Das Projekt B1 'Allometrie und Raumbesetzung von krautigen und holzigen Pflanzen' ist Teil des Sonderforschungsbereiches 607 Wachstum und Parasitenabwehr und befindet sich bereits in der vierten Phase des seit 1998 laufenden Forschungsprojektes. Bisher wurde im Projekt B1 die Allometrie als Resultat der pflanzeninternen Steuerung der Allokation untersucht. Auf Individuenebene wurden Allometrie und ihre Veränderung für verschiedene Baumarten in verschiedenen ontogenetischen Stadien untersucht. Auf Bestandesebene wurden die self-thinning-Linien von Yoda und Reineke für krautige bzw. holzige Pflanzenbestände analysiert. Bisherige Allometriebestimmungen erbrachten für diese Arten zwar ähnliche Größenordnung aber auch charakteristische Unterschiede, die Ausdruck spezifischer Strategien der Raumbesetzung und -ausbeutung widerspiegeln. Die bisher vereinzelten Auswertungen sollen in Phase IV in eine übergreifende Analyse (versch. Arten, ontogenetische Stadien, Konkurrenzsituationen, Störfaktoren) der Allometrie auf Pflanzen- und Bestandesebene münden.
The aim of the current research is to identify regional sources and trans-boundary flow leading to the observed salinity of Lake Tiberias (LT) -also known as the Sea of Galilee or Lake Kinneret-, and its surroundings, which is considered the only natural surface fresh water reservoir of the area. The current study will include all sources of brines in the Tiberias Basin (TB) with specific emphasis of the relationship between the brines from the Ha'on and Tiberias Regions (HTR).The tasks will be achieved by a multidisciplinary approach involving: (i) numerical modelling of density-driven flow processes (i.e., coupled heat and dissolution of evaporites), (ii) hydrochemical studies, supplemented by investigations of subsurface structures.(i) Numerical modelling will be carried out by applying the commercial software FEFLOW® (WASY, GmbH) complemented with the open source code OpenGeoSys developed at the UFZ of Leipzig (Wang et al., 2009). The final goal is to build a 3D regional-scale model of density-driven flow that will result in: (1) revealing the different interactions between fresh groundwater and natural salinity sources (2) elucidate the driving mechanisms of natural brines and brackish water body's movements.(ii) Hydrochemical study will include major, minor and, if possible, rare earth elements (REE) as well as isotope studies. The samples will be analysed at the FU Berlin and UFZ Halle laboratories. Geochemical data interpretation and inverse modelling will be supported by PHREEQC. Hydrochemical field investigations will be carried out in Tiberias basin and its enclosing heights, i.e. the Golan, Eastern Galilee and northern Ajloun in order to search for indications of the presence of deep, relic saline groundwater infested by the inferred Ha'on mother-brine. The current approaches will be supplemented by seismic and statistical data analysis as well as GIS software applications for the definition of the subsurface structures. The key research challenges are: building a 3D structural model of selected regions of TB, adapting both structural and hydrochemical data to the numerical requirements of the model; calibrating the 3D regional-scale model with observational data. The results of this work are expected to establish suitable water-management strategies for the exploitation of freshwater from the lake and from the adjacent aquifers while reducing salinization processes induced by both local and regional brines.
Die Erkennung von Veränderungen der Landbedeckung der Erdoberfläche auf der Basis von satellitengestützten Fernerkundungsdaten ist seit Jahrzehnten ein sehr aktives Forschungsfeld. Das Ziel des Landschaftsveränderungsdiensts ist es, freie Copernicus-Satellitendaten für eine automatische Ableitung von Landbedeckungsänderungen zu nutzen und diese Informationen regelmäßig für einzelne Landschaftselemente (z.B. für Waldgebiete, Wasserflächen, Landwirtschaftsflächen usw.) über einen Web Service bereitzustellen. Copernicus Daten eignen sich aufgrund der hohen zeitlichen (ca. 3-5 Tage, je nach Sensor) und mittleren räumlichen Auflösung (ab 10m) ideal für eine regelmäßige bundesweite flächendeckende Analyse der Landbedeckung. Um eine hohe Bearbeitungsleistung zu erreichen wird die 'Copernicus Data and Exploitation Platform - Deutschland' (CODE-DE) für die Datenverarbeitung und -analyse genutzt. Es können aktuelle und konsistenteste Informationen über Landdeckungsänderungen abgeleitet werden, um kontinuierlich Geodaten in einer einheitlichen Qualität zu pflegen (siehe Abbildung 1). Andererseits können die gewonnenen Informationen genutzt werden, um statistisch relevante Geoinformationen zur quantitativen Beschreibung der UN-SDG-Indikatoren zu extrahieren. Die 2015 verabschiedete Agenda 2030 mit 17 Entwicklungszielen (SDG) und 169 Unterzielen verknüpft das Prinzip der Nachhaltigkeit mit der ökonomischen, ökologischen und sozialen Entwicklung. Die Umsetzung erfordert einen soliden Überprüfungsmechanismus. Dieser soll durch eine regemäßige nationale Erfassung von ca. 200 definierten UN-SDG-Indikatoren erfolgen, mit dem Ziel Fortschritte zu monitoren und die Politik zu informieren.
