Arsenic-contaminated ground- and drinking water is a global environmental problem with about 1-2Prozent of the world's population being affected. The upper drinking water limit for arsenic (10 Micro g/l) recommended by the WHO is often exceeded, even in industrial nations in Europe and the USA. Chronic intake of arsenic causes severe health problems like skin diseases (e.g. blackfoot disease) and cancer. In addition to drinking water, seafood and rice are the main reservoirs for arsenic uptake. Arsenic is oftentimes of geogenic origin and in the environment it is mainly bound to iron(III) minerals. Iron(III)-reducing bacteria are able to dissolve these iron minerals and therefore release the arsenic to the environment. In turn, iron(II)-oxidizing bacteria have the potential to co-precipitate or sorb arsenic during iron(II)- oxidation at neutral pH followed by iron(III) mineral precipitation. This process may reduce arsenic concentrations in the environment drastically, lowering the potential risk for humans dramatically.The main goal of this study therefore is to quantify, identify and isolate anaerobic and aerobic Fe(II)-oxidizing microorganisms in arsenic-containing paddy soil. The co-precipitation and thus removal of arsenic by iron mineral producing bacteria will be determined in batch and microcosm experiments. Finally the influence of rhizosphere redox status on microbial Fe oxidation and arsenic uptake into rice plants will be evaluated in microcosm experiments. The long-term goal of this research is to better understand arsenic-co-precipitation and thus arsenic-immobilization by iron(II)-oxidizing bacteria in rice paddy soil. Potentially these results can lead to an improvement of living conditions in affected countries, e.g. in China or Bangladesh.
Water is an intrinsic component of ecosystems acting as a key agent of lateral transport for particulate and dissolved nutrients, forcing energy transfers, triggering erosion, and driving biodiversity patterns. Given the drastic impact of land use and climate change on any of these components and the vulnerability of Ecuadorian ecosystems with regard to this global change, indicators are required that not merely describe the structural condition of ecosystems, but rather capture the functional relations and processes. This project aims at investigating a set of such functional indicators from the fields of hydrology and biogeochemistry. In particular we will investigate (1) flow regime and timing, (2) nutrient cycling and flux rates, and (3) sediment fluxes as likely indicators. For assessing flow regime and timing we will concentrate on studying stable water isotopes to estimate mean transit time distributions that are likely to be impacted by changes in rainfall patterns and land use. Hysteresis loops of nitrate concentrations and calculated flux rates will be used as functional indicators for nutrient fluxes, most likely to be altered by changes in temperature as well as by land use and management. Finally, sediment fluxes will be measured to indicate surface runoff contribution to total discharge, mainly influenced by intensity of rainfall as well as land use. Monitoring of (1) will be based on intensive sampling campaigns of stable water isotopes in stream water and precipitation, while for (2) and (3) we plan to install automatic, high temporal-resolution field analytical instruments. Based on the data obtained by this intensive, bust cost effective monitoring, we will develop the functional indicators. This also provides a solid database for process-based model development. Models that are able to simulate these indicators are needed to enable projections into the future and to investigate the resilience of Ecuadorian landscape to global change. For the intended model set up we will couple the Catchment Modeling Framework, the biogeochemical LandscapeDNDC model and semi-empirical models for aquatic diversity. Global change scenarios will then be analyzed to capture the likely reaction of functional indicators. Finally, we will contribute to the written guidelines for developing a comprehensive monitoring program for biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Right from the beginning we will cooperate with four SENESCYT companion projects and three local non-university partners to ensure that the developed monitoring program will be appreciated by locals and stakeholders. Monitoring and modelling will focus on all three research areas in the Páramo (Cajas National Park), the dry forest (Reserva Laipuna) and the tropical montane cloud forest (Reserva Biologica San Francisco).
