Field Trips

Remember to tick the appropriate boxes on the registration form for booking and payment.

1. Research, management and restoration of freshwater and brackish lakes in Denmark - a field excursion to the Jutland peninsula
Time: June 9 at 6. p.m. to June 11 at 10 p.m.
Price: DKK 2,600

The excursion will take you to Central and Northern Jutland. In Central Jutland, we will show examples of research on trophic structure and dynamics in shallow lakes and visit a number of large-scale field set-ups. Also examples of lake restoration projects will be demonstrated (e.g. biomanipulation, hypolimnion oxygenation with oxygen and nitrate). We will visit and spend the nights at The Freshwater Centre in Silkeborg around which several environmental research institutions are situated together with Europe's largest freshwater aquarium. In North Jutland, examples of re-establishment of wetlands and lakes will be shown and we will visit "Vejlerne", a brackish wetland of 60 sq km, today considered the largest bird sanctuary and reserve in Northern Europe. We will arrange a guided tour in the area and you will gain insight into the history of Vejlerne and the extensive research on brackish lakes taking place here and in elsewhere in Denmark. Finally, we will visit the sand dunes along the coast before returning to Copenhagen.

Excursion leaders: Erik Jeppesen and Martin Søndergaard, National Environmental Research Institute, Denmark and Søren Berg, Danish Inst. for Fisheries Research, Denmark.


2. Ploen - the historical place of August Thienemann, a modern institute and the Holstein lake district
Time: One-day excursion Saturday June 10.
Price: 575DKK (lunch included)
Participants: A minimum of 25 participants are required

Tentative program includes: Bus from Copenhagen and breakfast on the ferry. Guided tour at the Max-Planck Institute followed by a walk downtown past Thienemann's institute. Boat tour on Grosser Ploener See. Home with the bus and stop at Plussee (eagle's nest). Return from Luetjenburg to Copenhagen (dinner on the ferry). A guide from the Max-Planck Institute will participate.

Excursion leader: Winfried Lampert, Max-Planck-Institut fuer Limnologie, Postfach 165, D-24302 Ploen, Germany, Tel. (0)4522 763 270, Fax. (0)4522 763 310, E-mail: lampert@mpil-ploen.mpg.de, www.mpil-ploen.mpg.de


3. Limnology, marine ecology and culture in Southern Sweden - a visit to the Einar Naumann laboratory, Kalmar marine science department and glass factories in Småland - CANCELLED
Time: June 09 at 6 p. m. to June 11 at 10 p. m.
Price: DKK 2,500.
Participants: A minimum of 25 participants are required

The excursion will take you to the South Swedish highlands, with oligotrophic, clear and humic lakes, and to the medevial city of Kalmar, at the Baltic coast. We will also visit world famous glass factories (e. g. Orrefors, Kosta, Boda). The small Einar Naumann laboratory is the birtplace of limnology in Sweden, situated in a landscape rich in lakes and bogs. In the nearby city of Växjö pioneering lake restoration experiments have been done, starting in the 1960-ies. At Kalmar university we will visit the recently inaugerated marine science department, with research e. g. on ecophysiology of toxic algae and marine microbiology. Time and weather permitting there will also be an opportunity to visit Öland, an island with a very special flora, characterized by calcareous meadows and wetlands. A visit to the "Kingdom of Crystal", with numerous glass factories, art glass exhibitions and ample opportunities for shopping is a must on this excursion. The two nights will be spent in Växjö/Aneboda and Kalmar.

Excursion leaders: Wilhelm Granéli, Sven Björk, Edna Granéli


4. The Faeroe Islands - green spots in the Ocean! - CANCELLED
Time: 10 - 14 June 1999
Price: Approx. 4,000 DKR, which includes airfare, accommodation in a youth hostel (in Torshavn), breakfast and two whole day excursions with a bus. There will be a local English-speaking guide.

It is said that the weather on and around the Faeroe Islands changes every minute, so you may experience bright sunshine, fog, rain and wind even if this trip is only due to last four days. There are 18 islands in total and they are quite unique because of their greenness, fresh air and special light conditions. You are never more than 5 km from the sea. The capital Torshavn is a very relaxing place despite the fact that it is also an important and bustling business centre. On this tour you will be taken to a number of places and villages to see fisheries, sheep and fish farming as well as interesting nature sites. Despite the steepness of the landscape, there are plenty of lakes. The bird life is diverse and there are numerous cultural/historical monuments. There will also be time for touring on your own : you can rent a car or use transport (busses are frequent). All the islands are connected by ferries and helicopters. Given the unpredictability of the weather - don't forget to bring a raincoat and an umbrella!

Excursion leaders: Kirsten Christoffersen (kcfbl@ibm.net)


5. Limnology of West Greenland lakes - an excursion to the Arctic - CANCELLED
Price: Approx. 10,000 Dkr (the exact price will depend on the number of participants) and includes airfare and airport taxes from/to Copenhagen, accommodation in double rooms with breakfast, one helicopter flight and two four-wheel-drive excursions.
Participants: A minimum of 12 participants are required for this tour to run. More information and registration forms can be obtained from Kirsten Christoffersen (kcfbl@ibm.net). Deadline for registration and pre-payment is 15 January 2000.

