Processes limiting mussel bed restoration in the Wadden-Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Paoli, Helene; van de Koppel, Johan; van der Zee, Els; Kangeri, Arno; van Belzen, Jim; Holthuijsen, Sander; van den Berg, Aniek; Herman, Peter; Olff, Han; van der Heide, Tjisse

This paper reports on experimental restoration of mussel beds in the Wadden Sea and the processes that might limit successful restoration of this foundation species (i.e. substrate, predation, hydrodynamics). The importance of substrate, predation, hydrodynamic conditions and location on mussel

Phosphorus recycling and availability in the western Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Freixo Leote, C.M.

2014-01-01

Phosphorus is a main and often limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth, as suggested for the western Wadden Sea. In this area, freshwater discharge was a major nutrient source in the past. However, pollution reduction measures dramatically reduced its contribution, particularly for phosphorus. In

Inventory and sensitivity mapping in the German Wadden Sea. June 1987 - June 1993. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernem, K.H. van; Knuepling, J.; Ramm, G.; Neugebohrn, L.

1994-01-01

The project 'Thematische Kartierung und Sensitivitaetsraster des Deutschen Wattenmeeres' includes a methodically uniform inventory of the whole German Wadden Sea performed between 1987 and 1992. The inventory is based on quantitative and descriptive data and contains a documentation of temporary aspects. The project acts as a nucleus for the development of the Wadden Sea information System WATiS. The project forms the basis for direct applications for nature protection and oil-spill measures; in addition, a procedure to deliminate representative areals is demonstrated which can be used for example in the 'Trilateral Monitoring and Assessment Program' for the Wadden Sea. With the coupling to the computerbased maritime environmental management system 'REMUS' (presently developed) the prerequisites are generated to combine logistical, technical and scientific techniques for provision and combat measures. (orig.) [de

Residual circulation and freshwater transport in the Dutch Wadden Sea: a numerical modelling study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duran-Matute, M.; Gerkema, T.; de Boer, G.J.; Nauw, J.; Grawe, U.

2014-01-01

The Dutch Wadden Sea is a region of intertidal flats located between the chain of Wadden Islands and the Dutch mainland. We present numerical model results on the tidal prisms and residual flows through the tidal inlets and across one of the main watersheds. The model also provides insight into the

Reproduction of coastal birds breeding in the Wadden Sea: variation, influencing factors and monitoring

OpenAIRE

Thyen, Stefan

2005-01-01

The study was aimed to determine breeding success including its variability of coastal birds breeding in the Wadden Sea. A further aim was to assess the contribution of current breeding success to population trends of single species. The studies were conducted during the mid 1990s and at the beginning of the 2000s investigating six frequent breeding bird species at 17 breeding sites throughout the German part of the Wadden Sea area. In general, hatching and breeding success was higher on isla...

Long-term trends in nutrient budgets of the western Dutch Wadden Sea (1976-2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, A. S.; Brinkman, A. G.; Folmer, E. O.; Herman, P. M. J.; van der Veer, H. W.; Philippart, C. J. M.

2017-09-01

Long-term field observations of nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P] concentrations were used to construct nutrient budgets for the western Dutch Wadden Sea between 1976 and 2012. Nutrients come into the western Dutch Wadden Sea via river runoff, through exchange with the coastal zone of the North Sea, neighbouring tidal basins and through atmospheric deposition (for N). The highest concentrations in phosphorus and nitrogen were observed in the mid-1980s. Improved phosphorus removal at waste water treatment plants, management of fertilization in agriculture and removal of phosphates from detergents led to reduced riverine nutrient inputs and, consequently, reduced nutrient concentrations in the Wadden Sea. The budgets suggest that the period of the initial net import of phosphorus and nitrogen switched to a net export in 1981 for nitrogen and in 1992 for phosphorus. Such different behaviour in nutrient budgets during the rise and fall of external nutrient concentrations may be the result of different sediment-water exchange dynamics for P and N. It is hypothesized that during the period of increasing eutrophication (1976-1981) P, and to a lesser degree N, were stored in sediments as organic and inorganic nutrients. In the following period (1981-1992) external nutrient concentrations (especially in the North Sea) decreased, but P concentrations in the Wadden Sea remained high due to prolonged sediment release, whilst denitrification removed substantial amounts of N. From 1992 onwards, P and N budgets were closed by net loss, most probably because P stores were then depleted and denitrification continued. Under the present conditions (lower rates of sediment import and depleted P stores), nutrient concentrations in this area are expected to be more strongly influenced by wind-driven exchange with the North Sea and precipitation-driven discharge from Lake IJssel. This implies that the consequences of climate change will be more important, than during the 1970s and 1980s.

Spatial and temporal variability in bio-optical properties of the Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hommersom, A.; Peters, S.W.M.; Wernand, M.; de Boer, J.

2009-01-01

The Wadden Sea, a shallow coastal area bordering the North Sea, is optically a complex area due to its shallowness, high turbidity and fast changes in concentrations of optically active substances. This study gathers information from the area on concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM),

On the dynamics of the stocks of blue mussels ( Mytilus edulis L.) in the Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munch-Petersen, Sten; Kristensen, Per Sand

2001-01-01

As biological basis for the monitoring programme for the commercially exploited stock(s) of mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) in the Danish Wadden Sea, samples of mussels have been collected regularly since 1986, both from sub-tidal and inter- tidal mussel beds. These samples are the basis for the esti...... with figures from other investigations. These analyses have been the basis for annual assessments of the mussel stocks, which again are used in the current management of mussel fishery in the Danish Wadden Sea.......As biological basis for the monitoring programme for the commercially exploited stock(s) of mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) in the Danish Wadden Sea, samples of mussels have been collected regularly since 1986, both from sub-tidal and inter- tidal mussel beds. These samples are the basis...

Pupping habitat ofd grey seals in the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brasseur, S.M.J.M.; Groot, de A.V.; Aarts, G.M.; Dijkman, E.M.; Kirkwood, R.J.

2015-01-01

Atlantic grey seals (Halichoerus grypus grypus) started recolonising Dutch coastal haul-outs in the 1950s, after practically 500 years of rarity in the Dutch coastal zone which was caused mainly by human hunting. The first pup-birth was recorded in 1985 at the Wadden Sea sandbank of Engelschhoek.

Ground subsidence Wadden Sea 1977-2011. Precision and reliability of measurements; Bodemdaling Waddenzee 1977-2011. Precisie en betrouwbaarheid uit metingen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Houtenbos, A.P.E.M.

2011-12-15

What about the subsidence caused by gas exploitation around the Wadden Sea? Is subsidence on the Wadden Sea really manageable by extraction with the 'hand on the faucet'? These and other questions are examined in an analysis of the measurements around the Wadden Sea in the period 1977-2011 [Dutch] Hoe staat het met de bodemdaling door gaswinning rond de Waddenzee? Is bodemdaling op de Waddenzee werkelijk beheersbaar door winning met de 'Hand aan de kraan'? Deze en andere vragen zijn onderzocht in een analyse van de metingen rond de Waddenzee tot over de periode 1977-2011.

The Outstanding Universal Values of the Wadden Sea: an ecological perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baptist, M.J.; Dankers, N.M.J.A.; Smit, C.J.

2007-01-01

This report describes the Outstanding Unique Values of the Wadden Sea from an ecological perspective, that is, according to criteria IX and X for the nomination of World Heritage Sites, as defined by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.

Chemical Contaminants in the Wadden Sea: sources, transport, fate and effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laane, R.W.P.M.; Vethaak, A.D.; Gandrass, J.; Vorkamp, K.; Köhler, A.; Larsen, M.M.; Strand, J.

2013-01-01

The Wadden Sea receives contaminants from various sources and via various transport routes. The contaminants described in this overview are various metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn) and various organic contaminants (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and lindane

Nutrients in the Western Wadden Sea: Freshwater Input Versus Internal Recycling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leote, C.; Mulder, L.; Philippart, C.J.; Epping, E.

2016-01-01

At present, phosphorus (P) is seen as the main limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in the western Wadden Sea. Six cruises were performed for water sampling at selected stations covering a full tidal cycle for later determination of dissolved and particulate nutrient concentrations. The major

Morphodynamic development and sediment budget of the Dutch Wadden Sea over the last century

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elias, E.P.L.; Van der Spek, A.J.F.; Wang, Z.B.; De Ronde, J.

2012-01-01

The availability of nearly 100 years of bathymetric measurements allows the analysis of the morphodynamic evolution of the Dutch Wadden Sea under rising sea level and increasing human constraint. The historically observed roll-over mechanisms of landward barrier and coastline retreat cannot be

Human transformations of the Wadden Sea ecosystem through time : a synthesis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lotze, H.K.; Reise, K; Worm, B.; van Beusekom, J.; Busch, M.; Ehlers, A.; Heinrich, D.; Hoffman, R.C.; Holm, P.; Jensen, C.; Knottnerus, O.S.; Langhanki, N.; Prummel, W.; Vollmer, M.; Wolff, W.J.

Todays Wadden Sea is a heavily human-altered ecosystem. Shaped by natural forces since its origin 7,500 years ago, humans gradually gained dominance in influencing ecosystem structure and functioning. Here, we reconstruct the timeline of human impacts and the history of ecological changes in the

An analysis of mussel bed habitats in the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brinkman, A.G.; Dankers, N.M.J.A.; Stralen, van M.

2002-01-01

A habitat suitability analysis for littoral mussel beds in the Dutch Wadden Sea was carried out. The analysis was based on the presence of mussel beds in the years 1960-1970, and a number of environmental characteristics: wave action, flow velocity, median grain size, emersion times and distance to

Disease prevalence in flounder (Platichthys flesus) from the Dutch Wadden Sea as indicator of environmental quality: A summary of 1988-2005 surveys

Science.gov (United States)

Vethaak, A. D.

2013-09-01

In 1988, epizootics of ulcer disease in the flatfish flounder in the Dutch Wadden Sea were reported near freshwater drainage sluices of IJsselmeer Lake, locally affecting up to 38.9% of fish. Other diseases such as fin rot and lymphocystis were less frequent, but followed a similar pattern. Results of follow-up surveys in the Wadden Sea in 1994-2005 confirm previous findings and also show significantly elevated ulcer prevalences at other smaller drainage works. The most likely stress factors that contributed to the development of the epizootics at these sites include osmotic stress, adverse water quality conditions including chemical contaminants, nutritional deficiencies, and obstruction to fish migration. It was shown that discharges of IJsselmeer Lake freshwater in 1988-96 had a wide effect on the prevalence and distribution of ulcers and lymphocystis in the western Wadden Sea. A general reduction in disease prevalence in flounder in the entire Dutch Wadden Sea was observed during 1988-2005, which was most likely due to a general improvement in water quality and locally improved habitat conditions for flounder near drainage sluices. Ulcer prevalences outside the two IJsselmeer Lake sluices (Den Oever and Kornwerderzand) declined in this period from approximately 30% to 10% for medium-sized fish. Other skin diseases have also displayed a downward trend at both sites in recent years, with prevalences falling sharply to below 1%. Elsewhere in the Wadden Sea and the Ems-Dollard estuary, disease prevalences have declined towards natural background levels (< 1%). It is concluded that skin diseases, especially ulcers, are useful indicators of environmental quality in the Wadden Sea.

Compensation for gas exploitation in the border region of the Wadden Sea. Vision on a role for nature development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dijkema, K.S.; Dankers, N.M.J.A.; Wintermans, G.J.M.; Bervaes, J.C.A.M.; Ven der Werff, D.C.

1997-01-01

In case natural gas is extracted from the Wadden Sea finances for compensation will be made available on the basis of an Environmental Effect Report (MER, abbreviated in Dutch). The compensation measures will be used to create new nature conditions, e.g. more dynamics, enlargement of the salt marsh area, rehabilitation of transfer areas from fresh water to seawater, study on nature development in the Wadden Sea area. 67 refs

Chemical and biological evaluation of sediments from the Wadden Sea, The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brink, van den P.J.; Kater, B.J.

2006-01-01

We describe the results of an evaluation of marine sediments using chemical measurements and bioassays. Four groups of chemicals, i.e., heavy metals, PAHs, chlorinated aromatic compounds, and tin compounds, were measured at 16 locations in the Wadden Sea, The Netherlands. Extractions of sediments

Causes of extirpations in the Wadden Sea, an estuarine area in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolff, WJ

The various causes of extirpation of marine and estuarine species were investigated for the Dutch Wadden Sea to gain an impression of their relative importance. I obtained data from geological, archaeological, historical, and biological publications. At least 10 species of algae, 10 invertebrates,

Ostreid herpesvirus OsHV-1 μVar in Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg 1793) of the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Science.gov (United States)

Gittenberger, A; Voorbergen-Laarman, M A; Engelsma, M Y

2016-01-01

The Wadden Sea is an extensive wetland area, recognized as UNESCO world heritage site of international importance. Since the mid-1990s, the invasive Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg 1793) population in the area has grown exponentially, having a distinct impact on the ecosystem. The recent spread of the emerging oyster pathogen Ostreid herpesvirus OsHV-1 μVar worldwide and specifically in the oyster culture areas in the south of the Netherlands raised the question whether the virus may also be present in the Wadden Sea. In the summer of 2012 juvenile Pacific oysters were collected from five locations in the Dutch Wadden Sea. The virus was shown to be present in three of the five locations by real-time PCR and sequencing. It was concluded that OsHV-1 μVar has settled itself in Pacific oyster reefs in the Wadden Sea. These results and the recent discoveries of OsHV-1 microvariants in Australia and Korea indicate that OsHV-1 μVar and related variants might be more widespread than can be deduced from current literature. In particular in regions with no commercial oyster culture, similar to the Wadden Sea, the virus may go undetected as wild beds with mixed age classes hamper the detection of mortality among juvenile oysters. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The exploitation of living resources in the Dutch Wadden Sea : a historical overview

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolff, W J

An overview, based on written sources and personal observations, is presented of exploitation of living resources in and around the Dutch Wadden Sea during the past few centuries. It is concluded that before about 1900 exploitation was almost unrestricted. Exploitation of plants has been documented

Distinctly variable mudscapes: Distribution gradients of intertidal macrofauna across the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Compton, T.J.; Holthuijsen, S.; Koolhaas, A.; Dekinga, A.; ten Horn, J.; Smith, J.; Galama, Y.; Brugge, M.; van der Wal, D.; van der Meer, J.; van der Veer, H.W.; Piersma, T.

2013-01-01

The Wadden Sea is a shallow coastal region, with a large area of sedimentary tidal flats that extends from The Netherlands to Denmark and has been declared a site of international importance in the Dutch and German parts (Ramsar status and UNESCO World Heritage Site). Benthic macrofauna are central

Can guild- or site-specific contrasts in trends or phenology explain the changed role of the Dutch Wadden Sea for fish?

Science.gov (United States)

Tulp, Ingrid; van der Veer, Henk W.; Walker, Paddy; van Walraven, Lodewijk; Bolle, Loes J.

2017-09-01

The Wadden Sea bordering the Dutch, German and Danish coast, is traditionally a region with important functions for many fish species: as a nursery area for juveniles (marine juveniles), as a feeding area, as a transit to and from fresh water, and resident species complete their whole life cycle there. Because of indications that the importance of the Dutch Wadden Sea has changed drastically for many species during the past decades, we analysed and classified trends of 24 common fish species in the last 45 years, which were assigned to 5 different ecological guilds. Trends were examined for three Wadden Sea regions and compared to trends in the adjacent two North Sea coastal regions. For these analyses we made a combined use of two longterm time series: an annual beamtrawl survey, the Demeral Fish Survey (DFS) with a high spatial but poor seasonal resolution and a fyke series with a high seasonal but poor spatial resolution. We investigated for which species the DFS survey was appropriate for trend analysis, and we evaluated whether a change in timing may contribute to patterns in DFS time trends. Total fish biomass showed a similar pattern in all tidal basins with an increase from 1970 to 1980, a peak in the mid-1980s and a strong decline from 1980 to 2000, with a subsequent stable trend. The pattern in the coastal region deviated especially in the past 10 years, with a further decline along the Dutch Wadden coast and an increase along the mainland coast. Most dramatic declines throughout the Wadden Sea occurred in species belonging to the marine juvenile guild, notably plaice, sole and dab. A declining trend in marine juveniles is on-going in the western part, while it recently stabilised or even increased in the central and eastern part and in the coastal regions. Resident species showed more variable trends in the Wadden Sea with less pronounced directions: both increases and decreases occurred. In the coastal regions, several resident species have increased

Mapping of pollutants in sediments of the German Wadden Sea - June, 1989 to June, 1992. Final report January 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koopmann, C.; Faller, J.; Bernem, K.H. van; Prange, A.; Mueller, A.

1994-01-01

From June 1989 to June 1992 a mapping of inorganic and organic pollutants in the sediments from the entire German Wadden Sea has been carried out. Following the guidelines of the national (Bund/Laender-Messprogramm) and international monitoring programmes for the North Sea (Joint Monitoring Programme) distribution patterns of pollutants according to their type and concentration have been determined in the course of this investigation and the main pollution areas have been established. Based on the results of the mapping of pollutants, as well as on the first findings of the biological mapping, a concept for the monitoring of pollutants in eulittoral sediments of the German Wadden Sea has been developed. (orig.) [de

Modeling mussel bed influence on fine sediment dynamics on a Wadden Sea intertidal flat

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Leeuwen, Bas; Augustijn, Dionysius C.M.; van Wesenbeeck, Bregje K.; Hulscher, Suzanne J.M.H.; de Vries, Mindert

2008-01-01

Mussel beds are coherent colonies of mussels and are widespread in the Dutch Wadden Sea and the Eastern Scheldt estuary. Mussel beds are known to be an important factor in biogeomorphological processes, primarily because of the influence on fine sediment dynamics. Ongoing research to explore the use

Variability of residual fluxes of suspended sediment in a multiple tidal-inlet system : the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sassi, M.; Duran-Matute, M.; van Kessel, Th.; Gerkema, Th.

2015-01-01

In multiple tidal-inlet systems such as the Dutch Wadden Sea, the exchange of sediments between the coastal lagoon and the adjacent sea is controlled by the combined effect of the tides, wind-driven flows, and density-driven flows. We investigate the variability of residual (tidally averaged) fluxes

Effects of suction-dredging for cockles on non-target fauna in the Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hiddink, JG

2003-01-01

Suction dredging for cockles removes large cockles from tidal flats and may also cause mortality of non-target fauna and make the habitat less suitable for some species. This study examines whether suction dredging for cockles on tidal flats of the Dutch Wadden Sea had affected densities of

Options for socioeconomic developments in ICZM for the tri-national Wadden area

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijk, Jouke Van; Broersma, Lourens; Mehnen, Nora

2016-01-01

The Wadden Sea Forum has adopted integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) as a process for achieving the sustainable development of the Wadden Sea in a way that is environmentally sound, economically viable and socially beneficial. This requires, besides information about the ecosystem, also

Seasonal Variation of Harbor Seal's Diet from the Wadden Sea in Relation to Prey Availability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camille de la Vega

Full Text Available The Wadden Sea has an important role for marine mammals in terms of resting, nursing and foraging. Harbor seal is the most abundant marine mammal species in this area. The use of the food resources of the Wadden Sea by seals is not clear, and previous studies showed that this species can travel kilometers away from their haul-outs to forage in the North Sea. In this study, we analyzed the stable isotopes of vibrissae from 23 dead harbor seals found on the island of Sylt to investigate their diet. The predator´s carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions were compared to the compositions of different potential prey items from the Sylt-Rømø Bight and from the North Sea in order to study seasonal pattern in the diet and in the foraging location. In parallel, seasonal variation of abundance and biomass of the potential prey items from the Sylt-Rømø Bight were studied and compare to their contribution to the seal´s diet. The results revealed a change in the seal´s diet from pelagic sources in spring to a benthic based diet in summer, and an increasing use of the North Sea resources in fall and winter in accordance with the seasonal variation of the availability of prey in the Sylt-Rømø Bight.

Shifts in nursery habitat utilization by 0-group plaice in the western Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freitas, V.; Witte, J.IJ.; Tulp, I.; van der Veer, H.W.

2016-01-01

Since the mid-1980s major changes in spatiotemporal patterns of distribution of juvenile plaice have occurred in the Wadden Sea. Large juvenile (I- and II-group) plaice have almost completely disappeared from the intertidal flats in spring and summer and are no longer found in subtidal and tidal

Residual circulation and suspended sediment transport in the Dutch Wadden Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Duran-Matute, Matias; Sassi, Maximiliano; de Boer, Gerben; Grawë, Ulf; Gerkema, Theo; van Kessel, Thijs; Cronin, Katherine

2014-05-01

The Dutch Wadden Sea (DWS), situated between continental Europe and the Dutch Wadden Islands, is a semi enclosed basin connected to the North Sea by a series of tidal inlets and composed mainly of tidal flats and sea gullies. The DWS is of high ecological importance due to its biodiversity and has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. It is a dynamic area subject to regional relative sea level rise due to global sea level rise, postglacial rebound and gas exploitation. For intertidal areas to continue to serve as feeding ground for migratory birds, a net import of sediment is required. Observations are crucial but provide only scarce information in space and time. Hence, to estimate the net influx of suspended sediment into the DWS, realistic high resolution three-dimensional numerical simulations have been carried out using the General Estuarine Transport Model (GETM). The hydrodynamics are mainly governed by the tides, the fresh water discharge from several sluices into the DWS and wind variability. It is expected that the transport of suspended particulate matter (SPM) is governed by the same factors, too, in combination with sediment sink and source terms. For validation, the results are compared against different observational data sets, such as tidal gauges, temperature and salinity at a fixed station, and the volumetric flux rate through one of the inlets obtained from an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) attached to a ferry. SPM transport is modeled for four different sediment classes each of which is defined by the critical shear stress and the settling velocity. Results show a clear net import of SPM through one of the inlets, which is in agreement with the observations. First estimates of the total sediment fluxes through the different inlets are presented together with an analysis on their variability and sensibility to the external forcing. Of particular importance is the net export of SPM during storms as well as the role of storms on

Shifts in nursery habitat utilization by 0-group plaice in the western Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freitas, Vânia; Witte, Johannes I.J.; Tulp, Ingrid; Veer, van der Henk W.

2016-01-01

Since the mid-1980s major changes in spatiotemporal patterns of distribution of juvenile plaice have occurred in the Wadden Sea. Large juvenile (I- and II-group) plaice have almost completely disappeared from the intertidal flats in spring and summer and are no longer found in subtidal and tidal

Impact of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis on the microbial food web in the western Wadden Sea, The Netherlands.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobs, P.; Riegman, R.; van der Meer, J.

2015-01-01

To study the impact of juvenile blue mussels Mytilus edulis on the microbial food web in the Dutch Wadden Sea, natural sea water was first exposed to mussel filtration. Subsequently, filtered plankton communities were used in a dilution experiment to establish mussel-induced changes in bacterial,

Impact of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis on the microbial food web in the western Wadden Sea, the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobs, P.; Riegman, R.; Meer, van der J.

2015-01-01

To study the impact of juvenile blue mussels Mytilus edulis on the microbial food web in the Dutch Wadden Sea, natural sea water was first exposed to mussel filtration. Subsequently, filtered plankton communities were used in a dilution experiment to establish mussel-induced changes in bacterial,

Decadal variation in turbidity in the western Wadden Sea as derived from corrected Secchi disk readings.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Philippart, C.J.M; Salama, M.S.; Kromkamp, J.C.; van der Woerd, H.J.; Zuur, A.F.; Cadée, G.C.

2013-01-01

The Wadden Sea has undergone many changes of which some (e.g., seagrass disappearance, dredging activities) are thought to have affected the concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in these waters. Results of previous analyses of long-term variation and trends in SPM are, however,

Assessment of blue mussel Mytilus edulis fisheries and waterbird shellfish-predator management in the Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Karsten; Kristensen, Per Sand; Clausen, Preben

2010-01-01

biomass and mussel bed areas in zones closed to fishery, (ii) decrease in eiders Somateria mollissima numbers and increase or stable numbers for oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus and herring gull Larus argentatus and (iii) that energy estimations based on ecological food requirements for the mussel-eating......We assessed the blue mussel Mytilus edulis fishery management scheme introduced in 1994 in the Danish Wadden Sea that regulate fishing vessels, fishery quota, set-aside for mussel-eating birds and established zones closed to mussel fishery. The results showed (i) a reduction in the blue mussel......, it is recommended to revise the present blue mussel management scheme in the Danish Wadden Sea, to continue and improve mussel stock and bird surveys, and to consider novel studies of the mussel-eating birds’ energetics for improved set-aside estimates and future assessments....

Subsidence due to gas production in the Wadden Sea: How to ensure no harm will be done to nature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thienen-Visser, K. van; Breunese, J.N.; Muntendam-Bos, A.G.

2015-01-01

The Wadden Sea is a shallow tidal sea in the north of the Netherlands where gas production is ongoing since 1986. Due to the sensitive nature of this area, gas extraction induced subsidence must remain within the "effective subsidence capacity" for the two tidal basins (Pinkegat and Zoutkamperlaag)

Development and distribution of the non-indigenous Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fey-Hofstede, F.E.; Dankers, N.M.J.A.; Steenbergen, J.; Goudswaard, P.C.

2010-01-01

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were first observed in the Dutch Wadden Sea near Texel in 1983. The population increased slowly in the beginning but grew exponentially from the mid-1990s onwards, although now some stabilisation seems to be occurring. They occur on a variety of substrates such as

Ecosystem-based management in the Wadden Sea: Principles for the governance of knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Giebels, Diana; van Buuren, Arwin; Edelenbos, Jurian

2013-09-01

The governance of the Wadden Sea has to contend with a complex interplay of social and ecological systems. Social systems tend to be characterized by pluralism of - often conflicting - norms and values, and ecological systems are characterized by high complexity and natural and human-induced variability, leading to unpredictable and nonlinear behavior. This highly volatile situation challenges traditional forms of management as well as traditional ways of organizing knowledge for decision-making processes. Ecosystem-based management approaches have been developed to find more effective, holistic, and evidence-based strategies to deal with the challenges of complex socio-ecological systems. They also require another way of dealing with (scientific) knowledge, the way it is produced and applied. In this paper, from the perspective of ecosystem-based management, we define the specific principles that apply to the way knowledge is mobilized and applied within decision-making processes. We illuminate these principles by examining three empirical cases of ecosystem-based management within, or related to, the Wadden Sea area. Finally, we reflect upon our findings and elaborate on the extent to which our theoretical framework is capable of describing and assessing the interaction between knowledge and decision making within ecosystem-based management approaches.

'Global change' impact of inter-annual variation in water discharge as a driving factor to dredging and spoil disposal in the river Rhine system and of turbidity in the Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jonge, V.N.; de Jong, D.J.

2002-01-01

Between 1970 to 2000, the annual mean suspended matter (SPM) concentrations in the Vlie and Marsdiep tidal inlets of the Wadden Sea varied over five times. The present paper examines the possible relationship between SPM in the Wadden Sea and changing river Rhine discharges and dredging operations.

The co-production of power and knowledge around the mussel fisheries transition in the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Molen, Franke; Puente Rodriguez, Daniel

2013-01-01

Governance practices are places where knowledge and power interconnect. In this paper, the stabilization of a governance practice concerning mussel fisheries in the Dutch Wadden Sea is described and analyzed in terms of the co-production of knowledge and power. In this governance practice,

Genetic diversity and connectivity remain high in eelgrass Zostera marina populations in the Wadden Sea, despite major impacts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ferber, Steven; Stam, Wytze T.; Olsen, Jeanine L.

2008-01-01

Beginning in the 1930s, eelgrass meadows declined throughout the Wadden Sea, leaving populations susceptible to extinction through patchiness, low density and isolation. Additional anthropogenic impacts have altered current regimes, nutrients and turbidity-all of which affect eelgrass. Recent

Eutrophication as a possible cause of decline in the seagrass Zostera noltii of the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Philippart, C.J.M.

1994-01-01

The present thesis describes the results of research on the distribution and possible causes for the decrease of the seagrass Z. noltii in the Wadden Sea, carried out from 1986 to 1990. Chapter 2 examines the relation between the distribution of Zostera

'Landscape Mirror' & 'Feed the Wind' : Teaching Landscape Architecture on Site at Oerol Festival in the Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jauslin, D.T.; Bobbink, I.

2012-01-01

In the projects 'Landscape Mirror' 2011 and 'Feed the Wind' 2012 students of the Master of Landscape Architecture of the TU Delft have made an interactive project that evolved over the course of Oerol, a unique yearly recurring festival on the Wadden-Sea island Terschelling for landscape theatre &

Four decades of variability in turbidity in the western Wadden Sea as derived from corrected Secchi disk readings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Philippart, C.J.M.; Salama, M.S.; Kromkamp, J.C.; van der Woerd, H.J.; Zuur, A.F.; Cadee, G.C.

2013-01-01

The Wadden Sea has undergone many changes of which some (e.g., seagrass disappearance, dredging activities) are thought to have affected the concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in these waters. Results of previous analyses of long-term variation and trends in SPM are, however,

Morphodynamics of Wadden Sea Areas – Field Measurements and Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thorsten Albers

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The Wadden Sea areas of the German North Sea coast are affected by intense morphodynamics. Especially in the mouths of the estuaries sedimentation and erosion occur on different temporal and spatial scales and therefore challenge the decision-makers. To satisfy the requirements, which modern maritime traffic demands, a sustainable concept for sediment management has to be developed to grant an economic and ecologic balanced system. To evaluate different actions and their effects, e.g. by means of numerical models, an improved knowledge of morphodynamic processes on tidal flats is required. The Institute of River and Coastal Engineering at the Hamburg University of Technology runs detailed measurements to collect hydrodynamic and morphodynamic data of tidal flats in the estuary Elbe, that is the approach to the port of Hamburg. Water levels, flow and wave parameters and concentrations of suspended sediments are recorded in high resolution. Furthermore, the bathymetry is determined in frequent intervals with a multi-beam echo sounder.

Long-term patterns in fish phenology in the western Dutch Wadden Sea in relation to climate change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Walraven, L.; Dapper, R.; Nauw, J.J.; Tulp, I.; Witte, J.IJ.; van der Veer, H.W.

2017-01-01

Long-term patterns in fish phenology in the western Dutch Wadden Sea were studied using a 53 year (1960–2013) high resolution time series of daily kom-fyke catches in spring and autumn. Trends in first appearance, last occurrence and peak abundance were analysed for the most common species in

Ecologically least vulnerable sites for exploration drilling in the Wadden Sea and the North Sea coastal area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindeboom, H.J.; Bergman, M.J.N.; De Gee, A.

1996-01-01

The Dutch Oil Company (NAM, abbreviated in Dutch) applied for a number of exploration drilling in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea and the North Sea coastal area. NAM is obliged to draft a so-called MER (environmental impact report) to indicate the most environment-friendly alternative for the test drilling. By order of NAM, NIOZ and the IBN-DLO (Institute for Research on Forests and Nature) analyzed samples of the animal life in all the potential sites. Based on the results of the analyses, literature and expert knowledge the ecologically least vulnerable sites and the ecologically least vulnerable season were selected during a workshop. In this report the results are given of the workshop, the field sample analyses and a sailing trip along the sites

Restoration of wet dune slacks on the Dutch Wadden Sea islands : Recolonization after large-scale sod cutting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grootjans, AP; Everts, H; Bruin, K; Fresco, L; Grootjans, Ab P.

The effects of sod cutting were studied in a dune area on the Dutch Wadden Sea Island of Texel. Sod cutting was carried out in a range of different dune slacks in order to restore dune slack vegetation with many endangered Red List species. Sod cutting removed approximately 96% of the soil seed

Restoration of Wet Dune Slacks on the Dutch Wadden Sea Islands: Recolonization After Large-Scale Sod Cutting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grootjans, A.P.; Everts, H.; Bruin, K.; Fresco, L.

2011-01-01

The effects of sod cutting were studied in a dune area on the Dutch Wadden Sea Island of Texel. Sod cutting was carried out in a range of different dune slacks in order to restore dune slack vegetation with many endangered Red List species. Sod cutting removed approximately 96% of the soil seed

Impact on bird fauna of a non-native oyster expanding into blue mussel beds in the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waser, A.M.; Deuzeman, S.; wa Kangeri, A.K.; van Winden, E.; Postma, J.; de Boer, Peter; van der Meer, J.; Ens, B.J.

2016-01-01

Intertidal mussel beds are important for intertidal ecosystems, because they feature a high taxonomic diversity and abundance of benthic organisms and are important foraging grounds for many avian species. After the introduction of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) into the European Wadden Sea,

Sediment–water exchange of nutrients in the Marsdiep basin, western Wadden Sea: Phosphorus limitation induced by a controlled release?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leote, C.; Epping, E.

2015-01-01

To quantify the release of inorganic phosphorus from the sediments and assess its contribution to present primary production, a basin-wide study of the Marsdiep (western Wadden Sea, The Netherlands) was performed. Two distinct sedimentary zones were identified: a depositional area characterized by a

Options for modulating intra-specific competition in colonial pinnipeds: the case of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina in the Wadden Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rory P. Wilson

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Colonial pinnipeds may be subject to substantial consumptive competition because they are large, slow-moving central place foragers. We examined possible mechanisms for reducing this competition by examining the diving behaviour of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina after equipping 34 seals (11 females, 23 males foraging from three locations; Rømø, Denmark and Lorenzenplate and Helgoland, Germany, in the Wadden Sea area with time-depth recorders. Analysis of 319,021 dives revealed little between-colony variation but appreciable inter-sex differences, with males diving deeper than females, but for shorter periods. Males also had higher vertical descent rates. This result suggests that males may have higher overall swim speeds, which would increase higher oxygen consumption, and may explain the shorter dive durations compared to females. Intersex variation in swim speed alone is predicted to lead to fundamental differences in the time use of three-dimensional space, which may help reduce consumptive competition in harbour seals and other colonial pinnipeds.

Alien and invasive woody species in the dunes of the Wadden Sea Island of Vlieland: a remote sensing approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hantson, W.; Kooistra, L.; Slim, P.A.

2010-01-01

In this study we mapped (alien) invasive shrubs for management and conservation purposes. On the study site, the Wadden Sea Island of Vlieland, they are a serious treat for the quality of the grey dune habitat. We developed a remote sensing approach that delivers detailed and standardized maps of

Interaction between birds and macrofauna within food webs of six intertidal habitats of the Wadden Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Horn, Sabine; de la Vega, Camille; Asmus, Ragnhild; Schwemmer, Philipp; Enners, Leonie; Garthe, Stefan; Binder, Kirsten; Asmus, Harald

2017-01-01

The determination of food web structures using Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) is a helpful tool to get insight into complex ecosystem processes. The intertidal area of the Wadden Sea is structured into diverse habitat types which differ in their ecological functioning. In the present study, six different intertidal habitats (i.e. cockle field, razor clam field, mud flat, mussel bank, sand flat and seagrass meadow) were analyzed using ENA to determine similarities and characteristic differences in the food web structure of the systems. All six systems were well balanced between their degree of organization and their robustness. However, they differed in their detailed features. The cockle field and the mussel bank exhibited a strong dependency on external imports. The razor clam field appeared to be a rather small system with low energy transfer. In the mud flat microphytobenthos was used as a main food source and the system appeared to be sensitive to perturbations. Bird predation was the most pronounced in the sand flat and the seagrass meadow and led to an increase in energy transfer and parallel trophic cycles in these habitats. Habitat diversity appears to be an important trait for the Wadden Sea as each subsystem seems to have a specific role in the overall functioning of the entire ecosystem.

ANNUAL AND SEASONAL-VARIATION IN THE FOOD-SUPPLY HARVESTABLE BY KNOT CALIDRIS-CANUTUS STAGING IN THE WADDEN SEA IN LATE SUMMER

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ZWARTS, L; BLOMERT, AM; WANINK, JH

The biomass of the macrobenthic animals living in intertidal flats of the Wadden Sea varies annually and seasonally. However, the variation in prey biomass harvestable by wading birds such as knot Calidris canutus, which feed mainly on the middle range of their prey size classes, is even larger. The

Ostreid herpesvirus OsHV-1 μVar in Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg 1793) of the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO world heritage site

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gittenberger, A.; Voorbergen-Laarman, M.A.; Engelsma, M.Y.

2016-01-01

The Wadden Sea is an extensive wetland area, recognized as UNESCO world heritage site of international importance. Since the mid-1990s, the invasive Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg 1793) population in the area has grown exponentially, having a distinct impact on the ecosystem. The

Variability in transport of fish eggs and larvae. IV. Interannual variability in larval stage duration of immigrating plaice in the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veer, van der W.; Bolle, L.J.; Geffen, A.J.; Witte, J.IJ.

2009-01-01

Larval immigration of plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. into the western Wadden Sea in spring was followed biweekly from 1993 to 2002. For each year (1993 excluded), 150 settling individuals were selected and used for reconstruction of larval stage duration based on otolith daily ring counts. In

Predicting seasonal and annual fluctuations in the local exploitation of different prey by Oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus : A ten-year study in the Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwarts, L; Wanink, JH; Ens, B.J.

1996-01-01

We predict the intake rate and prey choice of Oystercatchers feeding along the Frisian coast, Dutch Wadden Sea, combining the optimal prey choice model (Charnov 1976) with detailed measurements of the widely fluctuating food supply. Assuming that the birds maximize their intake rate, the birds

Quantifying the residual volume transport through a multiple-inlet system in response to wind forcing: The case of the western Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duran-Matute, M.; Gerkema, T.; Sassi, M.

2016-01-01

In multiple-inlet coastal systems like the western Dutch Wadden Sea, the tides (and their interaction with the bathymetry), the fresh water discharge, and the wind drive a residual flow through the system. In the current paper, we study the effect of the wind on the residual volume transport through

Fishing over the sides or over the stern: does it matter : comparison of two fishing methodologies in the Wadden Sea Demersal Fish Survey

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, C.; Bolle, L.J.; Boois I.J. de, Ingeborg

2016-01-01

Since 1972, the Demersal Fish Survey (DFS) in the Wadden Sea has been carried out with the RV Stern. Within a few years this vessel will be replaced by another vessel as a result of the current ship replacement policy of Rijkswaterstaat Rijksrederij. It is not yet clear which vessel will replace RV

Gracilaria vermiculophylla (Ohmi) Papenfuss, 1967 (Rhodophyta, Gracilariaceae) in northern Europe, with emphasis on Danish conditions, and what to expect in the future

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Mads S.; Stæhr, Peter Anton; Nyberg, Cecilia D.

2007-01-01

Gracilaria vermiculophylla, a red macroalga from the West Pacific, was discovered in western Germany (the Wadden Sea) in 2002 and has since also been observed in Sweden (from about 70 km south to about 80 km north of Göteborg), Denmark (Wadden Sea, Horsens Fjord, Limfjorden, Vejle Fjord, Holckenh......Gracilaria vermiculophylla, a red macroalga from the West Pacific, was discovered in western Germany (the Wadden Sea) in 2002 and has since also been observed in Sweden (from about 70 km south to about 80 km north of Göteborg), Denmark (Wadden Sea, Horsens Fjord, Limfjorden, Vejle Fjord......-bottom estuaries and bays, typically in association with ubiquitous native invertebrates (lugworms, tube-building worms, mussels, cockles, snails). The invertebrates provide substratum for holdfast attachment and thalli incorporation, most likely increasing the stability of local G. vermiculophylla populations. We...

Integrating ground-penetrating radar and borehole data from a Wadden Sea barrier island

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lars; Møller, I.; Nielsen, L. H.

2009-01-01

Sea level rise may have large implications for low-gradient barrier coastal systems. This problem motivated an integrated ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and sedimentological study of the Rømø Wadden Sea barrier island. Crossing W-E and N-S-oriented 100 MHz GPR reflection profiles with a total...... island. We document different standard processing steps which lead to increased signal-to-noise ratio, improved resolution and trustworthy GPR-to-borehole correlation. The GPR signals image the subsurface layering with a vertical resolution of ~ 0.2-0.3 m. The penetration depth of the GPR reflection...... conversion of the reflection profiles. The GPR reflections are correlated with sedimentological facies logs, and we test to which extent it is possible to map the architecture of different sedimentary units of the Rømø barrier island based on joint interpretation of the GPR and core data. Detailed...

Effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation and wind waves on salt marsh dynamics in the Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kim, Daehyun; Grant, William E.; Cairns, David M.

2013-01-01

Long-term eustatic sea-level variation has been recognized as a primary factor affecting the hydrological and geomorphic dynamics of salt marshes. However, recent studies suggest that wind waves influenced by atmospheric oscillations also may play an important role in many coastal areas. Although...... this notion has been conceptually introduced for the Wadden Sea, no modeling attempts have been made yet. As a proof of concept, this study developed a simulation model using the commercially available STELLAA (R) software, based on long-term data on water level and sedimentation collected at a back......-barrier marsh on the Skallingen peninsula in Denmark. In the model, the frequency (number year(-1)) of wind-driven extreme high water level (HWL) events (> 130 cm Danish Ordnance Zero) was simulated in terms of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. Then, surface accretion (cm year(-1)) and submergence...

Variability in transport of fish eggs and larvae. IV. Interannual variability in larval stage duration of immigrating plaice in the Dutch Wadden Sea

OpenAIRE

van der Veer, Henk; Bolle, Loes J.; Geffen, Audrey J.; Witte, Johannes IJ.

2009-01-01

Larval immigration of plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. into the western Wadden Sea in spring was followed biweekly from 1993 to 2002. For each year (1993 excluded), 150 settling individuals were selected and used for reconstruction of larval stage duration based on otolith daily ring counts. In addition, prevailing water temperature conditions during drift as revealed from NOAA satellite images were determined. Mean larval stage duration varied between about 40 and 60 d, without...

On the performance of topobathymetric LiDAR in shallow water environments: the Ribe Vesterå river and the Knudedyb tidal inlet in the Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gergely, Aron; Andersen, Mikkel S.; Teglbrænder-Bjergkvist, Mathias

2015-01-01

on an app. 7 km reach of the Ribe Vesterå river and in a 5 km x 10 km section of the Knudedyb tidal inlet in the Danish Wadden Sea using the airborne hydrographic laser scanner RIEGL® VQR-820-G. Prior to the surveys three geometrically defined objects (steel frames with dimensions of 0.8 m x 0.8 m x 0.25 m...

Monitoring of the natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea from the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog and Vierhuizen, Netherlands. Advice of the Audit Committee 2011; Monitoring van de aardgaswinning onder de Waddenzee vanaf de locaties Moddergat, Lauwersoog en Vierhuizen. Advies 2011 van de Auditcommissie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-04-15

The Dutch governmental decree ('Rijksprojectenbesluit') on the project for natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea for the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog and Vierhuizen gives the Dutch Petroleum Company (NAM) the possibility to produce natural gas under specific conditions in the Wadden Sea area from the six fields Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog East and Vierhuizen East. The precondition is that the (dynamic) nature in and around the Wadden Sea is not affected by subsidence as a result of the gas exploitation. For this, the NAM must monitor the subsidence and the nature values and report annually to the Dutch government. Also in the Rijksprojectbesluit it is determined that the Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as the independent auditor, will annually advise the responsible ministers on the EIA-report. This is the 2011 recommendation of the Audit Committee for exploitation of natural gas in the Wadden Sea [Dutch] Het Rijksprojectbesluit Gaswinning onder de Waddenzee vanaf de locaties Moddergat, Lauwersoog en Vierhuizen geeft de Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) de mogelijkheid om onder randvoorwaarden aardgas te produceren in het Waddenzeegebied uit de zes velden Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog Oost en Vierhuizen Oost. De randvoorwaarde is dat de (dynamische) natuur in en rondom de Waddenzee niet wordt aangetast door bodemdaling als gevolg van de gaswinning. Daarvoor moet de NAM de bodemdaling en de natuurwaarden monitoren en jaarlijks rapporteren aan de Nederlandse overheid. Ook is in het Rijksprojectbesluit bepaald dat de Commissie voor de milieueffectrapportage (m.e.r.) als onafhankelijke auditor de verantwoordelijke ministers jaarlijks zal adviseren over deze Rapportage. Dit is het 2011 advies van de Auditcommissie gaswinning onder de Waddenzee.

Monitoring of the natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea from the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog and Vierhuizen, Netherlands. Advice of the Audit Committee 2009; Monitoring van de aardgaswinning onder de Waddenzee vanaf de locaties Moddergat, Lauwersoog en Vierhuizen. Advies 2009 van de Auditcommissie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-05-07

The Dutch governmental decree ('Rijksprojectenbesluit') on the project for natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea for the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog Vierhuizen gives the Dutch Petroleum Company (NAM) the possibility to produce natural gas under specific conditions in the Wadden Sea area from the six fields Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog East and Vierhuizen East. The precondition is that the (dynamic) nature in and around the Wadden Sea is not affected by subsidence as a result of the gas exploitation. For this, the NAM must monitor the subsidence and the nature values and report annually to the Dutch government. Also in the Rijksprojectbesluit it is determined that the Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as the independent auditor, will annually advise the responsible ministers on the EIA-report. This is the 2009 recommendation of the Audit Committee for exploitation of natural gas in the Wadden Sea. [Dutch] Het Rijksprojectbesluit Gaswinning onder de Waddenzee vanaf de locaties Moddergat, Lauwersoog en Vierhuizen geeft de Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) de mogelijkheid om onder randvoorwaarden aardgas te produceren in het Waddenzeegebied uit de zes velden Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog Oost en Vierhuizen Oost. De randvoorwaarde is dat de (dynamische) natuur in en rondom de Waddenzee niet wordt aangetast door bodemdaling als gevolg van de gaswinning. Daarvoor moet de NAM de bodemdaling en de natuurwaarden monitoren en jaarlijks rapporteren aan de Nederlandse overheid. Ook is in het Rijksprojectbesluit bepaald dat de Commissie voor de milieueffectrapportage (m.e.r.) als onafhankelijke auditor de verantwoordelijke ministers jaarlijks zal adviseren over deze Rapportage. Dit is het 2009 advies van de Auditcommissie gaswinning onder de Waddenzee.

Monitoring of the natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea from the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog and Vierhuizen, Netherlands. Advice of the Audit Committee 2010; Monitoring van de aardgaswinning onder de Waddenzee vanaf de locaties Moddergat, Lauwersoog en Vierhuizen. Advies 2010 van de Auditcommissie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-10-15

The Dutch governmental decree ('Rijksprojectenbesluit') on the project for natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea for the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog and Vierhuizen gives the Dutch Petroleum Company (NAM) the possibility to produce natural gas under specific conditions in the Wadden Sea area from the six fields Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog East and Vierhuizen East. The precondition is that the (dynamic) nature in and around the Wadden Sea is not affected by subsidence as a result of the gas exploitation. For this, the NAM must monitor the subsidence and the nature values and report annually to the Dutch government. Also in the Rijksprojectbesluit it is determined that the Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as the independent auditor, will annually advise the responsible ministers on the EIA-report. This is the 2010 recommendation of the Audit Committee for exploitation of natural gas in the Wadden Sea. [Dutch] Het Rijksprojectbesluit Gaswinning onder de Waddenzee vanaf de locaties Moddergat, Lauwersoog en Vierhuizen geeft de Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) de mogelijkheid om onder randvoorwaarden aardgas te produceren in het Waddenzeegebied uit de zes velden Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog Oost en Vierhuizen Oost. De randvoorwaarde is dat de (dynamische) natuur in en rondom de Waddenzee niet wordt aangetast door bodemdaling als gevolg van de gaswinning. Daarvoor moet de NAM de bodemdaling en de natuurwaarden monitoren en jaarlijks rapporteren aan de Nederlandse overheid. Ook is in het Rijksprojectbesluit bepaald dat de Commissie voor de milieueffectrapportage (m.e.r.) als onafhankelijke auditor de verantwoordelijke ministers jaarlijks zal adviseren over deze Rapportage. Dit is het 2010 advies van de Auditcommissie gaswinning onder de Waddenzee.

Organochlorines in benthic invertebrates and sediments from the Dutch Wadden Sea; identification of individual PCB components

Science.gov (United States)

Duinker, J. C.; Hillebrand, M. T. J.; Boon, J. P.

Concentrations of organochlorines were determined in Macoma balthica, Arenicola marina, Crangon crangon and sediments from the Dutch Wadden Sea. Maximum concentrations of (total) PCB, γ-HCH and dieldrin were found in the western part; a pronounced maximum of HCB was found in the western part. Concentrations of PCB, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE in sediment were correlated with the percentage of particles metabolism, were lower in Crangon. The patterns of pentachloro- and higher chlorinated biphenyls were equal in Macoma, Arenicola and sediments. Since these components are not found in solution, they must be taken up from sediment and food. The results are in agreement with partitioning between body lipids and water as the dominant mechanism determining concentrations of persistent lipophilic contaminants in the animals. Partitioning with the ambient water may also determine the concentrations in the sediment.

Helminth parasites of the digestive tract of the oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus, in the Wadden Sea, The Netherlands

Science.gov (United States)

Borgsteede, F. H. M.; Van den Broek, E.; Swennen, C.

The digestive tracts of 90 oystercatchers (equal numbers of males and females and of juveniles, subadults and adults) wintering in the Dutch Wadden Sea were examined for helminth parasites. The nematodes Capillaria sp. (36.7%) and Streptocara crassicauda (7.8%) were found in the stomach. Unidentified cestodes (76.7%) and the trematodes Psilostomum brevicolle (42.2%), Notocotylus sp. (81.1%), and unidentified gymnophallids (100%) were found in the intestine and caeca. Two birds were infected with Gymnophallidae only, while all other birds contained additional helminth species. Compared with subadult and adult birds, the juveniles had significantly more infections with Capillaria sp. and cestodes. Moreover, the juveniles were infected with a greater variety of species. No further relation was found between the presence of helminths or worm numbers and age groups or sexes of birds.

Integration of TerraSAR-X, RapidEye and airborne lidar for remote sensing of intertidal bedforms on the upper flats of Norderney (German Wadden Sea)

Science.gov (United States)

Adolph, Winny; Jung, Richard; Schmidt, Alena; Ehlers, Manfred; Heipke, Christian; Bartholomä, Alexander; Farke, Hubert

2017-04-01

The Wadden Sea is a large coastal transition area adjoining the southern North Sea uniting ecological key functions with an important role in coastal protection. The region is strictly protected by EU directives and national law and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, requiring frequent quality assessments and regular monitoring. In 2014 an intertidal bedform area characterised by alternating crests and water-covered troughs on the tidal flats of the island of Norderney (German Wadden Sea sector) was chosen to test different remote sensing methods for habitat mapping: airborne lidar, satellite-based radar (TerraSAR-X) and electro-optical sensors (RapidEye). The results revealed that, although sensitive to different surface qualities, all sensors were able to image the bedforms. A digital terrain model generated from the lidar data shows crests and slopes of the bedforms with high geometric accuracy in the centimetre range, but high costs limit the operation area. TerraSAR-X data enabled identifying the positions of the bedforms reflecting the residual water in the troughs also with a high resolution of up to 1.1 m, but with larger footprints and much higher temporal availability. RapidEye data are sensitive to differences in sediment moisture employed to identify crest areas, slopes and troughs, with high spatial coverage but the lowest resolution (6.5 m). Monitoring concepts may differ in their remote sensing requirements regarding areal coverage, spatial and temporal resolution, sensitivity and geometric accuracy. Also financial budgets limit the selection of sensors. Thus, combining differing assets into an integrated concept of remote sensing contributes to solving these issues.

