Economic transformation, locality and policy in eastern Germany: A comparison of two Länder

Economic transformation in post-socialist eastern Germany revealed inherent inequalities in development opportunities, which had been disguised during the socialist ancien régime. Using local examples from the two contrasting Länder of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony, this paper explores how market forces not only exposed these differences, but further entrenched them at the regional and local scales. Local economies demonstrate the differential development very clearly, exposing the significance of regional economic context and raisons d'être of local economic structures. This is genuine locational advantages vis-à-vis activities imposed through ideology rather than economy-driven decrees by the old GDR regime. Many of these state-decreed activities lacked local, and regional, embeddedness, rendering the respective local economies most vulnerable to market operation. They will continue to rely on state support. The problems were exacerbated in those localities lacking support from a regional economy, as in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Conversely, market-favoured, economically attractive regions, like Saxony, generally help localities develop their new economic roles, including those with few indigenous advantages. These fundamental differences in opportunities, illustrated here for six cities, are reflected in local policy-making, especially the role of localness and utilization of local identity.     

High-resolution Reconstruction of a Holocene Coastal Sequence (NW Germany) Using Inorganic Geochemical Data and Diatom Inventories

Holocene deposits of the NW German coastal plain consist of many different lithological facies, for example tidal flats, brackish water sediments and peat beds. The effects of the Holocene sea-level rise on palaeoenvironmental conditions of this coastal sequence were studied by inorganic geochemical methods in conjunction with diatom analyses. Three hundred samples from two parallel sediment cores which cover the entire NW German Holocene were taken at high resolution and were examined for major and minor elements and bulk parameters. Selected samples were analysed for redox-sensitive trace elements and REE distribution, reactive iron and bulk sediment³⁴S/³²S-ratios. Chemical parameters, for example Si/Al and Ca/Sr-ratios and total organic carbon (TOC) contents correlate with depositional factors such as wave-energy and lithofacies changes, which allow a detailed reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment. Diatom analyses reveal information about changes between marine, brackish and limnic conditions and serve to reconstruct palaeosalinity. Early diagenetic effects are evident in the TOC-rich intervals. Most peat layers are affected by sulphate reduction and resulting pyrite formation as well as by enrichments in redox-sensitive trace elements. The highest enrichments are seen for As, Mo, Re and U, indicating a distinct seawater influence. S-isotope ratios of peat samples are compatible with pyrite formation under both open- and closed-system conditions, depending on exposition to seawater. The inorganic geochemical and diatom data suggest limnic conditions at the base of the sequence and repeated changes towards marine conditions within the overlying clastic units. On the other hand, data obtained from the clastic units yield evidence of a recurrent succession from open to restricted marine, brackish-lagoonal, and finally fen environments. Clastic sediments overlying peat layers, correlate with the increase of marine-derived geochemical signatures and pelagic diatoms attest transgressive overlaps. The analyses suggest that major controls on the palaeoenvironments were (i) climate-related oscillations of the coast line and (ii) the morphology of the coastal region allowing marine incursions even into distal semi-terrestrial lowlands.     

2010年国内外3种数值预报在东北地区的预报检验

对中国国家气象中心T639数值预报、德国降水预报和欧洲中心（ECMWF）数值预报中对中国东北地区的降水、温度和环流模式的预报结果,分别进行检验。结果表明：降水预报中,德国降水预报对中国东北地区的晴雨预报、一般性降水预报效果较好,但T639数值预报的漏报率明显低于德国降水预报,而T639数值预报中24-120 h暴雨预报的TS评分明显高于德国降水预报。温度预报中,T639数值预报对中国东北地区温度预报72 h内基本可用;欧洲中心（ECMWF）数值预报在96 h内效果较好。对于24 h的温度预报准确率,T639数值预报稍高于ECMWF数值预报结果。环流模式方面：48h内T639预报效果好于ECMWF,72 h以后ECMWF预报效果好于T639。     

Environmental changes and the Migration Period in northern Germany as reflected in the sediments of Lake Dudinghausen

Paleolimnological techniques were used to identify environmental changes in and around Lake Dudinghausen (northern Germany) over the past 4800 yr. Diatom-inferred total phosphorus (DI-TP) changes identify four phases of high nutrient levels (2600-2200 BC, 1050-700 BC, 500 BC-AD 100 and AD 1850-1970). During these high DI-TP phases, fossil pollen, sediment geochemistry and archaeological records indicate human activities in the lake catchment. Although the same paleo-indicators suggest increased human settlement and agriculture activity during the late Slavonic Age, the Medieval Time and the Modern Time (AD 1000-1850), DI-TP levels were low during this period. In the sediments, iron and total phosphorus were high from ∼AD 100 to 1850, likely due to increased inflow of iron-rich groundwater into the lake. Increased iron input would have lead to a simultaneous binding and precipitation of phosphate in the upper sediment and overlying water column. As a result, anthropogenic impact on Lake Dudinghausen was masked by these phosphorus-controlling processes from AD 1000 to 1850 and was not evident by means of DI-TP. In accordance with fossil pollen, sediment geochemistry and limited archaeological records, DI-TP levels were low from AD 100-1000. Groundwater levels likely rose during this period as the climate gradually changed toward colder and/or moister conditions. Such climate change likely led to reduced settlement activities and forest regeneration in the catchment area. Our results are concordant with similar studies from central Europe which indicate rapid decreasing settlement activities from AD 100 to 1000.     

