@phdthesis{Ayguel2015, author = {Ayg{\"u}l, Mesut}, title = {Pre-collisional accretion and exhumation along the southern Laurasian active margin, Central Pontides, Turkey}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-416769}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xxxiv, 206}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The Central Pontides is an accretionary-type orogenic area within the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt characterized by pre-collisional tectonic continental growth. The region comprises Mesozoic subduction-accretionary complexes and an accreted intra-oceanic arc that are sandwiched between the Laurasian active continental margin and Gondwana-derived the K{\i}r{\c{s}}ehir Block. The subduction-accretion complexes mainly consist of an Albian-Turonian accretionary wedge representing the Laurasian active continental margin. To the north, the wedge consists of slate/phyllite and metasandstone intercalation with recrystallized limestone, Na-amphibole-bearing metabasite (PT= 7-12 kbar and 400 ± 70 ºC) and tectonic slices of serpentinite representing accreted distal part of a large Lower Cretaceous submarine turbidite fan deposited on the Laurasian active continental margin that was subsequently accreted and metamorphosed. Raman spectra of carbonaceous material (RSCM) of the metapelitic rocks revealed that the metaflysch sequence consists of metamorphic packets with distinct peak metamorphic temperatures. The majority of the metapelites are low-temperature (ca. 330 °C) slates characterized by lack of differentiation of the graphite (G) and D2 defect bands. They possibly represent offscraped distal turbidites along the toe of the Albian accretionary wedge. The rest are phyllites that are characterized by slightly pronounced G band with D2 defect band occurring on its shoulder. Peak metamorphic temperatures of these phyllites are constrained to 370-385 °C. The phyllites are associated with a strip of incipient blueschist facies metabasites which are found as slivers within the offscraped distal turbidites. They possibly represent underplated continental metasediments together with oceanic crustal basalt along the basal d{\´e}collement. Tectonic emplacement of the underplated rocks into the offscraped distal turbidites was possibly achieved by out-of-sequence thrusting causing tectonic thickening and uplift of the wedge. 40Ar/39Ar phengite ages from the phyllites are ca. 100 Ma, indicating Albian subduction and regional HP metamorphism. The accreted continental metasediments are underlain by HP/LT metamorphic rocks of oceanic origin along an extensional shear zone. The oceanic metamorphic sequence mainly comprises tectonically thickened deep-seated eclogite to blueschist facies metabasites and micaschists. In the studied area, metabasites are epidote-blueschists locally with garnet (PT= 17 ± 1 kbar and 500 ± 40 °C). Lawsonite-blueschists are exposed as blocks along the extensional shear zone (PT= 14 ± 2 kbar and 370-440 °C). They are possibly associated with low shear stress regime of the initial stage of convergence. Close to the shear zone, the footwall micaschists consist of quartz, phengite, paragonite, chlorite, rutile with syn-kinematic albite porphyroblast formed by pervasive shearing during exhumation. These types of micaschists are tourmaline-bearing and their retrograde nature suggests high-fluid flux along shear zones. Peak metamorphic mineral assemblages are partly preserved in the chloritoid-micaschist farther away from the shear zone representing the zero strain domains during exhumation. Three peak metamorphic assemblages are identified and their PT conditions are constrained by pseudosections produced by Theriak-Domino and by Raman spectra of carbonaceous material: 1) garnet-chloritoid-glaucophane with lawsonite pseudomorphs (P= 17.5 ± 1 kbar, T: 390-450 °C) 2) chloritoid with glaucophane pseudomorphs (P= 16-18 kbar, T: 475 ± 40 °C) and 3) relatively high-Mg chloritoid (17\%) with jadeite pseudomorphs (P= 22-25 kbar; T: 440 ± 30 °C) in addition to phengite, paragonite, quartz, chlorite, rutile and apatite. The last mineral assemblage is interpreted as transformation of the chloritoid + glaucophane assemblage to chloritoid + jadeite paragenesis with increasing pressure. Absence of tourmaline suggests that the chloritoid-micaschist did not interact with B-rich fluids during zero strain exhumation. 40Ar/39Ar phengite age of a pervasively sheared footwall micaschist is constrained to 100.6 ± 1.3 Ma and that of a chloritoid-micaschist is constrained to 91.8 ± 1.8 Ma suggesting exhumation during on-going subduction with a southward younging of the basal accretion and the regional metamorphism. To the south, accretionary wedge consists of blueschist and greenschist facies metabasite, marble and volcanogenic metasediment intercalation. 40Ar/39Ar phengite dating reveals that this part of the wedge is of Middle Jurassic age partly overprinted during the Albian. Emplacement of the Middle Jurassic subduction-accretion complexes is possibly associated with obliquity of the Albian convergence. Peak metamorphic assemblages and PT estimates of the deep-seated oceanic metamorphic sequence suggest tectonic stacking within wedge with different depths of burial. Coupling and exhumation of the distinct metamorphic slices are controlled by decompression of the wedge possibly along a retreating slab. Structurally, decompression of the wedge is evident by an extensional shear zone and the footwall micaschists with syn-kinematic albite porphyroblasts. Post-kinematic garnets with increasing grossular content and pseudomorphing minerals within the chloritoid-micaschists also support decompression model without an extra heating. Thickening of subduction-accretionary complexes is attributed to i) significant amount of clastic sediment supply from the overriding continental domain and ii) deep level basal underplating by propagation of the d{\´e}collement along a retreating slab. Underplating by basal d{\´e}collement propagation and subsequent exhumation of the deep-seated subduction-accretion complexes are connected and controlled by slab rollback creating a necessary space for progressive basal accretion along the plate interface and extension of the wedge above for exhumation of the tectonically thickened metamorphic sequences. This might be the most common mechanism of the tectonic thickening and subsequent exhumation of deep-seated HP/LT subduction-accretion complexes. To the south, the Albian-Turonian accretionary wedge structurally overlies a low-grade volcanic arc sequence consisting of low-grade metavolcanic rocks and overlying metasedimentary succession is exposed north of the İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture (İAES), separating Laurasia from Gondwana-derived terranes. The metavolcanic rocks mainly consist of basaltic andesite/andesite and mafic cognate xenolith-bearing rhyolite with their pyroclastic equivalents, which are interbedded with recrystallized pelagic limestone and chert. The metavolcanic rocks are stratigraphically overlain by recrystallized micritic limestone with rare volcanogenic metaclastic rocks. Two groups can be identified based on trace and rare earth element characteristics. The first group consists of basaltic andesite/andesite (BA1) and rhyolite with abundant cognate gabbroic xenoliths. It is characterized by relative enrichment of LREE with respect to HREE. The rocks are enriched in fluid mobile LILE, and strongly depleted in Ti and P reflecting fractionation of Fe-Ti oxides and apatite, which are found in the mafic cognate xenoliths. Abundant cognate gabbroic xenoliths and identical trace and rare earth elements compositions suggest that rhyolites and basaltic andesites/andesites (BA1) are cogenetic and felsic rocks were derived from a common mafic parental magma by fractional crystallization and accumulation processes. The second group consists only of basaltic andesites (BA2) with flat REE pattern resembling island arc tholeiites. Although enriched in LILE, this group is not depleted in Ti or P. Geochemistry of the metavolcanic rocks indicates supra-subduction volcanism evidenced by depletion of HFSE and enrichment of LILE. The arc sequence is sandwiched between an Albian-Turonian subduction-accretionary complex representing the Laurasian active margin and an ophiolitic m{\´e}lange. Absence of continent derived detritus in the arc sequence and its tectonic setting in a wide Cretaceous accretionary complex suggest that the K{\"o}sdağ Arc was intra-oceanic. This is in accordance with basaltic andesites (BA2) with island arc tholeiite REE pattern. Zircons from two metarhyolite samples give Late Cretaceous (93.8 ± 1.9 and 94.4 ± 1.9 Ma) U/Pb ages. Low-grade regional metamorphism of the intra-oceanic arc sequence is constrained 69.9 ± 0.4 Ma by 40Ar/39Ar dating on metamorphic muscovite from a metarhyolite indicating that the arc sequence became part of a wide Tethyan Cretaceous accretionary complex by the latest Cretaceous. The youngest 40Ar/39Ar phengite age from the overlying subduction-accretion complexes is 92 Ma confirming southward younging of an accretionary-type orogenic belt. Hence, the arc sequence represents an intra-oceanic paleo-arc that formed above the sinking Tethyan slab and finally accreted to Laurasian active continental margin. Abrupt non-collisional termination of arc volcanism was possibly associated with southward migration of the arc volcanism similar to the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc system. The intra-oceanic K{\"o}sdağ Arc is coeval with the obducted supra-subduction ophiolites in NW Turkey suggesting that it represents part of the presumed but missing incipient intra-oceanic arc associated with the generation of the regional supra-subduction ophiolites. Remnants of a Late Cretaceous intra-oceanic paleo-arc and supra-subduction ophiolites can be traced eastward within the Alp-Himalayan orogenic belt. This reveals that Late Cretaceous intra-oceanic subduction occurred as connected event above the sinking Tethyan slab. It resulted as arc accretion to Laurasian active margin and supra-subduction ophiolite obduction on Gondwana-derived terranes.