Tidal and subtidal exchange flows at an inlet of the Wadden Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Valle-Levinson, Arnoldo; Stanev, Emil; Badewien, Thomas H.

2018-03-01

Observations of underway velocity profiles during complete spring and neap tidal cycles were used to determine whether the spatial structures of tidal and subtidal flows at a tidal inlet in a multiple-inlet embayment are consistent with those observed at single-inlet embayments. Measurements were obtained at the Otzumer Balje, one of the multiple inlets among the East Frisian Islands of the Wadden Sea. The 1.5 km-wide inlet displayed a bathymetric profile consisting of a channel ∼15 m deep flanked by tide observations spanned 36 h in the period May 11-12, 2011, while spring tide measurements exceeded 48 h from May 17 to May 19, 2011. Analysis of observations indicate that frictional effects from bathymetry molded tidal flows. Spatial distributions of semidiurnal tidal current amplitude and phase conform to those predicted by an analytical model for a basin with one inlet. Maximum semidiurnal flows appear at the surface in the channel, furthest away from bottom friction effects. Therefore, Otzumer Balje displays tidal hydrodynamics that are independent of the other inlets of the embayment. Subtidal exchange flows are laterally sheared, with residual inflow in the channel combined with outflow over shoals. The spatial distribution of these residual flows follow theoretical expectations of tidally driven flows interacting with bathymetry. Such distribution is similar to the tidal residual circulation at other inlets with only one communication to the ocean, suggesting that at subtidal scales the Otzumer Balje responds to tidal forcing independently of the other inlets.

Seasonal dynamics and functioning of the Sylt-Rømø Bight, northern Wadden Sea

Science.gov (United States)

de la Vega, Camille; Horn, Sabine; Baird, Dan; Hines, David; Borrett, Stuart; Jensen, Lasse Fast; Schwemmer, Philipp; Asmus, Ragnhild; Siebert, Ursula; Asmus, Harald

2018-04-01

The Wadden Sea undergoes large seasonal changes in species abundance and biomass comprising its complex food web. This study examined four carbon food web models of the Sylt-Rømø Bight, one for each season. Each flow model consisted of 66 compartments depicting the respective biomass and energy budget of each ecosystem component and the flows between them. Ecological network analysis (ENA), a set of algorithms to evaluate the functioning of ecological networks, was used to assess the seasonal variability in the system properties of the Sylt-Rømø Bight food webs. We used an uncertainty analysis to quantitatively evaluate the significance of inter-seasonal differences. Clear seasonal variation was observed in most of the whole system indicators such as the flow diversity, the effective link density and the relative redundancy which varied by 12.8%, 17.3% and 10.3% respectively between the highest in summer and the lowest during fall and winter, whereas the relevant ascendency ratio was the highest in winter during the least active months. Other indices such as the average mutual information index, which fluctuated between 1.73 in fall and 1.79 in spring, showed no significant variation between seasons. Results from ENA have great potential for ecosystem management, as it provides a holistic assessment of the functioning of ecosystems.

Monitoring of the natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea from the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog and Vierhuizen, Netherlands. Advice of the Audit Committee on method for monitoring and null-measurement; Monitoring van de aardgaswinning onder de Waddenzee vanaf de locaties Moddergat, Lauwersoog en Vierhuizen. Advies van de Auditcommissie over de opzet van de monitoring en de nulmeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-12-21

The Dutch governmental decree ('Rijksprojectenbesluit') on the project for natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea for the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog Vierhuizen gives the Dutch Petroleum Company (NAM) the possibility to produce natural gas under specific conditions in the Wadden Sea area from the six fields Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog East and Vierhuizen East. The precondition is that the (dynamic) nature in and around the Wadden Sea is not affected by subsidence as a result of the gas exploitation. For this, the NAM must monitor the subsidence and the nature values and report annually to the Dutch government. Also in the Rijksprojectbesluit it is determined that the Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as the independent auditor, will annually advise the responsible ministers on the EIA-report. This is the first recommendation of the Audit Committee for exploitation of natural gas in the Wadden Sea which in particular deals with the method for the monitoring and baseline measurement. [Dutch] Het Rijksprojectbesluit Gaswinning onder de Waddenzee vanaf de locaties Moddergat, Lauwersoog en Vierhuizen geeft de Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) de mogelijkheid om onder randvoorwaarden aardgas te produceren in het Waddenzeegebied uit de zes velden Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog Oost en Vierhuizen Oost. De randvoorwaarde is dat de (dynamische) natuur in en rondom de Waddenzee niet wordt aangetast door bodemdaling als gevolg van de gaswinning. Daarvoor moet de NAM de bodemdaling en de natuurwaarden monitoren en jaarlijks rapporteren aan de Nederlandse overheid. Ook is in het Rijksprojectbesluit bepaald dat de Commissie voor de milieueffectrapportage (m.e.r.) als onafhankelijke auditor de verantwoordelijke ministers jaarlijks zal adviseren over deze Rapportage. Dit is het eerste advies van de Auditcommissie gaswinning onder de Waddenzee waarin specifiek wordt ingegaan op de

Coupled penetrometer, MBES and ADCP assessments of tidal variations of the surface sediment layer along active subaqueous dunes, Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stark, Nina; Hanff, Henrik; Svenson, Christian

2011-01-01

In-situ geotechnical measurements of surface sediments were carried out along large subaqueous dunes in the Knudedyb tidal inlet channel in the DanishWadden Sea using a small free-falling penetrometer. Vertical profiles showed a typical stratification pattern with a resolution of ~1 cm depicting...... a thin surface layer of low sediment strength and a stiffer substratum below (quasi-static bearing capacity equivalent: 1–3 kPa in the top layer, 20–140 kPa in the underlying sediment; thickness of the top layer ca. 5–8 cm). Observed variations in the thickness and strength of the surface layer during...... a tidal cycle were compared to mean current velocities (measured using an acoustic Doppler current profiler, ADCP), high-resolution bathymetry (based on multibeam echo sounding, MBES) and qualitative estimates of suspended sediment distributions in the water column (estimated from ADCP backscatter...

Spaces, actors and new riverine ethics on the Ems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Disco, Nil/Cornelis

2011-01-01

The Ems estuary extends from just upstream of the German port of Emden to the North Sea. It is a network of tidal channels through the sand banks of the Wadden Sea and includes a contested border between Germany and the Netherlands. The estuary is the seaway for Emden and the Dutch port of Delfzijl.

Impact on bird fauna of a non-native oyster expanding into blue mussel beds in the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waser, A.M.; Deuzeman, S.; wa Kangeri, A.K.; van Winden, E.; Postma, J.; De Boer, P.; Van der Meer, J.; Ens, B.J.

2016-01-01

Intertidal mussel beds are important for intertidal ecosystems, because they feature a high taxonomic diversityand abundance of benthic organisms and are important foraging grounds for many avian species. After the introductionof the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) into the EuropeanWadden

Impact on bird fauna of a non-native oyster expanding into blue mussel beds in the Dutch Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waser, Andreas M.; Deuzeman, Symen; Kangeri, Arno K.W.; Winden, van Erik; Postma, Jelle; Boer, de Peter; Meer, van der Jaap; Ens, Bruno J.

2016-01-01

Intertidal mussel beds are important for intertidal ecosystems, because they feature a high taxonomic diversity and abundance of benthic organisms and are important foraging grounds for many avian species. After the introduction of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) into the European Wadden

The impact of erosion protection by Stone Dams on Salt-Marsh vegetation on Two Wadden Sea Barrier Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loon-Steensma, van J.M.; Slim, P.A.

2013-01-01

This paper describes and quantifies the effect of low stone dams on the extent and composition of salt-marsh habitats on two Dutch Wadden islands: Terschelling and Ameland. The stone dams were built to prevent erosion of the salt-marsh edge. Analyses of a series of aerial photographs taken between

Advanced Water Quality Modelling in Marine Systems: Application to the Wadden Sea, the Netherlands

Science.gov (United States)

Boon, J.; Smits, J. G.

2006-12-01

There is an increasing demand for knowledge and models that arise from water management in relation to water quality, sediment quality (ecology) and sediment accumulation (ecomorphology). Recently, models for sediment diagenesis and erosion developed or incorporated by Delft Hydraulics integrates the relevant physical, (bio)chemical and biological processes for the sediment-water exchange of substances. The aim of the diagenesis models is the prediction of both sediment quality and the return fluxes of substances such as nutrients and micropollutants to the overlying water. The resulting so-called DELWAQ-G model is a new, generic version of the water and sediment quality model of the DELFT3D framework. One set of generic water quality process formulations is used to calculate process rates in both water and sediment compartments. DELWAQ-G involves the explicit simulation of sediment layers in the water quality model with state-of-the-art process kinetics. The local conditions in a water layer or sediment layer such as the dissolved oxygen concentration determine if and how individual processes come to expression. New processes were added for sulphate, sulphide, methane and the distribution of the electron-acceptor demand over dissolved oxygen, nitrate, sulphate and carbon dioxide. DELWAQ-G also includes the dispersive and advective transport processes in the sediment and across the sediment-water interface. DELWAQ-G has been applied for the Wadden Sea. A very dynamic tidal and ecologically active estuary with a complex hydrodynamic behaviour located at the north of the Netherlands. The predicted profiles in the sediment reflect the typical interactions of diagenesis processes.

Follow-up on initiatives taken by the TMAP ad hoc working group fish in 2006

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bolle, L.J.

2006-01-01

Since 1978, The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have been working together on the protection and conservation of the Wadden Sea covering management, monitoring and research, and political matters. An important element of the Trilateral Cooperation with regards to monitoring and research is the

Zoobenthic biomass limited by phytoplankton abundance: evidence from parallel changes in two long-term data series in the Wadden Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Beukema, J. J.; Cadée, G. C.; Dekker, R.

2002-10-01

We address the question of whether year-to-year variability in pelagic algal food supply can explain long-term variability in macrozoobenthic biomass in an estuarine area. Starting in the early 1970s, quantitative data were frequently collected in standardized ways in the western part of the Dutch Wadden Sea on (1) concentrations of phytoplankton species and chlorophyll (and rates of primary production) in the main tidal inlet (Marsdiep) and (2) numerical densities and biomass of macrozoobenthic animals (and growth rates in a few species) in a nearby extensive tidal-flat area (Balgzand). In both data series, the most distinctive feature was a sudden change that took place around 1980, viz. a rather sudden and persisting doubling of concentrations of chlorophyll and algal cells and of primary production rates, as well as of numerical densities and biomass of zoobenthos. From these parallel changes we hypothesise that algal food largely determines the abundance of zoobenthos in the Wadden Sea. The following observations substantiate this hypothesis: (1) the significant correlation between annual mean values of chlorophyll concentration and overall mean numerical density and biomass of zoobenthos (as estimated after an appropriate time lag), (2) the observed limitation of zoobenthic biomass doubling (after the doubling of food supply) to areas with already high biomass values (where food demand was high and food could therefore be in short supply), (3) the limitation of a strong response to changes in food supply to functional groups that are directly dependent on algal food, i.e. suspension and deposit feeders, as opposed to carnivores, (4) the significant correlation between annual growth rates in Macoma balthica and food supply in the growing season, particularly in areas close to the tidal inlet where food concentrations were monitored. Some other factors were identified that could decisively influence zoobenthic abundance locally and/or temporarily. Harsh

A lasting legacy for the Baltic and North Sea GLOBEC Germany program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peck, M.A.; Dutz, Jörg; Voss, R.

2012-01-01

This preface introduces four manuscripts that form a special theme section of the GLOBEC Germany program within Progress in Oceanography. The four manuscripts link changes in physical forcing to the trophodynamic structure and function of the Baltic and North Seas. The target species of GLOBEC Ge...... Germany included various species of calanoid copepods and a small pelagic fish (Sprattus sprattus)...

Exploration drilling and ecology. A contribution to the MER (Environmental Effect Report) of the NAM (Netherlands Petroleum Company) for the benefit of exploration drilling for natural gas in the Waddenzee and the North Sea coastal area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dankers, N.; Wintermans, G.J.M.

1996-01-01

Within the framework of the title drilling activities the NAM carries out a MER. Several research institutes were asked to contribute to the MER. The authors' institute was asked to describe the ecology of the exploration areas in the Wadden Sea, as well as the possible effects of the exploration drilling on the ecology. In this report only the impact for the Wadden Sea is dealt with. In chapter 1 the ecology of the Wadden Sea is discussed in detail for the subjects primary production (photosynthesis), secondary production (consumption of vegetable organic materials), birds, seals, and societal functions. In chapter 2 specific aspects of specific sites are outlined. In chapter 3 an overview (the so-called factor train) is given of the activities around the exploration drilling of the NAM in the Wadden Sea and the disturbances that can be the result of those activities. In chapter 4 the possible effects of exploration drilling on birds and seals are discussed for each drilling site

The significance of radionuclides and trace elements in a back barrier tidal area: Results from the German Wadden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnetger, B.; Hinrichs, J.; Dellwig, O.; Brumsack, H.-J.; Shaw, T.

2000-01-01

Coastal areas like the German Wadden Sea are characterised by processes occurring on short (tides) seasonal (winter/summer), and long (sea level rise) timescales. This causes fluctuations in biological, chemical and physical parameters. In the geological past these parameters were driven by natural mechanisms whereas in the last centuries anthropogenic influences (coastal protection, agriculture) became important. It is more or less unknown how the different processes forming the German Wadden Sea interact together. We investigated the dissolved and particulate phase of the waters of the a back barrier tidal area of the East Frisian Islands. Intertidal and seasonal variations in radionuclides, alkalinity and redox-sensitive trace metals give us evidence to several important sources and processes going on in this area. In summer, spring and autumn, alkalinity as well as Mn concentrations in the dissolved phase are high during low tide and low during high tide. In winter, alkalinity and Mn concentration in the dissolved phase is lower. In the suspended particulate material a high and variable Mn/Al ratio during tidal cycles was found in summer and autumn. A low ratio close to average shale with minor variations during low and high tide was found in winter and spring. Stable sulphur isotopes measured in porewater draining the tidal flats during low tide indicate intense diagenesis by sulphate reducing bacteria. These observations point to a seasonal, microbially driven release of dissolved Mn and carbon species from the subsurface anoxic Wadden Sea sediments. Another source, adding dissolved components to the water of the back-barrier area, can be identified by short lived radium isotopes. 223 Ra and 224 Ra were found to vary by a factor of two during tidal cycles. Most possibly, the source for Ra are the subterranean sands, which are drained during low tide and replenished during high tide. The geochemical comparison between present day and Holocene tidal flat

Modelling Morphological Response of Large Tidal Inlet Systems to Sea Level Rise

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dissanayake, P.K.

2011-01-01

This dissertation qualitatively investigates the morphodynamic response of a large inlet system to IPCC projected relative sea level rise (RSLR). Adopted numerical approach (Delft3D) used a highly schematised model domain analogous to the Ameland inlet in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Predicted inlet

Population development and status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina in the Wadden Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter JH Reijnders

2010-09-01

Full Text Available An index for the condition of a population should include a measure of the recuperative power or resilience of the population in question. This measure needs to cover both the demographic and physiological condition of the population. Applied to the harbour seal population in the Wadden Sea we therefore address respectively the population development and distribution, and its health condition, and relate these to environmental conditions. The harbour seal population has been severely depleted by hunting in the first half of the 20th century. After hunting was stopped in the mid-1970s the population recovered gradually. This recovery was twice interrupted by Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV outbreaks in 1988 and 2002. These PDV-epizootics reduced the population by 57% and 50% respectively. They also lead to changes in age and sex structure of the population, which gradually returned to a stable age-structure. Despite the reduction in population size by respectively 57% and 50%, the population showed a strong recovery with a growth rate close to the considered maximum possible for this species. The observed changes in the distribution of the population over the 4 sub-regions indicate that distribution is not a static phenomenon. Long term field and pathological investigations point out that the general health status of the population has improved, particularly that of newborn seals (0-6months old. The increasing prevalence of parasites in lungs and intestine warrants continued monitoring of the health status of seals. This is especially relevant in view of the exponential increase of the population, which may finally approach the carrying capacity of the area. Concluding, we canstate that the condition of the population in terms of demographic and health parameters is satisfactory. The best guarantee for maintaining such a favourable conservation status is to abstain from human interferences (e.g. rescue, rehabilitation and release with natural

Seasonal variation in parasite infection patterns of marine fish species from the Northern Wadden Sea in relation to interannual temperature fluctuations

Science.gov (United States)

Schade, Franziska M.; Raupach, Michael J.; Mathias Wegner, K.

2016-07-01

Marine environmental conditions are naturally changing throughout the year, affecting life cycles of hosts as well as parasites. In particular, water temperature is positively correlated with the development of many parasites and pathogenic bacteria, increasing the risk of infection and diseases during summer. Interannual temperature fluctuations are likely to alter host-parasite interactions, which may result in profound impacts on sensitive ecosystems. In this context we investigated the parasite and bacterial Vibrionaceae communities of four common small fish species (three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, Atlantic herring Clupea harengus, European sprat Sprattus sprattus and lesser sand eel Ammodytes tobianus) in the Northern Wadden Sea over a period of two years. Overall, we found significantly increased relative diversities of infectious species at higher temperature differentials. On the taxon-specific level some macroparasite species (trematodes, nematodes) showed a shift in infection peaks that followed the water temperatures of preceding months, whereas other parasite groups showed no effects of temperature differentials on infection parameters. Our results show that even subtle changes in seasonal temperatures may shift and modify the phenology of parasites as well as opportunistic pathogens that can have far reaching consequences for sensitive ecosystems.

Seaweed Competition: Ulva Sp. has the Potential to Produce the Betaine Lipid Diacylglyceryl-O-4’-(N,N,N,-Trimethyl) Homoserine (DGTS) in Order to Replace Phosphatidylcholine (PC) Under Phosphate-Limiting Conditions in the P-Limited Dutch Wadden Sea and Outcompete an Aggressive Non-Indigenous Gracilaria vermiculophylla Red Drift Algae Out of this Unique Unesco World Heritage Coastal Area

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ginneken, van V.J.T.; Gittenberger, A.; Rensing, M.; Vries, de E.; Peeters, E.T.H.M.; Verheij, E.

2017-01-01

The present study tested in the Western Dutch Wadden Sea (WDW) UNESCO World Heritage Site why an on a global scale the aggressive non-indigenous red drift alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla didn’t succeed to overgrow the WDC. In such a multifaceted complex ecosystem like the dynamic WDC it seems like

Growth conditions of 0-group plaice Pleuronectes platessa in the western Wadden Sea as revealed by otolith microstructure analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Joana F. M. F.; Freitas, Vânia; de Paoli, Hélène; Witte, Johannes IJ.; van der Veer, Henk W.

2016-05-01

Growth studies based on population-based growth estimates are limited by the fact that they do not take into account differences in age/size structure within the population. To overcome these problems, otolith microstructure analysis is often used to estimate individual growth. Here, we analyse growth of 0-group plaice in the western Wadden Sea in two years: a year preceded by a mild winter (1995) and a year preceded by a severe winter (1996). Growth was analysed by combining information on individual growth based on otolith analysis with predictions of maximum growth (= under optimal food conditions) based on a Dynamic Energy Budget model. Otolith analysis revealed that settlement occurred earlier in 1995 than in 1996. In both years, one main cohort was found, followed by a group of late settlers. No differences in mean length-at-age were found between these groups. DEB modelling suggested that growth was not maximal during the whole growing season: realized growth (the fraction of maximum growth realized by 0-group plaice) declined in the summer, although this decline was relatively small. In addition, late settling individuals exhibited lower realized growth than individuals from the main cohort. This study confirms that growth conditions for 0-group plaice are not optimal and that a growth reduction occurs in summer, as suggested in previous studies.

A case study in atmospheric lead pollution of Northern-German coastal regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kapitza, H.; Eppel, D.P. [GKSS-Forschungszentrum Geesthacht GmbH (Germany). Inst. fuer Gewaesserphysik

1998-12-31

Transport and deposition of atmospheric lead over the coastal zone of Northern Germany are investigated. It is shown that marked differences in the impact of the ecologically valuable wadden sea areas can occur between summer and winter time. Due to the formation of sea breeze systems in summer the coastal zone is likely to be less stressed than in winter when the pollutant is confined to a shallow layer above ground. (orig.) 10 refs.

How the food supply harvestable by waders in the Wadden Sea depends on the variation in energy density, body weight, biomass, burying depth and behaviour of tidal-flat invertebrates

Science.gov (United States)

Zwarts, Leo; Wanink, Jan H.

For several reasons, waders in the Wadden Sea face a large seasonal and annual variation in their food supply. Observations on a tidal flat in the Dutch Wadden Sea have shown that: - (1) The average energy density of ten invertebrate prey species varies between 21 and 23 kJ·g -1 AFDW. In Scrobicularia plana and Mya arenaria, but not in Macoma balthica, the energy density is 10% lower in winter than in summer. - (2) Depending on the species, body weights of prey of similar size are 30 to 60% lower in winter than in summer. - (3) The year-to-year fluctuation in standing-crop biomass is larger in some species than in others, the difference depending mainly on the frequency of successful recruitment. The overall biomass of the macrobenthos in winter is half of that in summer, but the timing of the peak biomass differs per species. - (4) The burying depth varies per species: Cerastoderma edule live just beneath the surface, while M. balthica, S. plana, M. arenaria, Arenicola marina and Nereis diversicolor bury more deeply and the majority of these prey live out of reach of the bird's bill. In all six species, burying depth increases with size. There is no seasonal variation in depth of C. edule and M. arenaria, but the four other species live at most shallow depth in early summer and most deeply in midwinter. Burying depths in winter vary from year to year, but are unrelated to temperature. Neither has temperature any effect on depth within months. For knot Calidris canutus feeding on M. balthica, the fluctuation in the accessible fraction was the main source of variation in the biomass of prey that is actually harvestable, i.e. the biomass of prey of suitable size that is accessible. Accordingly, the paper reviews the available data on the temporal variations in accessibility, detectability, ingestibility, digestibility and profitability of prey for waders. Only a small part of the prey is harvestable since many accessible prey are ignored because of their low

Tidal and seasonal variation in particulate and dissolved organic carbon in the western dutch Wadden Sea and Marsdiep tidal inlet

Science.gov (United States)

Cadée, G. C.

Seasonal variation in POC and DOC was measured in the Marsdiep tidal inlet of the Wadden Sea from March 1978 to June 1981, and compared with tidal variation. A POC peak was coincident with the phytoplankton peak (except for 1981), whereas a DOC peak occurred about one month later indicating autolysis and degradation of phytoplankton rather than excretion as the main source of this DOC. DOC production calculated from the spring increase amounted to 4.2 mg C·1 -1 or about 40% of the annual phytoplankton primary production in the area. This means that a large part of the phytoplankton production is not used directly by primary consumers but is converted into DOC. Tidal variation in DOC was correlated with salinity, pointing to a fresh water source for the bulk of it. POC was correlated with suspended matter content and phaeopigment, and slightly less with chlorophyll. Compared with the seasonal variation, tidal variation in chlorophyll and temperature was relatively small, but large in POC, DOC, suspended matter and salinity. Although import of POC and export of DOC through the Marsdiep inlet is large on an annual base, the transport cannot be measured directly because of the variability and precision limits of the measurements and as differences in content between ebb and flood current are only 15 and 5% of the POC and DOC content, respectively.

Decline of the North Sea houting: protective measures for an endangered anadromous fish

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Niels; Deacon, Michael; Koed, Anders

2012-01-01

Once an abundant fish species in the rivers of the Wadden Sea in northwest Europe, the North Sea houting Coregonus oxyrinchus (NSH) was at the brink of extinction 25 yr ago. The very last stronghold for this species was in the small Danish River Vidaa. In an attempt to preserve this anadromous...... whitefish species, juveniles were hatchery-reared and stocked in 6 Danish rivers flowing into the Wadden Sea. These stocking efforts were fairly successful, and the houting established populations in at least 2 of the rivers, but the underlying problem of habitat degradation and migration obstacles...... they reach sexual maturity, NSH grow relatively slowly (mean: 2.55 cm yr−1, ranging from 0 to 13.8 cm yr−1) and can reach an age of 10 to 12 yr. The number of repeated recaptures year after year indicates low mortality for adult fish. Six individuals were recaptured in rivers other than the one in which...

Planting the SEED : Towards a Spatial Economic Ecological Database for a shared understanding of the Dutch Wadden area

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Daams, Michiel N.; Sijtsma, Frans J.

In this paper we address the characteristics of a publicly accessible Spatial Economic Ecological Database (SEED) and its ability to support a shared understanding among planners and experts of the economy and ecology of the Dutch Wadden area. Theoretical building blocks for a Wadden SEED are

MOD2SEA: A Coupled Atmosphere-Hydro-Optical Model for the Retrieval of Chlorophyll-a from Remote Sensing Observations in Complex Turbid Waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behnaz Arabi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available An accurate estimation of the chlorophyll-a (Chla concentration is crucial for water quality monitoring and is highly desired by various government agencies and environmental groups. However, using satellite observations for Chla estimation remains problematic over coastal waters due to their optical complexity and the critical atmospheric correction. In this study, we coupled an atmospheric and a water optical model for the simultaneous atmospheric correction and retrieval of Chla in the complex waters of the Wadden Sea. This coupled model called MOD2SEA combines simulations from the MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission model (MODTRAN and the two-stream radiative transfer hydro-optical model 2SeaColor. The accuracy of the coupled MOD2SEA model was validated using a matchup data set of MERIS (MEdium Resolution Imaging SpectRometer observations and four years of concurrent ground truth measurements (2007–2010 at the NIOZ jetty location in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea. The results showed that MERIS-derived Chla from MOD2SEA explained the variations of measured Chla with a determination coefficient of R2 = 0.88 and a RMSE of 3.32 mg·m−3, which means a significant improvement in comparison with the standard MERIS Case 2 regional (C2R processor. The proposed coupled model might be used to generate a time series of reliable Chla maps, which is of profound importance for the assessment of causes and consequences of long-term phenological changes of Chla in the turbid Wadden Sea area.

Evidence of cormorant-induced mortality, disparate migration strategies and repeatable circadian rhythm in the endangered North Sea houting (Coregonus oxyrinchus ): A telemetry study mapping the postspawning migration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Lasse Fast; Rognon, Paul; Aarestrup, Kim

2017-01-01

constrained navigation through the lakes. The migration into the Wadden Sea correlated with temperature perhaps indicating osmoregulatory constraints of sea entry. Unlike most salmonid species, migration occurred both day and night. Moreover, fish exhibited repeatable individual differences in diel activity...

Barrier response to Holocene sea-level rise

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pejrup, Morten; Andersen, Thorbjørn Joest; Johannessen, Peter N

Normally it is believed that sea-level rise causes coastal barrier retreat. However, sea-level is only one of the parameters determining the long term coastal development of barrier coasts. Sediment supply is an equally important determinant and may overshadow the effects of sea-level rise....... Conceptually this has been known for a long time but for the first time we can show the relative effect of these two parameters. We have studied three neighboring barrier islands in the Wadden Sea, and described their 3D morphological evolution during the last 8000 years. It appears that the barrier islands...... a much stronger component of sea-level control. The distance between the islands is only 50 km, and therefore our study shows that prediction of barrier development during a period of rising sea level may be more complicated than formerly believed....

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for wind energy planning: Lessons from the United Kingdom and Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phylip-Jones, J., E-mail: jonesjp@liverpool.ac.uk; Fischer, T.B., E-mail: fischer@liv.ac.uk

2015-01-15

This paper reports on SEA applied in the wind energy sector in the UK and Germany. Based on a review of 18 SEAs, it is found that the quality of SEA documentation is variable, with over a third of them being deemed unsatisfactory. Furthermore, SEA processes are conducted to varying degrees of effectiveness, with scoping a strength but impact prediction and mitigation weaknesses. Generally speaking, the influence of SEA on German wind energy plan making was found to be low and the influence of SEA on UK plans deemed to be moderate. The German plans had a low influence mainly because of a perceived high environmental performance of the underlying plans in the first instance. Substantive outcomes of SEA are not always clear and the influence of SEA on decision making is said to be limited in many cases. Finally, a lack of effective tiering between SEA and project level EIA is also observed. In addition, our findings echo some of the weaknesses of SEA practice found in previous studies of SEA effectiveness, including poor impact prediction and significance sections and a lack of detailed monitoring programmes for post plan implementation.

Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in nine sub-systems of the Sylt-Rømø Bight ecosystem, German Wadden Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Baird, Dan; Asmus, Harald; Asmus, Ragnhild

2011-01-01

Flow networks of nine sub-systems consisting of 59 components each of the Sylt-Rømø Bight, German Wadden Sea, were constructed depicting the standing stocks and flows of material and energy within and between the sub-systems. Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous were used as currencies for each sub-system, thus resulting in 27 network models, which were analyzed by ecological network analytical protocols. Results show substantial variability in the dynamics of these elements within and between the nine sub-systems, which differ in habitat structure, species diversity and in the standing stocks of their constituent living and non-living components. The relationship between the biodiversity and selected information indices and ratios, derived from ecological network analysis, of individual sub-systems is variable and differ substantially between them. Ecosystem properties such as the structure and magnitude of the recycling of these elements, number of cycles, and total sub-system activity were calculated and discussed, highlighting the differences between and complexity of the flow of C, N and P in a coastal marine ecosystem. The average number of cycles increase from 179 for C, to 16,923 and 20,580 for N and P respectively, while the average amount of recycled material, as measured by the Finn Cycling Index (FCI), increase from 17% for C, to 52% for P and to 61% for N. The number of cycles and the FCI vary considerably between the sub-systems for the different elements. The largest number of cycles of all three elements was observed in the muddy sand flat sub-system, but the highest FCIs were computed for both C (32%) and N (85%) in the Arenicola Flats, and in sparse Zostera noltii sea grass beds for P (67%). Indices reflecting on the growth, organization and resilience of the sub-systems also showed considerable variability between and within the inter-tidal ecosystems in the Bight. Indices such as, for example, the relative ascendency ratios increase on average

On the dynamics of compound bedforms in high-energy tidal channels: field observations in the German Bight and the Danish Wadden Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Ernstsen, Verner B.; Winter, Christian; Becker, Marius; Bartholdy, Jesper

2010-05-01

Tidal inlets are a common feature along much of the world's coastlines. They interrupt the alongshore continuity of shoreline processes, and by being exposed to both wave and current forcing, tidal inlets belong to the morphologically most dynamic and complex coastal systems on Earth. The tidal channels in these inlets are characterized by high flow velocities and, accordingly, the channel beds are typically sandy and covered with bedforms. The bedform fields in nature are often complex systems with larger primary-bedforms superimposed by smaller secondary-bedforms (cf. Bartholdy et al., 2002). There is a considerable amount of detailed field investigations on the dynamics of primary-bedforms at various temporal scales, ranging from short- to long-term tide-related cycles to flood hydrographs to seasonality. However, Julien et al. (2002) stated that a composite analysis of primary- and secondary-bedforms is recommended for future studies on resistance to flow. Such knowledge on the behaviour of compound bedforms is still deficient. In this study, we combine the findings on the dynamics of primary- and secondary-bedform height from detailed field investigations carried out in two high-energy tidal channels during 2007 and 2008: the Knudedyb tidal inlet channel in the Danish Wadden Sea and the Innenjade tidal channel in the Jade Bay, German Bight (both survey areas being ebb-dominated). We provide process-based explanations of the bedform behaviour and present a conceptual model of compound bedform dynamics. The conducted field investigations comprised repetitive, simultaneous measurements of high-resolution swath bathymetry (using a multibeam echosounder system) and flow velocity (using an acoustic Doppler current profiler) in combination with detailed spatial mapping of bed material characteristics (from grab sampling of bed material). For an objective and discrete analysis of primary- and secondary-bedforms a modified version of the bedform tracking tool

Long-term changes in nutrients and mussel stocks are related to numbers of breeding eiders Somateria mollissima at a large Baltic colony.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karsten Laursen

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The Baltic/Wadden Sea eider Somateria mollissima flyway population is decreasing, and this trend is also reflected in the large eider colony at Christiansø situated in the Baltic Sea. This colony showed a 15-fold increase from 1925 until the mid-1990's, followed by a rapid decline in recent years, although the causes of this trend remain unknown. Most birds from the colony winter in the Wadden Sea, from which environmental data and information on the size of the main diet, the mussel Mytilus edulis stock exists. We hypothesised that changes in nutrients and water temperature in the Wadden Sea had an effect on the ecosystem affecting the size of mussel stocks, the principal food item for eiders, thereby influencing the number of breeding eider in the Christiansø colony. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: A positive relationship between the amount of fertilizer used by farmers and the concentration of phosphorus in the Wadden Sea (with a time lag of one year allowed analysis of the predictions concerning effects of nutrients for the period 1925-2010. There was (1 increasing amounts of fertilizer used in agriculture and this increased the amount of nutrients in the marine environment thereby increasing the mussel stocks in the Wadden Sea. (2 The number of eiders at Christiansø increased when the amount of fertilizer increased. Finally (3 the number of eiders in the colony at Christiansø increased with the amount of mussel stocks in the Wadden Sea. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The trend in the number of eiders at Christiansø is representative for the entire flyway population, and since nutrient reduction in the marine environment occurs in most parts of Northwest Europe, we hypothesize that this environmental candidate parameter is involved in the overall regulation of the Baltic/Wadden Sea eider population during recent decades.

Understanding the historical institutional context by using content analysis of local policy and planning documents : Assessing the interactions between tourism and landscape on the Island of Terschelling in the Wadden Sea Region

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heslinga, Jasper; Groote, Peter; Vanclay, Frank

2018-01-01

Content analysis is a valuable tool to identify changes in policy. By analysing historical documents, policymakers and planners can improve their understanding of the institutional context in which decisions were made. Using the Island of Terschelling in the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden region of

Experiments on Erosion of Mud from the Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, C.; Larsen, Torben; Petersen, O.

1994-01-01

Experiments on erosion and consolidation of natural cohesive sediments from the harbour of Esbjerg located in the Danish Watten Sea were conducted using a rotating annular flume. The objective of the paper is to describe the erosion rate of deposited beds and relate the erosion rate...

Sulfaat in water en sediment van de Waddenzee

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vosjan, J.H.; Beke, C.F.

1971-01-01

For the sulphate/chlorinate relation in the Wadden Sea the following comparison is applicable: SO₄ g/kg = 0,1349 Cl per thousand + 0,0462. The sulphate/chlorinate relation in the sediment of the Wadden Sea varies strongly, influenced by bacterial activity. A method to calculate how much

Status of grey seals along mainland Europe from the Southwestern Baltic to France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tero Härkönen

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The grey seal was a common species along mainland Europe during the Stone Age (8,000-5,500 BC. Along the North Sea coast populations started to decline substantially during the 11th century as a result of excessive hunting. The last breeding populations disappeared in the 16th century in the Wadden Sea, and before 1900 in the Kattegat-Skagerrak and the Southwestern Baltic as a result of an extermination campaign. No regular pupping occurred along mainland Europe until the end of the 1970s, when a breeding colony was established near Amrum in the German Wadden Sea. Somewhat later, additional breeding sites were discovered near Terschelling in the Dutch Wadden Sea (1980, at Helgoland, and off Brittany in France. Tracking of movements indicate these seal groups to be linked to the larger populations in the UK. Numbers of grey seals in the recolonised areas have increased over the years, but in the Kattegat-Skagerrak stable numbersof about 25 individuals have been observed since the 1970s, whereas more than 100 grey seals are found in the Southwestern Baltic. In the southeastern North Sea, 120 grey seals occur during moult at Helgoland, 120 in the German and over 1,130 in the Dutch parts of the Wadden Sea in 2004. Along the southern Dutch and Belgian coasts small groups are regularly observed, but no colonies have yet been established. In the colonies off Brittany in France about 105 grey seals have been counted. Successful pupping has only been recorded 3 times in the Kattegat-Skagerrak over the past 30 years, and 2-4 pups are born annually in France and the Southwestern Baltic. The relative strongholds for breeding along the European continent are the Dutch Wadden Sea, where in 2003/2004 at least 150 pups were recorded, Amrum in the German Wadden Sea (23 pups and Helgoland (8 pups. Consequently, total numbers of counted grey seals from the Southwestern Baltic to France amounted to at least 1,600 in 2004, while about 190 pups were born in the area.

Onderzoek aan spiering als oorzaak van het voorkomen van groepsgewijs vissende meeuwen in de Waddenzee, met systematische en populatie-dynamische gegevens over de spiering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krijgsman, J.A.

1971-01-01

From 1-8-70 till 31-3-71 research was done on the cause of the phenomenon of fishing seagulls taking place in the Wadden Sea and on the systematic and population-dynamic aspects of the smelt from the Wadden Sea and the Ysel Lake. The phenomenon of fishing in groups of the black-headed gull, turned

Alien parasitic copepods in mussels and oysters of the Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elsner, N.O.; Jacobsen, S.; Thieltges, D.W.; Reise, K.

2011-01-01

Molluscan intestinal parasites of the genus Mytilicola, specifically M. intestinalis, were initially introduced into bivalves in the North Sea in the 1930s. It was presumably introduced from the Mediterranean with ship-fouling mussels, then attained epidemic proportions in Mytilus edulis in the

Evolution of the Rømø barrier island in the Wadden Sea: Impacts of sea-level change on coastal morphodynamics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clemmensen, Lars B; Andersen, Thorbjørn Joest; Johannessen, Peter

, and falling sea-level, whereas wash-over sedimentation was promoted during periods of rapid sea-level rise when shoreface, beach and coastal dune deposits were reworked. In contrast, lagoonal sedimentation has been relatively continuous and kept pace with the long-term Holocene sea-level rise. Our findings...

Climate Change Impact Assessment of Dike Safety and Flood Risk in the Vidaa River System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, H.; Sunyer Pinya, Maria Antonia; Larsen, J.

2013-01-01

The impact of climate change on the flood risk and dike safety in the Vidaa River system, a cross-border catchment located in the southern part of Jutland, Denmark and northern Germany, is analysed. The river discharges to the Wadden Sea through a tidal sluice, and extreme water level conditions...... in the river system occur in periods of high sea water levels where the sluice is closed and increased catchment run-off take place. Climate model data from the ENSEMBLES data archive are used to assess the changes in climate variables and the resulting effect on catchment run-off. Extreme catchment run......-off is expected to increase about 8 % in 2050 and 14 % in 2100. The changes in sea water level is assessed considering climate projections of mean sea level rise, isostatic changes, and changes in storm surge statistics. At the Vidaa sluice a mean sea level rise of 0.15–0.39 m in 2050 and 0.41–1.11 m in 2010...

Annual mean sea level and its sensitivity to wind climate

Science.gov (United States)

Gerkema, Theo; Duran Matute, Matias

2017-04-01

Changes in relative mean sea level affect coastal areas in various ways, such as the risk of flooding, the evolution of barrier island systems, or the development of salt marshes. Long-term trends in these changes are partly masked by variability on shorter time scales. Some of this variability, for instance due to wind waves and tides (with the exception of long-period tides), is easily averaged out. In contrast, inter-annual variability is found to be irregular and large, of the order of several decimeters, as is evident from tide gauge records. This is why the climatic trend, typically of a few millimeters per year, can only be reliably identified by examining a record that is long enough to outweigh the inter-annual and decadal variabilities. In this presentation we examine the relation between the annual wind conditions from meteorological records and annual mean sea level along the Dutch coast. To do this, we need reliable and consistent long-term wind records. Some wind records from weather stations in the Netherlands date back to the 19th century, but they are unsuitable for trend analysis because of changes in location, height, surroundings, instrument type or protocol. For this reason, we will use only more recent, homogeneous wind records, from the past two decades. The question then is whether such a relatively short record is sufficient to find a convincing relation with annual mean sea level. It is the purpose of this work to demonstrate that the answer is positive and to suggest methods to find and exploit such a relation. We find that at the Dutch coast, southwesterly winds are dominant in the wind climate, but the west-east direction stands out as having the highest correlation with annual mean sea level. For different stations in the Dutch Wadden Sea and along the coast, we find a qualitatively similar pattern, although the precise values of the correlations vary. The inter-annual variability of mean sea level can already be largely explained by

Dendrochronology of Atriplex portulacoides and Artemisia maritima in Wadden Sea salt marshes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Decuyper, M.; Slim, P.A.; Loon-Steensma, van J.M.

2014-01-01

The study uses a rather unusual method, dendrochronology, to investigate the growth and survival of Atriplex portulacoides L. and Artemisia maritima L. on salt marshes at two field sites on the Dutch North Sea barrier islands of Terschelling and Ameland. By providing information on longevity of

Broedsucces van kustbroedvogels in de Waddenzee in 2014

OpenAIRE

Koffijberg, K.; Cremer, J.S.M.; Boer, de, P.; Postma, J.; Oosterbeek, K.

2016-01-01

Data have been collected on the breeding success of several characteristic coastal breeding birds in theWadden Sea each year since 2005. Ten birds species considered representative of specific habitats and foodgroups are being monitored. The coastal breeding birds reproduction monitoring network is run as an ‘earlywarning system’ to follow the reproductive capacity of the bird populations in the Wadden Sea andunderstand the processes underlying fluctuations in populations. It is a valuable ad...

Climatic change in Germany. Development, consequences, risks and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brasseur, Guy; Jacob, Daniela; Schuck-Zoeller, Susanne

2017-01-01

The book on the climatic change in Germany includes contributions to the following issues: global climate projections and regional projections in Germany and Europe: observation of the climatic change in Central Europe, regional climate modeling, limits and challenges of the regional climate modeling; climatic change in Germany - regional features and extremes: temperature and heat waves, precipitation, wind and cyclones, sea-level increase, tides, storm floods and sea state, floods, definition uncertainties, draughts, forest fires, natural risks; consequences of the climatic change in Germany: air quality, health, biodiversity, water resources, biochemical cycles, agriculture, forestry, soils, personal and commercial transport, cities and urban regions, tourism, infrastructure, energy and water supplies, cost of the climatic change and economic consequences; overall risks and uncertainties: assessment of vulnerabilities, literature review, climatic change as risk enhancement in complex systems, overall risks and uncertainties, decision making under uncertainties in complex systems; integrated strategies for the adaptation to the climatic change: the climate resilient society - transformations and system changes, adaptation to the climatic change as new political field, options for adaptation strategies.

Increasing species richness of the macrozoobenthic fauna on tidal flats of the Wadden Sea by local range expansion and invasion of exotic species

Science.gov (United States)

Beukema, J. J.; Dekker, R.

2011-06-01

A 40-y series of consistently collected samples (15 fixed sampling sites, constant sampled area of 15 × 0.95 m2, annual sampling only in late-winter/early-spring seasons, and consistent sieving and sorting procedures; restriction to 50 easily recognizable species) of macrozoobenthos on Balgzand, a tidal flat area in the westernmost part of the Wadden Sea (The Netherlands), revealed significantly increasing trends of species richness. Total numbers of species annually encountered increased from ~28 to ~38. Mean species density (number of species found per sampling site) increased from ~13 to ~18 per 0.95 m2. During the 40 years of the 1970-2009 period of observation, 4 exotic species invaded the area: (in order of first appearance) Ensis directus, Marenzelleria viridis, Crassostrea gigas, and Hemigrapsus takanoi. Another 5 species recently moved to Balgzand from nearby (subtidal) locations. Together, these 9 new species on the tidal flats explained by far most of the increase in total species numbers, but accounted for only one-third of the observed increase in species density (as a consequence of the restricted distribution of most of them). Species density increased particularly by a substantial number of species that showed increasing trends in the numbers of tidal flat sites they occupied. Most of these wider-spreading species were found to suffer from cold winters. During the 40-y period of observation, winter temperatures rose by about 2°C and cold winters became less frequent. The mean number of cold-sensitive species found per site significantly increased by almost 2 per 0.95 m2. Among the other species (not sensitive to low winter temperatures), 6 showed a rising and 2 a declining trend in number of occupied sites, resulting in a net long-term increase in species density amounting to another gain of 1.6 per 0.95 m2. Half of the 50 studied species did not show such long-term trend, nor were invaders. Thus, each of 3 groups (local or alien invaders

Terrestrial and Marine Foraging Strategies of an Opportunistic Seabird Species Breeding in the Wadden Sea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Garthe

Full Text Available Lesser black-backed gulls Larus fuscus are considered to be mainly pelagic. We assessed the importance of different landscape elements (open sea, tidal flats and inland by comparing marine and terrestrial foraging behaviours in lesser black-backed gulls breeding along the coast of the southern North Sea. We attached GPS data loggers to eight incubating birds and collected information on diet and habitat use. The loggers recorded data for 10-19 days to allow flight-path reconstruction. Lesser black-backed gulls foraged in both offshore and inland areas, but rarely on tidal flats. Targets and directions were similar among all eight individuals. Foraging trips (n = 108 lasted 0.5-26.4 h (mean 8.7 h, and ranges varied from 3.0-79.9 km (mean 30.9 km. The total distance travelled per foraging trip ranged from 7.5-333.6 km (mean 97.9 km. Trips out to sea were significantly more variable in all parameters than inland trips. Presence in inland areas was closely associated with daylight, whereas trips to sea occurred at day and night, but mostly at night. The most common items in pellets were grass (48%, insects (38%, fish (28%, litter (26% and earthworms (20%. There was a significant relationship between the carbon and nitrogen isotope signals in blood and the proportional time each individual spent foraging at sea/land. On land, gulls preferentially foraged on bare ground, with significantly higher use of potato fields and significantly less use of grassland. The flight patterns of lesser black-backed gulls at sea overlapped with fishing-vessel distribution, including small beam trawlers fishing for shrimps in coastal waters close to the colony and large beam-trawlers fishing for flatfish at greater distances. Our data show that individuals made intensive use of the anthropogenic landscape and seascape, indicating that lesser black-backed gulls are not a predominantly marine species during the incubation period.

Adaptation of benthic invertebrates to food sources along marine-terrestrial boundaries as indicated by carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Lange, G.; Haynert, K.; Dinter, T.; Scheu, S.; Kröncke, I.

2018-01-01

Frequent environmental changes and abiotic gradients of the Wadden Sea require appropriate adaptations of the local organisms and make it suitable for investigations on functional structure of macrozoobenthic communities from marine to terrestrial boundaries. To investigate community patterns and food use of the macrozoobenthos, a transect of 11 stations was sampled for species number, abundance and stable isotope values (δ13C and δ15N) of macrozoobenthos and for stable isotope values of potential food resources. The transect was located in the back-barrier system of the island of Spiekeroog (southern North Sea, Germany). Our results show that surface and subsurface deposit feeders, such as Peringia ulvae and different oligochaete species, dominated the community, which was poor in species, while species present at the transect stations reached high abundance. The only exception was the upper salt marsh with low abundances but higher species richness because of the presence of specialized semi-terrestrial and terrestrial taxa. The macrozoobenthos relied predominantly on marine resources irrespective of the locality in the intertidal zone, although δ13C values of the consumers decreased from - 14.1 ± 1.6‰ (tidal flats) to - 21.5 ± 2.4‰ (salt marsh). However, the ubiquitous polychaete Hediste diversicolor showed a δ15N enrichment of 2.8‰ (an increase of about one trophic level) from bare sediments to the first vegetated transect station, presumably due to switching from suspension or deposit feeding to predation on smaller invertebrates. Hence, we conclude that changes in feeding mode represent an important mechanism of adaptation to different Wadden Sea habitats.

Developing an effective adaptive monitoring network to support integrated coastal management in a multiuser nature reserve

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pim Vugteveen

2015-03-01

Full Text Available We elaborate the necessary conceptual and strategic elements for developing an effective adaptive monitoring network to support Integrated Coastal Management (ICM in a multiuser nature reserve in the Dutch Wadden Sea Region. We discuss quality criteria and enabling actions essential to accomplish and sustain monitoring excellence to support ICM. The Wadden Sea Long-Term Ecosystem Research project (WaLTER was initiated to develop an adaptive monitoring network and online data portal to better understand and support ICM in the Dutch Wadden Sea Region. Our comprehensive approach integrates ecological and socioeconomic data and links research-driven and policy-driven monitoring for system analysis using indicators of pressures, state, benefits, and responses. The approach and concepts we elaborated are transferable to other coastal regions to accomplish ICM in complex social-ecological systems in which scientists, multisectoral stakeholders, resource managers, and governmental representatives seek to balance long-term ecological, economic, and social objectives within natural limits.

Coastal and tidal landform detection from high resolution topobathymetric LiDAR data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Mikkel S.; Al-Hamdani, Zyad K.; Steinbacher, Frank

-resolution mapping of these land-water transition zones. We have carried out topobathymetric LiDAR surveys in the Knudedyb tidal inlet system, a coastal environment in the Danish Wadden Sea which is part of the Wadden Sea National Park and UNESCO World Heritage. Detailed digital elevation models (DEMs) with a grid...... to tides. Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of morphometric analysis on high-resolution topobathymetric LiDAR data for automatic identification, characterisation and classification of different landforms present in coastal land-water transition zones. Acknowledgements This work was funded...

Trade-off between increased survival and reduced growth for blue mussels living on Pacific oyster reefs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eschweiler, Nina; Christensen, Helle Torp

2011-01-01

Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg 1793) have been introduced into the Wadden Sea (North Sea, Germany) in the mid of the 1980s and have invaded native blue mussel Mytilus edulis (L.) beds. The latter turned into oyster reefs where mussels seem to be relegated to the bottom in between...... the much larger oysters. By combining field and laboratory experiments, we reveal how mussels react to cohabitation with the invasive oysters. Mussels subjected to direct contact with crabs Carcinus maenas migrate from top to bottom positions between oysters in both field and laboratory experiments within...... 22days. Shell growth was significantly reduced for mussels placed on the bottom compared to mussels at the top of an oyster reef. Condition index was lower for mussels on the bottom of the reef irrespective of whether placed between dead or living oysters. We conclude that mussels experience a trade...

Spatial patterns and trends in abundance of larval sandeels in the North Sea: 1950–2005

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lynam, Christopher P.; Halliday, Nicholas C.; Höffle, Hannes

2013-01-01

0-group trawl data at the east Fair Isle ground (since 1984), and with recruitment data (since 1983) for the Dogger Banks stock assessment area. Therefore, CPR data may provide an early recruit index of relative abundance for the Dogger Banks assessment area, where the majority of the commercial...... catch of A. marinus is taken, and the Wee Bankie area that is particularly important for seabird foraging. While warm conditions may stimulate the production of sandeel larvae, their natural mortality is typically greater, in the Dogger Banks and Wadden Sea areas, when the larvae are hatched in warm...

