Das Projekt "The role of turgor in rain-cracking of sweet cherry fruit" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Biologische Produktionssysteme, Fachgebiet Obstbau durchgeführt. Rain-cracking limits the production of many soft and fleshy fruit including sweet cherries world wide. Cracking is thought to result from increased water uptake through surface and pedicel. Water uptake increases fruit volume, and hence, turgor of cells (Pcell) and the pressure inside the fruit (Pfruit) and subjects the skin to tangential stress and hence, strain. When the strain exceeds the limits of extensibility the fruit cracks. This hypothesis is referred to as the Pfruit driven strain cracking. Based on this hypothesis cracking is related to two independent groups of factors: (1) water transport characteristics and (2) the intrinsic cracking susceptibility of the fruit defined as the amount of cracking per unit water uptake. The intrinsic cracking susceptibility thus reflects the mechanical constitution of the fruit. Most studies focussed on water transport through the fruit surface (factors 1), but only little information is available on the mechanical constitution (i.e., Pfruit and Pcell, tensile properties such as fracture strain, fracture pressure and modulus of elasticity of the exocarp; factors 2). The few published estimates of Pfruit in sweet cherry are all obtained indirectly (calculated from fruit water potential and osmotic potentials of juice extracts) and unrealistically high. They exceed those measured by pressure probe techniques in mature grape berry by several orders of magnitude. The objective of the proposed project is to test the hypothesis of the Pfruit driven strain cracking. Initially we will focus on establishing systems of widely differing intrinsic cracking susceptibility by varying species (sweet and sour cherry, Ribes and Vaccinium berries, plum, tomato), genotype (within sweet cherry), stage of development and temperature. These systems will then be used for testing the hypothesis of Pfruit driven strain cracking. We will quantify Pfruit und Pcell by pressure probe techniques and compression tests and the mechanical properties of the exocarp using biaxial tensile tests. When the presence of high Pfruit and Pcell is confirmed by direct measurements, subsequent studies will focus on the mode of failure of the exocarp (fracture along vs. across cell walls) and the relationship between failure thresholds and morphometric characteristics of the exocarp. However, when Pfruit und Pcell are low, the hypothesis of Pfruit driven strain cracking must be rejected and the mechanistic basis for low pressures (presence of apoplastic solutes) clarified on a temporal (in the course of development) and a spatial scale (exocarp vs. mesocarp). We focus on sweet cherry, because detailed information on this species and experience in extending the short harvest period is available. Where appropriate, other cracking susceptible species (sour cherry, plum, Vaccinium, Ribes, tomato) will be included to further extend the experimental period and to maximize the range in intrinsic cracking susceptibility.
Das Projekt "Teilprojekt 2: Akustik" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Stiftung Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung e.V. in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (AWI) durchgeführt. Diel vertical migration and geographical distribution of our target organism krill (Euphausia superba, E. crystallorophias) but also other species e.g. myctophids, copepods (Calanus propinquus, Rhincalanus gigas), and other zooplankter (salps, pteropods, chaetognaths, amphipods) are detected by means of a four-split beam acoustic array (38, 72, 120, 200 kHz). Our major questions are: Do organisms migrate daily in relation to the light field, feeding conditions and/or to the predator field? Do populations of different species and/or different developmental stages of one species segregate in certain environmental conditions or different times of the year? How does the ocean current system influence the geographical distribution of zooplankton or krill populations? Is the geographical distribution of species subject to change and if so, what are the possible causes?
Das Projekt "Developing a model for sustainable water and waste management for rural areas in Bulgaria" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg, Institut für Abwasserwirtschaft und Gewässerschutz B-2 durchgeführt. The Municipalities of Stara Zagora and Varna will be the targets for a 2,5 year project by WECF and its NGO partners from Bulgaria and the Netherlands; the Earth Forever Foundation, the Institute of Ecological Modernization and WASTE and IRC Netherlands. The project receives financial support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs MATRA programme. The Institute of Wastewater Management (TUHH) is supporting this project with respect to the introduction of ecological sanitation and extensive wastewater treatment technologies like planted soil filters. Workshops are given and technical knowledge regarding the design, construction and operation of these facilities is provided. This will help to improve the current situation in the villages and will provide an example for further distribution of appropriate wastewater management in Bulgarian villages. Currently, only a very small part of the population is connected to a central sewer system, which discharges the wastewater without any further treatment into the environment. The remaining families are depending on outdoor pit latrines, soakaways and septic tanks which are very often subject to clogging. Thus, overflowing and discharging of wastewater onto streets is a very common problem.