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Brachs2015, author = {Brachs, Maria}, title = {Genome wide expression analysis and metabolic mechanisms predicting body weight maintenance}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-100767}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {106}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Obesity is a major health problem for many developing and industrial countries. Increasing rates reach almost 50 \% of the population in some countries and related metabolic diseases including cardiovascular events and T2DM are challenging the health systems. Adiposity, an increase in body fat mass, is a major hallmark of obesity. Adipose tissue is long known not only to store lipids but also to influence whole-body metabolism including food intake, energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity. Adipocytes can store lipids and thereby protect other tissue from lipotoxic damage. However, if the energy intake is higher than the energy expenditure over a sustained time period, adipose tissue will expand. This can lead to an impaired adipose tissue function resulting in higher levels of plasma lipids, which can affect other tissue like skeletal muscle, finally leading to metabolic complications. Several studies showed beneficial metabolic effects of weight reduction in obese subjects immediately after weight loss. However, weight regain is frequently observed along with potential negative effects on cardiovascular risk factors and a high intra-individual response. We performed a body weight maintenance study investigating the mechanisms of weight maintenance after intended WR. Therefore we used a low caloric diet followed by a 12-month life-style intervention. Comprehensive phenotyping including fat and muscle biopsies was conducted to investigate hormonal as well as metabolic influences on body weight regulation. In this study, we showed that weight reduction has numerous potentially beneficial effects on metabolic parameters. After 3-month WR subjects showed significant weight and fat mass reduction, lower TG levels as well as higher insulin sensitivity. Using RNA-Seq to analyse whole fat and muscle transcriptome a strong impact of weight reduction on adipose tissue gene expression was observed. Gene expression alterations over weight reduction included several cellular metabolic genes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism as well as insulin signalling and regulatory pathways. These changes were also associated with anthropometric parameters assigning body composition. Our data indicated that weight reduction leads to a decreased expression of several lipid catabolic as well as anabolic genes. Long-term body weight maintenance might be influenced by several parameters including hormones, metabolic intermediates as well as the transcriptional landscape of metabolic active tissues. Our data showed that genes involved in biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids might influence the BMI 18-month after a weight reduction phase. This was further supported by analysing metabolic parameters including RQ and FFA levels. We could show that subjects maintaining their lost body weight had a higher RQ and lower FFA levels, indicating increased metabolic flexibility in subjects. Using this transcriptomic approach we hypothesize that low expression levels of lipid synthetic genes in adipose tissue together with a higher mitochondrial activity in skeletal muscle tissue might be beneficial in terms of body weight maintenance.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Radenacker2015, author = {Radenacker, Anke}, title = {Economic consequences of family dissolution}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-100217}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {v, 134}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Welfare states and policies have changed greatly over the past decades, mostly characterized by retrenchments in terms of government spending or in terms of restricted access to certain benefits. In the area of family policies, however, a lot of countries have simultaneously expanded provisions and transfers for families. Bringing together the macro analysis of policy variation and household income changes on the micro-level, the main research question of the dissertation is to what extent economic consequences following separation and divorce in families with children have changed between the 1980s and the 2000s in Germany and the United States. The second research question of the dissertation regards the differences in dissolution outcomes between married and cohabiting parents in Germany. The dissertation thus aims to link institutional regulations of welfare states with the actual income situation of families. To achieve this, a research design was developed that has never been used for the analysis of the economic consequences of family dissolution. For this, the two longest running panel datasets, German Socio-economic Panel (GSOEP) and the US American Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), have been used. The analytic strategy applied to estimate the effects of family dissolution on household income is a difference-in-difference design combined with coarsened exact matching (CEM). To begin with, the dissertation confirmed many findings of previous research, for example regarding the gender differences in family dissolution outcomes. Mothers experience clearly higher relative income losses and consequently higher risks of poverty than fathers. This finding is universal, that is it holds for both countries, for all time periods observed, and for all measures of economic outcome that were employed. Another confirmed finding is the higher level of welfare state intervention in Germany compared to the United States. The dissertation also revealed a number of novel findings. The results show that the expansion of family policies in Germany over time has not been accompanied by substantially decreasing income losses for mothers. Though income losses have slightly decreased over time, they have become more persistent during the years following family dissolution. The impact of the German welfare state has meanwhile been quite stable. American mothers' income losses took place on a slightly lower level than those of German mothers. Only during the 1980s their relative losses were clearly lower than those of German mothers. And also American mothers did not recover as much from their income losses during the 2000s than they used to during the 1980s. For them, the 1996 welfare reform brought a considerable decrease in welfare state support. Accordingly, the results for American mothers can certainly be described as a shift from public to private provision. The general finding of previous studies that fathers do not have to suffer income losses, or if at all rather moderate ones compared to mothers, can be confirmed. Nevertheless, both German and US American fathers face a deterioration of the economic consequences of family dissolution over time. German fathers' relative income changes are still positive though they have decreased over time. One reason for this decrease is the increasing loss of partner earnings following union dissolution. Also among American fathers, income gains still prevail in the year of family dissolution. Two years later, however, they have been facing income losses already since the 1980s which have furthermore increased considerably over time. Zooming in on Germany, family dissolution outcomes by marital status show negligible differences between cohabiting and married mothers in disposable income, but considerable differences in losses of income before taxes and transfers. It is the impact of the welfare state that equalizes the differences in income losses between these two groups of mothers. For married mothers, losses are not as high in the year of event but they have difficulties to recover from these losses. Without the income buffering of the welfare state, married mothers would, three years after family dissolution, remain with relative income losses double as high as for cohabiting mothers. Compared to mothers, differences between married and cohabiting fathers are visible in changes of income before as well as after taxes and transfers. The welfare state does not alter the difference between the two groups of fathers. With regard to both income concepts, cohabiting fathers fare worse than married fathers. Cohabiting fathers suffer moderate income losses of disposable income while married fathers experience moderate income gains. Accounting for support payments is decisive for fathers' income changes. If these payments are not deducted from disposable income, both married and cohabiting fathers experience gains in disposable income following family dissolution.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Reimer2015, author = {Reimer, Anna Maria}, title = {The poetics of the real and aesthetics of the reel}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-95660}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {298}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The dissertation proposes that the spread of photography and popular cinema in 19th- and 20th-century-India have shaped an aesthetic and affective code integral to the reading and interpretation of Indian English novels, particularly when they address photography and/or cinema film, as in the case of the four corpus texts. In analyzing the nexus between 'real' and 'reel', the dissertation shows how the texts address the reader as media consumer and virtual image projector. Furthermore, the study discusses the Indian English novel against the backdrop of the cultural and medial transformations of the 20th century to elaborate how these influenced the novel's aesthetics. Drawing upon reception aesthetics, the author devises the concept of the 'implied spectator' to analyze the aesthetic impact of the novels' images as visual textures. No God in Sight (2005) by Altaf Tyrewala comprises of a string of 41 interior monologues, loosely connected through their narrators' random encounters in Mumbai in the year 2000. Although marked by continuous perspective shifts, the text creates a sensation of acute immediacy. Here, the reader is addressed as implied spectator and is sutured into the narrated world like a film spectator ― an effect created through the use of continuity editing as a narrative technique. Similarly, Ruchir Joshi's The Last Jet Engine Laugh (2002) coll(oc)ates disparate narrative perspectives and explores photography as an artistic practice, historiographic recorder and epistemological tool. The narrative appears guided by the random viewing of old photographs by the protagonist and primary narrator, the photographer Paresh Bhatt. However, it is the photographic negative and the practice of superimposition that render this string of episodes and different perspectives narratively consequential and cosmologically meaningful. Photography thus marks the perfect symbiosis of autobiography and historiography. Tabish Khair's Filming. A Love Story (2007) immerses readers in the cine-aesthetic of 1930s and 40s Bombay film, the era in which the embedded plot is set. Plotline, central scenes and characters evoke the key films of Indian cinema history such as Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" or Raj Kapoor's "Awara". Ultimately, the text written as film dissolves the boundary between fiction and (narrated) reality, reel and real, thereby showing that the images of individual memory are inextricably intertwined with and shaped by collective memory. Ultimately, the reconstruction of the past as and through film(s) conquers trauma and endows the Partition of India as a historic experience of brutal contingency with meaning. The Bioscope Man (Indrajit Hazra, 2008) is a picaresque narrative set in Calcutta - India's cultural capital and birthplace of Indian cinema at the beginning of the 20th century. The autodiegetic narrator Abani Chatterjee relates his rise and fall as silent film star, alternating between the modes of tell and show. He is both autodiegetic narrator and spectator or perceiving consciousness, seeing himself in his manifold screen roles. Beyond his film roles however, the narrator remains a void. The marked psychoanalytical symbolism of the text is accentuated by repeated invocations of dark caves and the laterna magica. Here too, 'reel life' mirrors and foreshadows real life as Indian and Bengali history again interlace with private history. Abani Chatterjee thus emerges as a quintessentially modern man of no qualities who assumes definitive shape only in the lost reels of the films he starred in. The final chapter argues that the static images and visual frames forwarded in the texts observe an integral psychological function: Premised upon linear perspective they imply a singular, static subjectivity appealing to the postmodern subject. In the corpus texts, the rise of digital technology in the 1990s thus appears not so much to have displaced older image repertories, practices and media techniques, than it has lent them greater visibility and appeal. Moreover, bricolage and pastiche emerge as cultural techniques which marked modernity from its inception. What the novels thus perpetuate is a media archeology not entirely servant to the poetics of the real. The permeable subject and the notion of the gaze as an active exchange as encapsulated in the concept of darshan - ideas informing all four texts - bespeak the resilience of a mythical universe continually re-instantiated in new technologies and uses. Eventually, the novels convey a sense of subalternity to a substantially Hindu nationalist history and historiography, the centrifugal force of which developed in the twentieth century and continues into the present.