This project will provide quantitative estimates of the flow of low-salinity warm water through the Indonesian Gateway on suborbital timescales during MIS 2 and 3 (focusing on Dansgaard Oeschger (D-O) oscillations) and will assess the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) s impact on the hydrography of the eastern Indian Ocean and global thermohaline circulation during this critical interval of high climate variability. ITF fluctuations, associated with sea level change, temperature and salinity variations in the West Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) strongly influence precipitation over Australia, the strength of the southeast-Asian summer monsoon, and the intensity of warm meridional currents in the Indian Ocean. We will test the hypothesis that increased ITF is associated with warm interstadials of MIS 3, whereas a strong reduction in ITF occurred during stadials. We will use as main proxies planktonic and benthic foraminiferal isotopes in conjunction with Mg/Ca temperature estimates and radiogenic isotopes (mainly Nd) as tracers of Pacific water masses along depth transects in the Timor Passage and the eastern Indian Ocean. This project will provide the paleoceanographic framework that will be crucial to validate and refine circulation models of D-O events and high-frequency climate variability on a global scale.
In rivers and streams, biofilms are major sites of carbon cycling. They retain large amounts of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and consequently are most important for the development of aquatic organisms on higher trophic levels. Besides autochthonous primary production, which supports heterotrophic production in biofilms, large amounts of organic carbon (OC) are derived from the surrounding catchment areas. More precipitation and more frequent and severe floods due to climate change will increase the transport of material into streams. Moreover, catchment characteristics including vegetation affect the transport and nature of DOC into aquatic ecosystems. Thus, carbon dynamics depend on how a stream is embedded within and interacts with its surrounding terrestrial environment. Despite its importance for carbon cycling it is not understood to which extent autochthonous or allochthonous carbon is used in biofilms and how increased addition of allochthonous carbon determines the relative use of both carbon sources. The combined application of 13C and 14C analysis on differently labeled DOC sources intend to answer to which extent DOC from different sources is used by bacteria in biofilms and finally transported to higher trophic levels. The use of 13C and 14C signals on carbon compounds and biomarkers is an excellent method to determine carbon sources for microorganisms and the transport of labeled material within the food web.
PI Trachte. Predicting future climate change is in itself already difficult, especially in such complex ecosystems as the Andean mountain rain and dry forest as well as the Paramo. The common tools to simulate global climate change are global circulation models (GCM). Because of their coarse resolution they are not able to capture atmospheric processes affecting the local climate. For this reason a dynamical downscaling approach will be used to develop a highly resolved spatial and temporal Climatic Indicator System (hrCIS) to derive ecologically relevant climate change indicators affecting the ecosystems of South Ecuador. A local-limited area model (LAM) will be used to (i) generate a highly resolved gridded climatology for present day (hrCISpr) based on reanalysis data and (ii) to generate a highly resolved gridded climatology for projected future (hrCISpf) based on the new Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenario data. The output of the LAM for present day will be validated with in-situ measurement data and satellite-derived products to ensure the accuracy of the model for the simulations of the projected future. On the basis of statistical analysis of both climatologies changes in climate indicators such as air temperature and precipitation regime will be described. PI Bendix. The proper storage, curation and accessibility of environmental data is of crucial importance for global change research particularly for monitoring purposes. C 12 offers an adequate data management system for the Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Monitoring and Research. This is achieved by extending the web-based information management system FOR816DW (a data warehouse for collaborative ecological research units) with features like - an automatic upload interfaces - a workbench for integrative analysis - a user defined alert system, to facilitate environmental monitoring for scientist as well as stakeholders. A further objective is the transfer of knowledge and information (know how, source code, and collection data) to our partners in Ecuador. We cooperate with university and non-university parties in the joint establishment of a Data access platform for environmental data of the region. This includes the long-term accessibility, which is envisaged by a data transfer to the planned German national data infrastructure GFBio.
The proposed research contributes to the following overarching goals: (i) better understanding of the complex hydro-biogeochemical and biological interactions in tropical montane forest systems under natural and altered conditions; (ii) the integration of this knowledge in an integrated modeling system that will be tested to long-term and spatially dense datasets; and (iii) prognosis of the likely impact of climate change scenarios on the hydro-biogeochemical and biological processes considering for each process the uncertainty range on the prediction. A main deliverable of the project will be the expanded CMF modeling tool enabling the simulation of the combined impact of land use and climate change on hydro-biogeochemical processes and biological interaction. The project follows the general philosophy of cooperative researchers between experimentalists and modelers, thereby facilitating the implementation of state-of-the-art system understanding into simulation tools. The integrated modelframework developed in D4 will therefore allow to assess the likely impacts of global change on tropical montane rainforest ecosystems of Ecuador.
