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What has been supported by advocates of professional project work for years has now become a reality in the daily routines of many employees and managers: highly project-oriented work structures. Consequently, professionalised project management competence is becoming increasingly vital to business success. Following the five project management phases of DIN 69901:2009 and supplemented by chapters on cross-phase competencies and agile methods, this book offers a clear and professionally sound presentation of the modernised ICB 4.0 framework (effective from January 1, 2024). Its structured content, illustrated by a consistent project example, not only guides readers but also ensures they are well-prepared to meet the IPMA ICB 4.0 examination requirements. This book equips anyone seeking to engage in professional project management with the knowledge and tools needed to successfully apply current best practices.

The seafloor covers some 70% of the Earth’s surface and has been recognised as a major sink for marine litter. Still, litter on the seafloor is the least investigated fraction of marine litter, which is not surprising as most of it lies in the deep sea, i.e. the least explored ecosystem. Although marine litter is considered a major threat for the oceans, monitoring frameworks are still being set up. This paper reviews current knowledge and methods, identifies existing needs, and points to future developments that are required to address the estimation of seafloor macrolitter. It provides background knowledge and conveys the views and thoughts of scientific experts on seafloor marine litter offering a review of monitoring and ocean modelling techniques. Knowledge gaps that need to be tackled, data needs for modelling, and data comparability and harmonisation are also discussed. In addition, it shows how research on seafloor macrolitter can inform international protection and conservation frameworks to prioritise efforts and measures against marine litter and its deleterious impacts.

For years, advocates of professional project work have stressed the growing shift towards project-oriented work structures. This has now become a reality in the daily routines of many employees and managers. Consequently, strong project management skills are becoming increasingly vital to business success. Following the five project management phases of DIN 69901:2009 and supplemented by chapters on cross-phase competencies and agile methods, this book offers a clear and professionally sound presentation of the modernised ICB 4.0 framework (effective from January 1, 2024). Its structured content, illustrated by a consistent project example, not only guides readers but also ensures they are well-prepared to meet the IPMA ICB 4.0 examination requirements. This book equips anyone seeking to engage in professional project management with the knowledge and tools needed to successfully apply current best practices.

Five sampling campaigns were conducted in the water columns of River Sabaki and Tana in Kenya, Between October 2021 and January 2023, covering a 1-year cycle, at four sites in River Sabaki (2.5 km, 3.05 km, 3.51 km, and 4.52 km) and River Tana (1.5 km, 1.8 km, 2.0 km, and 2.5 km) distant from the river mouth. The ebb and flood tides were sampled to calculate net plastic litter fluxes. Two 6350-µm seine nets were deployed in two replicates per sampling point. Factor and cluster analysis were used to investigate plastic litter sources for both rivers. The influences of rainfall on plastic abundance and mass were explored using permutational linear models. A total of 15,318 plastic litter items weighing 1.37 kg were recorded in River Sabaki, and 3741 plastic litter items weighing 0.95 kg in River Tana. The top ten captured plastic litter types sorted by abundance and mass were mostly plastic fragments. The annual net plastic litter flux to the ocean through River Sabaki amounted to 1,277,120.63 items year −1 by abundance and 22.30 kg year −1 by mass. For River Tana, the same fluxes were 207,550.76 items year −1 , and 28.09 kg year −1 , respectively. In River Sabaki, significant impacts of rainfall on plastic abundance and mass were found. River Sabaki’s pollution sources included upstream reaches, fishing activities, and littering by locals and tourists. River Tana’s major pollution sources were illegal dumpsites, littering, fishing, and recreational activities. This research can guide combat plastic pollution in the rivers and ultimately the ocean.

Despite numerous studies of selection on position and number of spectral vision bands, explanations to the function of narrow spectral bands are lacking. We investigate dragonflies (Odonata), which have the narrowest spectral bands reported, in order to investigate what features these narrow spectral bands may be used to perceive. We address whether it is likely that narrow red bands can be used to identify conspecifics by the optical signature from wing interference patterns (WIPs). We investigate the optical signatures of Odonata wings using hyperspectral imaging, laser profiling, ellipsometry, polarimetric modulation spectroscopy, and laser radar experiments. Based on results, we estimate the prospects for Odonata perception of WIPs to identify conspecifics in the spectral, spatial, intensity, polarization, angular, and temporal domains. We find six lines of evidence consistent with an ability to perceive WIPs. First, the wing membrane thickness of the studied Odonata is 2.3 μm, coinciding with the maximal thickness perceivable by the reported bandwidth. Second, flat wings imply that WIPs persist from whole wings, which can be seen at a distance. Third, WIPs constitute a major brightness in the visual environment only second after the solar disk. Fourth, WIPs exhibit high degree of polarization and polarization vision coincides with frontal narrow red bands in Odonata. Fifth, the angular light incidence on the Odonata composite eye provides all prerequisites for direct assessment of the refractive index which is associated with age. Sixth, WIPs from conspecifics in flight make a significant contribution even to the fundamental wingbeat frequency within the flicker fusion bandwidth of Odonata vision. We conclude that it is likely that WIPs can be perceived by the narrow red bands found in some Odonata species and propose future behavioral and electrophysiological tests of this hypothesis. Odonata have the narrowest red spectral vision bands that we know of. We investigate the optical signatures from Odonata wings to address whether these spectral bands could be used to view optical signals from the wings of conspecifics. Data from the spectral, spatial, intensity, polarization, angular, and temporal domains are all consistent with Odonata being able to perceive wing interference patterns from conspecifics using these narrow bands.