Politiek door de staten : doel- of waarderationeel handelen in het besloten overleg over de Wadden en het openbaar beraad over de ecologische hoofdstructuur

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tromp, Gerbrig Heleen Maria

2001-01-01

POLITICS BY PROVINCE: Goal-oriented rational action or value-oriented rational action in closed debate on the Wadden region and public consultation on the ecological infrastructure General This thesis is a study of political conduct, and of provincial politics in particular. It is based on three

Sensitivity mapping of the German North Sea Coast II. Data update and development of an operational model for precaution measures of oil spill response; Sensititivaetsraster Deutsche Nordseekueste II. Aktualisierung und Erstellung eines operationellen Modells zur Vorsorgeplanung bei der Oelbekaempfung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernem, K.H. van; Doerffer, R.; Heymann, K.; Kleeberg, U.; Krasemann, H.; Schiller, H. [GKSS-Forschungszentrum Geesthacht GmbH (Germany). Inst. fuer Kuestenforschung; Grohnert, A.; Reichert, J. [IfaB - Institut fuer Angewandte Biologie Freiburg/Niederelbe (Germany); Reichert, M. [ARCADIS, Rostock (Germany)

2007-07-01

The Wadden Sea is an area of tidal flats and salt marshes extending between the North Sea coasts of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. It has enormous value as a cleansing site for North Sea water, as a nursery for young fish and as a feeding ground for many bird species. Due to the proximity of important shipping routes and harbours, this region is especially threatened by oil spills. Thus, for oil spill response and precaution measures, a sensitivity study of the entire intertidal area was badly needed in order to assess and minimize the potential ecological and economical damage. Based on comprehensive field surveys and in close cooperation with the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, an automated expert-model for the german part of Wadden Sea areas was developed at the Institute for Coastal Research (GKSS-Research Centre). As an operational model it will serve as important instrument for decision making processes, precautionary measures and the further design of oil spill response strategies. Since it is not possible to protect the entire German North Sea coast equally at all levels, oil spill contingency planning requires a more detailed classification. For this reason, individual soft bottom habitats, communities and stocks of saltmarshes, macrofauna, waterfowl and estuarine biotop types were evaluated and classified according to their vulnerability to oil pollution. Hence, the fieldwork for habitat mapping during 2003-2006 was a central part of the study. For this part, the experiences and results obtained from the previous GKSS-project ''Thematic mapping and sensitivity study of Intertidal flats'' during the years 1987-1992 served as an valuable basis. For example, the documentation of changes during these periods of observation provides information on stability features of the ecosystems. During the first project nearly 5000 locations were processed and characterised using about 70 parameters for each site. The in-situ mapping

Abundance and tidal behaviour of pelagic fish in the gateway to the Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Couperus, B.; Gastauer, S.; Fässler, S.M.M.; Tulp, I.; van der Veer, H.W.; Poos, J.J.

2016-01-01

The shallow coast of The Netherlands is an important habitat for small pelagic fish. They form one of the major links between plankton and the higher trophic levels. Predatory fish, sea mammals and birds rely on small pelagic fish as a major food source. Currently, monitoring of fish in the Dutch

Albinistic common seals (Phoca vitulina) and melanistic grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) rehabilitated in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Osinga, Nynke; 't Hart, Pieter; Vader, Pieter C. van Voorst

2010-01-01

The Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre (SRRC) in Pieterburen, The Netherlands, rehabilitates seals from the waters of the Wadden Sea, North Sea and Southwest Delta area. Incidental observations of albinism and melanism in common and grey seals are known from countries surrounding the North Sea.

Visual effects of test drilling for natural gas in the Waddenzee and the North Sea coastal area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dijkstra, H.

1996-01-01

The potential hindrance of the view, caused by offshore platforms, has been investigated as part of the environmental impact reports for test drilling for natural gas in the North Sea area, on the island Ameland and in the Wadden Sea. The hindrance is determined by calculating the weighed numbers of inhabitants and vacationers within 10 km of 26 drilling sites, divided over 12 drilling areas. For each drilling area the preferred location was determined. The hindrance of the view is the lowest when drilling tests are carried out in the winter. Also digital photo paste-ups were made by which it can be shown how drilling installations look like in a landscape. Finally, measures are given by which the visual effects of drilling installations and burn off can be reduced. 34 figs., 33 tabs., 2 appendices, 35 refs

Abundance and tidal behaviour of pelagic fish in the gateway to the Wadden Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Couperus, Bram; Gastauer, Sven; Fässler, Sascha M.M.; Tulp, Ingrid; Veer, van der Henk W.; Poos, Jan Jaap

2016-01-01

The shallow coast of The Netherlands is an important habitat for small pelagic fish. They form one of the major links between plankton and the higher trophic levels. Predatory fish, sea mammals and birds rely on small pelagic fish as a major food source. Currently, monitoring of fish in the Dutch

Sandstone compaction under actively controlled uniaxial strain conditions - an experimental study on the causes of subsidence in the Dutch Wadden Area

Science.gov (United States)

Hol, Sander; Mossop, Antony; van der Linden, Arjan; Zuiderwijk, Pedro; Makurat, Axel; van Eijs, Rob

2016-04-01

In the Wadden Sea, a tidal-flat area located between the North Sea and the Dutch mainland shore, and UNESCO World Heritage site, subsidence could potentially impact the ecological system. To guide the licensing process governing gas extraction for the area by a solid understanding of the system's response to production, Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) has carried out a study on the magnitudes, timing, and mechanisms of subsidence related to gas production. As part of this study program, we address the effect of production-induced reservoir compaction, using core samples from the Moddergat field located at the Wadden Sea coastline, from a depth of ~3800 m TVDSS, to assess the nature of the compaction mechanisms that operate. In this contribution, we focus on the uniaxial strain response of Permian, Aeolian sandstone to pore pressure depletion. As the majority of experiments reported in the literature are conducted under triaxial stress conditions, this data set is somewhat unique, and can help confirm the validity of micromechanical processes found for triaxial stress conditions. We report over 30 data sets of experiments carried out using 1.0 and 1.5 inch diameter plugs, sub-sampled from the extracted sandstone core material. The experiments start at in-situ conditions of pore pressure (Pf=~57 MPa), stress (Sv=~80 MPa, Sh=~67 MPa) and temperature (T up to 100 °C), and deplete to a pore pressure of 3 MPa, under actively controlled lateral constraint boundary conditions (i.e. uniaxial strain). Care was taken to systematically vary porosity and sample morphology to ensure representation of the intra-reservoir variability. Our laboratory data show that pressure-depletion results in a strain in the range of 5·10-3-1·10-2 over the total duration of the experiments of 5-12 weeks, with approximately 80% of the total strain response being close to instantaneous, and 20% developing over time. The total strain response develops during depletion as a result of

Integrated chemical and biological assessment of contaminant impacts in selected European coastal and offshore marine areas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hylland, Ketil; Robinson, Craig D.; Burgeot, Thierry; Martínez-Gómez, Concepción; Lang, Thomas; Svavarsson, Jörundur; Thain, John E.; Vethaak, A. Dick; Gubbins, Mattew J.

This paper reports a full assessment of results from ICON, an international workshop on marine integrated contaminant monitoring, encompassing different matrices (sediment, fish, mussels, gastropods), areas (Iceland, North Sea, Baltic, Wadden Sea, Seine estuary and the western Mediterranean) and

Numerical analysis of stratification and destratification processes in a tidally energetic inlet with an ebb tidal delta

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Purkiani, K.; Becherer, J.; Flöser, G.; Gräwe, U.; Mohrholz, V.; Schuttelaars, H.M.; Burchard, H.

2015-01-01

Stratification and destratification processes in a tidally energetic, weakly stratified inlet in the Wadden Sea (south eastern North Sea) are investigated in this modeling study. Observations of current velocity and vertical density structure show strain-induced periodic stratification for the

Nord stream: not just a pipeline. An analysis of the political debates in the Baltic Sea region regarding the planned gas pipeline from Russia to Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whist, Bendik Solum

2008-11-15

This report is an analysis of the planned gas pipeline from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea known as Nord Stream. Although not yet realised, the project has, since its birth, been the subject of harsh criticism and opposition by a significant number of states that consider themselves affected by the pipeline. Whereas the Baltic States and Poland have interpreted the pipeline as a politically motivated strategy that will increase Russia's leverage on them and threaten their energy security, the debate in Sweden was at first mostly concerned with the prospect of increased Russian military presence in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone. The potential environmental impact of the pipeline has been, and continues to be, an overarching concern shared by all the littoral states of the Baltic Sea. Proponents of Nord Stream, most notably Germany, Russia and the Nord Stream consortium, have largely dismissed the concerns as unwarranted and argue that the pipeline is a common European project that all EU-members should embrace, as it will provide much-needed gas to an increasingly energy-thirsty union. This report is an extensive study of the divergent attitudes and debates that have surged in the region regarding Nord Stream, and the aim is to provide plausible explanations as to why the interpretations of the project have been so different in the various states. The report is based on a variety of sources, including several first-hand interviews with researchers and government officials in the Baltic Sea region. (author). refs.,fig.,tabs

Nord stream: not just a pipeline. An analysis of the political debates in the Baltic Sea region regarding the planned gas pipeline from Russia to Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whist, Bendik Solum

2008-11-15

This report is an analysis of the planned gas pipeline from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea known as Nord Stream. Although not yet realised, the project has, since its birth, been the subject of harsh criticism and opposition by a significant number of states that consider themselves affected by the pipeline. Whereas the Baltic States and Poland have interpreted the pipeline as a politically motivated strategy that will increase Russia's leverage on them and threaten their energy security, the debate in Sweden was at first mostly concerned with the prospect of increased Russian military presence in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone. The potential environmental impact of the pipeline has been, and continues to be, an overarching concern shared by all the littoral states of the Baltic Sea. Proponents of Nord Stream, most notably Germany, Russia and the Nord Stream consortium, have largely dismissed the concerns as unwarranted and argue that the pipeline is a common European project that all EU-members should embrace, as it will provide much-needed gas to an increasingly energy-thirsty union. This report is an extensive study of the divergent attitudes and debates that have surged in the region regarding Nord Stream, and the aim is to provide plausible explanations as to why the interpretations of the project have been so different in the various states. The report is based on a variety of sources, including several first-hand interviews with researchers and government officials in the Baltic Sea region. (author). refs.,fig.,tabs

A morbillivirus causing mass mortality in seals.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.D.M.E. Osterhaus (Albert)

1989-01-01

textabstractDuring an outbreak of a serious apparently infectious disease among harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), which started in the Kattegat area in April 1988 and rapidly spread to the North sea, the Wadden sea and the Baltic sea, greater than 17,000 animals died within a period of eight months.

Distributions and characteristics of dissolved organic matter in temperate coastal waters (Southern North Sea)

Science.gov (United States)

Lübben, Andrea; Dellwig, Olaf; Koch, Sandra; Beck, Melanie; Badewien, Thomas H.; Fischer, Sibylle; Reuter, Rainer

2009-04-01

The spatial and temporal distributions of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was studied in the East-Frisian Wadden Sea (Southern North Sea) during several cruises between 2002 and 2005. The spatial distribution of CDOM in the German Bight shows a strong gradient towards the coast. Tidal and seasonal variations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) identify freshwater discharge via flood-gates at the coastline and pore water efflux from tidal flat sediments as the most important CDOM sources within the backbarrier area of the Island of Spiekeroog. However, the amount and pattern of CDOM and DOC is strongly affected by various parameters, e.g. changes in the amount of terrestrial run-off, precipitation, evaporation, biological activity and photooxidation. A decoupling of CDOM and DOC, especially during periods of pronounced biological activity (algae blooms and microbial activity), is observed in spring and especially in summer. Mixing of the endmembers freshwater, pore water, and open sea water results in the formation of a coastal transition zone. Whilst an almost conservative behaviour during mixing is observed in winter, summer data point towards non-conservative mixing.

Large scale hydrogeological modelling of a low-lying complex coastal aquifer system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Rena

2018-01-01

intrusion. In this thesis a new methodological approach was developed to combine 3D numerical groundwater modelling with a detailed geological description and hydrological, geochemical and geophysical data. It was applied to a regional scale saltwater intrusion in order to analyse and quantify...... the groundwater flow dynamics, identify the driving mechanisms that formed the saltwater intrusion to its present extent and to predict its progression in the future. The study area is located in the transboundary region between Southern Denmark and Northern Germany, adjacent to the Wadden Sea. Here, a large-scale...... parametrization schemes that accommodate hydrogeological heterogeneities. Subsequently, density-dependent flow and transport modelling of multiple salt sources was successfully applied to simulate the formation of the saltwater intrusion during the last 4200 years, accounting for historic changes in the hydraulic...

Seasonal and long-term changes in pH in the Dutch coastal zone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Provoost, P.; van Heuven, S.; Soetaert, K.; Laane, R. W. P. M.; Middelburg, J. J.

2010-01-01

Recent observations and modelling studies suggest that biogeochemical changes can mask atmospheric CO(2)-induced pH decreases. Data collected by the Dutch monitoring authorities in different coastal systems (North Sea, Wadden Sea, Ems-Dollard, Eastern Scheldt and Scheldt estuary) since 1975 provide

Biological control of short-term variations in the concentration of DMSP and DMS during a Phaeocystis spring bloom

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Duyl, FC; Gieskes, WWC; Kop, AJ; Lewis, WE

1998-01-01

In the spring of 1995. short-term variations in the concentration of particulate and dissolved dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and dimethylsulfide (DMS) were monitored in the western Wadden Sea, a shallow coastal region in open connection with the North Sea. Significant correlations were found

THE DEPENDENCE OF WADERS AND WATERFOWL MIGRATING ALONG THE EAST ATLANTIC FLYWAY ON THEIR COASTAL FOOD SUPPLIES - WHAT IS THE MOST PROFITABLE RESEARCH-PROGRAM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ens, B.J.; PIERSMA, T; DRENT, RH

Predicting the effects of human activities, like shell-fisheries, exploitation of gas, recreation, chemical pollution, land reclamation and man-induced sea-level rise, on the population dynamics and migratory behaviour of the waders and waterfowl using the Wadden Sea and other intertidal areas along

Seasonal and long-term changes in pH in the Dutch coastal zone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Provoost, P.; Van Heuven, S.; Soetaert, K.E.R.; Laane, R.W.P.M.; Middelburg, J.J.

2010-01-01

Recent observations and modelling studies suggest that biogeochemical changes can mask atmospheric CO2-induced pH decreases. Data collected by the Dutch monitoring authorities in different coastal systems (North Sea, Wadden Sea, Ems-Dollard, Eastern Scheldt and Scheldt estuary) since 1975 provide an

Investigations of a stock assessment in brown shrimp (Crangon crangon) Part 2: Biomass model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hammen, van der T.; Poos, J.J.

2010-01-01

The Ministry of Agriculture, Conservation and Food quality, Producer organisations of the Dutch shrimp fisheries and NGO’s (Stichting de Noordzee and Waddenvereniging) have underlined the importance of sustainable harvesting of brown shrimp in the North Sea and Wadden Sea. Also they would like the

Satellite tracking of harbour seals on Horns Reef - Use of the Horns Reef wind farm area and the North Sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tougaard, J.; Tougaard, S.; Jensen, Thyge; Ebbesen, I.; Teilmann, J.

2003-03-01

Ten harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) caught on the Danish Wadden Sea island Roemoe were equipped with satellite linked time depth recorders. The animals were caught on three separate occasions (Jan. 4th, Feb. 18th and May 6th, 2002). The transmitters worked between 49 and 100 days, relaying positional and dive information back via the ARGOS satellite service until beginning of July. Background for the studies is the construction of the Worlds largest off shore wind farm on Horns Reef. Based on previous studies using VHF-transmitters, it was expected that the seals would spend considerable time on Horns Reef. The VHF-telemetry studies showed that the preferred direction for seals leaving the Danish Wadden Sea is NW from Graedyb tidal area outside Esbjerg, the direction directly towards the wind farm area. The previously used VHF-transmitters had a limited detection range and it was decided to equip a number of seals from the same area as before with satellite transmitters. This allows for positioning of the seals in the entire North Sea as well as providing dive summary information, as a transmitter with a depth transducer was chosen for the study. Positional information revealed that animals move about more extensively than previously believed. Substantial variation between animals was observed and each seal seemed to have adopted its own foraging strategy. Some animals travelled to the centre of the North Sea on foraging trips and spent considerable time close to the bottom at 30-70 meters depth. Other seals remained in the German Bight and yet others spent considerable time on and around Horns Reef. The area of Horns reef wind farm constitutes a negligible fraction of the total area visited by the tagged seals. The reef as a whole however, appears to be important to the seals both for foraging and as transit area to other feeding grounds further off shore. The resolution in positional information is not sufficiently high to allow for a detailed study of the effects

Satellite tracking of harbour seals on Horns Reef - Use of the Horns Reef wind farm area and the North Sea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tougaard, J.; Tougaard, S.; Jensen, Thyge [Fisheries and Maritime Museum Esbjerg (Denmark); Ebbesen, I. [Univ. of Sourthern Denmark, Inst. of Biology, Odense (Denmark); Teilmann, J. [NationL Environmental Res. Inst., Roskidle (Denmark)

2003-03-15

Ten harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) caught on the Danish Wadden Sea island Roemoe were equipped with satellite linked time depth recorders. The animals were caught on three separate occasions (Jan. 4th, Feb. 18th and May 6th, 2002). The transmitters worked between 49 and 100 days, relaying positional and dive information back via the ARGOS satellite service until beginning of July. Background for the studies is the construction of the Worlds largest off shore wind farm on Horns Reef. Based on previous studies using VHF-transmitters, it was expected that the seals would spend considerable time on Horns Reef. The VHF-telemetry studies showed that the preferred direction for seals leaving the Danish Wadden Sea is NW from Graedyb tidal area outside Esbjerg, the direction directly towards the wind farm area. The previously used VHF-transmitters had a limited detection range and it was decided to equip a number of seals from the same area as before with satellite transmitters. This allows for positioning of the seals in the entire North Sea as well as providing dive summary information, as a transmitter with a depth transducer was chosen for the study. Positional information revealed that animals move about more extensively than previously believed. Substantial variation between animals was observed and each seal seemed to have adopted its own foraging strategy. Some animals travelled to the centre of the North Sea on foraging trips and spent considerable time close to the bottom at 30-70 meters depth. Other seals remained in the German Bight and yet others spent considerable time on and around Horns Reef. The area of Horns reef wind farm constitutes a negligible fraction of the total area visited by the tagged seals. The reef as a whole however, appears to be important to the seals both for foraging and as transit area to other feeding grounds further off shore. The resolution in positional information is not sufficiently high to allow for a detailed study of the effects

Earlier pupping in harbour seals, Phoca vitulina

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reijnders, P.J.H.; Brasseur, S.M.J.M.; Meesters, H.W.G.

2010-01-01

The annual reproductive cycle of most seal species is characterized by a tight synchrony of births. Typically, timing of birth shows little inter-annual variation. Here, however we show that harbour seals Phoca vitulina from the Wadden Sea (southeast North Sea) have shortened their yearly cycle,

Effects of livestock species and stocking density on accretion rates in grazed salt marshes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nolte, Stefanie; Esselink, Peter; Bakker, Jan P.; Smit, Christian

2015-01-01

Coastal ecosystems, such as salt marshes, are threatened by accelerated sea-level rise (SLR). Salt marshes deliver valuable ecosystem services such as coastal protection and the provision of habitat for a unique flora and fauna. Whether salt marshes in the Wadden Sea area are able to survive

Deeply hidden inside introduced biogenic structures - Pacific oyster reefs reduce detrimental barnacle overgrowth on native blue mussels

Science.gov (United States)

Buschbaum, Christian; Cornelius, Annika; Goedknegt, M. Anouk

2016-11-01

In sedimentary coastal ecosystems shells of epibenthic organisms such as blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) provide the only major attachment surface for barnacle epibionts, which may cause detrimental effects on their mussel basibionts by e.g. reducing growth rate. In the European Wadden Sea, beds of native blue mussels have been invaded by Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas, which transformed these beds into mixed reefs of oysters with mussels. In this study, we determined the spatial distribution of M. edulis and their barnacle epibionts (Semibalanus balanoides) within the reef matrix. Mean mussel density near the bottom was about twice as high compared to the mussel density near the top of an oyster reef, whereas barnacles on mussels showed a reversed pattern. Barnacle dry weight per mussel was on average 14 times higher near the top than at the bottom. This pattern was confirmed by experimentally placing clean M. edulis at the top and on the bottom of oyster reefs at two sites in the Wadden Sea (island of Texel, The Netherlands; island of Sylt, Germany). After an experimental period of five weeks (April and May 2015, the main settlement period of S. balanoides), the number of barnacles per mussel was at both sites significantly higher on mussels near the top compared to near the bottom. We conclude that the oyster reef matrix offers a refuge for M. edulis: inside reefs they are not only better protected against predators but also against detrimental barnacle overgrowth. This study shows that alien species can cause beneficial effects for native organisms and should not be generally considered as a risk for the recipient marine ecosystems.

Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus winter mortality in The Netherlands : The effect of severe weather and food supply

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Camphuysen, CJ; Ens, B.J.; Heg, Dierik; Hulscher, JB; VanderMeer, J; Smit, CJ

1996-01-01

Wintering Oystercatchers in The Netherlands are concentrated in the Wadden Sea (c. 200 000), with substantial numbers in the Delta area (c. 90 000). Only 1% of the total wintering population is normally found along the North Sea coast. Cold-rushes under severe winter conditions lead to a reduction

Going Dutch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoorn, C.

2002-09-07

The proposal by the Dutch to extract natural gas from the 40 billion cubic metres beneath the Wadden Sea has been cited as a serious cause for concern by environmentalists. The new right wing government is less concerned than was the recently ousted left wing government and stands to gain directly through increased revenue. The Wadden Sea is a vast area of tidal channels, mudflats, shifting sandbanks, salt marshes, wet meadows and dunes, and provides a safe haven for numerous protected plants and animals. It is also a sanctuary for migrating birds and a feeding ground for herring, sole and plaice. Subsidence is cited by the environmentalists as a major potential problem and pollution is said to be always a risk.

Going Dutch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoorn, C.

2002-01-01

The proposal by the Dutch to extract natural gas from the 40 billion cubic metres beneath the Wadden Sea has been cited as a serious cause for concern by environmentalists. The new right wing government is less concerned than was the recently ousted left wing government and stands to gain directly through increased revenue. The Wadden Sea is a vast area of tidal channels, mudflats, shifting sandbanks, salt marshes, wet meadows and dunes, and provides a safe haven for numerous protected plants and animals. It is also a sanctuary for migrating birds and a feeding ground for herring, sole and plaice. Subsidence is cited by the environmentalists as a major potential problem and pollution is said to be always a risk

Climatic change in Germany. Development, consequences, risks and perspectives; Klimawandel in Deutschland. Entwicklung, Folgen, Risiken und Perspektiven

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brasseur, Guy [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany); Jacob, Daniela; Schuck-Zoeller, Susanne (eds.) [Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Hamburg (Germany). Climate Service Center Germany

2017-06-01

The book on the climatic change in Germany includes contributions to the following issues: global climate projections and regional projections in Germany and Europe: observation of the climatic change in Central Europe, regional climate modeling, limits and challenges of the regional climate modeling; climatic change in Germany - regional features and extremes: temperature and heat waves, precipitation, wind and cyclones, sea-level increase, tides, storm floods and sea state, floods, definition uncertainties, draughts, forest fires, natural risks; consequences of the climatic change in Germany: air quality, health, biodiversity, water resources, biochemical cycles, agriculture, forestry, soils, personal and commercial transport, cities and urban regions, tourism, infrastructure, energy and water supplies, cost of the climatic change and economic consequences; overall risks and uncertainties: assessment of vulnerabilities, literature review, climatic change as risk enhancement in complex systems, overall risks and uncertainties, decision making under uncertainties in complex systems; integrated strategies for the adaptation to the climatic change: the climate resilient society - transformations and system changes, adaptation to the climatic change as new political field, options for adaptation strategies.

Japanese oysters in Dutch waters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berg, van den J.B.; Kozyreff, G.; Lin, H.X.; McDarby, J.; Peletier, M.A.; Planqué, R.; Wilson, P.L.

2005-01-01

Since the introduction of the Japanese oyster in the Eastern Scheldt it has spread into the Wadden Sea. This growth has a negative impact on the life of various other species in the sea. Seen from a mathematical viewpoint, the biological problem of how to restore the disturbed natural equilibrium

Herkenning van Vorkstaartmeeuwen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Camphuysen, K.C.J.; van Bemmelen, R.

2011-01-01

Many Herring Gulls nesting at Texel (Wadden Sea) forage for mussels at any of149 breakwaters along the mainland coast south of the colony. Arguably, thearea is one of the prime feeding habitats for one of the largest colonies withinThe Netherlands. As a precautionary measure to be prepared for sea

Macro-algen productiemeting in de Waddenzee

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stapel, S.

1976-01-01

For the western part of the Dutch Wadden Sea primary production of phytoplankton and microphyobenthos as well as the input of organic matter from the North Sea are being investigated, but data on primary production of macrophytes are still lacking. In order to fill in this gap this study was

Recommendation on the Environmental Effect Report for the high-voltage transmission line between Netherlands and Norway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The recommendation on the title subject was addressed to the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and concerns the environmental impact of the new high-voltage transmission line (NorNed cable) from Norway to the Eemshaven in Groningen, Netherlands. In planning this power cable the environmental impact on the Wadden Sea has to be taken into account. Therefore an environmental effect report (MER, abbreviated in Dutch) has been drafted by the Dutch cooperative of electric power generating companies, Sep, and commented by the WaddenAdviesRaad

Spatial and temporal variability of sediment accumulation rates on two tidal flats in Lister Dyb tidal basin, Wadden Sea, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Anni Tindahl; Murray, Andrew S.; Andersen, Thorbjørn Joest

2010-01-01

Depositional processes in intertidal areas are determined both by changes in sea-level and sediment supply. It is known on a millennial timescale that sedimentation normally keeps pace with sea-level rise in a subsiding tidal basin. However, little is known about whether the sedimentation can kee...

Air-sea exchange fluxes of synthetic polycyclic musks in the North Sea and the Arctic.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Zhiyong; Ebinghaus, Ralf; Temme, Christian; Heemken, Olaf; Ruck, Wolfgang

2007-08-15

Synthetic polycyclic musk fragrances Galaxolide (HHCB) and Tonalide (AHTN) were measured simultaneously in air and seawater in the Arctic and the North Sea and in the rural air of northern Germany. Median concentrations of gas-phase HHCB and AHTN were 4 and 18 pg m(-3) in the Arctic, 28 and 18 pg m(-3) in the North Sea, and 71 and 21 pg m(-3) in northern Germany, respectively. Various ratios of HHCB/AHTN implied that HHCB is quickly removed by atmospheric degradation, while AHTN is relatively persistent in the atmosphere. Dissolved concentrations ranged from 12 to 2030 pg L(-1) for HHCB and from below the method detection limit (3 pg L(-1)) to 965 pg L(-1) for AHTN with median values of 59 and 23 pg L(-1), respectively. The medians of volatilization fluxes for HHCB and AHTN were 27.2 and 14.2 ng m(-2) day(-1) and the depositional fluxes were 5.9 and 3.3 ng m(-2) day(-1), respectively, indicating water-to-air volatilization is a significant process to eliminate HHCB and AHTN from the North Sea. In the Arctic, deposition fluxes dominated the air-sea gas exchange of HHCB and AHTN, suggesting atmospheric input controls the levels of HHCB and AHTN in the polar region.

Research in Hospitality Management - Vol 6, No 1 (2016)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sustainable tourism development and the world heritage status of the Wadden Sea: ... Employees, sustainability and motivation: Increasing employee engagement by ... Food waste reduction at Restaurant De Pleats: Small steps for mankind ...

Height system connection between island and mainland using a hydrodynamic model: a case study connecting the Dutch Wadden islands to the Amsterdam ordnance datum (NAP)

Science.gov (United States)

Slobbe, D. C.; Klees, R.; Verlaan, M.; Zijl, F.; Alberts, B.; Farahani, H. H.

2018-03-01

We present an efficient and flexible alternative method to connect islands and offshore tide gauges with the height system on land. The method uses a regional, high-resolution hydrodynamic model that provides total water levels. From the model, we obtain the differences in mean water level (MWL) between tide gauges at the mainland and at the islands or offshore platforms. Adding them to the MWL relative to the national height system at the mainland's tide gauges realizes a connection of the island and offshore platforms with the height system on the mainland. Numerical results are presented for the connection of the Dutch Wadden islands with the national height system (Normaal Amsterdams Peil, NAP). Several choices of the period over which the MWLs are computed are tested and validated. The best results were obtained when we computed the MWL only over the summer months of our 19-year simulation period. Based on this strategy, the percentage of connections for which the absolute differences between the observation- and model-derived MWL differences are ≤ 1 cm is about 34% (46 out of 135 possible leveling connections). In this case, for each Wadden island we can find several connections that allow the transfer of NAP with (sub-)centimeter accuracy.

How a barrier island may react on a sea-level rise: The Holocene to Recent Rømø barrier island, Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johannessen, Peter N.; Nielsen, Lars H.; Møller, Ingelise

set up the water level increases considerably and the highest measured water level is 4.9 m above mean sea level. The barrier island is c. 14 km long and c. 4 km wide and is separated from the mainland by a c. 8 km wide lagoon. At the northern and southern parts of the island, tidal inlets occur...... of c. 15 m and a resolution of c. 20–30 cm (Nielsen et al., 2009), and dating of 70 core samples using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). The area has experienced a relative sea-level rise of c. 15 m during the last c. 8000 years. The Recent tidal amplitude reaches c. 1.8 m. During strong wind...... with a width of 400–1000 m and depths of 7–30 m. Salt marsh areas, up to 2 km wide, are fringing the lagoonal coast of the island. Active eastward migrating aeolian dunes cover large parts of the island. The Rømø barrier island system is a very sand rich system as it receives coast parallel transported sand...

Teaching about Modern Germany: Instructional Materials for the Social Studies Classroom. Correlation Charts Indicating Content and Skills Addressed by Each Lesson.

Science.gov (United States)

Goethe House, New York, NY.

This instructional booklet for the social studies classroom is a companion to a series about modern day Germany. The materials describe the documents in the series and present correlation charts for content and skills: (1) "A Kid Like Me across the Sea"; (2) "Communities and Regions"; (3) "Overview of Germany"; (4)…

Changes over 50 years in fish fauna of a temperate coastal sea: Degradation of trophic structure and nursery function

Science.gov (United States)

van der Veer, Henk W.; Dapper, Rob; Henderson, Peter A.; Jung, A. Sarina; Philippart, Catharina J. M.; Witte, Johannes IJ.; Zuur, Alain F.

2015-03-01

The ongoing daily sampling programme of the fish fauna in the Dutch Wadden Sea using fixed gear was analysed for the years 1960-2011. Spring sampling caught immigrating fish from the coastal zone and autumn samples reflected emigration of young-of-the-year. In total 82 fish species were caught with no clear trend in biodiversity. In both spring and autumn total daily catch fluctuated and peaked in the late 1970s. From 1980 to the present catches of both pelagic and demersal species showed a 10-fold decrease in total biomass. Mean individual biomass decreased in spring between 1980 and the present from about 150 to 20 g wet weight. No trend was found in autumn mean individual biomass which fluctuated around 20 g wet weight. The trophic structure remained constant for both the demersal and benthopelagic fish fauna from 1980 to 2011, whilst the trophic position of pelagic fish in spring fell from about 3.9 to 3.1. Min/max auto-correlation factor analysis showed similar trends in spring and autumn species biomass time series: the first axis represented a decrease from the 1960s followed by stabilization from the mid-1990s. The second trend showed an increase with a maximum around 1980 followed by a steady decrease in spring and a decrease and stabilization from 2000 in autumn. It is argued that the most likely explanatory variables are a combination of external factors: increased water temperature, habitat destruction in the coastal zone (sand dredging and beach nourishment, fishing) and increased predation by top predators for the first trend, and large-scale hydrodynamic circulation for the second trend. We conclude that both the trophic structure of the coastal zone fauna and the nursery function of the Wadden Sea have been reduced since the 1980s. Our findings corroborate that ecological change in coastal ecosystems has not only occurred in the past but still continues.

Cross-habitat interactions among bivalve species control community structure on intertidal flats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Donadi, S.; van der Heide, T.; van der Zee, E.M.; Eklöf, J.S.; van de Koppel, J.; Weerman, E.J.; Piersma, T.; Olff, H.; Eriksson, B.K.

2013-01-01

Increasing evidence shows that spatial interactions between sedentary organisms can structure communities and promote landscape complexity in many ecosystems. Here we tested the hypothesis that reef-forming mussels (Mytilus edulis L.), a dominant intertidal ecosystem engineer in the Wadden Sea,

Cross-habitat interactions among bivalve species control community structure on intertidal flats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Donadi, Serena; van der Heide, Tjisse; van der Zee, Els M.; Eklöf, Johan S.; van de Koppel, Johan; Weerman, Ellen J.; Piersma, Theunis; Olff, Han; Eriksson, Britas Klemens

Increasing evidence shows that spatial interactions between sedentary organisms can structure communities and promote landscape complexity in many ecosystems. Here we tested the hypothesis that reef-forming mussels (Mytilus edulis L.), a dominant intertidal ecosystem engineer in the Wadden Sea,

The Importance of Wind-induced Sediment Fluxes on Tidal Flats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Colosimo, I.; van Prooijen, Bram; van Maren, D.S.; Winterwerp, J.C.; Reniers, A.J.H.M.

2017-01-01

Port maintenance and nature preservation are two often conflicting aspects of coastal management. Within a Pilot Project in the Western Wadden Sea (the Netherlands - see Figure1a) we test a win-win solution that could reduce harbour siltation while simultaneously stimulate saltmarsh

Variation in growth in sandwich tern chicks Sterna sandvicensis and the consequences for pre- and post-fledging mortality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stienen, E.W.M.; Brenninkmeijer, A.

2002-01-01

Fitness consequences of variation in body mass growth and body condition were studied in a sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis colony on Griend, Dutch Wadden Sea, during 1990-2000. Body mass increment during the linear growth phase predicted nestling survival probabilities accurately. Chicks growing

Variation in growth in Sandwich Tern chicks Sterna sandvicensis and the consequences for pre- and post-fledging mortality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stienen, EWM; Brenninkmeijer, A

2002-01-01

Fitness consequences of variation in body mass growth and body condition were studied in a Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis colony on Griend, Dutch Wadden Sea, during 1990-2000. Body mass increment during the linear growth phase predicted nestling survival probabilities accurately. Chicks growing

Mapping invasive woody species in coastal dunes in the Netherlands: a remote sensing approach using LIDAR and high-resolution aerial photographs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hantson, W.P.R.; Kooistra, L.; Slim, P.A.

2012-01-01

Questions Does remote sensing improve classification of invasive woody species in dunes, useful for shrub management? Does additional height information and an object-based classifier increase woody species classification accuracy? Location The dunes of Vlieland, one of the Wadden Sea Islands, the

Broedsucces van kustbroedvogels in de Waddenzee in 2014

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koffijberg, K.; Cremer, J.S.M.; Boer, de P.; Postma, J.; Oosterbeek, K.

2016-01-01

Data have been collected on the breeding success of several characteristic coastal breeding birds in theWadden Sea each year since 2005. Ten birds species considered representative of specific habitats and foodgroups are being monitored. The coastal breeding birds reproduction monitoring network is

Mapping and quantifying geodiversity in land-water transition zones using MBES and topobathymetric LiDAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ernstsen, Verner Brandbyge; Andersen, Mikkel Skovgaard; Gergely, Aron

due to the challenging environmental conditions. Combining vessel borne shallow water multibeam echosounder (MBES) surveys ,to cover the subtidal coastal areas and the river channel areas, with airborne topobathymetric light detection and ranging (LiDAR) surveys, to cover the intertidal and supratidal...... coastal areas and the river floodplain areas, potentially enables full-coverage and high-resolution mapping in these challenging environments. We have carried out MBES and topobathymetric LiDAR surveys in the Knudedyb tidal inlet system, a coastal environment in the Danish Wadden Sea which is part...... of the Wadden Sea National Park and UNESCO World Heritage, and in the Ribe Vesterå, a fluvial environment in the Ribe Å river catchment discharging into the Knudedyb tidal basin. Detailed digital elevation models (DEMs) with a grid cell size of 0.5 m x 0.5 m were generated from the MBES and the LiDAR point...

Punctuated sediment record resulting from channel migration in a shallow sand-dominated micro-tidal lagoon, Northern Wadden Sea, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fruergaard, M.; Andersen, T.J.; Nielsen, L.H.

2011-01-01

depositional environment, but tidal channel sediments dominate in the five sediment cores, making up 56% of the 15 mof sediment core. Sedimentation in the lagoon alternated between slow vertical aggradation of sand flats (1.5–2 mm yr-1) and very fast lateral progradation of point bars in tidal channels, which...... caused the formation of a punctuated lagoonal fill. Frequent and comprehensive reworking of the sand flat sediments by tidal channel migration entails loss of sedimentary structures and bioturbation related to sand flat deposits, and old sand flat sediments are only very sparsely preserved. We further...... conclude that long-term (millennial timescale) sediment accumulation in the lagoon was controlled by rising sea-level, whereas short-term (centurial timescale) sediment accumulation was controlled by local erosion and depositional events caused by lateral migration of channels. Records of short-term sea...

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS ON THE GERMAN NORTH SEA COAST USING HIGH-RESOLUTION SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Gade

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We show that high-resolution space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR imagery with pixel sizes well below 1 m2 can be used to complement archaeological surveys in areas that are difficult to access. After major storm surges in the 14th and 17th centuries, vast areas on the German North Sea coast were lost to the sea. Areas of former settlements and historical land use were buried under sediments for centuries, but when the surface layer is driven away under the permanent action of wind, currents, and waves, they appear again on the Wadden Sea surface. However, the frequent flooding and erosion of the intertidal flats make any archaeological monitoring a difficult task, so that remote sensing techniques appear to be an efficient and cost-effective instrument for any archaeological surveillance of that area. Space-borne SAR images clearly show remnants of farmhouse foundations and of former systems of ditches, dating back to the 14th and to the 16th/17th centuries. In particular, the very high-resolution acquisition (staring spotlight mode of the German TerraSAR/ TanDEM-X satellites allows for the detection of various kinds of residuals of historical land use with high precision. In addition, we also investigate the capability of SARs working at lower microwave frequencies (on Radarsat-2 to complement our archaeological survey of historical cultural traces, some of which have been unknown so far.

Groundwater variables and vegetation in dune slacks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lammerts, E.J.; Maas, C.; Grootjans, A.P.

Basiphilous pioneer plant communities, influenced by phreatic groundwater, are endangered in The Netherlands. In dune slacks of the Dutch Wadden Sea islands, their area has also declined, though they still occur fairly frequently. For purposes of nature conservancy it is important to know how to

Guidelines for seagrass restoration : Importance of habitat selection and donor population, spreading of risks, and ecosystem engineering effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Katwijk, M. M.; Bos, A. R.; de Jonge, V. N.; Hanssen, L. S. A. M.; Hermus, D. C. R.; de Jong, D. J.

Large-scale losses of seagrass beds have been reported for decades and lead to numerous restoration programs. From worldwide scientific literature and 20 years of seagrass restoration research in the Wadden Sea, we review and evaluate the traditional guidelines and propose new guidelines for

Connectivity between Migrating and Landlocked Populations of a Diadromous fish Species Investigated Using Otolith Microchemistry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tulp, I.Y.M.; Keller, A.M.; Navez, J.; Winter, H.V.; Graaf, de M.; Baeyens, W.

2013-01-01

Smelt Osmerus eperlanus has two different life history strategies in the Netherlands. The migrating population inhabits the Wadden Sea and spawns in freshwater areas. After the closure of the Afsluitdijk in 1932, part of the smelt population became landlocked. The fresh water smelt population has

Spatio-temporal dynamics of the invasive plant species Elytrigia atherica on natural salt marshes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veeneklaas, Roos M.; Dijkema, Kees S.; Hecker, Norbert; Bakker, Jan P.

Question In the past decades, the tall native invasive grass, Elytrigia atherica, has been increasing in frequency and dominance on salt marshes along the Wadden Sea coast. Is this rapid expansion an outcome of natural succession or is it driven by anthropogenic eutrophication resulting from

Broedsucces van kustbroedvogels in de Waddenzee

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koffijberg, K.; Cremer, J.S.M.; Boer, de P.; Nienhuis, J.; Schekkerman, H.; Oosterbeek, K.; Postma, J.

2017-01-01

Data have been collected on the breeding success of several characteristic coastal breeding birds in the Wadden Sea each year since 2005. Ten birds species considered representative of specific habitats and food groups are being monitored. The monitoring scheme on breeding success in coastal

Anaerobic methanethiol degradation and methanogenic community analysis in an alkaline (pH 10) biological process for liquefied petroleum gas desulfurization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leerdam, van R.C.; Bonilla-Salinas, M.; Bok, de F.A.M.; Bruning, H.; Lens, P.N.L.; Stams, A.J.M.; Janssen, A.J.H.

2008-01-01

Anaerobic methanethiol (MT) degradation by mesophilic (30 degrees C) alkaliphilic (pH 10) communities was studied in a lab-scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed (UASB) reactor inoculated with a mixture of sediments from the Wadden Sea (The Netherlands), Soap Lake (Central Washington), and Russian soda

A morbillivirus causing mass mortality in seals.

OpenAIRE

Osterhaus, Albert

1989-01-01

textabstractDuring an outbreak of a serious apparently infectious disease among harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), which started in the Kattegat area in April 1988 and rapidly spread to the North sea, the Wadden sea and the Baltic sea, greater than 17,000 animals died within a period of eight months. In August 1988 it was realized that the clinical symptoms and pathological lesions were similar to those found in canine distemper: apart from general depression and fever, the animals suffered from...

The Potential for Wave Energy in the North Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, H. C.; Chozas, Julia Fernandez

2010-01-01

The North Sea has not yet been regarded as prime area for wave energy development in Europe except in Denmark, Benelux and Germany. The reason is the relatively low intensity of waves (12-17kW/m) compared to the Atlantic with a wave climate of 24-48kW/m. Further on the design wave load is almost ...... is resulting in a prediction of a yearly production of 23TWh; the latter is estimating a yearly production of 77TWh. This equals to 6% of the electricity demand around the North Sea, where the annual electricity consumption is about 1,300TWh.......The North Sea has not yet been regarded as prime area for wave energy development in Europe except in Denmark, Benelux and Germany. The reason is the relatively low intensity of waves (12-17kW/m) compared to the Atlantic with a wave climate of 24-48kW/m. Further on the design wave load is almost...... as in the Atlantic and the distance to shore relatively long compared to sites with good wave climate like Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the west coast of UK. The increasing activities within offshore wind in the North Sea and the attempt to build a super grid connecting the wind sites with the major consumers around...

Behaviour of horses and cattle at two stocking densities in a coastal salt marsh

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nolte, S.; Weyde, van der C.; Esselink, P.; Smit, C.; Wieren, van S.E.; Bakker, J.P.

2017-01-01

Livestock grazing has been practiced in salt marshes in the Wadden Sea area since 600 B.C. Currently livestock grazing is also applied for conservation management. However, effects of such grazing management on salt marshes are likely to vary depending on the species of livestock and stocking

Behaviour of horses and cattle at two stocking densities in a coastal salt marsh

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nolte, S.; Van der Weyde, C; Esselink, Peter; Smit, C.; Van Wieren, S.E.; Bakker, Jan P.

Livestock grazing has been practiced in salt marshes in the Wadden Sea area since 600 B.C. Currently livestock grazing is also applied for conservation management. However, effects of such grazing management on salt marshes are likely to vary depending on the species of livestock and stocking

Migration of diadromous and landlocked smelt populations studies by otolith geochemistry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Phung, A.T.; Tulp, I.Y.M.; Baeyens, W.; Elskens, M.; Leermakers, M.; Gao, Y.

2015-01-01

Laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) was used to determine Sr and Ba profiles along the growth axis of otholiths of European smelt caught in the Wadden Sea, the IJsselmeer and the Markermeer and to investigate the migration behaviour of the fish between the freshwater

Egg size, egg composition and reproductive success in the Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jager, TD; Hulscher, JB; Kersten, M.

2000-01-01

We investigated the relationship between egg size and composition and their subsequent effects on hatching and fledging success in Eurasian Oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus on the island of Schiermonnikoog (53 degrees 30'N, 06 degrees 10'E) in the Dutch Wadden Sea between 1986 and 1990. Egg size

Disruption of photoautotrophic intertidal mats by filamentous fungi

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carreira, Cátia; Staal, Marc Jaap; Falkoski, Daniel

2015-01-01

Summary: Ring-like structures, 2.0-4.8cm in diameter, observed in photosynthetic microbial mats on the Wadden Sea island Schiermonnikoog (the Netherlands) showed to be the result of the fungus Emericellopsis sp. degrading the photoautotrophic top layer of the mat. The mats were predominantly comp...

Shellfish dredging pushes a flexible avian top predator out of a marine protected area

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Gils, Jan A.; Piersma, Theunis; Dekinga, Anne; Spaans, Bernard; Kraan, Casper

2006-01-01

There is a widespread concern about the direct and indirect effects of industrial fisheries; this concern is particularly pertinent for so-called "marine protected areas" (MPAs), which should be safeguarded by national and international law. The intertidal flats of the Dutch Wadden Sea are a State

Shellfish dredging pushes a flexible avian top predator out of a marine protected area

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Gils, J.A.; Piersma, T.; Dekinga, A.; Spaans, B.; Kraan, C.

2006-01-01

There is a widespread concern about the direct and indirect effects of industrial fisheries; this concern is particularly pertinent for so-called “marine protected areas” (MPAs), which should be safeguarded by national and international law. The intertidal flats of the Dutch Wadden Sea are a State

The role of the starfish (Asterias rubens L.) predation in blue mussel (Mytilus edulis L.) seedbed stability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agüera García, A.

2015-01-01

Abstract

Mussel beds are an important ecological component in the Wadden Sea. Mussels’ offspring settle massively in new suitable areas, forming seedbeds that may disappear again within months. The probability of a seedbed to survive the first winter is defined as seedbed

Nutrient limitation and vegetation changes in a coastal dune slack

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lammerts, EJ; Pegtel, DM; Grootjans, AP; van der Veen, A.

Basiphilous pioneer species are among the most endangered plant species in The Netherlands. They find most of their refuges in young coastal dune slacks, especially on the Wadden Sea islands. For the purpose of nature management it is important to know which processes control the presence of

Genetic variation in Phoca vitulina (the harbour seal) revealed by DNA fingerprinting and RAPDs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kappe, A.L.; van de Zande, L.; Vedder, E.J.; Bijlsma, R.; van Delden, Wilke

Genetic variation in two harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) populations from the Dutch Wadden Sea and Scotland was examined by RAPD analysis and DNA fingerprinting. For comparison a population of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) was studied. The RAPD method revealed a very low number of polymorphic bands.

On the superposition of bedforms in a tidal channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winter, C; Vittori, G.; Ernstsen, V.B.

2008-01-01

High resolution bathymetric measurements reveal the super-imposition of bedforms in the Grådyb tidal inlet in the Danish Wadden Sea. Preliminary results of numerical model simulations are discussed: A linear stability model was tested to explain the large bedforms as being caused by tidal system ...

Monitoring the Dead Sea Region by Multi-Parameter Stations

Science.gov (United States)

Mohsen, A.; Weber, M. H.; Kottmeier, C.; Asch, G.

2015-12-01

The Dead Sea Region is an exceptional ecosystem whose seismic activity has influenced all facets of the development, from ground water availability to human evolution. Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians living in the Dead Sea region are exposed to severe earthquake hazard. Repeatedly large earthquakes (e.g. 1927, magnitude 6.0; (Ambraseys, 2009)) shook the whole Dead Sea region proving that earthquake hazard knows no borders and damaging seismic events can strike anytime. Combined with the high vulnerability of cities in the region and with the enormous concentration of historical values this natural hazard results in an extreme earthquake risk. Thus, an integration of earthquake parameters at all scales (size and time) and their combination with data of infrastructure are needed with the specific aim of providing a state-of-the-art seismic hazard assessment for the Dead Sea region as well as a first quantitative estimate of vulnerability and risk. A strong motivation for our research is the lack of reliable multi-parameter ground-based geophysical information on earthquakes in the Dead Sea region. The proposed set up of a number of observatories with on-line data access will enable to derive the present-day seismicity and deformation pattern in the Dead Sea region. The first multi-parameter stations were installed in Jordan, Israel and Palestine for long-time monitoring. All partners will jointly use these locations. All stations will have an open data policy, with the Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ, Potsdam, Germany) providing the hard and software for real-time data transmission via satellite to Germany, where all partners can access the data via standard data protocols.

A new method for measuring bioturbation rates in sandy tidal flat sediments based on luminescence dating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Anni T.; Murray, Andrew S.; Jain, Mayank

2011-01-01

The rates of post-depositional mixing by bioturbation have been investigated using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating in two sediment cores (BAL2 and BAL5), retrieved from a sandy tidal flat in the Danish part of the Wadden Sea. A high-resolution chronology, consisting of thirty-six OSL...

State-dependent life-history strategies : A long-term study on oystercatchers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Pol, Martijn

2006-01-01

The research described in this thesis is part of a long-term field study on free-living Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus), on the Dutch Wadden Sea island of Schiermonnikoog.The study was started in 1983 by Jan Hulscher, and since then a lineage of PhDstudents has investigated life-history

Positive feedbacks in seagrass ecosystems : Implications for success in conservation and restoration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Heide, T.; van Nes, E.H.; Geerling, G.W.; Smolders, A.J.P.; Bouma, T.J.; van Katwijk, M.

2007-01-01

Seagrasses are threatened by human activity in many locations around the world. Their decline is often characterized by sudden ecosystem collapse from a vegetated to a bare state. In the 1930s, such a dramatic event happened in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Before the shift, large seagrass beds (Zostera

Chi-square spectral fitting for concentration retrieval, automatic local calibration, quality control, and water type detection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hommersom, A.; Peters, S.W.M.; van der Woerd, H.J.; Eleveld, M.A.; de Boer, J.

2011-01-01

In this study, the inverse bio-optical model HYDROPT was calibrated with regional specific inherent optical properties (SIOPs) and various local SIOPs to examine the effect of these calibrations on the retrievals. The study area, the Wadden Sea, is an estuary and tidal flat area with very high

Modeling equilibrium bed profiles of short tidal embayments : On the effect of the vertical distribution of suspended sediment and the influence of the boundary conditions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ter Brake, M.C.; Schuttelaars, H.M.

2009-01-01

In many tidal embayments, bottom patterns, such as the channel-shoal systems of the Wadden Sea, are observed. To gain understanding of the mechanisms that result in these bottom patterns, an idealized model is developed and analyzed for short tidal embayments. In this model, the water motion is

Winter feeding activity of the common starfish (Asterias rubens L.): The role of temperature and shading

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agüera García, A.; Trommelen, M.A.; Burrows, F.; Jansen, J.M.; Schellekens, T.; Smaal, A.C.

2012-01-01

In the Wadden Sea common starfish is an important predator of mussel beds which in turn are relevant ecological and economic resource. To improve the management of mussel seedbeds, knowledge is required on over winter predation, a factor affecting mussel survival. The aim of this study was to assess

Positive feedbacks in seagrass ecosystems - implications for success in conservation and restoration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heide, van Tj.; Nes, van E.H.; Geerling, G.W.; Smolders, A.J.P.; Bouma, T.J.; Katwijk, van M.M.