The main goal of the research was to device an alternative solution for watershed sediment yield modelling for data scarce areas where the existing physically based models can not be applicable. Awash River Basin in Ethiopia was selected as case study area. GIS data on soil, land use, precipitation, temperature, stream flow and suspended sediment yield was collected from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources of Ethiopia (FMWRE) and from the National Metrology Service Agency (NMSA) offices. Soil data obtained from FMWRE and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) world soil 1974 database was used for derivation of the soil erodibility factor (ERFAC) estimation equation. The ratio of silt to sand and clay content was considered as the governing factor for soil erodibility in developing the ERFAC equation. The SWAT2005 model was selected for calibration and validation of stream flow and sediment yield. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to prioritize model calibration parameters. From the sensitivity analysis, curve number II (CN2), soilwater available to plants (SOL-AWC) and ground water base flow factor (ALPHA-BF) were selected as major stream flow calibration parameters. Similarly CN2, SURLAG (surface lag), slope and sediment routing factor (SPCON) were taken as the major sediment calibration parameters. Parameters related to the soil properties and river channel characteristics were given special attention during the model calibration. Eleven years (1990-2000) stream flow and sediment data were used for model calibration and six years data (2001-2006) were used for model validation. Calibration has been done at three gauging stations located in the Awash River basin. The statistical indicators, Coefficient of determination (R2), Nash-Sutclife efficiency (NSE), Root mean square error observations standard deviation (RSR were applied to evaluate the calibration and validation results. The values of these indicators were used to ratethe performance of the model. Watershed geomorphologic and topographic factors were extracted from the SWAT2005 watershed configuration, using a GIS tool and empirical equations. The relative importance of the factors was determined using Pearsons correlation coefficient based on the sediment yield output obtained from the SWAT2005 model calibration. The results show that, the sediment yield is highly correlated with stream flow, watershed area and watershed slope. Based on the identified parameters and the SWAT2005 model output, an alternative sediment yield estimation equation was derived and checked for its validity.
Cold-water coral reefs thriving on carbonate mounds have been discovered in the late 90-s off western Ireland and recently off Morocco. Mound building seems to be a fundamental but still enigmatic strategy of Life, developed since Precambrian times onwards. Various arguments suggest that microorganisms are playing a major role in reef development and biodiversity. Mounds may find their origin at the confluence of fluxes from external (oceanic) and internal origin (geofluids). Long cores taken in 2004 showed that the 'Pen Duick- mounds off Morocco, in which microbial action was demonstrated by an strong emission of hydrogen sulfide, may be considered as giant biogeochemical reactors. MiCROSYSTEMS proposes to turn the Pen Duick mounds into a natural laboratory through the following actions and experiments:- Biotope exploration and characterization of biodiversity through geophysical and video imaging, targeted microbiological profiling, evaluation of present and past oceanic conditions,- Microbial diversity census and evaluation of the functional link microbes-metazoans through metazoan species analysis, biogeochemical and molecular fingerprinting, laboratory culturing, fauna-microbe interactions analysis, evaluation of microbially mediated processes of carbonate precipitation,- Assessment of the impact of biodiversity changes through the development of a reactor technology to simulate and assess the functionality of the micro-ecological niches and the impact of environmental changes.The MiCROSYSTEMS project closely dovetails with European projects on deep-water coral ecosystem conservation and with IODP Expedition 307. The project will foster a Europe-Maghreb cooperation on the Moroccan margin and contribute to the ICoMM initiative within the Census of Marine Life Programme.
The Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelves cover an area of ca. 14 million km2, over 300 times the area of Switzerland. An additional 19 million km2 of winter sea ice expands the overall southern cryosphere to greater than 6 percent of the Earths surface. With ca. 15 million km2 of that sea ice melting away each summer, the Southern Ocean sea ice cover is one of the largest annual changes on the Earths surface. These large numbers underscore the importance of the Antarctic to global climate processes, and challenge our ability to accurately represent the Antarctic in global climate models. Switzerlands long history of involvement in Antarctic climate and paleoclimate research became grounds for its advancement to full membership in the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research in 2004. In recognition of growing Swiss interest in the Antarctic, field research described in this proposal will be an international collaborative effort, using logistics and environmental permits issued by Australia, Belgium and Germany. Three distinct lines of research will be pursued with the support requested from SNF and with the assistance of facilities and graduate students provided by the EPFL-ENAC-IIE-CRYOS Laboratory. These research topics will contribute to an increased understanding of oceanic and atmospheric processes influencing the mass balance of the Antarctic sea ice and ice sheet. 1) Field measurements of precipitation, blowing snow, and snow thickness distribution in the Antarctic sea ice zone. International research cruises into Antarctic sea ice fields in consecutive austral winters (September - October 2012 and June - August 2013) will measure blowing snow transport, precipitation, and snow accumulation patterns on sea ice. A PhD student whose dissertation research focuses on snow distribution on sea ice will participate in this work. 2) Numerical modeling of precipitation, blowing snow, and accumulation of snow over sea ice and coastal regions of the Antarctic ice sheet. Precipitation, blowing snow and related measurements obtained during these expeditions will be used in the validation of a high-resolution numerical model of blowing snow transport. That model will in turn be used in larger-scale studies of precipitation enhancement of blowing snow processes, sublimation and riming of atmospheric ice crystals, and the recycling of moisture between the sea ice zone and the Antarctic ice sheet. 3) Time-series oceanographic measurements in a remote area of the east Antarctic coastline, in collaboration with Belgian and EU research programs on ice sheet stability and sea level rise. This study will focus on coastal ocean processes that have been largely overlooked in recent assessments of ice sheet mass balance and the potential contribution of the East Antarctic ice sheet to near-term sea level rise.
Climate change, population growth, land use changes and urbanisation and so forth forcing future generations to produce more with fewer resources. Hence innovative water harvesting approaches in combination with an integrated water management are urgently needed. In the past water harvesting was manly seen isolated and set into a bigger framework of a river basin. Overexploitation at one side necessarily leads to a shortage at the downstream region. This is especially true for basin closure. It is inevitable that integrated water management has to care about upstream/downstream interactions and between water harvesting and large scale irrigation at the catchment/river basin scale. The objective of this proposal is to set standards for water utilization on a basin (sub basin scale) to ensure food and water security in an equitable manner throughout the whole basin in the context of a range of dynamic global and regional pressures. There are numerous technologies for water harvesting available, but what is missing is an appropriate system design and synergies amongst farmers and other stakeholders. The concept of the project therefore is to links knowledge of water harvesting of different regions and analyse and investigate acceptance of systems. A SWOT analyses should be performed for each selected study region to have a sound base for highest investment benefits and also a risk analyses of investment. This analysis also enables the development of guidelines and criteria to transfer the various water harvesting technologies in different hydrological, biological and socio-economic conditions and to ensure integration of those technologies in the context of local and regional economical environment. The Definition of water harvesting for this project is an Integration/Synergies of/with farming systems and as a wider definition with respect to WHO, measures of conservation farming. The advantage of conservation farming is an easy to implementation, it is practical; and reduces loss of water. The prominent part of water storage with regard to water balance has to be recognized. For each basin a water balance (precipitation, evapotranspiration, surface water run off, surface and ground water interaction, subsurface storage and run off) has to be established. One of the key factors could be the water storage in sub soil. The idea of water banking will be introduced. This supports the awareness that water has a value and optimisation may have cost involved. Cost is not necessarily seen in a monetary sense, but also in providing labour hours and commitment to maintain infrastructures. Taking the above into consideration and ensuring a participatory approach at all levels and between all stakeholders and partners will lead to a sustainable production system. By taking environmental requirements and impacts into account at an early stage environmental services are becoming an appropriate value.
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