Head: Dr Peter Schaal, Prof Dr Ingo Mose

Employees: Dipl.-Ing. Jan Spiekermann

Summary: The extra-high voltage grid (220 kV and 380 kV) in the Rhine-Ruhr conurbation is a child of its time. The technical feasibility at the time of construction, the power station locations at that time and the main locations of electrical energy consumption define the current routes. The grid infrastructure in the Rhine-Ruhr conurbation is based on energy generation from small and medium-sized conventional power plant units (hard coal and lignite). The supply grids are primarily designed for heavy industry and the energy requirements of large cities. Due to its current age and the changed requirements that have arisen on the consumer side in the course of economic and social structural change and on the producer side as a result of the energy transition, there is now a great need to modernise and adapt the grid infrastructure in this region.

The project analyses the existing grid infrastructure in the Rhine-Ruhr conurbation from a regional planning and urban development perspective. The current routes of the transmission grid manifest settlement caesuras and restrictions for the urban development of the neighbouring municipalities. New generation structures, changes in the legal framework, changes in the load structure, etc. now offer new boundary conditions for optimising the grid infrastructure. The centre of the project is the acquisition of information on the possibilities and the expected consequences of a conversion of the electricity transmission grids. This information is intended to enrich and objectify the upcoming discussions and thus increase the acceptance of the public and private stakeholders involved in the restructuring of the grids in the Rhine-Ruhr conurbation.

Duration: 2018 - 2020

Project partner: ILS - Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research gGmbH, RaUm-Consult GbR - Office for Regional Analysis and Environmental Planning

Financing: Amprion GmbH

Sub-project leader WP4: Prof. Dr Ingo Mose, Dr Peter Schaal

Collaborators: Dr Britta Restemeyer, Johna Barrelet

Summary: Plastic waste has a significant negative impact on marine ecosystems. It has now grown into a far-reaching global environmental problem: our oceans are being littered. This process is steadily increasing. This is also becoming increasingly visible on Lower Saxony's coasts and island beaches. An interdisciplinary consortium from the University of Oldenburg has therefore set itself the task of investigating the input of plastic waste (>5 mm) into the North Sea more closely by 2020 in the joint project "Macroplastics in the southern North Sea". The research team consists of oceanographers, physicists, geoecologists, biologists and geographers. Drifting plastic particles in the Wadden Sea and the German Bight will be analysed for their sources, distribution paths, accumulation areas and sinks. These surveys will be used to develop sustainable strategies and measures that contribute to the avoidance and reduction of plastic waste in the North Sea.

As plastic waste is an anthropogenic environmental problem, it is largely determined by human littering behaviour. In order to develop new solution strategies or effectively expand existing ones, it is essential to research and understand the behavioural patterns of various actors in dealing with plastic waste. In particular, the main responsibilities and geographical distribution patterns of waste accumulation areas along the North Sea coast and island beaches need to be analysed. On this basis, regional actors and stakeholders from a wide range of sectors - such as municipalities, tourism, nature conservation and industry - can be more actively involved and options for action can be developed in a joint dialogue. The focus of this work package is to make a solution-oriented contribution based on scientifically sound data using a socio-ecological approach and in a participatory manner. In a citizen science approach, every citizen will be given the opportunity to actively participate in waste data collection via smartphone or web application and contribute to scientific data collection by installing a web-based collection tool. In addition, active citizens are also involved in the research work via workshops and direct communication.

Duration: 4 years (2016 - 2020)

Co-operation partner:

• NLWKN Brake/Oldenburg branch office

• Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park Authority

• Mellum Council

• Jordsand Association

• Wadden Sea Protection Centre

• IMEDEA, Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain

• University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, New Bedford, USA

• Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft, UK

Financing: Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony

Project leader:

• Prof. Dr Jörg-Olaf Wolff, ICBMAG Physical Oceanography (Theory)

Sub-project leader of all other work packages:

• WP1: Prof. Dr Jörg-Olaf Wolff, ICBM, AG Physical Oceanography (Theory)

• WP2: PD Dr Holger Freund, ICBM, Geoecology working group

• WP3: Prof Dr Emil Stanev, ICBM, Coastal Oceanography WG

• WP5: Prof Dr Oliver Zielinski, ICBM, Marine Sensor Systems Group