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.
BACKGROUND: The Kingdom of Jordan belongs to the ten water scarcest countries in the world, and climate change is likely to increase the frequency of future droughts. Jordan is considered among the 10 most water impoverished countries in the world, with per capita water availability estimated at 170 m per annum, compared to an average of 1,000 m per annum in other countries. Jordan Government has taken the strategic decision to develop a conveyor system including a 325 km pipe to pump 100 million cubic meters per year of potable water from Disi-Mudawwara close to the Saudi Border in the south, to the Greater Amman area in the north. The construction of the water pipeline has started end of 2009 and shall be finished in 2013. Later on, the pipeline could serve as a major part of a national water carrier in order to convey desalinated water from the Red Sea to the economically most important central region of the country. The conveyor project will not only significantly increase water supplies to the capital, but also provide for the re-allocation of current supplies to other governorates, and for the conservation of aquifers. In the context of the Disi project that is co-funded by EIB two Environmental and Social Management Plans have been prepared: one for the private project partners and one for the Jordan Government. The latter includes the Governments obligation to re-balance water allocations to irrigation and to gradually restore the protected wetlands of Azraq (Ramsar site) east of Amman that has been depleted due to over-abstraction by re-directing discharge of highland aquifers after the Disi pipeline becomes operational. The Water Strategy recognizes that groundwater extraction for irrigation is beyond acceptable limits. Since the source is finite and priority should be given to human consumption it proposes to tackle the demand for irrigation through tariff adjustments, improved irrigation technology and disincentive to water intensive crops. The Disi aquifer is currently used for irrigation by farms producing all kinds of fruits and vegetables on a large scale and exporting most of their products to the Saudi and European markets and it is almost a third of Jordan's total consumption. The licenses for that commercial irrigation were finished by 2011/12. Whilst the licenses will be not renewed the difficulty will be the enforcement and satellite based information become an important supporting tool for monitoring. OUTLOOK: The ESA funded project Water management had the objective to support the South-North conveyor project and the activities of EIB together with the MWI in Jordan to ensure the supply of water for the increasing demand. EO Information provides a baseline for land cover and elevation and support the monitoring of further stages. usw.
The present-day configuration of Indonesia and SE Asia is the results of a long history of tectonic movements, volcanisms and global eustatic sea-level changes. Not indifferent to these dynamics, fauna and flora have been evolving and dispersing following a complicate pattern of continent-sea changes to form what are today defined as Sundaland and Wallacea biogeographical regions. The modern intraannual climate of Indonesia is generally described as tropical, seasonally wet with seasonal reversals of prevailing low-level winds (Asian-Australian monsoon). However at the interannual scale a range of influences operating over varying time scales affect the local climate in respect of temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall. Vegetation generally reflects climate and to simplify it is possible to distinguish three main ecological elements in the flora of Malaysia: everwet tropical, seasonally dry tropical (monsoon) and montane. Within those major ecological groups, a wide range of specific local conditions caused a complex biogeography which has and still attract the attention of botanists and biogeographers worldwide. Being one of the richest regions in the Worlds in terms of species endemism and biodiversity, Indonesia has recently gone through intensive transformation of previously rural/natural lands for intensive agriculture (oil palm, rubber, cocoa plantations and rice fields). Climate change represents an additional stress. Projected climate changes in the region include strengthening of monsoon circulation and increase in the frequency and magnitude of extreme rainfall and drought events. The ecological consequences of these scenarios are hard to predict. Within the context of sustainable management of conservation areas and agro-landscapes, Holocene palaeoecological and palynological studies provide a valuable contribution by showing how the natural vegetation present at the location has changed as a consequence of climate variability in the long-term (e.g. the Mid-Holocene moisture maximum, the modern ENSO onset, Little Ice Age etc.). The final aim of my PhD research is to compare the Holocene history of Jambi province and Central Sulawesi. In particular: - Reconstructing past vegetation, plant diversity and climate dynamics in the two study areas Jambi (Sumatra) and Lore Lindu National Park (Sulawesi) - Comparing the ecological responses of lowland monsoon swampy rainforest (Sumatra) and everwet montane rainforests (Sulawesi) to environmental variability (vulnerability/resilience) - Investigating the history of human impact on the landscape (shifting cultivation, slash and burn, crop cultivation, rubber and palm oil plantation) - Assessing the impact and role of droughts (El Niño) and fires - Adding a historical perspective to the evaluation of current and future changes.
