Although global pesticide use increases steadily, our field-data based knowledge regarding exposure of non-target ecosystems is very restricted. Consequently, this meta-analysis will for the first time evaluate the worldwide available peer-reviewed information on agricultural insecticide concentrations in surface water or sediment and test the following two hypotheses: I) Insecticide concentrations in the field largely exceed regulatory threshold levels and II) Additional factors important for threshold level exceedances can be quantified using retrospective meta-analysis. A feasibility study using a restricted dataset (n = 377) suggested the significance of the expected results, i.e. an threshold level exceedance rate of more than 50Prozent of the detected concentrations. Subsequent to a comprehensive database search in the peer-reviewed literature of the past 60 years, analysis of covariance with the relevant threshold level exceedance as the continuous dependent variable (about 10,000 cases) will be performed and the impact of significant predictor variables will be quantified. Parameters not yet considered in pesticide exposure assessment will be included as independent variables, such as compound class, environmental regulatory quality, and sampling design. The simultaneous presence of several insecticide compounds as a well as their metabolites will also be considered in the evaluation. The present approach may provide an innovative and integrated view on the potential environmental side effects of global high-intensity agriculture and in particular of pesticides use.
In hydrology, the relationship between water storage and flow is still fundamental in characterizing and modeling hydrological systems. However, this simplification neglects important aspects of the variability of the hydrological system, such as stable or instable states, tipping points, connectivity, etc. and influences the predictability of hydrological systems, both for extreme events as well as long-term changes. We still lack appropriate data to develop theory linking internal pattern dynamics and integral responses and therefore to identify functionally similar hydrological areas and link this to structural features. We plan to investigate the similarities and differences of the dynamic patterns of state variables and the integral response in replicas of distinct landscape units. A strategic and systematic monitoring network is planned in this project, which contributes the essential dynamic datasets to the research group to characterize EFUs and DFUs and thus significantly improving the usual approach of subdividing the landscape into static entities such as the traditional HRUs. The planned monitoring network is unique and highly innovative in its linkage of surface and subsurface observations and its spatial and temporal resolution and the centerpiece of CAOS.
The formation of biogeochemical interfaces in soils is controlled, among other factors, by the type of particle surfaces present and the assemblage of organic matter and mineral particles. Therefore, the formation and maturation of interfaces is studied with artificial soils which are produced in long-term biogeochemical laboratory incubation experiments (3, 6, 12, 18 months. Clay minerals, iron oxides and charcoal are used as major model components controlling the formation of interfaces because they exhibit high surface area and microporosity. Soil interface characteristics have been analyzed by several groups involved in the priority program for formation of organo-mineral interfaces, sorptive and thermal interface properties, microbial community structure and function. Already after 6 months of incubation, the artificial soils exhibited different properties in relation to their composition. A unique dataset evolves on the development and the dynamics of interfaces in soil in the different projects contributing to this experiment. An integrated analysis based on a conceptual model and multivariate statistics will help to understand overall processes leading to the biogeochemical properties of interfaces in soil, that are the basis for their functions in ecosystems. Therefore, we propose to establish an integrative project for the evaluation of data obtained and for publication of synergistic work, which will bring the results to a higher level of understanding.
Die Geosuche ist ein Webservice, welcher über die EGovernment-Basiskomponente Geodaten (GeoBAK) bereitgestellt wird. Die Geosuche ermöglicht eine multikriterielle Recherche nach ausgewählten Geobasisdaten und Geofachdaten, Geoinformationen (Metadaten) sowie Portalinhalten (Webseiten, Dokumente). Sie ist zentraler Bestandteil des Geoportals Sachsenatlas und als Freie Suche bzw. Volltextsuche ausgelegt. Die Umsetzung der Suche im Geoportal als singuläres Suchfeld (Omnibox, Einfeldsuche) analog zu bekannten Internetsuchmaschinen, ermöglicht einen schnellen Einstieg der Nutzer. Die Geosuche ermöglicht im Gegensatz zu standardisierten OGC-Geodatendiensten wie z.B. OGC-WFS-Gazetteer eine performanceoptimierte Recherche, welche nicht nur auf Geodaten beschränkt ist. Die Geosuche ermöglicht aufgrund der Filter- und Sortiermöglichkeiten die Umsetzung von über die Einfeldsuche hinausgehenden Recherchemöglichkeiten. Im Geoportal ist dies über die erweiterte Suche mit z.B. räumlicher und zeitlicher Auswahlmöglichkeit umgesetzt. Weiterhin sind einzelne Objekte untereinander verknüpft. Damit ist beispielsweise die Recherche nach allen Hausnummern einer Straße möglich (Drilldown). Die Umsetzung von Formularen mit Auswahllisten für eine Recherche, die die Geosuche aufrufen, ist möglich.
