Ecochemical assessment of environmental chemicals Part 2: Standard supplementary screening procedure to evaluate more volatile and less persistent chemicals in plant cell cultures

The described methodology allows the determination of metabolic turnover, biomineralization and volatilization of organic environmental chemicals. The overall accountability of radiolabelled chemicals with standardized soybean and wheat cell cultures determined is nearly quantitative. The total balance of the radiolabelled dichlofluanid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, monolinuron, lindane, parathion and pentachlorophenol recovered by this method are reported.     

Korrelation meteorologischer und pflanzenphänologischer Indikatoren des Klimawandels

Goal and Scope

While the rise of the air temperature as part of the global climatic change seems to be widely assured, questions about the effects of this phenomenon in ecological systems get more and more interesting. In this sense this article shows by the example of monitoring sites in Baden-Württemberg the correlation of air temperature measurements with data on the phenology of selected plants.

Methods

To this end the data on air remperature and plant phenology which are gathered from spatial dislocated measurement sites were correlated by prior application of Kriging interpolation. In addition, geostatistics are ssed to analyze and cartographically depict the spatial structure of the phenology in spring and in summer.

Results and Conclusion

The statistical analysis reveals a significant relationship between the rising air temperature and the early beginning phenological phases like blooming or fruit maturation. From 1991 to 1999 spring time as indicated by phenological phases begins up to 14 days earlier than from 1961 to 1990. As proved by geostatistics, this holds true for the whole territory of Baden-Württemberg.

Recommendation and Perspective

The effects of the rise of air temperature should be examined not only by monitoring of biological individuals as for example plants, but on ecosystem level, too. The German ecosystem research and the environmental monitoring should be supplemented by the study of the effects of the climatic change in ecosystems. Because air temperature and humidity have a great influence on the temporal and spatial distribution of pathogen carriers (vectors) and pathogens mapping of the determinants of vector and pathogen distribution in space and time should be done in order to identify hot spots for risk assessment and further detailed epidemiological studies.     

Towards a global emergency plan for the environment

This editorial is based on a paper first produced by Winfried Böll entitled, A Global Emergency Plan for the Environment which appeared inThe Crisis of Global Environment: Demands for Global Politics published by The Foundation Development and Peace in 1989. Winfried Böll is the retired Ministerial Director of the Ministry for Economic Co-operation, West Germany. He lectures at the University of Duisburg on matters related to foreign aid and government and administration, he is also an advisor to the Board of the Foundation Development and Peace. The Foundation was established in 1987 at the initiative of former West German Chancellor, Willy Brandt. Its Executive Board, as well as its Board of Trustees and its members are composed of distinguished personalities from political, social, economic and scientific life who share a sense of global responsibility. The Foundation is non-partisan and non-profit-making.Its objectives are summarised below:     

?kologische, ?konomische und rechtliche umweltbewertung

Zusammenfassung  Der Artikel gibt einen überblick über eine Beitragsserie zum Thema Integrative Umweltbewertung. Es wird über die Genese sowie die inhaltliche und organisatorische Struktur eines Graduiertenkollegs berichtet, das in den Jahren 1996–2002 in zwei Phasen an der Universit?t Kiel eingerichter war. Insbesondere wird auf die zentralen Begriffe Integration, Umwelt und Bewertung eingegangen. Ein besonderes Augenmerk liegt zudem auf dem genannten Thema als Forschungs- und Lehrgegenstand sowie auf den Chancen und Barrieren für interdisziplin?re Kooperation und Kommunikation zwischen den Fachgruppen ?kosystemforschung, Rechtswissenschaften und Wirtschafts-/Sozialwissenschaften. Am Schluss dieses übersichtsbeitrages werden die Beitr?ge der Serie kurz vorgestellt. Online First 17.06.2002     

Auswahl repräsentativer Standorte zur Modellierung der Ausbreitung von gentechnisch veränderten Pflanzen in Nord-Deutschland

Goal and Scope

The use of genetically modified plants (GMP) in agriculture is increasing rapidly. While GMP in North and South America are already established an extensive cultivation in Germany is yet to come. Risk assessment on possible effects of released GMP are mainly based on empirical studies with a small spatial extent (laboratories, small-scale field trials). The joint research project ‘Generic detection and extrapolation of genetically modified rape (GenEERA)’ aimed at estimating the dispersal and persistence of genetically modified oilseed rape (Brassica napus) by the use of individual based models. The objective of the article at hand is to give a detailed account of the spatial variability of climate in Northern Germany (German Federal States of Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and Bremen Mecklenburg Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg). Based on this, a method was developed that includes both, the determination of representative oilseed rapefields for modelling the dispersal of GM oilseed rape at field scale, and the subsequent generalisation of the results to landscapes.

Data and Methods

The statistically founded selection of modelling sites was performed by a compilation of available indicators within a GIS environment which are supposed to be important for the dispersal and the persistence of oilseed rape. Meteorological data on precipitation (P), air temperature (T), and sunshine duration (S) collected at up to 1,200 monitoring sites from 1961–1990 were as well as data on wind conditions (W) aggregated multivariate-statistically by Ward cluster analysis. An ecoregionalisation was used for characterising Northern Germany ecologically. Phenological data on the start of the oil seed rape bloom differentiated in the monitoring periods 1961–1990 and 1991–1999, respectively, were regionalised by performing variogram analysis and kriging interpolation. These maps were used to select appropriate Landsat images to identify rape fields by remote sensing algorithms as well as to define the respective flowering periods for individual based modelling.