In Fragebogen-Untersuchungen zur Lärmwirkung wurden bisher sehr unterschiedliche Operationalisierungen von Wirkungsvariablen (wie z.B. Belästigung, Störung von Aktivitäten) und außer-akustischen Faktoren (sog. Moderatoren wie z.B. Lärmempfindlichkeit, misfeasance) verwendet. Deshalb hat sich die Arbeitsgruppe community response der International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN, Team No. 6) als langfristiges Ziel die Entwicklung von Fragebogen-Guidelines und die Formulierung eines Muster-Fragebogens für die Lärmwirkungsforschung gesetzt. D.h. es soll ein Vorschlag erarbeitet werden, in welcher Form globale und spezifische Lärmwirkungen in Befragungen erhoben werden sollten. Um dieses Vorhaben zu unterstützen, hat der Arbeitskreis Ökologische Lärmforschung die Erstellung einer systematischen Übersicht über vorhandene Fragebögen aus Lärmwirkungsstudien auf internationaler Ebene in Angriff genommen. Diese Übersicht soll es u.a. ermöglichen, die Struktur von verschiedenen Fragebögen sowie die in ihnen verwendeten Operationalisierungen für Lärmwirkungs- und Moderatorvariablen (hinsichtlich Art der Frageformulierung sowie der Antwortformate) zu vergleichen. Für den/die einzelne/n Lärmforscher/in bietet diese Übersicht die Möglichkeit, sich auf sehr effiziente Art und Weise darüber zu informieren, wie bestimmte Konstrukte in bisherigen Untersuchungen operationalisiert worden sind bzw. welche Alternativen zu den bereits selbst angewandten Operationalisierungen bestehen. Nach einer systematischen Ermittlung von Namen und Adressen einschlägiger Lärmforscher/innen, wurden diese um die Zusendung von Fragebögen sowie ergänzender Materialien aus eigenen Lärmwirkungsstudien gebeten. Die zugesandten Fragebögen werden gegebenenfalls übersetzt und mit der Methode der qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse ausgewertet. Hierbei werden die Fragebögen im Hinblick auf formelle Aspekte (z.B. Jahr der Erhebung, Sprache, Art der Befragungsmethode) wie auch im Hinblick auf strukturelle Aspekte (z.B. Umfang des Fragebogens, abgefragte Variablengruppen, Antwortformate) ausgewertet. Hauptgegenstand der Auswertung ist aber insbesondere die Auswertung der Lärmwirkungsvariablen (z.B. die Abfrage der globalen Lärmbelästigung, Aktivitätenstörungen, Kommunikationsstörungen) sowie der Moderatorvariablen (z.B. Lärmempfindlichkeit, Lärmbewältigungsvermögen, misfeasance). Parallel dazu wurde eine Datenbank entwickelt, in der die Ergebnisse der Analysen dargestellt und verwaltet werden. Diese Datenbank wird ab November 2001 im Internet unter http://www.eco.psy.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/nqd für jede/n interessierte/n Forscher/in zugänglich und nutzbar sein. Langfristig ist darüber hinaus geplant, ein Archiv mit den Original-Fragebögen aufzubauen, in dem einzelne Fragebögen auf Wunsch eingesehen werden können.
Im Auftrag des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Umwelt hat bifa den erstmals 2003 durchgeführten Ökoeffizienzvergleich der Entsorgungsstrukturen Bayerns, Deutschlands und der Schweiz erweitert und aktualisiert. Die Ergebnisse aus dem Jahr 2003 zeigten, dass der bayerische Weg zur Gestaltung der Abfallwirtschaft in seiner Ökoeffizienz im Vergleich mit den Entsorgungsstrukturen der Schweiz und dem deutschen Durchschnitt am besten abschnitt. Nach der, im Rahmen der aktuellen Beauftragung, durchgeführten Datenaktualisierung, der Bilanzierung zusätzlicher Wertstoffströme und der Berücksichtigung des Verbots der Ablagerung nicht vorbehandelter Abfälle rücken die Entsorgungsstrukturen hinsichtlich Ihrer Ökoeffizienz deutlich enger zusammen. Die Entsorgungsstruktur Bayerns weist im Vergleich zur Entsorgungsstruktur Deutschlands zwar noch ein geringfügig besseres ökologisches Gesamtergebnis auf, ist aber gleichzeitig mit leicht höheren Gesamtkosten verbunden. Die Entsorgungsstruktur der Schweiz ist etwas weniger ökoeffizient. Die Ursachen dafür sind eine geringere Umweltentlastung im ökologischen Gesamtergebnis, gepaart mit vergleichsweise hohen Entsorgungskosten. Methoden: Analyse und Moderation sozialer Prozesse, Ökobilanzierung und Systemanalyse, Ökonomie und Managementberatung.
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.
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.
