Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ (until 28 November 2006: UFZ Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig- Halle GmbH ) is engaged in the basic research and applied research in the areas of " Earth and Environment", "Health" and "energy" of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.
On UFZ over 1,000 employees and explore the complex interactions between humans and the environment in cultivated and damaged landscapes, particularly densely populated urban and industrial areas and natural landscapes. The scientists develop concepts and processes, which will help to secure the natural foundations of life for future generations.
It was founded on 12 December 1991 and the research enterprise was taken on January 2, 1992.
Headquarters are in Leipzig, Halle and Magdeburg. In addition there are sites in Bitterfeld, Bad Lauchstaedt and Altmärkische Wipe, district Falkenberg.
- 3.1 Department: Biodiversity and Terrestrial Ecosystems
- 3.2 Department of Water and Soil Sciences
- 3.3 Department: Environmental System Monitoring
- 3.4 Department: Environmental Technology
- 3.5 Department: Ecotoxicology
- 3.6 Department: Health Research
- 3.7 Faculty: Social Sciences
The research structure
The research at the UFZ is organized in 34 methodological competence centers, the so-called Departments.
The large number of departments illustrates the technical breadth and diversity at the UFZ. Bundled Organizationally, the department in seven subject areas:
The content of the research at the UFZ divided into three core themes and three cross -cutting skills ( see chart). They are the Helmholtz research fields of Earth and Environment ( program " Terrestrial Environment " / 85 percent of the UFZ resources), health ( program " Environmental health disorders " / 8 percent) and energy (programs "renewable energy" and " Technology, Innovation assigned and Society " / 7 percent).
The research programs of the Helmholtz Association will be evaluated by internationally renowned experts in five-year intervals on academic excellence and strategic relevance.
Research
Core issue of land use / biodiversity / bioenergy
Under the core issue of land use / biodiversity / bioenergy is explored by representatives of various natural and social science disciplines, such as urban sprawl, landscape fragmentation, biologically invasive species and climate change on plant and animal populations and the ecosystem services affect. The aim is to find out whether a higher genetic diversity and greater biodiversity actually ensure that ecosystems are more stable and can to buffer changes better. In addition, biodiversity is considered from an economic perspective, the pros and cons of decisions are faced, for example, within the framework of the UFZ coordinated the TEEB project. Furthermore, risks and opportunities of bioenergy traded as currently one of the most important renewable and expandable energy that influences the agriculture, forestry and water management, energy supply and society. Here, models are developed to simulate various development prospects in scenarios in order to provide decision support for sustainable bioenergy strategy.
Core issue of water / soil
The aim of the research under the core theme of water / soil at the UFZ is the development of system solutions for water and soil management. For methods and models are developed to characterize and predict the ecological status and the development of water and soil better. It will analyze what changes are triggered by chemical substances or stressors such as floods, long droughts or introduced animal and plant species in the aquatic environment. The land use dynamics is the most important control variable of the water and nutrient balance of river basins.
The UFZ researchers study water and solute fluxes in the subsurface from the pore scale to the field. Use the UFZ research platform SAFIRA are management concepts for the revitalization of mega sites - these are large area contaminated sites - developed. In water-scarce regions of the world are exact balancing of the available water resources as well as new remediation and wastewater technologies help to preserve the water resource and the resource recycle wastewater. The aim is to ensure the quantity and quality of existing water resources, both for humans and for the natural ecosystems under the conditions of global change and to provide the knowledge base for sustainable water management. Therefore, the UFZ the Water Science Alliance - a network to strengthen the German water research at national, European and international level - initiated.
Core theme of chemicals in the environment / health
The core theme of chemicals in the environment / health research at the UFZ bundles of scientists from environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, biological and chemical analysis, environmental immunology and genetics. There are chemical and biological analysis combined to detect pollutants in the environment and to analyze. It will be developed to explore the biological effects of chemicals and to find alternatives to animal testing model systems. These living organisms such as algae, luminescent bacteria, daphnia or fish or their embryos to be used in the water. Using computer models to forecast material properties, environmental fate and toxicity of chemicals. The effect of chemicals on cells of the immune system and their contribution to pollution-related diseases (eg allergies ) will be examined. On knowledge of systems biology is particularly frequently resorted to. The aim of the research on this key issue is to generate data and knowledge on the occurrence, availability, and effect of chemical substances, to assess their potential risk better and therefore to be able to manage.
Cross-section of expertise Social Science Research
A special feature of the research profile of the UFZ is the participation of economists, lawyers, sociologists and political scientists whose task is to identify the interaction of various social institutions in the environmental context and to analyze. Negotiation processes (governance) to analyze the process of policy instruments are developed, the interplay of ecological and economic factors considered. At the interface between natural and social sciences integrated assessment methods are being developed, such as under the Escalate research school. The aim of the work in this field is to strengthen the practical relevance of the Environmental Research UFZ.
Cross-section of expertise Monitoring / observatories
A cross-sectional expertise the UFZ is in the area of long-term monitoring of impacts of climate and land use change on terrestrial ecosystems at different scales. These both methods as well as measuring and sensor devices are developed. Experiments, permanent observation platforms on the ground and aircraft and satellites provide it the necessary measurement data.
One example is the Helmholtz TERENO project involving six Helmholtz centers are involved. Four observatories are operated under the project: in the Eifel and Lower Rhine Basin, in the north-eastern German lowlands, in the Leipzig -Halle and in the Alps. This climate data and data on water and soil quality, biodiversity and atmospheric interactions are collected.
