The aim of P2 within the Research Unit 'The Forgotten Part of Carbon Cycling: Organic Matter Storage and Turnover in Subsoils (SUBSOM)' is to contribute to the understanding of the different sources and stabilization processes of subsoil organic matter. This will be achieved by the analysis of the soil organic matter composition in topsoil versus subsoil by 13C NMR spectroscopy in bulk soils as well as organo-mineral associations. This will be done on a number of soil profiles differing in parent material and mineralogy and therefore also in the relevance of organo-mineral associations for subsoil C stabilization. In addition, a specific sampling approach will allow to differentiate three zones associated with the dominating effect of (1) leaching of DOC (the 'bulk soil' between trees), (2) root litter decomposition (the 'root-affected zone'), and (3) direct rhizodeposition of root exudates (the 'rhizosphere' sensu strictu). The contribution of above-ground versus below-ground litter is differentiated by the analysis of cutin and suberin biomarkers. Organic matter derived from microbial sources will be identified by the microbial signature of polysaccharides in the subsoil through the analysis of neutral sugars and amino sugars. Organo-mineral associations will be further characterized by N2-BET analyses to delineate the coverage of the mineral phase with organic matter. With these analyses and our specific analytical expertise at the submicron scale (nanoSIMS) we will participate in selected joint experiments of the research unit.
Fusarium species of the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex cause serious diseases on different crops such as rice, wheat and maize. An important group of plant pathogens is the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex (GFC) of closely related Fusarium species which are associated with specific hosts; F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum are particularly associated with maize where they can cause serious ear-, root-, and stalk rot diseases. Two other closely related species of the GFC, F. mangiferae and F. fujikuroi, which share about 90Prozent sequence identity with F. verticillioides, are pathogens on mango and rice, respectively. All of these species produce a broad spectrum of secondary metabolites such as phytohormones (gibberellins, auxins, and cytokinins), and harmful mycotoxins, such as fumonisin, fusarin C, or fusaric acid in large quantities. However, the spectrum of those mycotoxins might differ between closely related species suggesting that secondary metabolites might be determinants for host specificity. In this project, we will study the potential impact of secondary metabolites (i.e. phytohormones and certain mycotoxins) and some other species-specific factors (e.g. species-specific transcription factors) on host specificity. The recently sequenced genomes of F. mangiferae and F. fujikuroi by our groups and the planned sequencing of F. proliferatum will help to identify such determinants by genetic manipulation of the appropriate metabolic pathway(s).
The increasing proportion of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) in different branches of industry will result in an increasingly larger quantity of CFRP wastes in future. With regard to improved management of natural resources, it is necessary to add these fibres that require energy-intensive production to effective recycling management. But high-quality material recycling is only ecoefficient if the recycled fibres can be used to produce new high-quality and marketable products. Tests carried out up to now indicate that very good results can be expected for large-scale recycling of carbon fibres by means of pyrolysis. The waste pyrolysis plant (WPP) operated in Burgau is the only large-scale pyrolysis plant for municipal wastes in Germany. Use of this plant to treat CFRP wastes represents a unique opportunity for the whole Southern German economy and in particular the Augsburg economic region. In a study funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Health ('Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Gesundheit'), the specific implementation options for the recovery of carbon fibres from composites by means of large-scale pyrolysis have been under investigation since November 2010. To this end, in the first step a development study was carried out, which in particular examined the options for modifying the Burgau WPP for the recycling of CFRP. The knowledge acquired from the pyrolysis tests, the fibre tests and the economic feasibility study confirmed the positive assessment of the overall concept of CFRP recycling in Burgau. As an overall result, unlimited profitability was found for all scenarios with regard to investments in CFRP recycling in Burgau WPP. The work on the development study was carried out by bifa Umweltinstitut GmbH together with the Augsburg-based 'function integrated lightweight construction project group ('Funktionsintegrierter Leichtbau' - FIL) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT). Methods: analysis and moderation of social processes, economy and management consulting, process engineering
Glendonites are pseudomorphs after the mineral ikaite (CaCO3 x 6H2O) and composed of calcite (CaCO3). In the past, they have been used as a paleo-thermometer because the primary mineral ikaite, according to observations and experiments, seems to be formed at temperatures near freezing, high alkalinity and high phosphate concentrations in marine sediments. An enigmatic occurrence of the largest glendonites known world-wide, in the Early Eocene Fur Formation of northwestern Denmark offers the unique possibility to shed more light on the actual mechanism and controlling parameters of ikaite formation. Right in the aftermath of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum, a time known for its global pertubation in the global carbon cycle, the formation of authigenic calcium carbonate concretions start in the Fur Formation. In a specific stratigraphic interval inbetween these concretions, the glendonites can be found. We will investigate if termperature changes or changes in geochemical parameters of the Danish Basin caused the sudden formation of ikaite during a time interval that was based on known paleoclimatic reconstructions (semi tropic) not favorable for ikaite formation.
