ALBERT

Description: The dynamics of the 18O(3P) + 32O2 isotope exchange reaction were studied using crossed atomic and molecular beams at collision energies (Ecoll) of 5.7 and 7.3 kcal/mol, and experimental results were compared with quantum statistical (QS) and quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) calculations on the O3(X1A’) potential energy surface (PES) of Babikov et al. [D. Babikov, B. K. Kendrick, R. B. Walker, R. T. Pack, P. Fleurat-Lesard, and R. Schinke, J. Chem. Phys.118, 6298 (2003)]. In both QS and QCT calculations, agreement with experiment was markedly improved by performing calculations with the experimental distribution of collision energies instead of fixed at the average collision energy. At both collision energies, the scattering displayed a forward bias, with a smaller bias at the lower Ecoll. Comparisons with the QS calculations suggest that 34O2 is produced with a non-statistical rovibrational distribution that is hotter than predicted, and the discrepancy is larger at the lower Ecoll. If this underprediction of rovibrational excitation by the QS method is not due to PES errors and/or to non-adiabatic effects not included in the calculations, then this collision energy dependence is opposite to what might be expected based on collision complex lifetime arguments and opposite to that measured for the forward bias. While the QCT calculations captured the experimental product vibrational energy distribution better than the QS method, the QCT results underpredicted rotationally excited products, overpredicted forward-bias and predicted a trend in the strength of forward-bias with collision energy opposite to that measured, indicating that it does not completely capture the dynamic behavior measured in the experiment. Thus, these results further underscore the need for improvement in theoretical treatments of dynamics on the O3(X1A’) PES and perhaps of the PES itself in order to better understand and predict non-statistical effects in this reaction and in the formation of ozone (in which the intermediate O3 * complex is collisionally stabilized by a third body). The scattering data presented here at two different collision energies provide important benchmarks to guide these improvements.

Description: Abstract. It has been claimed for more than a century that atmospheric new particle formation is primarily influenced by the presence of sulfuric acid. However, the activation process of sulfuric acid related clusters into detectable particles is still an unresolved topic. In this study we focus on the PARADE campaign measurements conducted during August/September 2011 at Mt Kleiner Feldberg in central Germany. During this campaign a set of radicals, organic and inorganic compounds and oxidants and aerosol properties were measured or calculated. We compared a range of organic and inorganic nucleation theories, evaluating their ability to simulate measured particle formation rates at 3 nm in diameter (J3) for a variety of different conditions. Nucleation mechanisms involving only sulfuric acid tentatively captured the observed noon-time daily maximum in J3, but displayed an increasing difference to J3 measurements during the rest of the diurnal cycle. Including large organic radicals, i.e. organic peroxy radicals (RO2) deriving from monoterpenes and their oxidation products, in the nucleation mechanism improved the correlation between observed and simulated J3. This supports a recently proposed empirical relationship for new particle formation that has been used in global models. However, the best match between theory and measurements for the site of interest was found for an activation process based on large organic peroxy radicals and stabilised Criegee intermediates (sCI). This novel laboratory-derived algorithm simulated the daily pattern and intensity of J3 observed in the ambient data. In this algorithm organic derived radicals are involved in activation and growth and link the formation rate of smallest aerosol particles with OH during daytime and NO3 during night-time. Because the RO2 lifetime is controlled by HO2 and NO we conclude that peroxy radicals and NO seem to play an important role for ambient radical chemistry not only with respect to oxidation capacity but also for the activation process of new particle formation. This is supposed to have significant impact of atmospheric radical species on aerosol chemistry and should be taken into account when studying the impact of new particles in climate feedback cycles.

Description: The use of fossil hydrocarbons in the energy and transport sectors is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. It also ties our society to ever dwindling reserves. Synthetic fuels could play a crucial role in establishing a carbon neutral energy supply.

