The project aims at achieving a better understanding of the processes that drive or limit the response of grassland systems in a world of increasing atmospheric pCO2. We will test the hypothesis that the previously shown increase in below-ground allocation of C under elevated pCO2 provides the necessary energy excess and will stimulate free-living N2 fixers in a low N grassland environment. The project thus aims at assessing the occurrence and importance of free-living N2 fixers under elevated pCO2 and identify the associated microbial communities involved in order to better understand ecosystems response and sustainability of grassland systems. This project had the last opportunity to obtain soil samples from a grassland ecosystem adapted to long-term (10 year) elevated atmospheric pCO2 as the Swiss FACE experiment. The project aims to identify the relevant components of free-living diazotrophs of the microbial community using 15N stable isotope - DNA probing.
Under the 2003 EU Greek presidency, cooperation with Balkan countries on environmental issues was identified as a priority of the EU/Balkan Action Plan. Large-scale co-operation is essential for effective action in the vulnerable Mediterranean and Black Sea coastal zones. During the last 50 years both areas suffered major changes; as semi-enclosed basins, both Seas are ultra-sensitive to anthropogenic stress and to climate change. An EU Presidency Conference on Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean/Black Sea (May 2003), revealed major gaps in management structures, scientific strategies and identified a diversity of environmental issues to be resolved through priority-focused RTD cooperation. Yet, while pressure on the resources of the two seas increases and the potential impact of climate change on coastal and deep-sea resources remains unknown, the two seas have never been jointly studied as systems of interacting basins and ecosystems. The proposal outlines collaboration and clustering schemes involving environmental, economic and scientific organisations in Mediterranean, Black Sea and other EU nations, in order to create synergies in networking and exchanges at several levels, addressing for the first time the system of interconnected basins as one, based on the integration of, both horizontally and vertically, natural scientists and economists. These will: 1) Create an international, interdisciplinary platform coordinating the region's scientific potential in order to prepare RTD projects, based on a Science Plan for the region, securing sustainable development; 2) Focus on natural and anthropogenic pressures exerted upon the functioning of the ecosystem; 3) Reinforce RTD capacity by setting up an environment/resource monitoring network in the light of existing observation networks of different scopes. Prime Contractor: Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, Anavyssos, GR.
Waterborne sewage system has proven to be inappropriate to solve sanitation needs in developing countries. Approximately 90 percentt of city sewage in developing countries today is discharged untreated, polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas (Winblad, 1997). With increasing population density and the resultant groundwater pollution, conventional decentralized disposal systems such as latrines and seepage pits are not viable alternatives either. Many cities are short of water and subject to critical environmental degradation (Niemczynowicz, 1996). Conventional sanitation technologies based on flush toilets, sewers, treatment and discharge cannot solve the problems in urban areas anymore. A sustainable sanitation and wastewater management system is urgently needed in order to address these issues. Ecological sanitation (Ecosan) is proposed as an alternative system to solve the following problems: lack of sanitation and water body contamination by pathogens from human waste. Ecosan does not only provide sanitation facilities for the people, but also seeks to protect public health, prevents water pollution and at the same time returns valuable nutrients to the soil so that it also helps to ensure food security and contributes to the objectives of sustainable development. The objective of this research is to search for a sustainable sanitation and human waste management system that is appropriate to be applied in poor income people living in densely populated urban areas in Indonesia. As Ecological Sanitation has not been applied in Indonesia before, this dissertation also aims to investigate its effectiveness and community acceptance in Indonesia. Two other existing systems are also studied as the comparison, which are the conventional septic tank system and the decentralized wastewater system (Dewats). All of these sanitation systems are assessed based on three sustainability criteria: economical, environmental and social.
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.
