Denmark's Fourth National Communication on Climate Change – Annex G List of selected recent and current climate-related research projects

Denmark's Fourth National Communication on Climate Change

Annex G List of selected recent and current climate-related research projects

THE DANISH METEOROLOGICAL INSTITUTE (DMI)

The research projects for the period 2002-2003 below have been financed by the European Commission's research programme, the European meteorological satellite organisation, EUMETSAT, as well as national research councils and programmes.

DEMETER. Development of a European Multi-model Ensemble system for seasonal to inter-annual prediction.
PREDICATE. Mechanisms and predictability of decadal fluctuations in Atlantic-European climate.
DETECT. Detection of changing radiative forcing over the recent decades
PROMISE. Predictability and variability of monsoons, and the agricultural and hydrological impacts of climate change.
PRISM. Programme for Integrated earth System Modelling.
PRUDENCE. Prediction of Regional scenarios and Uncertainties for Defining European Climate change risks and effects. The project is coordinated by DMI.
STARDEX. Statistical and Regional Dynamical downscaling of Extremes for European regions.
CAL. Coupling of Atmospheric Layers.
GLIMPSE. Global Implications of Arctic climate processes and feedbacks.
CWE. “Climate, Water and Energy.
SAT-MAP-CLIMATE. Satellite based bio-geophysical parameter mapping and aggregation modelling for CLIMATE models. (The Risø Wind Energy Department also contributes.)
Application of seasonal climate forecasts for improved management strategies for crops in Western Africa.
Consequences of climate change for the oceanic environment near Greenland.
CONWOY. Consequences of Weather and climate changes for marine and freshwater ecosystems.
PSC Climate. Polar Stratospheric Clouds and ozone depletion: The role in global climate change.
MAPSCORE. Mapping of polar Stratospheric Clouds and Ozone levels relevant to the Region of Europe.
SAMMOA. Spring-to-Autumn Measurements and Modelling of Ozone and Active species.
CANDIDOZ. Chemical And Dynamical Influences on Decadal Ozone Changes.
GREENICE. Greenland arctic shelf ice and climate experiment.
MOEN. Meridional Overturning Exchange with Nordic Seas.
CONVECTION. Greenland Sea Convection Mechanisms and their Climatic Implications.
EUMETSAT OZON and UV SAF. The development and implementation of certain activities of a EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on ozone monitoring.
HIBISCUS. Impact of tropical convection on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere at global scale.
OFR-cirrus. Subvisible cirrus clouds and the effect on the transport of water vapour to the stratosphere.
VOGUE. Validation of ENVISAT ozone and NO2 products from ground based measurements in Greenland.
RAMAS. Radiometer for atmospheric measurements of Summit.
ENSEMBLES. The ENSEMBLES project.
QUANTIFY. Quantifying the climate impact of global and European transport systems.
GRAS SAF. The development of a EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility for GRAS meteorology, including a visiting scientist programme. The project is run by DMI.
Ocean and Sea Ice SAF. The development of a EUMETSAT Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility.
West Nordic Ocean Climate. Circulation in the North Atlantic, transport across the Greenland-Scotland ridge. Financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF DENMARK AND GREENLAND - GEUS

