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.
In contrast to their advances in other areas, weather forecast models have not been successful in improving the Quantitative Precipitation Forecast during the last 16 years. One reason for this stagnation is the lack of comprehensive, high-quality data sets usable for model validation as well as for data assimilation, thus leading to improved initial fields in numerical models. Theoretical analyses have identified the requirements measured data have to meet in order to close the gaps in process understanding. In field campaigns, it has been shown that the newest generation of remote sensing systems has the potential to yield data sets of the required quality. It is therefore time to combine the most powerful remote sensing instruments with proven ground-based and airborne measurement techniques in an Intensive Observations Period (IOP). Its goal is to serve as a backbone for the SPP 1167 by producing the demanded data sets of unachieved accuracy and resolution. This requires a sophisticated scientific preparation and a careful coordination between the efforts of the institutions involved. For the first time, the pre-convective environment, the formation of clouds and the onset and development of precipitation as well as its intensity will be observed in four dimensions simultaneously in a region of sufficient size. This shall be achieved by combining the IOP with international programs and by collaboration between leading scientists in Europe, US and other countries. Thus, the IOP is a unique opportunity to make Germany the setting of an international field campaign featuring the newest generation of measurement systems such as scanning radar and lidar and leading to outstanding advances in atmospheric sciences.
Recent events such as the Pakistan earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami and the European heat waves of 2003 reveal the vulnerability of societies to extreme events. The goal of this project is to strengthen prevention, mitigation and preparedness strategies in order to reduce the health, social and economic impacts of extreme events on communities. The objectives of the MICRODIS project are to strengthen the scientific and empirical foundation on the relationship between extreme events and their impacts; to develop and integrate knowledge, concepts, methods and databases towards a common global approach and to improve human resources and coping capacity in Asia and Europe through training and knowledge sharing. This integrated project involves 19 partners from Asia and Europe, including research, policy and ground roots institutions. The outputs will include an evidence-base on impacts, field methodologies and tools for data compilation, impact models, and integrated vulnerability assessments. It will also strengthen standardised data collection of extreme events and their impacts at local, regional and global levels. Prime Contractor: Université Catholique de Louvain; Louvain-la-neuve; Belgium.
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.
With a focus on transport, the project intends to increase the understanding among relevant actors of the benefits of environmental technologies for a wider application of these technologies. It will build on the ETAP actions on targeted training and awareness raising. Pursuing this aim, the following support activities will be undertaken: 1) conceptualising and organising of 3 workshops with relevant stakeholders for stock taking, identifying obstacles and possible solutions as well as best practice examples; 2) organising a concluding conference on the basis of experiences made in the course of the project (to produce recommendations); intended for senior executives within the sector in order to ensure that the learning from the project is communicated at a level that can help to ensure as broad a take-up and dissemination as possible. 3) Producing Background Notes and Policy Briefs on training needs and awareness raising. The Background Notes will serve as a basis for the Conference discussions; the Policy Briefs will disseminate the projects findings and recommendations beyond the project to a wider public. 4) Specifying a low-cost, easily disseminated e-learning solution that addresses the overall objective of the project: increasing awareness amongst those working in this sector of underlying issues and dilemmas as well as of solutions and good practice. This activity also includes recommendations for routines to maintain the awareness and competence in order to ascertain continuous, long-term effects of the efforts.
Coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic perturbation, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem stability and resilience. Shallow water sediments and their associated biota represent a reservoir for biodiversity, hosting resting and reproductive stages of planktonic organisms, and regulating carbon and nutrient biogeochemical cycles. However, the relationship between tightly coupled biological and geochemical processes in this environment is poorly defined with respect to their temporal and spatial variability. The overall objective of COBO is to integrate emerging and innovative technologies from different disciplines (physics, chemistry, biology, imagery) to provide in situ monitoring of sediment habitats, a key component of coastal marine ecosystems, in order to understand complex interactions between the biota (function and diversity) and their chemical environment. Existing technologies have limited spatial and temporal sampling resolutions and this has hampered progress in determining key parameters and in explaining biogeochemical patterns / processes and in modeling ecosystem dynamics. Improved in situ technologies are required to provide rigorous scientific information on processes regulating this unique and fragile habitat and for assessing, controlling and minimising human impact on European coastal waters thus addressing societal need. Organism-sediment processes, with both enhancing and mediating effects, are still poorly understood in shallow water sediments that receive the bulk of anthropogenic disturbance. The combination of innovative instruments from the different disciplines will provide powerful tools to significantly advance our understanding of organism sediment relations under dynamic coastal conditions and enhance predictive capability. COBO represents a major step towards the development of permanently operating benthic observatories for coastal management. Prime Contractor: Scottish Association for Marine Science; Dunberg Oban; United Kingdom.
