In recent years science has taken an increased interest in mineralization processes in tropical soils in particular under minimal tillage operations. Plant litter quality and management strongly affect mineralization-nitrification processes in soil and hence the fate of nitrogen in ecosystems and the environment. Plant secondary metabolites like lignin and polyphenols are poorly degradable and interact with proteins (protein binding capacity) and hence protect them from microbial attack. Nitrification, a microbiological process, directly and indirectly influences the efficiency of recovery of N in the vegetation as well as the loss of N (through denitrification and leaching) causing environmental pollution to water bodies and contributes to global warming (e.g. the greenhouse gas N2O is emitted as a by-product of nitrification and denitrification). Nitrifiers comprise a relatively narrow species diversity (at least as known to date) and are generally thought to be sensitive to low soil pH and stress. Despite these properties nitrification occurs in acid tropical soils with high levels of aluminium and manganese. Thus the main objective of the project will be the identification of micro-organisms and mechanisms responsible for mineralization-nitrification processes in acid tropical soils and the influence of long-term litter input of different chemical qualities and minimal tillage options. The project will include the use of stable isotopes (15N, 13C), mass spectrometry, gas chromatography (CO2, N2O), biochemical methods (PLFA) and molecular biology (16s rRNA., PCR, DGGE)
In dem Vorhaben wird untersucht, wie wirksam die absorbierte Lichtenergie in Biomasse konvertiert wird. Vergleichend werden Grünalgen und Diatomeen unter verschiedenen Licht- und Nährstoffbedingungen studiert. Auf diese Weise können die metabolischen Kosten unter Nährstoffmangel oder anderen produktivitätsbegrenzenden Bedingungen studiert werden. So wird auch die Säureanpassung ausgewählter Phytoplankter untersucht, um die Biomassebildung in extrem sauren Tagebaurestseen auf physiologischer Ebene zu verstehen. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass unter Stickstoffmangel die Überführung anorganischen Kohlenstoffs in Biomassebildung durch eine Veränderung der makromolekularen Zusammensetzung der Zellen ähnlicher Effizienz stattfindet, wie unter optimaler Stickstoffversorgung. Dies führt zu einer ökologisch bedeutsamen Teilentkopplung des C und N Kreislaufs im Ökosystem. Ähnliches beobachtet man auch bei der Anpassung von Phytoplanktonalgen an extrem saure Bedingungen wie man sie in sauren Tagebaurestseen vorfindet.
Der Anbau von Ölpflanzen zur Gewinnung von Speiseöl und Energie ist bislang im Organischen Landbau wenig entwickelt. Zum einen mindern Probleme bei der Regulierung von Schaderregern und Unkraut die Wirtschaftlichkeit, zum anderen konkurriert der Anbau von Energiepflanzen um Fläche für die Erzeugung von Lebensmitteln. Der Gemengeanbau leistet einen Beitrag zur Diversifizierung im Ackerbau und lässt Synergie-Effekte zwischen den Gemengepartnern wirksam werden. Eine effizientere Ressourcennutzung, geringere Anfälligkeit gegenüber Schaderregern und reduziertes Unkrautaufkommen können zu höheren Gesamterträgen bzw. Gewinnen je Flächeneinheit führen. Im Hinblick auf diese Aspekte wird untersucht, inwieweit die Ölsaaten Öllein (Linum usitatissimum L.), Saflor (Carthamus tinctorius L.) bzw. Senf (Sinapis alba L.) für den jeweils zeitgleichen Anbau mit Ackerbohnen (Vicia faba L.) geeignet sind. In Abhängigkeit von verschiedenen Standraumzumessungen werden die Erträge und die Konkurrenzverhältnisse um Stickstoff und Wasser bei den jeweiligen Gemengepartnern untersucht,sowie die Ölsaaten hinsichtlich Ölgehalt und Fettsäurezusammensetzung analysiert. Arbeitshypothesen: - Der zeitgleiche Anbau von Ackerbohnen und Ölfrüchten führt zu höheren Gesamterträgen bei nur unwesentlich verminderten Ackerbohnen-Erträgen. - Die hauptsächlich im Bodenraum zwischen den Ackerbohnenreihen freigesetzten Stickstoffmengen werden zur Ertragsbildung der Ölfrüchte effizient genutzt. - Ein weiterer Abstand zwischen Ölfrucht- und Ackerbohnenreihe führt zu geringerer interspezifischer Konkurrenz und durch gleichmäßigere Durchwurzelung des Bodenraumes zur effizienteren Nutzung von bodenbürtig freigesetztem Stickstoff und Wasser. Die Folge sind, verglichen mit engerem Reihenabstand, höhere Ölfruchterträge und nur unwesentlich geringere Ackerbohnen-Kornerträge. - Die Ölfrüchte Saflor, Öllein und Senf nehmen aufgrund ihres Pfahlwurzelsystems Stickstoff auch aus tieferen Bodenschichten auf und senken so das Austragungspotential von bodenbürtig freigesetztem Stickstoff bzw. Stickstoff-Restmengen.