Description: Kohlenstoffdioxid ist ein klimaschädliches Treibhausgas. Gleichzeitig ist Kohlenstoff Basis einer Vielzahl chemischer Produkte. Bei der Erforschung der Abscheidung und sinnvollen Nutzung von emittiertem Kohlenstoffdioxid sind in den vergangenen Jahren entscheidende Durchbrüche gelungen.

Description: In the basement, in an alcove that's almost a small room, stands a small wood stove. If it weren't on a pedestal, it would barely be a metre high; but even so it's small, almost cute. The wood from which it's made appears to be untreated; its whiteness is rustic, quaint, innocent. It takes a minute to realise what's wrong. A 'wood stove' should be a stove for burning wood - not one made of wood. It should make combustion possible without itself being combustible.

Description: We examine the claim that in governance for solar climate engineering research, and especially field tests, there is no need for external governance beyond existing mechanisms such as peer review and environmental impact assessments that aim to assess technically defined risks to the physical environment. By drawing on the historical debate on recombinant DNA research, we show that defining risks is not a technical question but a complex process of narrative formation. Governance emerges from within, and as a response to, narratives of what is at stake in a debate. In applying this finding to the case of climate engineering, we find that the emerging narrative differs starkly from the narrative that gave meaning to rDNA technology during its formative period, with important implications for governance. While the narrative of rDNA technology was closed down to narrowly focus on technical risks, that of climate engineering continues to open up and includes social, political and ethical issues. This suggests that, in order to be legitimate, governance must take into account this broad perception of what constitutes the relevant issues and risks of climate engineering, requiring governance that goes beyond existing mechanisms that focus on technical risks. Even small-scale field tests with negligible impacts on the physical environment warrant additional governance as they raise broader concerns that go beyond the immediate impacts of individual experiments.

Description: It is often claimed that a higher ratio of natural gas to coal in our energy mix can mitigate current carbon dioxide emissions and serve as a 'bridge' to future renewable-based scenarios. This is because the carbon footprint of energy produced through the combustion of methane is about half that of energy produced from coal.

Description: In this study the sensitivity of the model performance of the chemistry transport model (CTM) LOTOS-EUROS to the description of the temporal variability of emissions was investigated. Currently the temporal release of anthropogenic emissions is described by European average diurnal, weekly and seasonal time profiles per sector. These default time profiles largely neglect the variation of emission strength with activity patterns, region, species, emission process and meteorology. The three sources dealt with in this study are combustion in energy and transformation industries (SNAP1), nonindustrial combustion (SNAP2) and road transport (SNAP7). First of all, the impact of neglecting the temporal emission profiles for these SNAP categories on simulated concentrations was explored. In a second step, we constructed more detailed emission time profiles for the three categories and quantified their impact on the model performance both separately as well as combined. The performance in comparison to observations for Germany was quantified for the pollutants NO2, SO2 and PM10 and compared to a simulation using the default LOTOS-EUROS emission time profiles. The LOTOS-EUROS simulations were performed for the year 2006 with a temporal resolution of 1 h and a horizontal resolution of approximately 25 × 25km2. In general the largest impact on the model performance was found when neglecting the default time profiles for the three categories. The daily average correlation coefficient for instance decreased by 0.04 (NO2), 0.11 (SO2) and 0.01 (PM10) at German urban background stations compared to the default simulation. A systematic increase in the correlation coefficient is found when using the new time profiles. The size of the increase depends on the source category, component and station. Using national profiles for road transport showed important improvements in the explained variability over the weekdays as well as the diurnal cycle for NO2. The largest impact of the SNAP1 and 2 profiles were found for SO2. When using all new time profiles simultaneously in one simulation, the daily average correlation coefficient increased by 0.05 (NO2), 0.07 (SO2) and 0.03 (PM10) at urban background stations in Germany. This exercise showed that to improve the performance of a CTM, a better representation of the distribution of anthropogenic emission in time is recommendable. This can be done by developing a dynamical emission model that takes into account regional specific factors and meteorology.

