental conditions might have strong influence, which would be consistent with the smog chamber studies. One of the main questions of the second phase is under which conditions RH activation take place does. It is of great interest whether reactions of chlorine and iodine compounds on salt surfaces are similar to those of bromine, and whether different RH compounds interact with each other. In addition, oxides of nitrogen might be important for their role in the reactivation of RH. Proposed field campaigns in Namibia and South Russia will allow us to investigate the sources, sinks and transformations of RH compounds. This work will be complemented by corresponding smog chamber experiments with measurements of different halogen oxides as well as photochemical model calculations.
Das Projekt "Ecological Land Use Planning and Sustainable Management of Urban and Sub-urban Green Areas in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Göttingen, Burckhardt-Institut, Professur für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege durchgeführt. Malaysia has been identified as one of the worlds mega diverse countries being extremely rich in biodiversity. Tropical rainforests, the oldest and most diverse ecosystems on earth, still cover an average 60 Prozent of the country (Soepadmo, 1998). The rainforests are estimated to contain about 12,500 species of flowering plants, and more than 1,100 species of ferns and fern allies (MSET, 1998). The dominating plant family is dipterocarp trees many of which produce commercial timber being native to Borneo as well as to Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippine, Thailand etc. Large portions of these species are endemic and uniqueto the Malaysian archipelago.There is also great diversity in fauna, including about 300 species of wild mammals, 700-750 species of birds, 350 species of reptiles, 165 species of amphibians and more than 300 species of freshwater fish. Endemism in flora and fauna is high. As with other cultures, it is assumed that much of the traditional knowledge about these flora and fauna are heritage of the many traditional societies and communities that are dependent on them for their livelihood (Soepadmo, 1998).Unfortunately, much of Sabahs natural vegetation has been altered and degraded due to unsustainable and destructive human practices. Their existence continues to be threatened. Certain forest types are in danger of being totally eradicated from Sabah, while many plant species will likely disappear before they have ever been described. The fragmentation of natural forests also threatens the viability of various wildlife populations. The State is undergoing rapid development and the transformation of rural areas into urban is also accelerating. Many green areas are lost which causes serious threats to biodiversity in the country, because green areas play a very important role in buffering negative impacts on conservation areas.The objective of this study is to provide the information for developing a concept for sustainable urban green management in Kota Kinabalu district as well as to judge the ecological sustainability and to describe the importance of urban green area for the public. A focus is placed on the terrestrial and aerial inventory of the natural resources, including trees, birds, and biotopes. Furthermore, the study tries to explore the perception and attitude of local people, concerning urban forests and green areas. It also explores and investigates the possibilities for implementing an urban green management concept.The terrestrial data collection accordingly comprises of four fields: (1) tree inventory/survey, (2) bird survey/observation, (3) public perception survey, and (4) the mapping and classifying of urban forest functions.i).
Das Projekt "Energy and Water Fluxes at the Soil Atmosphere Interface of Water Repellent soils" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Ökologie, Fachgebiet Bodenkunde durchgeführt. Unsere zentrale Arbeitshypothese ist, dass durch die globale Erwärmung nicht nur der Trend zur Hydrophobie von Böden zunehmen wird, sondern dass auch der Energieaustausch an der Grenzschicht Bode/Atmosphäre verändert wird und sich damit eine Rückwirkung auf das globale Klima ergibt. Um unsere Arbeitshypothese zu prüfen, beabsichtigen wir, alle Größen der Energie- und Wasserbilanz zwischen Boden und Atmosphäre für einen stark von Hydrophobie geprägten Boden zu bestimmen.