Die Hochwasserereignisse im Dezember 1993 und Januar 1995 am Rhein, Juli/August 1997 an der Oder sowie im August 2002 an der Elbe und die hervorgerufenen Schäden haben in Deutschland zu der Erkenntnis geführt, dass baulich-technische Hochwasserschutzmaßnahmen nicht ausreichen, sondern dass ein vorsorgeorientiertes, die Ziele einer dauerhaft umweltgerechten Entwicklung verfolgendes Hochwassermanagement erforderlich ist. Dazu zählen der technische Hochwasserschutz, die weitergehende Hochwasservorsorge und die Flächenvorsorge zum natürlichen Rückhalt als vorbeugender Hochwasserschutz. Allerdings treten Defizite bei der Operationalisierung dieser politischen Ziele und Strategien auf der Umsetzungsebene auf. Es bleibt bisher die Frage unbeantwortet, ob es sich dabei um Regelungs- oder Vollzugsdefizite handelt. Das Forschungsvorhaben am Institut für Forst- und Umweltpolitik verfolgt das Ziel, die Bedingungen für die Implementation von existierenden politischen Initiativen zum vorbeugenden Hochwasserschutz zu untersuchen. Bedeutsam für die Untersuchung ist dabei die Betrachtung von Akteuren der verschiedenen politischen Ebenen und Sektoren im Durchführungsprozess, deren Kommunikations- und Machtstrukturen sowie der eingesetzten Instrumente, um hieraus Erkenntnisse über die politische Steuerung und deren Wirkung gewinnen zu können. Die Politikfeldanalyse sieht den Vergleich der Hochwasserschutzpolitik der Bundesländer Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz und Baden-Württemberg vor und wird unter Verwendung von Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung durchgeführt. Im Ergebnis sollen Effizienzfaktoren ermittelt und schließlich Handlungsempfehlungen für die Implementation von ressort- und grenzübergreifenden Planungsprozessen in komplexen politischen Systemen abgeleitet werden.
Non wood fuels for small-scale furnaces have attracted increasing interest in several European countries. New technological approaches are on the way, but the verification of any such developments is difficult and there is a large uncertainty about testing procedures and equipment. While for wood combustion standardized European measuring regulations are available and broadly applied, the testing of cereal fuel combustion is generally not following a commonly accepted procedure. Consequently the results of such measurements are not fully comparable. This applies particularly for the international level, which is here of particular relevance due to the fact that a combustion technology development for a niche application can only be economically viable if a sufficiently large marketing area can be taken into focus. The overall objective of the proposal is therefore to contribute through research to the development of uniform and comparable European procedures for testing of small-scale boilers up to a power out of 300 kW for solid biomass from agriculture like straw pellets and energy grain. The driving forces and barriers will be worked out; existing legal regulation for the installation (approval by the local authorities) in the participating countries will be collected. The state of the art of the non wood biomass boiler technology will be identified; the need for standardized tests for type approval tests and the measures to establish a European Standard will be shown. Measurement methods with special emphasis on efficiency and emissions will be worked out and the requirements and specifications of test fuels will be proposed. Test runs will be carried out following preliminary test procedures based on existing European standards for wood boilers. Based on the results of these test runs a draft for a Europe-wide uniform test procedure will be proposed. Preparatory work for a European standardization process including a round robin test will be done.