Objective: New process route for lightweight, unbreakable and economically feasible solar panels on the basis of amorphous silicon. Results: From a number of canditates enamel-coated steel sheet as substrate and an organic barrier as protective layer was chosen as an alternative to the dual glass panels. Criteria were vacuum compatibility, surface rougness and insulating properties. This concept requires that the production order of the thin film solar cell is reversed into back electrode, active stack, front transparent electrode. Inverted processes and low temperature processes were investigated in parallel. Protection against damage due to permeating water was reduced with an improved organic barrier coating. Also, less vulnerable back electrode materials were studied. Fluorine doped tin oxide, tin-doped indiumoxide and aluminium-doped zinc oxide were studied. However, the best and most economical results were optained with ITO. For monolithic integration mechanical masking and laser scribing were investigated. Mechanical masking failed due to the uneveness of the enamel surface. Laser scribing is possible due to the diminished power need with each consecutive layer. Some concepts for better light capture (texturing, optical coatings) were investigated. Based on the inverted process route small scale and full scale panels were manufactured and tested. Ultimately, the full scale failed due to the built-up of stress which caused delamination and could not sufficiently be reduced. The panel costs of the new route proved very similar to the existing product, but required an additional investment in vacuum deposition equipment. Surprisingly, ITO with recycling proved to be the most cost effective transparent electrode material.
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.
The working documents on revision of the Sewage Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC) on Biowaste and the Soil Protection Communication call for standards on sampling and analysis of sludge, treated biowastes and soils. The European Directives are intended to prevent unacceptable release of contaminants, impairment of soil function, or exposure to pathogens, and to protect crops, human and animal health, the quality of water and the wider environment when sludges and treated biowastes are used on land. The EU animal by-product regulations are fixing microbiological threshold values, for which microbiological methods of analysis are needed. The European Commission wishes to cite European (CEN) standards in order that there is harmonised application of the directives and that reports from Member States (MS) can be compared. This project to develop standards for hygienic parameters in sludge, soil and biowaste, presented under the name 'HORIZONTAL-HYG', will be carried out under the umbrella of the main project HORIZONTAL 'Development of horizontal standards for soil, sludge and biowaste'. This ensures full integration in the CEN system through BT Task Force 151 specially set up in support of this project as well as direct supervision by DG ENV and MS, which form the Steering Committee of HORIZONTAL. Preparation of HORIZONTAL-HYG was taken in a full agreement with the DG ENV, DG JRC and the MS already contributing to HORIZONTAL. HORIZONTAL-HYG's objective is to produce standardised methods for sampling and hygienic microbiological parameters, as Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, Ascaris ova in sludges, treated biowastes and soils written in CEN format. Validation of the methods is an essential part of the development as it quantifies performance in terms of repeatability and reproducibility. The consortium is well connected in CEN and ISO and thus provides an excellent basis for implementation of the deliverables. Prime Contractor: Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland; Petten, Netherlands.
Im Rahmen dieses Projektes wurde die Situation von Reststoffen aus der Papierindustrie europaweit durch eine umfangreiche Datenaufnahme abgeschätzt. Hierbei zeigte sich, dass in Frankreich und Deutschland die größten Mengen an Papierreststoffen entstehen und die Entsorgungsvarainten am vielfältigsten sind. In den anderen europäischen Ländern fallen wesentlich weniger Reststoffe an, zu meist durch das Fehlen einer Abwasserreinigungsanlage oder durch eine niedrige Altpapiereinsatzquote. Die Reststoffe aus diesen Ländern werden überwiegend auf einer Deponie entsorgt. In einem weiteren Teil des Projektes wurde die stoffliche Verwertung durch Kompostierung von Papierreststoffen auf biochemische und mikrobiologische Parameter hin untersucht. Dabei wurde auch der potenzielle Abbau von chlorierten Phenolen betrachtet. Es zeigte sich, dass die chlorierten Phenole keine große Belastung für Papierreststoffe darstellen. Da im Gegensatz zu den chlorierten Phenolen die Menge an chlorierten organischen Substanzen (AOX) in Papierreststoffen sehr hoch ist, wurde das umweltchemische Verhalten von AOX-Substanzen durch Schüttelversuche in verschiedenen Lösungsmitteln und Lysimeterversuchen getestet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass AOX-Substanzen sich nur in geringem Umfang durch eine Elution mit wässrigen Medien lösen lassen. Da die organischen Schadstoffe (gemessen als AOX) in Papierreststoffen besonders relevant sind, sollte versucht werden, mehr über die chemische Struktur (insbesondere das Molekulargewicht) dieser Substanzen herauszufinden. Dabei wurden die Methoden der Ultrafiltration und der Gelpermeationschromatographie eingesetzt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine hohen Anteil AOX-Substanzen im hochmolekularen Bereich, wobei die Struktur der Verbindungen stark vom anfallenden Reststofftyp abhängt. So konnte nachgeweisen werden, dass der Haupteil an AOX-Substanzen in den Deinkingreststoffen überwiegend aus chlorierten Druckfarben, insbesondere den gelben Pigmenten, besteht. Eine Substitution dieser Farbstoffe aus der Azofarbgruppe würde zu einer deutlichen Reduktion der AOX-Problematik führen.
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