Ice-edge monitoring Collection of time series of melt from the ice sheet in southern Greenland. Will presumably be expanded with a Dancea project. Project period: 2003-2006.
EUROSTRATAFORM. Analyses of marine systems and present processes on the European continental margin with a view to improve understanding of long climate data series. Project Period: 2002-2005.
Lake –climate interactions in space and time. Studies of lake data to understand the processes linking the state of lakes with climate variations. Project period 2003.
Green Ice. Studies of the sea ice north of Greenland to determine changes in thickness etc. caused by climate changes. Project period: 2003-2006.
Euro Clim. Establishment of monitoring and warning system for climate changes based on ice and water data in Greenland. Project period: 2001-2005.
Cryosat. Participation in establishment of the programme for the CRYOSAT satellite for monitoring ice sheets, glaciers and sea ice. Project period: 2003-2005.
ANCIENT BEECH FOREST: Studies of the range of beech forests in Europe based on fossil DNA and pollen with a view to illuminate the evolution of beech seen in a climatic context. Project period:2004-2007
Holocene Greenland. Identification of holocene palaeohoydrographic changes in the Greenland fjords and coastal areas in relation to climate changes. Project period: 1999-2003.
“Norse – Climate. Studies of the natural conditions in the period 1000-1500 AD in order to cast light on the Norse's living conditions in Greenland. Project period: 2001- 2006.
History of the ice sheet. Studies of the extent of the ice sheet during the last Ice Age in the northern part of west Greenland. Project period 2002-2006.
Davies Strait. Studies of surface and deep water circulation in Davies Strait at west Greenland with the aim of understanding links between oceanographic changes and climate change since the last glacial maximum. Project period: 2005-2007.
DART. Quantify the dynamics of forest-tundra ecotone response to climate and land-use changes. Project period: 2000-2003.
Effects of climate changes. Development of a concept for monitoring climate changes in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and adjacent areas. Project period 2003-2006.
METROL. Investigations of methane emissions from the seabed in the North Sea and Danish inland waters with a view to possible climate impacts. Project period: 2002-2006.
PACLIVA. Comparison of the climate system in the North Atlantic in the relatively cold year 2000 with the climate system that prevailed from 8,000 to 6,000 years ago. Project period 2002-2006.
PASTFIRE. Studies of the relation between climate changes and past fires in forests and steppes. Paleofire incidence and emergence are analysed to understand causes of future fires. Project period 2005-2006.
DEGVEC. Studies of vegetation response and feedback on climate changes in eight European countries. Development of dynamic vegetation models to assess vegetation-climate interactions. Project period: 2005-2007.
Glacial earth quakes. Studies and site determination of near-surface earth quakes caused by movements of glaciers and the ice sheet in Greenland. A possible tool to monitor glacier movement and its relation to climate changes. Project period: 2005-2006.
CO₂STORE. On-land and long term Saline Aquifer CO₂ storage: Assessment of geology, safety and economy of future potential storage-sites for CO₂ in Europe. The project includes detailed studies of four potential storage-structures. Continuation of geophical monitoring of CO₂ injection at the Sleipner field (SACS project). Project period: 2003-2006.
CASTOR. CO₂ from Capture to Storage: GEUS is co-ordinating mapping of geological storage capacity in eight eastern European countries. The project also includes research on separation of CO₂ and a demonstration plant for CO₂ separation in Esbjerg (Elsam and Energi E2). Project period: 2004-2008.
CO₂SINK. In-situ R&D Laboratory for Geological Storage of CO₂: Pilot study and construction of demonstration plant for CO₂ storage at Berlin. It is expected that injection of limited amounts of CO₂ will take place in the period 2006-2009. The injection will be monitored with a suite of geophysical instruments, and a risk-assessment will be made based on the collected data. Project period: 2004-2009.
ULCOS. Ultra Low CO₂ Steelmaking: Development of new technology for reducing CO₂-emission from the steel industry. GEUS is participating with a subproject on potential geological storage of CO₂ from selected European steel plants. Project period: 20042009.
EOCAPACITY: Mapping of geological storage capacity in Europe (eastern and southern European countries). The project is a continuation of the methodologies and objectives from the GETSTCO project. The project includes co-operation and exchange of experience with China. Project period: 2006-2009.

AARHUS UNIVERSITY (GEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE)

The EU project HOLSMEER. Late Holocene Shallow Marine Environments of Europe. The focus of the project is climate changes in the last 2,000 years. The investigations are being carried out on, inter alia, marine drilling cores from Portugal in the south to the coastal areas of Iceland and Norway in the north. Project period: 2001-2003.
KRONPAL. Chronology and paleoclimate: Integration of marine cores from Iceland with AMS 14C datings, ash chronology and ice cores. The project examines large and small oceanographic shifts in the North Atlantic in the last 15,000 years and problems concerning exact dating of these. Project period: 2003-2006.
PACLIVA. see under Danish Meteorological Institute.
Varved, Holocene and interglacial lake sediments in Denmark. Lake sediments from the last 11,500 years from interglacial periods with rhythmic stratifications (year strata, layers of glacial deposit) are being studied with a number of detailed stratigraphic methods. One of the aims is to determine how quickly the terrestrial environment and the aquatic environment have reacted to climate changes in the past. Project period: 2003-2005.
CONWOY: see under Danish Meteorological Institute.
Constraining the age and extent of Scandinavian Ice Sheet advances during the last glaciation in its type area in Poland with absolute dating techniques, SNF, 2004-2006. Goal: The project intends to date Weichselian sediments in central and northern Poland using the luminescence method to determine the age and extent of ice sheet fluctuations with special reference to the controversial Isotope Stage 4 glaciation, and to evaluate these fluctuations in the context of global climatic trends of the last 100,000 years.
DASARG. “The Davies Strait Arctic Gateway: Ocean circulation and West Greenland Climate Change since the Last Glacial Maximum”. The project studies changes in ocean circulation, ocean ice extent, climate and meltwater from Greenland at the west Greenland coast since the Last Glacial Maximum (the last 25,000 years). The project is also focusing on the possible anti-phase between south-western Greenland and north-western Europe, which has been observed in recent weather patterns. The project is supported by the Research Council for Nature and the Universe. International Polar Year Expression-of-Intent no. 1003. Project period: 20052007.
Quaternary paleoclimate in northern Russia and arctic Siberia. Paleoecological studies in northern Russia and arctic Siberia, with the purpose of studying the coupling between climate changes and variations in ocean currents and water exchange between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic during the last 150,000 years.
Paleoenvironment and paleoclimate in the Baltic region in the last interglacial. Studies of climate and hydrographics in the Baltic region during the last interglacial 130,000- 115,000 years BP.
Consequences of weather and climate changes for marine and freshwater ecosystems (www.conwoy.ku.dk). Part of the funding is for a PhD-project “influence of temperature changes on phytoplancton”. The research aims to quantify the influence of temperatures on species composition and functioning in bacterial and phytoplancton communities in both fresh and marine waters. Project period: 2002-2005.
Mapping on the influence of climate on fish resources in the Limfjord. In a co-operation between NERI and the counties involved.
Parasites, Climate Changes and Biodiversity. Parasite-mediated climatic impacts on diversity and structure of marine floral and faunal communities. The research aims to map the extent of the influence of expected climate changes on coastal floral and faunal communities solely through changes in parasite-host interactions. Project during: 3 years.
Analysis of climate signals in long time-series of fish catch data in waters around the Faroe Islands.
Impact of climate changes on migration patterns of fish in Danish waters.
Evolutionary and physiological adaptations to climatic conditions and their changes, with special interest in temperature adaptations (see www.biology.au.dk/aces). In co-operation with Skejby Hospital, NERI and DIAS, Foulum. Project period: 2002-2005.
A macroecological, biogeographical perspective on plants' biocomplexity under global change. The project aims to improve the understanding of the impact on natural ecosystems of the ongoing global environmental changes, with special focus on climatic influences on plant ranges and diversity. A co-operation with NERI. Project period: 2005-2008.
DENIMOB: Benthic invertebrate guts as “mobile microsites” in sediments: hot spots for denitrification and N₂O production?. A Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship project. Project period: 2005-2006.