Das Projekt "Storage of hydrogen in hydrides" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik durchgeführt. Hydrogen is the ideal synthetic fuel to convert chemical energy into electrical energy or into motive power because it is light weight, highly abundant and its oxidation product is vapor of water. Thus its usage helps to reduce the greenhouse gases and it conserves fossile resources. There is even a clean way to produce hydrogen by electrolysis of water by means of photo voltaics (SvW06, VSM05, PMM05). There are various possibilities to store the hydrogen for later use: Liquid and gaseous hydrogen can be stored in a pressure vessel, hydrogen can be adsorped on large surface areas of solids, and finally crystal lattices of metals or other compounds can be used as the storage system, where hydrogen is dissolved either on interstitial or on regular lattice sites by substitution (SvW06, San99). The latter process and its reversal is called hydriding respectively dehydriding. The subject of this proposal is the modeling and simulation of that process. The main problem of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is likewise a storage problem, because in a rechargeable battery, both the anode and cathode do not directly take part in the electrochemical process that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, rather they act as host systems for the electron spending element, which is here lithium (Li). During the last month the applicant developed and exploited a mathematical model that is capable to capture the storage problem of an iron phosphate (FePO4) cathode, where the Li atoms are stored on interstitial lattice sites (DGJ07).
Das Projekt "Market Structure and Organization in Agri-Food Value Chains: An Application to the German Dairy Sector" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Leibniz-Institut für Agrarentwicklung in Mittel- und Osteuropa durchgeführt. The German dairy value chain is subject to profound structural change resulting in increasingly dominant agents at all stages of the chain, i.e. at the farm level, at the processors' level and at the retailers' level. In particular, the consolidation of retailers has increased retailers' bargaining power vis-à-vis their suppliers. Against this background, the overall objective of this subproject is to analyze the structural change in the dairy sector, particularly at the processors' level, by taking into account firms' strategic interactions along the entire dairy value chain. So far, there exists no theoretical workhorse model that allows for the analysis of interdependencies in a three-layer structure where imperfect competition is considered at all three stages. We aim to close this gap to understand how an increasingly dominant retail industry influences strategic decisions at the dairy processors' level which, in turn, may affect dairy farmers. Building upon a three-layer approach, we first examine whether processors have merger incentives to counter the retailers' bargaining power. We then analyze the differences between cooperatives and for-profit firms concerning their decision on product quality and the number of dairy suppliers. Finally, we assess the implications for upstream farmers which rounds off the picture of structural change in the German dairy sector.
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 "TRansitions to the Urban Water Services of Tomorrow (TRUST)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von IWW Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wasserforschung gemeinnützige GmbH durchgeführt. The European project initiative TRUST will produce knowledge and guidance to support TRansitions to Urban Water Services of Tomorrow, enabling communities to achieve sustainable, low-carbon water futures without compromising service quality. We deliver this ambition through close collaboration with problem owners in ten participating pilot city regions under changing and challenging conditions in Europe and Africa. Our work provides research driven innovations in governance, modelling concepts, technologies, decision support tools, and novel approaches to integrated water, energy, and infrastructure asset management. An extended understanding of the performance of contemporary urban water services will allow detailed exploration of transition pathways. Urban water cycle analysis will include use of an innovative systems metabolism model, derivation of key performance indicators, risk assessment, as well as broad stakeholder involvement and an analysis of public perceptions and governance modes. A number of emerging technologies in water supply, waste and storm water treatment and disposal, in water demand management and in the exploitation of alternative water sources will be analysed in terms of their cost-effectiveness, performance, safety and sustainability. Cross-cutting issues include innovations in urban asset management and water-energy nexus strengthening. The most promising interventions will be demonstrated and legitimised in the urban water systems of the ten participating pilot city regions. TRUST outcomes will be incorporated into planning guidelines and decision support tools, will be subject to life-cycle assessment, and be shaped by regulatory considerations as well as potential environmental, economic and social impacts. Outputs from the project will catalyse transformation change in both the form and management of urban water services and give utilities increased confidence to specify innovative solutions to a range of pressing challenges.
