Recent  

Mineral precipitation in filters and heat exchangers can impede geothermal plant operation and cause expensive losses of efficiency. To prevent scaling a biodegradable inhibitor has been applied in a geothermal plant. Water monitoring revealed no significant chemical changes, but an adaption of the microbial community as well as a higher abundance of Bacteria after heat extraction. Laboratory experiments under anaerobic conditions showed that the inhibitor can be almost completely metabolized.

We simulate the deformation of Somma-Vesuvius volcano due to some overpressure sources by means of a finite element 3D code. The goal of these simulations is to investigate the influence of topography and structural heterogeneity on ground deformation. The results suggest that they are key factors governing the ground deformation. Our study clearly demonstrate that a better knowledge of deformation patterns can significantly help in the design of an efficient geodetic network.

In our study, we investigate the variability of potential offshore wind power over Europe on time scales of more than 10 years. Detailed spectral analysis of potential offshore wind power capacities over the last century indicates a strong coupling to large climate patterns such as the NAO. Furthermore, combining the wind power potential at the German North Sea and the Portuguese Atlantic coast shows that the variability can be mitigated.

The coordinates of radio telescopes, which are part of the emerging VLBI Global Observing System, were estimated in a least squares unconstrained adjustment. The higher number of observations per time with better sky coverage, which these telescopes can produce, was optimally utilized by testing different intervals for the tropospheric delay estimation. We found that a short estimation interval of 15 min for the tropospheric gradients with a 45 min interval for the zenith wet delay perform best.

Changes to a volcanic edifice and its surroundings can be caused by movements of underground magma, gas or other fluids (typically water). These deformations are usually very small in magnitude, so very sensitive instruments are the only capable of detecting them. A discrimination between deformations caused by volcanic processes in regards to those caused by external sources could help in understanding the volcano dynamics and give scientists a way to forecast volcanic eruptions.

We investigate the oscillations of relative sea level through the analysis of tide gauge records collected in the Gulfs of Pozzuoli and Napoli (Southern Italy). The main goal is to provide a suitable resolution model of the sea tides including seiches, tidal bands and non-linear tides. We also target a non-conventional purpose of the tidal analysis, namely extracting from the tide gauge records the volcano-tectonic signal, the vertical ground displacement in the resurgent Campi Flegrei caldera.

For the documentation of time and space variations of water vapor in atmosphere during the Nawdex campaign (fall 2016), a ground network of more than 1200 continuously operation reference GNSS stations has been analyzed. This network spreads from Caribbeans to Morocco through Greenland. This study presents the retrieval of Integrated Water Vapor content from GNSS measurements and their use in the evaluation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalyses ERAI and ERA5.