We study the effects of plants and root-associated fungi on wind erosion within the alpine environment of Tibet. China is one of the countries most affected by desertification processes and Tibet, in particular, a key region in desertification combat. The presented project focuses on the Barkha Plain surrounded by Mount Kailash and the Lake of Manasarovar (Ngari Prefecture). This Western Tibet region experienced little scientific attention but, nowadays, faces rapidly increasing touristic activities and expanding local settlements associated with socio-economic changes that are serious threats to the delicate ecological balance and potential triggers of desertification. It exists almost unanimous agreement that revegetation is the most efficient and promising strategy to combat wind erosion and desertification in the long term. However, re-colonising success is often poor, mainly under extreme environmental conditions. Compared to conventional practices, the approach of the presented project attains better accordance with natural succession processes and promises acceleration of both plant and soil development and, conclusively, more efficient desertification control. The project assesses the potential of native plants and symbiotic fungi to control wind erosion and desertification processes. It aims to identify key plants and fungi that increase soil aggregate stability and efficiently drive succession into a natural and self-maintaining cycle of the ecosystem. Furthermore, it provides crucial information for implementing environmentally compatible and cost-effective measures to protect high-elevation ecosystems against desertification. Within three successional stages (early, intermediate, late), field investigations are performed on the basis of Modified-Whittaker plots. Classic methods of vegetation analysis and myco-sociology are combined with analysis of distribution patterns at different scales (patchiness, connectivity). Comprehensive soil analysis is performed comprising grain size distribution, aggregate stability, pH as well as water and nutrient contents. Additionally, important parameters of wind erosion are measured concurrently and continuously to assess their magnitude and variability with respect to vegetation and soil at different levels of development. The parameters addressed, include sediment transport, air temperature, radiation, precipitation, relative humidity as well as speed and direction of wind. Surface moisture is recorded periodically and roughness described. Species and environmental parameters are checked for spatial correlation. Cutting edge technologies are applied in laboratory work, comprising molecular methods for fungal species identification and micro-tomography to analyse soil structure. Furthermore, successfully cultivated fungi and plants are subject of synthesis experiments and industrial propagation in view of practical implementation in restoration measures.
Earthquake and landslide risk is a public safety issue that requires appropriate mitigation measures and means to protect citizens, property, infrastructure and the built cultural heritage. Mitigating this risk requires integrated and coordinated action that embraces a wide range of organisations and disciplines. For this reason, the LESSLOSS IP is formulated by a large number of European Centres of excellence in earthquake and geotechnical engineering integrating in the traditional fields of engineers and earth scientists some expertise of social scientists, economists, urban planners and information technologists. The LESSLOSS project addresses natural disasters, risk and impact assessment, natural hazard monitoring, mapping and management strategies, improved disaster preparedness and mitigation, development of advanced methods for risk assessment, methods of appraising environmental quality and relevant pre-normative research. In order for the multi-disciplinary S&T ingredients of the project to be tackled in an efficient and productive manner, the research programme has been split into three distinct areas: physical environment, urban areas and infrastructures. For each one of this areas four main types of transversal fields have been identified as fundamental and capable of producing permanent effects on risk mitigation: (i) instrumentation and monitoring, (ii) methods and technologies to reduce vulnerability, (iii) innovative approaches for design/assessment and (iv) disaster scenarios and loss modelling. Within this general framework, specific objectives will be pursued, such as the development of innovative methods and approaches to design and assessment of structures and earth slopes for both short- and long-term implementation, the development of advanced monitoring techniques and devices, and the development, manufacturing and testing of innovative isolating and dissipating seismic devices. Prime Contractor: Universita degli Studi di Pavia; Pavia; Italy.
