scholarly journals Three Years of Δ14CO2 Observations from Maize Leaves in the Netherlands and Western Europe

Radiocarbon ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Bozhinova ◽  
S W L Palstra ◽  
M K van der Molen ◽  
M C Krol ◽  
H A J Meijer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Plant Samples ◽  
Qualitative Measure ◽  
Atmospheric Sampling

AbstractAtmospheric Δ14CO2 measurements are useful to investigate the regional signals of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, despite the currently scarce observational network for Δ14CO2. Plant samples are an easily attainable alternative, which have been shown to work well as a qualitative measure of the atmospheric Δ14CO2 signals integrated over the time a plant has grown. Here, we present the 14C analysis results for 89 individual maize (Zea mays) plant samples from 51 different locations that were gathered in the Netherlands in the years 2010 to 2012, and from western Germany and France in 2012. We describe our sampling strategy and results, and include a comparison to a model simulation of the Δ14CO2 that would be accumulated in each plant over a growing season. Our model simulates the Δ14CO2 signatures in good agreement with observed plant samples, resulting in a root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) of 3.30‰. This value is comparable to the measurement uncertainty, but still relatively large (20–50%) compared to the total signal. It is also comparable to the spread in Δ14CO2 values found across multiple plants from a single site, and to the spread found when averaging across larger regions. We nevertheless find that both measurements and model capture the large-scale (>100 km) regional Δ14CO2 gradients, with significant observation-model correlations in all three countries in which we collected samples. The modeled plant results suggest that the largest gradients found in the Netherlands and Germany are associated with emissions from energy production and road traffic, while in France, the 14CO2 enrichment from nuclear sources dominates in many samples. Overall, the required model-based interpretation of plant samples adds additional uncertainty to the already relatively large measurement uncertainty in Δ14CO2, and we suggest that future fossil fuel monitoring efforts should prioritize other strategies such as direct atmospheric sampling of CO2 and Δ14CO2.

scholarly journals Decadal trends in global CO emissions as seen by MOPITT

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (23) ◽  
pp. 13433-13451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yin ◽  
F. Chevallier ◽  
P. Ciais ◽  
G. Broquet ◽  
A. Fortems-Cheiney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Recent Decade ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Emission Inventories ◽  
Co Concentration ◽  
Co Concentrations ◽  
Atmospheric Inversion

Abstract. Negative trends of carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations are observed in the recent decade by both surface measurements and satellite retrievals over many regions of the globe, but they are not well explained by current emission inventories. Here, we analyse the observed CO concentration decline with an atmospheric inversion that simultaneously optimizes the two main CO sources (surface emissions and atmospheric hydrocarbon oxidations) and the main CO sink (atmospheric hydroxyl radical OH oxidation). Satellite CO column retrievals from Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT), version 6, and surface observations of methane and methyl chloroform mole fractions are assimilated jointly for the period covering 2002–2011. Compared to the model simulation prescribed with prior emission inventories, trends in the optimized CO concentrations show better agreement with that of independent surface in situ measurements. At the global scale, the atmospheric inversion primarily interprets the CO concentration decline as a decrease in the CO emissions (−2.3 % yr−1), more than twice the negative trend estimated by the prior emission inventories (−1.0 % yr−1). The spatial distribution of the inferred decrease in CO emissions indicates contributions from western Europe (−4.0 % yr−1), the United States (−4.6 % yr−1) and East Asia (−1.2 % yr−1), where anthropogenic fuel combustion generally dominates the overall CO emissions, and also from Australia (−5.3 % yr−1), the Indo-China Peninsula (−5.6 % yr−1), Indonesia (−6.7 % y−1), and South America (−3 % yr−1), where CO emissions are mostly due to biomass burning. In contradiction with the bottom-up inventories that report an increase of 2 % yr−1 over China during the study period, a significant emission decrease of 1.1 % yr−1 is inferred by the inversion. A large decrease in CO emission factors due to technology improvements would outweigh the increase in carbon fuel combustions and may explain this decrease. Independent satellite formaldehyde (CH2O) column retrievals confirm the absence of large-scale trends in the atmospheric source of CO. However, it should be noted that the CH2O retrievals are not assimilated and OH concentrations are optimized at a very large scale in this study.

