The zooplankton community of the Weser estuary from Bremen to lighthouse “Roter Sand” was investigated in June 1983, June 1984 and August 1984. The qualitative and quantitative results are compared to those of a baseline study, which was carried out in 1967 and 1968 before a titanium dioxide factory started production and waste discharge into the Weser estuary in 1969. Number and spectrum of species seem to have remained nearly constant compared to 1968. The rotifer Synchaeta baltica, which is not recorded in 1968, come to mass development in the meso- and/or polihaline zone and causes the maximum situated there in June. In the Weser river a fresh water zone with salinities below 0,3 ‰ Cl does not exists any more due to pollution by brine from the potassium-industries upstream. The zooplankton density in the artificially salted area is extremely reduced. In all three months of investigation the zooplankton density in the natural brackish zone shows a similar distribution with two maxima, one in the meso- and/or polyhaline zone. Between them an estuarine impoverishment zone is situated. This pattern of distribution was found in 1968 by BODE and PUCK (1972), too, but compared to their results the actual investigations showed a marked increase of total zooplankton density as well as of the amplitude of density. It is not yet clear, whether this phenomenon could indicate disturbances caused by human influences. In view to the waste water discharge of the titanium dioxide factory a harmful influence could not be found. Das Zooplankton der Wesermündung vom Leuchtturm Roter Sand bis Bremen wurde im Juni 1983, Juni 1984 und August 1984 qualitativ und quantitativ untersucht. Die Ergebnisse werden mit der Basisuntersuchung verglichen, in welcher der Zustand vor Beginn der Einleitung von Abwässern aus der Titandioxid-Produktion festgehalten worden ist. Als Ergebnis ist zusammenfassend festzustellen: Im natürlicherweise limnischen, heute durch Kaliabwässer belasteten Abschnitt zwischen Bremen und Brake ist das Zooplankton deutlich verarmt. Im eigentlichen Brackwasser hat sich das Artenspektrum im Wesentlichen erhalten. Es bestehen zwei Zonen sehr dichter Planktonbesiedlung: eine in niedrigen und eine in höheren Salzgehaltsbereichen. In beiden haben die Dichten gegenüber der Basisuntersuchung von 1968 erheblich zugenommen. In mittleren Salzgehaltsbereichen befindet sich die natürliche Verarmungszone des Brackwassers, die früher wie heute nur eine schwache Besiedlung aufweist. Durch Abwässer bedingte Schäden sind am Zooplankton der hier untersuchten Größenordnung nicht nachweisbar.
Das Projekt "Integrated Project to Evaluate the Impacts of Global Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems - EURO-LIMPACS" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Duisburg-Essen, Institut für Biologie, Fachgebiet Angewandte Zoologie,Hydrobiologie durchgeführt. Freshwater ecosystems, under stress from land-use change and pollution, face additional pressures from climate change, directly and through interaction with other drivers of change. Euro-lampas is concerned with the science required to understand and manage the ecological consequences of these interactions. It is relevant to the Water Framework Directive and other international directives and protocols and supports the Ems Charter on Sustainable Development. The Project comprises a consortium of leading scientists to integrate river, lake and wetland ecosystem science at the catchments scale. It focuses on the key drivers of aquatic ecosystem change (land-use, nutrients, acid deposition and toxic substances) and examines their interactions with global, especially climate, change using time-series analysis, space-for-time substitution, palaeolimnology, experiments and process modelling. It considers these interactions at 3 critical time-scales: (i) hours/days, concerned with changes in the magnitude and frequency of extreme events; (ii) seasons, concerned with changes in ecosystem function and life-cycle strategies of freshwater biota; (iii) years/decades, concerned with ecological response to environmental pressure, including stress reduction and ecosystem recovery. An innovative toolkit for integrated catchments analysis and modelling will be developed to simulate hydrological, hydro chemical and ecological processes at the catchments scale for use in assessing the potential impact of global change under different climate and socio-economic scenarios. A unified system of ecological indicators for monitoring freshwater ecosystem health, and new methods for defining reference conditions and restoration strategies will be developed. These will take into account the probable impacts of future climate change and the need for a holistic approach to restoration based on habitat connectivity. Prime Contractor: University London, University College, Environmental Change Research Centre; London; United Kingdom.