The ARCHAIA project aims at implementing two training seminars on cultural heritage based on an innovative integrated perspective deriving both from the human and the natural sciences. The seminars address 90 post-graduate students, scholars and professionals of different backgrounds. Starting from the need of disseminating the results of 9 funded EU research projects and COST actions, we aim at presenting these within an innovative framework, i.e. a global approach towards planning and management of archaeological parks starting from the very first steps of field research and going through the characterisation of the materials retrieved and topographical studies in order to mould every bit of historical information within a coherent project, properly displayed for the public. Through an innovative didactic methodology, innovative scientific contents will be disseminated. Dealing with the initial program of archaeological research in the field, integrated with techniques of archeobiological and geoarchaeological investigation, our final goal is to supply the participants with the guidelines for moulding research strategies and managing archaeological sites, in order to be able to publicly display the historical content derived from research results and effectively proceed to the protection of the cultural heritage. One training seminar will be in Copenhagen and another one in Bologna. Five key topics have been selected: Topic 1 concerns Topography, surveying and landscape archaeology, Topic 2 Archaeological research and restoration of monuments, Topic 3 Material culture characterization, Topic 4 Anthropology and environment and Topic 5 Data processing and public presentation. The dissemination of the lectures presented through a monograph and multimedia products will also supply guidelines for integrated protocols on the management of archaeological sites, set in their landscape, within a global perspective.
In order to study the effects of parasitoid associated factors on lepidopteran larval hosts we used g-irradiation of sterilize females of the braconid parasitoid Glyptapanteles liparidis. Along with eggs, G. liparidis females inject a secrete of the calyx gland containing particles of a symbiotic virus, the polydnavirus (PDV) and venom into the host. These associated factors are known from other host-parasitoid systems to suppress the immune system of the host and cause alterations in its development. g-irradiation should sterilize the eggs inside the wasp's ovary, so that sterile eggs are oviposited together with PDV and venom and the influence of parasitoid larvae inside the host is excluded. We irradiated G. liparidis females with different doses, ranging from 2.4 to 10.5 krad, in a Co60 g-irradiator. L. dispar larvae were stung by such irradiated wasps as well as untreated wasps, and the development of hosts and parasitoid progeny was controlled by rearing and dissections of hosts. Also G. liparidis were reared under controlled conditions to measure the effect of irradiation on their longevity and oviposition. A sting by an irradiated wasp (= pseudoparasitization) caused prolonged development and supernumerary molts of L. dispar larvae, and lead to the production of heavier pupae. However, such pseudoparasitized hosts suffered from higher pupal mortality due to incomplete larval-pupal molts or incomplete hardening of pupal cuticle. Effects on the host immune system were studied indirectly using an additional infection with the entomopathogenic microsporidium Vairimorpha sp. Pseudoparasitized hosts died earlier from the microsporidiosis and showed infections of higher intensity. For G. liparidis adults the g-irradiation caused no marked reduction in lifespan, except at the highest dose of 10.5 krad, but irradiated females laid significantly fewer eggs. The treatment did not result in complete sterilisation; about 10 to 20 percent of parasitoid eggs did hatch and such G. liparidis were able to complete their development to adults. Further studies will investigate the incomplete sterilization of G. liparidis eggs by g-irradiation. We will test whether these synovigenic wasps can recover after a certain time after irradiation and produce fertile eggs again. Consequently, we aim to develop a protocol of dose and timing of g-irradiation to give the best results for using it as a tool in studying the effects of PDV and venom of G. liparidis.
Die Forschungsinitiative Biologischer Landbau (FBL) Österreich besteht seit dem Jahr 1991 als informeller Zusammenschluß von im Biologischen Landbau tätigen Wissenschaftlern mit dem Ziel, den Erfahrungsaustausch auch zwischen fachlich auseinanderliegenden Disziplinen innerhalb der Forschung im Biologischen Landbau zu fördern. In den Jahren 1994/95 erfolgte von seiten des BMLF und des BMWFK die Finanzierung eines acht-monatigen Forschungsprojektes zu grundlegenden Fragen der Forschung im Biologischen Landbau ( Erarbeitung integraler Schwerpunktthemenbereiche und Methodikkriterien für die Forschung im Biologischen Landbau in Österreich). Unter Mitwirkung von Wissenschaftlern aus Deutschland und der Schweiz sowie unter Einbeziehung eines erweiterten Expertenkreises fand im Rahmen der FBL eine intensive Diskussion über die zukünftige Ausrichtung der Forschung im Biologischen Landbau statt. Dabei erfolgte ein umfassender Diskurs über aktuelle Forschungsdefizite, interdisziplinär auszurichtende Schwerpunktthemen, über Methodikkriterien sowie über Kriterien zur Beurteilung der Dringlichkeit und Systemgerechtheit von Forschungsthemen im Biologischen Landbau in Österreich. Des weiteren wurden schlußfolgernd aus dieser Arbeit Forderungen der Forscher, die im Biologischen Landbau aktiv sind, an die Institutionen der Forschungsförderung zur Optimierung der wissenschaftlichen Weiterentwicklung dieser Landbaumethode formuliert. Grundlage der Diskussion über die zukünftige Forschung im Biologischen Landbau in Österreich sind die Prinzipien des Biologischen/Ökologischen Landbaus: Das Streben nach weitgehend geschlossenen Stoffkreisläufen im Betrieb, der schonende Umgang mit nicht erneuerbaren Rohstoff- und Energieressourcen, die Stärkung und Nutzung natürlicher Selbstregulationsmechanismen sowie die Erhaltung und Verbesserung der Vielfalt der Arten und des Landschaftsbildes. Diese Leitlinien der Biologischen Landwirtschaft werden im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studie (als Folge der Diskussion in der FBL) präzisiert und zu Strategien, Schwerpunktthemen, Forschungsdefiziten sowie Methodikkriterien für die Forschung im Biologischen Landbau ausgeweitet. Damit soll letztlich eine effektive ökosystemorientierte Weiterentwicklung dieser Landbaumethode sichergestellt werden.
