API src

Found 574 results.

Related terms

SO2 IN AIR

Das Projekt "SO2 IN AIR" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Messer-Griesheim GmbH durchgeführt. Community Directive 80/779/EEC specifies maximum permissible levels of sulphur dioxide in the ambient air. Intercomparisons organized by DG XI in support of the implementation of this Directive have shown differences in excess of 10 percent between central laboratories and in excess of 30 percent between network monitors. The aim of the project was to improve the analytical technique and agreement between results. STATUS: In the first intercomparison the values obtained ranged from 78 to 94 nmol/mol. In the final stage the sampling procedure had been improved (dead volume minimised, length of sampling line minimised, sufficient equilibration time). All laboratories agreed to within a range of 4 nmol/mol. Prime Contractor: L'Air Liquide Belge, Schelle, BE.

UBA EU-ETS-Handbuch

Das Projekt "UBA EU-ETS-Handbuch" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Öko-Institut. Institut für angewandte Ökologie e.V. durchgeführt. Die Berichterstattung zur Emissionsentwicklung ist eine wichtige Säule der Klimapolitik. Sie ermöglicht zum einen den Fortschritt in Bezug auf die Klimaziele zu messen. Zum anderen kann die Wirksamkeit bestimmter Maßnahmen nur mit entsprechenden Daten beurteilt werden: Historische Daten sind für die Ex-post-Evaluierung unabdingbar, für die Ex-ante-Abschätzung kommen projizierte Daten und Modellierungsergebnisse dazu. Die verschiedenen Berichte/Datenquellen unterscheiden sich sowohl in Bezug auf den abgedeckten Zeitraum, die erfassten Emissionen sowie die verwendeten Klassifikationssysteme. Daher ist ein Vergleich der Daten und Datenkonzepte nicht immer leicht möglich. Ziel dieses Handbuchs ist es die Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede der Datenkonzepte darzustellen und dadurch die Auswertungen zum stationären EU-Emissionshandel (EU-ETS) zu verbessern. Im Handbuch werden die Datenkonzepte im EU-ETS in Deutschland und der EU dargestellt. Die Abgrenzung des Emissionshandelssektors in anderen Berichtskategorien werden für das Treibhausgasinventar und im Vergleich zur Klassifikation der Wirtschaftszweige herausgearbeitet.

Task 2.1: Peatland synthesis

Das Projekt "Task 2.1: Peatland synthesis" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf, Zentrum für Forschung und Wissenstransfer, Institut für Ökologie und Landschaft durchgeführt. The GHG-Europe project aims to improve our understanding and capacity for predicting the European terrestrial carbon and greenhouse gas budget. More than 50 % of the European land surface is used for agricultural and forestry production. Land management directly impacts the terrestrial sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In the view of climate change it is crucial to know the amount of GHGs released into the atmosphere by anthropogenic activities. But also natural drivers such as climate variability influence the GHG balance of European ecosystems. The attribution of GHG emissions to anthropogenic and natural drivers is the ultimate challenge tackled in the GHG-Europe project and is the precondition to assess the potential for GHG reduction from agriculture and forestry in Europe.

B 2.3: Transport of agrochemicals in a watershed in Northern Thailand - Phase 3

Das Projekt "B 2.3: Transport of agrochemicals in a watershed in Northern Thailand - Phase 3" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Bodenkunde und Standortslehre, Fachgebiet Biogeophysik durchgeführt. Land use changes of the last decades in the mountainous regions of Northern Thailand have been accompanied by an increased input of agrochemicals, which might be transferred to rivers by surface and/or subsurface flow. Where the river water is used for household consumption, irrigation and other purposes, agrochemical losses pose a serious risk to the environment and food safety. In the first and the second phase, subproject B2 collected data on and gained knowledge of the vertical and lateral transport processes that govern the environmental fate of selected agrochemicals at the plot and the hillslope scale (Ciglasch et al., 2005; Kahl et al., 2006). In the third phase, B2.3 will turn from the hillslope to the watershed scale. For simulation of water flow and pesticide transport the SWAT model (Neitsch et al., 2002b) will be adapted and used. The study area will be the Mae Sa watershed (138 km2), which includes the Mae Sa Noi subcatchment where B2 carried out detailed investigations during the last two phases. The specific focus of the subproject will be the parameterization and calibration of the SWAT model and its integration into the model network of the SFB. The SFB database has been established and can be used for model parameterization. In addition, high-quality geo-data are available from the Geoinformatic and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) in Chiang Mai. For model calibration, discharge measurements are available for the Mae Sa Noi subcatchment (12 km2) and for the neighboring Mae Nai subcatchment (18 km2). To collect data on the Mae Sa watershed discharge, at the very beginning of the third phase gauging stations will be established in a midstream position and at the outlet of the watershed. Pesticide fluxes will be measured at each gauging station as well as in the Mae Sa Noi subcatchment, where B2.2 has operated two flumes equipped with automatic discharge-proportional water samplers since 2004. Rainfall distribution and intensity will be monitored with a net of automatic rain gauges. Hydrograph separation will be performed using soil and river temperatures (Kobayashi et al., 1999). Within the watershed temperature loggers will be installed at different soil depths to measure the temperature of the different discharge components. Already at the beginning of the second year of the third phase we will start to couple the SWAT model with land use and farm household models of the SFB and to use the model to assess the effect of land use and land management changes on the loss of pesticides to surface waters.

Clean Sky Technology Eco Design (Clean Sky ECO)

Das Projekt "Clean Sky Technology Eco Design (Clean Sky ECO)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH durchgeführt. The Eco-Design ITD (ED-ITD) gathers and structures from one side activities concerned specifically with development of new material and process technologies and demonstration on airframe and rotorcraft related parts stressing the ecolonomic aspects of such new technologies; from the other side, activities related to the All Electrical Aircraft concept related to small aircraft. ED-ITD is directly focused on the last ACARE goal: 'To make substantial progress in reducing the environmental impact of the manufacture, maintenance and disposal of aircraft and related products'. Reduction of environmental impacts during out of operation phases of the aircraft lifecycle can be estimated to around 20 % reduction of the total amount of the CO2 emitted by all the processes (direct emissions and indirect emissions i.e. produced when producing the energy) and 15 % of the total amount of the energy used by all the processes. In addition, expected benefit brought by the All Electric Aircraft concept to be highlighted through the conceptual aircraft defined in the vehicle ITDs is estimated to around 2% fuel consumption reduction due to mass benefits and better energy management. The status of the global fleet in the year 2000 constitutes the baseline against which achievements will be assessed. Progress toward these goals will result not only from ED internal activities but also from the collaboration with the relevant cross-cutting activities in GRA , GRC, SFWA (business jet platform) and SGO (electrical systems).

Water and global Change (WATCH)

Das Projekt "Water and global Change (WATCH)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung e.V. durchgeführt. Der globale Wasserkreislauf ist ein integraler Teil des Erdsystems. Er spielt eine zentrale Rolle in der globalen atmosphärischen Zirkulation, kontrolliert den globalen Energiekreislauf (mittels der latenten Wärme) und hat einen starken Einfluss auf die Kreisläufe von Kohlenstoff, Nährstoffen und Sedimenten. Global gesehen ist das Angebot an Frischwasser bei weitem größer als die menschlichen Bedürfnisse. Allerdings ist davon auszugehen, dass gegen Ende des 21. Jahrhunderts diese Bedürfnisse die gleiche Größenordnung erreichen werden wie das gesamte verfügbare Wasser. Für diverse Regionen jedoch übersteigt der Wasserbedarf (u.a. für die Landwirtschaft sowie die Nutzung in der Industrie und in den Haushalten) schon heute das regionale Angebot. Ansteigende CO2-Konzentrationen und Temperaturen führen zu einer Intensivierung des globalen Wasserkreislaufs und somit zu einem generellen Anstieg von Niederschlag, Abfluss und Verdunstung. Obwohl die Vorhersagen von zukünftigen Niederschlagsänderungen relativ unsicher sind, gibt es deutliche Hinweise, dass einige Regionen, wie z.B. der Mittelmeerraum, mit einer Abnahme des Niederschlags zu rechnen haben, während in einigen äquatornahen Regionen, wie z.B. Indien und der Sahelzone, der Niederschlag zunehmen wird. Hinzu kommt, dass sich auch jahreszeitliche Verläufe ändern könnten, die neue und manchmal auch unerwartete Probleme und Schäden verursachen können. Eine Intensivierung des Wasserkreislaufs bedeutet wahrscheinlich auch einen Anstieg in dessen Extremen, d.h. vor allem Überschwemmungen und Dürren. Es gibt Vermutungen, dass sich auch die interannuale Variabilität erhöhen wird und zwar einhergehend mit einer Intensivierung der El Nino und NAO-Zyklen, was zu mehr Dürren und großskaligen Hochwassersituationen führen würde. Diese Zyklen sind globale Phänomene, die diverse Regionen gleichzeitig beeinflussen, wenngleich dies oft auf verschiedene Art und Weise passiert.