Das Projekt "The Virtual Institute 'DEad SEa Research VEnue' (DESERVE)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung, Department Troposphärenforschung durchgeführt. Die Region des Toten Meeres steht vor großen wasserbezogenen Herausforderungen; unter ihnen der kontinuierliche Rückgang des Seespiegels, Wüstenbildung, Sturzfluten, die Verunreinigung von Süßwasser durch stark salzhaltiges Wasser und Abwasser, sowie schlagartig auftretende Erdfälle und Erdbeben. Zusätzlich tragen der Klimawandel und die umfangreiche Nutzung des Grund- und Oberflächenwassers zu einer Verschärfung der Lage bei. Die Bewältigung der genannten Herausforderungen erfordert einen interdisziplinären Forschungsansatz unter Einbeziehung aller Anrainerstaaten. DESERVE ist ein disziplinübergreifendes internationales Forschungsprojekt der Helmholtz-Zentren KIT, GFZ und UFZ in Zusammenarbeit mit Forschungseinrichtungen der Anrainerstaaten des Toten Meeres. DESERVE integriert dabei bereits geleistete und gegenwärtige Forschungsarbeiten aller erd- und umweltwissenschaftlichen Disziplinen am Toten Meer zu einem gemeinsamen Forschungsansatz. DESERVE untersucht die gekoppelten atmosphärischen, hydrologischen und lithosphärischen Prozesse, wie Erdfälle, Sturzfluten und Erdbeben. Dieser interdisziplinäre Forschungsansatz trägt zu einem verbesserten Verständnis der ablaufenden Prozesse bei. Wodurch die Entwicklung von Vorhersagemodellen, Sanierungsstrategien und Risikobewertungen für die genannten Naturgefahren und die Wasserverfügbarkeit unter Einbezug des Klimawandels ermöglicht wird. Die Forschungsarbeit des IMK-TRO im Rahmen von DESERVE umfasst den Betrieb eines dauerhaften meteorologischen Messnetzes in Kombination mit Intensivmesskampagnen und numerischer Modellierung. Die Ziele sind: - Messung der Verdunstung des Toten Meeres und Quantifizierung des Beitrags der Verdunstung zur Wasserbilanz des Toten Meeres sowie Quantifizierung ihrer Auswirkung auf die Bildung von Dunst und Niederschlag; - Quantifizierung und Charakterisierung der atmosphärischen Aerosole sowie regionaler und lokaler Windsysteme unter Anwendung von LIDAR und Radarsystemen; - Wettersimulationen mit COSMO und COSMO-ART mit dem Zweck das Prozessverständnis von Verdunstung, Trübung und Niederschlagsbildung zu verbessern; - Untersuchung der Auswirkung der globalen Erwärmung und regionaler Landnutzungsänderungen auf den Wasserhaushalt mittels hochauflösender regionaler Klimasimulationen (COSMO-CLM); - Untersuchung der Auswirkung von Windsystemen und Luftdruckschwankungen auf Erdbewegungen mittels seismischer Messungen.
Das Projekt "Interaktive Regulierung der Phytoplanktonabfolge durch physischen Druck und interne Phosphorbelastung: eine Vergleichsstudie in eutrophierten Suesswasserseen" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Regensburg, Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik durchgeführt. Objective/Problems to be solved: Deterioration of water quality of freshwater lakes, as a consequence of man-made perturbations such as water level regulations, pollution and food web manipulations is a commonly observed phenomenon of our times. In the extreme case of long lasting elevated pollution loads and the affluence of bio-available phosphorus (BAP) the lake ecosystem responded with increasing algal biomass and a species shift to nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria. After becoming aware of phosphorus (P) as the driving force of eutrophication the reduction of external P loading became the primary management target. However, in many cases even a drastic reduction of the external P-loading did not succeed in improving water quality since P-recycling from bottom sediments sufficed to provide the amount of BAP necessary to support algae blooms. The question arises in how far this development can be reversed and algae diversity restored. Considering the variety of available remedial measures, an experimental procedure to predict water quality changes is needed to arrive at the decision upon the optimum management strategy. The proposed study complies with this requirement through an experimental approach based upon the control of environmental parameters such as nutrient loading or resuspension in large enclosures, while monitoring phytoplankton succession. Our proposal enforces community water policy aimed to achieve sustainability of aquatic systems by responding to the following Water Framework Directives: eutrophication control (91/271/EEC) and safeguarding human health by establishing strict standards for the quality of water intended for human consumption (80/778/EEC). Scientific objectives and approach: Using a novel monitoring tool for phytoplankton diversity and biomass the present study is aimed at the interactive regulation of phytoplankton succession by physical forcing and internal P loading in freshwater lakes. Our workplan is designed to arrive at these goals by meeting the following objectives: - Introduction of delayed fluorescence spectrometry (DF) as a tool for continuous on-line monitoring of phytoplankton density composition and activity in aquatic systems. - Quantification of internal P loading due to sedimentary P release, by following P accumulation into the water column of large limnocorrals. - Studying the dynamics between the dissolved phase and the particulate phase of P within the enclosures with special emphasis on resuspension and sedimentation processes. - Investigation of the phytoplankton response to different internal P loading scenarios as simulated in the limnocorrals. Prime Contractor: Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Ltd., Kinneret Limnological Laboratory; Haifa/Israel.
Das Projekt "Entwicklung und Testung eines innovativen ionenselektiven Elektrodenueberwachungs- und -steuerungssystems fuer den Gesamtstickstoff in Meeresgewaessern" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Duisburg, Institut für Energie- und Umwelttechnik durchgeführt. General Information: This project addresses a world wide need for a reliable, affordable, and simple means of measuring total Nitrogen levels in marine waters. Providing the enabling technology will have major effect on the market penetration of the participating SMEs including the provision of increased revenues and employment levels. It will also have a major effect on growth in the marine aquaculture industry, aid early detection of pollution, increase knowledge of pollution and marine science, have a substantial effect on tourism, and ultimately provide the enabling technology to measure Nitrogen in fresh waters also. The consortium proposes a technical solution whereby various constituents of Nitrogen and various other physical parameters will be measured simultaneously, a logarithms developed to compute the various constituents in total Nitrogen and these measurements transmitted by telemetry or other signal transmission methods. The resulting data and information can then be used to control denitrification processes if appropriate by automatically returning a signal to the site of measurement. The project will facilitate enhanced safety at the work place for persons involved in marine aquaculture and have substantial social and environmental implication s for the public in general. The project has considerable technical risk and will hinge on the development of new ionophores which are suitable for use in marine waters, allow matrix compensation, enable sufficient low levels of detection and can be configured into an array which is rugged and suitable for a marine environment. Although the initial industrial objective is aimed at the Mari culture industry, the project has major pollution and climate implications in that it is envisaged with global warming that there will be a proliferation of problems due to high Nitrogen levels. The consortium is pan-national in structure and has an outstanding track record of project development and management. Prime Contractor: Reagecon Diagnostics Ltd.; Shannon Country Clare; Ireland.