Das Projekt "Assessment of satellite constellations for monitoring the variations in earth s gravity field" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Stuttgart, Geodätisches Institut durchgeführt. More than a decade has passed since the launch of the GRACE satellite mission. Although designed for a nominal mission lifetime of 5 years, it still provides valuable science data. An eventual systems failure and, thus, mission termination is expected any time soon, though. Despite a relative low spatial and temporal resolution, the monthly gravity fields have proved an invaluable and novel parameter set in several geoscience disciplines, allowing new research venues in the study of Global Change phenomena. The hydrological cycle is now subject to quantification at continental scales; the state of the cryosphere, particularly ice sheet melting over Greenland and Antarctica, can be monitored; and steric effects of sea-level change have become separable from non-steric ones. The enormous success of the mission has driven the need for continuation of monitoring mass changes in the Earth system. Indeed, a GRACE Follow-On (GFO) mission has been approved for launch in August 2017. Like its predecessor it will consist of two satellites flying en echelon with intersatellite K-Band ranging as the main gravitational sensor. Despite a number of planned technological improvements, including a laser link as demonstrator, GFO will mostly be based on GRACE heritage. Given a similar orbit configuration and a similar systems setup, the quality of eventual gravity field products can be expected to be in the same range as the current GRACE products. To guarantee the continuation of such successful gravity field time series ESA has embarked several years ago on a long term strategy for future gravity field satellite missions, both in terms of technology development and in terms of consolidating the user community. Scientists from academia and industry held a workshop on The Future of Satellite Gravimetry at ESTEC premises, 12-13 April 2007, (RD-9). Similar workshops have been organized by other organizations, e.g. the joint GGOS/IGCP565 workshop Towards a Roadmap for Future Satellite Gravity Missions in Graz, September 30 - October 2, 2009. ESA furthermore played a key role in consolidating the international user community by funding a series of study projects, cf. (RD-1) to (RD-5). Similar projects have been funded and conducted at national level, e.g. the German BMBF-funded Geotechnologies III project Concepts for future gravity field satellite missions (PI: N. Sneeuw). These studies, together with GRACE experience, have provided a clear understanding of the current limitations of a GRACE-type mission. In particular the limitations in sampling and sensitivity of a single pair of satellites with in-orbit in-line sensitivity are well documented. At the same time, these studies have shown the design options and a roadmap towards a next generation gravity field mission.
Das Projekt "Beach sand deposits on the coast of southern Norway as a natural experimental setup to test hypotheses on soil development and luminescence dating" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Bodenkunde und Standortslehre durchgeführt. Beach sand deposits are widespread in the area around Sandefjord, at the western coast of the Oslofjord, southern Norway. The age of the deposits continuously increases with elevation, as the area has been subject to steady glacio-isostatic uplift throughout the Holocene. Existing local sea level curves provide age control related to elevation. Thus, the area offers excellent conditions to test hypotheses on soil formation and OSL dating. A chronosequence covering the last 10 000 years will be established. A preliminary study showed that soil formation leads to Podzols within 4300 - 6600 years. Micromorphological analyses suggest that clay illuviation takes place before and below podzolisation. It is hypothesised that clay translocation goes on contemporarily with podzolisation, but at greater soil depth, where the chemical conditions are suitable. This hypothesis will be proved by more detailed micromorphological investigation and chemical analyses. The factors controlling soil forming processes and their rates, will be determined by analyzing elemental composition, primary minerals and clay mineralogy. Preliminary OSL dating tests suggest that the beach sand deposits are OSL dateable despite the high latitude. This hypothesis will be checked by comparing OSL datings to ages derived from the 14C-based sea level curves.
Das Projekt "Spatiotemporal dynamics of biogenic Si pools in initial soils and their relevance for desilication" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e.V., Institut für Bodenlandschaftsforschung durchgeführt. The project has the objective to clarify the interactions between dynamics of biogenic Si pools and desilication rates in transient soil systems. This will be the first attempt ever to quantify sizes and turnover dynamics of both phytogenic and zoogenic Si pools in soils at the same time, together with the controls acting on them. Starting with a characterization of soils initial state at catchment scale we will analyze the annual SiO2 production of the vegetation as a function of (i) spatial distribution of plant available Si in soils as well as (ii) dynamics of invading Si accumulators. To do so we will employ modern remote sensing techniques (UAV). After four vegetation periods, changes in soils phytogenic Si pool will be compared to cumulative SiO2 production of Si accumulators by mass balance calculations. Using plot scale manipulation experiments we will elucidate the influence of an increasing phytogenic Si pool on desilication rates. At four sites annual Si exports via soil solution will be determined under pure stands of both, Si accumulator and non-accumulator plants. Plant SiO2 will be subjected to dissolution experiments to yield mechanistic information necessary for the development of algorithms to model observed desilication rates. The dynamics of the zoogenic Si pool (testate amoebae) in soil will be quantified as a function of plant pattern dynamics at catchment scale. For the first time, the attempt will be made to quantify the zoogenic Si pool size by analyzing living and dead amoebae with Energy-dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy combined with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX). The factors controlling testate amoebae densities will be identified in plot and lab experiments. We will test the presumed carbon, water / nutrient and Si limitation on amoebal growth at plot scale using a completely randomized block design. The influence of silica supply on testate amoebae (idiosome growth) will be clarified in lab experiments under controlled conditions (clonal cultures).
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