Das Projekt "Tropical Eastern North Atlantic Time-Series Observatory (TENATSO)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von IFM-GEOMAR Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften durchgeführt. Observation is fundamental to understanding global change. Atmospheric change impacts marine ecosystems, and the atmosphere is influenced by ocean physical and biogeochemical processes. Many impacts/feedbacks are focussed in the Tropics. TENATSO will support pre-operational atmosphere and ocean observation capability in the tropical Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, specifically at Cape Verde (17 degree 36'N, 24 degree 16'W). The entire region is data poor but plays a key role in air-sea interaction. Cape Verde is ideally located for both atmosphere and ocean observation. Being downwind of the Mauritanian upwelling, the Observatory will provide unique information linking biological productivity and atmospheric composition. The location is critical for climate and greenhouse gas studies and for investigating dust impacts on marine ecosystems. The Observatory can contribute data for assessment of major marine biological resources. This Action proposes no research or monitoring: rather it supports transfer of European technology/expertise to a developing country with strong ties to Europe. The Action is leveraged on financial support by the Partners and the Observatory is of use to European programmes. The atmospheric site will measure meteorological parameters, greenhouse and short-lived gases, and aerosols. Data links to the Global Atmospheric Watch of the WMO will be established. The ocean site will include a mooring for temperature, salinity, current and oxygen measurements and establish data links to international observing programmes. Cape Verde's vessel will be equipped to collect samples for marine parameters. The data will contribute to GEOSS. The co-location of atmospheric and ocean Observatories is unique. The Observatory will support additional research measurements by international investigators and become a resource to European and international projects.
Das Projekt "The effect of potassium and calcium on wood formation and xylem/phloem physology" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hamburg, Department für Biologie, Zentrum Holzwirtschaft, Ordinariat für Holzbiologie und Institut für Holztechnologie und Holzbiologie des Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut für Ländliche Räume, Wald und Fischerei durchgeführt. Ions play a fundamental role in the physiology of cambial growth. To gain better knowledge about the role of K, Ca and P in wood formation, we intend to focus on plants grown under different K, Ca and P supply as well as on transgenic plants with modified ion transporter expression produced by P5 and/or P3. Two approaches will be applied on all differently treated plants in this project. First, structural and ultrastructural analysis of stem tissues (phloem, cambium, xylem) will be carried out throughout all seasons by image analysis and high resolution TEM. In order to correlate structural changes to biochemical variations, a second approach deals with the following analysis in all tissues: Seasonal changes of K, Ca and P will be measured by EDXA, whereas K and Ca will also be determined quantitatively by atomic absorption spectrometry. By generating antibodies against different potassium transporters we further will show their distribution in poplar stem tissues throughout all seasons by fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. In order to correlate changes in ion content to sugar concentrations, seasonal variations of different sugars as well as starch will be determined enzymatically. To measure changes in the chemical composition of cell walls, FTIR-spectroscopy will be used to quantitatively detect a range of functional groups in the cell wall.
Das Projekt "Diversity, ecology and age of endolithic cyanobacterial and algal communities from the Ross Desert, McMurdo Dry Valleys Antarctica" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Fachbereich Biologie, Abteilung Pflanzenökologie und Systematik durchgeführt. The presence of endolithic growth of pro- and eukaryotic algae in light penetrated rock parts is a common phenomenon of arid/semi-arid landscapes world wide. While endolithic communities from Antarctic sandstones are well described, our knowledge of these communities inside granite and calcite is sparse. During the field campaign 2002/2003, we found that endolithic cyanobacterial growth is much more common than previously thought in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. 41 and 50 mg chlorophyll a/m2 were determined in calcite and granite, respectively. Bonani et al. (1988) determined an age in Beacon sandstone in the order of magnitude of 103 years. However, we determined an age of ca70 years for the granite communities. Although age measurements can only be a guess, concluded from our results, productivity must be by far higher than expected. Water is the limiting factor and we hypothesize, that in addition to snow melt, condensation by temperature reversal of substratum and air is a frequent water supply. Reports about endolithic communities in the rocks of Arctic Greenland are, to our knowledge, limited to the fossil record. A first rock sample from Greenland revealed a luxuriantly growing cryptoendolithic community dominated by green algae. We will characterize them in detail in this project. Bioalkalization due to photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria plays a major role in the weathering of silicate rocks in the tropics and shall be another major topic here.