A new broad typology for rivers and lakes in Europe: Development and application for large-scale environmental assessments

European countries have defined >1000 national river types and >400 national lake types to implement the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). In addition, common river and lake types have been defined within regions of Europe for intercalibrating the national classification systems for ecological status of water bodies. However, only a low proportion of national types correspond to these common intercalibration types. This causes uncertainty concerning whether the classification of ecological status is consistent across countries. Therefore, through an extensive dialogue with and data provision from all EU countries, we have developed a generic typology for European rivers and lakes. This new broad typology reflects the natural variability in the most commonly used environmental type descriptors: altitude, size and geology, as well as mean depth for lakes. These broad types capture 60–70% of all national WFD types including almost 80% of all European river and lake water bodies in almost all EU countries and can also be linked to all the common intercalibration types. The typology provides a new framework for large-scale assessments across country borders, as demonstrated with an assessment of ecological status and pressures based on European data from the 2nd set of river basin management plans. The typology can also be used for a variety of other large-scale assessments, such as reviewing and linking the water body types to habitat types under the Habitats Directive and the European Nature Information System (EUNIS), as well as comparing type-specific limit values for nutrients and other supporting quality elements across countries. Thus, the broad typology can build the basis for all scientific outputs of managerial relevance related to water body types

A hitchhiker's guide to European lake ecological assessment and intercalibration

The Water Framework Directive is the first international legislation to require European countries to establish comparable ecological assessment schemes for their freshwaters. A key element in harmonising quality classification within and between Europe's river basins is an "Intercalibration" exercise, stipulated by the WFD, to ensure that the good status boundaries in all of the biological assessment methods correspond to similar levels of anthropogenic pressure. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of this international comparison, focusing on the assessment schemes developed for freshwater lakes. Out of 82 lake ecological assessment methods reported for the comparison, 62 were successfully intercalibrated and included in the EC Decision on intercalibration, with a high proportion of phytoplankton (18), macrophyte (17) and benthic fauna (13) assessment methods. All the lake assessment methods are reviewed in this article, including the results of intercalibration. Furthermore, the current gaps and way forward to reach consistent management objectives for European lakes are discussed. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Protecting and restoring Europe's waters:an analysis of the future development needs of the Water Framework Directive

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a pioneering piece of legislation that aims to protect and enhance aquatic ecosystems and promote sustainable water use across Europe. There is growing concern that the objective of good status, or higher, in all EU waters by 2027 is a long way from being achieved in many countries. Through questionnaire analysis of almost 100 experts, we provide recommendations to enhance WFD monitoring and assessment systems, improve programmes of measures and further integrate with other sectoral policies. Our analysis highlights that there is great potential to enhance assessment schemes through strategic design of monitoring networks and innovation, such as earth observation. New diagnostic tools that use existing WFD monitoring data, but incorporate novel statistical and trait-based approaches could be used more widely to diagnose the cause of deterioration under conditions of multiple pressures and deliver a hierarchy of solutions for more evidence-driven decisions in river basin management. There is also a growing recognition that measures undertaken in river basin management should deliver multiple benefits across sectors, such as reduced flood risk, and there needs to be robust demonstration studies that evaluate these. Continued efforts in ‘mainstreaming’ water policy into other policy sectors is clearly needed to deliver wider success with WFD goals, particularly with agricultural policy. Other key policy areas where a need for stronger integration with water policy was recognised included urban planning (waste water treatment), flooding, climate and energy (hydropower). Having a deadline for attaining the policy objective of good status is important, but even more essential is to have a permanent framework for river basin management that addresses the delays in implementation of measures. This requires a long-term perspective, far beyond the current deadline of 2027

Aluminum deposition and dissolution in [EMIm]Cl-based ionic liquids-kinetics of charge-transfer and the rate-determining step

The kinetics of the dissolution and deposition of aluminum from a first generation ionic liquid consisting of AlCl3/1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (molar ratio 2:1) was studied. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that the double layer capacitance and the charge–transfer resistance depend on the state of the electrode surface. The impedance spectra are strongly influenced by mass transport. The rate–determining step of the aluminum deposition, as determined from the cathodic Tafel slope evaluated from current step experiments, was found to be either a chemical step, releasing the complexing agent chloride, while aluminum is in the divalent oxidation state (AlCl3− → AlCl2 + Cl−) or an electron transfer from the divalent to the monovalent aluminum occurring twice for the overall reaction to occur once (Al2+ + e− → Al+). The rate–determining step for aluminum dissolution was found to be the transfer of an electron from elemental aluminum to the monovalent oxidation state (Al0 → Al+ + e−). A linear slope in the low cathodic overpotential region of the Tafel plot suggests a change in the cathodic rate–determining step. The Tafel slope indicates a chemical step, releasing the complexing agent chloride, after the last electron transfer (AlCl− → Al0 + Cl−) to be the rate–determining step for overpotentials below 50 mV. Density functional theory calculations support the proposed reduction and oxidation mechanisms

Water Framework Directive Intercalibration Manual: Procedure to fit new or updated classification methods to the results of a completed intercalibration

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the national classifications of good ecological status to be harmonised through an intercalibration exercise. Most of the Geographical Intercalibration groups have finalized Intercalibration results but many Member States have not joined the group or have not intercalibrated the methods due to some reasons. Those Member States will have to show that their methods are compliant with the WFD normative definitions and that their class boundaries are in line with the results of the intercalibration exercise. This document provides a workflow to fit new or revised national classification methods to the harmonised definition of good ecological status established in the completed intercalibration exerciseJRC.H.1-Water Resource

Nanoscale Morphological Changes at Lithium Interface, Triggered by the Electrolyte Composition and Electrochemical Cycling

Understanding the electrochemical and morphological properties of the Li-electrolyte interface plays a central role in the implementation of metallic Li in safe and efficient electrochemical energy storage. The current study explores the influence of soluble polysulfides (PS) and lithium nitrate (LiNO3) on the characteristics of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, formed spontaneously on the Li surface, prior to electrochemical cycling. Special attention is paid to the evolution of the electrochemical impedance and nanoscale morphology of the interface, influenced by the contact time and electrolyte composition. The basic tools applied in this investigation are electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) performed at the nanoscale, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The individual addition of polysulfides and LiNO3 increases the interface resistance, while the simultaneous application of these components is beneficial, reducing the SEI resistive behavior. The electrochemical cycling of Li in nonmodified 1,2-dimethoxy ethane (DME) and tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME) based electrolytes leads to slight morphological changes, compared to the pristine Li pattern. In contrast, we found that in the presence of PS and LiNO3, the interface displays a rough and inhomogeneous morphology

Intercalibration of aquatic ecological assessment methods in the European Union: Lessons learned and way forward

The Water Framework Directive requires that European Union (EU) Member States ensure that their surface waters are in at least good ecological status by 2015 or at the latest by 2027. The good ecological status objective has been described and operationally defined in the Water Framework Directive. Member States develop their own ecological assessment methods but they must demonstrate that their methods and resulting classifications are comparable to other Member States across the EU. Comparability of assessment results is determined through an intercalibration exercise, the subject of this article. In 2013 The European Commission issued an updated Commission Decision on the results of intercalibration of assessment results across Europe. We present an overview of the process, discuss critical issues and good practices, and recommend approaches for a successful completion of the exercise.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

City Preparedness for Cyber-Enabled Terrorism - Report 2022

The increasing threat of terrorist groups eventually acquiring the capacity to launch terrorist attacks through the Internet and thereby causing damage to critical infrastructure, calls upon authorities to enhance preparedness against such an attack. In this regard, the 2022 Counter Terrorism Preparedness Network Report, to which CSS' Jakob Bund and Stefan Soesanto contributed, supports the drive to further protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks by providing evidence of the need to continually improve readiness to face these threats.Die zunehmende Bedrohung durch terroristische Gruppen, die über das Internet Terroranschläge verüben und dadurch kritische Infrastrukturen schädigen könnten, fordert die Behörden auf, sich besser gegen solche Angriffe zu wappnen. Der Bericht des Counter Terrorism Preparedness Network für das Jahr 2022, an welchem die CSS Forschenden Jakob Bund und Stefan Soesanto mitgewirkt haben, zeigt in dieser Hinsicht auf, inwiefern die Bereitschaft zur Abwehr von Cyber-Angriffen kontinuierlich erhöht werden muss

Intercalibrating classifications of ecological status: Europe's quest for common management objectives for aquatic ecosystems

Halting and reversing the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems requires concerted action across state boundaries and administrative barriers. However, the achievement of common management objectives is jeopardised by different national quality targets and ambitions. The European Water Framework Directive requires that quality classifications are harmonised via an intercalibration exercise, ensuring a consistent level of ambition in the protection and restoration of surface water bodies across the Member States of the European Union. We outline the key principles of the intercalibration methodology, review the achievements of intercalibration and discuss its benefits and drawbacks. Less than half of the required intercalibration has been completed, mostly due to a lack of national assessment methods. The process has fostered a scientific debate on ecological classification with important implications for environmental management. Despite a significant level of statistical abstraction, intercalibration yielded a fundamental and unified vision of what constitutes good ecology across Europe, in principle ensuring greater parity in the funds invested to achieve good ecological status

Radioembolization versus portal vein embolization for contralateral liver lobe hypertrophy: effect of cirrhosis

Purpose!#!Preoperative hypertrophy induction of future liver remnant (FLR) reduces the risk of postoperative liver insufficiency after partial hepatectomy. One of the most commonly used methods to induce hypertrophy of FLR is portal vein embolization (PVE). Recent studies have shown that transarterial radioembolization (TARE) also induces hypertrophy of the contralateral liver lobe. The aim of our study was to evaluate contralateral hypertrophy after TARE versus after PVE taking into account the effect of cirrhosis.!##!Methods!#!Forty-nine patients undergoing PVE before hemihepatectomy and 24 patients with TARE as palliative treatment for liver malignancy were retrospectively included. Semi-automated volumetry of the FLR/contralateral liver lobe before and after intervention (20 to 65 days) was performed on CT or MRI, and the relative increase in volume was calculated. Cirrhosis was evaluated independently by two radiologists on CT/MRI, and interrater reliability was calculated.!##!Results!#!Hypertrophy after PVE was significantly more pronounced than after TARE (25.3% vs. 7.4%; p < 0.001). In the subgroup of patients without cirrhosis, the difference was also statistically significant (25.9% vs. 8.6%; p = 0.002), whereas in patients with cirrhosis, the difference was not statistically significant (18.2% vs. 7.4%; p = 0.212). After PVE, hypertrophy in patients without cirrhosis was more pronounced than in patients with cirrhosis (25.9% vs. 18.2%; p = 0.203), while after TARE, hypertrophy was comparable in patients with and without cirrhosis (7.4% vs. 8.6%; p = 0.928).!##!Conclusion!#!TARE induces less pronounced hypertrophy of the FLR compared to PVE. Cirrhosis seems to be less of a limiting factor for hypertrophy after TARE, compared to PVE