DANISH INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

DINOG. Dinitrogen fixation and nitrous oxide losses in organic grass-clover pastures: An integrated experimental and modelling approach. The purpose is to quantify nitrogen fixation and nitrous oxide emission from grasslands through monitoring, laboratory tests and modelling of nitrification and denitrification. Project period: 2001-2004.
MIDAIR. Greenhouse gas mitigation for organic and conventional dairy production. The purpose of this project is to identify and quantify the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions from organic and conventional milk production and to indicate strategies for mitigating these emissions. Project period: 2001-2004.
GREENGRASS. Sources and Sinks of Greenhouse Gases from managed European Grasslands and Mitigation Strategies. The purpose of this project is to quantify exchange of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane from grassland in Europe through monitoring and modelling, and to evaluate the potential for mitigation in selected operating strategies. Project period: 2002-2004.
PRUDENCE. Prediction of Regional scenarios and Uncertainties for Defining European Climate change risks and Effects. The purpose of this project is to improve the basis for projecting climate effects through modelling and to interpret predictions and uncertainties in relation to the EU's policy for adaptation to and mitigation of climate changes. Project period 2002-2004.
Knowledge synthesis on energy in organic farming. Purpose: to gather knowledge about energy consumption, possible savings and energy production in organic farming and to evaluate the possibilities for requirements on the use of fossil energy in organic production. Project period: 2002-2003.

UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN

Department of Geophysics
Projects are in progress within the following areas:

Ice cores and climate parameters, datings.
The carbon cycle/the ocean's circulation and physical properties.
The stability of the climate.
Atmospheric CO₂ transports.
Large-scale meteorology.
Statistical analyses of climate data.

Geological Institute
Projects are in progress in the following areas:

Long lake cores from Denmark and this and the previous interglacial period.
Correlation between Greenland ice cores and lake cores in Denmark by means of well-dated ash strata from Iceland or the Eifel area in Germany.

Institute of Geography

FITES. Fire in Tropical Ecosystems. FITES has studied the distribution, controls/causes and effects, including climatic ones, of savannah fires in the Sudanese and south-Sahelian zone of Africa. Project period: 1986-2003.
INTEO. Integration of Earth Observation Data in Distributed Hydrological Models. INTEO studies the use of Earth Observation data for running, calibrating and validating hydrological models, at the scale of large river basins, allowing assessment of the effect of climatic change on water resource availability. Project period: 1996 – 2005.
Land use and carbon cycle in Senegal. The project studies the impact of land use change on carbon storage in vegetation and soils in Senegal. Project period: 1999 – 2002.
NECC. Nordic Centre for Studies of Ecosystem Carbon Exchange and its interaction with the climate system. The interaction between CO₂ and climate is being studied over selected Nordic ecosystems, ranging from agricultural areas on Zealand to the tundra in north Sweden. Project period: 2003-2007.
EO-FLUX. Earth observation data for up-scaling carbon Flux and water Budget at Zealand. CO₂ and H2O exchange over Zealand is being determined on the basis of satellite data, CO₂ measurements and hydrological modelling. Project period: 2001-2003.

Institute of Molecular Biology

Forest Carbon – Nitrogen Trajectories (FORCAST). The objective was to investigate carbon and nitrogen pools and fluxes in European forest ecosystems. Project period: 1999-2003.