2007-01-01

Seagrasses are threatened by human activity in many locations around the world. Their decline is often characterized by sudden ecosystem collapse from a vegetated to a bare state. In the 1930s, such a dramatic event happened in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Before the shift, large seagrass beds (Zostera

Habitat differentiation vs. isolation-by-distance : the genetic population structure of Elymus athericus in European salt marshes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bockelmann, AC; Reusch, TBH; Bijlsma, R; Bakker, JP

We investigated genetic differentiation among populations of the clonal grass Elymus athericus, a common salt-marsh species occurring along the Wadden Sea coast of Europe. While E. athericus traditionally occurs in the high salt marsh, it recently also invaded lower parts of the marsh. In one of the

Seals in motion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brasseur, Sophie Marie Jacqueline Michelle

2017-01-01

The harbour seal Phoca vitulina and the grey seal Halichoerus grypus have been inhabitants of the Wadden Sea since millennia. Prehistoric findings indicate the presence of both species around 5000 BC. This changed dramatically in the mid Middle-Ages as around 1500 AC, the grey seal disappeared from

How to structure and prioritize information needs in support of monitoring design for Integrated Coastal Management

Science.gov (United States)

Vugteveen, Pim; van Katwijk, Marieke M.; Rouwette, Etiënne; Hanssen, Lucien

2014-02-01

Integrated Coastal Management cannot operate effectively without reliable information and knowledge on changes in the environment and on the causes of those changes. Monitoring is essential to provide data needed for a real understanding of socio-economic and ecological functioning in multi-user nature areas. We present a web-based and comprehensive assessment methodology to articulate, structure and prioritize information needs and ensuing monitoring needs. We applied this methodology in the Dutch Wadden Sea Region, which includes a designated UNESCO World Heritage nature reserve. The methodology consists of the following steps: i) exploring social-ecological issues of concern and defining the monitoring scope; ii) articulating information needs expressed as tractable questions; iii) elaborating monitoring needs; iv) grounding in scientific models and current monitoring; v) synthesizing assessment findings into target entities, i.e. analysis variables for monitoring. In this paper we focus on the first three steps. As part of our methodology we performed two online surveys amongst a broad range of stakeholders and amongst monitoring professionals. In the case of the Dutch Wadden Sea Region, main monitoring questions were related to biodiversity and food web relations; effects of fisheries and its pressures on the ecosystem; channel and port dredging; spatial planning and multifunctional use; sustainable energy production; and effects of changing storm regimes due to climate change. Subsequently we elaborated these general issues into analysis variables within five themes. The presented methodology enables large scale and unbiased involvement of stakeholders in articulating information needs in a multi-user nature reserve like the Wadden Sea. In addition the methodology facilitates the input and feedback of monitoring professionals by providing a detailed elaboration of monitoring needs.

MOBI: a marine and earth science interpretation and qualification program for out-of-school environment and natural heritage interpreters and other science communicators in Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, S.; Ellger, C.

2017-12-01

As a contribution to Germany's "Science Year 2016*17 - Seas and Oceans", a large science outreach program organized and financed by the National Ministry for Education and Research, GeoUnion, the umbrella organization of Earth science associations and institutions in Germany, has conducted a series of advance level workshops for out-of-school educators and interpreters in Germany. The workshops were organized in co-operation with geoparks, biosphere reserve areas and other environmental management institutions all over Germany. The goal was to convey various perspectives of modern marine sciences to inland venues, linking important present-day marine themes with the presentation of marine phases in the geological history of the host region. The workshops were designed for park rangers, museum educationalists and other science communicators, initiating a broader impact on target groups such as school classes, (geo-)tourists and stakeholder groups. Our approach has been to combine lectures by top-level scientists (on both ocean literacy aspects and regional geology) with discussions and an on-the-spot learning-and-presenting module based on prepared text and visual material. Beyond earth science issues we have integrated economy, ecology, social sciences as well as arts and humanities aspects. One central topic was the role of the world ocean in climate change; other themes highlighted sea level rise, the thermohaline circulation, sea-floor spreading, coral reefs, over-fishing, various marine species and the problem of plastic waste in the ocean. We had anticipated that marine issues are actually very rarely discussed in inland Germany. A structured presentation of ocean literacy elements has proved to be a new range of topical issues from earth and environmental sciences highly appreciated by the participants.

Parasites in harbour seals ( Phoca vitulina) from the German Wadden Sea between two Phocine Distemper Virus epidemics

Science.gov (United States)

Lehnert, K.; Raga, J. A.; Siebert, U.

2007-12-01

Parasites were collected from 107 harbour seals ( Phoca vitulina) found on the coasts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, between 1997 and 2000. The prevalence of the parasites and their associated pathology were investigated. Eight species of parasites, primarily nematodes, were identified from the examined organs: two anisakid nematodes ( Pseudoterranova decipiens (sensu lato) , Contracaecum osculatum (sensu lato)) from the stomach, Otostrongylus circumlitus (Crenosomatidae) and Parafilaroides gymnurus (Filaroididae) from the respiratory tract, one filarioid nematode ( Acanthocheilonema spirocauda) from the heart, two acanthocephalans, Corynosoma strumosum and C. semerme (Polymorphidae), from the intestine and an ectoparasite, Echinophthirius horridus (Anoplura, Insecta). Lungworm infection was the most prominent parasitological finding and secondary bacterial bronchopneumonia the most pathogenic lesion correlated with the parasites. Heavy nematode burdens in the respiratory tract were highly age-related and more frequent in young seals. A positive correlation was observed between high levels of pulmonary infection and severity of bronchopneumonia. The prevalence of lungworms in this study was higher than in seals that died during the 1988/1989 Phocine Distemper Virus epidemic, and the prevalence of acanthocephalans and heartworms had decreased compared to findings from the first die-off.

Comparing spatial grain-size trends inferred from textural parameters using percentile statistical parameters and those based on the log-hyperbolic method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bartholdy, Jesper; Christiansen, C.; Pedersen, Jørn Bjarke Torp

2007-01-01

The Folk&Ward (F&W) and the log-hyperbolic methods are applied to a small - and easy to overlook - number of typical sand sized grain-size distributions from the Danish Wadden Sea. The sand originates from the same source, and the pattern of change in the grain-size distributions is, therefore...

Ontwikkeling van enkele mosselbanken in de Nederlandse Waddenzee, situatie 2016

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Glorius, S.T.; Meijboom, A.; Wal, van der J.T.; Cremer, J.S.M.

2017-01-01

Wageningen Marine Research is studying the long-term development of a number of individual mussel beds in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea to identify the characteristics that determine the survival of such beds. The study is being carried out as part of the WOT theme ‘Nature Information

Effect of brood size and hatching sequence on prefledging mortality of Sandwich terns: why lay two eggs?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stienen, E.W.M.; Brenninkmeijer, A.

2006-01-01

The mortality of Sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis chicks held in enclosures was studied in colonies on Griend, in the Dutch Wadden Sea, from 1992 to 1999, and on Hirsholm, in the Danish Kattegat, in 1997. Survival of chicks until fledging was 73% for chicks hatching from first-laid eggs or

Effect of brood size and hatching sequence on prefledging mortality of Sandwich terns : why lay two eggs?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stienen, Eric W. M.; Brenninkmeijer, Alex

2006-01-01

The mortality of Sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis chicks held in enclosures was studied in colonies on Griend, in the Dutch Wadden Sea, from 1992 to 1999, and on Hirsholm, in the Danish Kattegat, in 1997. Survival of chicks until fledging was 73% for chicks hatching from first-laid eggs or

Phenology of abundance of bivalve spat and of their epibenthic predators: limited evidence for mismatches after cold winters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekker, R.; Beukema, J.J.

2014-01-01

Annual recruitment of bivalves in the Wadden Sea is usually more successful in summers after cold than after mild winters. The new generation (0-group) of the main predators (shrimps and shore crabs) of early benthic stages of bivalves appear later in spring on tidal flats after colder winters. If

What factors determine restoration success of a salt marsh ten years after de-embankment?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chang, Esther R.; Veeneklaas, R.M.; Bakker, Jan P.; Daniels, Petra; Esselink, Peter

Questions How successful was the restoration of a salt marsh at a former summer polder on the mainland coast of the Dutch Wadden Sea 10 yr after de-embankment? What were the most important factors determining the level of restoration success? Location Noard-Fryslân Bûtendyks, northwest Netherlands.

Sex-specific foraging : The distributional ecology of a polychaete-eating shorebird

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duijns, Sjoerd

2014-01-01

Trend analysis showed that in the Dutch Wadden Sea bivalve-feeding birds decreased during the last 30 years, while the worm-feeding birds have increased in that same time. It seems that the decline of bivalve-feeding birds is linked the decrease in available resources, but little is known about the

Build-up of Red Blood Cells in Refuelling Bar-Tailed Godwits in Relation to Individual Migratory Quality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Piersma, Theunis; Everaarts, Jan M.; Jukema, Joop

1996-01-01

We examined hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHbC) in Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica during the latter half of their staging period in May in the Wadden Sea of The Netherlands. Here they recover from a 4,000-5,000 km long flight from West African

An Earth System Science Program for the Baltic Sea Region

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, H. E. M.; Rutgersson, A.; Reckermann, M.

2014-04-01

From Russia in the east to Sweden, Denmark, and Germany in the west, reaching south to the tips of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ukraine, the Baltic Sea watershed drains nearly 20% of Europe (see Figure 1). In the highly populated south, the temperate climate hosts intensive agriculture and industry. In the north, the landscape is boreal and rural. In the Baltic Sea itself, complex bathymetry and stratification patterns as well as extended hypoxic and anoxic deep waters add to the diversity. Yet in recent history, the differences across the Baltic Sea region have been more than physical: In the mid-20th century, the watershed was split in two.

Inventory of organisms interfering with transmission of a marine trematode

OpenAIRE

Welsh, J.E.; van der Meer, J.; Brussaard, C.P.D.; Thieltges, D.W.

2014-01-01

It has increasingly been recognized that organisms can interfere with parasitic free-living stages, preventing them from infecting their specified host and thus reducing infection levels. This common phenomenon in freshwater and terrestrial systems has been termed the ‘dilution effect’ and, so far, is poorly studied in marine systems. Ten common intertidal organisms found in the Dutch Wadden Sea (North Sea) were tested to establish their effects on the free-living cercarial stages of the trem...

Near-shore wind power - protected seascapes, environmentalists' attitudes, and the technocratic planning perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolsink, M.

2010-01-01

In contested wind farm developments, the dominant issue concerns scenic impact and the landscape at the proposed site. The number of large wind power schemes that have failed is growing. The case analysed here is a near-shore wind farm in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea, in 2001 the largest wind

Biomass in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapron, Thibaut

2014-01-01

This document provides, first, an overview of biomass industry in Germany: energy consumption and renewable energy production, the French and German electricity mix, the 2003-2013 evolution of renewable electricity production and the 2020 forecasts, the biomass power plants, plantations, biofuels production and consumption in Germany. Then, the legal framework of biofuels development in Germany is addressed (financial incentives, tariffs, direct electricity selling). Next, a focus is made on biogas production both in France and in Germany (facilities, resources). Finally, the French-German cooperation in the biomass industry and the research actors are presented

Virulence Profiles of Vibrio vulnificus in German Coastal Waters, a Comparison of North Sea and Baltic Sea Isolates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadja Bier

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic bacterium of coastal environments known for sporadically causing severe foodborne or wound infections. Global warming is expected to lead to a rising occurrence of V. vulnificus and an increasing incidence of human infections in Northern Europe. So far, infections in Germany were exclusively documented for the Baltic Sea coast, while no cases from the North Sea region have been reported. Regional variations in the prevalence of infections may be influenced by differences in the pathogenicity of V. vulnificus populations in both areas. This study aimed to compare the distribution of virulence-associated traits and genotypes among 101 V. vulnificus isolates from the Baltic Sea and North Sea in order to assess their pathogenicity potential. Furthermore, genetic relationships were examined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST. A high diversity of MLST sequences (74 sequence types and differences regarding the presence of six potential pathogenicity markers were observed in the V. vulnificus populations of both areas. Strains with genotypes and markers associated with pathogenicity are not restricted to a particular geographic region. This indicates that lack of reported cases in the North Sea region is not caused by the absence of potentially pathogenic strains.

Shifting baselines in the Ems Dollard estuary: A comparison across three decades reveals changing benthic communities

Science.gov (United States)

Compton, Tanya J.; Holthuijsen, Sander; Mulder, Maarten; van Arkel, Maarten; Schaars, Loran Kleine; Koolhaas, Anita; Dekinga, Anne; ten Horn, Job; Luttikhuizen, Pieternella C.; van der Meer, Jaap; Piersma, Theunis; van der Veer, Henk W.

2017-09-01

At a time when there is a growing discussion about the natural state of estuaries, a comparison of macrozoobenthos communities from two surveys conducted 30 years apart in the Ems Dollard estuary, in the eastern Wadden Sea, The Netherlands, provides a unique opportunity to compare changes over time. As expected, our comparison revealed a gradient in species composition from land (the Dollard) to sea (the Outer Ems) at both points in time, with brackish species in the Dollard and more marine species in the Outer Ems (Wadden Sea). Total richness increased over time; however, this mainly reflected the immigration of new species and sampling differences. In the Dollard, total biomass declined over time, most likely reflecting de-eutrophication in this area. Strikingly, at the meeting point between the sea and the brackish Dollard, i.e. the Inner Ems, the community composition changed from one dominated by bivalves (1970s) to one dominated by worms (since 2009). This change involved a reduction in total biomass, mainly of Mya arenaria, and immigration of polychaete worms (Marenzellaria viridis and Alitta succinea). In the Outer Ems, an increase in total biomass was observed, associated with the recent successful recruitment of Cerastoderma edule. This comparison highlights that historical data provides useful insights at large spatial scales. However, a full understanding of the complex dynamics of estuaries requires an analysis of continuous long-term monitoring series.

Wind power report Germany 2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rohrig, Kurt

2015-01-01

Record year 2014. In Germany, the expansion figures attained were so high on land and at sea that the overall new installation figure of 5,188 MW surpassed the previous maximum (from 2002) by more than 60%. With an overall capacity of 39,259 MW, for the first time, wind energy in Germany covers 9.7% of gross power consumption. On the global scale a capacity of more than 51,000 MW has been added - another record high for wind energy installations. Power mix. At 161 TWh, renewable energies in Germany covered 27.8% of gross power consumption and provided for the first time more energy than any other energy source. Coming into force of the new REA in August 2014, modified support schemes caused the expansion of biogas plants and large-scale PV installations to falter. The record expansion seen for wind energy can be interpreted as a pull-forward effect due to the tender procedures coming into force in 2017. Grid integration. Loss of production caused by feed-in management measures rose by 44% to 555 GWh as compared to 2012. Wind turbines were affected in 87% of cases but the impact on PV installations is increasing. Power generation must be more flexible and grids expanded to limit loss of production. Of the 23 expansion projects (1,887 km) in the Electricity Grid Expansion Act, just a quarter of them had been realized by the end of 2014 (463 km). In the preliminary analysis results for the 2014 grid development plan, the extent of grid upgrading and conversion was 3050 km. Offshore, the HelWin 1 grid link with a capacity of 580 MW went online. SylWin 1 and BorWin 2, with a total capacity of 1660 MW, are currently being tested in a trial. In the preliminary analysis results for the 2014 offshore grid development plan, grid connections having an overall capacity of 10.3 GW are planned. Onshore. 2014 saw a total of 44 different turbine types installed in Germany. For the first time, virtually the same number of turbines were added in the 3-4 MW class, as in the 2-3 MW

De voedselopname van de garnaal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, G.M.

1980-01-01

From March till October 1979 the food consumption of the shrimp (Crangon crangon L.) in the Dutch Wadden Sea has been investigated. The relationship between daily ration (DR) and weight (W) was determined: DR=O,13580W^0,5941; DR=mg ashfree dryweight (AVD) , W=weight of the shrimp in

Bepaling van het opaalgehalte in de as van benthische diatomeeën

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Der Veen, W.

1978-01-01

A sampling technique, and its problems to obtain SiO₂ from living benthic diatoms in the western Dutch Wadden Sea for determination of ³²Si radioactivity is described. Small samples (about 0.5 grams of SiO₂) with about 3% non-biogenic silica (quartz, clay minerals)

Freshwater springs on intertidal sand flats cause a switch in dominance among polychaete worms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zipperle, A; Reise, K

Effects of freshwater seepage on benthic macrofauna were investigated on the sandy tidal flats near the island of Sylt (German Wadden Sea) in 2002. Several permanent seepage areas (50 to 200 m offshore; up to 200 m 2 in area) were examined, in which salinity ranged from 22-29 outside to 0-16 psu

Weimar Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reckendrees, Alfred

The Weimar Republic is analysed within the framework of limited and open access orders. Germany had developed into a mature limited access order before World War I, with rule of law and open economic access but only limited access to politics. After the war, Germany developed toward an open access...... order; this process was, however, not sustainable. Two interpretations are discussed, which both pose a challenge to the limited access-open access framework: (1.) Weimar Germany was the first open access order that failed; (2.) sufficiency conditions of the sustainability of open access are not yet...

Phytoplankton of the North Sea and its dynamics: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, P. C.; Lancelot, C.; Gieskes, W. W. C.; Hagmeier, E.; Weichart, G.

Phytoplankton is the major contributor to algal biomass and primary production of the North Sea, although crops of macroalgae can locally be up to 2000 g C.m -2 along the coast of the U.K. and Norway, and microphytobenthos dominates production in the shallow tidal flat areas bordering the coasts of England, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Data collected since 1932 during the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey show consistent patterns of geographical, seasonal and annual variation in the distribution of phytoplankton and its major taxonomic components. There is a trend of increased colouration in Recorder silks in the southern North Sea until approximately 1975 since when Colour levels (assumed to be indicative of algal biomass) have declined. In the eutrophic Dutch Wadden Sea the algal crop continued to increase; in Dutch coastal North Sea waters a trend of biomass increase reversed since 1984, apparently due to a reduction in Rhine river outflow. Long-term observations made at Helgoland since the 60's also show trends of increasing nutrients and phytoplankton biomass only to 1984. Adverse effects such as deoxygenation, foam formation and toxin production have been linked to mass concentrations of algae known as blooms. There is no evidence from existing reports for an increase in their frequency, although some years stand out with larger numbers. Occurrence of blooms can partly be explained by hydrographic conditions. More than 30 taxa are recognised as occurring in bloom proportions in the North Sea, approximately one third of which can be toxic. The crop of Bacillariophyceae (diatoms) is not likely to increase with eutrophication due to silicate limitation. An extensive subsurface maximum of armoured dinoflagellates, its abundance gouverned by hydrographic conditions, is the most characteristic feature of the central and northern North Sea in the summer months. Abundance, sometimes dominance, of picoplankton and of species that are not readily detected by

Seasonal and annual variation in body weight, nutrient stores and mortality of Oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwarts, L.; Hulscher, J.B.; Koopman, K.; Piersma, T.; Zegers, P.M.

1996-01-01

The average body weight of Oystercatchers captured in the Dutch Wadden Sea and ajoining breeding areas varies between 520 g in mid summer and 620 g in mid winter, but the individual differences remain large: between 450 and 650 g in summer and 500 and 725 g in winter. A part of this variation can be

Annual cycle of the production and fate of DMS and DMSP in a marine coastal system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kwint, RLJ; Kramer, KJM

The production of DMSP by phytoplankton and the fate through the marine system of both DMSP and DMS were followed for a period of 21 mo in the natural environment by studying a Wadden Sea tidal inlet. The major production and emission of DMS appeared to be Limited to a period of only 2 mo, which was

Learning through EC directive based SEA in spatial planning? Evidence from the Brunswick Region in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, Thomas B.; Kidd, Sue; Jha-Thakur, Urmila; Gazzola, Paola; Peel, Deborah

2009-01-01

This paper presents results of an international comparative research project, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC) on the 'learning potential of appraisal (strategic environmental assessment - SEA) in spatial planning'. In this context, aspects of 'single-loop' and 'double-loop' learning, as well as of individual, organisational and social learning are discussed for emerging post-EC Directive German practice in the planning region (Zweckverband) of Brunswick (Braunschweig), focusing on four spatial plan SEAs from various administrative levels in the region. It is found that whilst SEA is able to lead to plan SEA specific knowledge acquisition, comprehension, application and analysis ('single-loop learning'), it is currently resulting only occasionally in wider synthesis and evaluation ('double-loop learning'). Furthermore, whilst there is evidence that individual and occasionally organisational learning may be enhanced through SEA, most notably in small municipalities, social learning appears to be happening only sporadically.

Numerical modelling of climate change impacts on freshwater lenses on the North Sea Island of Borkum

Science.gov (United States)

Sulzbacher, H.; Wiederhold, H.; Siemon, B.; Grinat, M.; Igel, J.; Burschil, T.; Günther, T.; Hinsby, K.

2012-03-01

A numerical variable-density groundwater model is set up for the North Sea Island of Borkum to estimate climate change impacts on coastal aquifers and especially the situation of barrier islands in the Wadden Sea. The database includes information from boreholes, a seismic survey, a helicopter-borne electromagnetic survey (HEM), monitoring of the freshwater-saltwater boundary by vertical electrode chains in two boreholes, measurements of groundwater table, pumping and slug tests, as well as water samples. Based on a statistical analysis of borehole columns, seismic sections and HEM, a hydrogeological model is set up. The groundwater model is developed using the finite-element programme FEFLOW. The variable-density groundwater model is calibrated on the basis of hydraulic, hydrological and geophysical data, in particular spatial HEM and local monitoring data. Verification runs with the calibrated model show good agreement between measured and computed hydraulic heads. A good agreement is also obtained between measured and computed density or total dissolved solids data for both the entire freshwater lens on a large scale and in the area of the well fields on a small scale. For simulating future changes in this coastal groundwater system until the end of the current century we use the climate scenario A2, specified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and in particular the data for the German North Sea coast. Simulation runs show proceeding salinization with time beneath the well fields of the two waterworks Waterdelle and Ostland. The modelling study shows that spreading of well fields is an appropriate protection measure against excessive salinization of the water supply until the end of the current century.

Grain-size based sea-level reconstruction in the south Bohai Sea during the past 135 kyr

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Liang; Chen, Yanping

2013-04-01

and sea level. Nature 324, 137-140. Charman, D.J., Roe, H.M., Roland Gehrels, W., 2002. Modern distribution of saltmarsh testate amoebae: regional variability of zonation and response to environmental variables. Journal of Quaternary Science 17, 387-409. Horton, B.P., 1997. Quantification of the indicative meaning of a range of Holocene sea-level index points from the western North Sea, Department of Geography. University of Durham, Durham City, UK, p. 509. Horton, B.P., Corbett, R., Culver, S.J., Edwards, R.J., Hillier, C., 2006. Modern saltmarsh diatom distributions of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and the development of a transfer function for high resolution reconstructions of sea level. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 69, 381-394. IOCAS (Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), 1985. Bohai Sea Geology. Science Press, Beijing, China. Madsen, A.T., Murray, A.S., Andersen, T.J., Pejrup, M., 2007. Temporal changes of accretion rates on an estuarine salt marsh during the late Holocene -Reflection of local sea level changes? The Wadden Sea, Denmark. Marine Geology 242, 221-233. Mauz, B., Hassler, U., 2000. Luminescence chronology of Late Pleistocene raised beaches in southern Italy: new data of relative sea-level changes. Marine Geology 170, 187-203. Yi, L., Yu, H.J., Ortiz, J.D., Xu, X.Y., Qiang, X.K., Huang, H.J., Shi, X., Deng, C.L., 2012. A reconstruction of late Pleistocene relative sea level in the south Bohai Sea, China, based on sediment grain-size analysis. Sedimentary Geology 281, 88-100. Zong, Y., Shennan, I., Combellick, R.A., Hamilton, S.L., Rutherford, M.M., 2003. Microfossil evidence for land movements associated with the AD 1964 Alaska earthquake. The Holocene 13, 7-20.

The consideration of health in strategic environmental assessment (SEA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, Thomas B; Matuzzi, Marco; Nowacki, Julia

2010-01-01

Following the requirements of the European Directive 2001/42/EC on strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Kiev, 2003) to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo, 1991), health is one of the aspects to be considered in SEA. In this paper, results of an evaluation of eight SEAs from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (England and Wales) regarding the consideration of health are presented. This includes SEAs for five spatial plans, as well as one SEA for each, a transport, a waste management and an economic development plan. It is found that while all SEAs cover important physical and natural aspects that are related to health, social and behavioural aspects are considered to a much smaller extent. Based on the results, facilitating factors and barriers for health inclusive SEA are identified. Overall, good baseline data can be seen as an important starting point for effective health inclusive SEA, while an effective monitoring system is crucial for effective implementation of the measures and recommendations brought forward in health inclusive SEA. Crucially, health authorities/health experts need to engage more with SEA, as this provides a key platform for cross sectoral dialogue on a range of issues. SEA presents the health sector with an opportunity to influence the policy and decision-making process to improve people's health and well-being.

ENTRERPRENEURIAL CATCH UP AND NEW INDUSTRIAL COMPETENCE BLOC FORMATION IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION

OpenAIRE

Eliasson, Gunnar; Braunerhjelm, Pontus

2012-01-01

Historically, the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) has been an institutionally homogeneous economy, integrated economically and culturally through the sea lanes of the Baltic. After WWII the BSR was broken up into a dual economy, consisting of a poor Soviet block of centrally planned economies, on the one hand, and the industrially advanced BSR economies Finland, Denmark, Germany and Sweden, on the other. 1990 saw the break up of the soviet political system. The liberated, but poor formerly planned ec...

Science or fiction. Vision on sustainable development of North Netherlands up to 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abma, Albert-Jan

1999-09-01

Sustainable development means that economic growth and ecological improvement require a simultaneous realization, in spite of their apparent discrepancy. Ecological objectives need economic support, while economic activities rely on properly functioning ecosystems. Therefore, programs for economic development must have good prospects for the ecology. In line with this premise the Stade Declaration 1997 (Trilateral Wadden Sea Program) examines the chances for sustainable development of the Wadden Sea region. This report contributes to an outlook on these chances in the year 2015. The outlook is designed by 'backcasting' the technological development in 2015 from ecological objectives for a sustainable system in 2040. In 2040 advanced technologies will be in practice; renewable resources will replace fossil energy and materials. Crops will meet the need for food and materials; solar energy is the main power source. Production of waste and emissions to the environment will be considered as inefficient, so the efficiency of production and application of materials will be optimized and any emission will fit in the ecological cycles. The Wadden Sea region offers some advantages to meet these objectives. Agriculture and farming/processing industries are well developed, chemical industries and power stations are available; the Wadden Sea and the open landscape of the region are of high ecological value. In the outlook on 2015 the utilization of crops will be optimized: 'the plant is the plant of the future'. High-quality applications are reserved for various constituents of crops, available by fractionating not only the usual crops like sugar beets and potatoes, but also new crops and various former waste products like branches and leaves. The cultivation of new crops is favorable, as the entire crop is usable in integrated processes. Components of both plant fibers and juices are separated and converted into bulk materials and specialities. The main processes in the

Multiculturalism in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milan Mesić

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The paper starts out from the recent statement by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel that multiculturalism in Germany is dead. The author draws attention to the unfavourable conditions for the development of multiculturalism in Germany. The reasons are historical, especially the experience of Nazism as well as the German social state. Namely, foreign workers in Germany, although without political rights and socially non-integrated, enjoyed a high degree of working and social rights, including high employment security. In this respect their position significantly differed from that of American workers (immigrants, which is why the struggle for civil rights was not in the foreground for German immigrants. Therefore, “the crisis of multiculturalism” appeared with the immigrants’ “second generation” (children, who have been first hit in the current times of crisis and the increasing deregulation of the labour market. They have remained socially non-integrated and without civil and political rights. It is interesting that the churches, particularly the Protestant one, lead in Germany in the efforts to begin to look at immigrants in a cultural (human sense as well, and have thus been the first to acknowledge that Germany has become a multicultural society. But this term and concept in Germany have remained sketchy, both in the theoretical and political sense. However, they have gained certain sympathy, mainly in parts of liberal-democratic circles – the Green Party leading the way – but more in a symbolic sense in countering xenophobia and cultural exclusion in German society. When multiculturalism was accused of developing “parallel society”, both the right and the left renounced it in favour of the (seemingly neutral concept of integration. The author proves that Germany has become and has remained multicultural, although not a multiculturalist country.

Conference on offshore wind energy in France and Germany: challenges of a promising segment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chrupek, Thierry; Falk, Thorsten; Hofmann, Stefanie; Gouverneur, Philippe; Le Visage, Christophe; Saint Martin, Gro de; Meyerjuergens, Tim; Dachicourt, Pierre-Georges; Hube, Wilfried

2008-01-01

The French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a conference on the development of offshore wind energy in France and Germany. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, more than 100 participants exchanged views on offshore wind energy development, and on the conflicts of usage between fishermen and offshore wind farms. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - Offshore wind energy development in France (Thierry Chrupek); 2 - Present day situation of offshore wind energy development and use in Germany (Thorsten Falk); 3 - Risks and profitability of offshore wind energy (Philippe Gouverneur); 4 - Sea and shore integrated management: what impacts for offshore wind energy? (Christophe Le Visage); 5 - Towards and offshore grid? (Gro de Saint Martin); 6 - Grid connection of offshore wind farms in Germany (Tim Meyerjuergens); 7 - Conflicts of usage between professional fishing and offshore wind farms (Pierre-Georges Dachicourt); 8 - Ecological evaluative research for the use of offshore wind energy - Advantages, projects and studies. Environmental follow-up of wind energy projects (Stefanie Hofmann); 9 - Alpha Ventus offshore test park: context, progress of the installation and next steps (Wilfried Hube)

Changing Sediment Dynamics of a Mature Backbarrier Salt Marsh in Response to Sea-Level Rise and Storm Events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Schuerch

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Our study analyses the long-term development of a tidal backbarrier salt marsh in the northern German Wadden Sea. The focus lies on the development of the high-lying, inner, mature part of the salt marsh, which shows a striking history of changing sediment dynamics. The analysis of high-resolution old aerial photographs and sampled sediment cores suggests that the mature part of the marsh was shielded by a sand barrier from the open sea for decades. The supply with fine-grained sediments occurred from the marsh inlet through the tidal channels to the inner salt marsh. Radiometric dating (210Pb and 137Cs reveals that the sedimentation pattern changed fundamentally around the early-mid 1980s when the sedimentation rates increased sharply. By analyzing the photographic evidence, we found that the sand barrier was breached during storm events in the early 1980s. As a result, coarse-grained sediments were brought directly through this overwash from the sea to the mature part of the salt marsh and increased the sedimentation rates. We show that the overwash and the channels created by these storm events built a direct connection to the sea and reduced the distance to the sediment source which promoted salt marsh growth and a supply with coarse-grained sediments. Consequently, the original sediment input from the tidal channels is found to play a minor role in the years following the breach event. The presented study showcases the morphological development of a mature marsh, which contradicts the commonly accepted paradigm of decreasing sedimentation rates with increasing age of the marsh. We argue that similar trends are likely to be observed in other backbarrier marshes, developing in the shelter of unstabilized sand barriers. It further highlights the question of how resilient these salt marshes are toward sea level rise and how extreme storm events interfere in determining the resilience of a mature salt marsh.

Country report for Germany [Fast reactors in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knebel, J.

2007-01-01

Full text: The primary energy consumption in Germany in 2005 was about 492.6 MtSKE in total. The distribution on the main energy sources is: mineral oil: 36.4%, natural gas 22.4%, black coal 13.5%, brown coal 11.4%, nuclear energy 12.6%, water and wind 1.2%, others 2.5%. The net electricity production in Germany in 2005 was about 495.9 billion kWh. The distribution is: nuclear energy 32%, lignite coal 28.9%, black coal 23.1%, oil 0.2%, natural gas 9.1%, water 4.7%, others (being biomass, photovoltaics, wind) 2.0%. In 2005, 18 nuclear power plants were in operation in Germany. In May 2005 the KWO Obrigheim was closed due to the new Atomic law which fixes the phase out of nuclear power production. The net installed nuclear power was 20.7GWel, the net nuclear electricity production was 163TWh, the time availability was 88%. Nuclear makes up for about 50% of the base-load electricity production in Germany. In absolute numbers, Germany is number 5 in nuclear electricity production. Among the top ten nuclear power plants world-wide, in 2005 there were 7 German plants including the plant with the highest amount of electricity produced, being NPP Brokdorf with 1440MWel and 11.98TWhel. The net electricity output of the nuclear power plants is constantly increasing due to power upgrading and higher time availabilities. As for the renewable energies, there is no significant absolute increase except for wind. About 50% of the government support for renewable energies from the Environmental Ministry goes to photovoltaics. The Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (HGF), summarising 15 national research centres, 24.000 employees and a yearly budget of about 2,1 billion Euro is the largest research organisation in Germany. The HGF identifies and works on complex and urgent questions of society, science and economy, especially concentrating on systems of high complexity. There are six research areas, being energy, earth and environment, health, key technologies, structure of matter, traffic and

Bedload transport in an inlet channel during a tidal cycle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ernstsen, V. B.; Becker, M.; Winter, C.

2007-01-01

  Based on high-resolution swath bathymetry measurements at centimetre-scale precision conducted during a tidal cycle in a dune field in the Grådyb tidal inlet channel in the DanishWadden Sea, a simple tool to calculate bedload transport is presented. Bedload transport was related to simultaneous...... variations in grain-size composition of the mobilised sediment should be taken into account by sediment transport formulae....

Proceedings of Japan-Germany Workshop of Bioremediation; Nichidoku bio remediation workshop hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-04

This is a proceedings of Japan-Germany Workshop on Bioremediation held on December 4 and 5, 1995. The keynote lectures include `Environmental preservation using biotechnology` by Prof. Karube of University of Tokyo, and `Environmental technology in Germany: status, achievements, and problems` by Prof. R.D.Schmid of University of Stuttgart. In the oral session, 7 papers are presented in the microbiological aspects of bioremediation, 10 papers in the environmental monitoring, and 6 papers in the engineering aspects of bioremediation. This workshop was sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Technology, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, and Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth. According to the lecture by Prof. Karube, key technologies for the environmental preservation include biotechnologies, such as the culture of fine algae with high CO2 concentration resistant properties using a solar light condenser, production of effective substances from CO2, and production of organic fertilizer from the sediments of lakes and sea. 19 refs., 12 figs., 3 tabs.

Acute toxicity of sea-dumped chemical munitions: Luminating the environmental toxicity of legacy compounds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mohammed Abdullah Christensen, Ilias; Sanderson, Hans; Baatrup, Erik

2016-01-01

As a result of the disarmament of Germany after the Second World War, 65,000 tons of chemical munitions were dumped in the Baltic Sea. Approximately 13,000 tons containing chemical warfare agents (CWAs) of which 11,000 tons were dumped in the Bornholm Basin east of Bornholm. This paper addresses...

Data Management Challenges in a National Scientific Program of 55 Diverse Research Projects

Science.gov (United States)

De Bruin, T.

2016-12-01

In 2007-2015, the Dutch funding agency NWO funded the National Ocean and Coastal Research Program (in Dutch: ZKO). This program focused on `the scientific analysis of five societal challenges related to a sustainable use of the sea and coastal zones'. These five challenges were safety, economic yield, nature, spatial planning & development and water quality. The ZKO program was `set up to strengthen the cohesion and collaboration within Dutch marine research'. From the start of the program, data management was addressed, to allow data to be shared amongst the, diverse, research projects. The ZKO program was divided in 4 different themes (or regions). The `Carrying Capacity' theme was subdivided into 3 `research lines': Carrying capacity (Wadden Sea) - Policy-relevant Research - Monitoring - Hypothesis-driven Research Oceans North Sea Transnational Wadden Sea Research 56 Projects were funded, ranging from studies on the governance of the Wadden Sea to expeditions studying trace elements in the Atlantic Ocean. One of the first projects to be funded was the data management project. Its objectives were to allow data exchange between projects, to archive all relevant data from all ZKO projects and to make the data and publications publicly available, following the ZKO Data Policy. This project was carried out by the NIOZ Data Management Group. It turned out that the research projects had hardly any interest in sharing data between projects and had good (?) arguments not to share data at all until the end of the projects. A data portal was built, to host and make available all ZKO data and publications. When it came to submitting the data to this portal, most projects obliged willingly, though found it occasionally difficult to find time to do so. However, some projects refused to submit data to an open data portal, despite the rules set up by the funding agency and agreed by all. The take-home message of this presentation is that data sharing is a cultural and

What is the pollution status of North Sea sediments?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, P.M.; Heip, C.; Cofino, W.

1993-01-01

A March 1990 international sea-going workshop in Bremerhaven, Germany provided the opportunity to conduct detailed sediment toxicity testing in concert with studies of fish histopathology, bioaccumulation, benthic community structure, and sediment chemical contamination in the North Sea. Two gradients of sediment chemical contamination were tested, one from an abandoned oil platform and the other from the mouth of the Elbe River northward to the Dogger Bank. Using a preponderance of evidence approach, it was determined that sediments nearest the Elbe are moderately polluted (pollution is defined as contamination, toxicity, and community alteration) and that sediments offshore and at the Dogger Bank are unpolluted. Sediments nearest the oil platform showed evidence for a low level of pollution, but there was no evidence of pollution 125 m from the platform. The results suggest the testable hypothesis that North Sea sediments away from point sources of pollution such as coastal areas and drilling platforms are presently not polluted. 46 refs., 2 figs., 6 tabs

Germany, Russia, and energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paillard, Christophe Alexandre

2007-01-01

This article first recalls and comments the objectives defined in March 2007 by the European Council in terms of energy to struggle against climate change. These objectives relate to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, to renewable energies, to energy saving, and to the share of biofuels. It outlines that Germany worries about the political situation in Russia and the capacities of this country to supply Europe with hydrocarbons. Figures related to consumption of primary energy and to sources of production of electricity in Germany show that Germany is facing an increased energy dependency. The issues related to the relationship between the EU and Russia in the field of energy are further discussed, notably from the German point of view, but also from a European point of view as the EU expects a stronger reaction of Germany in front of the Russian situation

Drugs in East Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Dressler, J; Müller, E

1997-09-01

Germany was divided into two parts after World War II. The closed border and a nonconvertible currency in the Eastern part were the factors that did not allow a drug market to develop. Alcohol and medicaments were used as substitute drugs. Since Germany was reunified 5 years ago, there are now the same conditions prevailing for the procurement and sale of drugs in East Germany as there are in the Western German states. This report describes the current state of drug traffic, especially in Saxony, under the new social conditions.

Numerical modelling of climate change impacts on freshwater lenses on the North Sea Island of Borkum using hydrological and geophysical methods

Science.gov (United States)

Sulzbacher, H.; Wiederhold, H.; Siemon, B.; Grinat, M.; Igel, J.; Burschil, T.; Günther, T.; Hinsby, K.

2012-10-01

A numerical, density dependent groundwater model is set up for the North Sea Island of Borkum to estimate climate change impacts on coastal aquifers and especially the situation of barrier islands in the Wadden Sea. The database includes information from boreholes, a seismic survey, a helicopter-borne electromagnetic (HEM) survey, monitoring of the freshwater-saltwater boundary by vertical electrode chains in two boreholes, measurements of groundwater table, pumping and slug tests, as well as water samples. Based on a statistical analysis of borehole columns, seismic sections and HEM, a hydrogeological model is set up. The groundwater model is developed using the finite-element programme FEFLOW. The density dependent groundwater model is calibrated on the basis of hydraulic, hydrological and geophysical data, in particular spatial HEM and local monitoring data. Verification runs with the calibrated model show good agreement between measured and computed hydraulic heads. A good agreement is also obtained between measured and computed density or total dissolved solids data for both the entire freshwater lens on a large scale and in the area of the well fields on a small scale. For simulating future changes in this coastal groundwater system until the end of the current century, we use the climate scenario A2, specified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and, in particular, the data for the German North Sea coast. Simulation runs show proceeding salinisation with time beneath the well fields of the two waterworks Waterdelle and Ostland. The modelling study shows that the spreading of well fields is an appropriate protection measure against excessive salinisation of the water supply until the end of the current century.

Numerical modelling of climate change impacts on freshwater lenses on the North Sea Island of Borkum using hydrological and geophysical methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Sulzbacher

2012-10-01

Full Text Available A numerical, density dependent groundwater model is set up for the North Sea Island of Borkum to estimate climate change impacts on coastal aquifers and especially the situation of barrier islands in the Wadden Sea. The database includes information from boreholes, a seismic survey, a helicopter-borne electromagnetic (HEM survey, monitoring of the freshwater-saltwater boundary by vertical electrode chains in two boreholes, measurements of groundwater table, pumping and slug tests, as well as water samples. Based on a statistical analysis of borehole columns, seismic sections and HEM, a hydrogeological model is set up. The groundwater model is developed using the finite-element programme FEFLOW. The density dependent groundwater model is calibrated on the basis of hydraulic, hydrological and geophysical data, in particular spatial HEM and local monitoring data. Verification runs with the calibrated model show good agreement between measured and computed hydraulic heads. A good agreement is also obtained between measured and computed density or total dissolved solids data for both the entire freshwater lens on a large scale and in the area of the well fields on a small scale.

For simulating future changes in this coastal groundwater system until the end of the current century, we use the climate scenario A2, specified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and, in particular, the data for the German North Sea coast. Simulation runs show proceeding salinisation with time beneath the well fields of the two waterworks Waterdelle and Ostland.

The modelling study shows that the spreading of well fields is an appropriate protection measure against excessive salinisation of the water supply until the end of the current century.

Germany, Pacifism and Peace Enforcement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalgaard-Nielsen, Anja

This book is about the transformation of Germany's security and defence policy in the time between the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 war against Iraq. It traces and explains the reaction of Europe's biggest and potentially most powerful country to the ethnic wars of the 1990s, the emergence of large...... the 1990s. The book debates the implications of Germany's transformation for Germany's partners and neighbours, and explains why Germany said ‘yes’ to the war in Afghanistan, but ‘no’ to the Iraq War. Based on a comprehensive study of the debates of the German Bundestag and actual German policy responses...

Chemical Composition of Sea Buckthorn Leaves, Branches and Bark

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gradt Ina

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Sea buckthorn leaves and branches presently create waste-/by-products of harvesting after pruning the plants. It is already known that sea buckthorn berries are important for their chemical composition and based on this occupy a wide field in nutrition. We raised the idea that sea buckthorn leaves, branches, and especially the bark, have also an extraordinary chemical composition like the berries. The aim of this study was to describe these by-products. For this purpose, detailed full analyses of corresponding samples from Russia (seven varieties and Germany (four varieties were performed. Especially the dry mass, fat content, proteins, carbohydrates, starch content, and crude fiber were investigated to obtain an overview. Minor components like total phenol content, metals, and water- and fat-soluble vitamins were also studied. All analytical parameters were based on an official collection of analysis methods (German ASU - amtliche Sammlung von Untersuchungsverfahren. The results of the full analysis of leaves and branches show some interesting aspects about the differences between male and female plants. Furthermore, we observed differences between Russian and German sea buckthorn varieties. Investigation of minor components showed that vitamins were present in very low amount (< 0.1 %.

Weimar Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reckendrees, Alfred

2015-01-01

The Weimar Republic is analysed within the concept of limited and open access orders. Before World War I, Imperial Germany had developed into a mature limited access order with rule of law and open economic access but lack of competition in politics. After World War I and inflation, Weimar Germany...... developed toward an open access order; open access was not, however, sustainable and collapsed in 1930–31. This case of a failed open access order suggests refining the framework of limited and open access orders in further work. It shows that the political process of “creative destruction” might result...

The role of ecological divergence in speciation between intertidal and subtidal Scoloplos armiger (Polychaeta, Orbiniidae)

Science.gov (United States)

Kruse, Inken; Strasser, Matthias; Thiermann, Frank

2004-02-01

The concept of ecological speciation implies that habitat differences may split a species by strong selection and rapid adaptation even under sympatric conditions. Studies on the polychaete Scoloplos armiger in the Wadden Sea (North Sea) indicate sibling species existing in sympatry: the intertidal 'Type I' with holobenthic development out of egg cocoons and the subtidal 'Type S' producing pelagic larvae. In the current study, Types I and S are compared in habitat-related traits of reproductive timing and physiological response to hypoxia and sulphide. Spawnings of Type I and Type S recorded over six years overlap in spring and both appear to be triggered by a rise in seawater temperature above 5 °C. Type S exhibits an additional autumn spawning (at seawater temperatures around 10 °C) which was previously unknown and is absent in Type I. The overall abundance of pelagic larvae in the Wadden Sea is higher in spring than in autumn. Tolerance of both sulphide and hypoxia was lower in Type S than in Type I. This correlates with a 5 to 10-fold lower sulphide concentration in the subtidal compared to the intertidal habitat. Physiological tolerance and divergence in developmental mode appear as traits which may have led to reproductive isolation between Type I and Type S. Their role in allopatric and sympatric speciation scenarios in S. armiger is discussed. Since the pelagic dispersal mode has been neglected so far, a reassessment of population dynamics models for S. armiger is suggested.

Links between seawater flooding, soil ammonia oxidiser communities and their response to changes in salinity.

Science.gov (United States)

Nacke, Heiko; Schöning, Ingo; Schindler, Malte; Schrumpf, Marion; Daniel, Rolf; Nicol, Graeme W; Prosser, James I

2017-11-01

Coastal areas worldwide are challenged by climate change-associated increases in sea level and storm surge quantities that potentially lead to more frequent flooding of soil ecosystems. Currently, little is known of the effects of inundation events on microorganisms controlling nitrification in these ecosystems. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of seawater flooding on the abundance, community composition and salinity tolerance of soil ammonia oxidisers. Topsoil was sampled from three islands flooded at different frequencies by the Wadden Sea. Archaeal ammonia oxidiser amoA genes were more abundant than their betaproteobacterial counterparts, and the distribution of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidiser amoA and 16S rRNA gene sequences significantly differed between the islands. The findings indicate selection of ammonia oxidiser phylotypes with greater tolerance to high salinity and slightly alkaline pH (e.g. Nitrosopumilus representatives) in frequently flooded soils. A cluster phylogenetically related to gammaproteobacterial ammonia oxidisers was detected in all samples analysed in this survey. Nevertheless, no gammaprotebacterial amoA genes could be amplified via PCR and only betaproteobacterial ammonia oxidisers were detected in enrichment cultures. A slurry-based experiment demonstrated the tolerance of both bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidisers to a wide range of salinities (e.g. Wadden Sea water salinity) in soil naturally exposed to seawater at a high frequency. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An inversion of the estuarine circulation by sluice water discharge and its impact on suspended sediment transport

Science.gov (United States)

Schulz, Kirstin; Gerkema, Theo

2018-01-01

The Wadden Sea is characterized by a complex topography of branching channels and intertidal flats, in which the interplay between fresh water discharges, wind forcing and the tidal current causes sediment transport rates and direction to be highly variable in space and time. During three field campaigns, indications of a negative estuarine circulation have been found in a channel adjacent to the coast in the Western Dutch Wadden Sea. Contrary to the classical picture of estuarine circulation, a periodic density stratification was observed that builds up during flood and breaks down during ebb. This can be related to a large freshwater source at the mouth of the channel, the sluice in Kornwerderzand. In this study, observations of this phenomenon are presented, and with the help of a numerical model the different drivers for residual suspended matter transport in this area, namely tidal asymmetries in the current velocity and the above mentioned periodic stratification, are investigated. It is found that the residual current in the area of interest points in ebb direction, caused by both the elongated ebb flow phase and the periodic stratification. On the contrary, the stronger flood currents cause a transport of suspended matter in flood direction. This transport is counteracted and therefore diminished by the effects of the sluice discharge.

Cegelec Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

Cegelec is a group of companies acting internationally and one of Europe's biggest plant engineering firms in the fields of power generation and distribution with the focus on engineering and technical services. Cegelec's competences in Germany are mainly in planning, installation and maintenance of plants and facilities in all key industries and for public clients. The main areas of activity are industry, infrastructure and power, for which Cegelec offers comprehensive project and service work. While the Industry business area covers chemistry, steel, paper, automotive, re-engineering, and mining industries, Cegelec's Infrastructure unit performs services to airports, in tunnel construction, for railways and waterways. The Power market segment comprises gas, refuse incineration, power supply, sugar, power plants, and nuclear final storage. Cegelec is represented in Germany on roughly 30 locations with a staff of 1,700. The origins of Cegelec are in Germany, i.e. in AEG founded 1896. The Plant and Automation Technology sector was divested in 1996 and moved to Alstom where, in 2001, a management buyout led to the independent Cegelec group of companies. When the strategic partnership between Qatari Diar and Vinci took shape, Cegelec became a subsidiary of the Vinci group in April 2010. (orig.)

Germany at CERN

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

The Eighth Exhibition of German Industry, "Germany at CERN" started this week and offers German companies the opportunity to establish professional contacts with CERN. From left to right in the foreground: Maximilian Metzger (BMBF), Bettinna Schöneseffen (BMBF), Karl-Heinz Kissler (SPL division leader), Horst Wenninger, and Hans Hoffman. Behind and to the right of Karl-Heinz Kissler is His Excellency Mr Walter Lewalter, Ambassador and permanent representative of Germany to the UN office in Geneva.

Nord Stream, Sweden and Baltic Sea Security

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsson, Robert L

2007-03-15

In June 2006, FOI published the report: Sweden and the NEGP: a Pilot Study of the North European Gas Pipeline and Sweden's Dependence on Russian Energy, a base data report on a topic that FOI considered to be of rising importance. Much has happened since then and the NEGP has changed its name to Nord Stream and submitted an official notification on the intention of realising the project of constructing a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The primary aim of this report is to discuss and analyse some of the core aspects of Nord Stream and the pipeline project with regard to the security situation for the Baltic Sea region. The report constitutes an updated version of the previous report. Most of the old report still stands valid, especially concerning the historical survey of Russia's energy policy, but the new report has additional chapters and is broader in scope concerning the consequences of the project

Nord Stream, Sweden and Baltic Sea Security

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsson, Robert L.

2007-03-15

In June 2006, FOI published the report: Sweden and the NEGP: a Pilot Study of the North European Gas Pipeline and Sweden's Dependence on Russian Energy, a base data report on a topic that FOI considered to be of rising importance. Much has happened since then and the NEGP has changed its name to Nord Stream and submitted an official notification on the intention of realising the project of constructing a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The primary aim of this report is to discuss and analyse some of the core aspects of Nord Stream and the pipeline project with regard to the security situation for the Baltic Sea region. The report constitutes an updated version of the previous report. Most of the old report still stands valid, especially concerning the historical survey of Russia's energy policy, but the new report has additional chapters and is broader in scope concerning the consequences of the project

Nord Stream, Sweden and Baltic Sea Security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson, Robert L.

2007-03-01

In June 2006, FOI published the report: Sweden and the NEGP: a Pilot Study of the North European Gas Pipeline and Sweden's Dependence on Russian Energy, a base data report on a topic that FOI considered to be of rising importance. Much has happened since then and the NEGP has changed its name to Nord Stream and submitted an official notification on the intention of realising the project of constructing a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The primary aim of this report is to discuss and analyse some of the core aspects of Nord Stream and the pipeline project with regard to the security situation for the Baltic Sea region. The report constitutes an updated version of the previous report. Most of the old report still stands valid, especially concerning the historical survey of Russia's energy policy, but the new report has additional chapters and is broader in scope concerning the consequences of the project

Dental tourism from Switzerland to Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Gheorghe, Raluca; Zürcher, Andrea; Filippi, Andreas

In recent years the topic of dental tourism has increasingly come into focus of dentists and patients. In the present study an attempt was made to find out, why patients from a restricted region travel to Germany for dental care. In five German dental clinics located in the border area between Switzerland and Germany, 272 women and 236 men ranging in age from 5 to 94 years, who had undergone at least one dental treatment in Germany, were questioned concerning the reasons for their visits. The interviews took place within a period of 6 months and relied on a questionnaire to collect data regarding sociodemographic features and patient behavior. In comparison to residents of Germany, patients residing in Switzerland took on considerably longer travel distances for the dental visit, in some cases more than 50km (9.7%). For patients residing in Switzerland the technical equipment of the practice was more important (pSwitzerland (95.6%) confirmed that dental treatments in Germany were cheaper and that additional family members also came to Germany for dental care (65.0%).

