Von Mitgliedern für Mitglieder 2. Workshop-Tagung und Jahreshauptversammlung am 5./6.11.05 in Tübingen

VG?D Corner (Verband für Geo?kologie in Deutschland)

Von Mitgliedern für Mitglieder 2. Workshop-Tagung und Jahreshauptversammlung am 5./6.11.05 in Tübingen     

Analyse von Quecksilber in Seeadlerfedern aus Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mit Hilfe der Hamburger Protonenmikrosonde

Zusammenfassung  Mit der Hamburger Protonenmikrosonde untersuchen wir den Quecksilbergehalt in Seeadlerfedern, die in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern über Jahrzehnte gesammelt wurden. Anhand der Fundorte und Funddaten ist es m?glich, ein zeitliches und regional differenziertes Bild der Quecksilberbelastung, die vorwiegend durch Hg-halrige Saargutbeizen in der Landwirtschaft verursacht wurden, zu erstellen. Wir vergleichen die gefundenen Konzentrationen mit der ‘geogenen’ Grundbelastung, die an Federproben des vorigen Jahrhunderts von Museumstieren ermittelt wurde.      

Identification of material flow systems

Material Flow Analysis (MFA) has become an important instrument in environmental science and pollution research. In this paper, we look at the MFA problem as a particularly structured system identification problem. Special emphasis is given to the linear, static case, where we describe a procedure for reconciliating the flow measurements and for estimating the unmeasured flows and the transfer coefficients by taking into account a priori restrictions such as balance equations.     

Wet deposition of pesticides and nitrophenols at two sites in Denmark: measurements and contributions from regional sources

The concentrations of selected pesticides, of some of their degradation products and nitrophenols in rain were measured at two stations in Denmark in the period January 2000-July 2001. Forty compounds were quantified at least at one station during at least one sampling period. Additionally 17 compounds could be detected but not quantified, and 22 compounds could not be detected at all. The highest depositions of pesticides were observed for pendimethalin and desethylterbuthylazine, which is a degradation product of terbuthylazine. The deposition of the nitrophenols 2,4-dinitrophenol, DNOC, 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol was much higher than that of pesticides. The deposition of 2,4-dinitrophenol was e.g. up to a factor of 40 higher than that of pendimethalin. Atrazine, chloridazon, 2,4-D, dieldrin, disulfoton, fenitrothion, isoproturon, lenacil, metazachlor and propachlor were found in precipitation, although these pesticides are not allowed in Denmark. It can therefore be concluded that they came from abroad and have been transported over at least 60-80 km. For some of these compounds the transport distance is much longer.     

Photodynamic action of some sensitizers by photooxidation of luminol

We report the development of a novel simple experimental method which allows the comparison of new photosensitizers based on their production of reactive oxygen species. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay permits the monitoring of several substances (sensitizer, reactant and oxidized end product) simultaneously on a single chromatogram. Photoreactions were monitored throughout their course by the HPLC assay surveying the sensitizers' efficiency of singlet oxygen production by the oxidative decomposition of luminol. Several photosensitizers were tested: Rose Bengal, Methylene Blue, Protoporphyrin IX, Photosan III, Photofrin, Hypericin and Pseudohypericin. Additionally, photoreactions were monitored by a standard pO₂ detection system. The measurements of the two detection methods were strongly correlated. Rose Bengal proved to be the most efficient photosensitizer, clearly decreasing the luminol concentration and causing a corresponding increase in aminophthalic acid. Our experiments show that when factors necessary for photochemical reactions are absent or are blocked (antioxidants), no reaction can be detected.     

Prenatal detection of cystic fibrosis; comparative study of maltase and alkaline phosphatase activities in amniotic fluid

The potential value of microvillar enzymes in the prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) has previously been demonstrated and is corroborated in the present comparative study. Maltase and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were studied in the amniotic fluids of 57 pregnancies with a 1 in 4 risk for CF or with a known CF outcome and in 489 controls. A simple assay for maltase activity (MU-maltase) with the fluorogenic substate 4-methylumbelliferyl α-glucoside, offers great technical advantages and an at least equal detection rate of CF, when compared to the previously used test with maltose as substrate. Intestinal ALP was estimated either as phenylalanine inhibitable activity (PI-ALP) or as the proportions of residual activity in the presence of the inhibitors phenylalanine or homoarginine. MU-maltase and PI-ALP appeared the most successful methods: both tests were able to detect 14 of the 16 (88 per cent) pregnancies with fetal CF. Each of the two tests alone also allowed a correct prediction in 24 of the 25 pregnancies at risk but with normal outcome; however all 25 cases could be correctly predicted by a combined evaluation. It is suggested that more than one intestinal enzyme activity should be evaluated to allow optimal results in the prenatal monitoring of pregnancies at high risk for CF.     