Institute of Chemistry, The Atmosphere Group

Establishment of relevant physical and chemical quantities: IR absorption spectra, velocity and photolytic constants, uptake coefficients, formation of CCN (Cloud Condensation Nuclei) etc. Project period: ongoing.

Botanical Institute

Biogeochemistry in the Arctic – processes, controls and sensitivity to global change. Measurement of drivers and controls of biogeochemical nutrient and carbon cycling in arctic ecosystems and probable impacts on the cycles of a predicted climate change. Project period: 2000-2002.
Processes in the plant-microbe-soil interface: Implications for ecosystem function. Experimental assessment of probable impact of future projected climate change on processes in the plant-microbe-soil system in Arctic ecosystems that have been manipulated to mimic future changes in environmental conditions. Project period: 2003–2005.
FITES - Fire in Tropical Ecosystems. Studies of the effect of fire on decomposition of matter, biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions in savannah ecosystems. The Botanical, Geographic and Zoological Institutes and the Botanical Museum are participating in the project.

RISØ NATIONAL LABORATORY

Department for Plant Research

EU project CarbonEuroflux. Exchange of CO₂ between the atmosphere and the forest ecosystem. Project period: 1996 - .
EU CORE project. Climate –Atmosphere Interaction. Its goal is to produce continuous field measurements on atmosphere-biosphere interactions on six field research stations run by four participants (University of Helsinki, Finnish Meteorological Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, and Risø National Laboratory. Project period: 2000-2003.
EU project VULCAN. Effect of heating and drying out on heath ecosystems' function, biodiversity and plant composition. In the project experimental heating and drying out of semi-natural ecosystems is being carried out in six European countries to study the effects on the ecosystems. Project period: 2001-2004.
EU project GREENGRASS. Sources and sinks of greenhouse gasses from managed European grasslands and mitigation scenarios. The purpose is to acquire detailed knowledge about CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O fluxes from grassland along European climate gradients and under varying forms of use and cultivation with a view to evaluating possible mitigation options by changing cultivation and land-use practice. Project period: 2001- 2004.
EU project NOFRETTE. Nitrogen oxide emissions from European forest ecosystems. The project covers emissions of NO and N₂O from forest ecosystems. Its purpose is partly to determine the size of these emissions and partly to describe the fundamental processes that drive the NO/N₂O emissions from European forest ecosystems under the influence of geographically determined variations in nitrogen deposition, climate and soil conditions and types of forest. Project period: 2001 – 2004.
Emissions of greenhouse gases and nitrogen fixation in alfalfa. The project aims at clarifying emissions of N₂O from grazed alfalfa fields and determine what share of biologically fixed nitrogen is released as N₂O. Project period: 2000-2004.
Recovery of forest ecosystems from acidification - impacts of climate change. In this project model calculations are being carried out of the effect of climate changes on the recovery processes for soil acidification under the agreed protocols for reduction of sulphur and nitrogen emissions. Project period 2001-2003.
UV impacts on the vegetation in Zackenberg, Greenland. The main purpose of the project is to establish a relatively simple and robust method for continuous monitoring of the effects of UV radiation on selected Arctic species of plant in Zackenberg, Greenland. Project period: 2001- 2004.
CLIMAITE - Climate change effects on biological processes in terrestrial ecosystems. A Danish climate centre aimed at creating a cohesive understanding of how interacting climate changes will affect biological processes in nature. Based on large-scale field tests with realistic manipulations of temperature, precipitation and CO₂. Project period 2005-2009.

Energy System Group

Assessment and Dissemination activity on major Investment Opportunities for renewable electricity in Europe using the REBUS tool - Admire Rebus. Funded by the EU ALTERNER programme. Project period: 2002-2003.
Green-X Deriving optimal promotion strategies for increasing the share of RES-E in a dynamic European electricity market. The core objective of this project is to facilitate a significantly increased electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RES-E) in a liberalised electricity market with minimal costs to European citizen. To identify most important strategies the dynamic toolbox Green-X will be developed. Project period 2002-2004.

Department for Wind Energy

SAT-MAP-CLIMATE. Satellite based bio-geophysical parameter mapping and aggregation modelling for CLIMATE models. The purpose of the project was to extract information from satellite pictures of surface roughness over land, sea and land temperatures, albedo and plant cover and to utilise the resulting maps in weather forecasting and climate models. Project period: 1999-2002 (DMI also participated.).
WATERMED. Water use Efficiency in natural vegetation and agricultural areas by remote sensing in the Mediterranean basin. The purpose of the project is to map water balance and vegetation in the Mediterranean area, in both Europe and Africa, on the basis of satellite pictures and modelling. Project period: 2000-2003.
EO-FLUX-BUDGET. Earth Observation data for up-scaling carbon FLUX and water BUDGET at Zealand. The purpose of the project is to determine the CO₂ and water balance for a region (Zealand) on the basis of satellite pictures and modelling. The results complement point measurements of CO₂ and water balance in a climate context. Project period 2000-2004.
EU project AutoFlux. The objective of the AutoFlux project has been to develop an instrumentation system AutoFlux for routine unattended use on Voluntary Observing Ships or unmanned buoys, for monitoring climate relevant surface fluxes over the oceans. Project period 1998-2002.
NEAREX. Modelling and measuring the transport of CO₂ to the Greenland Sea from Eastern/Central Europe. Project period: 1998-2002.