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bittermann2015, author = {Bittermann, Klaus}, title = {Semi-empirical sea-level modelling}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-93881}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {v, 88}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Semi-empirical sea-level models (SEMs) exploit physically motivated empirical relationships between global sea level and certain drivers, in the following global mean temperature. This model class evolved as a supplement to process-based models (Rahmstorf (2007)) which were unable to fully represent all relevant processes. They thus failed to capture past sea-level change (Rahmstorf et al. (2012)) and were thought likely to underestimate future sea-level rise. Semi-empirical models were found to be a fast and useful tool for exploring the uncertainties in future sea-level rise, consistently giving significantly higher projections than process-based models. In the following different aspects of semi-empirical sea-level modelling have been studied. Models were first validated using various data sets of global sea level and temperature. SEMs were then used on the glacier contribution to sea level, and to infer past global temperature from sea-level data via inverse modelling. Periods studied encompass the instrumental period, covered by tide gauges (starting 1700 CE (Common Era) in Amsterdam) and satellites (first launched in 1992 CE), the era from 1000 BCE (before CE) to present, and the full length of the Holocene (using proxy data). Accordingly different data, model formulations and implementations have been used. It could be shown in Bittermann et al. (2013) that SEMs correctly predict 20th century sea-level when calibrated with data until 1900 CE. SEMs also turned out to give better predictions than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 4th assessment report (AR4, IPCC (2007)) models, for the period from 1961-2003 CE. With the first multi-proxy reconstruction of global sea-level as input, estimate of the human-induced component of modern sea-level change and projections of future sea-level rise were calculated (Kopp et al. (2016)). It turned out with 90\% confidence that more than 40 \% of the observed 20th century sea-level rise is indeed anthropogenic. With the new semi-empirical and IPCC (2013) 5th assessment report (AR5) projections the gap between SEM and process-based model projections closes, giving higher credibility to both. Combining all scenarios, from strong mitigation to business as usual, a global sea-level rise of 28-131 cm relative to 2000 CE, is projected with 90\% confidence. The decision for a low carbon pathway could halve the expected global sea-level rise by 2100 CE. Present day temperature and thus sea level are driven by the globally acting greenhouse-gas forcing. Unlike that, the Milankovich forcing, acting on Holocene timescales, results mainly in a northern-hemisphere temperature change. Therefore a semi-empirical model can be driven with northernhemisphere temperatures, which makes it possible to model the main subcomponent of sea-level change over this period. It showed that an additional positive constant rate of the order of the estimated Antarctic sea-level contribution is then required to explain the sea-level evolution over the Holocene. Thus the global sea level, following the climatic optimum, can be interpreted as the sum of a temperature induced sea-level drop and a positive long-term contribution, likely an ongoing response to deglaciation coming from Antarctica.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Soulie2015, author = {Souli{\´e}, Virginie}, title = {Sessile droplets of salt solutions on inert and metallic surfaces}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-90329}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2015}, abstract = {In this thesis we investigate the evaporation behaviour of sessile droplets of aqueous saline solutions on planar inert and metallic surfaces and characterise the corrosion phenomenon for iron surfaces. First we study the evaporation behaviour of sessile salty droplets on inert surfaces for a wide range of salt concentrations, relative humidities, droplet sizes and contact angles. Our study reveals the range of validity of the well-accepted diffusion-controlled evaporation model and highlights the impact of salt concentration (surface tension) gradients driven Marangoni flows on the evaporation behaviour and the subsequent salty deposit patterns. Furthermore we study the spatial-temporal evolution of sessile droplets from saline solutions on metallic surfaces. In contrast to the simple, generally accepted Evans droplet model, we show that the corrosion spreads ahead of the macroscopic contact line with a peripheral film. The three-phase contact line is destabilized by surface tension gradients induced by ionic composition changes during the course of the corrosion process and migration of cations towards the droplet perimeter. Finally we investigate the corrosion behaviour under drying salty sessile droplets on metallic surfaces. The corrosion process, in particular the location of anodic and cathodic activities over the footprint droplet area is correlated to the spatial distribution of the salt inside the drying droplet.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Boettle2015, author = {B{\"o}ttle, Markus}, title = {Coastal floods in view of sea level rise}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-91074}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xiii, 111}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The sea level rise induced intensification of coastal floods is a serious threat to many regions in proximity to the ocean. Although severe flood events are rare they can entail enormous damage costs, especially when built-up areas are inundated. Fortunately, the mean sea level advances slowly and there is enough time for society to adapt to the changing environment. Most commonly, this is achieved by the construction or reinforcement of flood defence measures such as dykes or sea walls but also land use and disaster management are widely discussed options. Overall, albeit the projection of sea level rise impacts and the elaboration of adequate response strategies is amongst the most prominent topics in climate impact research, global damage estimates are vague and mostly rely on the same assessment models. The thesis at hand contributes to this issue by presenting a distinctive approach which facilitates large scale assessments as well as the comparability of results across regions. Moreover, we aim to improve the general understanding of the interplay between mean sea level rise, adaptation, and coastal flood damage. Our undertaking is based on two basic building blocks. Firstly, we make use of macroscopic flood-damage functions, i.e. damage functions that provide the total monetary damage within a delineated region (e.g. a city) caused by a flood of certain magnitude. After introducing a systematic methodology for the automatised derivation of such functions, we apply it to a total of 140 European cities and obtain a large set of damage curves utilisable for individual as well as comparative damage assessments. By scrutinising the resulting curves, we are further able to characterise the slope of the damage functions by means of a functional model. The proposed function has in general a sigmoidal shape but exhibits a power law increase for the relevant range of flood levels and we detect an average exponent of 3.4 for the considered cities. This finding represents an essential input for subsequent elaborations on the general interrelations of involved quantities. The second basic element of this work is extreme value theory which is employed to characterise the occurrence of flood events and in conjunction with a damage function provides the probability distribution of the annual damage in the area under study. The resulting approach is highly flexible as it assumes non-stationarity in all relevant parameters and can be easily applied to arbitrary regions, sea level, and adaptation scenarios. For instance, we find a doubling of expected flood damage in the city of Copenhagen for a rise in mean sea levels of only 11 cm. By following more general considerations, we succeed in deducing surprisingly simple functional expressions to describe the damage behaviour in a given region for varying mean sea levels, changing storm intensities, and supposed protection levels. We are thus able to project future flood damage by means of a reduced set of parameters, namely the aforementioned damage function exponent and the extreme value parameters. Similar examinations are carried out to quantify the aleatory uncertainty involved in these projections. In this regard, a decrease of (relative) uncertainty with rising mean sea levels is detected. Beyond that, we demonstrate how potential adaptation measures can be assessed in terms of a Cost-Benefit Analysis. This is exemplified by the Danish case study of Kalundborg, where amortisation times for a planned investment are estimated for several sea level scenarios and discount rates.