The Problems of Fishermen in the Southern Aral Sea Region

The main objective of this paper is the presentation of water scarcity and water quality problems of fishery and fishermen in the southern Aral Sea region Kazakhstan. We tried in the past to inform interested people about our suggestions how to rehabilitate the situation, how to produce relatively enough fish for the functioning of local fish processing industry and to give people jobs, but we were unable so far to convince decision makers about innovations needed. It is essential therefore to reiterate some of the well-known problems of the region, called the Aral Sea crisis, but we concentrate mostly on the problems for the fishermen. While we do this, we understand, however, that the problem requires solution within the concept of a socioeconomic sustainable development for which we suggest the development of a decision support system based upon a computer simulation model providing optimal solutions.     

Extreme value analysis of Munich air pollution data

We present three different approaches to modelling extreme values of daily air pollution data. We fitted a generalized extreme value distribution to the monthly maxima of daily concentration measures. For the exceedances of a high threshold depending on the data, the parameters of the generalized Pareto distribution were estimated. Accounting for autocorrelation, clusters of exceedances were used. To obtain information about the relationship of the exceedance of the air quality standard and possible predictors we applied logistic regression. Results and their interpretation are given for daily average concentrations of ozone and nitrogen dioxide at two monitoring sites within the city of Munich.     

Cytochrome P4501A induction in brown trout exposed to small streams of an urbanised area: results of a five-year-study

This case study examines the ability of the cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) biomarker to distinguish the pollution status of two small streams, Kr?henbach and K?rsch, receiving different levels of urban and agricultural impact, with low to moderate contamination by arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-binding PAHs and PCBs. Brown trout, Salmo trutta, exposed in enclosure restrictions, showed significant between-stream differences of hepatic CYP1A levels. EROD activities were the better discriminator than CYP1A protein levels. The CYP1A response was consistent and repeatable over the 5-year observation period from 1995 to 1999. In contrast to brown trout, hepatic CYP1A of stone loach, Barbatula barbatula, did not clearly distinguish the streams. The findings of this long-term study lend support to the use of CYP1A as a biomarker of degraded environmental conditions, provided that sufficiently long observation periods are used to average out confounding factors, that sufficiently sensitive detection methods are used, and that a responsive monitoring species is chosen.     

Agenda 21 Realisierungsmöglichkeiten an Hochschulen

Chapter 36 from the Agenda 21 which was held at the Conference for the Environment and Development in 1992 provides suggestions for ?promoting education, public awareness and training“ and important contributions for continuing developments in the universities. The goals which have been mentioned here can only be realized on a long-term basis. A work group at the University in Furtwangen has concentrated on the adaptation of this theme since 1991. After five years, it is now possible to draw a provisional balance: The disciplines of the environment, technology, law and ecology are bound together through a reformed course of studies in the field of process engineering. The certification based upon the EC eco-auditing ordinance offers new prospects for increasing the integration of environmental aspects on a broad basis into the routine university life. The establishment of a regional environmental center provides a possibility for the exchange of knowledge as a joint venture.     

Langzeitmonitoring möglicher Auswirkungen gentechnisch veränderter Pflanzen auf Pflanzengesellschaften Konzeptentwicklung am Beispiel von Raps (Brassica napus)

Ecological monitoring of genetically engineered plants (GEPs) is being developed in the Bavarian Environmental Protection Agency. Focusing on oilseed rape (Brassica napus, Cruciferae), a method is being established to measure the impact of the commercial release of GEPs on plant communities. Oilseed rape is known to escape from cultures and to establish outside the fields. It also produces hybrid offspring with wild relatives of the European flora. The study site is located in Bavaria (Germany) and comprises an area of 5700 ha. It is characterized by a mosaic of protected natural habitats in close vicinity to intensively cultivated farmland. In this region species composition and population density of Cruciferae is documented prior to a possible commercial release of GEPs. Furthermore Cruciferae of the study site are tested for the presence of transgenes. Therefore, plant material of selected Cruciferae is randomly sampled. We also test oilseed rape honey from the study site and pollen from pollen traps for the presence of hybrid pollen. The molecular method used is the ‘real-time PCR’. In addition, an intensive monitoring program is established in two types of biotopes, which are located in the study site. Multivariate statistics are being used to correlate plant community data with soil parameters.     

Deponiesickerwässer: Bestimmung zytotoxischer Wirkungen mit dem Pollenschlauchwachstumstest

For risk assessment of environmental samples, rapid and sensitive screening assays for detection of toxic potencies are required. Using leachates from waste deposites in the industrial region Leipzig-Halle (Germany) as an example, we present a simple test procedure suitable for the detection of cytotoxic effects of samples. This method, the pollen tube growth test (PTG), works as follows: Pollen of tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris Spegazz, & Comes) are suspended in mixtures of growth medium and buffered (pH 6,3 to 7,0) dumping ground leachates. After an 18h-incubation period, growth of pollen tubes is quantified by staining with Alcian blue and subsequent measurment of optical density in a photometer. Sample induced inhibition of pollen tube growth is calculated in relation to controls maintained in pure growth medium. The PTG test shows high sensitivity towards leachates of different chemical composition, and it shows good agreement with assay results from luminescent bacteria tests. We conclude that the PTG test is well suited to assess the hazardous potential of aqueous environmental samples.