What does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?

As primary producers and ecosystem engineers, kelp (generally Order Laminariales) are ecologically important, and their decline could have far-reaching consequences. Kelp are valuable in forming habitats for fish and invertebrates and are crucial for adaptation to climate change by creating coastal defenses and in providing key functions, such as carbon sequestration and food provision. Kelp are threatened by multiple stressors, such as climate change, over-harvesting of predators, and pollution.

New methodical approaches for the investigation of weathered epoxy resins used for corrosion protection of steel constructions.

Epoxy resin coatings applied to steel constructions for corrosion protection purposes are often exposed to UV-irradiation and weathering during the construction process. Chemical alteration of the hardened coating might lead to i) the release of potentially harmful substances into the environment and ii) delamination of the polyurethane top layer. However, chemical processes and mechanisms occurring on the surfaces of exposed epoxy resin coatings are not fully understood yet.

Concentration Effects on the Entropy of Electrochemical Lithium Deposition: Implications for Li(+) Solvation.

The solvation behavior of Li(+) in ethylene carbonate and dimethylcarbonate upon dilution has been investigated by electrochemical microcalorimetry. We measured the heat effects at a Li electrode upon electrochemical Li deposition and dissolution from Li(+) solutions of varying concentration. The exchanged heat is correlated to the entropy of lithium deposition and therefore reveals information about the solvation of Li(+).