Methane concentrations and methane oxidation rates from June 2012 - June 2013 in the Elbe Estuary, from Hamburg to Cuxhaven, Germany

Rivers represent a transition zone between terrestric and aquatic environments, and between methane rich and methane poor environments. The Elbe River is one of the important rivers draining into the North Sea and with the Elbe potentially high amounts of methane could be imported into the water column of the North Sea. Twelve cruises from October 2010 until June 2013 were conducted from Hamburg towards the Elbe mouth at Cuxhaven. The dynamic of methane concentration in the water column and its consumption via methane oxidation was measured. In addition, physico-chemical parameters were used to estimate their influence on the methanotrophic activity. We observed high methane concentrations at the stations in the area of Hamburg harbor ("inner estuary") and about 10 times lower concentrations in the outer estuary (median of 416 versus 40 nmol/L). The methane oxidation (MOX) rate mirrowed the methane distribution with high values in the inner estuary and low values in the outer estuary (median of 161 versus 10 nmol/L/d respectively) Methane concentrations were significantly influenced by the river hydrology (falling water level) and the trophic state of the water (biological oxygen demand). In contrast to other studies no clear relation to the amount of suspendended particulate matter (SPM) was found. Methane oxidation rates were significantly influenced by methane concentration and to a weaker extent by temperature. Methane oxidation accounted for 41 ± 12% of the total loss of methane in summer/fall, but only for 5 ± 3% of the total loss in winter/spring. We applied a modified box model taking into account the residence times of a water parcel depending on discharge and tidal impact. We observed almost stable methane concentrations in the outer estuary, despite a strong loss of methane through diffusion and oxidation. Thus we postulate that in the outer Elbe estuary a strong additional input of methane is required, which could be provided by the extensive salt marshes near the river mouth.

The Bernhard Nocht Institute: 100 years of tropical medicine in Hamburg

The Bernhard Nocht Institute (BNI) is a four months younger and much smaller sibling of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. It was founded on 1 October 1900 as an Institut für Schiffs- und Tropenkrankheiten (Institute for Maritime and Tropical Diseases) and was later named after its founder and first director Bernhard Nocht. Today it is the Germany's largest institution for research in tropical medicine. It is a government institution affiliated to the Federal Ministry of Health of Germany and the Department of Health of the State of Hamburg. As the center for research in tropical medicine in Germany the BNI is dedicated to research, training and patient care in the area of human infectious diseases, which are of particular relevance in the tropics. It is the primary mission of the BNI to develop means to the control of these diseases. Secondary missions are to provide expertise for regional and national authorities and to directly and indirectly improve the health care for national and regional citizens in regard to diseases of the tropics.

Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg.

3.F.:1-5, 1893-1897

Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg.

3.F.:6-10, 1898-1902

Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg.

3.F.:25-29, 1917-1921

Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg.

3.F.:11-13, 1903-1905

Age, Life-satisfaction, and Relative Income – Insights from the UK and Germany

We first confirm previous results with the German Socio-Economic Panel by Layard et al. (2010), and obtain strong negative effects of comparison income. However, when we split the sample by age, we find quite different results for reference income. The effects on lifesatisfaction are positive and significant for those under 45, consistent with Hirschman’s (1973) ‘tunnel effect’, and only negative (and larger than in the full sample) for those over 45, when relative deprivation dominates. Thus for young respondents, reference income’s signalling role, indicating potential future prospects, can outweigh relative deprivation effects. Own-income effects are also larger for the older sample, and of greater magnitude than the comparison income effect. In East Germany the reference income effects are insignificant for all. With data from the British Household Panel Survey, we confirm standard results when encompassing all ages, but reference income loses significance in both age groups, and most surprisingly, even own income becomes insignificant for those over 45, while education has significant negative effects.

Report on the Special Investigation of the City of Hamburg, For the period January 1, 2004 through October 6, 2005

City Audit Report - Special Investigation