Furthermore, the UFZ operates the Klimaexploratorium in Bad Lauchstaedt, a large-scale experiment on climate change, as well as MOBICOS, an observation platform specifically for running waters. The research platform of the UFZ MOSAIC combines mapping and monitoring technologies that enable high-resolution surveys of complex subsurface structures.
Planned are other observatories in by climate change particularly affected the Mediterranean region ( TERENO MED). They should be part of a European network of observatories.
Cross-section of competence modeling / visualization
The modeling and visualization platform ticino helps to bring together the existing in different UFZ departments expertise in the field of modeling and strengthen, to develop integrated modeling concepts with a systems analysis approach and to apply and provide the results of researchers and decision -makers. For this to be developed in order to create from the data, which were collected for a variety of environmental processes simulation and visualization in 3D visualization of the UFZ Centre at the UFZ numerical methods and scientific software.
Examples are optimized irrigation systems in agriculture, early warning for heavy rain or storms, the calculation of water balances for regions lacking data, propagation scenarios for contaminants in groundwater or risk analyzes for geothermal processes and geotechnical storage underground.
The aim is, on the basis of models and virtual reality to improve process understanding and to facilitate the dialogue between scientists and decision makers.
Divisions and the Departments
Department of Biodiversity and Terrestrial Ecosystems
To the Department include the Department of Conservation Biology, the Biozönosenforschung and soil ecology. The area of Conservation Biology is located in Leipzig and is headed by Klaus Henle. The aim of the work is the scientific basis for the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable land use to improve. One focus of the work is on the study of environmental changes and their impacts on biodiversity. In addition, the Department has to work up the claim insights for practical applications and the dialogue with the policy.
Work is done on floodplain ecology, monitoring of biodiversity Bioindikationssysteme. Another area deals with concepts and strategies for the "Biodiversity Management" and the policy advice. In addition, the UFZ scientists deal with the meaning of the concept of ecosystem services for conservation and politics. Of increasing importance is research into the specific habitat loss and fragmentation as well as the impact of land use and climate change on biodiversity.
The Department of Community Ecology and Soil Ecology located in Halle. The Biozönosenforschung performs plant and animal ecology, and population and Synecology together. Structural changes in communities ( biocenosis ) are analyzed and evaluated. Understanding these changes is an important prerequisite to understand biodiversity and specifically influence can. Objectives are to predict the zönotische development under changing environmental conditions. This is done for example by modeling of biotic and abiotic processes. Another goal is to use the animal and plant populations and their coenoses for an indication system, as in the Germany -wide project of the butterfly monitoring. Thus, the effectiveness of management, rehabilitation and conservation measures can be controlled.
In the department work more than 150 people, among others, Pe'er, Josef Settele and Kurt Jax.
Department: Water and Soil Sciences
To the Department of Water and Soil Sciences includes the Department Lake Research, River Ecology, Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis, soil physics, hydrogeology and Catchment Hydrology. Head of the Department is Dietrich Borchardt.
Department: Environmental System Monitoring
The Department of Environmental Modelling and Monitoring is divided into the Department of Landscape Ecology (Computational Landscape Ecology ), hydraulic system modeling, computer science environment, Ecological Modelling, Monitoring and Exploration Technologies. Spokeswoman of the department is Sabine Attinger.
The goal of the research is to gain more reliable information for the regional hydrological and ecological systems. It focuses on the development of multi-scale hydrological and ecological models, multi-scale measurement and monitoring strategies and to the structure and operation of the terrestrial long-term observatory TERENO.
Department: Environmental Technology
The Department of Environmental technology, there is the Department of Environmental Microbiology, Isotope Biogeochemistry, Environmental Engineering, Groundwater remediation, environmental biotechnology, bioenergy and environmental and Biotechnology (UBZ ). Head of the Department is Hauke Harms.
Faculty: Ecotoxicology
The Fachbereicht Ecotoxicology is divided into the departments analytics, Effect-Directed Analysis, Ecological Chemistry, Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, System Ecotoxicology and Environmental Analytical Chemistry. Spokeswoman Gerrit Schüürmann.
Department: Health Research
The Department of Environmental Immunology, metabolomics and proteomics together form the Department of Health Research. Spokeswoman for the department is Irina Lehmann.
Faculty: Social Sciences
The Department of Social Sciences, led by Bernd Hansjürgens is divided into the Departments economics, urban and environmental sociology, environmental and planning law and environmental policy.
The Department combines the exploration of relationships and connections between human / social systems and natural systems. The aim is to examine the conditions and implementation possibilities of an environmentally and socially responsible life and economic activity.
The Department was founded in 1996 as a department, " Ecological Economics and Environmental Sociology " ( ÖKUS ). Since the restructuring of the UFZ 2004, the social sciences are an independent department with about 100 employees ( 2013). Besides the four departments of the Department is further divided into six working groups: Governance and Institutions, Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, Social-science Water Research, Urban and Regional Research, Climate Change and Geomatics. To employees of the department include, inter alia, the chairman of the European Society for Ecological Economics Irene Ring and Christoph Görg and Erik Gawel.
Cooperations
The UFZ cooperates both with the German authorities, as well as with universities and institutions worldwide. Some projects are conducted with the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and the State of Saxony and Saxony- Anhalt.
Along with the universities of Halle, Jena and Leipzig and several other research institutes operates the UFZ since 2012, the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research ( iDiv ).
Financing
The UFZ is financed to 90 % of the Federal Republic of Germany and 5% each of the states of Saxony and Saxony- Anhalt.
Employee
On UFZ work over 1,000 people.
Publications
The UFZ publishes a series of brochures, thesis papers and other publications. Every year, an annual report on the work of the center will appear. The scientists publish in scientific journals and in the Project Handbook Of Ecological Concepts. An overview of the publications can be found on the website of the UFZ.