Replicate surveys of beach litter have seldom been performed in the past. In this study, replicate surveys of beach litter were conducted on the beach north of Hörnum (Sylt, Germany), from 2015 to 2019, applying a slightly modified OSPAR protocol of beach litter monitoring. Descriptive statistics and power analyses were calculated on data resulting from these replicate surveys, to find out whether the scatter of replicate beach litter data decreases and the statistical power increases with increasing numbers of replicate surveys. From 2015 to 2019, mean total abundances, given as numbers of litter items, ranged from 19 to 185 litter items on a 50 m section of beach. With increasing numbers of replicate surveys, the scatter given by the coefficient of variation (CV) significantly increased up to 113%. Statistical power considerably increased with increasing numbers of replicate beach sections, e.g. from 82% (two beach sections) to nearly 100% (five beach sections) for a given reduction of beach litter of 50%. Based on these results from a morphologically straight coastline, the use of replicate surveys would be sensible for the future monitoring of beach litter. However, there is high need for studies, which consider coastlines with varying morphology.

Major objectives were to provide a comprehensive dataset on beach macro-litter for parts of the southern Baltic Sea and to analyse if the methodology is fully applicable and a suitable monitoring method in the Baltic. We carried out a regular macro litter beach monitoring (OSPAR methodology, 4 time a year) on 35 beaches along the German and Lithuanian Baltic coast over 2-5 years. Additional experiments addressed the subjectivity of the field surveys and spatio-temporal variability on different scales. We observed no seasonality of the data and a monthly compared to a 3-monthly sampling resulted in 3 times higher annual item numbers. Along the Lithuanian coast, the average number of items per survey varied between 138 and 340 and along the German Baltic coast between 7 and 404, with a median value of 47. All data showed a very high spatio-temporal variability. Using the Matrix Scoring Technique we assessed beach litter sources. With 50% tourism and recreation was the most important source. 3D-transport simulations helped to explain the minor role of shipping as a source and, compared to the North Sea, the low numbers of items on German Baltic beaches. Floating litter had a short duration time in the western Baltic Sea and offshore drift dominated. Further, the common regular beach cleanings reduced the potential for local litter accumulation and translocation. We suggest a monitoring system on 14 Baltic beaches in Germany and 2 in Lithuania and provide cost calculations. The analysis of macro-litter in cormorant nesting material and the search for beached dead animals did not show any result. We can conclude that the macro-litter beach monitoring method is less suitable for Baltic beaches and should only serve as a complementary method in combination with others.

The seafloor covers some 70% of the Earth's surface and has been recognised as a major sink for marine litter. Still, litter on the seafloor is the least investigated fraction of marine litter, which is not surprising as most of it lies in the deep sea, i.e. the least explored ecosystem. Although marine litter is considered a major threat for the oceans, monitoring frameworks are still being set up. This paper reviews current knowledge and methods, identifies existing needs, and points to future developments that are required to address the estimation of seafloor macrolitter. It provides background knowledge and conveys the views and thoughts of scientific experts on seafloor marine litter offering a review of monitoring and ocean modelling techniques. Knowledge gaps that need to be tackled, data needs for modelling, and data comparability and harmonisation are also discussed. In addition, it shows how research on seafloor macrolitter can inform international protection and conservation frameworks to prioritise efforts and measures against marine litter and its deleterious impacts.

Among various remediation factors, dissolved organic matter including humic substances (HS) has substantial effect on environmental contamination significantly changing the contaminant's degradation, bioavailability, reactivity, and immobilization. However, the effects strongly depend on HS concentrations and their aromaticity index (AI). To understand underlying phenomena of remediation action of HS, which is revealed to occur within a definite interval of HS concentrations in water solution, a quantum statistical approach is supposed. Developing this approach, a model of protons as Fermi particles in humic substances was advanced for the first time and applied to describe transformations of HS molecules, i.e., multipoles into micelle structures, which in turn provide for mediating effects in water. Sufficiently high concentration of micelle granules in water solution exists if the concentration of HS lies within a definite interval. It was demonstrated applying a grand canonical Gibbs distribution method to a statistical ensemble of HS particles. Our approach allows for understanding and quantifying some biological and physiological processes connected with mediating action of HS, as for example the reversible red cell aggregation influenced by HS, adsorption of HS particles by cancer cells, and effect of HS on human resistibility to inflammatory processes of different kinds. Application of our results to water systems may be helpful to optimize waste processing and disposal.

This study was designed to quantify and model the effects of macrophytes on phosphorus retention in a lowland river. The seasonal course of phosphorus retention was calculated from the measured difference in TP between beginning and end of a 30-km river course and the estimated lateral P input. The coverage of submersed macrophytes was mapped and coincided with the difference between theoretical water level (without vegetation) and the observed one. Therefore, the increase in water level was used as measure of the macrophytes’ abundance. In years with rare vegetation (1991–1994), P was retained in winter and remobilized in summer. In years with dense stands of macrophytes (1995–2002), net P retention was highest in summer and amounted up to 20% of TP load, and was negative during winter. The annual P budget was close to zero in both periods. The found sinusoidal annual pattern of total phosphorus retention was used to create a retention model for vegetated lowland rivers.