Description: This December, the 20th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) will be held in Lima, Peru. There climate change negotiations will focus on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, the long-lived greenhouse gas primarily responsible for anthropogenic climate change. However, on the short-term, air pollutants that also have an influence on climate, known as short-lived climate forcing pollutants (SLCPs) should also be addressed.

Description: Global-scale solar geoengineering is the deliberate modification of the climate system to offset some amount of anthropogenic climate change by reducing the amount of incident solar radiation at the surface. These changes to the planetary energy budget result in differential regional climate effects. For the first time, we quantitatively evaluate the potential for regional disparities in a multi-model context using results from a model experiment that offsets the forcing from a quadrupling of CO2 via reduction in solar irradiance. We evaluate temperature and precipitation changes in 22 geographic regions spanning most of Earthʼs continental area. Moderate amounts of solar reduction (up to 85% of the amount that returns global mean temperatures to preindustrial levels) result in regional temperature values that are closer to preindustrial levels than an un-geoengineered, high CO2 world for all regions and all models. However, in all but one model, there is at least one region for which no amount of solar reduction can restore precipitation toward its preindustrial value. For most metrics considering simultaneous changes in both variables, temperature and precipitation values in all regions are closer to the preindustrial climate for a moderate amount of solar reduction than for no solar reduction.

Description: A generalized synthesis of high-quality,mesoporous zeolite (e.g., MFI-type) nanocrystals ispresented, based on a biomass-derived, monolithic Ndopedcarbonaceous template. As an example, ZSM-5single crystals with desirable large-diameter (12−16 nm)intracrystalline mesopores are synthesized. The platformprovides scope to optimize template dimensions andchemistry for the synthesis of a range of micro-/mesoporous crystalline zeolites in a cost-effective andhighly flexible manner.

Description: Carbon dioxide is a harmful greenhouse gas. But it is also the basic ingredient of countless chemical products. In recent years, research on the sequestration and practical use of carbon dioxide has yielded a number of important initial breakthroughs.

Description: Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme as well as Minister for the Environment in Germany, turned 75 in 2013. His outstanding achievements inspired us to assemble this volume. Klaus Töpfer has been at the forefront of sustainability efforts for several decades, with a long track record of turning vision into reality, and a firm conviction that knowledge can be a crucial building block for transitions towards sustainability. Our world is shaped, more than ever before, by human activities. The scope of technology, to systemically alter nature in ways impossible for previous generations to comprehend, requests and requires a new relationship with »planet Earth.« Such a relationship may speak, in the end, not just of profit and loss but also of a new meaning of wealth, including a sense of ethics, stewardship, and responsibility. For the time being, it seems paramount to face these new challenges, striving for new ways of understanding and, subsequently, new modes of response.