Germany: Management of decommissioning waste in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borrmann, F.; Brennecke, P.; Koch, W.; Kugel, K.; Steyer, S.

2007-01-01

Over the past two decades, Germany has gained a substantial amount of experience in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities of different types and sizes. Many research reactors and all prototype nuclear power plants, as well as a few larger nuclear power plants and fuel cycle facilities, are currently at varying stages of decommissioning. Several facilities have been fully dismantled and the sites have been cleared for reuse. The decommissioning projects comprise 18 power and prototype reactors, 33 research reactors and 11 fuel cycle facilities which are being or have been decommissioned. In the future, further nuclear power plants will be shut down and decommissioned in accordance with Germany?s energy policy to phase out the use of nuclear power for commercial electricity generation as given in the April 2002 amendment of the Atomic Energy Act. Radioactive waste, from operations as well as from decommissioning activities, is to be conditioned in such a way as to comply with the waste acceptance requirements of a repository. In Germany, all types of radioactive waste (i.e., short-lived and long-lived) are to be disposed of in deep geological formations. A distinction is being made for heat generating waste (i.e., high level waste) and waste with negligible heat generation (i.e., low level and intermediate level waste). Radioactive decommissioning waste is waste with negligible heat generation. Waste acceptance requirements of a repository are of particular importance for the conditioning of radioactive waste, including decommissioning waste. The waste acceptance requirements, as they resulted from the Konrad licensing procedure, are being applied by the waste generators for the conditioning of decommissioning waste. Compliance with these requirements must be demonstrated through the waste package quality control, even if the waste will be disposed of in the future. In 2002 the Konrad repository was licensed for the disposal of all types of waste with negligible

Deposition of acidifying components and base cations in Germany in the period 1987-1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bleeker, A.; Draaijers, G.P.J; Klap, J.M.; Van Jaarsveld, J.A.

2000-01-01

The title project was carried out on behalf of and for account of the 'Umweltbundesamt' (UBA) Germany in co-operation with TNO-MEP and SC-DLO. The main products arising from this project are, for Germany, estimates of dry deposition with a high spatial resolution, which, in combination with wet deposition data, will be used for the calculation of critical load exceedances. The basic model used in this study was EDACS. This model calculates dry deposition fluxes on the basis of meteorological data and atmospheric concentrations of relevant species. As such, the project reported here further elaborates the work carried out in a previous project in 1996, with the following additions and/or improvements worked out: (a) The distribution of NH3 concentrations in Germany has now been calculated on a 5x5 km grid using the EUTREND model, while in the previous study these data were taken from the standard EMEP model; (b) Possible concepts for introducing cloud deposition into the inferential approach have been investigated, with results for a small study area in southern Germany shown; (c) Canopy exchange estimates for forest sites in Germany were related to parameters, also measured at these sites to gain better insight into the parameters controlling canopy uptake and leaching. SOx dry deposition fluxes were highest in central-east Germany, NOy fluxes in central-west Germany and NHx fluxes in north-west Germany. The highest dry deposition of potential acid (up to 15,000 eq. ha -1 y -1 in 1987) was calculated for 'Bundesland' Sachsen and the highest dry deposition load of nitrogen was calculated for Bremen (up to 2100 eq ha -1 y -1 in 1989). Dry deposition of SOx, NOy, NHx and potential acid in the 1993-1995 period decreased by 36%, 13%, 21% and 31%, respectively, compared to the 1987-1989 period The decrease in potential acid was highest in Sachsen (43%) and lowest in Baden-Wittemberg (12%). Dry deposition of non-sea salt Ca 2+ , K + , Mg 2+ and base cations decreased

[Fostering of health economics in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Ulrich, V

2012-05-01

Health economics is now well established in Germany with the aim to apply economic tools to answer problems in health and health care. After a short review of the international development of health economics and the development in Germany in particular, the article looks at selected recent topics of health economic analysis in Germany (economic evaluation, industrial economics, health and education).

The Lincoln Image in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jörg Nagler

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This essay investigates the enduring fascination with the sixteenth President of the United States in Germany. In general, his legacy and its evaluation changed in relation to the determinate historical contexts, beginning with the monarchial system, extending through the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and now the Federal Republic of Germany. Certain social and political individuals/groups in Germany used the image and iconography of Lincoln as a projection screen to support their own political objectives. Although there were always multiple layers of Lincoln representations in Germany, the dominant images were: the national unifier, the libertarian universalist, the emancipator, the defender of moral values, the modernizer, the democrat who used the power of the democratic state, the egalitarian self-made man from humble origins, and the defender of social justice and workingmen’s rights.

International design competition. Formula student Germany; Internationaler Konstruktionswettbewerb. Formula Student Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liebl, Johannes; Siebenpfeiffer, Wolfgang (eds.)

2011-11-15

Within the International Design Competition 2011 at the Hockenheimring (Federal Republic of Germany) the following contributions were presented: (1) Formula Student Germany - Experience the Future (Tim Hannig); (2) Live at the Hockenheimring 2011; (3) Cutaway Model of the FSC Winning Car - The GFR11c by the Global Formula Racing Team of the DHBW Ravensburg; (4) Formula Student Racecar with Selective Cylinder Deactivation (Alexander Titz); (5) Construction of a crankshaft for the RS11 (Stefan Buhl); (6) The Wheel Design of the ARG 11 (Megan Rotondo); (7) Cutaway Model of the FSE Winning Car - The DUT11 by the DUT Racing Team of the Delft University of Technology; (8) Formula Student Electric - E-Scrutineering (Ann-Christin Bartoelke); (9) Development of an E-motor for Formular Student Electric (Urs Leuthold); (10) The Battery Management System of the FHWT04e (Andreas Hagemeyer); (11) Overall Results 2011 at a Glance; (12) Show your Colours; (13) Formula Student Germany visiting China (Alia Pierce).

Reversing course: Germany`s response to the challenge of transboundary air pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sprinz, D.F.; Wahl, A.

1998-03-01

Perhaps like no other country, Germany has radically changed its policies towards regulating air pollution in the European context. Acting originally as a dragger in the 1970s to regulate transboundary air pollutants due to pessimism about the relationship between causes and effects, Germany responded very decisively to its own damage assessment in the early 1980s. In particular the adverse effects to forests (`Waldsterben` or forest decline) led to the formulation of strict air pollution regulations in the domestic context, efforts to spread the regulatory system within the European Union, and activities within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to foster stronger, continent-wide emission reductions. Using three conceptual models (rational actor, domestic politics, and social learning), we show that Germany deviated strongly from the ideal policy cycle consisting of (i) domestic policy formulation, (ii) international negotiations, as well as (iii) implementation and compliance with the provisions of international environmental agreements. Both national policy-making as well as partial implementation have been well on the way towards compliance even before Germany entered international negotiations on substantive protocols. Therefore, one may conclude from this country study that push countries may use the results of their national policy processes to influence the policy of other countries. (orig.)

Climatic change and the effects on the marine ecosystem around the island of Sylt. Final report; Das marine Oekosystem um Sylt unter veraenderten Klimabedingungen. Abschlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lackschewitz, D.; Menn, I.; Reise, K.

2000-05-01

Climatic warming of 1.5 to 2.5 C with a higher water temperature may only slightly change the species spectrum of the intertidal zone of the island of Sylt (North Sea). This is shown by a comparison with tidal flats of the French Atlantic coast. Stronger effects are expected from a sea level rise and an increase in hydrodynamic forces. This may result in a decrease of eelgrass and mussel beds. On the high intertidal zone muddy flats will be replaced by sandy flats due to wave action. Enhanced erosion at the Wadden Sea shoreline will probably entail its continued petrification to prevent further losses. This will cause a decrease of natural habitats with their specific assemblages, and the esthetic appeal of the Wadden Sea will decrease too. It is proposed that sand replenishment on the Wadden Sea shoreline will better preserve the natural sequence of biotopes on the tidal flats. The erosive beach on the seaward side of the island of Sylt is both focal place for tourist recreation, and the site of a highly diverse interstitial fauna. This fauna will be able to re-establish itself three months after a campaign of sand replenishment. Sand replenishment was found to be an effective way to compensate beach erosion and, due to the quick re-establishment of the fauna, it may be regarded as an acceptable method of coastal defense from an ecological perspective. (orig.) [German] Bei einer Klimaerwaermung um 1,5 bis 2,5 C wird der direkte Einfluss hoeherer Wassertemperatur das biologische Artenspektrum im Sylter Gezeitenbereich nicht wesentlich veraendern. Dies ergibt ein Vergleich mit Watten der franzoesischen Atlantikkueste. Bedeutender sind voraussichtlich Auswirkungen hoeherer Wasserstaende und einer zunehmenden Hydrodynamik. Seegraswiesen und Muschelbaenke werden dadurch im Wattbereich abnehmen. In Ufernaehe werden schlickige von sandigen Watten verdraengt. Einer verstaerkten Erosion an ungeschuetzten Wattufern wird voraussichtlich mit weiteren Befestigungen begegnet

Wind power report Germany 2014; Windenergie Report Deutschland 2014

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohrig, Kurt (ed.)

2015-07-01

Record year 2014. In Germany, the expansion figures attained were so high on land and at sea that the overall new installation figure of 5,188 MW surpassed the previous maximum (from 2002) by more than 60%. With an overall capacity of 39,259 MW, for the first time, wind energy in Germany covers 9.7% of gross power consumption. On the global scale a capacity of more than 51,000 MW has been added - another record high for wind energy installations. Power mix. At 161 TWh, renewable energies in Germany covered 27.8% of gross power consumption and provided for the first time more energy than any other energy source. Coming into force of the new REA in August 2014, modified support schemes caused the expansion of biogas plants and large-scale PV installations to falter. The record expansion seen for wind energy can be interpreted as a pull-forward effect due to the tender procedures coming into force in 2017. Grid integration. Loss of production caused by feed-in management measures rose by 44% to 555 GWh as compared to 2012. Wind turbines were affected in 87% of cases but the impact on PV installations is increasing. Power generation must be more flexible and grids expanded to limit loss of production. Of the 23 expansion projects (1,887 km) in the Electricity Grid Expansion Act, just a quarter of them had been realized by the end of 2014 (463 km). In the preliminary analysis results for the 2014 grid development plan, the extent of grid upgrading and conversion was 3050 km. Offshore, the HelWin 1 grid link with a capacity of 580 MW went online. SylWin 1 and BorWin 2, with a total capacity of 1660 MW, are currently being tested in a trial. In the preliminary analysis results for the 2014 offshore grid development plan, grid connections having an overall capacity of 10.3 GW are planned. Onshore. 2014 saw a total of 44 different turbine types installed in Germany. For the first time, virtually the same number of turbines were added in the 3-4 MW class, as in the 2-3 MW

On the evolution of a holocene barrier coast

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fruergaard, Mikkel

in a distinct stratal stacking pattern of each of the investigated coastal barrier systems. We conclude that the overall infilling of the barrier systems over the Holocene was mainly controlled by sea-level rise and sediment supply. However, major storms and tidal channel migration have greatly affected......This thesis investigates the sedimentary evolution of a Holocene barrier coast with special focus on how barrier system stratigraphy is affected by changes in sea-level and sediment supply. Coastal barrier systems comprise about 13% of the world’s coastlines and they are mportant components...... of the stratigraphic record of the Earth. Sea-level rise and sediment supply are the two most important factors controlling barrier system evolution. Detailed depositional reconstructions of a number of barrier systems from the Danish Wadden Sea area have been carried out in order to evaluate the sedimentary effects...

Uranium mining in Eastern Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sauer, H.D.

1990-01-01

A problem which simply does not exist in Western Germany is the uranium mining in the South of Eastern Germany (SDAG Wismuth). The cleaning up and control measure which are urgently needed will be a task for more than one generation. (orig./HP) [de

Nuclear energy in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

Since September 1998 the Federal Government formed by a Red/Green Coalition declared its goal: irreversible phase out of nuclear power plants. The first attempt to stop reprocessing as well as the first attempt to change nuclear law failed. The present situation is as follows: existing nuclear power plants operate in a most satisfying way producing 170 TWh/a. i.e. 35% of total production; transport license is not granted; no new NPP is planned, but Germany will participate in the French European Power Reactor (EPR) project. Concerning fast reactors, no industrial activities exist in Germany. There is no intention to build a facility, but Germany participates in the European CAPRA project. Existing research items are related to neutronics, safety analysis, irradiation experiment TRABANT, accelerator driven systems, thermohydraulics, safety

Infestation of oysters and mussels by mytilicolid copepods: differences between natural coastal habitats and two offshore cultivation sites in the German Bight

OpenAIRE

Pogoda, Bernadette; Jungblut, Simon; Buck, Bela H.; Hagen, Wilhelm

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the macro-parasitic infestation level of oysters from the southern German Bight focussing on copepods of the genus Mytilicola. Crassostrea gigas, Ostrea edulis and Mytilus edulis were collected at five locations: three nearshore sites in the eastern Wadden Sea and two offshore cultivation sites in the German Bight. To reveal seasonal variations one sampling site was investigated in winter and summer. At the nearshore sites, Mytilicola orientalis was regu...

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs in the atmosphere of the Baltic Sea Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Gaffke

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a review of publications on the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR. It indicates the main emission sources of these substances, related to anthropogenic activity. These include incomplete combustion of fuels in engines on land and from marine transportation, as well as the burning of coal in the community sector. High PAH concentrations in the air are also related to increased industrial activity in urban areas. In the Baltic Sea Region, Germany and Poland have been determined to be responsible for the greatest proportion of PAH emissions. However, the highest number of exceedances of the accepted annual norm for benzo(apyrene concentrations was recorded in Poland.

West-East migration in Germany since 1990

OpenAIRE

Beck, Grit

2011-01-01

Not only did 2.5 million people migrate from East Germany to West Germany between 1991 and 2006, 1.5 million people also moved from West to East Germany. This counter-current movement took placed largely unnoticed by the public and researchers alike. This paper uses both quantitative and qualitative data to first of all examine how the population structure in the New Länder has changed as a result of interregional migration between Länder in East and West Germany. It goes on to study the moti...

Farming for Health: Aspects from Germany

OpenAIRE

Neuberger, Konrad; Stephan, Ingrid; Hermanowski, Robert; Flake, Albrecht; Post, Franz-Joseph; van Elsen, Thomas

2006-01-01

Until now, the term ‘Farming for Health’ is unknown in Germany but it would cover a wide spectrum of different kinds of social agriculture already existing in Germany, such as farms that integrate disabled people or drug therapy into their farming system, or farms that integrate children, pupils or older people. Relevant work in Germany is done in ‘Sheltered Workshops’, where supporting and healing powers of farming and gardening are used for disabled people with a diversity of work possibili...

Shellfish dredging pushes a flexible avian top predator out of a marine protected area.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan A van Gils

2006-11-01

Full Text Available There is a widespread concern about the direct and indirect effects of industrial fisheries; this concern is particularly pertinent for so-called "marine protected areas" (MPAs, which should be safeguarded by national and international law. The intertidal flats of the Dutch Wadden Sea are a State Nature Monument and are protected under the Ramsar convention and the European Union's Habitat and Birds Directives. Until 2004, the Dutch government granted permission for ~75% of the intertidal flats to be exploited by mechanical dredgers for edible cockles (Cerastoderma edule. Here we show that dredged areas belonged to the limited area of intertidal flats that were of sufficient quality for red knots (Calidris canutus islandica, a long-distance migrant molluscivore specialist, to feed. Dredging led to relatively lower settlement rates of cockles and also reduced their quality (ratio of flesh to shell. From 1998 to 2002, red knots increased gizzard mass to compensate for a gradual loss in shellfish quality, but this compensation was not sufficient and led to decreases in local survival. Therefore, the gradual destruction of the necessary intertidal resources explains both the loss of red knots from the Dutch Wadden Sea and the decline of the European wintering population. This study shows that MPAs that do not provide adequate protection from fishing may fail in their conservation objectives.

Multivariate and Cladistic Analyses of Isolated Teeth Reveal Sympatry of Theropod Dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic of Northern Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerke, Oliver; Wings, Oliver

2016-01-01

Remains of theropod dinosaurs are very rare in Northern Germany because the area was repeatedly submerged by a shallow epicontinental sea during the Mesozoic. Here, 80 Late Jurassic theropod teeth are described of which the majority were collected over decades from marine carbonates in nowadays abandoned and backfilled quarries of the 19th century. Eighteen different morphotypes (A-R) could be distinguished and 3D models based on micro-CT scans of the best examples of all morphotypes are included as supplements. The teeth were identified with the assistance of discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis based on updated datamatrices. The results show that a large variety of theropod groups were present in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany. Identified specimens comprise basal Tyrannosauroidea, as well as Allosauroidea, Megalosauroidea cf. Marshosaurus, Megalosauridae cf. Torvosaurus and probably Ceratosauria. The formerly reported presence of Dromaeosauridae in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany could not be confirmed. Some teeth of this study resemble specimens described as pertaining to Carcharodontosauria (morphotype A) and Abelisauridae (morphotype K). This interpretation is however, not supported by discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis. Two smaller morphotypes (N and Q) differ only in some probably size-related characteristics from larger morphotypes (B and C) and could well represent juveniles of adult specimens. The similarity of the northern German theropods with groups from contemporaneous localities suggests faunal exchange via land-connections in the Late Jurassic between Germany, Portugal and North America.

Multivariate and Cladistic Analyses of Isolated Teeth Reveal Sympatry of Theropod Dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic of Northern Germany.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver Gerke

Full Text Available Remains of theropod dinosaurs are very rare in Northern Germany because the area was repeatedly submerged by a shallow epicontinental sea during the Mesozoic. Here, 80 Late Jurassic theropod teeth are described of which the majority were collected over decades from marine carbonates in nowadays abandoned and backfilled quarries of the 19th century. Eighteen different morphotypes (A-R could be distinguished and 3D models based on micro-CT scans of the best examples of all morphotypes are included as supplements. The teeth were identified with the assistance of discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis based on updated datamatrices. The results show that a large variety of theropod groups were present in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany. Identified specimens comprise basal Tyrannosauroidea, as well as Allosauroidea, Megalosauroidea cf. Marshosaurus, Megalosauridae cf. Torvosaurus and probably Ceratosauria. The formerly reported presence of Dromaeosauridae in the Late Jurassic of northern Germany could not be confirmed. Some teeth of this study resemble specimens described as pertaining to Carcharodontosauria (morphotype A and Abelisauridae (morphotype K. This interpretation is however, not supported by discriminant function analysis and cladistic analysis. Two smaller morphotypes (N and Q differ only in some probably size-related characteristics from larger morphotypes (B and C and could well represent juveniles of adult specimens. The similarity of the northern German theropods with groups from contemporaneous localities suggests faunal exchange via land-connections in the Late Jurassic between Germany, Portugal and North America.

Germany - an immigration country

OpenAIRE

Siebert, Horst

2003-01-01

Germany has about the same proportion of foreigners in its population as the United States, it is an immigration country. In a way, Germany has let immigration happen, but it did not really have an explicit immigration policy in the past. Now it has to make up its mind on its immigration policy in the future. The paper looks at the experience with immigration in the past, at the integration of foreigners and at the issues of immigration policy.

The contribution of ship emissions to air pollution in the North Sea regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthias, Volker, E-mail: volker.matthias@gkss.d [GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht, Institute for Coastal Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht (Germany); Bewersdorff, Ines [GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht, Institute for Coastal Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht (Germany); Aulinger, Armin, E-mail: armin.aulinger@gkss.d [GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht, Institute for Coastal Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht (Germany); Quante, Markus, E-mail: markus.quante@gkss.d [GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht, Institute for Coastal Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht (Germany)

2010-06-15

As a consequence of the global distribution of manufacturing sites and the increasing international division of labour, ship traffic is steadily increasing and is becoming more and more important as an origin of air pollution. This study investigates the impact of ship emissions in coastal areas of the North Sea under conditions of the year 2000 by means of a regional chemistry transport model which runs on a sufficiently high resolution to study air pollution in coastal regions. It was found that northern Germany and Denmark in summer suffer from more than 50% higher sulphate, nitrate and ammonium aerosol concentrations due to contributions from ships. The implementation of a sulphur emission control area (SECA) in the North Sea, as it was implemented at the end of 2007, directly results in reduced sulphur dioxide and sulphate aerosol concentrations while nitrate aerosol concentrations are slightly increased. - Ship emissions lead to significantly enhanced air pollution by secondary inorganic aerosols in North Sea coastal areas.

Germany's socio-economic model and the Euro crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Dauderstädt

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Germany's socio-economic model, the "social market economy", was established in West Germany after World War II and extended to the unified Germany in 1990. During a prolonged recession after the adoption of the Euro in 1998, major reforms (Agenda 2010 were introduced which many consider as the key of Germany's recent success. The reforms had mixed results: employment increased but has consisted to a large extent of precarious low-wage jobs. Growth depended on export surpluses based on an internal real devaluation (low unit labour costs which make Germany vulnerable to global recessions as in 2009. Overall inequality increased substantially.

Nudging Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Purnhagen, Kai; Reisch, Lucia A.

Since 2015 behavioural scientists investigate at the German chancellery how one could regulate better. This piece illustrates the background of this new strategy and possible concequences for regulation and Rechtswissenschaft in Germany. We first discuss the concept of behaviourally informed regu...

Germany. A pioneer on earthen feet?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michaelowa, A.

2003-01-01

Germany is one of the two OECD countries having achieved substantial greenhouse gas reductions in the last decade. While a part was large reductions in industry after the economic crash in East Germany, a relevant share is due to the huge public infrastructure investments in East Germany. The real success of German climate policy in the past decade is the strong reduction of methane and nitrous oxide which has been almost unnoticed. German climate policy is a good example of how lobbying of interest groups leads to a complex maze of hundreds of measures whose effects are difficult to evaluate. Paradoxically, policies have focused on expensive measures and Germany clearly is a pioneer in the most expensive forms of renewable energy. Concerning cost-effective measures and market instruments, Germany is a laggard. Only slowly, policymakers start to notice this distortion and first, shaky steps towards a more cost-efficient policy are made. Several challenges such as nuclear phase-out and trends in household energy consumption will put pressure on government to embrace the Kyoto Mechanisms and to refocus domestic instruments well before the first commitment period

Integrated solid waste management in Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-07-01

This report covers Germany`s experience with integrated solid waste management programs. The municipal solid waste practices of four cities include practices and procedures that waste facility managers with local or state governments may consider for managing their own day-to-day operations.

Sea level trends in South East Asian Seas (SEAS)

Science.gov (United States)

Strassburg, M. W.; Hamlington, B. D.; Leben, R. R.; Manurung, P.; Lumban Gaol, J.; Nababan, B.; Vignudelli, S.; Kim, K.-Y.

2014-10-01

Southeast Asian Seas (SEAS) span the largest archipelago in the global ocean and provide a complex oceanic pathway connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The SEAS regional sea level trends are some of the highest observed in the modern satellite altimeter record that now spans almost two decades. Initial comparisons of global sea level reconstructions find that 17 year sea level trends over the past 60 years exhibit good agreement in areas and at times of strong signal to noise associated decadal variability forced by low frequency variations in Pacific trade winds. The SEAS region exhibits sea level trends that vary dramatically over the studied time period. This historical variation suggests that the strong regional sea level trends observed during the modern satellite altimeter record will abate as trade winds fluctuate on decadal and longer time scales. Furthermore, after removing the contribution of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) to sea level trends in the past twenty years, the rate of sea level rise is greatly reduced in the SEAS region. As a result of the influence of the PDO, the SEAS regional sea level trends during 2010s and 2020s are likely to be less than the global mean sea level (GMSL) trend if the observed oscillations in wind forcing and sea level persist. Nevertheless, long-term sea level trends in the SEAS will continue to be affected by GMSL rise occurring now and in the future.

Germany after Federal elections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niedzballa, G.

2010-01-01

The political, economical and social situation in Germany after the election and attitude to nuclear energy are summarised. The Coalition agreement include: 1.Extension of the remaining lifetimes of the nuclear power plants (Nuclear Power considered as “Bridging technology”; Safety first; Skimming of additional profits) 2. No nuclear new builds in Germany 3. Approval and promotion (loan guarantees) of nuclear exports 4. Reversal of the moratorium regarding the exploration of Gorleben salt dome (Completion of the exploration; International Peer Review Group) 5.Further research regarding competence preservation and safety

Impact assessment of a fisheries closure with effort and landings spatial analyses: A case study in the Western Baltic Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miethe, Tanja; Bastardie, Francois; Dorrien, Christian von

2014-01-01

Commercial fisheries in the Western Baltic Sea (WBS; ICES Subdivisions 22–24) are dominated by Danishand German vessels. By combining and processing logbook and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data forGermany and Denmark, we compare patterns of spatial effort allocation and the origin of the landi......Commercial fisheries in the Western Baltic Sea (WBS; ICES Subdivisions 22–24) are dominated by Danishand German vessels. By combining and processing logbook and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data forGermany and Denmark, we compare patterns of spatial effort allocation and the origin...... landedin the WBS decreased, and the origin of these landings shifted farther east without affecting the seasonaleffort allocation. Landings of cod have also decreased in the Fehmarn Belt area, and since 2008, sprat hasbeen the species most landed there. The planned construction of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed...... of sprat distribution in the area. Becausehigh effort did not lead to large sprat landings in all locations, effort displacement to high effort areas maynot compensate for lost sprat landings, particularly for mixed fishery métiers that also landed herring...

[Tularemia in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Kohlmann, R; Geis, G; Gatermann, S G

2014-07-01

The bacterium Francisella tularensis is known for more than 100 years by now as the etiological agent of the disease tularemia, a zoonotic infection with a worldwide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. The prevalence of tularemia shows a wide geographic variation, being comparably infrequent in Germany. Tularemia can present itself with multiple clinical manifestations including ulceroglandular, glandular, oropharyngeal, oculoglandular, respiratory and typhoidal forms. Due to the low prevalence and the unspecific symptomatology, a rapid diagnosis and early start of an effective therapy are rarely obtained. Thus, in this article we summarize important aspects concerning etiology, ecology and routes of transmission, recent epidemiologic situation, clinical picture, diagnostics and treatment of tularemia, focusing on the situation in Germany. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Recent facts about photovoltaics in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wirth, Harry

2015-01-01

Germany is leaving the age of fossil fuel behind. In building a sustainable energy future, photovoltaics is going to have an important role. The following summary consists of the most recent facts, figures and findings and shall assist in forming an overall assessment of the photovoltaic expansion in Germany.

Interplay of salt dynamics, sea-level change and climate on the depositional evolution of a Paleogene economic coal bearing salt rim syncline, Schoeningen, Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Osman, A.; Pollok, L.; Brandes, C.; Winsemann, J. [Leibniz Univ. Hannover (Germany). Inst. fuer Geologie

2013-08-01

The Paleogene basin fill (maximum 300 m thick) of the Schoeningen rim syncline in northern Germany is well known for its economic lignitic coal deposits. The fill provides an example of the interaction of basin subsidence, sea-level, and climate changes on depositional environment and gives insight into the development of the coal seams within a sequence stratigraphic context. The rim syncline records thirteen Lower to Middle Eocene coal seams with intervening clastic layers that were deposited during a long-lived transgression of the Central German Estuary, which lasted until the Late Oligocene (Standke, 2008). The previous analysis of the rim syncline fill has primarily focused on coal deposits, their lateral extent and paleo-botanical habitat. In this work, 357 lithologic logs were calibrated to outcrop profiles and integrated with previous studies to provide a facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy interpretation of the syncline fill. This improves understanding of the depositional environments of the lesser-studied clastics that intervene the coals (Osman et al., in review). Four 3{sup rd} order sequences are recorded in the Lower to Middle Eocene basin fill. Sequences 1 and 2 document the interplay of sands and coals within a transgressive estuarine phase. The sands show a regime change from tide- to more wave-dominated estuarine conditions before a turnaround to a regressive deltaic phase. This succession typifies an incised valley fill. However, the accommodation space generated for the initial estuary development is thought to have originated via continual salt withdrawal (Brandes et al. 2012) instead of by incision during relative sea-level fall. The observed tide to wave estuary regime change is linked to increased subsidence rates at 57 Ma that generated a higher tidal prism. As the subsidence rates slowed and the syncline broadened, the tidal prism decreased, leading to the development of more wave-dominated facies. The intervening coal seams

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen to the Baltic Sea in the period 1995–2006

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Bartnicki

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The EMEP/MSC-W model has been used to compute atmospheric nitrogen deposition into the Baltic Sea basin for the period of 12 yr: 1995–2006. The level of annual total nitrogen deposition into the Baltic Sea basin has changed from 230 Gg N in 1995 to 199 Gg N in 2006, decreasing 13 %. This value corresponds well with the total nitrogen emission reduction (11 % in the HELCOM Contracting Parties. However, inter-annual variability of nitrogen deposition to the Baltic Sea basin is relatively large, ranging from −13 % to +17 % of the averaged value. It is mainly caused by the changing meteorological conditions and especially precipitation in the considered period. The calculated monthly deposition pattern is similar for most of the years showing maxima in the autumn months October and November. The source allocation budget for atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the Baltic Sea basin was calculated for each year of the period 1997–2006. The main emission sources contributing to total nitrogen deposition are: Germany 18–22 %, Poland 11–13 % and Denmark 8–11 %. There is also a significant contribution from distant sources like the United Kingdom 6–9 %, as well as from the international ship traffic on the Baltic Sea 4–5 %.

Improving the spatial and temporal resolution with quantification of uncertainty and errors in earth observation data sets using Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions methodology

Science.gov (United States)

El Serafy, Ghada; Gaytan Aguilar, Sandra; Ziemba, Alexander

2016-04-01

There is an increasing use of process-based models in the investigation of ecological systems and scenario predictions. The accuracy and quality of these models are improved when run with high spatial and temporal resolution data sets. However, ecological data can often be difficult to collect which manifests itself through irregularities in the spatial and temporal domain of these data sets. Through the use of Data INterpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions(DINEOF) methodology, earth observation products can be improved to have full spatial coverage within the desired domain as well as increased temporal resolution to daily and weekly time step, those frequently required by process-based models[1]. The DINEOF methodology results in a degree of error being affixed to the refined data product. In order to determine the degree of error introduced through this process, the suspended particulate matter and chlorophyll-a data from MERIS is used with DINEOF to produce high resolution products for the Wadden Sea. These new data sets are then compared with in-situ and other data sources to determine the error. Also, artificial cloud cover scenarios are conducted in order to substantiate the findings from MERIS data experiments. Secondly, the accuracy of DINEOF is explored to evaluate the variance of the methodology. The degree of accuracy is combined with the overall error produced by the methodology and reported in an assessment of the quality of DINEOF when applied to resolution refinement of chlorophyll-a and suspended particulate matter in the Wadden Sea. References [1] Sirjacobs, D.; Alvera-Azcárate, A.; Barth, A.; Lacroix, G.; Park, Y.; Nechad, B.; Ruddick, K.G.; Beckers, J.-M. (2011). Cloud filling of ocean colour and sea surface temperature remote sensing products over the Southern North Sea by the Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions methodology. J. Sea Res. 65(1): 114-130. Dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2010.08.002

Transport of radioactive waste in Germany - a survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alter, U.

1995-01-01

The transport of radioactive waste is centralised and coordinated by the German Railway Company (Deutsche Bahn AG, DB) in Germany. The conditioning of radioactive waste is now centralised and carried out by the Gesellschaft fuer Nucklear Service (GNS). The Germany Railway Company, DB, is totally and exclusively responsible for the transport, the GNS is totally and exclusively responsible for the conditioning of radioactive waste. The German Railway Company transports all radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, conditioning facilities and the existing intermediate storage facilities in Germany. In 1992 nearly 177 shipments of radioactive waste were carried out, in 1991 the total amount was 179 shipments. A brief description of the transport procedures, the use of different waste packages for radioactive waste with negligible heat generation and the transport routes within Germany will be given. For this purpose the inspection authorities in Germany have used a new documentation system, a special computer program for waste flow tracking and quality assurance and compliance assurance, developed by the electrical power companies in Germany. (Author)

High-resolution grids of hourly meteorological variables for Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Krähenmann, S.; Walter, A.; Brienen, S.; Imbery, F.; Matzarakis, A.

2018-02-01

We present a 1-km2 gridded German dataset of hourly surface climate variables covering the period 1995 to 2012. The dataset comprises 12 variables including temperature, dew point, cloud cover, wind speed and direction, global and direct shortwave radiation, down- and up-welling longwave radiation, sea level pressure, relative humidity and vapour pressure. This dataset was constructed statistically from station data, satellite observations and model data. It is outstanding in terms of spatial and temporal resolution and in the number of climate variables. For each variable, we employed the most suitable gridding method and combined the best of several information sources, including station records, satellite-derived data and data from a regional climate model. A module to estimate urban heat island intensity was integrated for air and dew point temperature. Owing to the low density of available synop stations, the gridded dataset does not capture all variations that may occur at a resolution of 1 km2. This applies to areas of complex terrain (all the variables), and in particular to wind speed and the radiation parameters. To achieve maximum precision, we used all observational information when it was available. This, however, leads to inhomogeneities in station network density and affects the long-term consistency of the dataset. A first climate analysis for Germany was conducted. The Rhine River Valley, for example, exhibited more than 100 summer days in 2003, whereas in 1996, the number was low everywhere in Germany. The dataset is useful for applications in various climate-related studies, hazard management and for solar or wind energy applications and it is available via doi: 10.5676/DWD_CDC/TRY_Basis_v001.

SEA in local land use planning - first experience in the Alpine States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiricka, Alexandra; Proebstl, Ulrike

2008-01-01

In the Alpine area, planning decisions can result in far-reaching consequences because of the high sensitivity of the Alpine ecosystems. This article is based on two hypotheses: (1) The Alpine states/regions were aware of their sensitive environment and therefore recognized the necessity of introducing a comparable instrument to assess local land use planning. (2) By introducing this differentiated assessment tool, namely SEA, an increase in costs may be the consequence. However, better and more transparent planning can contribute to the enhancement of planning standards. To reveal the validity of these assumptions the legal implementation in the Alpine countries Austria, Germany, Italy and France was examined as well as first practical experience resulting from the determined procedures. The results of the implementation process in the four states were compared and discussed on the basis of selected process steps of SEA

When the Seasons Don't Fit: Speedy Molt as a Routine Carry-Over Cost of Reproduction

OpenAIRE

Dietz, M.W.; Rogers, K.G.; Piersma, T.

2013-01-01

The failure of animals to fit all life-cycle stages into an annual cycle could reduce the chances of successful breeding. In some cases, non-optimal strategies will be adopted in order to maintain the life-cycle within the scope of one year. We studied trade-offs made by a High Arctic migrant shorebird, the red knot Calidris canutus islandica, between reproduction and wing feather molt carried out in the non-breeding period in the Dutch Wadden Sea. We compared primary molt duration between bi...

Lithosphere and upper-mantle structure of the southern Baltic Sea estimated from modelling relative sea-level data with glacial isostatic adjustment

Science.gov (United States)

Steffen, H.; Kaufmann, G.; Lampe, R.

2014-06-01

During the last glacial maximum, a large ice sheet covered Scandinavia, which depressed the earth's surface by several 100 m. In northern central Europe, mass redistribution in the upper mantle led to the development of a peripheral bulge. It has been subsiding since the begin of deglaciation due to the viscoelastic behaviour of the mantle. We analyse relative sea-level (RSL) data of southern Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland and Lithuania to determine the lithospheric thickness and radial mantle viscosity structure for distinct regional RSL subsets. We load a 1-D Maxwell-viscoelastic earth model with a global ice-load history model of the last glaciation. We test two commonly used ice histories, RSES from the Australian National University and ICE-5G from the University of Toronto. Our results indicate that the lithospheric thickness varies, depending on the ice model used, between 60 and 160 km. The lowest values are found in the Oslo Graben area and the western German Baltic Sea coast. In between, thickness increases by at least 30 km tracing the Ringkøbing-Fyn High. In Poland and Lithuania, lithospheric thickness reaches up to 160 km. However, the latter values are not well constrained as the confidence regions are large. Upper-mantle viscosity is found to bracket [2-7] × 1020 Pa s when using ICE-5G. Employing RSES much higher values of 2 × 1021 Pa s are obtained for the southern Baltic Sea. Further investigations should evaluate whether this ice-model version and/or the RSL data need revision. We confirm that the lower-mantle viscosity in Fennoscandia can only be poorly resolved. The lithospheric structure inferred from RSES partly supports structural features of regional and global lithosphere models based on thermal or seismological data. While there is agreement in eastern Europe and southwest Sweden, the structure in an area from south of Norway to northern Germany shows large discrepancies for two of the tested lithosphere models. The lithospheric

Eastern Germany Ahead in Employment of Women

OpenAIRE

Elke Holst; Anna Wieber

2014-01-01

Almost a quarter of a century after the fall of the Wall, there are still more women in employment in eastern Germany than in the west. Although the disparity is marginal now, the two regions started from dramatically different levels. In 1991, immediately after reunification, the employment rate for women in western Germany was 54.6 percent, but since then it has increased year on year, reaching 67.5 percent in 2012. In eastern Germany, female employment initially plummeted after the fall of...

Depression Disturbs Germany

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2011-01-01

The suicide of Robert Enke,the goalkeeper of the Germany national football team who had battled depression for years,stunned the country and cast depression into the national spotlight as a disturbing disease.

Hydroacoustic detection of dumped ammunition in the Ocean with multibeam snippet backscatter analyses. A case study from the 'Kolberger Heide' ammunition dump site (Baltic Sea, Germany)

Science.gov (United States)

Kunde, Tina; Schneider von Deimling, Jens

2016-04-01

Dumped ammunition in the sea is a matter of great concern in terms of safe navigation and environmental threads. Because corrosion of the dumped ammunition's hull is ongoing, future contamination of the ambient water by their toxic interior is likely to occur. The location of such dump sites is approximately known from historical research and ship log book analyses. Subsequent remote sensing of ammunition dumping sites (e.g. mines) on the seafloor is preferentially performed with hydro-acoustic methods such as high resolution towed side scan or by the sophisticated synthetic aperture sonar approach with autonomous underwater vehicles. However, these are time consuming and expensive procedures, while determining the precise position of individual mines remains a challenging task. To mitigate these shortcomings we suggest using ship-born high-frequency multibeam sonar in shallow water to address the task of mine detection and precise localization on the seabed. Multibeam sonar systems have improved their potential in regard to backscatter analyses significantly over the past years and nowadays present fast and accurate tools for shallow water surveying to (1) detect mines in multibeam snippet backscatter data (2) determine their precise location with high accuracy intertial navigation systems. A case study was performed at the prominent ammunition dumping site 'Kolberger Heide' (Baltic Sea, Germany) in the year 2014 using a modern hydro-acoustic multibeam echosounder system with 200-400 kHz (KONGSBERG EM2040c). With an average water depth of not even 20 m and the proximity to the shore line and dense waterways, this investigated area requires permanent navigational care. Previously, the study area was surveyed by the Navy with the very sophisticated HUGIN AUV equipped with a synthetic aperture sonar with best resolution by current technology. Following an evaluation of the collected data, various ammunition bodies on the sea floor could be clearly detected. Analyses

Echoes from the past: Regional variations in recovery within a harbour seal population.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sophie M J M Brasseur

Full Text Available Terrestrial and marine wildlife populations have been severely reduced by hunting, fishing and habitat destruction, especially in the last centuries. Although management regulations have led to the recovery of some populations, the underlying processes are not always well understood. This study uses a 40-year time series of counts of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina in the Wadden Sea to study these processes, and demonstrates the influence of historical regional differences in management regimes on the recovery of this population. While the Wadden Sea is considered one ecologically coupled zone, with a distinct harbour seal population, the area is divided into four geo-political regions i.e. the Netherlands, Lower Saxony including Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark. Gradually, seal hunting was banned between 1962 and 1977 in the different regions. Counts of moulting harbour seals and pup counts, obtained during aerial surveys between 1974 and 2014, show a population growth from approximately 4500 to 39,000 individuals. Population growth models were developed to assess if population growth differed between regions, taking into account two Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV epizootics, in 1988 and 2002 which seriously affected the population. After a slow start prior to the first epizootic, the overall population grew exponentially at rates close to assumed maximum rates of increase in a harbour seal population. Recently, growth slowed down, potentially indicative of approaching carrying capacity. Regional differences in growth rates were demonstrated, with the highest recovery in Netherlands after the first PDV epizootic (i.e. 17.9%, suggesting that growth was fuelled by migration from the other regions, where growth remained at or below the intrinsic growth rate (13%. The seals' distribution changed, and although the proportion of seals counted in the German regions declined, they remained by far the most important pupping region, with approximately

Echoes from the past: Regional variations in recovery within a harbour seal population.

Science.gov (United States)

Brasseur, Sophie M J M; Reijnders, Peter J H; Cremer, Jenny; Meesters, Erik; Kirkwood, Roger; Jensen, Lasse Fast; Jeβ, Armin; Galatius, Anders; Teilmann, Jonas; Aarts, Geert

2018-01-01

Terrestrial and marine wildlife populations have been severely reduced by hunting, fishing and habitat destruction, especially in the last centuries. Although management regulations have led to the recovery of some populations, the underlying processes are not always well understood. This study uses a 40-year time series of counts of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Wadden Sea to study these processes, and demonstrates the influence of historical regional differences in management regimes on the recovery of this population. While the Wadden Sea is considered one ecologically coupled zone, with a distinct harbour seal population, the area is divided into four geo-political regions i.e. the Netherlands, Lower Saxony including Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark. Gradually, seal hunting was banned between 1962 and 1977 in the different regions. Counts of moulting harbour seals and pup counts, obtained during aerial surveys between 1974 and 2014, show a population growth from approximately 4500 to 39,000 individuals. Population growth models were developed to assess if population growth differed between regions, taking into account two Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) epizootics, in 1988 and 2002 which seriously affected the population. After a slow start prior to the first epizootic, the overall population grew exponentially at rates close to assumed maximum rates of increase in a harbour seal population. Recently, growth slowed down, potentially indicative of approaching carrying capacity. Regional differences in growth rates were demonstrated, with the highest recovery in Netherlands after the first PDV epizootic (i.e. 17.9%), suggesting that growth was fuelled by migration from the other regions, where growth remained at or below the intrinsic growth rate (13%). The seals' distribution changed, and although the proportion of seals counted in the German regions declined, they remained by far the most important pupping region, with approximately 70% of all pups

Geo-Seas - building a unified e-infrastructure for marine geoscientific data management in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Glaves, H.; Schaap, D.

2012-04-01

collaborative links with other European projects including EMODNET, Eurofleets. Genesi-DEC and iMarine as well as extending to the wider marine geoscientific and oceanographic community including projects in the USA such as the Rolling Deck Repository (R2R) initiative and also organisations in both the USA and Australia. On behalf of the Geo-Seas consortium partners: NERC-BGS (United Kingdom), NERC-BODC (United Kingdom), NERC-NOCS (United Kingdom), MARIS (Netherlands), IFREMER (France), BRGM (France), TNO (Netherlands), BSH (Germany), IGME (Spain), LNEG (Portugal), GSI (Ireland), BGR (Germany), OGS (Italy), GEUS (Denmark), NGU (Norway), PGI (Poland), EGK (Estonia), NRC-IGG (Lithuania), IO-BAS (Bulgaria), NOA (Greece), CIRIA (United Kingdom), MUMM (Belgium), UB (Spain), UCC (Ireland), EU-Consult (Netherlands), CNRS (France), SHOM (France), CEFAS (United Kingdom), and LU (Latvia).

The visual arts influence in Nazi Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bie Yanan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article will discuss the influence of visual art in Nazi Germany from two parts of visual arts, which are political photography and poster propaganda, analyzing the unique social and historical stage of Nazi Germany. And it emphasizes the ideology of the Nazis, which in Nazi Germany inflamed the political sentiment of the masses and took the visual art as their important instrument of political propaganda, while Nazi party used visual art on anti-society and war which is worth warning and criticizing for later generation.

Market value-oriented gas pricing in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eimermacher, T.

1996-01-01

In Germany, natural gas faces stiff competition from other types of energy. In many applications, natural gas is capable of replacing other fuels. In addition there is a growing gas-to-gas competition in some European countries, either through pipeline construction by a competitor as in Germany or by mandatory third-party access as in UK. Competition leads to market value-oriented energy pricing, which is particularly evident in Germany. For the consumer, this competitive situation ensures that natural gas can be obtained (and remains available in the long term) at competitive prices

Agro-environmental policies in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frohberg, K.; Weingarten

1997-01-01

Agricultural activities always have impacts on the environment. Whereas soil erosion is a minor problem in Germany water pollution due to modern and intensive agriculture is of major concern. At first the paper discusses to what extent agriculture contributes to environmental pollution in Germany, in particular to the pollution of surface waters (as well as hydroelectric power constructions on the Danube) and groundwater by nutrients and pesticides. Agro-environmental policy in Germany is dominated by command-and-control-measures. Hence, in the second section, recent developments of the most important legal and institutional settings concerning water conservation policies are surveyed with special emphasis on the Federal Water Act and the Implementation of the Nitrate Directive into German legislation by the Fertilizer Ordinance. Thirdly, impacts of alternative water conservation policies are investigated using a regionalized agricultural sector model. Information obtained by this model analysis cover the development of N-balances, potential nitrate concentrations in the recharged groundwater, costs potentially effected by this and resulting agricultural incomes on the country level of the former Federal Republic Germany. The last section focuses on programs promoting environmentally sound farming practices, which gained increasing importance in the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union in the last years. It is argued that this development will also continue in the future. (author)

EMI in Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weiss, Felix; Schindler, Steffen

2017-01-01

This article discusses effectively maintained inequality considering two different examples from the Germany education system: secondary school attainment and enrolment in highly ranked universities among freshmen. In our analyses of secondary school attainment, we investigate whether considering...

4. One Sea, One Humanity. Modeling the Man-Sea Relationship in Friedrich Ratzel’s Anthropogeographical Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlotta Santini

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The prevailing concept of geography, understood as the study and description of the Earth, can be viewed as a form of removal: less than two-thirds of the globe, that is, the seas or the liquid elements of the Earth, are removed or at the very least are not explicitly designated. This article will focus on issues concerning the classification, systematization, and conceptualization of geographic knowledge that took place in nineteenth-century Germany. I will try to demonstrate how this alleged “removal” operates in modern geography and how it links with a contrasting movement that aims to reintegrate the liquid element of the Earth into the field of geography, on the basis of the man/world relation. I will focus in particular on Friedrich Ratzel’s (1844-1904 pioneering studies in anthropogeography and political geography.

Germany at CERN

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

From left to right: Maximilian Metzger, CERN's Secretary-General, Hermann Schunck, Director at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and Robert Aymar, CERN's Director-General, talking to Wolfgang Holler from Butting, one of the companies at the "Germany at CERN" exhibition. Far right : Susanne-Corinna Langer-Greipl from BMBF, delegate to the CERN Finance Committee. For three days, CERN's Main Building was transformed into a showcase for German industry. Twenty-nine companies from sectors related to particle physics (electrical engineering, vacuum and low temperature technology, radiation protection, etc.) were here for the ninth "Germany at CERN" exhibition, organised by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), which gave them the opportunity to meet scientists and administrators from the Laboratory. On 1 March the exhibition was visited by a German delegation headed by Dr Hermann Schunck, Director at BMBF.

Bedform evolution in a tidal inlet referred from wavelet analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fraccascia, Serena; Winter, Christian; Ernstsen, Verner Brandbyge

2011-01-01

Bedforms are common morphological features in subaqueous and aeolian environments and their characterization is commonly the first step to better understand forcing factors acting in the system. The aim of this study was to investigate the spectral characteristics of compound bedforms in a tidal...... inlet and evaluate how they changed over consecutive years, when morphology was modified and bedforms migrated. High resolution bathymetric data from the Grådyb tidal inlet channel (Danish Wadden Sea) from seven years from 2002 to 2009 (not in 2004) were analyzed. Continuous wavelet transform of bed...

Is Germany a model for managers?

Science.gov (United States)

Wever, K S; Allen, C S

1992-01-01

Most American managers have a hard time making sense of Germany. The country has a fraction of the resources and less than one-third the population of the United States. Labor costs are substantially higher, paid vacations are at least three times as long, and strong unions are deeply involved at all levels of business, from the local plant to the corporate boardroom. Yet German companies manage to produce internationally competitive products in key manufacturing sectors, making Germany the greatest competitive threat to the United States after Japan. The seemingly paradoxical nature of the German economy typically evokes one of two diametrically opposed responses. The first is to celebrate the German economy as a "model" worth emulating--indeed, as the answer to declining U.S. competitiveness. The alternative, more skeptical response is to question Germany's staying power in a new, more competitive global economy. According to Kirsten Wever and Christopher Allen, the problem with both points of view is that they miss the forest for the trees. Observers are so preoccupied with praising--or blaming--individual components of the German economy that they fail to see the dynamic logic that ties these components together into a coherent system. In their review of recent research on the German business system, Wever and Allen argue that managers can learn an important lesson from Germany. In the global economy, competition isn't just between companies but between entire socioeconomic systems. Germany's ability to design a cohesive economic and social system that adapts continuously to changing requirements goes a long way toward explaining that country's competitive success.

GERMANY & TURKEY – A PARTNERSHIP PERSPECTIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bestenigar KARA

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The article shortly deals with economic and commercial relations between Turkey, that keeps close regulary economic, political and cultural relationship and Germany, which is one of six founding fathers of the European Union. The subject of article has been searched within the following framework: Measurement of commercial relations between export and import between, investment relations between Germany and Turkey, mutual distribution sector.

Mental health of Turkish women in Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bromand, Z; Temur-Erman, S; Yesil, R

2012-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the protective and risk factors of mental distress among Turkish women living in Germany.......The purpose of the present study was to examine the protective and risk factors of mental distress among Turkish women living in Germany....

Poverty, health, and nutrition in Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Helmert, U; Mielck, A; Shea, S

1997-01-01

To investigate the relation between poverty and several variables describing health and nutrition behavior in East Germany and West Germany. Data are from the third National Health Survey in West Germany and the first Health Survey for the new federal states of Germany (1991/92). Both health surveys included a self-administered questionnaire ascertaining sociodemographic variables, smoking history, nutritional behavior (using a food-frequency list), physical activity, and a medical examination comprising measurements of height, weight, blood pressure, and blood sampling for serum cholesterol determination. Participants included 4958 subjects in the West Survey and 2186 subjects in the East Survey aged 25-69 years, with a respective net response rate of 69.0% and 70.2%. Poverty was defined as a household equivalence income of 62.5% or less of the median income of the general population. The lowest income group (poverty or near poverty) comprised 11.6% of East German versus 15.9% of West German males and 14.8% of East German versus 19.3% of West German females. For most but not all health and nutrition parameters, less favorable results were obtained for subjects with an equivalence income below or near poverty. The most striking poverty-related differences regarding cardiovascular disease risk factors were found for lack of regular exercise for both genders and obesity in females. No poverty-related differences were found for the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, despite a much higher prevalence of obesity in persons with an income below the poverty line. Current nutritional behavior and changes in nutritional behavior during the last three years was strongly related to income status, with a more unhealthy status for low-income population groups in both East and West Germany. In Germany, poverty has strong effects on individual health status and nutritional behavior. Because of rising unemployment rates and reductions in social security payments for low

Library Consortia in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Werner Reinhardt

2001-07-01

Full Text Available Looking at the present situation in Germany consortia show a considerable variety of organizational forms. Only in the case of the Friedrich-Althoff-Consortium in Berlin-Brandenburg a corporate body with deed of partnership does exist. In other German states consortia have been formed which are represented by an individual library (e.g. Baden-Württemberg or by a central institution such as the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Bavaria or the Hochschulbibliothekszentrum NRW in North Rhine-Westphalia. Rarely contracts for nationwide consortia have been signed; resulting from an initiative of a professional society, the „Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker“, an agreement was reached allowing for the use of the Beilstein-Crossfire-database in participating universities all over Germany.