Eocene fauna of Messel Pit Fossil Site, Germany

The paper reports sunthetically the Cocene fauna of the Messel Pit Fossil site of Germany, in detail, including its rich taxanomic compositions, geological and paleogeographic backgroud, and the studying and applying history.     

Fish communities and migrations in the vicinity of fishways in a regulated river (Enz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany)

We evaluated the effects of fishway design and stream habitat on fish distribution and migrations within a 50 km section of the Enz River (108 km long, 16.7 m³ · s⁻¹ mean annual discharge), a second order tributary of the Rhine River. On 12 different occasions between August 1994 and September 1995, we collected fish electrically upstream, downstream, and inside three different types of fish-passes: a concrete channel (site I), an artificial stream (site II), and a step and pool fishway (site III). During electrofishing, species identity and fish lengths were recorded separately for specific habitats or sections within the fishways, and traps were installed for 3–5 week long periods at the upstream outlets of the fishways. More than 3550 fish >5 cm and approximately 5800 young-of-year individuals of 28 species were captured. 772 fish marked by subcutaneous injection of alcian blue dye were released downstream of two fishways. Almost 1150 fish, including 5 marked individuals, were captured in the traps, providing direct evidence for migration through the fishway. The total number of species recorded decreased downstream from 21 at site I to 18 at site II, and 17 at site III. This shift in numbers and also in species composition between sites could be partially related to differences in the available habitat. There were pronounced changes in the abundance of most of the dominant species downstream and upstream of the fishway at site III, and, to a lesser degree at sites I and II, indicating species (and size) specific differences in the effectiveness of the three designs for fish passage. Furthermore, marked differences in relative fish abundance between downstream locations and inside the fishway itself, and in the relative numerical composition of the trap catch at sites I and II, clearly demonstrate that some species (Cottus gobio, Barbatula barbatula, Salmo trutta, Leuciscus cephalus) use these fishways as a habitat, whereas others (Phoxinus phoxinus, Gobio gobio) simply migrate through. Only inside the artificial stream did we find early life stages of seven species, suggesting that passage of the other fishways is restricted to older fish. Our results demonstrate that fishway design is crucial in providing continuous fish passage for all species and life-stages, and that a nature-like fishway is the most functional solution.     

Cost-benefit analysis in the context of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive: The case of Germany

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires EU member states (MS) to develop and implement marine strategies containing programs of measures to protect and preserve the marine environment. Prior to their implementation, impact assessments, including Cost-Benefit-Analyses (CBA), need to be carried out. While the costs of introducing such measures are often relatively easy to determine, the economic valuation of the benefits derived from environmental improvements is much more challenging, particularly in the marine context. Still, it remains an important prerequisite for conducting CBA. The aim of this paper is to evaluate to what extent benefits can be quantified for use in CBA focusing on the German marine waters. The results indicate that there are still considerable gaps in the scientific knowledge about many of the pressures mentioned in the MSFD. Moreover, few economic studies exist that evaluate the benefits of marine protection measures, and many of them are not applicable in the German context. In addition, there is the risk that some benefits accruing from marine protection measures are systematically omitted in CBA. This raises the question to what extent comprehensive CBAs as required by the MSFD are possible in Germany, but also in other EU MS.     

A national rockfall dataset as a tool for analysing the spatial and temporal rockfall occurrence in Germany

This study presents an evaluation of a comprehensive dataset with information on about 700 recorded rockfall events in Germany for the first time. The focus is on the analysis of monthly distributions of three rockfall clusters in German low mountain ranges and of three elevation classes to provide an overview of the characteristic seasonal occurrence of rockfalls in Germany. Each rockfall distribution is correlated with records of meteorological station clusters which are representative for the long-term climate conditions of the particular rockfall cluster and elevation class, respectively. The stored parameters in the dataset (year of occurrence, rock volumes, slope angles, affected objects) are evaluated to complete the extensive and differentiated overview of rockfalls in Germany. The analyses of the distributions of the three rockfall clusters show a distinct event concentration in the winter months. Differences are apparent between the monthly distributions of the elevation classes in which clear peaks are partially visible. Freeze–thaw cycles are considered to be the major trigger of winter rockfalls in Germany. Overall, the presented results may serve as a basis for further studies in the German low mountain ranges. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.