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A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is described for a novel wave energy converters (WEC) design based on a marine hybrid bio-structure—a combination of macroalgae, shellfish or other species on a built frame. The Bio-Oscillator design utilises a hard “skeleton” (e.g., carbon fibre, wood) on which biological organisms (e.g., shellfish, large macroalgae) are grown. As waves pass by, the load generated by the oscillating drag and inertia is transferred through mooring lines to power takeoff technology. This novel approach essentially reverses the typical marine engineering view that “bio-fouling is bad” and instead leverages off the added-drag of biological growth on structures. The approach results in a structure that is largely biodegradable, naturally self-replicating and synergistic with the background environment, self-de-risking in terms of failure impact and can leverage off its own form to enhance energy capture beyond a conventional design. This reduces impact while connecting with conventional marine industries such as aquaculture. A CBA examines the economic pros and cons of this approach, focusing on installation and material costs, along with benefits from synergistic production. The analysis suggests that in addition to typical wave energy obstacles (e.g., cable length, capture width, and power take off) the benefits (biodegradability, harvestability, and carbon reduction) of replacing much of the mass of the structure with living biological material can be included.

The “stem cells” discipline represents one of the most dynamic areas in biomedicine. While adult marine/aquatic invertebrate stem cell (MISC) biology is of prime research and medical interest, studies on stem cells from organisms outside the classical vertebrate (e.g., human, mouse, and zebrafish) and invertebrate (e.g., Drosophila, Caenorhabditis) models have not been pursued vigorously. Marine/aquatic invertebrates constitute the largest biodiversity and the widest phylogenetic radiation on Earth, from morphologically simple organisms (e.g., sponges, cnidarians), to the more complex mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms, and protochordates. These organisms contain a kaleidoscope of MISC-types that allow the production of a large number of novel bioactive-molecules, many of which are of significant potential interest for human health. MISCs further participate in aging and regeneration phenomena, including whole-body regeneration. For years, the European MISC-community has been highly fragmented and has established scarce ties with biomedical industries in an attempt to harness MISCs for human welfare. Thus, it is important to (i) consolidate the European community of researchers working on MISCs; (ii) promote and coordinate European research on MISC biology; (iii) stimulate young researchers to embark on research in MISC-biology; (iv) develop, validate, and share novel MISC tools and methodologies; (v) establish the MISC discipline as a forefront interest of biomedical disciplines, including nanobiomedicine; and (vi) establish collaborations with industries to exploit MISCs as sources of bioactive molecules. In order to fill the recognized gaps, the EC-COST Action 16203 “MARISTEM” has recently been launched. At its initial stage, the consortium unites 26 scientists from EC countries, Cooperating countries, and Near Neighbor Countries.

With little time left for humanity to reduce climate change to a tolerable level, a highly scalable and rapidly deployable solution is needed that can be implemented by any country. Offshore wind energy in international waters is an underused resource and could even be harnessed by landlocked countries. In this paper, the use of sailing wind turbines operating autonomously in high seas to harvest energy is proposed. The electrical energy that is generated by the wind turbine is converted to a renewable fuel and stored onboard. Later, the fuel will be transferred to shore or to other destinations of use. The presented idea is explored at the system level, where the basic subsystems necessary are identified and defined, such as energy conversion and storage as well as propulsion subsystems. Moreover, various operating possibilities are investigated, including a comparison of different sailing strategies and fuels for storage. Existing ideas are also briefly addressed and an example concept is suggested as well. In this paper, the proposed sailing renewable energy conversion system is explored at a higher level of abstraction. Following up on this conceptual study, more detailed investigations are necessary to determine whether the development of such a sailing renewable energy conversion system is viable from an engineering, economic, and environmental point of view.