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Obu2015, author = {Obu, Jaroslav}, title = {Effect of mass wasting on soil organic carbon storage and coastal erosion in permafrost environments}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-90599}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {iii, 93}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Accelerated permafrost thaw under the warming Arctic climate can have a significant impact on Arctic landscapes. Areas underlain by permafrost store high amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC). Permafrost disturbances may contribute to increased release of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. Coastal erosion, amplified through a decrease in Arctic sea-ice extent, may also mobilise SOC from permafrost. Large expanses of permafrost affected land are characterised by intense mass-wasting processes such as solifluction, active-layer detachments and retrogressive thaw slumping. Our aim is to assess the influence of mass wasting on SOC storage and coastal erosion. We studied SOC storage on Herschel Island by analysing active-layer and permafrost samples, and compared non-disturbed sites to those characterised by mass wasting. Mass-wasting sites showed decreased SOC storage and material compaction, whereas sites characterised by material accumulation showed increased storage. The SOC storage on Herschel Island is also significantly correlated to catenary position and other slope characteristics. We estimated SOC storage on Herschel Island to be 34.8 kg C m-2. This is comparable to similar environments in northwest Canada and Alaska. Coastal erosion was analysed using high resolution digital elevation models (DEMs). Two LIDAR scanning of the Yukon Coast were done in 2012 and 2013. Two DEMs with 1 m horizontal resolution were generated and used to analyse elevation changes along the coast. The results indicate considerable spatial variability in short-term coastline erosion and progradation. The high variability was related to the presence of mass-wasting processes. Erosion and deposition extremes were recorded where the retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) activity was most pronounced. Released sediment can be transported by longshore drift and affects not only the coastal processes in situ but also along adjacent coasts. We also calculated volumetric coastal erosion for Herschel Island by comparing a stereo-photogrammetrically derived DEM from 2004 with LIDAR DEMs. We compared this volumetric erosion to planimetric erosion, which was based on coastlines digitised from satellite imagery. We found a complex relationship between planimetric and volumetric coastal erosion, which we attribute to frequent occurrence of mass-wasting processes along the coasts. Our results suggest that volumetric erosion corresponds better with environmental forcing and is more suitable for the estimation of organic carbon fluxes than planimetric erosion. Mass wasting can decrease SOC storage by several mechanisms. Increased aeration following disturbance may increase microbial activity, which accelerates organic matter decomposition. New hydrological conditions that follow the mass wasting event can cause leaching of freshly exposed material. Organic rich material can also be directly removed into the sea or into a lake. On the other hand the accumulation of mobilised material can result in increased SOC storage. Mass-wasting related accumulations of mobilised material can significantly impact coastal erosion in situ or along the adjacent coast by longshore drift. Therefore, the coastline movement observations cannot completely resolve the actual sediment loss due to these temporary accumulations. The predicted increase of mass-wasting activity in the course of Arctic warming may increase SOC mobilisation and coastal erosion induced carbon fluxes.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Prokhorov2015, author = {Prokhorov, Boris E.}, title = {High-latitude coupling processes between thermospheric circulation and solar wind driven magnetospheric currents and plasma convection}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-92353}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {117}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The high-latitudinal thermospheric processes driven by the solar wind and Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) interaction with the Earth magnetosphere are highly variable parts of the complex dynamic plasma environment, which represent the coupled Magnetosphere - Ionosphere - Thermosphere (MIT) system. The solar wind and IMF interactions transfer energy to the MIT system via reconnection processes at the magnetopause. The Field Aligned Currents (FACs) constitute the energetic links between the magnetosphere and the Earth ionosphere. The MIT system depends on the highly variable solar wind conditions, in particular on changes of the strength and orientation of the IMF. In my thesis, I perform an investigation on the physical background of the complex MIT system using the global physical - numerical, three-dimensional, time-dependent and self-consistent Upper Atmosphere Model (UAM). This model describes the thermosphere, ionosphere, plasmasphere and inner magnetosphere as well as the electrodynamics of the coupled MIT system for the altitudinal range from 80 (60) km up to the 15 Earth radii. In the present study, I developed and investigated several variants of the high-latitudinal electrodynamic coupling by including the IMF dependence of FACs into the UAM model. For testing, the various variants were applied to simulations of the coupled MIT system for different seasons, geomagnetic activities, various solar wind and IMF conditions. Additionally, these variants of the theoretical model with the IMF dependence were compared with global empirical models. The modelling results for the most important thermospheric parameters like neutral wind and mass density were compared with satellite measurements. The variants of the UAM model with IMF dependence show a good agreement with the satellite observations. In comparison with the empirical models, the improved variants of the UAM model reproduce a more realistic meso-scale structures and dynamics of the coupled MIT system than the empirical models, in particular at high latitudes. The new configurations of the UAM model with IMF dependence contribute to the improvement of space weather prediction.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Aich2015, author = {Aich, Valentin}, title = {Floods in the Niger River Basin in the face of global change}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-91577}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xxi, 275}, year = {2015}, abstract = {In the last decade, the number and dimensions of catastrophic flooding events in the Niger River Basin (NRB) have markedly increased. Despite the devastating impact of the floods on the population and the mainly agriculturally based economy of the riverine nations, awareness of the hazards in policy and science is still low. The urgency of this topic and the existing research deficits are the motivation for the present dissertation. The thesis is an initial detailed assessment of the increasing flood risk in the NRB. The research strategy is based on four questions regarding (1) features of the change in flood risk, (2) reasons for the change in the flood regime, (3) expected changes of the flood regime given climate and land use changes, and (4) recommendations from previous analysis for reducing the flood risk in the NRB. The question examining the features of change in the flood regime is answered by means of statistical analysis. Trend, correlation, changepoint, and variance analyses show that, in addition to the factors exposure and vulnerability, the hazard itself has also increased significantly in the NRB, in accordance with the decadal climate pattern of West Africa. The northern arid and semi-arid parts of the NRB are those most affected by the changes. As potential reasons for the increase in flood magnitudes, climate and land use changes are attributed by means of a hypothesis-testing framework. Two different approaches, based on either data analysis or simulation, lead to similar results, showing that the influence of climatic changes is generally larger compared to that of land use changes. Only in the dry areas of the NRB is the influence of land use changes comparable to that of climatic alterations. Future changes of the flood regime are evaluated using modelling results. First ensembles of statistically and dynamically downscaled climate models based on different emission scenarios are analyzed. The models agree with a distinct increase in temperature. The precipitation signal, however, is not coherent. The climate scenarios are used to drive an eco-hydrological model. The influence of climatic changes on the flood regime is uncertain due to the unclear precipitation signal. Still, in general, higher flood peaks are expected. In a next step, effects of land use changes are integrated into the model. Different scenarios show that regreening might help to reduce flood peaks. In contrast, an expansion of agriculture might enhance the flood peaks in the NRB. Similarly to the analysis of observed changes in the flood regime, the impacts of climate- and land use changes for the future scenarios are also most severe in the dry areas of the NRB. In order to answer the final research question, the results of the above analysis are integrated into a range of recommendations for science and policy on how to reduce flood risk in the NRB. The main recommendations include a stronger consideration of the enormous natural climate variability in the NRB and a focus on so called "no-regret" adaptation strategies which account for high uncertainty, as well as a stronger consideration of regional differences. Regarding the prevention and mitigation of catastrophic flooding, the most vulnerable and sensitive areas in the basin, the arid and semi-arid Sahelian and Sudano-Sahelian regions, should be prioritized. Eventually, an active, science-based and science-guided flood policy is recommended. The enormous population growth in the NRB in connection with the expected deterioration of environmental and climatic conditions is likely to enhance the region´s vulnerability to flooding. A smart and sustainable flood policy can help mitigate these negative impacts of flooding on the development of riverine societies in West Africa.