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (NERI)

Department for Marine Ecology

MARINBASIS. Environmental monitoring in Zackenberg. Marine monitoring of abiotic and biotic reactions on year-to-year variations and long-term climate changes with a view to being able to predict and document the effects of the expected climate changes. Project period: 1995 - and following decades.
ANO_XIA IN SEA ICE: Importance for C and N cycling in the Arctic – Implications of reduction in sea ice distribution and thickness on nitrogen and carbon transformations. Project period: 2001-2003.
NARP. The bio production and energy transfer in the Nordic Seas, the role of key zooplanktons in a system with rapid climate changes. Project period: 2001-2003.
CASES. Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study. Central goal: To understand and model the response of the Mackenzie Shelf ecosystem to atmospheric, oceanic and continental forcing of sea-ice cover variability. Project period: 2003-2007+.
CANABA. Carbon flux and ecosystem feed back in the northern Barents Sea in an era of climate change. Project period: 2003-2006.
Consequences of climatic changes on Greenlandic marine ecosystems. Project period: 2001-2003.
Functional diversity of bacteria and phytoplankton in the Disco Bay, Greenland Project period: 2001-2003.

Department of Arctic Environment

The biological monitoring programme BioBasis, in Zackenberg, northeast Greenland. Monitoring of biotic reactions on year-toyear variations and long-term climate changes with a view to being able to predict and document the effects of the expected climate changes. Project period: 1995 and following decades.
The natural geographic monitoring programme GeoBasis in Zackenberg, northeast Greenland. Monitoring of abiotic reactions on year-to-year variations and long-term changes in the climate with a view to being able to predict and document the effects of the expected climate changes. Project period: 1995 and following decades.
Environmental monitoring in Zackenberg - Marine Basis. Project period 1995 and following decades.
Anoxia in sea ice: Importance for C and N cycling in the Arctic. Project period: 2001-2003.
Effect of climate on Arctic marine ecosystems. Project period: 2001-2003.
The bio production and energy transfer in the Nordic Seas, the role of key zooplanktons in a system with rapid climate changes. Project period: 2001-2003.
The Collared Lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) in Greenland: Population Dynamics and Habitat Selection in Relation to Food Quality. The study was focused on the collared lemming's food biology and habitat selection in relation to the 4-year cyclical fluctuations in population. Project period: 1999-2002.
Carbon balance for a High-Arctic ecosystem. The purpose of the project is to estimate the annual carbon exchange in the Zackenberg area. Project period: 2002-2005.

Department for System Analysis

Projection models for greenhouse gases. Models are being set up at a level of detail that makes it possible to project emissions in relation to technological development and political measures. Project period: 2003
Inventory of Denmark's greenhouse gases for the Climate Convention and the EU. Denmark's total greenhouse gas emission is being calculated and reported in accordance with current guidelines. Project period: 1990 onwards.
Decoupling CO₂ emissions from economic indicators: A Nordic industrial sector analysis. The project is being carried out for the Nordic Council of Ministers in cooperation with the University of Iceland. Project period: 2003-2005.

Department for Terrestrial Ecology, Soil Ecology and Ecotoxicology

Evolutionary and Physiological Adaptations to Climate Change. Study of genetic variation and physiological adaptation in soil-living animals to extreme climate conditions. Project period: 2002-2005.
Effects of increased freeze-thaw cycles in Arctic soil ecosystems-. The effects of artificially increased frequency of freeze-thaw cycles are being studied in field tests (Abisko, Sweden). The focus of this PhD project is how microarthropods react to this artificially increased stress and what consequences it might have on the conversion of organic matter in the soil. Project period: 2001- 2004.
Synergetic interactions between climate and pollution. An evaluation of the synergetic effects that can occur when soil-living animals are exposed to toxic stress and climate stress at the same time. The results of the project may be of importance for risk assessment of chemical substances taking account of varying climatic conditions. Project period: 1999-2004.

Department for Atmospheric Environment

EU project AEROCARB. “Airborne European Regional Observations of the Carbon Balance. The objective of AEROCARB is to demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated approach to estimate and monitor the net European carbon balance as a mean to corroborate EU-wide controls of CO₂ emission. Closely connected to this, is the study of spatial and temporal variations of the CO₂ sources and sinks over the European continent.

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DENMARK

Solar activity and terrestrial climate: An analysis of some purported correlation. The project's critical analyses revealed serious (misleading) errors in a number of scientific articles concerning the sun's effect on the earth's climate. Project period: 2001- 2003.

FOREST AND LANDSCAPE DENMARK

EU project CNTER. Carbon Nitrogen Interactions in Forest Ecosystems. Methods for calculating carbon binding in forest soil. The importance of nitrogen deposition for carbon binding in forest soil. Project period: 2001-2004.
Carbon and Nitrogen Sequestration in Forest Soils – Evaluation of estimation methods. Methods for calculating carbon binding in forest soil. Guest researcher Bjørn Berg. Project period: 2005-2006.
CLIMAITE – see under Risø National Laboratory.
Carbon binding and water quality in forests of the future – interactions between tree species and soil type. Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council project. Carbon and nitrogen cycles in five different deciduous tree species at six locations in Denmark. Measurement of carbon pools and CO₂ efflux from soil. Project period: 2004-2005.
Carbon and nitrogen interactions in deposition gradients from forest edges. Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council project. The effect of varying nitrogen inputs on N and C circulation and dynamics is studied in areas at the fringe of the woods where N deposition is high. How the characteristics of areas at the fringe of the woods distinguish themselves biogeochemically from the inner part of the woods is also studied. Project period 2005-2006.
Estimation of carbon storage in forest biomass in the Nordic and Baltic countries -common methods, protocol and tools for obtaining comparable biomass expansion functions (BEF). Danish Forest and Nature Agency project. The aim is to give an overview of how data on biomass distribution from national forest inventories and other easily accessible sources are used and potentially can be used in the national Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) reporting. Also, available knowledge on expansion factors and functions should be synthesised, starting with Norway spruce, with special attention to the root fraction. Project period: 2004-2007.
Emissions of the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide from wet soils in the forest. Measurement of the climate gases CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide along topo-sequences from well-drained to poorly drained conditions in afforestation and in old forests. Project period: 2004-2005.
CO₂ removals in forests – contributions to an improved inventory of changes in biomass and soil carbon stocks. A pilot project concerning biomass equations (expansion functions) for above ground and below ground biomass in Norway spruce and a design for a soil module in the new forest statistics. Project period: 2003-2005.
EU project WOOD-EN-MAN. Wood for energy - a contribution to the development of sustainable forest management. Research-based development of operational recommendations for sustainable forest operation using woodchips for energy purposes (economy, social economy and ecology), together with policy recommendations on increased use of forest biomass for energy purposes. Project period: 2001-2005.
ForestFocus: the European monitoring of forest ecosystems, including effects of climatic change on forests. Project period: 2003-2006.
Forest Statistics. National sample based collection of Danish forest data. Results will be used to monitor forest resources, condition, development, effects of climate change and carbon sequestration. Project period: 2002- .
EFORWOOD: EU-FP7 integrated project (tools for sustainability impact assessment of the forestry-wood chain), including carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems in relation to forest management and climate change.
Spreading wood-chip ash in Danish forestry - ecological consequences. The ecological consequences of ash recirculation under different conditions are being examined on the basis of experiments with spreading ash. Project period: 1999-2004.
Pre-treatment and recirculation of wood-chip ash. The objective of this project is to develop a well-documented concept for recycling wood-chip ash and at the same time to break down the barriers that make recycling difficult today. Project period: 2004-2007.
CoReWOOD – Bioenergy. The main aim of the project is to enable and promote synergetic co-operation, co-ordination of activities and knowledge sharing between RecAsh, WOOD-EN-MAN and Bio2003-2005energy. Project period: 2004-2005.
Bioenergy as an environmental factor in the Nordic-Baltic-North-West-Russian Region. The overall aim is to contribute to overcoming present barriers to increased sustainable use of bio-energy within the Nordic-Baltic-Russian region. The main activity is an open seminar on the above topics in 2005. Project period: 2004-2006.
IEA Bioenergy Task 31: Biomass Production for Energy from Sustainable Forestry. Project period: 2004-2006.
IEA Bioenergy Task 38: Greenhouse Gas Balances of Biomass and Bioenergy Systems. Project period: 2004-2006.
The logistics of improving economic accessibility to the forest fuel resource in Denmark. Investigation on integration of planning, harvesting, wood chip production, transportation and storage of wood chips. Project period: 2004-2006.
BIONORM: EU project on the scientific basis for a possible European standard on biofuels with participation from 17 countries. Project period: 2002-2005.

INSTITUTE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDIES

International trade and CO₂. The purpose is to analyse the effect on the national CO₂ emissions of trade between countries and the possibilities for reducing the global CO₂ emissions by changing the pattern of trade. The project is intended to deliver results of value to the officials attending international climate negotiations. Project period: 2003.

THE ROYAL VETERINARY AND AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

EO-FLUX-BUDGET. Earth Observation data for up-scaling carbon FLUX and water BUDGET at Zealand. In this project the CO₂ and water balance for a region (Zealand) are being determined on the basis of satellite pictures and modelling. The results complement point measurements of CO₂ and water balance in a climate context. Project period: 2000-2004.
EPN: European Phenological Network. Thematic Network on the analysis of phenological information in relation to climate variability/change and exploration of possibilities to predict climate change effects on the timing of life cycle events. Project period: 2000-2003.
Plant community context and reproduction of Sorbus torminalis along a large-scale gradient in Europe - analysing the species' response to climatic change. Project period: 2001- 2004.
EC Karnal Bunt: 'Pest Risk Assessment for Karnal bunt - Tilletia indica'. Project period: 2000-2004.