Description: Ernst Th. Rietschel - Foreword page 9Achim Steiner – Foreword page 11Falk Schmidt, Nick Nuttall - Sustainable, Transformative, Democratic: Klaus Töpfer’s Contributions for Transitions Towards Sustainability page 13Paul J. Crutzen - The Anthropocene: When Humankind Overrides Nature page 21Maheswar Rupakheti and Mark Lawrence - From Buddha Air to Dirty Air to Clean Air: The ABCs of South Asia page 29Veerabhadran Ramanathan - The Two Worlds We Inhabit: The Top Four Billion (T4B) and the Bottom Three Billion (B3B) page 41Hans Joachim Schellnhuber - Climate Change, the Monarch Butterfly, and Intergenerational Contracting page 51Reinhard F. Hüttl - Caring for the ‘Skin of the Earth’—Soils as a Critical Component of Global Development page 61Joachim von Braun - Guiding Urban–Rural Linkages Toward Sustainable Development page 75Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker - Klaus Töpfer at 75 page 97Mario Tobias - Translating Knowledge into Action: How Do Innovative Technologies Enable Sustainability? page 103Matthias Kleiner, Caroline A. Lodemann - Science in Democracy—Knowledge Exchange in an Informed Society page 111Carlo Rubbia - Innovative Scientific and Technological Developments for a Coherent Energy Policy page 123Laurence Tubiana, Andreas Rüdinger, Thomas Spencer - Evolution of the Energy Transition in Germany, France, and Europe: A Process in the Making page 127Pekka Haavisto - Global Contract for Sustainability page 141Klaus Milke and Christoph Bals - Acting–Negotiations–Alliances: The ‘Energiewende’ in Germany and its Relevance to the Great Transformation and a Global Contract page 147Karsten Sach - IRENA – A Story of Conviction, Perseverance, and Transformation page 159Manfred Konukiewitz - International Climate Finance for Developing Countries: The Green Climate Fund aims for Transformative Ambition page 173Uwe Schneidewind and Mandy Singer-Brodowski - Enabling the Great Transformation: Transdisciplinarity as Individual and Institutional Challenge page 189Günther Bachmann - Steam Engines, Renewable Energies & Co. page 201Volker Hauff - Governance: The Deficit on the Way to Sustainability page 221WAN Gang - Professor Klaus Töpfer: Promoter of Scientific Cooperation page 233Fengting Li, Jiang Wu, Dahe Jiang,Dong Li, and Sun Jie - Professor Klaus Töpfer: Leading the Way to a Sustainable Future page 237Juan Mayr Maldonado - Klaus Töpfer: A Visionary Leader, Charismatic, and Humanist page 243Massoumeh Ebtekar - Klaus Töpfer: A Pioneer for the Environmental Dimension of Dialogue among Civilizations page 253James Gustave Speth - New Economy Transformation: The Eight-fold Way page 257Timothy E. Wirth - Klaus Töpfer at 75: Remarks of the Honoroble Timothy E. Wirth page 263Ralf Fücks - End or Beginning? page 271Angelika Zahrnt - On the Recapturing of Alternatives page 275Claus Leggewie - Transnational Citizenship. Ideals and European Citizenship: Legal and Cultural Dimensions page 285Ulrich Beck - Transformations of the Social and Political: Beyond Methodological Nationalism page 297Authors page 309

Description: Possible feedback effects between aeolian dust, climate and ice sheets are studied for the first time with an Earth system model of intermediate complexity over the late Pleistocene period. Correlations between climate and dust deposition records suggest that aeolian dust potentially plays an important role for the evolution of glacial cycles. Here climatic effects from the dust direct radiative forcing (DRF) caused by absorption and scattering of solar radiation are investigated. Key elements controlling the dust DRF are the atmospheric dust distribution and the absorption-scattering efficiency of dust aerosols. Effective physical parameters in the description of these elements are varied within uncertainty ranges known from available data and detailed model studies. Although the parameters can be reasonably constrained, the simulated dust DRF spans a~wide uncertainty range related to the strong nonlinearity of the Earth system. In our simulations, the dust DRF is highly localized. Medium-range parameters result in negative DRF of several watts per square metre in regions close to major dust sources and negligible values elsewhere. In the case of high absorption efficiency, the local dust DRF can reach positive values and the global mean DRF can be insignificantly small. In the case of low absorption efficiency, the dust DRF can produce a significant global cooling in glacial periods, which leads to a doubling of the maximum glacial ice volume relative to the case with small dust DRF. DRF-induced temperature and precipitation changes can either be attenuated or amplified through a feedback loop involving the dust cycle. The sensitivity experiments suggest that depending on dust optical parameters, dust DRF has the potential to either damp or reinforce glacial–interglacial climate changes.

Description: Berlin may not be the Netherlands, but there is definitely a fair amount of bicycling infrastructure throughout the city. And if you're biking in Berlin you're not alone on the road with only cars for company either. The debate about which cities are the best for biking aside, I enjoy biking, and this summer I biked home from work at least once a week. For me, this meant a journey of roughly 30 km and just under two hours depending on traffic, traffic lights, and how much energy I had at the end of the work day.