Die Sea-Surface Microlayer (SML) als dünne Grenzschicht trennt Hydrosphäre und Atmosphäre. Häufig sind die Konzentrationen bestimmter Verbindungen in der SML höher, entweder durch physikalische Konzentration aus dem darunter liegenden Wasser, durch Produktion in der SML oder durch atmosphärische Ablagerungen. Ein bekannter Aspekt ist die durchweg höhere Konzentration von chromophoren gelösten organischen Stoffen (CDOM) in der SML im Vergleich zum darunter liegenden Wasser. Kürzlich haben wir gezeigt, dass die inhärenten optischen Eigenschaften (IOP) â€Ì d.h. die Lichtstreu- und Absorptionseigenschaften von Wasser und seinen Bestandteilen â€Ì der SML genutzt werden können Komponenten in der SML zu charakterisieren und nützliche Informationen für den Strahlungstransfer und für Fernerkundungsstudien zu liefern. Darüber hinaus war unsere frühere Forschung zu optischen Eigenschaften in der SML unsere Motivation hier vorzuschlagen, IOPs und apparente optischen Eigenschaften (AOPs) â€Ì abgeleitet aus spektralradiometrischen Messungen des Lichtfeldes â€Ì sowie die Fluoreszenz zur Charakterisierung von organischen Stoffen (OM) und deren Transformation für die Echtzeitbewertung der SML als biologischen und chemischen Lebensraum zu nutzen. Hiermit können wir in außergewöhnlicher Weise die Kurzzeitdynamik relevanter biologischer und chemischer Treiber in der SML untersuchen.
We are currently facing the urgent need to improve our understanding of carbon cycling in subsoils, because the organic carbon pool below 30 cm depth is considerably larger than that in the topsoil and a substantial part of the subsoil C pool appears to be much less recalcitrant than expected over the last decades. Therefore, small changes in environmental conditions could change not only carbon cycling in topsoils, but also in subsoils. While organic matter stabilization mechanisms and factors controlling its turnover are well understood in topsoils, the underlying mechanisms are not valid in subsoils due to depth dependent differences regarding (1) amounts and composition of C-pools and C-inputs, (2) aeration, moisture and temperature regimes, (3) relevance of specific soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilisation mechanisms and (4) spatial heterogeneity of physico-chemical and biological parameters. Due to very low C concentrations and high spatio-temporal variability of properties and processes, the investigation of subsoil phenomena and processes poses major methodological, instrumental and analytical challenges. This project will face these challenges with a transdisciplinary team of soil scientists applying innovative approaches and considering the magnitude, chemical and isotopic composition and 14C-content of all relevant C-flux components and C-fractions. Taking also the spatial and temporal variability into account, will allow us to understand the four-dimensional changes of C-cycling in this environment. The nine closely interlinked subprojects coordinated by the central project will combine field C-flux measurements with detailed analyses of subsoil properties and in-situ experiments at a central field site on a sandy soil near Hannover. The field measurements are supplemented by laboratory studies for the determination of factors controlling C stabilization and C turnover. Ultimately, the results generated by the subprojects and the data synthesized in the coordinating project will greatly enhance our knowledge and conceptual understanding of the processes and controlling factors of subsoil carbon turnover as a prerequisite for numerical modelling of C-dynamics in subsoils.
Magnetic properties of ferrimagnetic minerals depend on their crystal lattice, anisotropy, chemical composition and grain size. The latter parameter is strongly controlled by microstructures, which are significant for the interpretation of the magnetic properties of shocked magnetic minerals. Fracturing and lattice defects are the main causes for magnetic domain size reduction and generate an increase in coercivity and the suppression of magnetic transitions (e.g. 34 K transition in pyrrhotite, Verwey transition in magnetite).Especially for an adequate investigation of shock-induced modifications in ferromagnetic minerals, a combination of microstructural and magnetic measurements is therefore essential.This project focusses on two significant aspects of extreme conditions - the consequence of shock waves on natural material on Earth and on the magnetic mineralogy of exotic magnetic minerals in iron meteorites. In order to obtain general correlations between deformation structures and magnetic properties, the specific magnetic properties and carriers as well as microstructures of samples from two impact structures in marine targets (Lockne and Chesapeake Bay) will be compared with shocked magnetite ore and magnetite-bearing target lithologies from outside the crater (Lockne) as well as from undeformed megablocks within the crater (Chesapeake Bay). We will test the hypothesis if shock-related microstructures and associated magnetic properties can significantly be overprinted by postshock hydrothermal alteration. We especially want to focus on the Verwey transition (TV) as lower TVs are described for shocked impact lithologies. Hence, the main focus of this study lies on magneto-mineralogical investigations which combine low- and high-temperature magnetic susceptibility and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization with mineralogical and microstructural investigations. The same methods will then be used for the investigation of iron meteorites, whose magnetic properties are often controled by exotic magnetic minerals like cohenite, schreibersite and daubreelite in addition to the metal phases. Magnetic transition temperatures of those phases are poorly documented in relation to their chemical composition as well as to their crystallographic and microstructural configuration. For a general understanding of shock-related magnetization processes in extraterrestrial and terrestrial material, however, it is crucial to obtain a general correlation between the initial 'unshocked' state and the subsequent shock- and alteration-related overprints.