The DUE PERMAFROST project is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) Data User Element (DUE) program, which is a component of the Earth Observation Envelope Program (EOEP). Permafrost is a by GCOS identified Essential Climate Variable (ECV).The objective of this project to identify and assess permafrost relevant Earth Observation (EO) products and to establish a permafrost monitoring system based on satellite data. Latest EO technology will be integrated and the service demonstrated and validated in close cooperation with user organizations. Mid to long term scenarios for pan-boreal/arctic permafrost monitoring will be developed. The Permafrost Information System of the DUE Permafrost will comprise tools for integration of existing EO products. It will allow the derivation of value added products which are relevant to Permafrost distribution and active layer dynamics by synergistic use of the different datasets. This information system will have an interface with a spatially distributed model of permafrost dynamics (GIPL) and will be also tested with e.g. MATSIRO (as part of coupled atmosphere-ocean global climate models) and the ecosystem model LPJ. The consortium is led by the contractor I.P.F, Vienna University of Technology and is supported by four partners (Gamma Remote Sensing - Switzerland, University of Waterloo - Canada, Jena University - Germany, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research - Germany) in order to meet the requirements set forward in the ESA Statement of Work. www.ipf.tuwien.ac.at/permafrost.
Precipitation is of crucial importance for the water cycle and the climate system. It is strongly variable in space and time because of the complex interactions between atmospheric dynamics and cloud microphysics. Remote sensing techniques, and weather radar especially, provide high resolution data over extended areas, enabling appropriate investigation of the strong dynamics of precipitation. But these are indirect measurements, and the accurate understanding and characterization of the small-scale variability of the raindrop size distribution (DSD) is of primary importance for the quantitative interpretation of weather radar measurements in terms of rainfall intensity. The present proposal is a 1-year prolongation of an on-going project with similar objectives, and aims first to experimentally characterize and analyze the DSD variability at small scale and then to develop a stochastic tool to simulate intermittent 2D fields of DSDs in time. A network of 16 disdrometers has been deployed over a typical operational radar pixel (about 1x1 km^2) collecting DSD observations every 30 s. This unique data set will be used to quantify the variability of the DSD (and its moments like rain rate and radar reflectivity), to identify its spatial and temporal structure, and to investigate the links with the microphysical processes involved. Using a geostatistical approach, an existing simulation framework will be further developed and generalized in order to be able to reproduce the intermittent nature of rainfall fields as well as their temporal correlation. Such a simulation framework will be useful to quantitatively investigate the uncertainty associated with radar rain retrieval techniques. The overall project will contribute to improve the understanding of the small-scale dynamics of rainfall and its microstructure, as well as to reduce the uncertainty affecting radar rain-rate estimates.
A lysimeter is a vessel containing soil placed with its top edge to the ground surface. Lysimeter are used to study phases of the hydrological cycle in terms of water content and dynamics, e.g. infiltration, evapotranspiration or runoff. Lysimeter provide a good alternative to carry out and test various methods or theoretical theories under relative undisturbed circumstances. In cooperation with the Institute of Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere, IV Agrosphere (ICG-IV) of the Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, the solute transport inside a lysimeter ought to be investigated.To avoid the inevitable problem of the boundary conditions for electromagnetic geophysical methods of a normal lysimeter with its metal wall, an alternative had to be found. Therefore PVC-cylinders were chosen with 1.5 m height and 1.2 m diameter. The dielectric permittivity of soils depends strongly on the water content. Therefore, GPR was used as it can provide non-invasive high-resolution information regarding the distribution of the dielectric permittivity of a heterogeneous medium. Because the used lysimeter has PVC walls tomographic measurements can be performed. Considering the relatively small dimensions of the lysimeter (1.2m diameter, 1.5m height) and the armament with sensors for other methods, a pair of shielded antennas was chosen with centre frequencies of approx. 750 MHz. In April and September 2002 first measurements were carried out on a filled but unequipped lysimeter to check signal quality, feasibility as well as the needed time to gather a dataset under ideal conditions. Furthermore pot irrigation tests were made in 2002 and 2004 to estimate the actual resolution with the available equipment. To derive the volumetric water content, the calculated dielectric permittivity values have to be transformed. Based on the soil inside the lysimeter (approx. 80% sand, 15% silt and 5% clay with approx. 40% porosity) appropriate mixing formulas for bulk dielectric permittivity have to be chosen and compared to the results gathered from alternative methods.