THE DANISH NATIONAL SPACE CENTER

EU project SITHOS. Sea Ice Thickness Observing System. Project period: 2002-2005.
EU project GREENICE. Greenland arctic shelf Ice and Climate Experiment. Project period: 2003-2006.
CRYOSAT. Cal/val and preparation for ESA's cryosphere monitoring satellite CryoSat. Project period: 2001-2004.
EU project GOCINA. Geoid and Ocean Circulation in the North Atlantic Region. Project period 2002-2005.
EU project ESEAS. European Sea Level Service - monitoring of sea-level changes by satellite. Project period: 2002-2005.

DANISH ENERGY AUTHORITY

The following research projects are being supported by the Energy Research Programme in 2005:

Biogas

Precision steering of the biogas process, project manager the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences.
Reasons for process instability in biogas plants and strategies for prevention and restoration of the process, project manager Technical University of Denmark.

Liquid biofuels

Maxi-Fuels: Testing and further development at pilot scale of a Fermentations platform for maximum production of bioenergy (ethanol, hydrogen and methane) from biomass residual products such as straw, project manager Technical University of Denmark BioCentrum.

Bio incineration

Optinox at biomass-fired plants, project manager COWI A/S.
Efficient biofuel trading, analysis of biofuel supply, description of e-trade business models and basic understanding of pelleting. Project manager Danish Technological Institute.

Hydrogen

Use of the natural gas grid for clean hydrogen distribution, phase II, project manager DGC a/s.

Energy efficiency

Ultra low-energy buildings and passive houses in Stenløse Syd, project manager Stenløse Municipality
Energy optimisation by means of retrofitting of industrial process facilities, project manager Weel & Sandvig Energi og Procesinnovation Aps
Innovative and energy efficient refurbishment of public buildings – Danish parallel project to BRITA in PuBs, a demonstration project under the EU Sixth Framework Programme, project manager Danish Building and Urban Research.
Reduced energy consumption for ventilation of buildings where low-polluting materials and furniture have been chosen systematically, project manager Technical University of Denmark.
Individual or collective heating supply for new housing areas in the near and distant future, project manager RAMBØLL
Energy efficient production and distribution of domestic hot water in dwellings in light of the EU Building Directive and coming national requirements regarding energy consumption in buildings, project manager Technical University of Denmark.
OPTIPOLYGEN (OPTimum Integration of POLYGENeration in the Food Industry), project manager FORCE Technology.
Development of low-energy classification 1 standard houses, project manager Technical University of Denmark.

Society

Consequences of quota regulations on developments in the Danish energy sector – scenario analyses, project manager RAMBØLL a/s.

Solar energy

Solar City Horsens – solar cell roofs in low-energy buildings of the future, project manager Byfornyelse Danmark.
Solar cells – the significance of the spread of solar cells on price reductions, as well as the need and consequences for operational targets, project manager PA Energy A/S.

Heat pumps

Demonstration of gas-fired diffusion-absorption heating pumps for one-family houses, project manager DGC a/s.

Wind energy

Programme for Research in Applied Aeroelasticity, project manager Risø National Laboratory.
Improved design basis for large wind turbine wings made of fibre composites (Phase 3), project manager Risø National Laboratory.
Soil-Structure interaction of foundations for offshore wind turbines, project manager Aalborg University.

Project supported by the Energy Research Programme – 2004:

Biomass

Use of straw in biogas plants and possibilities to increase energy utilisation, project manager the Danish Institute of Agricultural Science.
Methods to optimise biogas yield at manure-based biogas facilities, project manager Technical University of Denmark (Environment & Resources).
Collective biogas plants of the future – the interplay between separation of manure and biogas production, project manager the Food and Resource Economics Institute.
Possible after-treatment of separated solid fraction from biogas production, preliminary project, project manager Rambøll a/s.
IEA, Fischer Tropsch fuels for transport, project manager Technical University of Denmark (Mechanics, Energy and Construction).
Bioethanol production part 3 (follow-up of parts 1 and 2), project manager Technical University of Denmark (Biocentrum).
IEA, Bioenergy Agreement Task: Biomass Combustion and Co-firing. Danish representation 2004-06, project manager dk-TEKNIK ENERGI & MILJØ.
IEA, Bioenergy Agreement Task: Thermal Gasification of Biomass. Danish representation 2004-06, project manager dk-TEKNIK ENERGI & MILJØ.
Integration of SOFC fuel cell and two-step process, project manager COWI A/S.
GreenFuelCell – Integrated gasification fuel-cell plant (SOFC), project manager TK Energi A/S.
Dissemination of research results within bioenergy, project manager BioPress.
IEA, Task: Biomass Production for energy from Sustainable Forestry (2004-06), project manager Forest and Landscape Denmark.
IEA, Task: Greenhouse Gas Balances of Biomass and Bioenergy Systems (2004-06), project manager Forest and Landscape Denmark.