The broad objective of the research is to gain a fundamental understanding of the surface reaction chemistry of exhaust catalysts operating under cycling conditions. Using an integrated theoretical approach we specifically target NOx abatement, with particular emphasis on the appearance and destruction of surface oxide phases as the reactor conditions cycle from oxidative to reductive during the operation of the NOx Storage Reduction (NSR) catalyst system. Methodologically this requires material-specific, quantitative and explicitly time-dependent simulation tools that can follow the evolution of the system over the macroscopic time-scales of NSR cycles, while simultaneously accounting for the atomic-scale site heterogeneity and spatial distributions at the evolving surface. To meet these challenging demands we will develop a novel multi-scale methodology relying on a multi-lattice first-principles kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) approach. As representative example the simulations will be carried out on a PdO(101)/Pd(100) surface oxide model, but care will be taken to ensure a generalization of the multi-lattice first-principles kMC approach to other systems in which phase transformations may occur and result in a change in the surface lattice structure depending upon environmental variables.
The classical point wise Cornell-McGuire probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA), which is widely used for seismic hazard mapping and development of design codes, does not allow direct estimation of multiple-location hazard for distributed structures and facilities: what is the (annual) probability that specific level of ground motion will be exceeded simultaneously in several sites? It is possible to extent the classical methodology to the multiple sites problem considering also ground-motion correlation. We study multiple-location PSHA, as compared with the classical point wise PSHA, using Monte Carlo simulation. Specific items are:(1) Development of the algorithms for multiple-location PSHA;(2) Analysis of the role of the geometry of multiple sites, correlation of ground motion, and evel of seimicity for multiple-location PSHA;(3) Study of correspondence and differences between multiple-location PSHA and classical point wise PSHA and analysis of possibility of utilization of classical PSHA procedures for simplified multiple-location hazard assessment.The project is innovative because only few attempts have been made so far regarding our research questions.
The magnetosphere of a planet is controlled by a number of factors such as the intrinsic magnetic field, the atmosphere and ionosphere, and the solar wind. Different combinations of these control factors are at work at the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, hence they form a very suitable set for quantitative comparative studies. A significant intrinsic dipolar magnetic field is present only on Earth and on Mercury. However, the configuration at Mercury differs considerably from that at Earth because Mercury does not support an atmosphere and ionosphere, the dipolar field is much weaker, the solar wind denser, and the interplanetary magnetic field stronger. Both Mars and Venus have atmospheres but lack a global planetary magnetic field, with regional crustal magnetization being present on Mars. This proposal aims at investigating and comparing electrical current systems in the space environments of terrestrial planets using magnetic vector data collected by orbiting spacecraft such as Venus Express, Mars Global Surveyor, CHAMP (Earth), and MESSENGER (Mercury). We propose to construct data-driven and physically meaningful representations that reveal and quantify the influence of various control factors. To achieve this, we will tailor Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis and other multivariate methods to the specifics of planetary magnetic field observations. In contrast to representations that build on predefined functions like spherical harmonics, basis functions in the EOF approach are derived directly from the data. EOFs are designed to extract dominant coherent variations for further interpretation in terms of known physical phenomena, and then, in a regression step, for modeling using suitable control variables. The EOF methodology thus allows quantifying the relative importance of control factors for each planet individually, and thus contributes to the solution of topical science questions. The resulting empirical models will facilitate comparative studies of current systems at the terrestrial planets.
| Organisation | Count |
|---|---|
| Bund | 359 |
| Europa | 101 |
| Land | 3 |
| Wissenschaft | 154 |
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Förderprogramm | 359 |
| License | Count |
|---|---|
| Offen | 359 |
| Language | Count |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | 79 |
| Englisch | 346 |
| Resource type | Count |
|---|---|
| Keine | 271 |
| Webseite | 88 |
| Topic | Count |
|---|---|
| Boden | 307 |
| Lebewesen und Lebensräume | 355 |
| Luft | 256 |
| Mensch und Umwelt | 358 |
| Wasser | 267 |
| Weitere | 359 |