E 4.1: Quality and food safety issues in markets for high-value products in Thailand and Vietnam

Das Projekt "E 4.1: Quality and food safety issues in markets for high-value products in Thailand and Vietnam" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Agrar- und Sozialökonomie in den Tropen und Subtropen durchgeführt. The production and marketing of high-value agricultural commodities - such as fruits, vegetables, and livestock products - has been an important source of cash income for small-scale farmers in the northern mountainous regions of Thailand and Vietnam. However, against the background of recent free trade agreements and market liberalization, there is increasing national and international competition, partly leading to significant price decreases. Given structural disadvantages of farmers in northern Thailand and Vietnam, it will be very difficult for them to achieve and maintain a competitive position in markets for undifferentiated high-value products. Therefore, product differentiation - in terms of health attributes (e.g., low-pesticide residues, free from diseases and pathogens), taste (e.g., indigenous livestock breeds), time (e.g., off-season production), or processing characteristics (e.g., packaging, drying, canning) - could be a promising alternative. Quality and safety attributes play an increasing role in domestic and international food trade. The additional value generated could lead to sustainable income growth in the small farm sector, but this potential will only materialize when appropriate institutional mechanisms help reduce transaction costs and allow a fair distribution of benefits. This subproject seeks to analyze how the production and marketing of high-value agricultural products with quality and safety attributes can contribute to pro-poor development in northern Thailand and Vietnam. Quality and safety attributes can only generate value when they directly respond to consumer demand. Furthermore, since they are often credence attributes, the product identity has to be preserved from farm to fork. Therefore, the analysis will cover the whole supply chain, from agricultural production to final household consumption. Interview-based surveys of farmers, intermediate agents, and consumers will be carried out in Thailand, and to a limited extent also in Vietnam. The data will be analyzed econometrically with regard to the structure of high-value markets, trends and their determinants, and efficiency and equity implications of different institutional arrangements (e.g., contract agriculture, supermarket procurement). Since in northern Vietnam, the marketing of high-value products is a relatively recent activity, markets for more traditional crops will be analyzed as well, to better understand the linkages between different cash-earning activities in the semi-subsistent farm households. Apart from their direct policy relevance, the results will contribute to the broader research direction of the economics of high-value agricultural markets in developing countries. Moreover, they will generate useful information for other subprojects of the Uplands Program.

E 1.2: Multi-layer drying models for optimising high value crop drying in small scale food industries

Das Projekt "E 1.2: Multi-layer drying models for optimising high value crop drying in small scale food industries" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Agrartechnik, Fachgebiet Agrartechnik in den Tropen und Subtropen durchgeführt. Fruit tree cultivation is a suitable option for erosion control in mountainous regions of Southeast Asia. However, seasonal overproduction and insufficient access to markets can cause economic losses. The possibility of processing fruits locally could contribute considerably to increase and stabilize farm income. Currently, fruit drying methods in these areas are yielding products of inferior quality. Pre-treatments such as sulphurizing are commonly used, but can make the product undesirable for international markets. In addition, high energy requirements increase production costs significantly. Therefore, the objective of subproject E1.2 is to optimize the drying process of small-scale fruit processing industries in terms of dryer capacity, energy consumption and efficiency and end product quality. During SFB-phase II in E1.1, drying fundamentals for the key fruits mango, litchi and longan were established. In laboratory experiments, impacts of drying parameters on quality were investigated and numerical single-layer models for simulation of drying kinetics have been designed. In SFB-phase III this knowledge will be expanded with the aim of optimizing practical drying processes. Therefore, the single-layer models will be extended to multi-layer models for simulating bulk-drying conditions. The Finite Element Method (FEM) will be adapted to calculate heat and mass transfer processes. Thermodynamic behavior of batch and tray dryers will be simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. Drying facilities will be optimized by systematic parameter variation. For reduction of energy costs, the potential of solar energy and biomass will be investigated in particular. Further research approaches are resulting from cooperation with other subprojects. A mechanic-enzymatic peeling method will be jointly used with E2.3 for studying the drying behavior of peeled litchi and longan fruits. Furthermore, a fruit maturity sensor based on Acoustic Resonance Spectroscopy (ARS) will be developed in cooperation with E2.3 and B3.2. Finally, an internet platform will be built for exchange of farmer-processor information about harvest time and quantities to increase utilization of the processing facilities.