The vast and harsh low Arctic landscape surrounding Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord) in West Greenland contains a huge number of lakes, from oligotrophic, crystal clear ones to glacially influenced silty lakes, and even a few salty ones! On this excursion, a range of lakes will be visited and you will learn about these fascinating ecosystems from both an ecological and paleolimnological point of view. Details of plankton structure, fish populations, invertebrates and food web interactions as well as effects of climatic changes since deglaciation will be demonstrated on location and discussed further during the evenings. A tour around the former American military base, a barbecue trip to the ice cap, photo safari and walks on a fossil plain are also included. Last but not least, there will still be time to investigate the local terrestrial fauna and flora - if you haven't met a musk ox before (or reindeers, Arctic foxes and hares, ravens or eagles) this is the trip! The Kangerlussuaq Science Support Centre (KISS) will accommodate the group and provide access to labs and meeting rooms as necessary.

Excursion leaders: Kirsten Christoffersen and N. John Anderson (University of Copenhagen).


Pre-meeting course: Ecosystem theory - application in environmental management of aquatic systems
Time: May 31 to June 3 - 2000

Background: Since Lotka at the beginning of this century stated his maximum power principle for living systems many concepts have been proposed that may eventually increase our insight and understanding of how living systems may work, how they communicate internally and how they interact with the surroundings. The externalization of nature from human society and economy leads to a non-holistic practise which as a consequence brings us directly into local, regional and eventually a global environmental crisis. The big question is whether we can learn anything from an increased understanding of ecosystems - and if this will help us in the formulation of an improved management strategy - that may, if possible, help us define what sustainability is all about?

Scope of course: The aim of the course is to introduce participants to some of the concepts introduced and used in modern ecosystem theory during this century. Lectures and discussions will attempt to point out distinct areas that will improve and optimise existing managing and policy approaches.

Target group: The course will be held at postgraduate level, but will be open to students possessing a bachelor degree (or equivalent), managers and others dealing with or interested in an increased understanding of human interference with nature. The lectures will aim at a high level of multidisciplinarity

Topics/keywords: ascendancy, maximum power, energy, chaos & catastrophes, environmental theory, indirect effect, utility and synergism thermodynamic concepts: first and second law analysis, entropy analysis, maximum and minimum dissipation exergy, information, hierarchies, ecosystem health, precautionary principles, application perspectives

Invited Lecturers: S. Bastianoni, G. Bendoricchio, H. Bossel, S.E. Jørgensen, J. J. Kay, J.C. Marques, F. Müller, H.T. Odum, B.C. Patten, M. Straskraba, and R.E. Ulanowicz

Contact person: Søren Nors Nielsen (snn@dfh.dk), Environmental Chemistry Section, Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, DENMARK, Phone: +45 35 30 64 55, Fax: +45 35 30 60 10.

Fee: Early registration (untill February 1., 2000): Dkr. 2000,- kr. After this date - 2500,- Dkr. This includes lunch and study materials. Registration and payment are handled by the course organizer.


Post-meeting course: Sediment/water interfaces in freshwater lakes: sampling, handling and analyzing with emphasises on gases
Time: June, 10th to 17th

Organizers: Peter Casper, Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Stechlin, Germany; Donald D. Adams, State University of New York, Plattsburgh; Scientists from IGB, (Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Stechlin, Germany) and Universities of Berlin.

Place: Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Dept. Of Limnology of Stratified lakes.

This workshop will offer a program of practical demonstrations, involving personal participation by attendees, for conducting studies at the sediment-water interface in aquatic ecosystems (lakes, reservoirs, etc.). Included will be theoretical interpretions of the generated results. Methods for sampling the sediment-water interface and oxic-anoxic transition zones will be demonstrated. The main topics will be: 1) "hands on" use of sediment cores, processing of sediments using oxygen-free methodology and the introduction of laboratory techniques for measuring sediment gases, and 2) laboratory measurements for evaluating the microbiology of oxic and anoxic sediments. Gas chromatographic analysis of the major sediment gases (CH4, CO2, N2, and argon) will be demonstrated along with the required calculations for determining their pore water concentrations. The microbiological section will include measurements of microbial activity (e.g. methanogenesis) and the description of organisms involved in these processes. Various other techniques will be demonstrated in the laboratory, such as DNA-extraction from sediments, PCR with specific primers, in-situ hybridization with oligonucleotide probes, etc.

Fee: $350 including lodging for one week, lunch during workshop and two dinners (arrival and departure weekends). Scholarships could be available for scientist from developing countries. Handling of fee will be done by the course organizer.
Participants: Max. 24 participants

Contact: Peter Caspers (pc@igb-berlin.de), Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Dept. Of Limnology of Stratified lakes, Alte Fischerhuette 2, D-16775, Neuglobsow, Germany.