In this project we experimentally explore the transport of engineered inorganic nanoparticles (EINP) through soils. This is done for original EINPs and some pre-aged form. Transport of NPs in soil is expected to be different from that of reactive solutes, in that hydrodynamic drag, inertial and shear forces as well as the affinity to water-gas interfaces are expected to be more relevant. Hence, the mobility of EINPs in soil is highly sensitive to the morphology of the porous structure and the dynamics of water saturation.This project provides the pore network structure for natural soils using X-ray micro-tomography to allow for an up-scaling of pore-scale interactions explored by project partners to the scale of soil horizons. The pore structure is represented by a network model suitable for pore scale simulations including the dynamics of water-gas interfaces.Pore network simulations will be compared to column experiments for conservative tracers as well as for unaltered and pre-aged EINPs (obtained from INTERFACE). This includes steady state flow scenarios for saturated (ponding) and unsaturated conditions as well as for transient flow to explore the impact of moving water-gas interfaces. The final goal is to arrive at a consistent interpretation of experimental findings and numerical simulations to develop a module for modelling EINP transfer through soil as a function of particle properties, soil structural characteristics and external forcing in terms of flux boundary conditions.
Magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) on microcosm soil cores (200 mm Ø) used for CeMiX, comprising naturally stacked subsoil down to 700 mm plus topsoil from CeFiT, will be implemented at a laterally partially open Split 1.5 T magnet, with intended final in-plane spatial resolution of 200 Micro m. Three-dimensional biopore distributions and dynamics of their formation within the cores will be determined non-invasively and compared to complementing CT analyses of SP 2. One major aim is a non-invasive differentiation of the biopores into earthworm- and root system-originating ones and currently air-, water-, root- and earthwormfilled ones, based on NMR relaxation parameters. Attempts will additionally be made to classify different wall coatings of the biopores with regard to their water affinity. Dynamics of water distribution within the microcosm core and its biopore structures, starting from initial values taken from CeFiT (SP 3), will be documented with an in-plane resolution of 5 mm, in parallel to measurements of root growth dynamics for calculation of biomass and root surface area. Special emphasis will be put on the role of the plant root system for a re-distribution of water/D2O (and solutes) between different soil layers. Finally we will attempt MRT-controlled sample collection from the microcosm cores, to get - together with our research unit partners of SPs 4-8 - repeated access to minimally invasively acquired data on nutrient and microorganism distributions in concert with non-invasively collected water and root distribution data as a basis for dynamic modelling of water and solute circuits in SP 10. Beside the microcosm cores, flat rhizotrons as used in SP 3 will be employed to enable measurements of root and shoot hydrostatic pressure profiles with pressure probes, in addition to MRT measurements. In this way water distributions and corresponding driving forces and growth dynamics will be measured altogether in a minimally invasive manner.
It has been suggested that dying and decaying fine roots and root exudation represent important, if not the most important, sources of soil organic carbon (SOC) in forest soils. This may be especially true for deep-reaching roots in the subsoil, but precise data to prove this assumption are lacking. This subproject (1) examines the distribution and abundance of fine roots (greater than 2 mm diameter) and coarse roots (greater than 2 mm) in the subsoil to 240 cm depth of the three subsoil observatories in a mature European beech (Fagus sylvatica) stand, (2) quantifies the turnover of beech fine roots by direct observation (mini-rhizotron approach), (3) measures the decomposition of dead fine root mass in different soil depths, and (4) quantifies root exudation and the N-uptake potential with novel techniques under in situ conditions with the aim (i) to quantify the C flux to the SOC pool upon root death in the subsoil, (ii) to obtain a quantitative estimate of root exudation in the subsoil, and (iii) to assess the uptake activity of fine roots in the subsoil as compared to roots in the topsoil. Key methods applied are (a) the microscopic distinction between live and dead fine root mass, (b) the estimation of fine and coarse root age by the 14C bomb approach and annual ring counting in roots, (c) the direct observation of the formation and disappearance of fine roots in rhizotron tubes by sequential root imaging (CI-600 system, CID) and the calculation of root turnover, (d) the measurement of root litter decomposition using litter bags under field and controlled laboratory conditions, (e) the estimation of root N-uptake capacity by exposing intact fine roots to 15NH4+ and 15NO3- solutions, and (f) the measurement of root exudation by exposing intact fine root branches to trap solutions in cuvettes in the field and analysing for carbohydrates and amino acids by HPLC and Py-FIMS (cooperation with Prof. A. Fischer, University of Trier). The obtained data will be analysed for differences in root abundance and activity between subsoil (100-200 cm) and topsoil (0-20 cm) and will be related to soil chemical and soil biological data collected by the partner projects that may control root turnover and exudation in the subsoil. In a supplementary study, fine root biomass distribution and root turnover will also be studied at the four additional beech sites for examining root-borne C fluxes in the subsoil of beech forests under contrasting soil conditions of different geological substrates (Triassic limestone and sandstone, Quaternary sand and loess deposits).
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