Provisions for containment venting in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilhelm, J.G.

1997-01-01

In this short paper an overlook is given of the systems developed in Germany for filtered containment venting and their implementation in nuclear power plants. More information on the development can be found in the Proceedings of the DOE/NRC Aircleaning Conferences. In Germany, 28.8 % of the electric energy is produced by 19 nuclear power reactors. No new power reactor is expected to be built at least within the next ten years, but France and Germany cooperate in the development of a future European Power Reactor (ERP). This reactor type will be fitted with a core catcher and passive cooling in order to avoid serious consequences of a hypothetical core meltdown accident so that provisions for containment venting are not required. 3 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

Provisions for containment venting in Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilhelm, J.G.

1997-08-01

In this short paper an overlook is given of the systems developed in Germany for filtered containment venting and their implementation in nuclear power plants. More information on the development can be found in the Proceedings of the DOE/NRC Aircleaning Conferences. In Germany, 28.8 % of the electric energy is produced by 19 nuclear power reactors. No new power reactor is expected to be built at least within the next ten years, but France and Germany cooperate in the development of a future European Power Reactor (ERP). This reactor type will be fitted with a core catcher and passive cooling in order to avoid serious consequences of a hypothetical core meltdown accident so that provisions for containment venting are not required. 3 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

Functional structure of laminated microbial sediments from a supratidal sandy beach of the German Wadden Sea (St. Peter-Ording)

Science.gov (United States)

Bühring, Solveig I.; Kamp, Anja; Wörmer, Lars; Ho, Stephanie; Hinrichs, Kai-Uwe

2014-01-01

Hidden for the untrained eye through a thin layer of sand, laminated microbial sediments occur in supratidal beaches along the North Sea coast. The inhabiting microbial communities organize themselves in response to vertical gradients of light, oxygen or sulfur compounds. We performed a fine-scale investigation on the vertical zonation of the microbial communities using a lipid biomarker approach, and assessed the biogeochemical processes using a combination of microsensor measurements and a 13C-labeling experiment. Lipid biomarker fingerprinting showed the overarching importance of cyanobacteria and diatoms in these systems, and heterocyst glycolipids revealed the presence of diazotrophic cyanobacteria even in 9 to 20 mm depth. High abundance of ornithine lipids (OL) throughout the system may derive from sulfate reducing bacteria, while a characteristic OL profile between 5 and 8 mm may indicate presence of purple non-sulfur bacteria. The fate of 13C-labeled bicarbonate was followed by experimentally investigating the uptake into microbial lipids, revealing an overarching importance of cyanobacteria for carbon fixation. However, in deeper layers, uptake into purple sulfur bacteria was evident, and a close microbial coupling could be shown by uptake of label into lipids of sulfate reducing bacteria in the deepest layer. Microsensor measurements in sediment cores collected at a later time point revealed the same general pattern as the biomarker analysis and the labeling experiments. Oxygen and pH-microsensor profiles showed active photosynthesis in the top layer. The sulfide that diffuses from deeper down and decreases just below the layer of active oxygenic photosynthesis indicates the presence of sulfur bacteria, like anoxygenic phototrophs that use sulfide instead of water for photosynthesis.

Radioactive waste interim storage in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-12-01

The short summary on the radioactive waste interim storage in Germany covers the following issues: importance of interim storage in the frame of radioactive waste management, responsibilities and regulations, waste forms, storage containers, transport of vitrified high-level radioactive wastes from the reprocessing plants, central interim storage facilities (Gorleben, Ahaus, Nord/Lubmin), local interim storage facilities at nuclear power plant sites, federal state collecting facilities, safety, radiation exposure in Germany.

Electricity prices differences between France and Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hensing, I.; Nolden, A.; Riechmann, Ch.; Schulz, W.

1998-01-01

High electricity prices in Germany especially as compared to France have played an important role in the electricity liberalization debate in Germany. The price differences can largely be explained by cost differences in electricity generation, the electricity grids, personnel cost and local taxes. Further analysis suggests that efficiency improvements upon market liberalization will only partly remove these price and cost differentials. Parts of the cost differentials are attributable to politically-motivated regulations and the (future) regulation of network functions. This implies that Germany can only expect to arrive at internationally comparable electricity prices if it advances with a reform of political and monopoly regulations alongside liberalizing electricity generation and trade. (author)

Optical dating of young tidal sediments in the Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Anni Tindahl; Murray, A. S.; Andersen, Thorbjørn Joest

2007-01-01

reliable and reproducible results in cores from sub-, inter- and supra-tidal sediments, ranging from only a few years up to ~1000 years old, confirming its value in the estimation of estuarine accretion rates. With OSL it is, for the first time, possible to date sediment cores from silty and sandy tidal...... flats, providing a new approach to the problem of evaluation of stability and calculation of sediment budgets for estuaries and coastal lagoons....

Recruitment patterns, low cannibalism and reduced interspecific predation contribute to high invasion success of two Pacific crabs in northwestern Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Geburzi, Jonas C.; Brandis, Dirk; Buschbaum, Christian

2018-01-01

Life-history traits and interactions with native species play an important role for the successful establishment of non-native species in new habitats. We investigated the recent successful invasion of the Pacific crabs Hemigrapsus takanoi and H. sanguineus to the southeastern North Sea coast with respect to their recruitment patterns, as well as interactions of juvenile with sub-adult individuals among the Pacific crabs and with native shore crabs Carcinus maenas. A field survey of juvenile native and introduced crab abundances (carapace width 1.4-10 mm) was conducted in the northern Wadden Sea, spanning 24 months from 2014 to 2016. The survey revealed different seasonal recruitment patterns of native C. maenas and both introduced Hemigrapsus species. Native shore crabs showed a single recruitment peak from June to July, while Hemigrapsus spp. mainly recruited from August to early September, but recruits occurred in low densities throughout the winter until the end of the following spring season. Field experiments on the effects of larger crabs on the recruitment intensity showed that recruitment of H. takanoi was enhanced by the presence of larger congeners, but remained unaffected by larger C. maenas. Recruitment of juvenile C. maenas, by contrast, was reduced by the presence of larger Hemigrapsus spp. Additional laboratory experiments revealed high rates of cannibalism on newly recruited C. maenas by subadult conspecifics as well as strong predation by larger Hemigrapsus spp. In contrast, newly recruited Hemigrapsus spp. had a much lower risk of being preyed on by subadult conspecifics and native shore crabs. Our results suggest that the timing of recruitment in combination with low intraspecific competition and reduced predation pressure by native shore crabs are crucial for the rapid and ongoing establishment of Hemigrapsus spp. in the Wadden Sea.

Baltic Earth - Earth System Science for the Baltic Sea Region

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Markus; Rutgersson, Anna; Lehmann, Andreas; Reckermann, Marcus

2014-05-01

The Baltic Sea region, defined as its river catchment basin, spans different climate and population zones, from a temperate, highly populated, industrialized south with intensive agriculture to a boreal, rural north. It encompasses most of the Scandinavian Peninsula in the west; most of Finland and parts of Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic states in the east; and Poland and small parts of Germany and Denmark in the south. The region represents an old cultural landscape, and the Baltic Sea itself is among the most studied sea areas of the world. Baltic Earth is the new Earth system research network for the Baltic Sea region. It is the successor to BALTEX, which was terminated in June 2013 after 20 years and two successful phases. Baltic Earth stands for the vision to achieve an improved Earth system understanding of the Baltic Sea region. This means that the research disciplines of BALTEX continue to be relevant, i.e. atmospheric and climate sciences, hydrology, oceanography and biogeochemistry, but a more holistic view of the Earth system encompassing processes in the atmosphere, on land and in the sea as well as in the anthroposphere shall gain in importance in Baltic Earth. Specific grand research challenges have been formulated, representing interdisciplinary research questions to be tackled in the coming years. A major means will be scientific assessments of particular research topics by expert groups, similar to the BACC approach, which shall help to identify knowledge gaps and develop research strategies. Preliminary grand challenges and topics for which Working Groups have been installed include: • Salinity dynamics in the Baltic Sea • Land-Sea biogeochemical feedbacks in the Baltic Sea region • Natural hazards and extreme events in the Baltic Sea region • Understanding sea level dynamics in the Baltic Sea • Understanding regional variability of water and energy exchange • Utility of Regional Climate Models • Assessment of Scenario Simulations

Buried paleo-sedimentary basins in the north-eastern Black Sea-Azov Sea area and tectonic implications (DOBRE-2)

Science.gov (United States)

Starostenko, Vitaly; Stephenson, Randell; Janik, Tomasz; Tolkunov, Anatoly

2014-05-01

there are major, rift-like, sedimentary basins underlying the area of the Azov Sea and the inverted north-eastern margin of the Black Sea. It can be speculated that one of these basins may represent the previously unknown western prolongation of the Jurassic-aged Greater Caucasus back-arc basin and that the other may be the legacy of earlier - Late Palaeozoic-Triassic - extensional tectonics in this area. Individuals (in alphabetical order) from each institution involved scientifically in DOBRE-2 (listed alphabetically according to country) include: H. Thybo (Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark); A. Dannowski and E. Flüh (IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany); W. Czuba, A. Guterch and P. Środa (Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland); M. Grad (Institute of Geophysics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland); D. Gryn, K. Kolomiyets, O. Legostaeva, D. Lysynchuk, V. Omelchenko and O. Rusakov (Institute of Geophysics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv); M. Pobedash, N. Polyvach, G. Sydorenko and Z. Voitsytskyi (Ukrgeofisika, Kyiv, Ukraine); as well as the named co-authors of this presentation.

Oil and Gas Emergency Policy: Germany 2012 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

Germany has very little domestic oil and natural gas production and relies heavily on imports. It has well diversified and flexible oil and natural gas supply infrastructure, which consists of crude, product and gas pipelines and crude and oil product import terminals. Natural gas is imported into Germany exclusively by cross-border pipeline. The country has no LNG infrastructure, although some German companies have booked capacities in overseas LNG terminals. Oil continues to be the main source of energy in Germany although it has declined markedly since the early 1970s. It now represents approximately 32% of Germany’s total primary energy supply (TPES). Natural gas consumption in Germany has declined 10% since 2006. Demand was 90 bcm in 2010, down from 100 bcm in 2005. According to government commissioned analysis, the total consumption of natural gas in Germany is expected to continue to decline over the long term. The share of natural gas in Germany’s TPES is currently around 22%. German oil stock levels are generally well above the required 90-days. Total oil stock levels in Germany were equivalent to 140 days net imports in April 2012. Since 1998, the German oil stockholding agency (EBV) has been solely responsible for meeting Germany's 90-day stockholding obligation. The Oil Stockholding Act stipulates that the EBV shall constantly maintain stocks of oil and petroleum products at a level equivalent to or above 90 days of net imports. There is no minimum stockholding obligation on industry, so industry held commercial stocks are held in addition to the EBV stocks. There are several legal tools available to German authorities for natural gas emergency response. These include Ordinances that can be used to restrict the sale, purchase or use of goods, both in terms of quantity and time, or permit them only for certain priority purposes, to ensure that vital energy needs are met. There are no compulsory natural gas storage requirements in Germany, and no

Recollections of a jewish mathematician in Germany

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

Abraham A. Fraenkel was a world-renowned mathematician in pre–Second World War Germany, whose work on set theory was fundamental to the development of modern mathematics. A friend of Albert Einstein, he knew many of the era’s acclaimed mathematicians personally. He moved to Israel (then Palestine under the British Mandate) in the early 1930s. In his autobiography Fraenkel describes his early years growing up as an Orthodox Jew in Germany and his development as a mathematician at the beginning of the twentieth century. This memoir, originally written in German in the 1960s, has now been translated into English, with an additional chapter covering the period from 1933 until his death in 1965 written by the editor, Jiska Cohen-Mansfield. Fraenkel describes the world of mathematics in Germany in the first half of the twentieth century, its origins and development, the systems influencing it, and its demise. He also paints a unique picture of the complex struggles within the world of Orthodox Jewry in Germany....

Emission reduction program in the unified Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kehr, M.; Emsperger, W.; Termuehlen, H.

1992-01-01

High population density and intense industrialization in both parts of Germany resulted in high specific power demands. The domestic availability of hard coal and lignite made coal-fired power plants the backbone of power generation in all of Germany. The unification of Germany has brought together two power generation systems with similar basic needs and concepts. However, forty years existence within different economic systems has resulted in a quite different status in regard to installed generating capacity, availability of various fuels and environmental standards. To bridge the existing gap in a relatively short time is a huge challenge for the utilities, the power generation and distribution industry as well as for the federal and state authorities

Checklist of earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) from Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmitz, Ricarda; Römbke, Jörg; Jänsch, Stephan; Krück, Stefanie; Beylich, Anneke; Graefe, Ulfert

2014-09-23

A checklist of the German earthworm fauna (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) is presented, including published data, data from reports, diploma- and PhD- theses as well as unpublished data from museum collections, research institutions and private persons. Overall, 16,000 datasets were analyzed to produce the first German checklist of Lumbricidae. The checklist comprises 46 earthworm species from 15 genera and provides ecological information, zoogeographical distribution type and information on the species distribution in Germany. Only one species, Lumbricus badensis Michaelsen, 1907, is endemic to Germany, whereas 41% are peregrine. As there are 14 species occurring exclusively in the southern or eastern part of Germany, the species numbers in German regions increase from north to south.

Automated in situ monitoring of migratory birds at Germany's first offshore wind farm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coppack, Timothy; Kulemeyer, Christoph; Schulz, Axel; Steuri, Thomas; Liechti, Felix

2011-07-01

Full text: Offshore wind farms may negatively affect migrating birds, especially at night, by increased photo tactic attraction and risk of collision. Under favourable weather conditions (clear skies, tail wind) the majority of migrants probably fly well above the reach of wind turbine blades. Under unfavourable conditions (sea fog, precipitation, head wind), however, nocturnal migrants could get attracted by brightly lit wind farms, and the risk of collision would hence increase. To assess these potential effects, migration rates and collision probabilities need to be empirically quantified at existing wind farms. This is not an easy task, given the setting and dimension of an offshore wind farm and the sheer quantity and diversity of small-bodied birds potentially passing by. Nocturnal passerine migrants are impossible to count accurately over extended periods with observational methods, and even classic radar technology fails to pro-vide hard-wired information. Complementing the 'Standards for Environmental Impact Assessment' issued by Germany.s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), we have developed and installed a novel radar system (BirdScan) on the research platform FINO 1, situated around 50 km offshore next to the wind farm 'alpha ventus' in the German North Sea. BirdScan operates on the basis of defined detection volumes (fixed radar beam), allowing a precise quantification of passerine and non-passerine radar echoes. Our study design includes alternating measurements within and outside the wind farm in order to assess avoidance and/or photo tactic aggregation behaviour of migrants under various weather situations. At the same time, we are investigating the photo tactic attraction of birds at a smaller spatial scale using motion-controlled infrared cameras directly mounted on the nacelle and shaft of a wind turbine. Through this approach, disoriented birds (and even bats) can be automatically ground-proofed and set in

Seasonal and long-term changes in pH in the Dutch coastal zone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Provoost

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Recent observations and modelling studies suggest that biogeochemical changes can mask atmospheric CO₂-induced pH decreases. Data collected by the Dutch monitoring authorities in different coastal systems (North Sea, Wadden Sea, Ems-Dollard, Eastern Scheldt and Scheldt estuary since 1975 provide an excellent opportunity to test whether this is the case in the Dutch coastal zone. The time-series were analysed using Multi-Resolution Analysis (MRA which resulted in the identification of system-dependent patterns on both seasonal and intra-annual time scales. The observed rates of pH change greatly exceed those expected from enhanced CO₂ uptake, thus suggesting that other biogeochemical processes, possibly related to changes in nutrient loading, can play a dominant role in ocean acidification.

Sea level trends in Southeast Asian seas

Science.gov (United States)

Strassburg, M. W.; Hamlington, B. D.; Leben, R. R.; Manurung, P.; Lumban Gaol, J.; Nababan, B.; Vignudelli, S.; Kim, K.-Y.

2015-05-01

Southeast Asian seas span the largest archipelago in the global ocean and provide a complex oceanic pathway connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans. The Southeast Asian sea regional sea level trends are some of the highest observed in the modern satellite altimeter record that now spans almost 2 decades. Initial comparisons of global sea level reconstructions find that 17-year sea level trends over the past 60 years exhibit good agreement with decadal variability associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and related fluctuations of trade winds in the region. The Southeast Asian sea region exhibits sea level trends that vary dramatically over the studied time period. This historical variation suggests that the strong regional sea level trends observed during the modern satellite altimeter record will abate as trade winds fluctuate on decadal and longer timescales. Furthermore, after removing the contribution of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) to sea level trends in the past 20 years, the rate of sea level rise is greatly reduced in the Southeast Asian sea region. As a result of the influence of the PDO, the Southeast Asian sea regional sea level trends during the 2010s and 2020s are likely to be less than the global mean sea level (GMSL) trend if the observed oscillations in wind forcing and sea level persist. Nevertheless, long-term sea level trends in the Southeast Asian seas will continue to be affected by GMSL rise occurring now and in the future.

40 Years MAGLEV Vehicles in Germany

OpenAIRE

Meisinger, Reinhold; Guangwei, Shu

2011-01-01

On May 6th 1971 the worldwide first MAGLEV vehicle was presented by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) in Ottobrunn near Munich, Germany. Till the year 2000 different test and application MAGLEV vehicles followed, but no commercial use in Germany. Since December 31st 2002 the Shang-hai MAGLEV Transportation System is successfully in operation, as the worldwide first and only one commercial used MAGLEV line. The paper in honour of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eveline Gottzein for her 80th birthday contains in...

Undergraduate medical education in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chenot, Jean-François

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to give international readers an overview of the organisation, structure and curriculum, together with important advances and problems, of undergraduate medical education in Germany. Interest in medical education in Germany has been relatively low but has gained momentum with the new "Regulation of the Licensing of Doctors" which came into effect in 2003. Medical education had required substantial reform, particularly with respect to improving the links between theoretical and clinical teaching and the extension of interdisciplinary and topic-related instruction. It takes six years and three months to complete the curriculum and training is divided into three sections: basic science (2 years, clinical science (3 years and final clinical year. While the reorganisation of graduate medical education required by the new "Regulation of the Licensing of Doctors" has stimulated multiple excellent teaching projects, there is evidence that some of the stipulated changes have not been implemented. Indeed, whether the medical schools have complied with this regulation and its overall success remains to be assessed systematically. Mandatory external accreditation and periodic reaccreditation of medical faculties need to be established in Germany.

Modeling land subsidence due to shallow-water hydrocarbon production: A case study in the northern Adriatic Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Gambolati, G.; Castelletto, N.; Ferronato, M.; Janna, C.; Teatini, P.

2012-12-01

One major environmental concern of subsurface fluid withdrawal is land subsidence. The issue of a reliable estimate and prediction of the expected anthropogenic land subsidence is particularly important whenever the production of hydrocarbon (oil and gas) occurs from large reservoirs located close to deltaic zones (e.g., Mississippi, Po, Nile, Niger, Yellow rivers) or shallow-water with low-lying coastlands (e.g., Northern Caspian sea, Dutch Wadden Sea). In such cases even a small reduction of the ground elevation relative to the mean sea level may impact seriously on human settlements and natural environment. The monitoring of the ongoing land subsidence has been significantly improved over the last decade by SAR-based interferometry. These measurements can be quite effectively used to map the process and calibrate geomechanical models for predicting the future event. However, this powerful methodology cannot be implemented off-shore. Although permanent GPS stations can be established to monitor the movement of the production facilities usually installed above the gravity center of a reservoir, an accurate characterization of the settlement bowl affecting the sea bottom, with a possible migration toward the shore, is a challenge still today. In the present communication the case study of the Riccione gas reservoir is discussed. The field is located in the near-shore northern Adriatic Sea, approximately 15 km far from the coastline, where the seawater height is about 20 m. The gas-bearing strata are 1100 m deep and are hydraulically connected to a relatively weak aquifer. Production of 70% of the cumulative reserves as of 2006 yielded a pore pressure decrease of 60 bars. Reliable geometry and geomechanical properties of the depleted formations were detected with the aid of a 3D seismic survey and a borehole equipped with radioactive markers, respectively. The latter pointed out that the Riccione formations are characterized by an unusually high oedometer

The Role of Western Germany in West European Defense

Science.gov (United States)

1966-04-08

Ralph. Modern German History. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1964. (DD175 F5) 34. German Research Association. Germany: Franz Steiner Verlag Gmb...and Rudolf , Walter. This Germany. New York: New York Graphic Society Publishers, Ltd., 1954. (DD257 L42) 39. Heidenheimer, Arnold J. The Government...202-07, 243. 47. Lauder, K. H. A Brief Review of Science and Technoloc in Western Germany. London: HIISO, 1955. (Q18 G4G7) 48. Leonhardt, Rudolf Walter

48 CFR 252.229-7002 - Customs exemptions (Germany).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Customs exemptions... of Provisions And Clauses 252.229-7002 Customs exemptions (Germany). As prescribed in 229.402-70(b), use the following clause: Customs Exemptions (Germany) (JUN 1997) Imported products required for the...

The role of Germany in resolving the ukrainian crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olena L. Hilchenko

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes the participation of Germany in the matter of the Ukrainian crisis 2013-2015 and presents some approaches to the definition of the term «Ukrainian crisis». Reveals the reasons that lead Germany to take an active position in solving the Ukrainian question. Characterized the evolution of German-Russian relations from 90s to 2014, within which examined the St. Petersburg dialogue, «Pact of Putin-Schroeder», «Weimar triangle», «Partnership for modernization», Russian-Georgian conflict 2008. Available analysis of the new strategy of German foreign policy in 2012 «to support globalization – develop partnerships to share responsibility» and a new paradigm of German foreign policy presented in 2014 in the framework of the Munich conference on security policy. Examines the role of Germany in the European integration process of Ukraine during the Euromaidan events, the signing of the Association Agreement of Ukraine with the EU, ratification and future prospects of the enlargement of the European Union through the Eastern partnership countries. Presents the results of the public opinion of the population of Germany on this issue. Analyzes the position of the Germany government regarding the annexation of Crimea, the illegal referendum in Donetsk and Lugansk regions and the military aggression of Russian Federation against Ukraine. Presents description of the Germany role in the process of the diplomatic settlement of the military conflict in the East Ukraine in the framework of Norman four. On the example of polls are considered the public opinion of the population of Germany concerning possible ways of settlement the Ukrainian crisis. Presents the official position of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. J. Gauck, Chancellor Merkel, Foreign Minister Frank-V. Steinmeier and Minister of Finance Schaeuble on certain issues of the Ukrainian crisis and the prolongations of sanctions against the Russian Federation

Dead Sea deep cores: A window into past climate and seismicity

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Mordechai; Ben-Avraham, Zvi; Goldstein, Steven L.

2011-12-01

The area surrounding the Dead Sea was the locus of humankind's migration out of Africa and thus has been the home of peoples since the Stone Age. For this reason, understanding the climate and tectonic history of the region provides valuable insight into archaeology and studies of human history and helps to gain a better picture of future climate and tectonic scenarios. The deposits at the bottom of the Dead Sea are a geological archive of the environmental conditions (e.g., rains, floods, dust storms, droughts) during ice ages and warm ages, as well as of seismic activity in this key region. An International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) deep drilling project was performed in the Dead Sea between November 2010 and March 2011. The project was funded by the ICDP and agencies in Israel, Germany, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States. Drilling was conducted using the new Large Lake Drilling Facility (Figure 1), a barge with a drilling rig run by DOSECC, Inc. (Drilling, Observation and Sampling of the Earth's Continental Crust), a nonprofit corporation dedicated to advancing scientific drilling worldwide. The main purpose of the project was to recover a long, continuous core to provide a high resolution record of the paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, paleoseismicity, and paleomagnetism of the Dead Sea Basin. With this, scientists are beginning to piece together a record of the climate and seismic history of the Middle East during the past several hundred thousand years in millennial to decadal to annual time resolution.

Public perceptions of cohort studies and biobanks in Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Starkbaum, Johannes; Gottweis, Herbert; Gottweis, Ursula; Kleiser, Christina; Linseisen, Jakob; Meisinger, Christa; Kamtsiuris, Panagiotis; Moebus, Susanne; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Börm, Sonja; Wichmann, H-Erich

2014-04-01

Cohort studies and biobank projects have led to public discussions in several European countries in the past. In Germany, many medium-sized studies are currently running successfully in terms of respondent rates. However, EU-wide research on general public perceptions of biobanks and cohort studies have shown that Germany is among those countries where people express the highest reluctance for providing body material and other data for research purposes. Because of early efforts of the just-initiated German National Cohort Study, we are able to begin to investigate in greater detail how various groups of people across Germany reflect and discuss the ongoing implementation of cohort studies and biobanking in Germany. Our research is based on 15 focus group discussions in four German regions, as well as on Eurobarometer poll data on biobanking.

Greenhouse gas neutral Germany in 2050

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benndorf, Rosemarie; Bernicke, Maja; Bertram, Andreas

2014-01-01

In order to answer the question how a greenhouse gas neutral Germany would look like an interdisciplinary process was started by the Federal Environmental Agency. It was clear from the beginning of this work that a sustainable regenerative energy supply could not be sufficient. Therefore all relevant emission sources were included into the studies: traffic, industry, waste and waste water, agriculture, land usage, land usage changes and forestry. The necessary transformation paths to reach the aim of a greenhouse gas neutral Germany in 2050, economic considerations and political instruments were not part of this study.

Nuclear power perspectives for Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Approximately 300 experts from the power industries, of research and politics, from Germany and abroad followed the invitation of the Deutsches Atomforum (DAtF) to meet at the traditional winter meeting held in Bonn on January 28 and 29, 1992, in order to discuss topical political issues, not only relating to nuclear power, but to primary energy supply in general. Bonn having been chosen as the place for the 1992 meeting, there were unusually many members of Parliament and members of the Federal German Government attending the conference. The four sessions of the conference were devoted to the following aspects: Perspectives, the world energy market, current issues of energy policy in Germany, and preventive risk management. (orig.) [de

Report on nuclear power plant instrumentation and control in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bastl, W.

1992-01-01

The paper describes the status of the NPP control and instrumentation in Germany. The general technology underlying most aspects of NPP C and I in Germany has not altered since the last progress report although there has been many improvements in detail. Since the beginning of 1990 the GRS carried out the safety investigations of NPPs in East Germany. The USSR as the vendor of the plants and France were also involved in the project. The following fields are briefly described: Status of nuclear power in Germany; training simulators; backfitting of computers and information systems; operator support/new control rooms. (author). 6 refs, 1 tab

Year 2 of Germany's Energy Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruciani, Michel

2013-01-01

After a decade characterised by the take-off of renewable energies, Germany decided in 2010 to make them the top priority. At the same time, it decided to make exemplary efforts in terms of energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gases. The audacious nature of this policy was strengthened by the 'turn' taken in 2011 to give up nuclear energy in the wake of the Fukushima accident. Given the initial results for 2012, Germany seems to be on target for reaching its national objective, of 18% renewable energy within total consumption by 2020. Germany is also well placed to reduce its planned cut in electricity consumption of 10%. The country will also meet its commitments, both international and European, concerning greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, recent trends suggest it will be increasingly difficult for Germany to meet its own, domestic goal of cutting emissions by 40%, by 2020. Furthermore, it is hard to see how Germany will be able to bring down total energy consumption by 20% by 2020 (from 2008 levels), or increase the share of renewables in electricity production above 35%. Success with this latter objective is largely dependent on reinforcing networks, both for transmission over long distances and for local distribution. It is not sure that the delays accumulated in both areas will be made up for by 2020, despite the rapid legislative adjustments that have already been made. By favouring intermittent energy sources - wind and solar power - Germany also faces problems of managing frequent production fluctuations. The long term solution to this lies in storing electricity. However, despite the considerable efforts in research and development, the technologies necessary for this will doubtless not be available on a large scale before the end of the present decade. These efforts could nevertheless provide German industry with interesting advantages in sectors of high potential, such as electric vehicles. Measures to promote renewable energies are

Conference on participatory wind energy in France and in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vohrer, Philipp; Poize, Noemie; Hanus, Dominik; Hallmann, Dieter; Jourdain, Pierre; Ruehl, Martin; Bessiere, Patrick; Guyonnet-Duperat, Philippe; Foerster, Maelle; Partetzke, Matthias; Rumolino, Claudio

2014-01-01

The French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a conference on participatory wind energy in France and in Germany. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, about 150 participants exchanged views on the role and involvement of citizens in wind energy projects and raised the question of the prerequisite to the construction of a participatory wind farm. In this framework, the different participatory models existing in both countries were analysed, in particular with regard to their respective advantages and drawbacks and to a legal framework which remains to be defined. Four projects, 2 in France and 2 in Germany, were presented as examples. The call for proposals model was presented and debated as well as the question of the project success, and of its financing and profitability. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - Community wind farms in Germany: status quo and forecast (Philipp Vohrer); 2 - Participatory projects in France: which legal solutions, which prospects for development? (Noemie Poize); 3 - Citizen owned wind farms and their legal forms in Germany: Advantages and challenges of the different schemes (Dominik Hanus); 4 - Make wind power profitable: Citizen participation in Germany and France/Make the energy transition together. The energy co-operative participation as a model in Germany (Dieter Hallmann); 5 - Power to the people - A new model for French wind energy. Beganne community-owned wind farm (Pierre Jourdain); 6 - Making wind power profitable: civic participation in Germany and France: German utility companies rely on wind power. Direct civic participation in the municipal utility company - democratization of the turnaround in energy policy (Martin Ruehl); 7 - French municipalities get involved: calls for projects (Patrick Bessiere); 8 - Crowd-funding - French regulatory framework (Philippe Guyonnet-Duperat, Maelle Foerster); 9 - Making wind energy

[Performance of in vitro fertilization in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

van der Ven, Hans; Montag, Markus; van der Ven, Katrin

2002-07-01

In Germany the application of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) is regulated by federal legislation. Compared with the international situation the "German Embryo Protection Law" is very "restrictive" and various methods of ART are prohibited, e.g. oocyte/embryo donation, embryo cryopreservation and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). Furthermore, in Germany only 1 to 3 fertilized oocytes may be cultured to embryo. All these embryos then have to be transferred into the uterus of a particular patient. Additional fertilized oocytes can only be cryopreserved in a pronuclear state. The success rate of ART has increased significantly over the past few years owing to the introduction of blastocyst cultures and the selection of 1 to 2 good quality blastocysts for embryo transfer. Furthermore, the transfer of only 1 to 2 blastocysts effectively reduces the risk of high rank multiple pregnancies. In Germany, however, the selection of only a few good quality blastocysts for transfer is prohibited by law. New laboratory techniques, e.g. pronuclear scoring and polar body biopsy screening for aneuploidy are in accordance with German law. The application of these methods provides a selection of "good quality oocytes" and seems to increase the overall success rate. Further studies are required, however. The success rate, quality and cost effectiveness of ART in Germany appears compromised when compared with many other countries. What is more, in contrast to the international situation research and development in ART in Germany has been decreasing constantly over the past few years, due to the inappropriate regulations of the German health care system and the insufficient support given to university-based centers.

Deep Geothermal Energy Production in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thorsten Agemar

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Germany uses its low enthalpy hydrothermal resources predominantly for balneological applications, space and district heating, but also for power production. The German Federal government supports the development of geothermal energy in terms of project funding, market incentives and credit offers, as well as a feed-in tariff for geothermal electricity. Although new projects for district heating take on average six years, geothermal energy utilisation is growing rapidly, especially in southern Germany. From 2003 to 2013, the annual production of geothermal district heating stations increased from 60 GWh to 530 GWh. In the same time, the annual power production increased from 0 GWh to 36 GWh. Currently, almost 200 geothermal facilities are in operation or under construction in Germany. A feasibility study including detailed geological site assessment is still essential when planning a new geothermal facility. As part of this assessment, a lot of geological data, hydraulic data, and subsurface temperatures can be retrieved from the geothermal information system GeotIS, which can be accessed online [1].

Managing ageing workforces: Empirical evidence from Germany

OpenAIRE

Drew, H.

2013-01-01

Demographic change (ageing populations and falling birth rates) affects all industrialised nations, including Germany. Traditionally, the problems associated with managing numbers of older workers were mitigated by the Altersteilzeitgesetz in Germany. Under this law, firms were offered financial support by the government to offer early retirement (Müller-Camen et al. 2009). As these provisions came to an end in 2010, the need to find alternative solutions to displacing older workers, as well ...

Inequality-adjusted gender wage differentials in Germany

OpenAIRE

Selezneva, Ekaterina; Van Kerm, Philippe

2013-01-01

This paper exploits data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) to re-examine the gender wage gap in Germany on the basis of inequality-adjusted measures of wage differentials which fully account for gender differences in pay distributions. The inequality-adjusted gender pay gap measures are significantly larger than suggested by standard indicators, especially in East Germany. Women appear penalized twice, with both lower mean wages and greater wage inequality. A hypothetical risky inve...

Persistent Educational Advantage Across Three Generations: Empirical Evidence for Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Ziefle

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article uses survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP to analyze the persistence of educational attainment across three generations in Germany. I obtain evidence of a robust effect of grandparents' education on respondents' own educational attainment in West Germany, net of parental class, education, occupational status, family income, parents' relationship history, and family size. I also test whether the grandparent effect results from resource compensation or cumulative advantage and find empirical support for both mechanisms. In comparison, the intergenerational association between grandparents' and respondents' education is considerably weaker in East Germany and is also mediated completely by parental education. There are hardly any gender differences in the role of grandparents for respondents’ educational attainment, except for the fact that resource compensation is found to be exclusively relevant for women’s attainment in both West Germany and in East Germany after German reunification and the associated transition to an open educational system.

Mortality factors and diseases in free-ranging Eurasian cranes (Grus grus) in Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Fanke, Jane; Wibbelt, Gudrun; Krone, Oliver

2011-07-01

Detailed postmortem examinations were performed on 167 free-ranging Eurasian Cranes (Grus grus) from Germany, collected between September 1998 and December 2008 to evaluate causes of death and diseases. The most common causes of mortality were traumatic injuries (n=105, 62.9%) from collisions with power lines (n=39, 23.4%) and wire fences (n=12, 7.2%). A group of 28 Eurasian Cranes (16.8%) died from organophosphate intoxication. Predation by White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) occurred in four cases (2.4%). Pathologic changes due to infectious diseases were associated with Aspergillus spp. (n=7, 4.2%), endoparasites (n=7, 4.2%), avian poxvirus (n=6, 3.6%), Mycobacterium spp. (n=2, 1.2%), and adenovirus infection (n=1, 0.6%). A severe Strigea spp. infection (n=1, 0.6%) and a leiomyosarcoma (n=1, 0.6%) were newly recognized diseases in Eurasian Cranes in this study.

Germany as an energy-producing country - quo vadis?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rauscher, K.

2003-01-01

Secure, sufficient electricity supplies available at any time, as guaranteed in Germany, are vital to the existence of our modern society. Under the conditions of deregulated markets, it must continue to be possible in Germany to offer reliable, economical and non-polluting energy supplies. These three factors should enjoy equal importance in energy policy decisions in the interest of sustainability. The skewed balance caused by political preferences as experienced at the present time can jeopardize the general objective of optimization of the three factors in the long run. As in no other country, the power industry in Germany had to make a considerable adaptation effort, inter alia, because of market deregulation, airborne pollutant reduction, and agreements on the operating life of existing nuclear power plants. Other problems are likely to arise in the near future, e.g. in connection with emission trading. The power industry is willing and able to solve these future problems. This is true in particular of the expected replacement of power plants of approx. 40 000 MW generating capacity in Germany, where the European framework must be taken into account with a replacement requirement of approx. 200 000 MW. This implies investments of euro 50 billion in Germany alone, which can be made only if there is sufficient security in planning for the operators of power plants. The choice of efficient and economically viable power generation technologies must be possible in this respect. (orig.) [de

Impact of climate change on freshwater resources in a heterogeneous coastal aquifer of Bremerhaven, Germany: A three-dimensional modeling study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jie; Graf, Thomas; Ptak, Thomas

2015-01-01

Climate change is expected to induce sea level rise in the German Bight, which is part of the North Sea, Germany. Climate change may also modify river discharge of the river Weser flowing into the German Bight, which will alter both pressure and salinity distributions in the river Weser estuary. To study the long-term interaction between sea level rise, discharge variations, a storm surge and coastal aquifer flow dynamics, a 3D seawater intrusion model was designed using the fully coupled surface-subsurface numerical model HydroGeoSphere. The model simulates the coastal aquifer as an integral system considering complexities such as variable-density flow, variably saturated flow, irregular boundary conditions, irregular land surface and anthropogenic structures (e.g., dyke, drainage canals, water gates). The simulated steady-state groundwater flow of the year 2009 is calibrated using PEST. In addition, four climate change scenarios are simulated based on the calibrated model: (i) sea level rise of 1m, (ii) the salinity of the seaside boundary increases by 4 PSU (Practical Salinity Units), (iii) the salinity of the seaside boundary decreases by 12 PSU, and (iv) a storm surge with partial dyke failure. Under scenarios (i) and (iv), the salinized area expands several kilometers further inland during several years. Natural remediation can take up to 20 years. However, sudden short-term salinity changes in the river Weser estuary do not influence the salinized area in the coastal aquifer. The obtained results are useful for coastal engineering practices and drinking water resource management. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Maternal Employment and Childhood Overweight in Germany

OpenAIRE

Sophie-Charlotte Meyer

2015-01-01

A widespread finding among studies from the US and the UK is that maternal employment is correlated with an increased risk of child overweight, even in a causal manner, whereas studies from European countries obtain less conclusive results. As evidence for Germany is still scarce, the purpose of this study is to identify the effect of maternal employment on childhood overweight in Germany using two sets of representative micro data. Moreover, we explore potential underlying mechanisms that mi...

Climate protection policy. On Germany's pioneer role

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuebler, Knut

2014-01-01

After a downward trend of many years Germany's energy-related CO 2 emissions have risen again slightly over the past two years. This increase has prompted the federal government to initiate a new climate protection action campaign. After almost 30 years of experience in the field of climate protection policy there is every reason for Germany to be more consistent in using its political scope to act on the unrestrained increase in global greenhouse gas emissions.

The outlook for natural gas in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergmann, B.

1993-01-01

In a generally stagnant energy market, gas will be the energy with the highest growth rate in Germany, especially because of its steadily rising shares in the residential and commercial sector. In western Germany there is to be accepted that the demand forecasts, which were raised from one conference to the next, have passed their zenith. Great uncertainty exists as regards the future use of gas for power generation. In the absence of any significant expansion of this market sector, which is considered rather improbable in western Germany, it can be stated that anticipated gas demand up to the year 2005 is already covered by existing import contracts and scheduled domestic production. The picture is completely different in eastern Germany, where a doubling of consumption is quite feasible. To achieve the requisite diversification of supplies, substantial additional imports from western sources will have to be contracted. Russia can and should remain eastern Germany's main supplier in the long run, but Russian deliveries must be placed on a reliable, long-term contractual basis. As far as new gas projects are concerned, deliveries from Norway, to a limited extent from the United Kingdom and above all as part of the new Russian export initiative are under discussion. Generally speaking, transit will be an increasingly significant issue, especially for additional supplies from Russia. The efficiency and reliability of gas marketing companies will become far more important in an environment characterised by growing uncertainties. The reliable customer offering a dependable market outlet will be increasingly sought. With energy prices likely to increase only slightly, the management of uncertainties and the safeguarding of economic driving forces will be the main challenge facing our supply projects. 15 figs

Variability of O2, H2S, and pH in intertidal sediments measured on a highly resolved spatial and temporal scale

Science.gov (United States)

Walpersdorf, E.; Werner, U.; Bird, P.; de Beer, D.

2003-04-01

We investigated the variability of O_2, pH, and H_2S in intertidal sediments to assess the time- and spatial scales of changes in environmental conditions and their effects on bacterial activities. Measurements were performed over the tidal cycle and at different seasons by the use of microsensors attached to an autonomous in-situ measuring device. This study was carried out at a sand- and a mixed flat in the backbarrier area of Spiekeroog (Germany) within the frame of the DFG research group "Biogeochemistry of the Wadden Sea". Results showed that O_2 variability was not pronounced in the coastal mixed flat, where only extreme weather conditions could increase O_2 penetration. In contrast, strong dynamics in O_2 availability, pH and maximum penetration depths of several cm were found at the sandflat. In these highly permeable sediments, we directly observed tidal pumping: at high tide O_2-rich water was forced into the plate and at low tide anoxic porewater drained off the sediment. From the lower part of the plate where organic rich clayey layers were embedded in the sediment anoxic water containing H_2S leaked out during low tide. Thus advective processes, driven by the tidal pump, waves and currents, control O_2 penetration and depth distribution of H_2S and pH. The effects of the resulting porewater exchange on mineralization rates and microbial activities will be discussed.

Sea surface temperatures and salinities from platforms in the Barents Sea, Sea of Japan, North Atlantic Ocean, Philippine Sea, Red Sea, and the South China Sea (Nan Hai) from 1896-1950 (NODC Accession 0000506)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Surface temperatures and salinities were collected in the Barents Sea, Sea of Japan, North Atlantic Ocean, Philippine Sea, Red Sea, and South China Sea (Nan Hai)...

Educational Systems and Rising Inequality: Eastern Germany after Unification

Science.gov (United States)

von Below, Susanne; Powell, Justin J. W.; Roberts, Lance W.

2013-01-01

Educational systems considerably influence educational opportunities and the resulting social inequalities. Contrasting institutional regulations of both structures and contents, the authors present a typology of educational system types in Germany to analyze their effects on social inequality in eastern Germany after unification. After 1990, the…

Observational analysis of air-sea fluxes and sea water temperature offshore South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Bi, X.; Huang, J.; Gao, Z.; Liu, Y.

2017-12-01

This paper investigates the air-sea fluxes (momentum flux, sensible heat flux and latent heat flux) from eddy covariance method based on data collected at an offshore observation tower in the South China Sea from January 2009 to December 2016 and sea water temperature (SWT) on six different levels based on data collected from November 2011 to June 2013. The depth of water at the tower over the sea averages about 15 m. This study presents the in-situ measurements of continuous air-sea fluxes and SWT at different depths. Seasonal and diurnal variations in air-sea fluxes and SWT on different depths are examined. Results show that air-sea fluxes and all SWT changed seasonally; sea-land breeze circulation appears all the year round. Unlike winters where SWT on different depths are fairly consistent, the difference between sea surface temperature (SST) and sea temperature at 10 m water depth fluctuates dramatically and the maximum value reaches 7 °C during summer.

Wind power in Germany - a success story

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weller, T.

1996-01-01

The successful introduction of wind power to the electric power industry in the Federal Republic of Germany is described using graphic representations to illustrate the industry's growth over the last twenty years. The history of the wind market is discussed, together with the importance of stakeholders as a way of funding the industry. The author concludes that public support for environmentally sensitive power generation was the key factor leading to the success of the wind power industry in Germany. (UK)

Housing Markets in Austria, Germany and Switzerland

OpenAIRE

Martin Schneider; Karin Wagner

2015-01-01

Running counter to the sharp rise in house prices and housing wealth observed since the mid- 1990s in the vast majority of European countries, real house prices in Germany and Austria were going down in this period and did not start to rise until 2010 or 2007, respectively. This reflects national idiosyncracies in housing markets and motivated the discussion of relevant peculiarities in, and similarities among, Austria and Germany as well as Switzerland. Among the most important structural fe...

Tax wedge in Croatia, Belgium, Estonia, Germany and Slovakia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Gabrilo

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to analyse the taxation of labour income in Croatia, Belgium,Estonia, Germany and Slovakia. Having presented an outline of tax system rules, the paper shows the decomposition of the net average tax wedge for different family types and different income levels based on the OECD methodology. The results show that all observed countries apply a progressive tax schedule, apart from Germany where taxation for higher gross wages is not progressive due to a  cap on the SIC base. When it comes to a taxpayer earning an average gross wage, a Croatian single worker without children has the lowest tax burden, followed by Estonia, Slovakia, Germany and Belgium. However, as regards taxpayers earning 400% of AGW, Estonia has the smallest tax wedge, followed by Slovakia, Germany, Croatia and Belgium. Similar results are obtained by analyzing the tax wedge for couples with two children where one spouse is out of work.

Rewriting Germany's nuclear law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roser, T.

1992-01-01

In Germany, the private use of nuclear energy for peaceful uses is strictly regulated by a Nuclear Energy Act. Since its enactment back in 1959, this legislation has been overhauled five times - most recently in 1985. Now Klaus Toepfer, Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment, Protection of Nature, and Nuclear Safety, has set out to revise the Act for the sixth time. The present draft bill is intended to reorganise the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle; eliminate public promotion of nuclear power; clarify points of legal dispute. Of the draft bill's three aims, the last two are more parochial. The real novelty lies in the changes to the rules for the back end of the fuel cycle. First, the Federal Government proposes to abandon the priority given to spent fuel recycling. In future, direct disposal will be an equivalent option, and waste avoidance will have top priority. Intimately linked to the back end proposal is the Government's plan to load on the shoulders of nuclear operators the full responsibility for building and operating repositories for the final disposal of nuclear waste. The third aspect of Government's back end plans concerns decommissioning. At present, operators accumulate provisions over the plant lifetime, which for that purpose is estimated at 19 years. The provisions vary from plant to plant but are generally around DM1 billion and are tax free. Under the proposed regulations, this sum must be available from the first day of operation to cover the case of an early shutdown. In practice, this will increase the initial investment for a nuclear power plant in Germany by 10-20% and so make nuclear power less competitive. (author)

Nuclear power in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, A.

1990-01-01

I want to give some ideas on the situation of public and utility acceptance of nuclear power in the Federal Republic of Germany and perhaps a little bit on Europe. Let me start with public perception. I think in Germany we have a general trend in the public perception of technology during the last decade that has been investigated in a systematic manner in a recent study. It is clear that the general acceptance of technology decreased substantially during the last twenty years. We can also observe during this time that aspects of the benefits of technology are much less reported in the media, that most reporting by the media now is related to the consequences of technologies, such as negative environmental consequences. hat development has led to a general opposition against new technological projects, in particular unusual and large. That trend is related not only to nuclear power, we see it also for new airports, trains, coal-fired plants. here is almost no new technological project in Germany where there is not very strong opposition against it, at least locally. What is the current public opinion concerning nuclear power? Nuclear power certainly received a big shock after Chernobyl, but actually, about two thirds of the German population wants to keep the operating plants running. Some people want to phase the plants out as they reach the end-of-life, some want to substitute newer nuclear technology, and a smaller part want to increase the use of nuclear power. But only a minority of the German public would really like to abandon nuclear energy

Nuclear third party liability in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raetzke, Christian

2016-01-01

The German system of nuclear third party liability has always been, and arguably still is, the object of considerable interest in the international nuclear law community. This may seem surprising since Germany adheres to the Paris Convention and is therefore a party to a community of 15 states all following the same principles enshrined in this Convention. In fact, when implementing the PC, Germany chose the approach ensuring the most literal adherence to the PC's principles: it adopted the PC in its entirety, thus directly transposing the PC text into binding German law, instead of enacting a national law derived from, but not literally translating, the PC. At the same time, perhaps no other nation has made use of the options, choices and margins offered or abandoned by the PC to the national legislators, or kept in store by way of a reservation at signature of the Convention, in such an extended manner, testing - and as has even been contended in the past: stressing - the boundaries of the PC system. Unlimited liability introduced in 1985, the highest financial security of any PC state (EUR 2.5 billion), unlimited territorial scope combined with the principle of reciprocity and liability of German operators even in the force majeure cases of Article 9 of the PC are probably the most interesting decisions made by Germany in this context, established in the Atomic Energy Act (Atomgesetz). These choices betray a certain tendency of the German government to give the greatest possible benefit to victims, and in parallel to achieve a 'normalisation' of the nuclear liability regime, without stifling the industry. Within the compromise underlying the international nuclear liability regime - enabling the nuclear industry to create and sustain an energy sector highly relevant for national electricity production on the one hand and protecting potential victims on the other - Germany has more and more shifted the balance, as far as practically possible, to the

Energy policy strategies of the Baltic Sea Region for the post-Kyoto period - focusing on electricity and district heating generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2012-05-15

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of energy policy strategies for the Baltic Sea Region for the post-Kyoto period. To this aim, the study provides scenarios for the region in order to develop a both secure and climate-compatible energy system for the year 2020 and beyond. The long-term development of the energy systems in the Baltic Sea Region is analysed, i.e. in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the north western part of Russia. The study focuses on the electricity and district heating sectors. The Baltic Sea Region is comprised of countries with very different economies and characteristics. Hydropower is an important source of electricity generation in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Latvia. Biomass resources are significant throughout the region, deriving from both agricultural residues and large forested areas. Wind power already contributes considerably to electricity generation in countries such as Denmark and Germany, and is likely to play a much greater role in the region in the years to come, both onshore and offshore. In the longer term (2030 and beyond), solar power and geothermal energy could also provide notable contributions to the overall energy supply. The study shows that it is technically possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity and district heating sectors of the Baltic Sea Region by close to 100% using mainly renewable energy sources. The results indicate that this is a challenging, but manageable task. The associated costs are moderate and can be further decreased through regional cooperation. Once the various production technologies have the possibility to interact with district heating and flexible electricity consumption, and transmission connections are optimally utilised, it becomes realistic to integrate e.g. large volumes of wind power into the energy system as a whole. Furthermore, the hydro power reservoirs, particularly in Norway, play a key role in

Final storage in Germany. Who is interested?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuehn, K.