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Schroeder2015, author = {Schr{\"o}der, Sarah}, title = {Modelling surface evolution coupled with tectonics}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-90385}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {viii, 129}, year = {2015}, abstract = {This study presents the development of 1D and 2D Surface Evolution Codes (SECs) and their coupling to any lithospheric-scale (thermo-)mechanical code with a quadrilateral structured surface mesh. Both SECs involve diffusion as approach for hillslope processes and the stream power law to reflect riverbed incision. The 1D SEC settles sediment that was produced by fluvial incision in the appropriate minimum, while the supply-limited 2D SEC DANSER uses a fast filling algorithm to model sedimantation. It is based on a cellular automaton. A slope-dependent factor in the sediment flux extends the diffusion equation to nonlinear diffusion. The discharge accumulation is achieved with the D8-algorithm and an improved drainage accumulation routine. Lateral incision enhances the incision's modelling. Following empirical laws, it incises channels of several cells width. The coupling method enables different temporal and spatial resolutions of the SEC and the thermo-mechanical code. It transfers vertical as well as horizontal displacements to the surface model. A weighted smoothing of the 3D surface displacements is implemented. The smoothed displacement vectors transmit the deformation by bilinear interpolation to the surface model. These interpolation methods ensure mass conservation in both directions and prevent the two surfaces from drifting apart. The presented applications refer to the evolution of the Pamir orogen. A calibration of DANSER's parameters with geomorphological data and a DEM as initial topography highlights the advantage of lateral incision. Preserving the channel width and reflecting incision peaks in narrow channels, this closes the huge gap between current orogen-scale incision models and observed topographies. River capturing models in a system of fault-bounded block rotations reaffirm the importance of the lateral incision routine for capturing events with channel initiation. The models show a low probability of river capturings with large deflection angles. While the probability of river capturing is directly depending on the uplift rate, the erodibility inside of a dip-slip fault speeds up headward erosion along the fault: The model's capturing speed increases within a fault. Coupling DANSER with the thermo-mechanical code SLIM 3D emphasizes the versatility of the SEC. While DANSER has minor influence on the lithospheric evolution of an indenter model, the brittle surface deformation is strongly affected by its sedimentation, widening a basin in between two forming orogens and also the southern part of the southern orogen to south, east and west.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kniepert2015, author = {Kniepert, Juliane}, title = {Correlation between dynamic parameters and device performance of organic solar cells}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-90087}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {129}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells based on polymer:fullerene blends are a promising alternative for a low-cost solar energy conversion. Despite significant improvements of the power conversion efficiency in recent years, the fundamental working principles of these devices are yet not fully understood. In general, the current output of organic solar cells is determined by the generation of free charge carriers upon light absorption and their transport to the electrodes in competition to the loss of charge carriers due to recombination. The object of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic processes and physical parameters determining the performance. A new approach for analyzing the characteristic current-voltage output was developed comprising the experimental determination of the efficiencies of charge carrier generation, recombination and transport, combined with numerical device simulations. Central issues at the beginning of this work were the influence of an electric field on the free carrier generation process and the contribution of generation, recombination and transport to the current-voltage characteristics. An elegant way to directly measure the field dependence of the free carrier generation is the Time Delayed Collection Field (TDCF) method. In TDCF charge carriers are generated by a short laser pulse and subsequently extracted by a defined rectangular voltage pulse. A new setup was established with an improved time resolution compared to former reports in literature. It was found that charge generation is in general independent of the electric field, in contrast to the current view in literature and opposed to the expectations of the Braun-Onsager model that was commonly used to describe the charge generation process. Even in cases where the charge generation was found to be field-dependend, numerical modelling showed that this field-dependence is in general not capable to account for the voltage dependence of the photocurrent. This highlights the importance of efficient charge extraction in competition to non-geminate recombination, which is the second objective of the thesis. Therefore, two different techniques were combined to characterize the dynamics and efficiency of non-geminate recombination under device-relevant conditions. One new approach is to perform TDCF measurements with increasing delay between generation and extraction of charges. Thus, TDCF was used for the first time to measure charge carrier generation, recombination and transport with the same experimental setup. This excludes experimental errors due to different measurement and preparation conditions and demonstrates the strength of this technique. An analytic model for the description of TDCF transients was developed and revealed the experimental conditions for which reliable results can be obtained. In particular, it turned out that the \$RC\$ time of the setup which is mainly given by the sample geometry has a significant influence on the shape of the transients which has to be considered for correct data analysis. Secondly, a complementary method was applied to characterize charge carrier recombination under steady state bias and illumination, i.e. under realistic operating conditions. This approach relies on the precise determination of the steady state carrier densities established in the active layer. It turned out that current techniques were not sufficient to measure carrier densities with the necessary accuracy. Therefore, a new technique {Bias Assisted Charge Extraction} (BACE) was developed. Here, the charge carriers photogenerated under steady state illumination are extracted by applying a high reverse bias. The accelerated extraction compared to conventional charge extraction minimizes losses through non-geminate recombination and trapping during extraction. By performing numerical device simulations under steady state, conditions were established under which quantitative information on the dynamics can be retrieved from BACE measurements. The applied experimental techniques allowed to sensitively analyse and quantify geminate and non-geminate recombination losses along with charge transport in organic solar cells. A full analysis was exemplarily demonstrated for two prominent polymer-fullerene blends. The model system P3HT:PCBM spincast from chloroform (as prepared) exhibits poor power conversion efficiencies (PCE) on the order of 0.5\%, mainly caused by low fill factors (FF) and currents. It could be shown that the performance of these devices is limited by the hole transport and large bimolecular recombination (BMR) losses, while geminate recombination losses are insignificant. The low polymer crystallinity and poor interconnection between the polymer and fullerene domains leads to a hole mobility of the order of 10^-7 cm^2/Vs which is several orders of magnitude lower than the electron mobility in these devices. The concomitant build up of space charge hinders extraction of both electrons and holes and promotes bimolecular recombination losses. Thermal annealing of P3HT:PCBM blends directly after spin coating improves crystallinity and interconnection of the polymer and the fullerene phase and results in comparatively high electron and hole mobilities in the order of 10^-3 cm^2/Vs and 10^-4 cm^2/Vs, respectively. In addition, a coarsening of the domain sizes leads to a reduction of the BMR by one order of magnitude. High charge carrier mobilities and low recombination losses result in comparatively high FF (>65\%) and short circuit current (J_SC ≈ 10 mA/cm^2). The overall device performance (PCE ≈ 4\%) is only limited by a rather low spectral overlap of absorption and solar emission and a small V_OC, given by the energetics of the P3HT. From this point of view the combination of the low bandgap polymer PTB7 with PCBM is a promising approach. In BHJ solar cells, this polymer leads to a higher V_OC due to optimized energetics with PCBM. However, the J_SC in these (unoptimized) devices is similar to the J_SC in the optimized blend with P3HT and the FF is rather low (≈ 50\%). It turned out that the unoptimized PTB7:PCBM blends suffer from high BMR, a low electron mobility of the order of 10^-5 cm^2/Vs and geminate recombination losses due to field dependent charge carrier generation. The use of the solvent additive DIO optimizes the blend morphology, mainly by suppressing the formation of very large fullerene domains and by forming a more uniform structure of well interconnected donor and acceptor domains of the order of a few nanometers. Our analysis shows that this results in an increase of the electron mobility by about one order of magnitude (3 x 10^-4 cm^2/Vs), while BMR and geminate recombination losses are significantly reduced. In total these effects improve the J_SC (≈ 17 mA/cm^2) and the FF (> 70\%). In 2012 this polymer/fullerene combination resulted in a record PCE for a single junction OSC of 9.2\%. Remarkably, the numerical device simulations revealed that the specific shape of the J-V characteristics depends very sensitively to the variation of not only one, but all dynamic parameters. On the one hand this proves that the experimentally determined parameters, if leading to a good match between simulated and measured J-V curves, are realistic and reliable. On the other hand it also emphasizes the importance to consider all involved dynamic quantities, namely charge carrier generation, geminate and non-geminate recombination as well as electron and hole mobilities. The measurement or investigation of only a subset of these parameters as frequently found in literature will lead to an incomplete picture and possibly to misleading conclusions. Importantly, the comparison of the numerical device simulation employing the measured parameters and the experimental \$J-V\$ characteristics allows to identify loss channels and limitations of OSC. For example, it turned out that inefficient extraction of charge carriers is a criticical limitation factor that is often disobeyed. However, efficient and fast transport of charges becomes more and more important with the development of new low bandgap materials with very high internal quantum efficiencies. Likewise, due to moderate charge carrier mobilities, the active layer thicknesses of current high-performance devices are usually limited to around 100 nm. However, larger layer thicknesses would be more favourable with respect to higher current output and robustness of production. Newly designed donor materials should therefore at best show a high tendency to form crystalline structures, as observed in P3HT, combined with the optimized energetics and quantum efficiency of, for example, PTB7.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Helpa2015, author = {Helpa, Vanessa}, title = {Interplay between mineral reaction and deformation via structural defects}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-90332}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {x, 104}, year = {2015}, abstract = {This thesis contains three experimental studies addressing the interplay between deformation and the mineral reaction between natural calcite and magnesite. The solid-solid mineral reaction between the two carbonates causes the formation of a magnesio-calcite precursor layer and a dolomite reaction rim in every experiment at isostatic annealing and deformation conditions. CHAPTER 1 briefly introduces general aspects concerning mineral reactions in nature and diffusion pathways for mass transport. Moreover, results of previous laboratory studies on the influence of deformation on mineral reactions are summarized. In addition, the main goals of this study are pointed out. In CHAPTER 2, the reaction between calcite and magnesite single crystals is examined at isostatic annealing conditions. Time series performed at a fixed temperature revealed a diffusion-controlled dolomite rim growth. Two microstructural domains could be identified characterized by palisade-shaped dolomite grains growing into the magnesite and granular dolomite growing towards calcite. A model was provided for the dolomite rim growth based on the counter-diffusion of CaO and MgO. All reaction products exhibited a characteristic crystallographic relationship with respect to the calcite reactant. Moreover, kinetic parameters of the mineral reaction were determined out of a temperature series at a fixed time. The main goal of the isostatic test series was to gain information about the microstructure evolution, kinetic parameters, chemical composition and texture development of the reaction products. The results were used as a reference to quantify the influence of deformation on the mineral reaction. CHAPTER 3 deals with the influence of non-isostatic deformation on dolomite and magnesio-calcite layer production between calcite and magnesite single crystals. Deformation was achieved by triaxial compression and by torsion. Triaxial compression up to 38 MPa axial stress at a fixed time showed no significant influence of stress and strain on dolomite formation. Time series conducted at a fixed stress yield no change in growth rates for dolomite and magnesio-calcite at low strains. Slightly larger magnesio-calcite growth rates were observed at strains above >0.1. High strains at similar stresses were caused by the activation of additional glide systems in the calcite single crystal and more mobile dislocations in the magnesio-calcite grains, providing fast diffusion pathways. In torsion experiments a gradual decrease in dolomite and magnesio-calcite layer thickness was observed at a critical shear strain. During deformation, crystallographic orientations of reaction products rearranged with respect to the external framework. A direct effect of the mineral reaction on deformation could not be recognized due to the relatively small reaction product widths. In CHAPTER 4, the influence of starting material microfabrics and the presence of water on the reaction kinetics was evaluated. In these experimental series polycrystalline material was in contact with single crystals or two polycrystalline materials were used as reactants. Isostatic annealing resulted in different dolomite and magnesio-calcite layer thicknesses, depending on starting material microfabrics. The reaction progress at the magnesite interface was faster with smaller magnesite grain size, because grain boundaries provided fast pathways for diffusion and multiple nucleation sites for dolomite formation. Deformation by triaxial compression and torsion yield lower dolomite rim thicknesses compared to annealed samples for the same time. This was caused by grain coarsening of polycrystalline magnesite during deformation. In contrast, magnesio-calcite layers tended to be larger during deformation, which triggered enhanced diffusion along grain boundaries. The presence of excess water had no significant influence on the reaction kinetics, at least if the reactants were single crystals. In CHAPTER 5 general conclusions about the interplay between deformation and the mineral reaction in the carbonate system are presented. Finally, CHAPTER 6 highlights possible future work in the carbonate system based on the results of this study.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Olszewska2015, author = {Olszewska, Agata}, title = {Forming magnetic chain with the help of biological organisms}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-89767}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {101}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Magnetite nanoparticles and their assembly comprise a new area of development for new technologies. The magnetic particles can interact and assemble in chains or networks. Magnetotactic bacteria are one of the most interesting microorganisms, in which the assembly of nanoparticles occurs. These microorganisms are a heterogeneous group of gram negative prokaryotes, which all show the production of special magnetic organelles called magnetosomes, consisting of a magnetic nanoparticle, either magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4), embedded in a membrane. The chain is assembled along an actin-like scaffold made of MamK protein, which makes the magnetosomes to arrange in mechanically stable chains. The chains work as a compass needle in order to allow cells to orient and swim along the magnetic field of the Earth. The formation of magnetosomes is known to be controlled at the molecular level. The physico-chemical conditions of the surrounding environment also influence biomineralization. The work presented in this manuscript aims to understand how such external conditions, in particular the extracellular oxidation reduction potential (ORP) influence magnetite formation in the strain Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1. A controlled cultivation of the microorganism was developed in a bioreactor and the formation of magnetosomes was characterized. Different techniques have been applied in order to characterize the amount of iron taken up by the bacteria and in consequence the size of magnetosomes produced at different ORP conditions. By comparison of iron uptake, morphology of bacteria, size and amount of magnetosomes per cell at different ORP, the formation of magnetosomes was inhibited at ORP 0 mV, whereas reduced conditions, ORP - 500 mV facilitate biomineralization process. Self-assembly of magnetosomes occurring in magnetotactic bacteria became an inspiration to learn from nature and to construct nanoparticles assemblies by using the bacteriophage M13 as a template. The M13 bacteriophage is an 800 nm long filament with encapsulated single-stranded DNA that has been recently used as a scaffold for nanoparticle assembly. I constructed two types of assemblies based on bacteriophages and magnetic nanoparticles. A chain - like assembly was first formed where magnetite nanoparticles are attached along the phage filament. A sperm - like construct was also built with a magnetic head and a tail formed by phage filament. The controlled assembly of magnetite nanoparticles on the phage template was possible due to two different mechanism of nanoparticle assembly. The first one was based on the electrostatic interactions between positively charged polyethylenimine coated magnetite nanoparticles and negatively charged phages. The second phage -nanoparticle assembly was achieved by bioengineered recognition sites. A mCherry protein is displayed on the phage and is was used as a linker to a red binding nanobody (RBP) that is fused to the one of the proteins surrounding the magnetite crystal of a magnetosome. Both assemblies were actuated in water by an external magnetic field showing their swimming behavior and potentially enabling further usage of such structures for medical applications. The speed of the phage - nanoparticles assemblies are relatively slow when compared to those of microswimmers previously published. However, only the largest phage-magnetite assemblies could be imaged and it is therefore still unclear how fast these structures can be in their smaller version.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Boesche2015, author = {B{\"o}sche, Nina Kristine}, title = {Detection of rare earth elements and rare earth oxides with hyperspectral spectroscopy}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-85363}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {147}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The continuously increasing demand for rare earth elements in technical components of modern technologies, brings the detection of new deposits closer into the focus of global exploration. One promising method to globally map important deposits might be remote sensing, since it has been used for a wide range of mineral mapping in the past. This doctoral thesis investigates the capacity of hyperspectral remote sensing for the detection of rare earth element deposits. The definition and the realization of a fundamental database on the spectral characteristics of rare earth oxides, rare earth metals and rare earth element bearing materials formed the basis of this thesis. To investigate these characteristics in the field, hyperspectral images of four outcrops in Fen Complex, Norway, were collected in the near-field. A new methodology (named REEMAP) was developed to delineate rare earth element enriched zones. The main steps of REEMAP are: 1) multitemporal weighted averaging of multiple images covering the sample area; 2) sharpening the rare earth related signals using a Gaussian high pass deconvolution technique that is calibrated on the standard deviation of a Gaussian-bell shaped curve that represents by the full width of half maxima of the target absorption band; 3) mathematical modeling of the target absorption band and highlighting of rare earth elements. REEMAP was further adapted to different hyperspectral sensors (EO-1 Hyperion and EnMAP) and a new test site (Lofdal, Namibia). Additionally, the hyperspectral signatures of associated minerals were investigated to serve as proxy for the host rocks. Finally, the capacity and limitations of spectroscopic rare earth element detection approaches in general and of the REEMAP approach specifically were investigated and discussed. One result of this doctoral thesis is that eight rare earth oxides show robust absorption bands and, therefore, can be used for hyperspectral detection methods. Additionally, the spectral signatures of iron oxides, iron-bearing sulfates, calcite and kaolinite can be used to detect metasomatic alteration zones and highlight the ore zone. One of the key results of this doctoral work is the developed REEMAP approach, which can be applied from near-field to space. The REEMAP approach enables rare earth element mapping especially for noisy images. Limiting factors are a low signal to noise ratio, a reduced spectral resolution, overlaying materials, atmospheric absorption residuals and non-optimal illumination conditions. Another key result of this doctoral thesis is the finding that the future hyperspectral EnMAP satellite (with its currently published specifications, June 2015) will be theoretically capable to detect absorption bands of erbium, dysprosium, holmium, neodymium and europium, thulium and samarium. This thesis presents a new methodology REEMAP that enables a spatially wide and rapid hyperspectral detection of rare earth elements in order to meet the demand for fast, extensive and efficient rare earth exploration (from near-field to space).