Results

The separately generated P-T-S-W-Cluster were aggregated to four homogenic climatic regions. In combination with agricultural clusters defining typical landuse patterns (crop rotation, cultivation management) eight model regions were derived which describe the climatic and agronomic variations in Northern Germany. For each of these regions a representative monitoring site was selected serving for individual based modelling. At last, the modelling results were extrapolated back to the model regions applying corresponding GIS queries.

Discussion

The generated climatic regions reflect the transition of marine climate at the North Sea to continental climate in Northeast Germany. The shift in flowering of oil seed rape coincides with other studies on phenological changes of agricultural crops and wild plants.

Conclusions

Due to the huge calculation efforts and the lack of adequate land registers it was not possible to simulate the potential dispersal of GM oil seed rape at farm scale. Thus, generalisations were used to describe the variations of relevant ecological drivers affecting the dispersal of GMP. It could be shown that the aggregation of those factors to homogenic climatic regions was a successful approximation.

Recommendations and Perspectives

Due to the limited empirical data base it is necessary to validate and substantiate the modelling results by a GMP monitoring. The EU Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms into the environment stipulates assessment of direct and indirect effects of GMP on humans and the environment by case-specific monitoring and general surveillance. It should be realised as soon as possible, since the release and the cultivation of GMP in Germany have been started, already. The monitoring should be complemented by the implementation of a web-based geoinformation system (WebGIS) which enables access to relevant geodata and monitoring data and assists in analysing possible GMP impacts.     

First Europe-wide correlation analysis identifying factors best explaining the total nitrogen concentration in mosses

In this study, the indicative value of mosses as biomonitors of atmospheric nitrogen (N) depositions and air concentrations on the one hand and site-specific and regional factors which explain best the total N concentration in mosses on the other hand were investigated for the first time at a European scale using correlation analyses. The analyses included data from mosses collected from 2781 sites across Europe within the framework of the European moss survey 2005/6, which was coordinated by the International Cooperative Programme on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops (ICP Vegetation). Modelled atmospheric N deposition and air concentration data were calculated using the Unified EMEP Model of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). The modelled deposition and concentration data encompass various N compounds. In order to assess the correlations between moss tissue total N concentrations and the chosen predictors, Spearman rank correlation analysis and Classification and Regression Trees (CART) were applied. The Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the total N concentration in mosses and modelled N depositions and air concentrations are significantly correlated (0.53 ≤ r_s ≤ 0.68, p < 0.001). Correlations with other predictors were lower than 0.55. The CART analysis indicated that the variation in the total N concentration in mosses was best explained by the variation in NH₄⁺ concentrations in air, followed by NO₂ concentrations in air, sampled moss species and total dry N deposition. The total N concentrations in mosses mirror land use-related atmospheric concentrations and depositions of N across Europe. In addition to already proven associations to measured N deposition on a local scale the study at hand gives a scientific prove on the association of N concentration in mosses and modelled deposition at the European scale.     

Aktuelle und künftige Emissionen treibhauswirksamer fluorierter Verbindungen in Deutschland

The fluorinated compounds sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), perfluorocarbons (CF₄, C₂F₆) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are atmospheric trace gases with extremely high global warming potentials (GWP). The study examines the real emissions of these compounds in Germany between 1990 and 1995, and develops projections for the years up to 2020. These projections indicate that annual perfluorocarbon releases will drop between the years 1990 and 2000 from 335 t/34 t to 100 t/10 t due to automation measures at the main source (aluminium smelting). Sulphur hexafluoride emissions, however, will remain in the range between 200 and 300 t per annum until the year 2020. By far the largest emitters are car tyres and sound-insulation glazing, non-electrical swithgear, the latter being relatively well sealed and linked to management and reprocessing concepts for used gas. As concerns hydrofluorocarbons which have only been used since 1990 with the specific intention of substituting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an increasing degree of CFC substitution in stationary and mobile refrigeration technology, in canned PUR foams and in asthma sprays must be expected to lead to steeply rising emissions to levels exceeding 9,700 t/a from the year 2007 onwards, if halogen-free alternatives are not used more strongly. Assuming these trends, the cumulative emissions of the stated fluorinated compounds will correspond to a global warming impact of 25 million t CO₂ (GWP time horizon: 100 years) by the year 2020.     

Geostatistical Analysis of data on AIR Temperature and Plant Phenology From Baden-Württemberg (GERMANY) as a Basis for Regional Scaled Models of Climate Change

The rise of the air temperature is assured to be part of the global climatic change, but there is still a lack of knowledge about its effects at a regional scale. The article tackles the correlation of air temperature with the phenology of selected plants by the example of Baden-Württemberg to provide a spatial valid data base for regional climate change models. To this end, the data on air temperature and plant phenology, gathered from measurement sites without congruent coverage, were correlated after performing geostatistical analysis and estimation. In addition, geostatistics are used to analyze and cartographically depict the spatial structure of the phenology of plants in spring and in summer. The statistical analysis reveals a significant relationship between the rising air temperature and the earlier beginning of phenological phases like blooming or fruit maturation: From 1991 to 1999 spring time, as indicated by plant phenology, has begun up to 15 days earlier than from 1961 to 1990. As shown by geostatistics, this holds true for the whole territory of Baden-Württemberg. The effects of the rise of air temperature should be investigated not only by monitoring biological individuals, as for example plants, but on an ecosystem level as well. In Germany, the environmental monitoring should be supplemented by the study of the effects of the climatic change in ecosystems. Because air temperature and humidity have a great influence on the temporal and spatial distribution of pathogen carriers (vectors) and pathogens, mapping of the environmental determinants of vector and pathogen distribution in space and time should be performed in order to identify hot spots for risk assessment and further detailed epidemiological studies.