B 4.1: Land vulnerability and land suitability analysis in Northern Vietnam

Das Projekt "B 4.1: Land vulnerability and land suitability analysis in Northern Vietnam" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Bodenkunde und Standortslehre durchgeführt. As populations are steadily increasing in VN, farming land becomes scarce and new areas are opened up for cultivation, mainly in mountainous regions. On the fragile steep slopes deforestation and soil erosion are the well-known consequences. Land use in Yen Chau District, the study area in Son La, has significantly changed in the last decades. Until now, mainly soil degradation is reported on upland fields, but also soil erosion is increasing, both decreasing crop yields. In this project a database for topography, land use and soil properties within two subcatchments in Yen Chau will be created. The main goal of the project will be to carry out land suitability analysis and land vulnerability analysis, based on the data stored in the database, to provide tools for future sustainable land use planning. For this, a broad approach is intended by assessing land suitability for various crops, fruit trees and livestock production as well as to work out land vulnerability of the research area based on soil characteristics and topographic situation. The land suitability and vulnerability analysis will be carried out with the adopted SOTER (Soil and Terrain) approach. Normally used for a 1:500000 scale the SOTER technology will be developed for a 1:50.000 scale for two subcatchments. This is especially necessary because the closely cooperating projects C4.1 (Land use modelling), B5.1 (Water quality analysis) and G1.2 (Sustainability strategies) will rely on the spatial data of this scale. A totally new objective will be attempted by breaking down the SOTER technology to a scale of 1:5.000 for a village area in one of the selected subcatchments to regard the typical small-scale land use mosaic of a village area. Only with this scale the typical small scale land use mosaic of a village area can relatively precisely be mapped taking settlement areas, fish ponds, homegardens, fields, pastures, forests and scrubland as well as streams and creeks into account. With this approach it will be the first time possible to evaluate agricultural production on a village level using the SOTER technology. The SOTER database will be used with algorithms and soil transfer functions in order to derive soil suitability and soil vulnerability of certain areas. For the suitability analysis of different crops mainly the static approach for water regime, nutrient regime and potential root zone will be generated. As an important tool for decision making the erosion hazards due to water and especially gravity has to be visualized. As participatory soil mapping provides valuable additional information for land use evaluation and potential planning, this approach will be integrated on both the subcatchment and the village level in joint cooperation with A1.3 (Participatory Research). Finally, land use scenarios regarding different factors, e.g. change of cropping patterns, introduction of fruit trees, intensification of fish production or changes in market access, will be modelled.

AZV Project West Greenland

Das Projekt "AZV Project West Greenland" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Münster, Institut für Ökologie der Pflanzen durchgeführt. The AZV (Altitudinal Zonation of Vegetation) Project was initiated in the year 2002. On the basis of a detailed regional study in continental West Greenland the knowledge about altitudinal vegetation zonation in the Arctic is aimed to be enhanced. The main objectives of the project are: a) considering the regional study: characterize mountain vegetation with regard to flora, vegetation types, vegetation pattern and habitat conditions, investigate the differentiation of these vegetation characteristics along the altitudinal gradient, develop concepts about altitudinal indicator values of species and plant communities, extract suitable characteristics for the distinction and delimitation of vegetation belts, assess altitudinal borderlines of vegetation belts in the study area. b) considering generalizations: test the validity of the altitudinal zonation hypothesis of the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map ( CAVM Team 2003), find important determinants of altitudinal vegetation zonation in the Arctic, develop a first small scale vegetation map of entire continental West Greenland. Field work consists of vegetational surveys according to the Braun-Blanquet approach, transect studies, soil analyses, long-time-measurements of temperature on the soil surface and vegetation mapping in three different altitudinal vegetation belts (up to 1070 m a.s.l.).

1 2 3 4 5 … 56 57 58