The overall goal of the GEOMON project is to sustain and analyze European ground-based observations of atmospheric composition, complementary with satellite measurements, in order to quantify and understand the ongoing changes. GEOMON is a first step to build a future integrated pan-European Atmospheric Observing System dealing with systematic observations of long-lived greenhouse gases, reactive gases, aerosols, and stratospheric ozone. This will lay the foundations for a European contribution to GEOSS and optimize the European strategy of environmental monitoring in the field of atmospheric composition observations. Specifically, we will unify and harmonize the main Europeans networks of surface and aircraft-based measurements of atmospheric composition parameters and integrate these measurements with those of satellites. The access to data and data-products will be coordinated at a common data centre for more efficient use. GEOMon will support data gathering at existing networks if necessary, rescue and compile existing ground-based data, and develop new methodologies to use these data for satellite validation and interpretation.. In addition, GEOMON will enable innovative ground-based measurements complementary to satellites, made by upward looking ground based remote sensing instruments Max-DOAS, FTIR, and LIDAR and by systematic measurement programmes of upper-tropospheric composition using passenger aircrafts CARIBIC and MOZAIC. These data will serve to reduce biases and random errors in satellite observations and facilitate interpretation of the columnar measurements in combination with surface data. This will result in a significant improvement in the use of existing and future satellite data. Common techniques and modelling tools will be used in order to add value to the GEOMON data observations, to facilitate their use in satellite validation and help design an optimal network. Prime Contractor: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA); Paris; France.
The HyFLEET:CUTE project involves the operation of 47 hydrogen powered buses in regular public transport service in 10 cities on three continents. The Project aims to diversify and reduce energy consumption in the transport system by developing new, fuel efficient hydrogen powered bus technology, and clean, efficient and safe ways of producing and distributing hydrogen fuel. Objectives: - Develop hydrogen powered bus technology in order to reduce the consumption of fuel and energy in the whole transportation system. - Develop efficient and environmentally 'friendly' ways to produce hydrogen. - Research the technology and development needs to establish a hydrogen refueling infrastructure. - Inform the community and key decision-makers about the potential advantages of a hydrogen-based transport system and how they can help to develop it.
Based on a better understanding of terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem functioning ALARM will develop and test methods and protocols for the assessment of large-scale environmental risks in order to minimise negative direct and indirect human impacts. Research will focus on assessment and forecast of changes in biodiversity and in structure, function, and dynamics of ecosystems. This relates to ecosystem services and includes the relationship between society, economy and biodiversity. In particular, risks arising from climate change, environmental chemicals, biological invasions and pollinator loss in the context of current and future European land use patterns will be assessed. There is an increasing number of case studies on the environmental risks subsequent to each of these impacts. This yields an improved understanding on how these act individually and affect living systems. Whereas the knowledge on how they act in concert is poor and ALARM will be the first research initiative with the critical mass needed to deal with such aspects of combined impacts and their consequences. So far the ALARM consortium combines the expertise of 54 partners from 26 countries (19 EU, Bulgaria, Romania, Israel, Switzerland, Russia, Chile, and Argentina). Within this call we propose to include 16 new TTC partners from Russia, Belarus, China, South-Africa, India, Croatia, Ukraine, Serbia & Montenegro, The Philippines, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Mexico, in order to complement expertise and geographical coverage of the existing consortium.
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