Das Projekt "Fast advanced cellular and ecosystems information technologies (FACEIT)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH - UFZ, Department Umweltmikrobiologie durchgeführt. Marine and freshwater ecosystems continue to be threathened by large scale pollution disasters. Such disasters are often caused by oil-related activities, but pollution nature, magnitude and site of occurrence all can be very different, with unpredictable outcome on the responses of individual organisms, the biodiversity and the functioning of the aquatic ecosystems. The FACEiT project proposes to develop rapid, cost-effective and reliable innovative measurement technologies to analyze and predict in situ population effects and ecosystems community diversity and functioning. For this purpose, FACEiT will develop in-situ pollutant monitoring technologies with semi-continuously operated microbial reporter systems, will design and test rapid methods based on unicellular planktonic viability and cell integrity, on diversity and functional responses of the whole microbial community and on multibiomarkers in organisms at higher trophic levels. FACEiT will also develop a set of state-of-the art ex-situ sample incubation analysis methods, including a multianalyte microbial reporter platform and whole genomic tests based on pollutant-induced transcriptomic and proteomic responses in microorganisms, mammalian cell lines and fish eggs. Innovative modeling approaches will focus on understanding and predicting pollutant fate in organisms, communities and the natural environment, which will be based on metabolic pathway prediction networks, physicochemical distribution processes and biota activities. All developed measurement technologies will be extensively validated on realistic samples from contaminated sites, and coherently tested in a pollution disaster scenario. Dissemination plans include various prototype developments up to market level implementation and two advanced courses for transferring FACEiT technologies and concepts to the end-user community. Prime Contractor: Universite de Lausanne; Lausanne; Switzerland.
Das Projekt "Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Hydrochemistry and Isotopic Compositions of the Groundwater and Surface Runoff in the Jordan Rift Valley (Case Study for Ramallah Jerusalem Sub-basin)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Al-Quds University Abu Deis Jerusalem durchgeführt. Since the water resources in the Middle East area is scarce, management options and optimal water allocation policies should aim at protecting the quality of these resources while making use of all the conventional and non-conventional sources. This work aims at assessing the impact of different anthropogenic and natural effluent to a part of the water cycle in the study area beginning with the precipitation in the zone of recharge in the upper mountains followed by the streams and wadis runoff and ending by the percolated groundwater from the wells and springs in the Jordan rift valley. This main objective will be achieved by an overall assessment of the potential point and non-point sources of pollution contributing to the system from different dumping sites, wastewater streams and industries. This mainly could be achieved through sampling and monitoring the main constituents in surface and groundwater spatially and temporarily. The intent is to utilize spatial and computational capabilities in this work for data evaluations and assessments, in particular for tracing the temporal and spatial trends of pollution indicators as well as the mixing of freshwater with other pollutants streams, and conceivably to post-process the general outputs from this work into a format that is readable by the related institutes in the area in an interactive manner. The outcome of this work will enable the economic and environmental assessment to optimizing the freshwater consuming in Ramallah-Jerusalem sub-basin. In addition, the environmental consequences can be realistically evaluated.
Das Projekt "Integrated project to evaluate impacts of global change on European freshwater ecosystems (EURO-LIMPACS)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Institut für Hydrobiologie und Gewässermanagement durchgeführt. Freshwater ecosystems, already under stress from land-use change and pollution, now face additional pressures from climate change, directly and through interaction with other drivers. Euro-limpacs is concerned with the science required to understand and manage the ecological consequences of these interactions. It is relevant to the EU WFD and other European and wider international directives and protocols and supports the EU's charter on Sustainable Development.Partners and focus The Project brings together a consortium of leading scientists aiming to integrate river, lake and wetland ecosystem science at the catchmentsscale. It focuses on the key drivers of aquatic ecosystem change (land-use, nutrients, acid deposition and toxic substances) and examines their interactions with global, especially climate, change using time-series analysis, space-for-time substitution, palaeolimnology, experiments and process modelling.It considers these interactions at three critical time-scales: - hours/days, concerned with changes in the magnitude and frequency of extreme events; - seasons, concerned with changes in ecosystem function and life-cycle strategies of freshwater biota; - years/decades, concerned with ecological response to environmental pressure, including stress reduction and ecosystem recovery.A central activity is the development of an innovative toolkit for integrated catchmentsanalysis and modelling to simulate hydrological, hydro chemicaland ecological processes at the catchmentsscale for use in assessing the potential impact of global change under different climate and socio-economic scenarios. A unified system of ecological indicators for monitoring freshwater ecosystem health, and new methods for defining reference conditions and restoration strategies will also be developed. These will take into account the probable impacts of future climate change and the need for a holistic approach to restoration based on habitat connectivity.