Abstract. In contrast to fixed measuring devices, ship-based lidar systems provide highly reliable wind observations within extensive regions. Therefore, this kind of reference dataset provides a great potential for evaluating the performance of mesoscale numerical models in resembling mesoscale flow phenomena such as low-level jets – essential for an optimal development and operation of wind turbines. This paper presents a comparison between numerical output data from two state-of-the-art numerical datasets (ERA5 and NEWA) and the ship-mounted lidar measurements from the NEWA Ferry Lidar Experiment. The comparison was performed along the route covered by the vessel, as well as in specific locations within this route, to better understand the capabilities and limitations of the numerical models to precisely resemble the occurrence and main properties of low-level jets (LLJs) in different locations. The findings of this study show that the non-stationary nature of ship-based lidar measurements allows evaluating the accuracy of the models when retrieving jets' characteristics and occurrence under different temporal and spatial effects. Numerical models underestimate the occurrence of LLJs, and they struggle to accurately describe their main characteristics, with a particularly large underestimation of the falloff. The found results are to be seen in relation to the characteristics of the observations, such as the data availability, the time–position relation of the selected vessel's route, or the profile height limitation, as well as the features of the jets, with a particular relevance of core height and falloff. Additionally, the results illustrate the temporal and spatial shift between the LLJ events detected by the measurements and the models and the potential benefit of considering such deviations when studying LLJs' climatology through numerical modes.

In order to investigate the influence of the atmospheric aerosol on the ultraviolet radiation on earth, the measurement campaign Photochemical Activity and Ultraviolet Radiation (PAUR II) Modulation was carried out in the central Mediterranean Sea during the period May-June 1999. Two sites were chosen for measurements: the island of Crete (Greece), and the island of Lampedusa (Italy). The aerosol features over the Lampedusa island, as well as the dust coming from Sahara desert, were investigated by measurements of direct and diffuse solar irradiance carried out with an aureolemeter. The columnar volume size distributions of the aerosol showed a four-modal shape in a less turbid atmosphere when the aerosol optical depth was less than 0.2 at ?=500nm, and a tri-modal shape in a turbid atmosphere when the aerosol optical depth at the same wavelength was greater than 0.5; the background aerosol turned out to be mainly composed of sea salt. The increase of the aerosol optical depth and of the particles density with radius about 1?m has been found to be strictly related to the passage of Saharan dust in the time periods 14-22 May and 1-3 June, 1999. The columnar volume of particles obtained by the aureolemeter has been compared with the columnar volume of particles retrieved by in situ measurements carried out with a forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) aboard a light aircraft flying over the island. Although the above two techniques refer to aerosol columns of different height and operate with different resolutions, their relevant results are in good agreement, especially during days with lower aerosol content. The two volume radius distributions have been also compared and their behaviours show a satisfactory agreement, mainly for particles with radius greater than 1?m. Copyright © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.

In the design, certification, and optimization of offshore wind turbines, extensive loads simulation is inevitable to develop reliable and cost‐effective turbines. Description of the marine environment is based on a variety of techniques taking the stochastic nature of both, the wind and the water waves into account. The wind turbine is a highly dynamic system including effects of heavy rotating machinery and other significant nonlinearities leading to static, cyclic, transient, and stochastic loads. Due to the nature of the external loading, the system properties and the turbine design lifetime, offshore wind turbines are prone to fatigue‐driven failure. For loads assessment, aero‐hydro‐servo‐elastic tools are used including the coupled effects of the environment and the turbine to simulate the overall lifetime of the turbine in the harsh marine environment. These tools are constantly further developed and adapted to the needs of a fast‐growing industry and newly arising turbine concepts. Engineering approaches to allow for certification and reliable design are summarized in extensive guidelines and standards supporting engineers in daily design work.This article is categorized under: Wind Power > Science and Materials Wind Power > Systems and Infrastructure

The FP7 funded TROPOS project approach is to develop a modular multi-use platform for use in deep waters, with a focus on the Mediterranean, tropical and sub-tropical regions. In this paper, three different platforms configurations, – which have been designed to show the synergies and compatibilities among the platform uses of Transport, Energy, Aquaculture and Leisure – are presented. 7