Arthropod richness in roadside verges in the Netherlands

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinze Noordijk ◽  
Ivo Raemakers ◽  
André Schaffers ◽  
Karlè Sýkora
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Pitfall Trapping ◽  
Red Lists ◽  
Arthropod Species ◽  
Landscape Units ◽  
Roadside Verges

AbstractUrbanisation and intensification of agriculture has led to large scale destruction of natural and semi-natural areas in Western Europe. Consequentially, the conservation of biodiversity in small landscape units has become a matter of increasing urgency. In this paper, we inventoried the arthropod diversity in roadside verges in the Netherlands and studied the relative importance of these linear elements. In addition, the occurrence of arthropods in roadside verges in other countries was studied by literature research. In the period 1998-2008, we sampled 57 roadside verges. This was mainly done by pitfall trapping, using sweeping nets and insect nets, and by sight observations. For several arthropod groups the majority of the Dutch indigenous species was sampled: ants (56% of the indigenous species), grasshoppers (53%), harvestmen (67%) and two spider families (52% and 68%). For ground beetles, weevils, butterflies, bees, hoverflies and three other spider families, values between 18–41% were found. Considering that only a minute fraction of the vast network of roadsides was sampled, these figures are remarkably high. Roadside verges are occasionally reported to act as dispersal corridors for exotic species, but this could not be confirmed for arthropods in the Netherlands. Several of the arthropod species inventoried in the Dutch verges are classified as threatened: five grasshopper and eleven bee species appear on national Red Lists and six ant species on the IUCN Red List. Also, in several other countries roadside verges in intensively used landscapes appear to offer opportunities for arthropod conservation. We conclude that, if rightly managed, roadside verges can serve as an important and valuable arthropod habitat. Therefore, we strongly recommend taking always into account the conservation of these arthropod assemblages during planning and actual management of roadside verges.

scholarly journals Hindcasting the First Tornado Forecast in Europe: 25 June 1967

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogdan Antonescu ◽  
Tomáš Púçik ◽  
David M. Schultz
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Surface Winds ◽  
Grid Spacing ◽  
Stationary Front ◽  
History Of ◽  
European Counterpart ◽  
Meteorological Institute ◽  
Tornado Outbreak

Abstract The tornado outbreak of 24–25 June 1967 was the most damaging in the history of western Europe, producing 7 F2–F5 tornadoes, 232 injuries, and 15 fatalities across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Following tornadoes in France on 24 June, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) issued a tornado forecast for 25 June, which became the first ever—and first verified—tornado forecast in Europe. Fifty-two years later, tornadoes are still not usually forecast by most European national meteorological services, and a pan-European counterpart to the NOAA/NWS/Storm Prediction Center (SPC) does not exist to provide convective outlook guidance; yet, tornadoes remain an extant threat. This article asks, “What would a modern-day forecast of the 24–25 June 1967 outbreak look like?” To answer this question, a model simulation of the event is used in three ways: 20-km grid-spacing output to produce a SPC-style convective outlook provided by the European Storm Forecast Experiment (ESTOFEX), 800-m grid-spacing output to analyze simulated reflectivity and surface winds in a nowcasting analog, and 800-m grid-spacing output to produce storm-total footprints of updraft helicity maxima to compare to observed tornado tracks. The model simulates a large supercell on 24 June and weaker embedded mesocyclones on 25 June forming along a stationary front, allowing the ESTOFEX outlooks to correctly identify the threat. Updraft helicity footprints indicate multiple mesocyclones on both days within 40–50 km and 3–4 h of observed tornado tracks, demonstrating the ability to hindcast a large European tornado outbreak.

scholarly journals Great expectations? Assessing the creation of national police organisations in Scotland and the Netherlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Terpstra ◽  
Nick R. Fyfe
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Structural Reforms ◽  
Police Reform ◽  
Great Expectations ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
National Police

Against a background of recent structural reforms to police organisations in northern and western Europe, this paper examines the experiences of Scotland and the Netherlands where national police forces were established in 2013. Taking a comparative perspective, an analysis of the police reform proposals is followed by a review of the arguments for reform, the challenges of implementation and the findings emerging from the evaluations of the police reforms in each country. The paper concludes by drawing out the contrast between the ‘great expectations’ of the two police reforms articulated by the governments and the realities of bringing about rapid and large-scale organisational change, arguing that institutionalist perspectives on police reform have much to offer in making sense of the challenges of the police reform process.

Going the Distance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Harris
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Global Trade ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Business Corporation ◽  
Modern Economy ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Silk Route ◽  
Passive Investors

Before the seventeenth century, trade across Eurasia was mostly conducted in short segments along the Silk Route and Indian Ocean. Business was organized in family firms, merchant networks, and state-owned enterprises, and dominated by Chinese, Indian, and Arabic traders. However, around 1600 the first two joint-stock corporations, the English and Dutch East India Companies, were established. This book tells the story of overland and maritime trade without Europeans, of European Cape Route trade without corporations, and of how new, large-scale, and impersonal organizations arose in Europe to control long-distance trade for more than three centuries. It shows that by 1700, the scene and methods for global trade had dramatically changed: Dutch and English merchants shepherded goods directly from China and India to northwestern Europe. To understand this transformation, the book compares the organizational forms used in four major regions: China, India, the Middle East, and Western Europe. The English and Dutch were the last to leap into Eurasian trade, and they innovated in order to compete. They raised capital from passive investors through impersonal stock markets and their joint-stock corporations deployed more capital, ships, and agents to deliver goods from their origins to consumers. The book explores the history behind a cornerstone of the modern economy, and how this organizational revolution contributed to the formation of global trade and the creation of the business corporation as a key factor in Europe's economic rise.