}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Priegnitz2015, author = {Priegnitz, Mike}, title = {Development of geophysical methods to characterize methane hydrate reservoirs on a laboratory scale}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-89321}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {X, 99}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Gashydrate sind kristalline Feststoffe bestehend aus Wasser und Gasmolek{\"u}len. Sie sind stabil bei erh{\"o}hten Dr{\"u}cken und niedrigen Temperaturen. Nat{\"u}rliche Hydratvorkommen treten daher an Kontinentalh{\"a}ngen, in Permafrostb{\"o}den und in tiefen Seen sowie Binnenmeeren auf. Bei der Hydratbildung orientieren sich die Wassermolek{\"u}le neu und bilden sogenannte K{\"a}figstrukturen, in die Gas eingelagert werden kann. Aufgrund des hohen Drucks bei der Hydratbildung k{\"o}nnen große Mengen an Gas in die Hydratstruktur eingebaut werden. Das Volumenverh{\"a}ltnis von Wasser zu Gas kann dabei bis zu 1:172 bei 0°C und Atmosph{\"a}rendruck betragen. Nat{\"u}rliche Gashydrate enthalten haupts{\"a}chlich Methan. Da Methan sowohl ein Treibhausgas als auch ein Brenngas ist, stellen Gashydrate gleichermaßen eine potentielle Energieressource sowie eine m{\"o}gliche Quelle f{\"u}r Treibhausgase dar. Diese Arbeit untersucht die physikalischen Eigenschaften von Methanhydrat ges{\"a}ttigten Sedimentproben im Labormaßstab. Dazu wurde ein großer Reservoirsimulator (LARS) mit einer eigens entwickelten elektrischen Widerstandstomographie ausger{\"u}stet, die das erste Mal an hydratges{\"a}ttigten Sedimentproben unter kontrollierten Temperatur-, Druck-, und Hydrats{\"a}ttigungsbedingungen im Labormaßstab angewendet wurde. {\"U}blicherweise ist der Porenraum von (marinen) Sedimenten mit elektrisch gut leitendem Salzwasser gef{\"u}llt. Da Hydrate einen elektrischen Isolator darstellen, ergeben sich große Kontraste hinsichtlich der elektrischen Eigenschaften im Porenraum w{\"a}hrend der Hydratbildung und -zersetzung. Durch wiederholte Messungen w{\"a}hrend der Hydraterzeugung ist es m{\"o}glich die r{\"a}umliche Widerstandsverteilung in LARS aufzuzeichnen. Diese Daten bilden in der Folge die Grundlage f{\"u}r eine neue Auswerteroutine, welche die r{\"a}umliche Widerstandsverteilung in die r{\"a}umliche Verteilung der Hydrats{\"a}ttigung {\"u}berf{\"u}hrt. Dadurch ist es m{\"o}glich, die sich {\"a}ndernde Hydrats{\"a}ttigung sowohl r{\"a}umlich als auch zeitlich hoch aufgel{\"o}st w{\"a}hrend der gesamten Hydraterzeugungsphase zu verfolgen. Diese Arbeit zeigt, dass die entwickelte Widerstandstomographie eine gute Datenqualit{\"a}t aufwies und selbst geringe Hydrats{\"a}ttigungen innerhalb der Sedimentprobe detektiert werden konnten. Bei der Umrechnung der Widerstandsverteilung in lokale Hydrat-S{\"a}ttigungswerte wurden die besten Ergebnisse mit dem Archie-var-phi Ansatz erzielt, der die zunehmende Hydratphase dem Sedimentger{\"u}st zuschreibt, was einer Abnahme der Porosit{\"a}t gleichkommt. Die Widerstandsmessungen zeigten weiterhin, dass die schnelle Hydraterzeugung im Labor zur Ausbildung von kleinen Hydratkristallen f{\"u}hrte, die dazu neigten, zu rekristalliesieren. Es wurden weiterhin Hydrat-Abbauversuche durchgef{\"u}hrt, bei denen die Hydratphase {\"u}ber Druckerniedrigung in Anlehnung an den 2007/2008 Mallik Feldtest zersetzt wurde. Dabei konnte beobachtet werden, dass die Muster der Gas- undWasserflussraten im Labor zum Teil gut nachgebildet werden konnten, jedoch auch aufbaubedingte Abweichungen auftraten. In zwei weiteren Langzeitversuchen wurde die Realisierbarkeit und das Verhalten bei CO2-CH4-Hydrat Austauschversuchen in LARS untersucht. Das tomographische Messsystem wurde dabei genutzt um w{\"a}hrend der CH4 Hydrat Aufbauphase die Hydratverteilung innerhalb der Sedimentprobe zu {\"u}berwachen. Im Zuge der anschließenden CO2-Injektion konnte mithilfe der Widerstandstomographie die sich ausbreitende CO2-Front {\"u}berwacht und der Zeitpunkt des CO2 Durchbruchs identifiziert werden.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Hanf2015, author = {Hanf, Franziska Stefanie}, title = {South Asian summer monsoon variability: a modelling study with the atmospheric regional climate model HIRHAM5}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-89331}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {ii, 126}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The lives of more than 1/6 th of the world population is directly affected by the caprices of the South Asian summer monsoon rainfall. India receives around 78 \% of the annual precipitation during the June-September months, the summer monsoon season of South Asia. But, the monsoon circulation is not consistent throughout the entire summer season. Episodes of heavy rainfall (active periods) and low rainfall (break periods) are inherent to the intraseasonal variability of the South Asian summer monsoon. Extended breaks or long-lasting dryness can result in droughts and hence trigger crop failures and in turn famines. Furthermore, India's electricity generation from renewable sources (wind and hydro-power), which is increasingly important in order to satisfy the rapidly rising demand for energy, is highly reliant on the prevailing meteorology. The major drought years 2002 and 2009 for the Indian summer monsoon during the last decades, which are results of the occurrence of multiple extended breaks, emphasise exemplary that the understanding of the monsoon system and its intraseasonal variation is of greatest importance. Although, numerous studies based on observations, reanalysis data and global model simulations have been carried out with the focus on monsoon active and break phases over India, the understanding of the monsoon intraseasonal variability is only in the infancy stage. Regional climate models could benefit the comprehension of monsoon breaks by its resolution advantage. This study investigates moist dynamical processes that initiate and maintain breaks during the South Asian summer monsoon using the atmospheric regional climate model HIRHAM5 at a horizontal resolution of 25 km forced by the ECMWF ERA Interim reanalysis for the period 1979-2012. By calculating moisture and moist static energy budgets the various competing mechanisms leading to extended breaks are quantitatively estimated. Advection of dry air from the deserts of western Asia towards central India is the dominant moist dynamical process in initiating extended break conditions over South Asia. Once initiated, the extended breaks are maintained due to many competing mechanisms: (i) the anomalous easterlies at the southern flank of this anticyclonic anomaly weaken the low-level cross-equatorial jet and thus the moisture transport into the monsoon region, (ii) differential radiative heating over the continental and the oceanic tropical convergence zone induces a local Hadley circulation with anomalous rising over the equatorial Indian Ocean and descent over central India, and (iii) a cyclonic response to positive rainfall anomalies over the near-equatorial Indian Ocean amplifies the anomalous easterlies over India and hence contributes to the low-level divergence over central India. A sensitivity experiment that mimics a scenario of higher atmospheric aerosol concentrations over South Asia addresses a current issue of large uncertainty: the role aerosols play in suppressing monsoon rainfall and hence in triggering breaks. To study the indirect aerosol effects the cloud droplet number concentration was increased to imitate the aerosol's function as cloud condensation nuclei. The sensitivity experiment with altered microphysical cloud properties shows a reduction in the summer monsoon precipitation together with a weakening of the South Asian summer monsoon. Several physical mechanisms are proposed to be responsible for the suppressed monsoon rainfall: (i) according to the first indirect radiative forcing the increase in the number of cloud droplets causes an increase in the cloud reflectivity of solar radiation, leading to a climate cooling over India which in turn reduces the hydrological cycle, (ii) a stabilisation of the troposphere induced by a differential cooling between the surface and the upper troposphere over central India inhibits the growth of deep convective rain clouds, (iii) an increase of the amount of low and mid-level clouds together with a decrease in high-level cloud amount amplify the surface cooling and hence the atmospheric stability, and (iv) dynamical changes of the monsoon manifested as a anomalous anticyclonic circulation over India reduce the moisture transport into the monsoon region. The study suggests that the changes in the total precipitation, which are dominated by changes in the convective precipitation, mainly result from the indirect radiative forcing. Suppression of rainfall due to the direct microphysical effect is found to be negligible over India. Break statistics of the polluted cloud scenario indicate an increase in the occurrence of short breaks (3 days), while the frequency of extended breaks (> 7 days) is clearly not affected. This disproves the hypothesis that more and smaller cloud droplets, caused by a high load of atmospheric aerosols trigger long drought conditions over central India.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Nimz2015, author = {Nimz, Katharina}, title = {Sound perception and production in a foreign language}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-361-9}, issn = {2190-4545}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-88794}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xix, 236}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The present study addresses the question of how German vowels are perceived and produced by Polish learners of German as a Foreign Language. It comprises three main experiments: a discrimination experiment, a production experiment, and an identification experiment. With the exception of the discrimination task, the experiments further investigated the influence of orthographic marking on the perception and production of German vowel length. It was assumed that explicit markings such as the Dehnungs-h ("lengthening h") could help Polish GFL learners in perceiving and producing German words more correctly. The discrimination experiment with manipulated nonce words showed that Polish GFL learners detect pure length differences in German vowels less accurately than German native speakers, while this was not the case for pure quality differences. The results of the identification experiment contrast with the results of the discrimination task in that Polish GFL learners were better at judging incorrect vowel length than incorrect vowel quality in manipulated real words. However, orthographic marking did not turn out to be the driving factor and it is suggested that metalinguistic awareness can explain the asymmetry between the two perception experiments. The production experiment supported the results of the identification task in that lengthening h did not help Polish learners in producing German vowel length more correctly. Yet, as far as vowel quality productions are concerned, it is argued that orthography does influence L2 sound productions because Polish learners seem to be negatively influenced by their native grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences. It is concluded that it is important to differentiate between the influence of the L1 and L2 orthographic system. On the one hand, the investigation of the influence of orthographic vowel length markers in German suggests that Polish GFL learners do not make use of length information provided by the L2 orthographic system. On the other hand, the vowel quality data suggest that the L1 orthographic system plays a crucial role in the acquisition of a foreign language. It is therefore proposed that orthography influences the acquisition of foreign sounds, but not in the way it was originally assumed.