Transgenic insect-resistant corn affects the fourth trophic level: effects of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Bacillus thuringiensis</Emphasis>-corn on the facultative hyperparasitoid<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Tetrastichus howardi</Emphasis>

As hyperparasitoids may have a considerable influence on the control of herbivorous arthropods, analyzing the host-mediated impact of Bacillus thuringiensis-plants (Bt-plants) on hyperparasitoids is of interest. Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted in order to assess the potential effect of Bt-corn leaf material on the facultative hyperparasitoid Tetrastichus howardi (Olliff) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), mediated through the herbivore Chilo partellus Swinhoe (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and its primary parasitoid Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). In the Bt-group, significantly less C. flavipes larvae per host spun cocoons and pupated than in the control, and the mean fresh weight of a single C. flavipes cocoon was significantly reduced compared to the control. All C. flavipes cocoons of one host formed cocoon clusters. T. howardi females of the Bt-group parasitized significantly less cocoon clusters than in the control. Moreover, significantly fewer C. flavipes cocoons per cocoon cluster were successfully parasitized as compared to the control. As a consequence, T. howardi females of the control had more offspring than in the Bt-group. Adult female T. howardi offspring of the Bt-group weighed significantly less than in the control, but there was no significant weight difference between males of both groups. Our results suggest that transgenic insect-resistant plants could affect hyperparasitoids indirectly. However, it remains to be determined whether facultative hyperparasitoids prefer to develop as primary or secondary parasitoids under field conditions.     

Hydrogen storage methods

Hydrogen exhibits the highest heating value per mass of all chemical fuels. Furthermore, hydrogen is regenerative and environmentally friendly. There are two reasons why hydrogen is not the major fuel of todays energy consumption. First of all, hydrogen is just an energy carrier. And, although it is the most abundant element in the universe, it has to be produced, since on earth it only occurs in the form of water and hydrocarbons. This implies that we have to pay for the energy, which results in a difficult economic dilemma because ever since the industrial revolution we have become used to consuming energy for free. The second difficulty with hydrogen as an energy carrier is its low critical temperature of 33 K (i.e. hydrogen is a gas at ambient temperature). For mobile and in many cases also for stationary applications the volumetric and gravimetric density of hydrogen in a storage material is crucial. Hydrogen can be stored using six different methods and phenomena: (1) high-pressure gas cylinders (up to 800 bar), (2) liquid hydrogen in cryogenic tanks (at 21 K), (3) adsorbed hydrogen on materials with a large specific surface area (at T<100 K), (4) absorbed on interstitial sites in a host metal (at ambient pressure and temperature), (5) chemically bonded in covalent and ionic compounds (at ambient pressure), or (6) through oxidation of reactive metals, e.g. Li, Na, Mg, Al, Zn with water. The most common storage systems are high-pressure gas cylinders with a maximum pressure of 20 MPa (200 bar). New lightweight composite cylinders have been developed which are able to withstand pressures up to 80 MPa (800 bar) and therefore the hydrogen gas can reach a volumetric density of 36 kg·m^–3, approximately half as much as in its liquid state. Liquid hydrogen is stored in cryogenic tanks at 21.2 K and ambient pressure. Due to the low critical temperature of hydrogen (33 K), liquid hydrogen can only be stored in open systems. The volumetric density of liquid hydrogen is 70.8 kg·m^–3, and large volumes, where the thermal losses are small, can cause hydrogen to reach a system mass ratio close to one. The highest volumetric densities of hydrogen are found in metal hydrides. Many metals and alloys are capable of reversibly absorbing large amounts of hydrogen. Charging can be done using molecular hydrogen gas or hydrogen atoms from an electrolyte. The group one, two and three light metals (e.g. Li, Mg, B, Al) can combine with hydrogen to form a large variety of metal–hydrogen complexes. These are especially interesting because of their light weight and because of the number of hydrogen atoms per metal atom, which is two in many cases. Hydrogen can also be stored indirectly in reactive metals such as Li, Na, Al or Zn. These metals easily react with water to the corresponding hydroxide and liberate the hydrogen from the water. Since water is the product of the combustion of hydrogen with either oxygen or air, it can be recycled in a closed loop and react with the metal. Finally, the metal hydroxides can be thermally reduced to metals in a solar furnace. This paper reviews the various storage methods for hydrogen and highlights their potential for improvement and their physical limitations.     

Long-term (≥20 years) application of fertilizers and straw return enhances soil carbon storage: a meta-analysis

Increasing soil carbon (C) storage is crucial to addressing climate change and ensuring food security. The C sequestration potential of the world’s cropland soil is 0.4–0.8 Pg soil C year^?1, which may be achieved through the adoption of recommended management practices (RMPs), including fertilizer management. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the influence of long-term application of different fertilizers and straw retention on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, to compare the calculated response ratios with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)-recommended default relative stock change factors, and to propose recommendations for enhancing SOC sequestration. The meta-analysis indicated that the long-term application of chemical fertilizers (CF), organic fertilizers (OF), combined chemical and organic fertilizers (CFOF), and straw return (SR) significantly enhanced the SOC storage. Response ratios varied significantly (p < 0.05) across different fertilization measures and climatic zones, and was sensitive to the initial SOC content. The mean response ratio was 0.94 for no fertilizer (NF), 1.08 for CF, 1.48 for OF, 1.38 for CFOF, and 1.28 for SR. When IPCC default values for response ratios were applied, SOC storage with OF and CFOF treatments in warm temperate regions with a dry climate was underestimated by 26%, and in the cool temperate region with a moist climate was overestimated by 25% (p < 0.05). Analysis showed that sustained application of organic fertilizers and straw return could be a beneficial measures to mitigate climate change and ensure food security in China. Our findings highlight the importance of deriving SOC stock change factors for a detailed classification of cropland by fertilizer management, climate, and soil types in order to more accurately reflect the effects of policy measures.