The use of FEP Teflon in solar cell cover technology

FEP plastic film was used as a cover and as an adhesive to bond cover glasses to silicon solar cells. Various anti-reflective coatings were applied to cells and subsequently covered with FEP. Short circuit currents were measured before and after application of the coating and of the FEP. FEP was bonded to seven of the nine differently coated cells, with no change in the total short circuit current in four cases

Screen printed interdigitated back contact solar cell

Interdigitated back contact solar cells are made by screen printing dopant materials onto the back surface of a semiconductor substrate in a pair of interdigitated patterns. These dopant materials are then diffused into the substrate to form junctions having configurations corresponding to these patterns. Contacts having configurations which match the patterns are then applied over the junctions

Ionized dopant concentrations at the heavily doped surface of a silicon solar cell

Data are combined with concentrations obtained by a bulk measurement method using successive layer removal with measurements of Hall effect and resistivity. From the MOS (metal-oxide-semiconductor) measurements it is found that the ionized dopant concentration N has the value (1.4 + or - 0.1) x 10 to the 20th power/cu cm at distances between 100 and 220 nm from the n(+) surface. The bulk measurement technique yields average values of N over layers whose thickness is 2000 nm. Results show that, at the higher concentrations encountered at the n(+) surface, the MOS C-V technique, when combined with a bulk measurement method, can be used to evaluate the effects of materials preparation methodologies on the surface and near surface concentrations of silicon cells

Turbine blade metal temperature measurement with a sputtered thin film chromel-alumel thermocouple

A technique for fabricating Chromel and Alumel thin film thermocouples was developed. Turbine blade metal temperatures measured with the thin film thermocouple installation were compared with those of a reference sheathed (wire) thermocouple. Good agreement was obtained, and the results are encouraging

Survival probabilities of loggerhead sea turtles (<i>Caretta caretta</i>) estimated from capture-mark-recapture data in the Mediterranean Sea

Las probabilidades de supervivencia de la tortuga boba (Caretta caretta) se han estimado por primera vez en el Mediterráneo analizando datos de 3254 marcajes y 134 recapturas en esta región. La mayoría de las tortugas eran juveniles encontrados en el mar. Las recapturas fueron reavistamientos de individuos vivos y recuperaciones de individuos muertos. Los datos se analizaron mediante el modelo de Baker, versión modificada del de Cormack-Jolly-Seber que puede combinar recaptura, reavistamientos de individuos vivos e individuos recuperados muertos. Se obtuvo una probabilidad de supervivencia anual de 0.73 (IC 95% = 0.67-0.78; n=3254), y debe considerarse como una estima conservativa debido a una desconocida, aunque no insignificante, tasa de perdida de marcados. Este estudio ofrece una estima preliminar de las probabilidades de supervivencia de los estadios de desarrollo "en el mar" para la población mediterránea amenazada de tortuga boba marina, y proporciona las primeras observaciones sobre la magnitud de la sospechada mortalidad inducida por el hombre en la región. El modelo, utilizado aquí por primera vez en tortugas marinas podría ser utilizado para obtener estimas de supervivencia a partir de otros datos con pocas o sin recapturas reales, pero con otros tipos de datos de recaptura frecuentemente producidos por programas de marcado de estos animales de amplia distribución

Climate change on sea currents is not expected to alter contemporary migration routes of loggerhead sea turtles

For marine species, traveling with the current potentially reduces energetic costs. Still, the extent to which organisms adjust routes to follow current flow remains an open question. Moreover, the extent to which climate change is altering sea currents, and in turn species migration routes, remains unknown, representing a major challenge to spatial ecology and conservation efforts.We developed an approach to assess the extent to which projected optimal paths and corridors overlap with the observed migration routes of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), minimizing exposure to opposing sea currents. To illustrate this approach, we used migratory tracks of the species traveling between breeding and foraging areas in the Mediterranean Sea. We calculated the energetic costs to sea turtles based on actual tracks and corresponding optimal paths. We also explored whether projected changes in ocean currents, driven by climate change, would alter the spatial patterns of optimal routes.The energetic cost of observed tracks was, on average, 1.25 times higher than that of corresponding optimal paths. While optimal corridors differed spatially to observed corridors used by loggerheads, some positive correlations still existed for three cases ( 0.43, 0.42, 0.30). Climate change projections showed no significant change to the migratory movement of sea turtles, as corridors for different climatic conditions overlapped by at least 70%.Our results show that loggerheads do not explicitly take advantage of ocean currents to facilitate long distance migrations and reduce energetic demands. The contemporary and future migration routes are characterized by similar energetic demands and together with their strong spatial overlap suggest that climate change is expected to minimally alter the species migration routes in the future. The approach presented here could be applied to different spatial scales and marine taxa, allowing possible mechanisms between sea currents (or other environmental characteristics) and species movements to be elucidated

The Status of Coastal Benthic Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea: Evidence From Ecological Indicators

The Mediterranean Sea is subject to multiple human pressures increasingly threatening its unique biodiversity. Spatially explicit information on the ecological status of marine ecosystems is therefore key to an effective maritime spatial planning and management, and to help the achievement of environmental targets. Here, we summarized scientific data on the ecological status of a selection of marine ecosystems based on a set of ecological indicators in more than 700 sites of the Mediterranean Sea. For Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds, rocky intertidal fringe, and coastal soft bottoms, more than 70% of investigated sites exhibited good to high ecological conditions. In contrast, about two-thirds of sites for subtidal rocky reefs were classified to be in moderate to bad conditions, stressing the need for prioritizing conservation initiatives on these productive and diverse environments. Very little quantitative information was available for the southern Mediterranean Sea, thus monitoring programs and assessments in this area are essential for a representative assessment of the health of marine coastal ecosystems in the whole basin. This overview represents a first step to implement a baseline that, through georeferenced data on ecological status, could help identifying information gaps, directing future research priorities, and supporting improvements to spatial models of expected cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems

A review of the combined effects of climate change and other local human stressors on the marine environment

Climate change (CC) is a key, global driver of change of marine ecosystems. At local and regional scales, other local human stressors (LS) can interact with CC and modify its effects on marine ecosystems. Understanding the response of the marine environment to the combined effects of CC and LS is crucial to inform marine ecosystem-based management and planning, yet our knowledge of the potential effects of such interactions is fragmented. At a global scale, we explored how cumulative effect assessments (CEAs) have addressed CC in the marine realm and discuss progress and shortcomings of current approaches. For this we conducted a systematic review on how CEAs investigated at different levels of biological organization ecological responses, functional aspects, and the combined effect of CC and HS. Globally, the effects of 52 LS and of 27 CC-related stressors on the marine environment have been studied in combination, such as industrial fisheries with change in temperature, or sea level rise with artisanal fisheries, marine litter, change in sediment load and introduced alien species. CC generally intensified the effects of LS at species level. At trophic groups and ecosystem levels, the effects of CC either intensified or mitigated the effects of other HS depending on the trophic groups or the environmental conditions involved, thus suggesting that the combined effects of CC and LS are context-dependent and vary among and within ecosystems. Our results highlight that large-scale assessments on the spatial interaction and combined effects of CC and LS remain limited. More importantly, our results strengthen the urgent need of CEAs to capture local-scale effects of stressors that can exacerbate climate-induced changes. Ultimately, this will allow identifying management measures that aid counteracting CC effects at relevant scales

Marine invasive alien species in Europe: 9 years after the IAS Regulation

Biological invasions, resulting from human activities, exert substantial impacts on ecosystems worldwide. This review focuses on marine invasive alien species (IAS) in Europe, examining the current state, proposing strategies to address the problem, and offering recommendations for enhanced management. Effective management of biological invasions relies on accessible, accurate data to inform decision-making. Information systems such as the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN), Aquatic Non-Indigenous and Cryptogenic Species (AquaNIS), and World Register of Introduced Marine Species (WriMS) provide comprehensive databases on IAS, but their sustainability requires long-term maintenance, continuous updates, and support. Most countries lack specific monitoring programs for marine IAS, and standardization and improvement of monitoring methods are needed. Port monitoring plays a vital role in the early detection of new arrivals, and recent advancements in molecular techniques show promise for effective IAS monitoring. Risk screening tools are commonly employed to rank taxa based on their invasiveness potential in European regions, but variations in protocols can yield inconsistent results. European impact assessments highlight resource competition, novel habitat creation, and predation as primary mechanisms for negative impacts on biodiversity, while the creation of novel habitats represents a key mechanism for positive impacts. Preventing IAS introductions is critical, and measures such as ballast water treatment systems are implemented to reduce the likelihood of marine introductions. However, understanding introduction pathways remains uncertain for many IAS. Eradication and control efforts for marine IAS have limited success, emphasizing the need for enhanced biosecurity measures. Climate change, especially ocean warming, can intensify IAS impacts on native species and ecosystems. In climate change hotspots, some tropical aliens may, however, compensate for the loss of thermally sensitive natives with similar traits. Therefore, it is imperative to consider the interactions between climate change and IAS in developing effective management and conservation strategies. Enhancing IAS management in Europe entails i) securing adequate funding, ii) expanding the list of IAS of Union Concern to adequately cover marine invasions, iii) learning from countries with successful biosecurity practices, iv) sustaining information systems, v) improving monitoring and early warning systems with innovative technologies, vi) enhancing prediction models, vii) conducting integrated impact assessments and mapping cumulative IAS impacts, and vii) considering the potential benefits of IAS in ecosystem functioning and services