Energy efficiency

Development of process optimisation in a U-loop fermentor, project manager UniBio A/S.
High insulated glass structures in multi-storey dwellings, measurements and evaluation, Phase 2, project manager SBI/Danish Building and Urban Research.

Fuel cells

Development of 2 kW natural gas reformer for high and low temperature PEM fuel cells, project manager DGC – Danish Gas Technology Centre.
DK-SOFC b, Long-term SOFC development, project manager Risø National Laboratory.

Solar energy

Standard house with integrated photovoltaic panels, project manager EnergiMidt A/S.
IEA, SHC, Management of Task PV/Thermal Solar Systems (Maximisation of energy yield from photovoltaic systems), project manager Esbensen Rådg. Ing.
Development, production and demonstration of a new and improved ARCON HT-SA solar collector, project manager Planenergi.

Wind energy

Electrical design and optimisation of wind turbines, project manager Aalborg University (Energy Technology).
Dynamical wake model for detailed aeroelastic simulation of wind turbines in farms, project manager Risø National Laboratory.
Programme for Research in Applied Aeroelasticity, project manager Risø National Laboratory.

Projects concerning social aspects

Short-term flexibility in electricity consumption - quantification, stimulation and valuation, project manager Risø National Laboratory.
Energy taxes, environment and competitiveness, project manager Institute of Local Government Studies Denmark.
Energy consumption in the domestic sector: An econometric analysis of the effect of the energy label scheme and building regulations, project manager Institute of Local Government Studies Denmark.

Energy storage and system integration

Electrolysis for energy storage and grid balancing, project manager INCOTECO.
The Integration of Micro-CHP and Renewable Energy Systems (Micro-CHeaP), project manager dk-TEKNIK ENERGI & MILJØ.

Projects supported by the Energy Research Programme - 2003

Biomass

Production of bioethanol - part 2, project manager Technical University of Denmark/BioCentrum/CPB (Risø National Laboratory/ Plant Research Department, Novozymes).
LIFTOFF gasification plant in Gjøl 3A) dk-TEKNIK (CIRAD, Gjøl CHP Company, TKE, National Technical Univ. of Athens, ARMINES/Ecole des Mines d'Albi-Carmaux).
The pyrolysis conditions influence on the tar content in the gas from a staged biomass gasifier, project manager TK Energi AS (CIRAD/CEA).
Optimisation of straw-fired boilers for district heating, project manager dk-TEKNIK (manufacturers of boiler plant).

Wave power

Wave power: Development project for prototype design of AquaBuOY and incorporation of Power Take Off system, project manager Rambøll a/s.

Energy efficiency

Low energy lighting sources and fixtures based on light diode technologies for outdoor lighting, e.g. for road lighting, project manager Lumistrator Aps.
Deamonification - significant energy-saving new biological method for removing nitrogen from industrial wastewater, project manager C.P. Kelco (Envicare, Hannover University, Herning Municipality, Aalborg University.
IEA Annex 36 Retrofitting educational buildings, project manager Danish Building and Urban Research.

Solar energy

Solar cells and architecture - BIPV in refurbishment projects and new buildings, project manager Byfornyelse Danmark.
Electricity producing sun screens, project manager Danish Building and Urban Research (Dasolas Internat., Gaia Solar, TI-SolEnergi-Centret, Servodan, Esbensen).
IEA PVPS work in 2004 and 2005 (co-financed with PSO), project manager EnergiMidt A/S.

Wind energy

Wind measurements. Development and documentation of new and existing methods for remote and in-situ measurements of wind, project manager Risø National Laboratory.
Research of material technology for surface coating of wind turbine wings and development of testing methods for lifetime of coatings, project manager FORCE (Risø National Laboratory, Aalborg University).
Improved design basis for large wind turbine wings made of fibre composites (phase II), project manager Risø National Laboratory (Technical University of Denmark; Aalborg University, LM Glasfiber, Vestas).

System integration

Advanced storage concepts for solar thermal systems in low energy buildings, project manager Department of Civil Engineering/ Technical University of Denmark (participants form a number of European countries).
Expressor heat pump for heat production in small-scale CHPs, project manager TI (Association of Danish CHPs, City Univ./London).

THE DANISH COASTAL AUTHORITY

COMCOAST. The project is sponsored by the EU, and the pilot project aims at carrying out a socio-economic cost-benefit analysis of moving a dike at Rømø farther in land, as an alternative to strengthening the existing dike. Project period 2004-2007.
Effects of Climate Change on the Coast. The project aims at establishing calculation models for coastal erosion as a function of climate change. Project period 2002-2006.