Reactive Hydride Composites reveal great potential as hydrogen storage materials as they overcome the thermodynamic limitations hindering the use of light-weight complex hydrides. However, their sorption kinetics is still slow due to the fact that the hydrogen sorption process takes place within complex solid state reactions. It is aim of this project to explore the fundamental mechanisms involved in these reactions. For this, experimental studies on sorption kinetics, thermodynamics, crystal structure and electronic properties of the nano-structured materials are cross-linked to ab-initio calculations and theoretical modelling. The results will provide a basis to improve material properties and to develop new catalysts for hydrogen sorption. Finally, the optimization of synthesis methods and in particular the up-scaling of hydrogen storage materials preparation will be explored in collaboration with manufacturers.
The implementation Stage 2 of GSE Forest Monitoring aims to enhance the results from the consolidation Stage 1. GSE Forest Monitoring is a unique element of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Joint Initiative. The goal of stage II is to implement a fully operational system for a larger community of end user. It is a strictly user oriented independent information system that provides key environmental information to European, national and local users. The FSU Jena is coordinator for the Service Production of the option Forest Monitoring in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia (Task 3) and Manager of the Research & Development Activities (Task 4). Task 3: This GSE FM service provides a powerful tool for effective forest monitoring and inventory at regional scale. Reliable and up-to-date information on forest extent and changes therein will be generated using high-resolution EO data. A total area of about 200.000 km2 will be monitored within this project. Task 4: The Research & Development activities with scope on identification, testing and implementation of new R&D shall be one of the key inputs for improved service provision. Throughout the entire services of the GSE FM Service Portfolio the interactive involvement within the process of production (in-situ measurements, data pre-processing, data classification, product accuracy assessment etc.) is the most cost and time efficient factor and should therefore be treated with high priority to research activities. (...) The Task 4 Science Board comprises experts in the fields of EO SAR data and methods (UNI Jena), EO optical data and methods (Joanneum Research), EO and in-situ combined methods (SFM Consultants GmbH) and experts from the Kyoto Protocol evolution (Joanneum Institute of Energy Research). The Board is managed by UNI Jena.
Background: IRIS builds on former Framework Programme 4 and 5 projects, extends their networks to Russia and adopts some of their findings to the specific needs of the involved governmental agency. This implements for the first time that the scientific results from former EC-funded scientific co-operations are being collected and transformed to tools for regional management by the administration. Consequently, the involvement of the potential IRIS user community is the most challenging objective and remains an ongoing process. Impacts: As a result of project implementation the prospective research initiatives for the creation of regional GIS, pollution transport models, industrial development scenarios and risk assessments will be formulated. IRIS will be useful for officials of the Russian Federation at different levels of state hierarchy, i.e. at regional level (Irkutsk Region), inter-regional level (since the neighbouring areas are also included in IRIS as the present/potential sources of pollution) and federal level (e.g. management of federally controlled nature resources and stress on the environment by enterprises held in federal property). The international dimension of project implementation is strongly connected with problems of climate change essential worldwide and, in particular, for EU Member States. There is no doubt today that the role of the boreal forests is essential. In this context the Siberian taiga, which is the largest forest region in the world, and Irkutsk region as a part of taiga is of vital importance. Thus the strategic impact of the project could be felt on both national and international levels, helping to manage the environment and develop effective solutions of regional and global problems facing the society. Objectives: The Irkutsk Regional Information System for Environmental Protection - 'IRIS' assesses the current status and dynamics of the Irkutsk Region's forestry environment, influenced by man-made changes and anthropogenic impact arising from pollution sources and other negative anthropogenic drivers located in the region and in adjacent areas. It will investigate the responsiveness and vulnerability of forestry environment within the region under different scenarios of industrial development and nature-preserving measures. The major goal of IRIS is to efficiently share Earth Observation data and domain-specific (ecologic and economic) information within earth science community and regional governance to identify environmental impacts that are both economic and socially responsible. Thus, for integrated environmental management methodical designs are necessary which refer to the complexity of the natural resource to be managed and the difficulty to predict the factors or driving forces influencing them.
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