2002-01-01

The final storage of radioactive waste and spent fuel in Germany - who, in Germany, has any interest in this subject, especially now that the new Atomic Energy Act has been adopted, and who is going to read this article? The author, Professor Klaus Kuehn, examines this question, analyzing in his contribution the current situation and the points of view of those who may be interested in this topic. In Prof. Kuehn's opinion, the addresses in particular are these: - the federal government, - the opposition in the federal parliament, - the federal states, - the Federal Ministry for the Environment, - the Federal Ministry for Research, - the Federal Ministry of Economics, - the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, - the operators of nuclear power plants, - the Working Group Elaborating Procedures for Selecting Repository Sites (AkEnd). Klaus Kuehn concludes that there is little interest at the present time in the subject of Final Storage in Germany, for reasons explained in detail which result both from the political constellation and from existing constraints. (orig.) [de

AREVA Germany. International competence in nuclear technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graeber, Ulrich

2011-01-01

AREVA NP was created in 2001 by the merger of the French nuclear technology specialist Framatome with the nuclear sector of Siemens. The company is headquartered in Paris and has regional subsidiaries in Germany and the United States. The joint venture's strength lies in its all-round competence in nuclear power plants, from reactor development to power plant services and modernization of operating plants, design and production of fuel assemblies and turn-key construction of nuclear power reactors. Major core competences are located in Germany including the test facilities which are unique in the entire group as well as electrical engineering and instrumentation and control systems. AREVA NP is part of the globally acting AREVA group which pursues a unique integrated business model. The concept covers the entire nuclear fuel cycle from uranium mining to reprocessing used fuel assemblies. At present, AREVA has 48,000 employees worldwide, of which 5,700 are Germany-based. (orig.)

Peculiarities of transformation processes in East Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marion Dathe

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The process of socio-economic transformation of East German lands after the German reunification in 1990 is analyzed, the term "transformation" in frames of planned and market economies is defined. The author studies the historical determinants of the transformation process in Germany. German economic and industrial history in context of the driving forces and their social values, as well as the properties of the planning and economic systems that underlie the transformation of East German mentality, are considered. Further analysis is connected with economic, social and political components of the East German transformation process, "the dominance of the West", the collapse of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, privatization etc. Finally, the outcome of already traversed path of transformation of East Germany is considered. It is concluded, that the transformation process is not only historically conditioned situations of both the merging parties in the case of Germany, but also the positive or negative perception of its results and the motivation for its further implementation.

Benthic primary producers are key to sustain the Wadden Sea food web

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Christianen, M.J.A.; Middelburg, J.J.; Holthuijsen, S.J.; Jouta, J.; Compton, T.J.; Heide, van der T.; Piersma, T.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Veer, van der H.W.; Schouten, S.; Olff, H.

2017-01-01

Coastal food webs can be supported by local benthic or pelagic primary producers and by the import of organic matter. Distinguishing between these energy sources is essential for our understanding of ecosystem functioning. However, the relative contribution of these components to the food web at the

Breeding success of Oystercatcher, terns and gulls in the Danish Wadden Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bregnballe, Thomas; Thorup, Ole; Jensen, Peter Emil

2015-01-01

breeding of Sandwich Terns was recorded on Langli in most of the years during 2006-2010. The Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls that nested on Langli were fairly successful in raising young to fledging during 2009-2013, whereas Common Gulls suffered from predation by Herring Gulls and they hardly...

The Aanloop Molengat site (Wadden Sea, the Netherlands) and Europe anno 1635

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maarleveld, Thijs J.

2017-01-01

Research into the context of the Aanloop Molengat wreck-site leads to a few daring suggestions on how its archaeological data inform us on European political history between 1635 and 1640. It is suggested that the ship was destined for France that had ordered its cargo as part or consequence of a...

Prevalence of weather sensitivity in Germany and Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Mackensen, Sylvia; Hoeppe, Peter; Maarouf, Abdel; Tourigny, Pierre; Nowak, Dennis

2005-01-01

Several studies have shown that atmospheric conditions can affect well-being or disease, and that some individuals seem to be more sensitive to weather than others. Since epidemiological data on the prevalence of weather-related health effects are lacking, two representative weather sensitivity (WS) surveys were conducted independently in Germany and Canada. The objectives of this paper are: (1) to identify the prevalence of WS in Germany and Canada, (2) to describe weather-related symptoms and the corresponding weather conditions, and (3) to compare the findings in the two countries. In Germany 1,064 citizens (age >16 years) were interviewed in January 2001, and in Canada 1,506 persons (age >18 years) were interviewed in January 1994. The results showed that 19.2% of the German population thought that weather affected their health “to a strong degree,” 35.3% that weather had “some influence on their health” (sum of both = 54.5% weather sensitive), whereas the remaining 45.5% did not consider that weather had an effect on their health status. In Canada 61% of the respondents considered themselves to be sensitive to the weather. The highest prevalence of WS (high + some influence) in Germans was found in the age group older than 60 years (68%), which was almost identical in the Canadian population (69%). The highest frequencies of weather-related symptoms were reported in Germany for stormy weather (30%) and when it became colder (29%). In Canada mainly cold weather (46%), dampness (21%) and rain (20%) were considered to affect health more than other weather types. The most frequent symptoms reported in Germany were headache/migraine (61%), lethargy (47%), sleep disturbances (46%), fatigue (42%), joint pain (40%), irritation (31%), depression (27%), vertigo (26%), concentration problems (26%) and scar pain (23%). Canadian weather-sensitive persons reported colds (29%), psychological effects (28%) and painful joints, muscles or arthritis (10%). In Germany 32

The Marketisation of Guidance Services in Germany, France and Britain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rees, Teresa; Bartlett, Will; Watts, A. G.

1999-01-01

Compares developments in Britain, France, and Germany, focusing on the trends toward marketing adult career guidance services. Describes how Germany's centralized system and the quasi-market based system in France might apply in Britain. (JOW)

The DFG Viewer for Interoperability in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralf Goebel

2010-02-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the DFG Viewer for Interoperability, a free and open source web-based viewer for digitised books, and assesses its relevance for interoperability in Germany. First the specific situation in Germany is described, including the important role of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation. The article then moves on to the overall concept of the viewer and its technical background. It introduces the data formats and standards used, it briefly illustrates how the viewer works and includes a few examples.

The distribution and diversity of sea cucumbers in the coral reefs of the South China Sea, Sulu Sea and Sulawesi Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Sau Pinn; Yasin, Zulfigar; Ismail, Siti Hasmah; Tan, Shau Hwai

2013-11-01

A study on the distribution and diversity of sea cucumbers in the coral reefs of the South China Sea, Sulu Sea and Sulawesi Sea was carried out in July 2009. The survey was done using wandering transect underwater with SCUBA. Twelve species of sea cucumber were found from four different families and nine genera. The most dominant family was Holothuriidae (five species), followed by Stichopodidae (three species), Synaptidae (three species) and Cucumariidae with only one species. The most dominant species found around the island was Pearsonothuria graffei, which can be found abundantly on substrate of dead corals in a wide range of depth (6-15 m). The Sulawesi Sea showed a higher diversity of sea cucumber with seven different species compared to the South China Sea with only six different species and Sulu Sea with only two species. Ordination by multidimensional scaling of Bray-Curtis similarities clustered the sampling locations to three main clusters with two outgroups. Previous studies done indicated a higher diversity of sea cucumber as compared to this study. This can be indication that the population and diversity of sea cucumbers in the reef is under threat.

Shellfish Fishery Severely Reduces Condition and Survival of Oystercatchers Despite Creation of Large Marine Protected Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Verhulst

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Fisheries and other human activities pose a global threat to the marine environment. Marine protected areas (MPAs are an emerging tool to cope with such threats. In the Dutch Wadden Sea, large MPAs (covering 31% of all intertidal flats have been created to protect shellfish-eating birds and allow recovery of important habitats. Even though shellfish fishing is prohibited in these areas, populations of shellfish-eating birds in the Wadden Sea have declined sharply. The role of shellfish fisheries in these declines is hotly debated, therefore, we investigated the effectiveness of MPAs for protecting oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus populations. Shellfish stocks (cockles, Cerastoderma edule were substantially higher in the MPAs, but surprisingly this has not resulted in a redistribution of wintering oystercatchers. Oystercatchers in unprotected areas had less shellfish in their diet and lower condition (a combined measure of mass and haematological parameters, and their estimated mortality was 43% higher. It is likely, therefore, that shellfish fishing explains at least part of the 40% decline in oystercatcher numbers in recent years. Condition and mortality effects were strongest in males, and the population sex ratio was female biased, in agreement with the fact that males rely more on shellfish. The unprotected areas apparently function as an "ecological trap," because oystercatchers did not respond as anticipated to the artificial spatial heterogeneity in food supply. Consequently, the MPAs are effective on a local scale, but not on a global scale. Similar problems are likely to exist in terrestrial ecosystems, and distribution strategies of target species need to be considered when designing terrestrial and marine protected areas if they are to be effective.

Combined analysis of field and model data: A case study of the phosphate dynamics in the German Bight in summer 1994

Science.gov (United States)

Pohlmann, Th.; Raabe, Th.; Doerffer, R.; Beddig, S.; Brockmann, U.; Dick, S.; Engel, M.; Hesse, K.-J.; König, P.; Mayer, B.; Moll, A.; Murphy, D.; Puls, W.; Rick, H.-J.; Schmidt-Nia, R.; Schönfeld, W.; Sündermann, J.

1999-09-01

The intention of this paper is to analyse a specific phenomenon observed during the KUSTOS campaigns in order to demonstrate the general capability of the KUSTOS and TRANSWATT approach, i.e. the combination of field and modelling activities in an interdisciplinary framework. The selected phenomenon is the increase in phosphate concentrations off the peninsula of Eiderstedt on the North Frisian coast sampled during four subsequent station grids of the KUSTOS summer campaign in 1994. First of all, a characterisation of the observed summer situation is given. The phosphate increase is described in detail in relation to the dynamics of other nutrients. In a second step, a first-order estimate of the dispersion of phosphate is discussed. The estimate is based on the box model approach and will focus on the effects of the river Elbe and Wadden Sea inputs on phosphate dynamics. Thirdly, a fully three-dimensional model system is presented, which was implemented in order to analyse the phosphate development. The model system is discussed briefly, with emphasis on phosphorus-related processes. The reliability of one of the model components, i.e. the hydrodynamical model, is demonstrated by means of a comparison of model results with observed current data. Thereafter, results of the German Bight seston model are employed to interpret the observed phosphate increase. From this combined analysis, it was possible to conclude that the phosphate increase during the first three surveys was due to internal transformation processes within the phosphorus cycle. On the other hand, the higher phosphate concentrations measured in the last station grid survey were caused by a horizontal transport of phosphate being remobilised in the Wadden Sea.

Phocine distemper virus (PDV) seroprevalence as predictor for future outbreaks in harbour seals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludes-Wehrmeister, Eva; Dupke, Claudia; Harder, Timm C; Baumgärtner, Wolfgang; Haas, Ludwig; Teilmann, Jonas; Dietz, Rune; Jensen, Lasse F; Siebert, Ursula

2016-02-01

Phocine distemper virus (PDV) infections caused the two most pronounced mass mortalities in marine mammals documented in the past century. During the two outbreaks, 23,000 and 30,000 harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), died in 1988/1989 and 2002 across populations in the Wadden Sea and adjacent waters, respectively. To follow the mechanism and development of disease spreading, the dynamics of Morbillivirus-specific antibodies in harbour seal populations in German and Danish waters were examined. 522 serum samples of free-ranging harbour seals of different ages were sampled between 1990 and 2014. By standard neutralisation assays, Morbillivirus-specific antibodies were detected, using either the PDV isolate 2558/Han 88 or the related canine distemper virus (CDV) strain Onderstepoort. A total of 159 (30.5%) of the harbour seals were seropositive. Annual seroprevalence rates showed an undulating course: Peaks were seen in the post-epidemic years 1990/1991 and 2002/2003. Following each PDV outbreak, seroprevalence decreased and six to eight years after the epidemics samples were tested seronegative, indicating that the populations are now again susceptible to new PDV outbreak. After the last outbreak in 2002, the populations grew steadily to an estimated maximum (since 1975) of about 39,100 individuals in the Wadden Sea in 2014 and about 23,540 harbour seals in the Kattegat area in 2013. A re-appearence of PDV would presumably result in another epizootic with high mortality rates as encountered in the previous outbreaks. The current high population density renders harbour seals vulnerable to rapid spread of infectious agents including PDV and the recently detected influenza A virus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Report on the intercomparison run and certified reference material IAEA-381. Radionuclides in Irish sea water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Povinec, P.P.; Pham, M.K.; Ballestra, S.

1999-01-01

The accurate and precise determinations of radionuclide concentrations in marine samples are important aspects of marine radioactivity assessments and the use of radionuclides in studies of oceanographic processes. To address the problem of data quality, the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory (MEL) in Monaco has conducted intercomparison exercises on radionuclides in marine samples for many years as part of its contribution to the IAEA's programme of Analytical Quality Control Services (AQCS). For this intercomparison exercise, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, Hamburg, Germany (BSH) collected sea water from the Irish Sea in 1993. IAEA-MEL distributed sample aliquots during 1995-1996 for intercomparison of anthropogenic and natural radionuclides. About 80 laboratories world-wide were approached with a questionnaire for participation. Of these, only 43 accepted the invitation because of financial constraints (the participating laboratories were asked to pay transportation expenses). As the sample was collected in the Irish Sea, elevated levels of anthropogenic radionuclides were expected due to discharges from the Sellafield reprocessing plant. Participants were informed that the expected activities for anthropogenic radionuclides would be in the ranges: 90 Sr: 50-500 Bq/kg, 137 Cs: 100-1000 Bq/kg, 239+240 Pu: 1-50Bq/kg, 241 Am: 1-50Bq/kg. This report describes the results obtained from 28 laboratories on anthropogenic and natural radionuclide determinations in sea water

The costs of coexistence on farms in Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Punt, Maarten J.; Venus, Thomas J.; Wesseler, Justus H H

2017-01-01

for farmers in their cultivation decisions, and therefore it is important to measure these costs. In this article, we investigate the costs of different coexistence measures for farmers in Germany. Currently, GM crop cultivation is outlawed in Germany, but there was a short period from 2005-2008 when...... that there are important differences in farm characteristics and overall landscape configuration that influence the costs or burden of coexistence measures....

Khat chewing and acculturation in East-African migrants living in Frankfurt am Main/Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Bongard, Stephan; Nakajima, Motohiro; al'Absi, Mustafa

2015-04-22

Khat (Catha edulis, Forsk) is a drug widely used in countries around the Red Sea (East-Africa and Arabian Peninsula). In Germany khat chewing is illegal but nevertheless an often observed habit in immigrants from this region. This study investigates the interrelation between immigrants acculturation processes and traditional khat chewing habits. Sixty-one khat chewers (14 female) from East-African countries were interviewed about their khat chewing habits and acculturation strategy using standardized questionnaires. Results indicate that immigrants׳ khat chewing behaviors are similar to what is common in countries with traditional khat use. But khat chewing tended to be less among immigrants who were relatively more oriented towards their cultures of origin. Chewing khat was subjectively considered to help coping with problems, to forget bad memories and to concentrate better. It was concluded that khat chewing serves a functional use of coping with stressful events in the present or in the past within this sample. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Germany's Armed Forces in the Second World War: Manpower, Armaments, and Supply.

Science.gov (United States)

Balsamo, Larry T.

1991-01-01

Discusses the state of Germany's armed forces in World War II. Describes Germany's progress from inferior weaponry and unprepared military at the beginning of the war to superior weapons and fighting. Stresses heavy German dependence on horse drawn supply. Credits Germany's defeat to human attrition accelerated by Hitler's operational leadership.…

Football business models: Why did Germany win the World Cup?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cortsen, Kenneth

2016-01-01

This article looks into the managerial aspects related to why and how Germany won the 2014 FIFA World Cup.......This article looks into the managerial aspects related to why and how Germany won the 2014 FIFA World Cup....

[Pharmacological aspects of pain research in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Niederberger, E; Kuner, R; Geißlinger, G

2015-10-01

In spite of several approved analgesics, the therapy of pain still constitutes a challenge due to the fact that the drugs do not exert sufficient efficacy or are associated with severe side effects. Therefore, the development of new and improved painkillers is still of great importance. A number of highly qualified scientists in Germany are investigating signal transduction pathways in pain, effectivity of new drugs and the so far incompletely investigated mechanisms of well-known analgesics in preclinical and clinical studies. The highlights of pharmacological pain research in Germany are summarized in this article.

Germany: energy transition or revolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boulanger, V.

2013-01-01

Germany has decided to phase out nuclear power by 2022 but it wants also to get rid of fossil energies by 2050. Those ambitious goals imply to be able to cut by half the demand for primary energy by 2050 which will be only possible if the need for building heating is cut by 80%, the constraint on transport is less important: one million of electrical vehicles will have to be on the road by 2020 and 3 millions 10 years later. In 2012 the production of electricity was made mainly from coal (44.7%), renewable energies (21.9%), nuclear energy (16%), natural gas (11.3%) and other energies (fuel...) (6.1%). Today the renewable energy sector is a major industrial sector in Germany, it represents about 382000 jobs directly or indirectly, it means more than the sector of conventional energies. (A.C.)

Acidification policy - control of acidifying emissions in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaerer, B.

1992-01-01

Since the mid-eighties total annual acidifying emissions have started to decline in West Germany. There was considerable impact on this positive trend in air pollution by the control of SO 2 and NO x emissions from large boilers, which were reduced by more than 80%. Corresponding control programmes have been established for other groups of sources as well as other pollutants and - with unification - for East Germany. The driving force behind this development was and still is first of all the legal principle of anticipatory action or precaution which means in practical terms 'emission minimization'. This cornerstone of German clean air legislation is the most powerful components of Germany's 'acidification policy', as it requires policy-makers to draw up new or review existing regulations for emission reduction based on requirements according to the state of the art and forces operators to apply the most modern ways and means of operation. This paper describes the system used in Germany to deal with air pollution, the emission minimization strategy, and the actions against acidifying emissions based thereon. In addition, an outlook on what might be necessary to cope with the challenges of a sustainable development concerning acidification is given. 1 ref., 1 fig., 2 tabs

The photovoltaic sector in Germany, where does it go?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2012-01-01

Opinion polls show that photovoltaic power is very popular in Germany. This sector employs about 130.000 people and although a lot of solar modules are imported from China, other components like current inverters are fabricated in Germany and as a whole the trade balance is positive and the export rate nears 50%. In 2011 Germany invested 25 billion euros in the photovoltaic sector and now about 5% of the consumed electricity is photovoltaic power. Photovoltaic power reached grid parity in february 2012 for some consumers and the German government decided to reduce the purchase tariff drastically which may jeopardize the aim of having a photovoltaic park of 51 GWc by 2020. (A.C.)

Impact of a 90 m/2 MW wind turbine on birds. En 90 m/2 MW vindmoelles indvirkning paa fuglelivet; Fugles reaktioner paa opfoerelsen og idriftsaettelsen af Tjaereborgmoellen ved Det Danske Vadehav

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brinch Pedersen, M; Poulsen, E

1991-10-01

It is consluded that the wind turbine has caused a ''vacuum effect'', preventing birds from exploiting the areas close to the wind turbine. The impact of this disturbance on birds is evaluated to be a considerable addition to already existing disturbances from e.g. farming, and has caused further deteriorations of the Tjaereborg polder for breeding, staging and foraging birds. Once the wind turbine has been operating permanently for a longer period it will be possible to evaluate the total impact on birds and thus evluate effects of implementation of a large wind turbine on the avian fauna in the Wadden Sea region. (author) 48 refs.

Energy R and D in Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Runci, PJ

1999-11-01

Germany's total national (i.e., combined public and private sector) funding for R&D stood at $42 billion in 1997. The private sector accounted for nearly 62% ($24 billion) of the total, while the public sector accounted for approximately 38%. Since the late 1970s, when the public and private sectors each funded roughly half of Germany's R&D, the private sector has steadily assumed a larger and larger role as the dominant supporter of R&D activity, while overall government funding has remained essentially flat for much of the past two decades. In addition to declining relative to private R&D expenditures, public R&D expenditures in Germany declined by 4% in real terms between 1991 and 1997, to approximately $15 billion. The reduction in R&D investments in the public sector can be attributed in large part to the financial challenges associated with German reunification and related shifts in social priorities including efforts to address high unemployment and to rebuild basic infrastructure in the eastern states. R&D expenditures have also declined as a percentage of the total public budget, from a peak of 3.4% in 1985 to 2.7% in 1996. Energy R&D has been the hardest hit of all major socioeconomic areas of R&D expenditure funded by the German government. Between 1981 and 1997, public energy R&D fell from approximately $1.6 billion to $400 million--a 75% real decline. The $850 million reduction in Germany's fission R&D budget (which constituted two-thirds of government R&D investment in 1985) explains some 90% of the funding decline. Negative public perceptions regarding the safety and environmental impacts of nuclear energy have reduced nuclear power's viability as a long-term energy option for Germany. Discussions of a complete nuclear phaseout are now under way. At the same time, the German government has slashed its investments in fossil energy R&D by more than 90%. While energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies have fared relatively well in comparison

Effects of livestock species and stocking density on accretion rates in grazed salt marshes

Science.gov (United States)

Nolte, Stefanie; Esselink, Peter; Bakker, Jan P.; Smit, Christian

2015-01-01

Coastal ecosystems, such as salt marshes, are threatened by accelerated sea-level rise (SLR). Salt marshes deliver valuable ecosystem services such as coastal protection and the provision of habitat for a unique flora and fauna. Whether salt marshes in the Wadden Sea area are able to survive accelerated SLR depends on sufficient deposition of sediments which add to vertical marsh accretion. Accretion rate is influenced by a number of factors, and livestock grazing was recently included. Livestock grazing is assumed to reduce accretion rates in two ways: (a) directly by increasing soil compaction through trampling, and (b) indirectly by affecting the vegetation structure, which may lower the sediment deposition. For four years, we studied the impact of two livestock species (horse and cattle) at two stocking densities (0.5 and 1.0 animal ha-1) on accretion in a large-scale grazing experiment using sedimentation plates. We found lower cumulative accretion rates in high stocking densities, probably because more animals cause more compaction and create a lower canopy. Furthermore, a trend towards lower accretion rates in horse-compared to cattle-grazed treatments was found, most likely because (1) horses are more active and thus cause more compaction, and (2) herbage intake by horses is higher than by cattle, which causes a higher biomass removal and shorter canopy. During summer periods, negative accretion rates were found. When the grazing and non-grazing seasons were separated, the impact of grazing differed among years. In summer, we only found an effect of different treatments if soil moisture (precipitation) was relatively low. In winter, a sufficiently high inundation frequency was necessary to create differences between grazing treatments. We conclude that stocking densities, and to a certain extent also livestock species, affect accretion rates in salt marshes. Both stocking densities and livestock species should thus be taken into account in management

SeaDataNet : Pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management - Project objectives, structure and components

Science.gov (United States)

Maudire, G.; Maillard, C.; Fichaut, M.; Manzella, G.; Schaap, D. M. A.

2009-04-01

management, taking benefits of the development of international initiatives and standards on data quality insurance, data descriptions (metadata and common vocabulary) and interoperability. Software tools are developed or adapted accordingly to support these practices and the adoption of standards; - establish online services to facilitate data discovery, data requests, data visualisation and data download for the users; - process data sets of reference like ocean climatologies at a regional basin scale to provide comprehensive data sets Sustainability of the provided services is researched by a balance between the activities mostly undertaken at National level by the National Oceanographic data centres or some thematic data centres and the effort done at the Pan-European level by the project. The SeaDataNet consortium brings now together a unique group of 49 partners from major oceanographic institutes of 35 countries. Taking in account that valuable work on ocean data management must be done at basin level, most of countries bordering Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North-East Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic Sea and Artic Sea are part of the project. Capacity building of consortium members is necessary to meet project objectives and a comprehensive training program is conducted both for data management and for IT technologies which are necessary to establish such a distributed system: databases management, XML language, web portal and services, GIS technologies. SeaDataNet Partners: IFREMER (France), MARIS (Netherlands), HCMR/HNODC (Greece), ULg (Belgium), OGS (Italy),NERC/BODC (UK), BSH/DOD (Germany), SMHI (Sweden), IEO (Spain), RIHMI/WDC (Russia), IOC (International), ENEA (Italy), INGV (Italy), METU (Turkey), CLS (France), AWI (Germany), IMR (Norway), NERI (Denmark), ICES (International), EC-DG JRC (International), MI (Ireland), IHPT (Portugal), RIKZ (Netherlands), RBINS/MUMM (Belgium), VLIZ (Belgium), MRI (Iceland), FIMR (Finland ), IMGW (Poland), MSI (Estonia), IAE

Regional cost differences of hospital supply in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauterbach, Karl W.

2005-04-01

Full Text Available The intended adoption of a global reimbursement system for inpatient care in Germany envisions identical payments for identical treatments at different hospitals. This may lead to losses in some hospitals and may cause problems for the supply with health care facilities in the long run if there a important regional cost differences. Cost and performance data of 1112 hospitals in Germany have been analysed for regional differences in 2001: As regional categorizations we used official classification schemes based on centrality. The investigation does not support the postulation of additional payments for selected regions in Germany accounting for level cost-differences between hospitals. Confounding influence factors like ownership and hospital size seem to be more important. We recommend further investigations to evaluate regional cost-differences on the level of medical wards and using more risk-adjusted data. The examination of the individual case is necessary.

Seminar on Biogas in France and in Germany: Regulatory framework, potentials and challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abadie, Pierre-Marie; Boettcher, Katharina; Stolpp, Sebastian; Vincent, Eric; Chapron, Thibaut; Schuette, Andreas; Paquin, Laurent; Ingremeau, Claire; Moeller, Kurt; Trommler, Marcus; Denysenko, Velina; Bosso, Valerie

2014-01-01

The French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a Seminar on biogas in France and Germany. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, about 120 participants exchanged views on the legal framework, the characteristics of this industry, and the opportunities and technical challenges of biogas use in both countries. Differences and similarities were noticed in both countries, for instance regarding the use of energy cultures and digestates. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - The French biogas in the perspective of 2020 (Pierre-Marie Abadie); 2 - Biogas Opportunities in Germany - Status January 2014 (Katharina Boettcher); 3 - Biogas market in Germany (Sebastian Stolpp); 4 - Biogas in France and Germany, Current status and development outlooks in France (Eric Vincent); 5 - Biogas use in France and Germany - a comparison (Thibaut Chapron); 6 - Alternatives to the use of maize in biogas plants - Current research results from Germany (Andreas Schuette); 7 - Inter-crops in France: analysis of the potentials (Laurent Paquin); 8 - Digestates management in France, legislative and technical advances (Claire Ingremeau); 9 - The management of digestates in Germany: Fertilizer application and status of the art (Kurt Moeller); 10 - Status quo of Biomethane in Germany - Development, Technology and Costs (Marcus Trommler); 11 - GrDF's views and actions on biogas. Biomethane injection in France: state-of-the-art and first status (Valerie Bosso)

Wind-sea surface temperature-sea ice relationship in the Chukchi-Beaufort Seas during autumn

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; Stegall, Steve T.; Zhang, Xiangdong

2018-03-01

Dramatic climate changes, especially the largest sea ice retreat during September and October, in the Chukchi-Beaufort Seas could be a consequence of, and further enhance, complex air-ice-sea interactions. To detect these interaction signals, statistical relationships between surface wind speed, sea surface temperature (SST), and sea ice concentration (SIC) were analyzed. The results show a negative correlation between wind speed and SIC. The relationships between wind speed and SST are complicated by the presence of sea ice, with a negative correlation over open water but a positive correlation in sea ice dominated areas. The examination of spatial structures indicates that wind speed tends to increase when approaching the ice edge from open water and the area fully covered by sea ice. The anomalous downward radiation and thermal advection, as well as their regional distribution, play important roles in shaping these relationships, though wind-driven sub-grid scale boundary layer processes may also have contributions. Considering the feedback loop involved in the wind-SST-SIC relationships, climate model experiments would be required to further untangle the underlying complex physical processes.

HTGR type reactors in West Germany. Realizations and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dauenert, U.

1978-01-01

The framework within which the research studies on high temperature reactors have been pursued in West Germany since 1960 is recalled. The principles guiding the present policy of the country in this domain are given: choice of a single technical conception that be applied both to reactors generating electricity and reactors producing high temperature heat for industrial processes such as coal gasification; to group the technical and industrial potentials of West Germany in this domain; financial and technical participation of electricity producers in the expected realizations; international cooperation. In this technique, West Germany is at present among the most advanced nations with the realization of a prototype 300 MWe reactor, financed by the electricity producers and a contribution of government [fr

Radioactive waste in Federal Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brennecke, P.; Schumacher, J.; Warnecke, E.

1988-01-01

The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) is responsible for the long-term storage and disposal of radioactive waste according to the Federal Atomic Energy Act. On behalf of the Federal Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, since 1985, the PTB has been carrying out annual inquiries into the amounts of radioactive waste produced in the Federal Republic of Germany. Within the scope of this inquiry performed for the preceding year, the amounts of unconditioned and conditioned waste are compiled on a producer- and plant-specific basis. On the basis of the inquiry for 1986 and of data presented to the PTB by the waste producers, future amounts of radioactive waste have been estimated up to the year 2000. The result of this forecast is presented. In the Federal Republic of Germany two sites are under consideration for disposal of radioactive waste. In the abandoned Konrad iron mine in Salzgitter-Bleckenstedt it is intended to dispose of such radioactive waste which has a negligible thermal influence upon the host rock. The Gorleben salt dome is being investigated for its suitability for the disposal of all kinds of solid and solidified radioactive wastes, especially of heat-generating waste. Comparing the estimated amount of radioactive wastes with the capacity of both repositories it may be concluded that the Konrad and Gorleben repositories will provide sufficient capacity to ensure the disposal of all kinds of radioactive waste on a long-term basis in the Federal Republic of Germany. 1 fig., 2 tabs

In situ estimation of erosion and deposition thresholds by Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, T.J.; Fredsøe, Jørgen; Pejrup, M.

2007-01-01

Field-based estimations of bed shear stress have been made using SonTek/YSI 10 MHz ADVs (Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter) at the Kongsmark mudflat, Danish Wadden Sea, in order to test if it was possible to estimate erosion and deposition thresholds in situ by use of unidirectional tidal and orbital...... (wave) currents. The results were promising and erosion thresholds were in the same range as those observed in EROMES erosion experiments carried out at the same site. Similarly, the short-term erosion rates which could be calculated matched closely those obtained with EROMES, and were in the same range...... as those published for a large annular flume (Sea Carousel) from another fine-grained site. This indicates that the erosion rates obtained with those two erosion-instruments are reasonable estimates of the actual erosion taking place under natural tidal current and waves. One advantage of the use of ADVs...

Long-term and high resolution measurements of bed level changes in a temperate, microtidal coastal lagoon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Thorbjørn J.; Pejrup, Morten; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg

2006-01-01

of a nearby tidal channel are presented. Short-term changes in bed level are one or two orders of magnitude larger than the annual net-deposition rate, which shows that the environment is highly dynamic with respect to erosion, transport and deposition of fine-grained sediment. Some seasonality in the bed...... deposition and erosion was observed. The time-series showed that some of the material eroded from the mudflat was not exported to the open sea, but instead temporarily deposited in a nearby shallow tidal channel and later returned to the mudflat during calmer weather conditions. These findings support...... previously published hypothesis and results of modelling studies. Based on the observed abundance of fine-grained sediment at the study sites and the high accretion rates generally found on fine-grained tidal flats in the Danish Wadden Sea area, it is argued that these fine-grained tidal flats...

Germany versus the United States: Monetary Dominance in the Eurozone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chee-Heong Quah

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This study inspects if there is greater convergence with Germany amongst the Eurozone founding members and if their relations with the hegemonic economy have been more symmetrical after “euroization”. The dimensions explored are those inspired by the optimum currency areas (OCA framework. To some extent, the findings could signify if real convergence has been significantly endogenous. At the same time, to assess the relative dominance of Germany, the features against Germany are compared to those against US. In addition, the paper also appraises some aspects of economic performance to check whether economic conditions across the states have improved and converged after unification. In some convergence aspects, findings suggest remarkable convergence with Germany and across the states but also relative convergence with US. On economic performance, results indicate substantial improvements in inflation and unemployment. Amongst the founding states, Ireland has idiosyncratically shown serious divergences in a number of the convergence and performance measures.

76 FR 11509 - Brass Sheet and Strip From France, Germany, Italy, and Japan

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-02

...)] Brass Sheet and Strip From France, Germany, Italy, and Japan AGENCY: United States International Trade... and strip from France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives notice that it... France, Germany, Italy, and Japan would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material...

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH in Germany: an epidemiological survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walzer S

2013-05-01

Full Text Available S Walzer,1 K Travers,2 S Rieder,3 E Erazo-Fischer,3 D Matusiewicz41MArS Market Access and Pricing Strategy UG (hb, Weil am Rhein, Germany; 2United Biosource Corporation, Lexington, USA; 3Alcimed GmbH, Cologne, Germany; 4Institute for Health Care Management and Research, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, GermanyIntroduction: In Europe a disease is recognized as rare if less than 1 in 2000 people suffer from the specific disease. In patients with familial homozygous hypercholesterolemia (HoFH the accumulation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C leads to generalized atherosclerosis due to an insufficient functioning of the LDL-C receptors. Patients die early sometimes even in the mid-30s, from myocardial infarction or stroke. For the German population, insufficient epidemiological evidence exists.Methods: A systematic literature search in EMBASE and Medline was performed in conjunction with a targeted manual search for epidemiological HoFH studies. Additionally a nationwide survey was conducted in Germany in all identified apheresis- and lipid centers. The purpose of the survey was the validation of the systematic literature search results based on empirical (practice data.Results: In total 961 publications were found, 874 were excluded based on pre-defined exclusion criteria leaving only 87 for further review. After review of the identified abstracts (n = 87 23 publications were identified as epidemiological studies. Only one publication was found which reported a prevalence of 1:1,000,000. The qualitative survey among 187 physicians in Germany also revealed a low prevalence: 95 HoFH patients were identified in 35 centers.Conclusion: The estimated frequency of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia patients in Germany is around 95 (1:860,000 and the disease should be recognized as rare according to the definition of the European Medical Agency.Keywords: epidemiology, homozygous

Problems of Economic Development in Reunified Germany. Retrospective Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Gotz

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Does Eastern Germany differ significantly from Western part in economic terms? How have new Bundeslnder been developing over past twenty years? How fast has East been catching up with West? What could have hampered convergence? How today are German states equipped with factors determining future growth? How the new Bundeslnder performed do compared with the old ones? This paper seeks to address above mentioned questions. It offers a comprehensive review of key economic developments of two decades of reunited Germany. Particularly it examines current economic landscape; investigates convergence processes taking place since reunification and tries to identify most likely impediments hampering full catching up. Finally, it aims at assessing contemporary growth potential of German states. With respect to the starting point poor performance of East Germany back in 1990 the progress made and results achieved are impressive. Though, comparing the situation with Western part of the country significant discrepancies continue to exist. Certainly, assessment of the last twenty years of reunited Germany hinges much upon perspective taken. Two decades after Berlin Wall Fall opinions on economic consequences of reunification are more balanced, since much has been achieved, but much still needs to be done.

Epidemiology in Germany-general development and personal experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Wichmann, Heinz-Erich

2017-08-01

Did you ever hear about epidemiology in Germany? Starting from an epidemiological desert the discipline has grown remarkably, especially during the last 10-15 years: research institutes have been established, research funding has improved, multiple curriculae in Epidemiology and Public Health are offered. This increase has been quite steep, and now the epidemiological infrastructure is much better. Several medium-sized and even big population cohorts are ongoing, and the number and quality of publications from German epidemiologists has reached a respectable level. My own career in epidemiology started in the field of environmental health. After German reunification I concentrated for many years on environmental problems in East Germany and observed the health benefits after improvement of the situation. Later, I concentrated on population-based cohorts in newborns (GINI/LISA) and adults (KORA, German National Cohort), and on biobanking. This Essay describes the development in Germany after worldwar 2, illustrated by examples of research results and build-up of epidemiological infractructures worth mentioning.

Experience with the SE in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jochem Reichert

2008-03-01

Full Text Available A rather significant proportion of the Societas Europaeas (the European Company, or SE formed to date have had German roots. German corporate law has been enriched by an interesting alternative which meanwhile seems to have gained momentum. This contribution focuses on SEs incorporated by German entrepreneurs and provides an interesting account concerning the use of SEs in Germany in practice, such as Allianz, Fresenius, BASF and Porsche. Has the SE been used to circumvent rigid company law provisions or is it a more flexible and effective tool, perhaps, for company mobility? The practical motives behind setting up this company form are also reflected upon. These include: the facilitation of cross-border mergers; transfer of the registered office; the ‘European’ image; a more flexible form of co-determination in large companies (reduction of the number of supervisory board members; avoidance and freezing of co-determination for medium-sized enterprises; the appeal of the one-tier system and its endangerment by German co-determination; and flat and uniform structures for company groups. The author also briefly discusses some of the problems arising from the formation of SEs in Germany. He ultimately concludes that practice has shown that it is possible to work with the legal regime of the SE in Germany, which adds a new company form to those available in that Member State.

The changing consumer in Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Grunert, Suzanne C.; Glatzer, Wolfgang

1995-01-01

Changes in economic, demographic, and cultural factors in West Germany during the past decades are briefly described, as well as changes in consumption patterns and the way the major marketing variables have been used and implemented. Special atte is paid to the upheavals caused by the German...

Energy supply in East Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimoyama, Tsutomu

1988-07-10

East Germany has abundant brown coal, about 90.4% of primary energy production in 1986. The high dependence upon brown coal has been established since its reevaluation in 1980 and the production is reaching a peak. Its share in power generation is also as high as 83.3% in the year. Therefore, the energy sufficiency of East Germany is about 80%. Problems are arising, however, in deterioration of excavation conditions and coal quality. Domestic energy resources such as the uranium and natural gas are also used to the maximum extent. The nuclear power has about 10% of share in the power generation. The share expansion policy is seemingly maintained even after the accident of Chernoble. Exploration, excavation and reprocessing of the uranium are conducted under the leadership of USSR. The country depends upon the oil in a very low level, less than 1%, as a result of the energy conservation policy in 1980's. (1 fig, 5 tabs)

Fire Risk Assessment in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, H. P.

2000-01-01

Quantitative fire risk assessment can serve as an additional tool to assess the safety level of a nuclear power plant (NPP) and to set priorities for fire protection improvement measures. The recommended approach to be applied within periodic safety reviews of NPPs in Germany starts with a screening process providing critical fire zones in which a fully developed fire has the potential to both cause an initiating event and impair the function of at least one component or system critical to safety. The second step is to perform a quantitative analysis using a standard event tree has been developed with elements for fire initiation, ventilation of the room, fire detection, fire suppression, and fire propagation. In a final step, the fire induced frequency of initiating events, the main contributors and the calculated hazard state frequency for the fire event are determined. Results of the first quantitative fire risk studies performed in Germany are reported. (author)

77 FR 23508 - Brass Sheet and Strip From France, Germany, Italy, and Japan

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-19

...)] Brass Sheet and Strip From France, Germany, Italy, and Japan Determination On the basis of the record \\1... antidumping duty orders on brass sheet and strip from France, Germany, Italy, and Japan would be likely to... from France, Germany, Italy, and Japan: Investigation Nos. 731-TA-313, 314, 317, and 379 (Third Review...

2005 primary energy consumption in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2006-01-01

According to preliminar calculations by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (Working Party on Energy Balances, AGEB), the consumption of an aggregate 486 million TCE of primary energy resources in Germany last year was 1.3% below the level of the year before. Energy consumption was influenced by both the high level of prices and the development of the economy. Hardly any influence was attributable to the level of temperatures, which was largely unchanged compared to the figure of the year before. Oil consumption in 2005 in Germany dropped by nearly 2% to 174.8 million TCE. On the whole, oil with its 36% share in the energy balance remained by far the most important energy resource in Germany. Natural gas consumption of 110.4 million TCE was at the level of the year before. Its share in the primary energy balance rose slightly to 22.7%. Hard coal, because of lower use in power plants and the decline in iron making, showed a 4.6% drop in consumption to 62.8 million TCE. In this way, hard coal contributed 13% to total energy consumption. Lignite consumption dropped by 3.2% to 54.4 million TCE as a result of lower deliveries to power plants. Its 11.2% share in the total consumption of primary energy continued to make lignite the most important domestic energy resource. More than 90% of the lignite produced is used for electricity generation. The contribution to primary energy consumption of nuclear power dropped by more than 2% to 60.7 million TCE. Hydroelectric plants and wind power plants increased their contribution by 3.6%. The contribution to primary energy consumption made by all renewable energy resources rose to 4.6%. AGEB evaluates statistics of all areas of the power economy on the basis of standard criteria in order to combine these data in a comprehensive picture. Since 1994, the energy balances for Germany have been compiled by DIW on behalf of AGEB. (orig.)

The Reaction of West Germany to Soviet-American negotiations 1968-1972

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katerina Alexandrovna Borisova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article is devoted to the analyzing of the reaction of Germany to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT in the late 60's - early 70’s. Our attention is paid to the characteristics of executive and legislative authorities’ decisions of Germany. After Berlin and Cuban missiles crisis constant threat of a nuclear missile stability promoted the development of SALT, which should be the basic element of balance of power for the survival of human civilization. For all western countries searching for the formula to avoid the escalation of all-out war had to be based on the main principles of international relations in the context of detent of geo-political tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. But for a long period of time West Germany still to be on the position of cold war confrontation. Such a policy could lead Germany to political isolation. After first successful steps of soviet-american’s negotiations West Germany began to realize the threat of its isolation and tried to integrate itself in the general process of detent, first of all in the field of European security. Main purpose of this research is analyzing specific mechanisms of transformation of the bilateral relations between United States and Germany, comparing different foreign policies with socialistic block, studying contradictions in the capitalist block and to identify and classify these differences, as well.

Sea floor morphology of the Ebro Shelf in the region of the Columbretes Islands, Western Mediterranean

Science.gov (United States)

Muñoz, A.; Lastras, G.; Ballesteros, M.; Canals, M.; Acosta, J.; Uchupi, E.

2005-12-01

Widespread volcanism off eastern Spain in the western Mediterranean is associated with Cenozoic crustal attenuation and sinistral motion along the Trans-Moroccan-Western Mediterranean-European mega shear, extending from northern Morocco to the North Sea via the Alboran Basin, eastern Iberia, the Valencian and Lyons basins, France and Germany. The Quaternary Columbretes Islands volcanic field is the most prominent example of this volcanism associated with this mega shear. The islands are located in the Ebro continental shelf on top of a structural horst probably made of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks. Surrounding the emerged islands are volcanic structures and associated flows partially mantled by a sediment drift whose morphology is controlled by the southwestward flowing Catalan Current. This association is rather unique and appears to have never been described from a continental shelf in the Mediterranean Sea or outside the sea. The morphology of both kinds of structures, obtained by means of swath bathymetry data and very-high resolution seismic profiles, is presented in this study. They provide striking images of this previously unstudied part of the western Mediterranean seafloor. These images suggest that the volcanic structures are intruded into the surficial Holocene sediments indicating that volcanism in the Columbretes has extended into Holocene.

Manual: Renewable Energy Sources in Germany; Handbuch Regenerative Energiequellen in Deutschland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heimann, M.

2004-07-01

One of the measures to reduce CO2 is the utilization of renewable energies. Meanwhile, Germany has come to play a leading role worldwide in this subject and is the world leader especially regarding the use of wind and solar energy. The manual called ''Renewable Energy Sources in Germany'' shows the present state of the importance of renewable energies in Germany and describes the possibilities and future potentials for the future. The author describes the ways of utilizing renewable energies in a very comprehensive manner. He assesses the medium and long-term chances of renewable energies realistically from a neutral point of view, giving the readers a well-founded basis to build their own opinions about the subject. Thus the book makes a good contribution to rationalize the discussion on renewable energies which often is lead in an emotional way. The book covers following chapters: 1) Renewable energy sources in Germany 2) Basic data on renewable energies in Germany 3) Renewable energy source in building techniques 4) Power plant and thermal plant techniques of renewable energy sources 5) Evaluation methods for renewable energies in energy supply.

Jung's views of Nazi Germany: the first year and Jung's transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoenl, William; Schoenl, Linda

2016-09-01

This article first considers Jung's response to the coming to power of the Nazis in Germany. It brings forth evidence that, besides wanting to preserve psychotherapy in Germany and maintain the international connection between the German and other communities of psychotherapists, he wanted to advance Jungian psychology - his psychology - in Germany. It also presents evidence that, although he occasionally made some anti-Semitic statements during this early period, he was not anti-Semitic in the way the Nazis were. The paper then argues that after Gustav Bally's criticisms in the Neue Zuercher Zeitung in February 1934, Jung entered into a transitional period that spring during which he became warier both of the Nazis and of making any statements that could be construed as being anti-Semitic. Schoenl and Peck (2012) have shown how Jung's views of Nazi Germany changed from 1933 to March 1936. This present article demonstrates very significant changes in Jung's views during the important early part of this period, that is from January 1933 - when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany - through to the spring of 1934. It draws on evidence from archival and other primary sources. © 2016, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

[Taxing unhealthy foods. A measure to promote public health in Germany?].

Science.gov (United States)

Lehnert, T; Riedel-Heller, S; König, H-H

2013-04-01

Due to the substantial health burden and costs caused by malnutrition in Germany, for instance as a result of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, the taxation of unhealthy foods/nutrients has been proposed as a possible health promoting measure. In order to evaluate whether such a fiscal intervention constitutes an effective and suitable measure to promote population health in Germany, the article outlines central empirical findings regarding malnutrition in Germany. Subsequently, the economic background (price elasticity of demand) is explained, and empirical evidence on the influence of changes in price on changes in consumption and health is presented. As a result of findings from the international literature being heterogeneous, and because very little research has been conducted in Germany on this matter until now, the taxation/subsidization of foods in order to promote population health is difficult to justify at this point.

Germany bars nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaullier, V.

1999-01-01

Germany wants a future without nuclear energy, the different steps about the going out of nuclear programs are recalled. The real choice is either fossil energies with their unquestionable safety levels but with an increase of the greenhouse effect or nuclear energy with its safety concerns and waste management problems but without pollutant emission. The debate will have to be set in most European countries. (A.C.)

Bullying Involvement of Korean Children in Germany and in Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Hwa-ok

2016-01-01

This study compared bullying involvement of Korean or Korean-German children living in Germany with children in Korea, and examined children's perceptions of school environment associated with bullying involvement of the children. This study included 105 Korean or Korean-German children living in the Bayern State of Germany as the study sample and…

The changing consumer in Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Grunert, Suzanne C.; Glatzer, Wolfgang

1995-01-01

Changes in economic, demographic, and cultural factors in West Germany during the past decades are briefly described, as well as changes in consumption patterns and the way the major marketing variables have been used and implemented. Special atte is paid to the upheavals caused by the German reu...

Terminal Decline in Well-Being Differs between Residents in East Germany and West Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Vogel, Nina; Gerstorf, Denis; Ram, Nilam; Goebel, Jan; Wagner, Gert G.

2017-01-01

Lifespan research has long been interested in how contexts shape individual development. Using the separation and later reunification of Germany as a kind of natural experiment we examine whether and how living and dying in the former East or West German context has differentially shaped late-life development of well-being. We apply multi-level…

Precaution against radioactive contamination of steel products in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ewers, E.; Schulz-Klemp, V.; Steffen, R.

1999-01-01

Regulations for handling of radioactive materials in Germany. Engagement of the Germany Iron and Steel Institute (VDEh) since the end of the eighties and measures taken. Level of radioactivity in uncontaminated steel products. Agreements between steel industry and scrap supplying industry as well as terms of delivery. Actual status of equipment for detection of radioactivity in the German steel plants. Demands of steel users for clean steel. (author)

Comparison of drug abuse in Germany and China.

Science.gov (United States)

Michels, Ingo Ilja; Fang, Yu-Xia; Zhao, Dong; Zhao, Li-Yan; Lu, Lin

2007-10-01

Drug abuse has a long, but also different history in Germany and China. The Opium War largely influenced the history of China in 19th century; however, China was once recognized as a drug-free nation for 3 decades from the 1950s to the 1980s. Drug abuse has spread quickly since re-emerging as a national problem in China in the late 1980s. The number of registered drug abusers increased from 70 000 in 1990 to more than 1 million by the end of 2005. In past decades, illicit drug trafficking and production have swept most provinces in China, and drug abuse has caused many problems for both abusers and the community. One major drug-related problem is the spread of HIV, which has caused major social and economic damage in China. Germany, the largest developed European country, also faces the drug and addiction problem. Germany has about 150 000 heroin addicts, for whom HIV/AIDS has become a serious threat since the mid 1980s. To control the drug problem, the German Government adopted the pAction Plan on Drugs and Addictionq in 2003; the China Central Government approved a similar regulation in the antidrug campaign in 2005. Germany has experience in reducing drug-related harm. The methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program has run for more than 20 years and the public has become more tolerant of addicts. In 2003, China began the MMT program for controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS. It is necessary for China to learn from developed countries to acquire success in its antidrug campaign. In this review, we will go over the differences and similarities in drug abuse between Germany and China. The differences are related to history, population and economics, drug policy context, drug laws, HIV/hepatitis C virus infection, the MMT program and so on. These 2 nations have drug abuse problems with different histories and currently use different approaches to handle illicit drug marketing and use. The legal penalties for illicit drug offences reflect the social differences of

A survey of environmental needs and innovative technologies in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voss, C.F.; Roberds, W.J.

1995-05-01

The International Technology Program (IT?), formerly the international Technology Exchange Program (ITEP), of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) is responsible for promoting: (1) the import of innovative technologies to better address EM's needs; and (2) the export of US services into foreign markets to enhance US competitiveness. Under this program: (1) the environmental restoration market in Germany was evaluated, including the description of the general types of environmental problems, the environmental regulations, and specific selected contaminated sites; and (2) potentially innovative environmental restoration technologies, either commercially available or under development in Germany, were identified, described and evaluated. It was found that: (1) the environmental restoration market in Germany is very large, on the order of several billion US dollars per year, with a significant portion possibly available to US businesses; and (2) a large number (54) of innovative environmental restoration technologies, which are either commercially available or under development in Germany, may have some benefit to the DOE EM program and should be considered for transfer to the US

Opportunities for smart meters in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolff, J.

2010-10-01

Germany has the ambitious goal of lowering its CO2 emission with 80 percent until 2050 as compared to 1990. Sustainable energy and the deployment of smart meters are starting to play increasingly important roles. [nl

The Baltic policy of Germany and current international relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salikov Aleksey

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This article analyses the Baltic policy of united Germany from the 1990s until today. The authors set out to identify the significance of German-Baltic relations and the role of the Eastern policy in Russian-German relations. The method of dynamic comparison between the political and economic narrative in intergovernmental relations makes it possible to identify distinctive features of Germany’s Baltic policy in the context of current international relations. In particular, it is noted that Germany was most active in the Baltic region in the 1990s, when the country was establishing political, economic, and cultural ties with the new independent states. In the second half of the 1990s, Germany’s foreign policy became less intense. After the accession of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to the EU and NATO in 2004, certain disagreements started to arise between Germany and the Baltics. It explains the lukewarm relations between them. The Ukraine events brought about a change in Germany’s regional policy. Despite Russia remaining one of the key economic and political counteractors, Germany, being a partner of the Baltics in the EU and NATO, cannot adopt a neutral position in the conflict of interests between the Baltics and Russia.

