Non wood fuels for small-scale furnaces have attracted increasing interest in several European countries. New technological approaches are on the way, but the verification of any such developments is difficult and there is a large uncertainty about testing procedures and equipment. While for wood combustion standardized European measuring regulations are available and broadly applied, the testing of cereal fuel combustion is generally not following a commonly accepted procedure. Consequently the results of such measurements are not fully comparable. This applies particularly for the international level, which is here of particular relevance due to the fact that a combustion technology development for a niche application can only be economically viable if a sufficiently large marketing area can be taken into focus. The overall objective of the proposal is therefore to contribute through research to the development of uniform and comparable European procedures for testing of small-scale boilers up to a power out of 300 kW for solid biomass from agriculture like straw pellets and energy grain. The driving forces and barriers will be worked out; existing legal regulation for the installation (approval by the local authorities) in the participating countries will be collected. The state of the art of the non wood biomass boiler technology will be identified; the need for standardized tests for type approval tests and the measures to establish a European Standard will be shown. Measurement methods with special emphasis on efficiency and emissions will be worked out and the requirements and specifications of test fuels will be proposed. Test runs will be carried out following preliminary test procedures based on existing European standards for wood boilers. Based on the results of these test runs a draft for a Europe-wide uniform test procedure will be proposed. Preparatory work for a European standardization process including a round robin test will be done.
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.
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.
The production and consumption of ozone-depleting HCFCs used as refrigerants, blowing agents, solvents, aerosols, and fire suppressants are increasing rapidly in developing countries, as they are being gradually phased out in developed countries under the Montreal Protocol. Because developing countries are not required under the Protocol to freeze consumption until 2016, or reduce consumption until 2040, global HCFC consumption could remain excessively high for the next 35 years, undermining the phaseout efforts of developed countries and threatening the recovery of the ozone layer and human health. Currently, there are only limited discussions on the post-2016 phaseout of HCFCs in developing countries. To address this issue, ICF is pleased to submit a proposal to support DG RTD/DG ENV in organising an innovative international workshop to target the reduction of HCFC consumption in developing countries between now and 2015, and yield a draft agreement on intermediate reduction steps between 2016 and 2040. Specifically, the workshop will provide developing country stakeholders with the technical tools needed to phaseout HCFCs (e.g., information on viable alternatives, technology transfer, funding opportunities) and to build consensus among stakeholders on an intermediate phaseout schedule to be implemented under the Montreal Protocol. After conducting numerous ODS-related analyses for DG ENV and countless other clients, ICF is intimately familiar with the sources and uses of HCFCs, available alternatives, key policy and industry players, and operational procedures of the Montreal Protocol. ICF is also experienced in designing and executing conferences and workshops, and developing outreach materials and Web content management systems. Further, with offices worldwide, ICF can conduct research, planning, and logistical activities seamlessly across the globe. If ICF is selected as the successful bidder, we look forward to negotiating mutually-acceptable contract.
In the scope of the planned project the diversity and ecology of microbial communities and their functions in nutrient turnover under the extreme conditions in Arctic and Antarctic periglacial environments will be studied. Polar regions are vast and unique natural laboratories, both because of their geographical isolation and the minor anthropogenic influences active there, for studying microbial life under extreme environmental conditions. For this purpose the diversity and abundance of the microflora in dependence of important site characteristics such as hydrological, thermal and weathering processes will be investigated in different habitats on Store Koldewey (East Greenland) and Livingstone Island (Antarctic). The main objectives are the genotypic and phenotypic characterization of the microbial community by cultivation-independent methods such as lipid profiling and rRNA-based analyses. Stable isotope probing will be used to identify the main microbial players in nutrient turnover in the different environments. The acquired data will give insights into the early stage of life on Earth, the development of extreme habitats and the functioning of microbes within the ecosystem. The planed study contributes to the research topics of the International Polar Year proposal entitled Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Permafrost, Periglacial and Soil Environments (ANPAS, No. 627) leaded by Dr. Jan Boelhouwers.
Objective: It is estimated that around 20Prozent of the burden of disease in industrialized countries can be attributed to environmental factors, and the magnitude of the problem is perceived by the majority of Europeans. The assessment of health impacts is based mostly on scarce exposure data and limited information on the relationship between exposure and health. There is, therefore, a need to strengthen research in this area and to develop methods and tools which will improve the comparability of data. Member States have developed skills and expertise using different mechanisms to fund environment and health research. The scientific boundaries created by the remits of different funding organisations have frequently acted as a disincentive to collaborative working. Although aims are towards relevance and efficiency, the results remain dispersed and not of actual support for policy-making. Therefore, results of the studies in ERA-ENVHEALTH will lead to the proposal of a coherent set of proposed priorities, implementation of joint activities, and common calls. ERA-ENVHEALTH, by bringing together 16 participants from 10 countries, will contribute to establish collaboration among the different funding organisations of environmental and public health research communities.
MAI-TAI deals with integrated water resources management. It is designed as a coordination action of leading research and innovation operators, aiming at developing a coherent set of innovative, relevant and cooperative policy options and management strategies. Regionally it works with partners from China and India, and the work will focus around two lead river basins: The Hai river basin in North-East China and the Yamuna river basin in North India, both in arid and/or semi arid regions. The proposal features the following core coordination activities: 1. Enabling a dialogue between researchers and practitioners promoting state of the art and indigenous technologies and practices: The consortium believes that modern systems alone are not capable of solving the water needs of the people in many developing countries, and there is a strong need of generating innovative options through cross fertilization between both worlds. This cross-fertilization will be enabled by methods and rich experiences of user innovations research. 2. Based on (1), innovative policy options and management strategies will be compiled. Then, a multi-stakeholder interaction in order to evaluate these options and strategies will be carried out, supported by intelligent knowledge management tools: In the presence of a variety of actors (institutions, organisations, individuals) each with specific forms of knowledge with respect to scale, topic, reasoning processes, and a large number of information expected to be generated through the multi-stakeholder interaction, the issue of learning and knowledge management is of paramount importance. A strong impact of the coordination action is ensured by a highly inter- and transdisciplinary team, encompassing internationally reputable scientific institutions as well as strong governmental partners and NGOs. The latter two will considerable facilitate a wide and in particular meaningful stakeholder dialogue throughout the project.