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Lischke2015, author = {Lischke, Betty}, title = {Food web regulation under different forcing regimes in shallow lakes}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-89149}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {131}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The standing stock and production of organismal biomass depends strongly on the organisms' biotic environment, which arises from trophic and non-trophic interactions among them. The trophic interactions between the different groups of organisms form the food web of an ecosystem, with the autotrophic and bacterial production at the basis and potentially several levels of consumers on top of the producers. Feeding interactions can regulate communities either by severe grazing pressure or by shortage of resources or prey production, termed top-down and bottom-up control, respectively. The limitations of all communities conglomerate in the food web regulation, which is subject to abiotic and biotic forcing regimes arising from external and internal constraints. This dissertation presents the effects of alterations in two abiotic, external forcing regimes, terrestrial matter input and long-lasting low temperatures in winter. Diverse methodological approaches, a complex ecosystem model study and the analysis of two whole-lake measurements, were performed to investigate effects for the food web regulation and the resulting consequences at the species, community and ecosystem scale. Thus, all types of organisms, autotrophs and heterotrophs, at all trophic levels were investigated to gain a comprehensive overview of the effects of the two mentioned altered forcing regimes. In addition, an extensive evaluation of the trophic interactions and resulting carbon fluxes along the pelagic and benthic food web was performed to display the efficiencies of the trophic energy transfer within the food webs. All studies were conducted in shallow lakes, which is worldwide the most abundant type of lakes. The specific morphology of shallow lakes allows that the benthic production contributes substantially to the whole-lake production. Further, as shallow lakes are often small they are especially sensitive to both, changes in the input of terrestrial organic matter and the atmospheric temperature. Another characteristic of shallow lakes is their appearance in alternative stable states. They are either in a clear-water or turbid state, where macrophytes and phytoplankton dominate, respectively. Both states can stabilize themselves through various mechanisms. These two alternative states and stabilizing mechanisms are integrated in the complex ecosystem model PCLake, which was used to investigate the effects of the enhanced terrestrial particulate organic matter (t-POM) input to lakes. The food web regulation was altered by three distinct pathways: (1) Zoobenthos received more food, increased in biomass which favored benthivorous fish and those reduced the available light due to bioturbation. (2) Zooplankton substituted autochthonous organic matter in their diet by suspended t-POM, thus the autochthonous organic matter remaining in the water reduced its transparency. (3) T-POM suspended into the water and reduced directly the available light. As macrophytes are more light-sensitive than phytoplankton they suffered the most from the lower transparency. Consequently, the resilience of the clear-water state was reduced by enhanced t-POM inputs, which makes the turbid state more likely at a given nutrient concentration. In two subsequent winters long-lasting low temperatures and a concurrent long duration of ice coverage was observed which resulted in low overall adult fish biomasses in the two study lakes - Schulzensee and Gollinsee, characterized by having and not having submerged macrophytes, respectively. Before the partial winterkill of fish Schulzensee allowed for a higher proportion of piscivorous fish than Gollinsee. However, the partial winterkill of fish aligned both communities as piscivorous fish are more sensitive to low oxygen concentrations. Young of the year fish benefitted extremely from the absence of adult fish due to lower predation pressure. Therefore, they could exert a strong top-down control on crustaceans, which restructured the entire zooplankton community leading to low crustacean biomasses and a community composition characterized by copepodites and nauplii. As a result, ciliates were released from top-down control, increased to high biomasses compared to lakes of various trophic states and depths and dominated the zooplankton community. While being very abundant in the study lakes and having the highest weight specific grazing rates among the zooplankton, ciliates exerted potentially a strong top-down control on small phytoplankton and particle-attached bacteria. This resulted in a higher proportion of large phytoplankton compared to other lakes. Additionally, the phytoplankton community was evenly distributed presumably due to the numerous fast growing and highly specific ciliate grazers. Although, the pelagic food web was completely restructured after the subsequent partial winterkills of fish, both lakes were resistant to effects of this forcing regime at the ecosystem scale. The consistently high predation pressure on phytoplankton prevented that Schulzensee switched from the clear-water to the turbid state. Further mechanisms, which potentially stabilized the clear-water state, were allelopathic effects by macrophytes and nutrient limitation in summer. The pelagic autotrophic and bacterial production was an order of magnitude more efficient transferred to animal consumers than the respective benthic production, despite the alterations of the food web structure after the partial winterkill of fish. Thus, the compiled mass-balanced whole-lake food webs suggested that the benthic bacterial and autotrophic production, which exceeded those of the pelagic habitat, was not used by animal consumers. This holds even true if the food quality, additional consumers such as ciliates, benthic protozoa and meiobenthos, the pelagic-benthic link and the potential oxygen limitation of macrobenthos were considered. Therefore, low benthic efficiencies suggest that lakes are primarily pelagic systems at least at the animal consumer level. Overall, this dissertation gives insights into the regulation of organism groups in the pelagic and benthic habitat at each trophic level under two different forcing regimes and displays the efficiency of the carbon transfer in both habitats. The results underline that the alterations of external forcing regimes affect all hierarchical level including the ecosystem.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Cattania2015, author = {Cattania, Camilla}, title = {Improvement of aftershock models based on Coulomb stress changes and rate-and-state dependent friction}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-87097}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xvi, 123}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Earthquake clustering has proven the most useful tool to forecast changes in seismicity rates in the short and medium term (hours to months), and efforts are currently being made to extend the scope of such models to operational earthquake forecasting. The overarching goal of the research presented in this thesis is to improve physics-based earthquake forecasts, with a focus on aftershock sequences. Physical models of triggered seismicity are based on the redistribution of stresses in the crust, coupled with the rate-and-state constitutive law proposed by Dieterich to calculate changes in seismicity rate. This type of models are known as Coulomb- rate and-state (CRS) models. In spite of the success of the Coulomb hypothesis, CRS models typically performed poorly in comparison to statistical ones, and they have been underepresented in the operational forecasting context. In this thesis, I address some of these issues, and in particular these questions: (1) How can we realistically model the uncertainties and heterogeneity of the mainshock stress field? (2) What is the effect of time dependent stresses in the postseismic phase on seismicity? I focus on two case studies from different tectonic settings: the Mw 9.0 Tohoku megathrust and the Mw 6.0 Parkfield strike slip earthquake. I study aleatoric uncertainties using a Monte Carlo method. I find that the existence of multiple receiver faults is the most important source of intrinsic stress heterogeneity, and CRS models perform better when this variability is taken into account. Epistemic uncertainties inherited from the slip models also have a significant impact on the forecast, and I find that an ensemble model based on several slip distributions outperforms most individual models. I address the role of postseismic stresses due to aseismic slip on the mainshock fault (afterslip) and to the redistribution of stresses by previous aftershocks (secondary triggering). I find that modeling secondary triggering improves model performance. The effect of afterslip is less clear, and difficult to assess for near-fault aftershocks due to the large uncertainties of the afterslip models. Off-fault events, on the other hand, are less sensitive to the details of the slip distribution: I find that following the Tohoku earthquake, afterslip promotes seismicity in the Fukushima region. To evaluate the performance of the improved CRS models in a pseudo-operational context, I submitted them for independent testing to a collaborative experiment carried out by CSEP for the 2010-2012 Canterbury sequence. Preliminary results indicate that physical models generally perform well compared to statistical ones, suggesting that CRS models may have a role to play in the future of operational forecasting. To facilitate efforts in this direction, and to enable future studies of earthquake triggering by time dependent processes, I have made the code open source. In the final part of this thesis I summarize the capabilities of the program and outline technical aspects regarding performance and parallelization strategies.}, language = {en} }