Physician assistant education in Germany

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. Dierks; L. Kuilman; C. Matthews

2013-01-01

The first physician assistant (PA) program in Germany began in 2005. As of 2013 there are three PA programs operational, with a fourth to be inaugurated in the fall of 2013. The programs have produced approximately 100 graduates, all with a nursing background. The PA model of shifting tasks from

Photovoltaic energy generation in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

An overview is given of the current state of the art regarding photovoltaic research and demonstration programmes in the Federal Republic of Germany. Also attention is paid to the companies and research institutes involved, and the long-term economical and technical prospects of photovoltaic energy. 13 figs., 4 tabs., 10 refs

Baltic Eye: Focusing on Science and Communication to Improve Policy Making for the Baltic Sea Environment

Science.gov (United States)

McCrackin, M. L.

2016-12-01

In order to better communicate relevant scientific knowledge to policy- and decision makers, Stockholm University and the Baltic Sea 2020 Foundation partnered to create Baltic Eye in 2014. Seven scientists and two communicators constitute the core team of this initiative. The team integrates communications with scientific analysis and synthesis of Baltic Sea environmental issues. In the past year, the team has focused on two main issues: fisheries management and microplastics. Baltic Sea cod stocks are in poor condition, with large numbers of small individuals. Baltic Eye recommended improvements to the European Union's multiannual fisheries plan to better align with ecosystem-based management principles: prioritization of cod stock recovery, greater consideration of natural variability of temperature and salinity (which affects cod spawning success), and inclusion of mechanisms to adjust quotas in the event of major environmental changes. Communications included policy briefs and debate articles targeted to the European Parliament, national government ministries, and non-governmental organizations. Every year, up to 40 tons of microplastics from personal care products are released in the Baltic Sea catchment. Baltic Eye raised awareness of the issue and made recommended ways to reduce microplastic emissions. Communications included a public presentation to journalists, politicians, and representatives of Swedish government ministries. A policy brief was provided Heads of Delegates of the Helsinki Commission (for protrection of the Baltic Sea environment) in advance of a meeting to develop a plan of action for marine litter. Researchers were interviewed for radio, TV, and print media in Sweden, Finland, and Germany. Next steps are to engage with multinational manufacturers about plans to voluntarily phase out microplastics in personal care products.

Combining airborne and satellite remote sensing programs to repress illegal oil discharges in restricted sea areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, M.

2005-01-01

An airborne surveillance program has been conducted over the Belgian part of the North Sea since 1991. The role of the program is to detect infringements on the Marpol Convention via remote sensing, and to take legal action against polluters through the use of recorded observations. Although Belgium has a restricted sea area of about 3,500 km with no fixed offshore oil installations, a pollution risk is constantly present due to 2 dense traffic separation schemes close to the shoreline. The Belgian marine areas and adjacent waters are regularly scanned with a Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) on board a remote sensing aircraft. This paper describes an evaluation trial that the Belgian Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM) joined in 2004, together with various agencies from the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands. The trial consists of a cost-sharing satellite service for oil detection with ENVISAT ASAR data. The trial was co-funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and run by Kongsberg Satellite Services. MUMM's objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and operational character of satellite services for detecting oil spills at sea. The results of the 3 month trial have indicated that aerial remote sensing for the detection of illegal oil discharges at sea increases the chances of catching polluters more efficiently, with improved chances of evidence collecting. It was concluded that when various services are integrated and strict operational conditions are met, satellite services may prove to be valuable in restricted, very densely navigated national waters that are easily reached by airborne means. 12 refs., 8 tabs., 3 figs

Comparison of Bioenergy Policies in Denmark and Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schwarz, Gerald; Noe, Egon; Saggau, Volker

2012-01-01

Purpose – This chapter compares bioenergy policy developments in Germany and Denmark to better understand the responses of EU country policy regimes to global shocks; to examine potentially emerging new trends of productivist policy models; and to explore potential land use conflicts in the context...... of a multifunctional EU agricultural policy. Design/methodology/approach – The chapter reviews the bioenergy policy development pathways taken by Germany and Denmark, highlighting key consequences for agricultural land use and rural development. Findings from both case studies are then compared in summary tables...

Earthquakes in the Federal Republic of Germany 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

The seismic data will serve as input parameters for the construction of sensitive industrial-scale facilities and also as basic data of the general specifications for building construction (DIN 4149, part 1: Building construction in seismic regions of West Germany; assumed loads, dimensioning and design of high structures). To give a better picture, the data are presented in the form of maps showing seismic regions in West Germany (including marginal regions) and world-wide. Definitions are presented in order to facilitate reading for non-experts. (orig./HP) [de

The extent and impact of outsourcing: evidence from Germany

OpenAIRE

Craig P. Aubuchon; Subhayu Bandyopadhyay; Sumon Bhaumik

2012-01-01

The authors use data from several sources, including plant-level data from the manufacturing sector in Germany, to expand the literature on outsourcing. They find that, in Germany, the extent of outsourcing among manufacturing industries is higher than among service industries and that the outsourcing intensity of these industries did not change much between 1995 and 2005. They also find a statistically significantly positive impact of industry-level outsourcing intensity on German plant-leve...

Contamination of North Sea and Baltic Sea with long-living iodine-129 and other anthropogenic radionuclides; Kontamination von Nord- und Ostsee mit langlebigem Iod-129 und anderen anthropogenen Radionukliden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tosch, Luebbert

2010-10-12

The radionuclide iodine-129 (T{sub 1/2} = 15.7 Ma) is produced in nature by spontaneous fission of uranium-238 and by cosmic ray induced spallation of xenon. Due to the military and civil use of neutron-induced fission of uranium-235 and plutonium-239 a huge amount of iodine-129 has been released into the environment. The main sources of anthropogenic {sup 129}I are the reprocessing plants in La Hague (France) near the English Channel and in Sellafield (UK) close to the Irish Sea. The natural equilibrium {sup 129}I/{sup 127}I-isotopic ratios are estimated to 1.5 . 10{sup -12} for the marine hydrosphere and to 3.0 . 10{sup -13} for the terrestrial biosphere respectively. Due to the emissions of anthropogenic iodine-129 the {sup 129}I/{sup 127}I-isotopic ratios have been increased in all compartments of the environment. Surface water samples taken from the English Channel, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Irish Sea, and the North Atlantic give information about anthropogenic changes. Iodine turns out to be a conservative tracer in seawater. The iodine-127 concentrations in seawater except for coastal areas are rather constant (40.7 ± 6.2 ng/g). The observed {sup 129}I/{sup 127}I-isotopic ratios range between 10{sup -10} and more than 10{sup -6}. The variation of the {sup 129}I/{sup 127}I-isotopic ratios is caused by the admixture of anthropogenic iodine-129. Water samples taken far away from the reprocessing plants show the lowest isotopic ratios. The highest {sup 129}I/{sup 127}I-isotopic ratios are found near the reprocessing plants. The transport of {sup 129}I from La Hague has a rather clear pattern. It can be observed along the coasts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. The iodine-129 emissions from Sellafield can be followed northbound along the Scottish coast. The results of other anthropogenic radionuclides are used for discussing transport processes in the North Sea and the Irish Sea. Large areas in the North Sea are characterised by

Seasonal variation of assemblage and feeding guild structure of fish species in a boreal tidal basin

Science.gov (United States)

Kellnreitner, Florian; Pockberger, Moritz; Asmus, Harald

2012-08-01

Species composition, abundance, feeding relationships and guild structure of the fish assemblage in the Sylt-Rømø bight, a tidal basin in the northern Wadden Sea, were investigated to show seasonal differences and the importance of functional groups in this area. The tidal flats and in shallow subtidal areas were sampled using a beach seine and a bottom trawl net was used for deeper subtidal areas and tidal gullies. Species richness of fish was highest in summer where 26 species were caught, while the lowest richness was recorded in winter (17 species). Clear differences in species richness and abundance were found between shallow areas and deeper parts of the bight. Clupea harengus and Ammodytes tobianus were the most abundant species in deeper areas, while Pomatoschistus microps and Pomatoschistus minutus dominated shallower waters. Gut contents of 27 fish species were identified and the guild structure analyzed by UPGMA clustering of niche overlaps. Calanoid copepods (19.9%), Crangon crangon (18.2%) and mysid shrimps (8.4%) were the most abundant prey items of all fish species combined. Seven feeding guilds were present in the fall and winter, and eight and six in spring and summer, respectively. Fish feeding on calanoid copepods and C. crangon were present year round, whereas the occurrence of other guilds varied between seasons. Species composition of prey changed through seasons and, for some fish species, even the feeding mode itself varied with season. Most noticeable, 11 fish species changed guilds between seasons. We found a convergence in summer towards abundant prey items, whereas in winter diet overlap was lower. This is the first investigation of guild structure of almost all fish species present in a Wadden Sea area, and shows that consideration of seasonal differences is essential when determining feeding relationships of fish in temperate areas.

Burrowing behavior of a deposit feeding bivalve predicts change in intertidal ecosystem state

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanya Joan Compton

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Behavior has a predictive power that is often underutilized as a tool for signaling ecological change. The burrowing behavior of the deposit feeding bivalve Macoma balthica reflects a typical food-safety trade-off. The choice to live close to the sediment surface comes at a risk of predation and is a decision made when predation danger, food intake rates or future fitness prospects are low. In parts of the Dutch Wadden Sea, Macoma populations declined by 90% in the late 1990s, in parallel with large-scale mechanical cockle-dredging activities. During this decline, the burrowing depth of Macoma became shallow and was correlated with the population decline in the following year, indicating that it forecasted population change. Recently, there has been a series of large recruitment events in Macoma. According to the food-safety trade-off, we expected that Macoma should now live deeper, and have a higher body condition in association with this change in depth of living. Indeed, we observed that Macoma now lives deeper and that living depth in a given year forecasted population growth to the next year, especially in individuals larger than 14 mm. As living depth and body condition were strongly correlated in individuals larger than 14 mm, larger Macoma could be living deeper to protect their reproductive assets. Our results confirmed that burrowing depth signals impending population change and, together with body condition, can provide an early warning signal of ecological change. We suggest that population recovery is being driven by improved intertidal habitat quality in the Dutch Wadden Sea, rather than by the proposed climate-change related effects. This shift in ecosystem state is suggested to include the recovery of diatom habitat in the top layer of the sediment after cockle-dredging ended.

Phytotherapy in Germany : Its Role in Self-Medication and in Medical Prescribing

OpenAIRE

LUTZ, HEIDE; Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tuebingen

1996-01-01

This paper gives a review of the present state of herbal medicine in Germany. Phytotherapeutic drugs (herbal remedies) are of considerable importance in Germany, both in self-medication and in medical prescriptions. They represent approx. 5.4% of the prescriptions by medical doctors, and 10% of the entire domestic drug market. The Federal Health Office of the German Ministry of Health has officially evaluated the efficacy and safety of approx. 300 medicinal plants used in Germany; their evalu...

Long-run determinants of immigration to Germany 1974 - 1999: A Ricardian framework

OpenAIRE

Foders, Federico

2003-01-01

This paper examines the long-run determinants of immigration to Germany using a modified version of the Ricardo model. After a brief overview of labour flows to Germany and the related empirical literature, a Ricardian model of migration is estimated using static panel data methods. The results show that variables representing factor abundance appear to have no effect whatsoever on labour flows to Germany in a period of rising unemployment (1974–1999), while variables representing income or p...

Fertility in Austria, Germany and Switzerland:Is there a Common Pattern?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomáš Sobotka

2012-08-01

Full Text Available This article reviews major similarities and differences in period and cohort fertility in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. These three countries share a long history of low fertility and currently belong to countries with the lowest cohort fertility rates globally. The study highlights persistent differences in fertility and family patterns between Eastern and Western Germany, which are often rooted in pre-unification contrasts and can be partly linked to continuing differences in institutional set-up and norms on organised childcare, living arrangements and maternal employment. The remarkable stability in period fertility over the last 30 years (with the exception of Eastern Germany is illustrated with various indicators and discussed on the backdrop of recent reversals in European fertility trends. This stability in fertility levels contrasts with the long-term shift in childbearing towards less stable living arrangements (especially in Eastern Germany, including a high share of single mothers. The study also discusses a relatively small but persistent negative impact of the ongoing shift towards a late timing of childbearing on period fertility in the region. It highlights the educational gradient in fertility, which can be largely attributed to elevated childlessness rates among women with a higher educational degree. Migrant women have on average higher fertility rates than “native-born” women, but their net positive impact on aggregate fertility rates has diminished over time and has become negligible in Germany. A concluding discussion suggests that Austria, Germany and Switzerland share a common pattern of low fertility that sets these countries apart from other regions in Europe.

Germany: INIS — 45 years of Reliable Nuclear Energy Information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehme, Silke; Eck, Sabrina; Mutschelknauss, Michael

2015-01-01

The Federal Republic of Germany has been an official INIS member since 1970. The first 78 citations from German publications can be found in Issue 2 of Volume 1 of the INIS Atomindex. At that time, the Zentralstelle für Atomenergie-Dokumentation (ZAED) was the INIS center in Western Germany. To ensure that the documentation on nuclear energy was directly serving the interests of researchers working in this field, the ZAED had been recently moved from Frankfurt to the neighborhood of Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany’s most important nuclear research institution. After 1977, the ZAED, together with other documentation centers, was merged into what is today FIZ Karlsruhe. At the same time, publications from Eastern Germany were analyzed by the Staatliches Amt für Atomsicherheit und Strahlenschutz in Berlin from 1974 to 1989. After the German reunification, FIZ Karlsruhe became responsible for this. The share of German contributions made to the INIS database amounts to 7% of the total number of contributions. Germany has regularly ranked among the top 5 contributing Member States in the annual statistics. Regarding cooperation in INIS, Germany — represented by FIZ Karlsruhe and its predecessors — has always been actively involved, not only in contributing publications, but also in strategic planning, organization, and technical and subject matters throughout the past five decades. Germany was part of the INIS Study Team during the planning stage of INIS. Germany also hosted two ILO meetings in Karlsruhe: one in 1979 and one on the occasion of the 30th anniversary in 2000. Staff from various INIS centers worldwide often visit FIZ Karlsruhe in order to gain insight into our INIS production or to participate in internships and training sessions on workflow management, application of rules, and FIBRE usage. FIZ Karlsruhe’s many years of participation in the Voluntary Input Program, and the editing of input provided as a service to sometimes as many as 7

Labour Market Developments, Non-standard Employment and Low Wages in Germany

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leschke, Janine

2014-01-01

In terms of basic labour market developments and outcomes Germany is faring comparatively well. Indeed, against the European trend, Germany saw employment rates increasing and unemployment decreasing during the economic crisis. But since the deregulatory Hartz reforms of the early and mid-2000s...

Climatology of sea breezes along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia

KAUST Repository

Khan, Basit

2018-04-25

Long-term near-surface observations from five coastal stations, high-resolution model data from Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) and high-resolution daily sea surface temperature (SST) from National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are used to investigate the climatology of sea breezes over the eastern side of the Red Sea region. Results show existence of separate sea breeze systems along different segments of the Red Sea coastline. Based on the physical character and synoptic influences, sea breezes in the Red Sea are broadly divided into three regions: the north and the middle Red Sea (NMRS), the Red Sea convergence zone (RSCZ) and the southern Red Sea (SRS) regions. On average, sea breezes developed on 67% of days of the 10-year study period. Although sea breezes occur almost all year, this mesoscale phenomenon is most frequent from May to October (78% of the total sea breeze days). The sea breeze frequency increases from north to south (equatorwards), and sea breeze characteristics appear to vary both temporally and spatially. In addition to land-sea thermal differential, coastline shape, latitude and topography, the prevailing northwesterly at NMRS region, the convergence of northwesterly and southeasterly wind system at RSCZ region and the northeast and southwest monsoon at SRS region play an important role in defining the sea breeze characteristics over the Red Sea.

Intraseasonal sea surface temperature variability in Indonesian seas

Science.gov (United States)

Napitu, A. M.; Gordon, A. L.; Yuan, X.

2012-12-01

The satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) data, 1998-mid 2012, are used to examine intraseasonal variability (ISV; 20-90 days) across the Indonesian seas. The most energetic ISV is observed in the Banda Sea and across the Indo-Australia basin with an The satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) data, 1998-mid 2012, are used to examine intraseasonal variability (ISV; 20-90 days) across the Indonesian seas. The most energetic ISV is observed in the Banda Sea and across the Indo-Australia basin with an average SST standard deviation (STD) between 0.4-0.5°C, with strongest signature during boreal winter. What physical processes force the SST ISV variability within the Indonesian seas? Ocean process, sea-air interaction, or both? To help identify the main forcing, the satellite derived outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and wind stress data in the region are examined. The OLR shows robust intraseasonal variations and is significantly correlated with the SST, particularly for variability with periods of 30-60 days, with OLR accounting for ~60-70% of the SST variance. The OLR is also maximum during boreal winter. Conversely, the surface wind may play insignificant role in perturbing the SST at intraseasonal timescales as shown by weak correlation between wind stress and SST. We thus suspect that the surface solar flux (suggested by the OLR) is likely more dominant than the surface turbulent heat flux (indicated by the surface wind) as the main source for the ISV in the SST in Indonesian seas. Furthermore the maximum OLR phase, coupled with a period of minimum mixed layer depth, may explain the strong SST variation during boreal winter in Indonesian seas. The influence of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) on the OLR and SST variability is currently being evaluated.

Financing long term liabilities (Germany)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

In Germany the basis for the management of radioactive residues is the polluter-pays principle. All steps of treatment of radioactive waste arising from operation, decommissioning and dismantling including conditioning, interim storage and disposal of radioactive waste have to be financed by the waste producers. The waste producers are responsible for the harmless recycling of the residues or for their orderly management as radioactive waste. The Federal Government is responsible for establishing disposal facilities. Accordingly the waste producers are constructing and operating facilities in which the radioactive residues can be treated and stored until their disposal. As far as the radioactive waste cannot be stored by the producer, waste originating from research, medicine and industry can be stored in surface storage facilities of the federal states. Spent fuel from German NPPs is partly reprocessed in France and UK. The rest has to be disposed off directly in deep geologic formations. Until a repository for spent fuel is available in Germany spent fuel will be stored in interim storage facilities on the sites of the NPPs. The storage will take place in casks in a dry way. In exceptional cases, if the storage at a NPP site is not possible, there are two central storages at Ahaus and Gorleben which are in operation and can be made available as reserve. Radioactive waste returning from the reprocessing of German spent fuel in France and UK is stored in the Gorleben central storage. The Federal Government is aiming to establish a repository in deep geological formations about the year 2030 which shall be available for all types and quantities of radioactive waste. The necessary expenses for the planning and construction of radioactive waste disposal facilities are initially carried by the Federal Government. The Government recovers the costs by contributions or advance payments from the waste producers. The use of storage and disposal facilities is financed by

Imagining difference : The experiences of 'transnational' Indian IT-professionals in Germany

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijering, L; van Hoven, B

In this paper we explore the motivations to migrate and the migration experiences of 22 Indian IT professionals in Germany. When studying skilled migration, Germany is an interesting case as it struggled with waves of extreme right activities whilst trying to attract IT professionals from outside

Polarization and Rising Wage Inequality: Comparing the U.S. and Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dirk Antonczyk

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Since the late 1970s, wage inequality has increased strongly both in the U.S. and Germany but the trends have been different. Wage inequality increased along the entire wage distribution during the 1980s in the U.S. and since the mid 1990s in Germany. There is evidence for wage polarization in the U.S. in the 1990s, and the increase in wage inequality in Germany was restricted to the top of the distribution before the 1990s. Using an approach developed by MaCurdy and Mroz (1995 to separate age, time, and cohort effects, we find a large role played by cohort effects in Germany, while we find only small cohort effects in the U.S. Employment trends in both countries are consistent with polarization since the 1990s. The evidence is consistent with a technology-driven polarization of the labor market, but this cannot explain the country specific differences.

Ulceroglandular tularemia in a toddler in Germany after a mosquito bite.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanke, Christof A; Otten, Joerg-Elard; Berner, Reinhard; Serr, Annerose; Splettstoesser, Wolf; von Schnakenburg, Christian

2009-08-01

Although tularemia is a long-known disease, its significance had diminished over the last decades in Middle Europe. However, over the past years, there is new evidence suggesting that tularemia has re-emerged in Germany. In 2007, the highest number of human cases for almost 50 years has been notified. Beside typical vectors, new ways of transmission seem to gain significance. So far, mosquito bite-transmitted tularemia has only been known from Scandinavia but not from Middle Europe. We report the first case of a 1-year-old toddler from Southwestern Germany with mosquito bite-associated ulceroglandular tularaemia. The new and interesting features of this case are the young age of the patient and the unusual transmission route. The available data suggesting changes in the epidemiology for tularemia in Germany are reviewed. This is an interesting case of infantile tularemia with a very unusual transmission route, highlighting ongoing changes in the epidemiology of tularemia in Germany.

Neurosurgical Resident Training in Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Stienen, Martin N; Gempt, Jens; Gautschi, Oliver P; Demetriades, Andreas K; Netuka, David; Kuhlen, Dominique E; Schaller, Karl; Ringel, Florian

2017-07-01

Introduction  Efficient neurosurgical training is of paramount importance to provide continuing high-quality medical care to patients. In this era of law-enforced working hour restrictions, however, maintaining high-quality training can be a challenge and requires some restructuring. We evaluated the current status of resident training in Germany. Methods  An electronic survey was sent to European neurosurgical trainees between June 2014 and March 2015. The responses of German trainees were compared with those of trainees from other European countries. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the effect size of the relationship between a trainee being from Germany and the outcome (e.g., satisfaction, working time). Results  Of 532 responses, 95 were from German trainees (17.8%). In a multivariate analysis corrected for baseline group differences, German trainees were 29% as likely as non-German trainees to be satisfied with clinical lectures given at their teaching facility (odds ratio [OR]: 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18-0.49; p  hours as requested from the European Working Time Directive 2003/88/EC, and in an international comparison, German trainees were twice as likely to work > 50 hours per week (OR: 2.13; 95% CI, 1.25-3.61; p  = 0.005). This working time, however, is less spent in the operating suite (OR: 0.26; 95% CI, 0.11-0.59; p  = 0.001) and more doing administrative work (OR: 1.83; 95% CI, 1.13-2.96; p  = 0.015). Conclusion  Some theoretical and practical aspects of neurosurgical training are superior, but a considerable proportion of relevant aspects are inferior in Germany compared with other European countries. The present analyses provide the opportunity for a critical review of the local conditions in German training facilities. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Energy R and D in Germany; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PJ Runci

1999-01-01

Germany's total national (i.e., combined public and private sector) funding for R and D stood at$42 billion in 1997. The private sector accounted for nearly 62% ($24 billion) of the total, while the public sector accounted for approximately 38%. Since the late 1970s, when the public and private sectors each funded roughly half of Germany's R and D, the private sector has steadily assumed a larger and larger role as the dominant supporter of R and D activity, while overall government funding has remained essentially flat for much of the past two decades. In addition to declining relative to private R and D expenditures, public R and D expenditures in Germany declined by 4% in real terms between 1991 and 1997, to approximately$15 billion. The reduction in R and D investments in the public sector can be attributed in large part to the financial challenges associated with German reunification and related shifts in social priorities including efforts to address high unemployment and to rebuild basic infrastructure in the eastern states. R and D expenditures have also declined as a percentage of the total public budget, from a peak of 3.4% in 1985 to 2.7% in 1996. Energy R and D has been the hardest hit of all major socioeconomic areas of R and D expenditure funded by the German government. Between 1981 and 1997, public energy R and D fell from approximately$1.6 billion to$400 million--a 75% real decline. The$850 million reduction in Germany's fission R and D budget (which constituted two-thirds of government R and D investment in 1985) explains some 90% of the funding decline. Negative public perceptions regarding the safety and environmental impacts of nuclear energy have reduced nuclear power's viability as a long-term energy option for Germany. Discussions of a complete nuclear phaseout are now under way. At the same time, the German government has slashed its investments in fossil energy R and D by more than 90%. While energy efficiency and renewable energy

Impacts of offshore grid developments in the North Sea region on market values by 2050: How will offshore wind farms and transmission lines pay?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Traber, Thure; Koduvere, Hardi; Koivisto, Matti Juhani

2017-01-01

on the substantial differences in the expected economic exposure of wind power plants and transmission lines to the development of the electricity grid in the North Sea. Since details of the prospective energy system around the North Sea region shape these revenue expectations, we further develop and apply...... market values of wind farms on hub level due to impacts of different options for grid structures. The results aim to inform the discussion on possibilities for the allocation of grid expansion costs to the different connected countries including Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway......Increasing the integration of renewable energy in Northern and Central Europe markets is greatly influenced by the development of electricity transmission grid infrastructure. On the background of the fast development of offshore wind energy and its connection to the onshore electricity systems...

Germany restores funds to grant agencies

CERN Multimedia

Schiermeier, Q

1998-01-01

Edelgard Bulmahn, the research minister for Germany's coalition government is to make up a shortfall in the budgets of the Max Planck Society (MPS) and the Deutsche Forshungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and will add an extra five per cent to each in 1999.

Sea-ice evaluation of NEMO-Nordic 1.0: a NEMO-LIM3.6-based ocean-sea-ice model setup for the North Sea and Baltic Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Pemberton, Per; Löptien, Ulrike; Hordoir, Robinson; Höglund, Anders; Schimanke, Semjon; Axell, Lars; Haapala, Jari

2017-08-01

The Baltic Sea is a seasonally ice-covered marginal sea in northern Europe with intense wintertime ship traffic and a sensitive ecosystem. Understanding and modeling the evolution of the sea-ice pack is important for climate effect studies and forecasting purposes. Here we present and evaluate the sea-ice component of a new NEMO-LIM3.6-based ocean-sea-ice setup for the North Sea and Baltic Sea region (NEMO-Nordic). The setup includes a new depth-based fast-ice parametrization for the Baltic Sea. The evaluation focuses on long-term statistics, from a 45-year long hindcast, although short-term daily performance is also briefly evaluated. We show that NEMO-Nordic is well suited for simulating the mean sea-ice extent, concentration, and thickness as compared to the best available observational data set. The variability of the annual maximum Baltic Sea ice extent is well in line with the observations, but the 1961-2006 trend is underestimated. Capturing the correct ice thickness distribution is more challenging. Based on the simulated ice thickness distribution we estimate the undeformed and deformed ice thickness and concentration in the Baltic Sea, which compares reasonably well with observations.

Sea level report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, M.L.

1979-01-01

Study of Cenozoic Era sea levels shows a continual lowering of sea level through the Tertiary Period. This overall drop in sea level accompanied the Pleistocene Epoch glacio-eustatic fluctuations. The considerable change of Pleistocene Epoch sea level is most directly attributable to the glacio-eustatic factor, with a time span of 10 5 years and an amplitude or range of approximately 200 m. The lowering of sea level since the end of the Cretaceous Period is attributed to subsidence and mid-ocean ridges. The maximum rate for sea level change is 4 cm/y. At present, mean sea level is rising at about 3 to 4 mm/y. Glacio-eustacy and tectono-eustacy are the parameters for predicting sea level changes in the next 1 my. Glacio-eustatic sea level changes may be projected on the basis of the Milankovitch Theory. Predictions about tectono-eustatic sea level changes, however, involve predictions about future tectonic activity and are therefore somewhat difficult to make. Coastal erosion and sedimentation are affected by changes in sea level. Erosion rates for soft sediments may be as much as 50 m/y. The maximum sedimentation accumulation rate is 20 m/100 y

Different zooplankton structures in the German Bight

Science.gov (United States)

Martens, P.; Brockmann, U.

1993-06-01

In August 1982, a net of 48 stations with altogether 208 samples was investigated in the eastern German Bight with respect to temperature, salinity, as well as the amount and species composition of the mesozooplankton (>80 μm). The data were arranged into different structures by means of a cluster analysis. Four different clusters were found: (a) a “Wadden sea water” with few holoplankton organisms but a higher amount of spionid larvae; (b) a “German Bight water” with a maximum occurrence of turbellaria ( Alaurina composita) and medium concentrations of copepods; (c) a mixing area between these two water masses with highest amounts of Oikopleura dioica, Temora longicornis, Acartia sp., mussel larvae and larvae of the spionid worms; (d) a “North Sea water” mass with highest concentrations of Pseudocalanus elongatus, Paracalanus parvus und Oithona similis. The differences in the concentrations of the species mentioned between the four clusters were significant on the 0.1%-level.

[AIDS prevention in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Pott, E

2007-04-01

In 1987 the national AIDS prevention campaign "Gib AIDS keine Chance" (Don't give AIDS a chance) was started in Germany. After a very difficult and controversial political debate about a probably successful response to AIDS, in the end a political decision was made in favour of the implementation of a long term "social learning strategy". Thus, since then the Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (Federal Centre for Health Education, BZgA) has been running the campaign on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health. The result of this prevention program is a low rate of infections. In Germany there were 2600 newly diagnosed infections in 2005: 59 % in homosexual men, 16 % by heterosexual contacts, 17 % in people from high prevalence countries and 7 % in i.v. drug users. In comparison to the international situation Germany has a relatively low HIV-prevalence even nowadays. However, Germany has also been confronted with an increasing number of newly diagnosed infections in the last few years. When the prevention program was started it was very important to build new structures for a successful implementation of the campaign. That meant for instance to build up an effective infrastructure for cooperation between the governmental and the nongovernmental sector, including organising the coordinated action among the partners at the federal, regional and local levels. Likewise, international networking was of great importance. A key element, relevant for the success of the campaign was the close cooperation at the federal level between the BZgA and the Deutsche AIDS Hilfe (German AIDS Help, DAH), to combine the highreach intervention in low-prevalence populations with intensive interventions for high prevalence groups. An effective national AIDS prevention campaign must reach the whole population; inform the public about the main risks of infection, about methods of protection and about what is not infectious. Moreover groups with a higher level of risk of

Geo-Seas - a pan-European infrastructure for the management of marine geological and geophysical data.

Science.gov (United States)

Glaves, Helen; Graham, Colin

2010-05-01

countries. This makes the direct use of primary data in an integrated way very difficult and also hampers use of the data sets in a harmonised way to produce multidisciplinary data products and services. To ensure interoperability with other marine environmental data types Geo-Seas ISO19115 metadata, OGC and GeoSciML standards will be used as the basis for the metadata profiles for the geological and geophysical data. This will be largely achieved by modifying the SeaDataNet metadata standard profile (Common Data Index or CDI), which is itself based upon the ISO19115 standard, to accommodate the requirements of the Geo-Seas project. The overall objective of Geo-Seas project is to build and deploy a unified marine geoscientific data infrastructure within Europe which will in effect provide a data grid for the sharing of marine geological and geophysical data. This will result in a major improvement in the locating, accessing and delivery of federated marine geological and geophysical data and data products from national geological surveys and research institutes across Europe. There is an emphasis on interoperability both with other disciplines as well as with other key framework projects including the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODNet) and One Geology - Europe. In addition, a key objective of the Geo-Seas project is to underpin European directives such as INSPIRE as well as recent framework programmes on both the global and European scale, for example Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), all of which are intended to encourage the exchange of data and information. Geo-Seas consortium partners: NERC-BGS (United Kingdom), NERC-BODC (United Kingdom), NERC-NOCS (United Kingdom), MARIS (Netherlands), IFREMER (France), BRGM (France), TNO (Netherlands), BSH (Germany), IGME (Spain), INETI (Portugal), IGME (Greece), GSI (Ireland), BGR (Germany), OGS (Italy), GEUS (Denmark), NGU (Norway), PGI

Germany forms alliance for terascale physics

CERN Multimedia

Feder, Toni

2007-01-01

"Germany's high-energy particle physicists have formed a network to increase their international visibility and competitiveness as their field gears up for the start next ear of the Large Hadron Collide (LHC) at CERN and, eventually, the International Linear Collider." (1 page)

The principles of nuclear safety in the Federal Republic of Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfaffelhuler, J.K.

1980-01-01

A survey of the nuclear installations in the Federal Republic of Germany is presented. Also, the necessary preparations for a country, which wants to introduce nuclear power and the legal basis, the technical principles and the licensing procedure as practised in the Federal Republic of Germany are discussed. (A.L.) [pt

Disintegration and Violence among Migrants in Germany: Turkish and Russian Youths versus German Youths

Science.gov (United States)

Baier, Dirk; Pfeiffer, Christian

2008-01-01

Turkish and Russian immigrants are the two largest groups of immigrants in Germany, but there are some important differences regarding their legal status. Although most of the Turkish adolescents were born in Germany, few of them have German citizenship. In contrast, most of the Russian youths were born outside Germany, but they mostly possess…

[Disaster Control and Civil Protection in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Kippnich, Maximilian; Kowalzik, Barbara; Cermak, Rudolf; Kippnich, Uwe; Kranke, Peter; Wurmb, Thomas

2017-09-01

The train crash of Bad Aibling/Germany in February 2016 and the terrorist attacks of the recent years in Europe have demonstrated the urgent need to be prepared for such disastrous events. Disaster preparedness and disaster control are very important governmental duties, as are civil protection and civil defense. In Germany the responsibility for those tasks are divided between the 16 "Länder" and the Federation. While the Federation takes care of the civil protection and disaster assistance, the Länder are responsible for disaster control. The presented article focuses on these issues and gives valuable insights into the German system of disaster control and civil protection with a focus on health protection. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

[Migrants of high social status in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Glebe, G

1997-01-01

"The accelerating economic globalization has created a growing demand for highly skilled labourers. As a result, there has been an increase in highly skilled and high-status migrants to Germany, especially to the urban agglomerations with global city functions. This migration process is carried mostly by the internal labour and job movement of multinational companies. In the urban centres these groups of migrants follow specific patterns of spatial organization and segregation with regard to their place of residence. But they also have other distinctive difference to the migrants with a lower social status, such as higher social acceptance in their host country, the transitory character of their stay in Germany, and their intentions to return to their home countries." (EXCERPT)

Strategic Interests of Germany in the Balkans at the Turn of 20-21 Centuries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrey Latkov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available After the reunification of Germany and the transition of some countries of central and Eastern Europe under the control of the West, radical changes in the European political system have occurred. Germany turned into a powerful state and began to provide the strategy for independent foreign policy, in which the regional policy in the Balkans, Caucasus and Middle East took the significant place. Germany tried to expand its influence to the countries of Balkan Peninsula, in alliance with Austria-Hungary against Russia, as well as in the beginning of 21st century. However, in the end of 20th century, after several failures in the foreign policy, Germany turned to Russia. Despite its expansionist policy, Germany had to coordinate every step with international organizations or even transfer them issues of conflict resolution in the region. Constantly competing with its allies (mainly the U.S. and UK, Germany was trying to build its foreign policy strategy in the way of increasing its influence in the strategically important region.

The wind sea and swell waves climate in the Nordic seas

Science.gov (United States)

Semedo, Alvaro; Vettor, Roberto; Breivik, Øyvind; Sterl, Andreas; Reistad, Magnar; Soares, Carlos Guedes; Lima, Daniela

2015-02-01

A detailed climatology of wind sea and swell waves in the Nordic Seas (North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea), based on the high-resolution reanalysis NORA10, developed by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, is presented. The higher resolution of the wind forcing fields, and the wave model (10 km in both cases), along with the inclusion of the bottom effect, allowed a better description of the wind sea and swell features, compared to previous global studies. The spatial patterns of the swell-dominated regional wave fields are shown to be different from the open ocean, due to coastal geometry, fetch dimensions, and island sheltering. Nevertheless, swell waves are still more prevalent and carry more energy in the Nordic Seas, with the exception of the North Sea. The influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the winter regional wind sea and swell patterns is also presented. The analysis of the decadal trends of wind sea and swell heights during the NORA10 period (1958-2001) shows that the long-term trends of the total significant wave height (SWH) in the Nordic Seas are mostly due to swell and to the wave propagation effect.

ECFA SURVEY: Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1994-01-01

Few nations can match the scope of German basic physics contributions. Earlier this century, illustrious names (Rontgen, Franck, von Laue, Planck, Sommerfeld, Heisenberg, ) kept Germany among the front runners. Subsequent history has given German physics a very different profile - the country now participates massively in international projects and is the largest single contributing nation in CERN's research programme. At the same time, an impressive high energy programme at the German national Laboratory at DESY, Hamburg, centred around the 6.3 kilometre HERA ring, the world's only high energy electron-proton collider, attracts scientists from all over the world

Survival of Patients with Oral Cavity Cancer in Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Listl, Stefan; Jansen, Lina; Stenzinger, Albrecht; Freier, Kolja; Emrich, Katharina; Holleczek, Bernd; Katalinic, Alexander; Gondos, Adam; Brenner, Hermann

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to describe the survival of patients diagnosed with oral cavity cancer in Germany. The analyses relied on data from eleven population-based cancer registries in Germany covering a population of 33 million inhabitants. Patients with a diagnosis of oral cavity cancer (ICD-10: C00-06) between 1997 and 2006 are included. Period analysis for 2002–2006 was applied to estimate five-year age-standardized relative survival, taking into account patients' sex as well as grade and tumor stage. Overall five-year relative survival for oral cavity cancer patients was 54.6%. According to tumor localization, five-year survival was 86.5% for lip cancer, 48.1% for tongue cancer and 51.7% for other regions of the oral cavity. Differences in survival were identified with respect to age, sex, tumor grade and stage. The present study is the first to provide a comprehensive overview on survival of oral cavity cancer patients in Germany. PMID:23349710

Environment and economic growth in the federal republic of Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertsch, F.

1998-01-01

After several decades of economic growth with a continuous increase of energy consumptions, a new trend is now developing in Germany: reduction of energy consumptions and of pollutant emissions. This paper analyzes first the energy supplies of Germany (consumption, sources), the consumption by sector, and the share of the different energy sources in the German consumption (petroleum, coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and renewable energies). In a second part, the German energy policy is presented with its priorities and actions regarding the environment protection: energy savings, development of renewable energy sources, reduction of automotive fuels consumption, rational use of energy, thermal insulation of buildings, financial incentives etc.. Finally, the forecasting of future energy consumption and pollutants emission trends in Germany and at the worldwide scale are evoked. (J.S.)

The School-HE Interface in West Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmithals, F.

1986-01-01

Discusses the concerns and problems associated with the secondary school-higher education interface in West Germany. Reviews reform efforts and attempts at problem resolution with specific emphasis on physics instruction. (ML)

Letters of Stone. From Nazi Germany to South Africa. Steven Robins ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

merely hint at the gruesome reality in Nazi Germany. With the hindsight granted to present-day readers, we know the fate that awaited these men and women as an elongated and agonising social death reached its culmination in systematic mass murder. In describing his journeys to Germany,. Poland, Israel and the United ...

Coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. Year 2016

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

The paper reports on the coal mining in the Federal Republic of Germany in the year 2016. Statistical data are presented for coal market, brown coal mining as well as the hard coal mining. These data consider the supply and demand of coal in Germany, and employees of the German coal industry.

Coal mining situation in the Federal Republic of Germany. Year 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

The paper reports on the coal mining in the Federal Republic of Germany in the year 2015. Statistical data are presented for coal market, brown coal mining as well as the hard coal mining. These data consider the supply and demand of coal in Germany, and employees of the German coal industry.

Investigating Arctic Sea Ice Survivability in the Beaufort Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Tooth

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Arctic sea ice extent has continued to decline in recent years, and the fractional coverage of multi-year sea ice has decreased significantly during this period. The Beaufort Sea region has been the site of much of the loss of multi-year sea ice, and it continues to play a large role in the extinction of ice during the melt season. We present an analysis of the influence of satellite-derived ice surface temperature, ice thickness, albedo, and downwelling longwave/shortwave radiation as well as latitude and airborne snow depth estimates on the change in sea ice concentration in the Beaufort Sea from 2009 to 2016 using a Lagrangian tracking database. Results from this analysis indicate that parcels that melt during summer in the Beaufort Sea reside at lower latitudes and have lower ice thickness at the beginning of the melt season in most cases. The influence of sea ice thickness and snow depth observed by IceBridge offers less conclusive results, with some years exhibiting higher thicknesses/depths for melted parcels. Parcels that melted along IceBridge tracks do exhibit lower latitudes and ice thicknesses, however, which indicates that earlier melt and breakup of ice may contribute to a greater likelihood of extinction of parcels in the summer.

Conference on hydrogen-energy in France and Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bodineau, Luc; Menzen, Georg; Arnold, Peter Erich; Mauberger, Pascal; Roentzsch, Lars; Poggi, Philippe; Gervais, Thierry; Schneider, Guenther; Colomar, David; Buenger, Ulrich; Nieder, Babette; Zimmer, Rene; Jeanne, Fabrice; Le Grand, Jean-Francois

2014-01-01

The French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a conference on hydrogen-energy in France and Germany. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, about 200 participants exchanged views on the different perspectives for use of hydrogen, in particular in transportation and energy storage applications. The technical production, transport and storage means were addressed too, as well as the technological models and the conditions for a large-scale industrial deployment. The economic prospects of hydrogen-energy in tomorrow's energy mix were also considered during the conference. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - Hydrogen energy and Fuel Cells in France Today, and prospective (Luc Bodineau); 2 - The situation of energy Policy in Germany and the challenges for the Hydrogen Technology (Georg Menzen); 3 - Unlocking the Hydrogen Potential for Transport and Industry (Peter Erich Arnold); 4 - Hydrogen, a new energy for our planet - Hydrogen storage possibilities: example of solid storage (Pascal Mauberger); 5 - Innovative Materials and Manufacturing Technologies for H 2 Production and H 2 Storage (Lars Roentzsch); 6 - Scientific development and industrial strategy: experience feedback from the Myrte platform and energy transition-related perspectives (Philippe Poggi, Thierry Gervais); 7 - 'Power to Gas' - Important partner for renewables with big impact potential (Guenther Schneider) 8 - Developing a Hydrogen Infrastructure for Transport in France and Germany - A Comparison (David Colomar, Ulrich Buenger); 9 - H 2 and Fuel-Cells as Key Technologies for the Transition to Renewable energies - The example of Herten (Babette Nieder); 10 - Social acceptance of hydrogen mobility in Germany (Rene Zimmer); 11 - Hydrogen - A development opportunity for regions? (Fabrice Jeanne)

Sea level change

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Church, J.A.; Clark, P.U.; Cazenave, A.; Gregory, J.M.; Jevrejeva, S.; Levermann, A.; Merrifield, M.A.; Milne, G.A.; Nerem, R.S.; Nunn, P.D.; Payne, A.J.; Pfeffer, W.T.; Stammer, D.; Unnikrishnan, A.S.

This chapter considers changes in global mean sea level, regional sea level, sea level extremes, and waves. Confidence in projections of global mean sea level rise has increased since the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) because of the improved...

Air-sea exchange studies at the North Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeuw, G. de; Eijk, A.M.J. van; Kunz, G.J.; Veefkind, P.J.

1996-01-01

The North Sea can be considered as a local 'inner' sea in which many processes are quite different from these over the open ocean. The surrounding land has a major influence, being the source for man-made aerosols and gases, whereas the North Sea acts as a sink for these. At the same time the North

Sea ice dynamics across the Mid-Pleistocene transition in the Bering Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Detlef, H; Belt, S T; Sosdian, S M; Smik, L; Lear, C H; Hall, I R; Cabedo-Sanz, P; Husum, K; Kender, S

2018-03-05

Sea ice and associated feedback mechanisms play an important role for both long- and short-term climate change. Our ability to predict future sea ice extent, however, hinges on a greater understanding of past sea ice dynamics. Here we investigate sea ice changes in the eastern Bering Sea prior to, across, and after the Mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT). The sea ice record, based on the Arctic sea ice biomarker IP 25 and related open water proxies from the International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1343, shows a substantial increase in sea ice extent across the MPT. The occurrence of late-glacial/deglacial sea ice maxima are consistent with sea ice/land ice hysteresis and land-glacier retreat via the temperature-precipitation feedback. We also identify interactions of sea ice with phytoplankton growth and ocean circulation patterns, which have important implications for glacial North Pacific Intermediate Water formation and potentially North Pacific abyssal carbon storage.

Comparisons in good and bad: criminality in Japan and Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Kühne, H H

1994-12-16

In the field of criminological comparison, Japan and Germany are very suitable subjects. A nearly identical penal law and a social structure of highly developed industrial societies after a complete destruction at the end of World War War II give a good match. At first sight, Japan's crime rate is less than 1/4 of that in Germany. The impact of organised crime on the reduction of general crime is discussed.

Lymphogranuloma venereum in men screened for pharyngeal and rectal infection, Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Haar, Karin; Dudareva-Vizule, Sandra; Wisplinghoff, Hilmar; Wisplinghoff, Fabian; Sailer, Andrea; Jansen, Klaus; Henrich, Birgit; Marcus, Ulrich

2013-03-01

To determine prevalence of lymphogranuloma venereum among men who have sex with men in Germany, we conducted a multicenter study during 2009-2010 and found high rates of rectal and pharyngeal infection in men positive for the causative agent, Chlamydia trachomatis. Many infections were asymptomatic. An adjusted C. trachomatis screening policy is justified in Germany.

Identity construction: A comparison between Turkish Muslims in Australia and Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuba Boz

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The essentialization of identity coupled with its confused association with loyalty has ensured that issues related to identity are at the forefront of politics, and are used as a platform to generate moral panics which are fuelled by the mass corporate media. Different socio-political contexts affect identity construction among Turkish Muslims in Germany and Australia. Based on qualitative interview data collected in 2008 and 2009 in Germany and Australia, this paper examines the circumstances that influence the self-conception of the Turkish Muslims in both countries. The different political and demographic circumstances of each country are described and their impact on identity formation taken into account. Then we use labeling theory, that is, differences in the language, concepts and official descriptions used by the powerful in each society to label minority groups (Akers 1999, in order to examine the impact of top-down government policies on identity construction among Turkish communities in Australia and Germany - a major example of this being the contrast between Australia's multicultural policies with Germany's assimilationist integration policies.

West Germany: Federal Structure, Political Influence.

Science.gov (United States)

Toogood, Alex

1978-01-01

Describes the organizational structure of the broadcasting industry in West Germany which is unique because of the federal, public, and political elements involved. Special problems that arise from this framework are discussed, including financing, programing, creative vs technical advances, concepts of production values, and political balance.…

Distance Education at Conventional Universities in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans-Henning Kappel

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Germany’s educational system has undergone a series of transformations during the last 40 years. In recent years, marked increases in enrolment have occurred. In response, admission requirements have been relaxed and new universities have been established.Academic distance education in the former Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany was ushered in by the educational radio broadcasts around the end of the 1960s. Aside from the formation of the FernUniversität (Open University in West Germany in 1975, there were significant developments in distance education occurring at the major universities in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany. After German reunification in 1990, the new unitary state launched programs to advance the development of distance education programs at conventional universities.Germany’s campus-based universities (Präsenzuniversitäten created various entities, including central units and consortia of universities to design and market distance education programs. Hybridisation provides the necessary prerequisites for dual mode delivery, such as basic and continuing education programs, as well as for the combination of distance and campus-based education (Präsenzstudium. Hybridisation also has also opened the door for the creation of new programs.Following an initial phase in which distance education research is expected to centralize a trend towards decentralisation is likely to follow. The German Association for Distance Education (AG-F offers a viable research network in distance education. Two dual mode case studies are also be surveyed: The Master of Arts degree, offered by the University of Koblenz-Landau, with Library Science as the second major, and the University of Kaiserslautern, where basic education will continue to be captured within the domain of the Präsenzstudium or campus-based education.The area in which distance education is flourishing most is within the field of academic continuing

Dental hygiene education in Germany: Between economics and emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Offermanns, B; Petersilka, G J

2017-08-30

To date, there is still no IFDH approved dental hygienist (DH) education model in Germany. Nevertheless, opportunities to complete vocational DH education courses have substantially increased within the last two decades. However, the content and quality of these courses vary greatly and are difficult to survey. The purpose of this article therefore was to present an overview of the education programmes offered in Germany as of March 2017. A formal request was sent to all education establishments for details of such courses, and a systematic internet search was performed covering the DH education topic in Germany. Ten vocational education programmes were found, most of them organized by local dental chambers. One private provider offers a Bachelor Degree in Dental Hygiene on completion of a course which runs over 2 or 3 ys. Details of contents, objectives and concise ratings or comparisons of the various courses are scarce, although in principle all should meet the same quality standards. For dental hygiene students, patients and dentists, it is hard and unsatisfactory to get a clear overview of the types and the quality of DH education which can be achieved in Germany. A solution for this dilemma would appear to be essential. However, due to the peculiarities of German legislation as well as the complex sphere of vested interests, it is impossible to predict if or when the situation will change for the better. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Aquifer thermal energy stores in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabus, F.; Seibt, P.; Poppei, J.

2000-01-01

This paper describes the state of essential demonstration projects of heat and cold storage in aquifers in Germany. Into the energy supply system of the buildings of the German Parliament in Berlin, there are integrated both a deep brine-bearing aquifer for the seasonal storage of waste heat from power and heat cogeneration and a shallow-freshwater bearing aquifer for cold storage. In Neubrandenburg, a geothermal heating plant which uses a 1.200 m deep aquifer is being retrofitted into an aquifer heat storage system which can be charged with the waste heat from a gas and steam cogeneration plant. The first centralised solar heating plant including an aquifer thermal energy store in Germany was constructed in Rostock. Solar collectors with a total area of 1000m 2 serve for the heating of a complex of buildings with 108 flats. A shallow freshwater-bearing aquifer is used for thermal energy storage. (Authors)

Germany, Austria and dissolution of Yugoslavia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vuković Slobodan V.

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with one of the causes of dissolution/breakdown of Yugoslavia. The author first analyses writing of German and Austrian press which has, at the very beginning of the crisis, taken a strong anti-Serb standing, as in 1914 and 1941. Author then analyses the reasons that led Austrian and German diplomacy and governments to actively forging the crisis and then breaking down a sovereign country. Those reasons could be summarized as follows: German and Austrian revenge for two wars lost in these territories; improvement of conditions for fulfillment of old German dream to advance toward Middle East; in order to become a world power Germany 'had to' to annul some of the consequences of the First and Second World War on the symbolic level and acquire a possibility to test its powers, and breaking down Yugoslavia, with help of its internal allies Germany broke down its army without military engagement and removed an obstacle for advancement towards East.

Extent and application of ICU diaries in Germany in 2014

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nydahl, Peter; Knueck, Dirk; Egerod, Ingrid

2015-01-01

in keeping ICU diaries. CONCLUSION: Six years after the introduction of ICU diaries, ICU nurses in Germany are becoming familiar with the concept. Nursing shortage and bureaucratic challenges have impeded the process of implementation, but the adaption of ICU diaries to German conditions appears......, newsletters, newspapers, lectures and publications in German nursing journals. AIM: The aim of the study was to update our knowledge of the extent and application of ICU diaries in Germany in 2014. DESIGN: The study had a prospective mixed methods multicenter design. METHOD: All 152 ICUs in the two German...... of Germany had implemented diaries and three units were planning to do so. Interviews were conducted with nurses at 14 selected ICUs. Informants reported successful adaption of the diary concept to their culture, but variability in application. No units were identified where all nursing staff participated...

"Great Technology, Football and...": Malaysian Language Learners' Stereotypes about Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larisa Nikitina

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on stereotypes about Germany, its culture and people, held by learners of German in a big public university in Malaysia. It examines not only the stereotypical representations of the target language country but also assesses its favourability and salience, which has not been done previously. The findings revealed that the students' stereotypes about Germany were varied and diverse. Also, they were overwhelmingly positive. The top three salient categories of images about Germany were related to technology, famous personalities - for the most part football players and scientists - and cars. The findings also indicated that very few references had been made to German culture and to its great cultural figures. The results of the present study suggest that students could benefit from a wider and deeper exposure to German culture in the language classroom.