Ziel des Schwerpunktprogramms 1144 (SPP 1144) ist die interdisziplinäre und zeitlich-räumliche Erforschung des mittelozeanischen Spreizungssystems im Atlantik. Für diese Untersuchungen wurden zwei Gebiete (bei 15 Grad N und 4-11 Grad S) ausgewählt. Das Programm hat insbesondere zwei hoch-innovative Ansätze. Die Zusammenhänge zwischen den Prozessen in diesen Gebieten durch den Einsatz verschiedenster Forschungsrichtungen, wie der Petrologie, Vulkanologie, Geodynamik, Geophysik, Hydrothermalismus, Mikrobiologie, Makrobiologie, Ozeanographie, Wasserchemie und Konvektionsmodellierung zu erfassen. Die Nutzung hochentwickelter ferngesteuerter Unterwasserfahrzeuge (ROV, AUV u.a.) für eine genaue Beobachtung und Beprobung des Meeresbodens. Nach den ersten vier erfolgreichen Jahren, beantrage ich hier die Infrastruktur, die nötig ist, um das Schwerpunktprogramm, inklusive aller Einzelanträge, so effektiv wie möglich und mit dem größtmöglichen wissenschaftlichen Output' zu Ende führen zu können. Hierzu werden drei grundsätzliche Bereiche benötigt: (1) ein Koordinationsbüro, um zwischen den verschiedenen Arbeitsgruppen zu vermitteln und alle über die Abläufe innerhalb des SPP zu informieren, zur Koordination der Schiffseinsätze und der Workshops und zur Einbindung des SPP in die große InterRidge Gemeinschaft und Aktivitäten; (2) technisches Personal, das notwendig ist, um die Tiefsee-Technologien jederzeit für Einsätze zur Untersuchungen der Spreizungachsen zur Verfügung stellen zukönnen, (3) Datenmanagment, um alle Beteiligten des SPP mit allen verfügbaren Informationen zu versorgen und um alle Ergebnisse des SPP in eine umfassende Datenbank zusammenzuführen.
The main objectives are : - to identify, structure and assess instruments addressing and promoting sustainable consumption and greening of the market; - to identify and evaluate best practice examples; - to develop policy strategies for transferring best practices; - to carry out a workshop; - to finalise insights by preparing a guideline for policy makers; - to prepare a scientific report and a summary. After a prephase connected with an internal kick-off meeting, the first phase analyses policy instruments, measures and actions and the gained experiences in WP 2 ' Basic instrumental overview . The instrumental overview is intended to be of a broader nature to collect insights into existing, but also discussed, proposed and/or rejected tools which have lead or could lead to a greening of the markets by addressing supply and/or demand. We will concentrate on promising tools and actions. The gained and collected information will be assessed along certain criteria developed beforehand in WP 3 'Assessment . WP 4 'Best practises and market transformation patterns will bring together the most instructive findings and consider what could be learned from them. The key question behind that approach is to look for the patterns behind successful greening strategies. The second phase is dedicated to the potentials for transferring of the results and their dissemination. WP 5 'Extension and transfer strategies picks up the results of the preceding work. It considers the findings and prepares strategies for the transfer of promising approaches. Results and proposals will be documented and discussed at a one-day workshop (WP 6 'Workshop ) which will collect insights, opinions and experiences of a broader auditorium. The discussion and results of the workshop will be documented and will contribute to the update of the preliminary findings. WP 7 'Dissemination brings together all findings and insights. Here we will prepare guidelines, a report, including a summary. Prime Contractor: Institut für Ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung GgmbH; Berlin; Germany.
ALPCHANGE beschreibt quantitativ die durch den Klimawandel verursachte Landschaftsdynamik in alpinen Regionen Südösterreichs. Dies geschieht durch die integrative und umfassende Analyse aus Beobachtungsdaten der vier Landschaftsparameter Permafrost, Gletscher, Schnee und Geomorphologie. Diese Parameter reagieren zeitlich unterschiedlich auf geänderte Umweltbedingungen und liefern so Informationen in verschiedenen Zeitebenen: Schnee unmittelbar, Gletscher und geomorphologische Strukturen innerhalb von Jahren bis Jahrzehnten bzw. Permafrost innerhalb von Jahrzehnten bis Jahrhunderten. Diese Zusammenhänge werden mittels eines umfassenden Monitoring-Netzwerkes in den Hohen Tauern durchgeführt zum ersten Mal in Südösterreich. Die Interdisziplinarität dieses Forschungsansatzes Glaziologie, Hochgebirgsgeographie, Geophysik, Atmosphärenphysik, Geologie versammelt viele nationale wie auch internationale Institutionen in einer Arbeitsgemeinschaft. Wissenschaftler verschiedener Institute an der Universität Graz bzw. der Technischen Universität Graz sind seit Jahrzehnten in den Forschungsbereichen Klima- und Umweltwandel aktiv. ALPCHANGE ist unter anderem auch aus jenen Initiativen entstanden, die zur Gründung des Wegener Zentrums für Klima und Globalen Wandel (WegCenter) führten.
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