Satellite measurements strongly contribute to the understanding of the processes related to stratospheric ozone loss, e.g. by global and long term monitoring of ozone and its depleting substances. For instance, measurements performed in limb geometry by SCIAMACHY on ENVISAT largely improved the knowledge about the vertical distribution of species like BrO and OClO only recently. However, there are still important open questions, like e.g. the chlorine activation processes on different kinds of aerosols and polar stratospheric clouds. Also, the role of very short lived species in the stratospheric bromine budget or the effects of a possible enhancement of the Brewer-Dobson circulation are not fully understood.Globally, the vertical distribution of ozone depleting species varies significantly in space and time due to solar illumination, atmospheric chemistry and transport. Especially strong gradients occur near the twilight zone or across stratospheric transport barriers (polar vortex boundary, subtropical transport barriers). These regions are of particular importance for chemistry and transport of the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere, since they separate air masses on large scales but also enable exchange between them.Standard 1-D profile retrievals, which assume horizontal homogeneity, result in large systematic biases due to neglecting the effect of horizontal gradients on the measurement. We propose to develop, improve and apply a tomographic profile retrieval algorithm, which optimally combines the information provided by the SCIAMACHY limb and nadir measurements. An improved global dataset of 3D stratospheric profiles for NO2, BrO and OClO for the 10 years of the SCIAMACHY mission (2002-2012) will be developed, compared to atmospheric chemistry simulations and applied to selected questions of atmospheric science. The dataset developed in this project will be very useful for investigating the complex interplay of stratospheric chemistry and transport processes, and will help to reduce the uncertainties in the distribution of ozone depleting species, in particular for regions with large horizontal inhomogeneity.
The HGF Alliance 'Remote Sensing and Earth System Dynamics' aims at the development and evaluation of novel bio/geo-physical information products derived from data acquired by a new generation of remote sensing satellites; and their integration in Earth system models for improving understanding and modelling ability of global environmental processes and ecosystem change. The Earth system comprises a multitude of processes that are intimately meshed through complex interactions. In times of accelerated global change, the understanding and quantification of these processes is of primary importance. Spaceborne remote sensing sensors are predestined to produce bio-geo-information products on a global scale. The upcoming generation of spaceborne remote sensing configurations will be able to provide global data sets and products with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution in the context of a consistent and systematic observation strategy. The integration of these data sets in existing environmental and climate science components will allow a new global view of the Earth system and its dynamics, initiating a performance leap in ecosystem and climate change modelling.
The investigation of high-silica rhyolitic rocks collected in the recent ICDP drilling from the Snake River Plain (SRP) volcanic province (western United States) as well as rocks from the adjacent rhyolitic complexes offers a unique opportunity to track the evolution of magma storage conditions in time and space in the 'Yellowstone hotspot' intracontinental volcanic province. The application of various geothermometers which can be used to determine pre-eruptive temperatures show a general trend indicating a general decrease of temperature over the last 16 Ma. However, the depth (or pressure) of the magma chambers is difficult to constrain and remains mainly unknown because the mineral assemblage in the rhyolitic systems is not suitable for geobarometry. As an alternative to mineral compositions, the silica content of rhyolitic melts can be used to constrain pressure, provided that the silicate melts have cotectic compositions (melts coexisting with quartz and feldspar), which is the case for most SRP rhyolites. From studies in synthetic systems, it is well known that the silica content of cotectic melts decreases with increasing pressure and that it may be used as barometer in pressure ranges of ca 1000 - 50 MPa. However, the evolution of silica content with pressure is not calibrated for natural systems containing up to 2 wtProzent Cao and 4 wtProzent FeO. In this study, we plan to determine the role of pressure on the silica content of cotectic melts compositions relevant for SRP compositions. The experimental data are crucial to interpret the natural glass compositions (matrix glass and glass inclusions) analyzed in the ICDP core samples and will be used to extract quantitative information on the depth of magma storage prior to eruption. The dataset obtained from various eruptive events (samples from ICDP drillings and other SRP rhyolites) will be used to check if there is an evolution of the depth of magma storage over the lifetime of the 'Yellowstone hotspot' in the last 16 Ma and if there is a correlation between the pre-eruptive pressure, the volume of erupted material, the temperature (or differentiation level) and the water activity of magmas. This study will be conducted in close cooperation with other U.S. groups who are in charge of the analysis of ICDP rhyolitic samples. It is emphasized that the experimental database obtained in this project can also be applied to other case studies (high silica rhyolites, A-type granites).