Das Projekt "Managing the Effects of Multiple Stressors on Aquatic Ecosystems under Water Scarcity (GLOBAQUA)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Agencia estatal consejo superior de investigaciones cientificas durchgeführt. Water and water-related services are major components of the human wellbeing, and as such are major factors of socio-economic development in Europe; yet freshwater systems are under threat by a variety of stressors (organic and inorganic pollution, geomorphological alterations, land cover change, water abstraction, invasive species and pathogens. Some stressors, such as water scarcity, can be a stressor on its own because of its structural character, and drive the effects of other stressors. The relevance of water scarcity as a stressor is more important in semi-arid regions, such as the Mediterranean basin, which are characterized by highly variable river flows and the occurrence of low flows. This has resulted in increases in frequency and magnitude of extreme flow events. Furthermore, in other European regions such as eastern Germany, western Poland and England, water demand exceeds water availability and water scarcity has become an important management issue. Water scarcity is most commonly associated with inappropriate water management, with resulting river flow reductions. It has become one of the most important drivers of change in freshwater ecosystems. Conjoint occurrence of a myriad of stressors (chemical, geomorphological, biological) under water scarcity will produce novel and unfamiliar synergies and most likely very pronounced effects. Within this context, GLOBAQUA has assembled a multidisciplinary team of leading scientists in the fields of hydrology, chemistry, ecology, ecotoxicology, economy, sociology, engineering and modeling in order to study the interaction of multiple stressors within the frame of strong pressure on water resources. The aim is to achieve a better understanding how current management practices and policies could be improved by identifying the main drawbacks and alternatives.
Das Projekt "RP7 Adaptive Food Production Systems and Natural Resources Management with Focus on a Changing Environment (ADFOOD)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Institut für Hydraulik und landeskulturelle Wasserwirtschaft durchgeführt. The Adaptive Food Production Systems and Natural Resources Water Management is set in a context of the appearing challenges and relevant natural processes, the water balance as well as socio/economic transformations concepts taking into account different soils, climatic conditions and land uses. Inappropriate management lead to a loss of natural resources, of organic matter, salinization, decrease of soil fertility and pollution of ground and surface fresh waters. Research efforts are necessary to allow a more sustainable exploitation of natural resources by African farmers, and support the increasing demand for locally produced food. More sustainable on site food production need to be studied, developed and implemented, which can revitalise the natural regenerative capacities of agricultural soils, reduce fresh water pollution and ensure healthy and resilient environments. Methodologies, devices and indicators, adapted to specific African situations, will be developed for monitoring and assess risk factors for natural resources like soil fertility, as well as for safe fresh water resources. Adapted innovative techniques to improve WRM and keep soil fertility at farm level need to be investigated and field-tested. The prevailing technical/scientific part of the project should be complemented by a true participatory approach by involving local stakeholders at different levels, such as farmers, local NGOs, relevant governmental organisations, as to make better and suitable use of existing potentialities and local knowledge, as well as to facilitate an easier implementation/adoption of the project's selected strategies. Studies on social processes and farmers rationales for implementing, adapting, innovating or rejecting the proposed strategies, should also be part of the project activities, as to ensure their acceptability by the end users (farmers and policy-makers) and thus producing the expected impact. A SWOT analyses is performed to identify the needs, risk and challenges (WP1) for the sustainable management at a cachtment scale and on farm level. Emphasize is given to farmers to have choices and to generate adaptive management concepts. Based on the findings concepts for adaptive management practises are promoted. The expertise of the cooperation partners ensures the coverage of this complex task.