Bottlenecks in the Implementation of On-Site Wastewater Treatment Plants on a Large Scale in The Netherlands

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 291-298
Author(s):  
Frits A. Fastenau ◽  
Jaap H. J. M. van der Graaf ◽  
Gerard Martijnse
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Definition Of

More than 95 % of the total housing stock in the Netherlands is connected to central sewerage systems and in most cases the wastewater is treated biologically. As connection to central sewerage systems has reached its economic limits, interest in on-site treatment of the domestic wastewater of the remaining premises is increasing. A large scale research programme into on-site wastewater treatment up to population equivalents of 200 persons has therefore been initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment. Intensive field-research work did establish that the technological features of most on-site biological treatment systems were satisfactory. A large scale implementation of these systems is however obstructed in different extents by problems of an organisational, financial and/or juridical nature and management difficulties. At present research is carried out to identify these bottlenecks and to analyse possible solutions. Some preliminary results are given which involve the following ‘bottlenecks':-legislation: absence of co-ordination and absence of a definition of ‘surface water';-absence of subsidies;-ownership: divisions in task-setting of Municipalities and Waterboards; divisions involved with cost-sharing;-inspection; operational control and maintenance; organisation of management;-discharge permits;-pollution levy;-sludge disposal. Final decisions and practical elaboration of policies towards on-site treatment will have to be formulated in a broad discussion with all the authorities and interest groups involved.

Towards Control of an Estuary

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 155-174
Author(s):  
Henk L. F. Saeijs
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Oxygen Depletion ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Intertidal Flats ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Short Time

The Delta Project is in its final stage. In 1974 it was subjected to political reconsideration, but it is scheduled now for completion in 1987. The final touches are being put to the storm-surge barrier and two compartment dams that divide the Oosterschelde into three areas: one tidal, one with reduced tide, and one a freshwater lake. Compartmentalization will result in 13% of channels, 45% of intertidal flats and 59% of salt marshes being lost. There is a net gain of 7% of shallow-water areas. Human interventions with large scale impacts are not new in the Oosterschelde but the large scale and short time in which these interventions are taking place are, as is the creation of a controlled tidal system. This article focusses on the area with reduced tide and compares resent day and expected characteristics. In this reduced tidal part salt marshes will extend by 30–70%; intertidal flats will erode to a lower level and at their edges, and the area of shallow water will increase by 47%. Biomass production on the intertidal flats will decrease, with consequences for crustaceans, fishes and birds. The maximum number of waders counted on one day and the number of ‘bird-days' will decrease drastically, with negative effects for the wader populations of western Europe. The net area with a hard substratum in the reduced tidal part has more than doubled. Channels will become shallower. Detritus import will not change significantly. Stratification and oxygen depletion will be rare and local. The operation of the storm-surge barrier and the closure strategy chosen are very important for the ecosystem. Two optional closure strategies can be followed without any additional environmental consequences. It was essential to determine a clearly defined plan of action for the whole area, and to make land-use choices from the outset. How this was done is briefly described.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Detlef Pollack ◽  
Gergely Rosta
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
West Germany ◽  
World Today ◽  
The World ◽  
Degree Of Stability ◽  
Important Exception ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Religious Landscape

In recantation of his earlier approach, Peter L. Berger now claims: ‘The world today, with some exceptions […], is as furiously religious as it ever was, and in some places more so than ever.’ The most important exception that Berger refers to is Western Europe. The introduction to Part II provides an overview of the religious landscape in Western Europe. The data show that the current religious situation in the countries of Western Europe is in fact subject to considerable variation. It would therefore be erroneous to describe Western Europe as secularized. At the same time, the data reveal that there have been clear secularization tendencies over the last few decades. To grasp the diversity of religious tendencies, Part II deals with three cases: West Germany with moderate downward tendencies, Italy with a considerably high degree of stability, and the Netherlands displaying disproportionately strong secularizing tendencies.

scholarly journals Social Media in and Around a Temporary Large-Scale Refugee Shelter in the Netherlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 205630512110249
Author(s):  
Peer Smets ◽  
Younes Younes ◽  
Marinka Dohmen ◽  
Kees Boersma ◽  
Lenie Brouwer
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
State Policies ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Top Down ◽  
And Migration

During the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe, temporary refugee shelters arose in the Netherlands to shelter the large influx of asylum seekers. The largest shelter was located in the eastern part of the country. This shelter, where tents housed nearly 3,000 asylum seekers, was managed with a firm top-down approach. However, many residents of the shelter—mainly Syrians and Eritreans—developed horizontal relations with the local receiving society, using social media to establish contact and exchange services and goods. This case study shows how various types of crisis communication played a role and how the different worlds came together. Connectivity is discussed in relation to inclusion, based on resilient (non-)humanitarian approaches that link society with social media. Moreover, we argue that the refugee crisis can be better understood by looking through the lens of connectivity, practices, and migration infrastructure instead of focusing only on state policies.

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