Long-term Changes of the Tidal Amplitudes and Phases in the Elbe Estuary

Climate Change, Adaptation and Long-Term Prediction

Klimafolgenanalyse und Risiko für eine Küstenzone : am Beispiel der Jade-Weser-Region

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The Residence Time in the Elbe River Focussing on the Estuary

Eco-Hydraulics and Eco-Hydrolog

A Powerful Method of Measuring Sea Wave Spectra and their Direction

Remote Sensing and Field Monitorin

Improved resource efficiency and cascading utilisation of renewable materials

In light of various environmental problems and challenges concerning resource allocation, the utilisation of renewable resources is increasingly important for the efficient use of raw materials. Therefore, cascading utilisation (i.e., the multiple material utilisations of renewable resources prior to their conversion into energy) and approaches that aim to further increase resource efficiency (e.g., the utilisation of by-products) can be considered guiding principles. This paper therefore introduces the Special Volume “Improved Resource Efficiency and Cascading Utilisation of Renewable Materials”. Because both research aspects, resource efficiency and cascading utilisation, belong to several disciplines, the Special Volume adopts an interdisciplinary perspective and presents 16 articles, which can be divided into four subjects: Innovative Materials based on Renewable Resources and their Impact on Sustainability and Resource Efficiency, Quantitative Models for the Integrated Optimisation of Production and Distribution in Networks for Renewable Resources, Information Technology-based Collaboration in Value Generating Networks for Renewable Resources, and Consumer Behaviour towards Eco-friendly Products. The interdisciplinary perspective allows a comprehensive overview of current research on resource efficiency, which is supplemented with 15 book reviews showing the extent to which textbooks of selected disciplines already refer to resource efficiency. This introductory article highlights the relevance of the four subjects, presents summaries of all papers, and discusses future research directions. The overall contribution of the Special Volume is that it bridges the resource efficiency research of selected disciplines and that it presents several approaches for more environmentally sound production and consumption

Mean sea level variability and influence of the North Atlantic oscillation on long-term trends in the German Bight

Changes in the seasonal cycle of mean sea level (MSL) may affect the heights of storm surges and thereby flood risk in coastal areas. This study investigates the intra- and inter-annual variability of monthly MSL and its link to the North Atlantic Oscillation using records from 13 tide gauges located in the German Bight. The amplitudes of the seasonal MSL cycle are not regionally uniform and vary between 20 and 29 cm. Generally, the amplitudes are smaller at the southwestern stations, increasing as one travels to the northeastern part. The amplitudes, as well as the phase of the seasonal cycle, are characterized by a large inter-annual and inter-decadal variability, but no long-term trend could be detected. Nevertheless, in the last two decades annual maximum peaks more frequently occurred in January and February, whereas beforehand an accumulation was detected for the November and December period. These changes in phase in the various sea level time series are consistent with a shift in the annual cycle, which is, however, not significant. The changes are associated with strongly increasing trends in monthly MSL of the winter season (J–M), which are considerably higher compared to the remaining seasons. For the same season, the MSL and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) indices show strong similarities, resulting in statistically significant correlations (r ~ 0.7). Hence, these changes are linked with changing pressure conditions over the North Atlantic, which lead to a strong phase of positive values in the NAO index between the 1960’s and 1990’s

Results of Operational Sea-Wave Monitoring with Radar Gauges

The German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) developed a low-cost, non-contact sea-wave monitoring system based on a single radar sensor. A short description of the measuring system and the analysis of wave parameters is given. Furthermore, long-term wave measurements with this system, in combination with wind-measurements and statistics, are used to analyse possible future changes in wave heights. The results are in good agreement with those of other methods. Due to the good results achieved with the single radar sensor, an extension of the system which will be capable of recording directional information, is now under development. First results are presented in this study.El Instituto Federal Alemán de Hidrología (BfG) ha desarrollado un sistema de seguimiento de bajo coste, que no tiene contacto con la ola, basado en un sensor con un único radar. Se proporciona en el presente artículo una breve descripción del sistema de medición y del análisis de los parámetros de las olas. Además, las mediciones de olas por periodos largos efectuadas con este sistema, en combinación con las medidas del viento y las estadísti-cas, se utilizan para analizar los posibles cambios futuros en las alturas de las olas. Los resultados concuerdan con aquellos obtenidos mediante otros métodos. Debido a los buenos resultados obtenidos con el sensor de radar único, una extensión del sistema, que está ahora en fase de desarrollo, podrá registrar la información direccional. En este estudio se presentan los primeros resultados.L’Institut fédéral allemand d’hydrologie (BfG) a élaboré un système peu onéreux de surveillance à distance des vagues à partir d’un unique sondeur radar. Une brève description du système de mesure ainsi que l’analyse des paramètres des vagues est donnée. De plus, les mesures à long-terme des vagues avec ce système, combinées avec les mesures du vent et les statistiques sont utilisées pour analyser les changements futurs possibles des hauteurs de vagues. Les résultats concordent avec ceux établis au moyen d’autres méthodes. Du fait des bons résultats de l’unique sondeur radar, une extension du système qui pourrait enregistrer des informations relatives à la direction, est actuellement en cours de développement. Les premiers résultats sont présentés dans cette étud

Studies of tracer transport in the river Elbe

Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Hydroscience and Engineering, Philadelphia, PA, September 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1860/732Accidental river pollution is a severe hazard to all rivers. To mitigate the consequences of a possible contamination of the river Elbe the contaminant transport model ALAMO (alarm model Elbe) was developed. This dead-zone-model (DZM) was calibrated and verified by nine dye experiments. The experimental set-up comprises measurements with in-situ and ex-situ fluorometers and fluorescence spectrometers. The experiments were carried out for a wide range of discharge conditions. In order to account for different discharges the model coefficients of longitudinal dispersion and lateral exchange were parameterized by a power-law relationship depending on the river geometry. A comparison of the experimentally determined tracer concentration curves with those derived with ALAMO gave good agreement. The error of the time of travel, the width and the asymmetry of the tracer cloud amounts to 8 %, 10 % and 12 % at a maximum

Effects of spermidine supplementation on cognition and biomarkers in older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SmartAge)—study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Given the global increase in the aging population and age-related diseases, the promotion of healthy aging is one of the most crucial public health issues. This trial aims to contribute to the establishment of effective approaches to promote cognitive and brain health in older individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Presence of SCD is known to increase the risk of objective cognitive decline and progression to dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, it is our primary goal to determine whether spermidine supplementation has a positive impact on memory performance in this at-risk group, as compared with placebo. The secondary goal is to examine the effects of spermidine intake on other neuropsychological, behavioral, and physiological parameters. Methods: The SmartAge trial is a monocentric, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIb trial. The study will investigate 12 months of intervention with spermidine-based nutritional supplementation (target intervention) compared with 12months of placebo intake (control intervention). We plan to recruit 100 cognitively normal older individuals with SCD from memory clinics, neurologists and general practitioners in private practice, and the general population. Participants will be allocated to one of the two study arms using blockwise randomization stratified by age and sex with a 1:1 allocation ratio. The primary outcome is the change in memory performance between baseline and post-intervention visits (12 months after baseline). Secondary outcomes include the change in memory performance from baseline to follow-up assessment (18months after baseline), as well as changes in neurocognitive, behavioral, and physiological parameters (including blood and neuroimaging biomarkers), assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Discussion: The SmartAge trial aims to provide evidence of the impact of spermidine supplementation on memory performance in older individuals with SCD. In addition, we will identify possible neurophysiological mechanisms of action underlying the anticipated cognitive benefits. Overall, this trial will contribute to the establishment of nutrition intervention in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease