Neue/alte Herausforderungen für die grenzübergreifende deutsch-polnische Zusammenarbeit seit Polens Schengen-Beitritt: Słubice und Frankfurt (Oder)

Freizügigkeit als eine der zentralen Errungenschaften der Europäischen Union (EU) ist mittlerweile an vielen internen Grenzen der EU Realität. An der deutsch-polnischen Grenze wurden die permanenten Grenzkontrollen nach dem Schengen Beitritt Polens im Dezember 2007 eingestellt. Während dieser Prozess in der Öffentlichkeit oft als Wegbereiter für die Auflösung der internen EU Grenzen zelebriert wird, beschäftigt sich diese Studie speziell mit den differenzierten Ansichten aktiver Kooperationsakteure für eine grenzüberschreitende langfristige sozio-kulturelle Zusammenarbeit der beiden Grenzstädte Słubice (PL) und Frankfurt (Oder) (D). In dem vorliegenden Aufsatz wird ein fragmentiertes Bild der heutigen Kooperationslandschaft präsentiert. Der Fokus auf Kooperation, persönliche Kontakte und Barrieren zeigt auf, warum der „Entgrenzungsansatz“, welcher mit der Freizügigkeit verbunden war, nicht den erhofften Anstieg der dauerhaften, grenzübergreifenden Aktivitäten mit sich gebracht hat. Dabei spielen neben sozialen Barrieren wie Sprache, kulturelle Unterschiede, tiefgehende Vorurteile und institutionelle Unstimmigkeiten auch ökonomische Aspekte eine Rolle. Die Konsequenzen der „Entgrenzung“ durch die Freizügigkeit werden von den Akteuren in Słubice und Frankfurt (Oder) äußerst unterschiedlich betrachtet. Während bei der deutsch-polnischen Zusammenarbeit eine allgemein positive Entwicklung zu erkennen ist, werfen die Ergebnisse dieser Studie wichtige Aspekte sowie kontroverse Ansichten in Bezug auf die Entwicklung der langfristigen Kooperation auf, welche in zukünftigen Ansätzen und Projekten für grenzübergreifende Arbeit berücksichtigt werden sollten.Freedom of movement, as one of the central achievements of the European Union (EU), has become a reality along most internal EU borders. Incessant border controls on the GermanPolish border ceased after Poland joined the Schengen Area in December 2007. While this process is often celebrated as a pathway to dissolve EU internal borders, this study focuses on the differentiated perspectives of actors actively engaged in long­term, cross­border, socio­cultural cooperation activities between the border towns of Słubice (PL) and Frankfurt (Oder) (D). The study presents a fragmented picture of the current day cooperation environment between the towns. A focus on cooperation, personal contacts and barriers displays why the de­bordering approach, linked to the General Freedom of Movement, has not been accompanied by the expected increase of long-lasting cross-border activities. Aside from social barriers such as language and cultural differences, profound prejudices and institutional discrepancies as well as economic aspects play a role. The actual consequences of the de­bordering process are perceived in various ways by actors from Słubice and Frankfurt (Oder). Considering the positive trend of German­Polish cooperation in general, the results of the study raise important aspects and controversial perspectives in relation to the development of long-lasting cooperation that should be acknowledged in future approaches and projects for cross-border activities

Anthropological contributions to historical ecology: 50 questions, infinite prospects.

This paper presents the results of a consensus-driven process identifying 50 priority research questions for historical ecology obtained through crowdsourcing, literature reviews, and in-person workshopping. A deliberative approach was designed to maximize discussion and debate with defined outcomes. Two in-person workshops (in Sweden and Canada) over the course of two years and online discussions were peer facilitated to define specific key questions for historical ecology from anthropological and archaeological perspectives. The aim of this research is to showcase the variety of questions that reflect the broad scope for historical-ecological research trajectories across scientific disciplines. Historical ecology encompasses research concerned with decadal, centennial, and millennial human-environmental interactions, and the consequences that those relationships have in the formation of contemporary landscapes. Six interrelated themes arose from our consensus-building workshop model: (1) climate and environmental change and variability; (2) multi-scalar, multi-disciplinary; (3) biodiversity and community ecology; (4) resource and environmental management and governance; (5) methods and applications; and (6) communication and policy. The 50 questions represented by these themes highlight meaningful trends in historical ecology that distill the field down to three explicit findings. First, historical ecology is fundamentally an applied research program. Second, this program seeks to understand long-term human-environment interactions with a focus on avoiding, mitigating, and reversing adverse ecological effects. Third, historical ecology is part of convergent trends toward transdisciplinary research science, which erodes scientific boundaries between the cultural and natural

The mobility of heavy metals in fluvial sediments

Wydział Nauk Geograficznych i GeologicznychZanieczyszczenie osadów fluwialnych metalami ciężkimi stanowi istotny problem ekologiczny. Mogą one bowiem z jednej strony kumulować znaczne ilości metali ciężkich, z drugiej zaś stanowić wtórne źródło zanieczyszczenia metalami ciężkimi. Osady fluwialne mogą być erodowane podczas wysokich stanów wód oraz powodzi. Takie warunki mogą powadzić do wzrostu zanieczyszczenia osadów wodnych, wód rzek oraz osadów teraz zalewowych, a także do remobilizacji metali ciężkich. Metale ciężkich, w zależności od warunków fuzyczno-chemicznych osadów, ulegają reakcjom sorpcji, współstrącania oraz kompleksowania. Ponadto ich mobilność i dostępność warunkowane są formą chemiczną, w jakiej metale te występują w osadach. W pracy doktorskiej podjęta została tematyka zanieczyszczenia teras zalewowych Odry na odcinku pomiędzy ujściem Nysy Łużyckiej w ujściem Warty metalami ciężkimi tj.: kadmem, chromem, miedzią, niklem, ołowiem, cynkiem oraz manganem i żelazem. Analizowano zawartości całkowite oraz aktualnie i potencjalnie dostępnych frakcji badanych metali ciężkich w osadach fluwialnych pobieranych wzdłuż 9 transektów o szerokości od 44 m do 1372 m zlokalizowanych pomiędzy 551 a 609 km biegu rzeki. Próbki osadów fluwialnych pobierane były z dwóch głębokości oraz w różnej odległości od rzeki Odry. Cele postawione w pracy doktorskiej pozwoliły na: (1) wydzielenie i określenie ilościowe aktualnie i potencjalnie dostępnych form metali ciężkich w osadach fluwialnych Odry na odcinku od ujścia Nysy Łużyckiej do ujścia Warty, (2) określenie zmienności przestrzennej metali ciężkich w osadach fluwialnych, (3) określenie możliwości remobilizacji oznaczonych metali ciężkich oraz (4) określenie wpływu powodzi na migrację oraz remobilizację metali ciężkich z osadów fluwialnych.Heavy metal contamination of fluvial sediments is one of the greatest ecological problems. Fluvial sediments can act on the one hand as the ultimate sinks for trace metals and on the other hand as secondary source of contaminants. They are stable during normal river flows and may be eroded in the conditions of rising water and floods. Such conditions can lead to the increase of the pollution of river bed sediments, river water and floodplain areas, as well as to the remobilization of heavy metals. Heavy metals are subject to sorption, complexation and coprecipitation with solid particles, and the amount of available forms increases under favorable physico-chemical conditions. Besides their mobility and availability depend on their chemical form. The present work aims to study the contamination of the fluvial sediments of the Odra River between the mouth of the Nysa Łużycka River and the mouth of Warta River with heavy metals, such as cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, manganese and iron. The concentrations of total, actually and potentially available fractions of heavy metals were analyzed. The sediment samples were collected from 9 transects with a width between 44,0 m and 1372 m located between 551 and 609 km of the Odra River. The sampling depths were from 0 to 30 cm (surface layer) and from 30 to 60 cm (subsurface layer). The objective of the dissertation was: (1) separation and quantification of the actually and potentially available fractions of heavy metals in the fluvial sediments of the Odra River between the mouth of the Nysa Łużycka River and the mouth of Warta River, (2) investigation of the spatial variability of heavy metal concentrations in fluvial sediments, (3) determination of mobility of heavy metals in fluvial sediments and (4) determination of the impact of floods on the migration and remobilization of heavy metals in fluvial sediments

The transboundary water management – comparing policy translations of the water framework directive in the international Basin Districts of the oder river and the torne river

The European Union’s Water Framework Directive introduced a new approach to the system of water management in Europe by nominating the river basin district as the basic unit in water management. While its transboundary character aims to better manage natural resources, its design and implementation carries several challenges due to its weak integration of various bordering effects related to administrative boundaries that strongly affect the directives’ implementation. Based on a comparative document based case study of two river basin districts – the International Oder River Basin District (IORBD) and the International Torne River Basin District (ITRBD) – the paper scrutinizes the effects on the implementation processes of the directive and aims to draw attention to identify the differences that derive from various socio-spatial settings during the first cycles of water management plans from 2009 to 2015. By thematically comparing biophysical characteristics, cross-border cooperation, cultural and administrative borderingprocesses the study displays a mismatch between the directives aims for transboundary governance and the actual governance processes which are hampered by a variety of conflicting bordering processes

Heavy metals in fluvial sediments of the Odra River flood plains – introductory research.

The article presents the results of research on concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in fluvial sediment samples collected in the flood plains of the Odra River. The samples were collected from the presently flooded area and from the area which was formerly flooded. The extraction of sediment samples was conducted using aqua regia and four other extractants: 0.01M CaCl2, 0.1M HCl, 0.005M DTPA and 0.02M EDTA. The analysis of the results revealed different concentration values for particular sample collection sites situated along the course of the Odra River. The differentiation of metal concentrations in the investigated samples depending on the extractants was also observed. The concentrations of metals were determined using the technique of atomic absorption spectrometry with flame atomization (F-AAS)

Anthropological contributions to historical ecology: 50 questions, infinite prospects.

This paper presents the results of a consensus-driven process identifying 50 priority research questions for historical ecology obtained through crowdsourcing, literature reviews, and in-person workshopping. A deliberative approach was designed to maximize discussion and debate with defined outcomes. Two in-person workshops (in Sweden and Canada) over the course of two years and online discussions were peer facilitated to define specific key questions for historical ecology from anthropological and archaeological perspectives. The aim of this research is to showcase the variety of questions that reflect the broad scope for historical-ecological research trajectories across scientific disciplines. Historical ecology encompasses research concerned with decadal, centennial, and millennial human-environmental interactions, and the consequences that those relationships have in the formation of contemporary landscapes. Six interrelated themes arose from our consensus-building workshop model: (1) climate and environmental change and variability; (2) multi-scalar, multi-disciplinary; (3) biodiversity and community ecology; (4) resource and environmental management and governance; (5) methods and applications; and (6) communication and policy. The 50 questions represented by these themes highlight meaningful trends in historical ecology that distill the field down to three explicit findings. First, historical ecology is fundamentally an applied research program. Second, this program seeks to understand long-term human-environment interactions with a focus on avoiding, mitigating, and reversing adverse ecological effects. Third, historical ecology is part of convergent trends toward transdisciplinary research science, which erodes scientific boundaries between the cultural and natural

Facilitation Process Example.

<p>The facilitator stays with the same node throughout the day and discloses results and insights from previous groups’ discussion with each new group. For example, Group 1 works through the list of biodiversity and community ecology questions with the help of a facilitator. Group 2 then works with the same question list but is able to interact with Group 1’s ideas (but not vice versa) through the facilitator. Group 3 works with the original list again but is exposed to compounded ideas from Groups 1 and 2 through the facilitator, and so on until each group has an opportunity to discuss all six nodes.</p

Consensus-Building in Second Workshop.

<p>After sorting questions into each group (10–12 participants and a facilitator) are allotted 90 minutes to select the questions most pertinent to the node. The group then rotates to the next node.</p