The research, development and demonstration activities planned for the ERG project focus on the solar energy supply chain, starting form solar cells and proceeding along with innovative energy extraction (harvesting) techniques, high efficiency power conversion and finally managing the energy distribution inside a smart grid, with the target of different classes of applications, from house to small area, as well as application specific 'local grid' (healthcare, automotive, etc). By considering the full solar energy supply chain, we expect to produce relevant improvements of the industrial state-of-the-art in the efficiency of solar cells, in the optimization of energy generated by photovoltaic systems, in the loss reduction of power converters and, finally, in energy management strategy. At the initial chain-link of the energy value chain, the project aims to design and develop a set of innovative solar cells. In particular we primarily target the development of ultra-thin (20 micron) Si wafer PV cells, Si hetero-junction cells (tandem/multi-junction and hetero-junction contacts), novel architectures (e.g., back-contact), novel materials (for Si hetero-junctions, ARC, and passivation dielectrics), novel approaches for screen printing and laser processing, with focus to the case of back-contact cells. As a promising low-cost alternative to Si, ERG will pursue the goal of totally printable dye-sensitized-solar-cells (DSSC). This will include (a) printable electrolyte (to replace liquid electrolyte), (b) advanced TiO2 electrode, and (c) counter electrode (to meet high performance DSSC applications). The overall objective is to demonstrate DSSC products for commercial applications. The next downward chain-link addressed by the project deals with optimization of the energy generated by photovoltaic systems by focusing on power management electronics for silicon cell panels and on micro electromechanical systems for Concentrated Photovoltaic cells (CPV). The complete supply chains will be considered for optimum energy exploitation by Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) and power conversion on module / segment levels for PV and also CPV solar generators. The architecture study will elaborate different profiles of end-users, including direct grid connection, energy storage option and E-mobility support. As the final chain-link is concerned, the project will develop behavioural models for the individual components of the 'Smart Grid'. This allows the development of optimal energy dispatching and battery charging algorithms. These algorithms will obtain their input from sensors distributed over the network, with typically, but not exclusive, a wireless communication infrastructure. A full set of demonstrators, including innovative PV cells, novel conversion systems for PV and CPV inverters, and network demonstrators based on a household application and an industrial application will complete the project deliverables.
PROMISE strives for multidimensional networking thus fostering integration. The primary strategic objective of PROMISE is to improve and increase the integration, collaboration and knowledge transfer between the new member states, old member states (EU15) and candidate countries through a collaborative workplan of exchange of expertise and regional training and dissemination actions, to tackle common food safety threats. PROMISE strives for sustainability through involvement of risk communicators. A further strategic objective is to integrate stakeholders like public health authorities and national food safety authorities from the old and new member countries in order to ensure the exploitation of research results into standardisation and harmonisation efforts. PROMISE will enhance the knowledge on pathogen transmission. While legal imports are well monitored for contamination and alerts are registered through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed RASFF notification systems, gates into the EU-27 could exist where food supply chains are not controllled. These uncontrolled imports present the risk that new strains of traditional pathogens will be transferred from third countries into the European Union. Analysing, assessing and interpreting this risk of introducing new strains of pathogens is one of the main objectives of PROMISE.
Fire is an important ecological factor of disturbance in African tropical ecosystems, driving vegetation dynamics and regulating nutrient cycling and biomass. The significance of wildfires for future environmental processes is underlined by recent projections of global warming, which predict more frequent and more intense extremes of natural events. Particularly in East Africa, where population growth and natural resource exploitation are among the highest in the world, strategies for sustainable economic development will have to deal with environmental changes at regional to continental scales. Understanding such complex responses to global change requires long-term records, since only they provide a way to observe the response of ecosystems to large-magnitude environmental change on decadal and longer time scales. We use high-resolution charcoal data from lake-sediment cores to reconstruct past fire/climate/human interactions in East Africa, aiming in particular 1) to understand how the fire regime influenced vegetation dynamics during the last millennia in savannah-type and sub-humid tropical ecosystems, 2) to test whether changes in fire regime are coupled with episodes of past climatic extremes inferred from the available sedimentological data, and 3) to detect early human deforestation and the timing of increased fire frequencies beyond its natural variability. Additionally, we will apply novel techniques such as molecular markers (benzene polycarboxylic acids, BPCAs) to complement the standard sedimentary approaches to reconstruct Holocene fire history. The proposed research addresses new, highly relevant questions for today's key issue of sustainability (economic development, natural resource management, adaptation of vulnerable communities to global change). Additionally, it will contribute with new high-quality data to ongoing multi-proxy research concerning the magnitude, frequency, and rates of past climate change in equatorial East Africa. Finally, the project will contribute to our understanding of tropical ecosystem functioning and its interaction with regional, cultural, and economic systems.
Objective: The EU has invested considerable resources over the last decade to support the development of water technologies. As it often is the case with innovative technologies, there are currently few resources to pursue this process in the needed scale, and the uptake potential of water technologies and other environmental technologies resulting from EU-funded research seems limited due to insufficient awareness of their developments and the opportunities they offer. Raising awareness among researchers, policy makers, businessmen and industries, as well as the large public, young people in particular is paramount to the full exploitation of these technologies which are able to boost economic growth and social welfare. The STREAM project intends to tackle this issue by bringing water technologies to the interest of potential uptakers through a diversified series of dissemination and communication actions tailored to the needs of the different categories of stakeholders. These include Policy Seminars to be held in 3 different countries and also streamed online, a Final Symposium at the European Parliament in Brussels, 2 Summer Schools, e-learning courses, audiovisual materials, including videos and interviews, webinars for research events and participation in sectorial events. A web platform will be set up from the very start of the project serving as a repository for all its activities and for the updated documentation material on latest research and policy progress in the field of water. A group of highly qualified actors need to be involved in such an ambitious proposal to perform all variety of activities foreseen: STREAM consortium gathers partners with specific capabilities and backgrounds and established relations in the field, like specialists in water issues, experts in communicating science and carrying out innovative dissemination activities to transfer the knowledge gathered to the target audiences.
Objective: The constitution of the common European market is accompanied by continuously increasing cross-border goods and passenger traffic. Road transportation is facing a rapidly increasing congestion whilein the contrary the available capacities in railway transportation as well as inland waterwaytransportation are being underutilised. A redistribution of the carriage of goods is urgently needed, but up to now the most important obstacles consists in the incompatible interfaces between the various carriers and the diversity of loading devices being used in the EU. Main objective of the project is the development of new intermodal loading units including devices (ISO-bulk container and Roll-off container), capable adaptors and mobile fixtures suitable for the trimodal transport of bulk and packaged goods at road, railway and inland waterways. Essential element of the project is the design and integration of innovative adaptors for lifting and shifting operations of the loading units. This will lead to an optimum on intermodal compatibility. The goals are in conformity with the aims of the Specific Programme 'Sustainable Surface Transport', research domain 3.16. 'Development of equipment for fast loading / unloading of intermodal transport units'. By application of the new loading units the logistic chain can be set up without changing the loading unit throughout the whole door-to-door transport process. The transhipping procedures do not require crane technology any more and the costs will be reduced substantially. The uniformity of the specialinternal features as well as the compliance with the ISO-container dimensions will contribute to the harmonisation of loading units. The projects includes the development of containers, adaptors and mobile units, test and demonstration of two prototypes and dissemination and exploitation of the results. The consortium consists of ten partner with six SMEs from five countries (G, HU, CH, A,CR)
For centuries sophisticated oasis agriculture and ocean fishery provided the living of the sedentary population in the mountainous desert country of Oman. Since the early 1970s, the country's political opening and commercial oil exploitation led to fundamental changes in the conditions for agricultural production. Being part of an interdisciplinary programme comprising research in social and natural sciences, the overall aim of this subproject is to quantify the bio-physical processes and socio-economic variables that determine the current crop-livestock husbandry in Omani mountain oasis settlements. To this end, nutrient and water use efficiencies in the cropping system are determined along with feeding strategies in livestock husbandry, labour needs and financial in- and outputs related to the various activities. Through bio-economic modelling land use options that are biologically and economically sustainable are identified and scenarios are developed for a socially acceptable future agricultural use of the millennia-old terrace systems with their high cultural value.
The major problems regarding biomass combustion are still the NOx and CO emissions, especially when the fuel becomes more diverse (high peaks during transients). The continuously changing fuel composition, the non-linearity of the process and the multi variability of the process makes it difficult to decrease the emissions further. Therefore classical control strategies are no longer effective. In order to improve the actual process control system, advanced control technologies based upon process models are needed. To achieve this goal static models have to be integrated with dynamic models. At present, no satisfying tools are available to describe the NOx formation in the fuel layer and the gas phase. Therefore, an extensive study on fuel layer and gas phase NOx formation mechanisms will be performed. The developed mechanisms will be integrated in a CFD combustion model and a static fuel layer model in order to be able to minimise the CO and NOx emission. Based upon experimental work and plant data, a new grate will be designed. A dynamic furnace model is developed for biomass combustion. Special measurements techniques will be used to gather actual plant data (2 plants, diverse fuels) to validate the models. The stochastic characteristics of the fuel will be revealed, which is used together with the dynamic model to investigate the disturbance rejection capacity of the plant. All information will be used to develop new control concepts and to design new combustion systems also from a dynamic point of view. These will be tested in an installation. The environmental survey of the influence of the proposed technology, a market analysis, information dissemination and exploitation strategies will be carried out.
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