Alexander Kirschner, one of the recipients of the Reinhard Liepolt Award for Danube Research, working in the course of JDS2.

The international ‘Reinhard Liepolt Award for Danube Research’ was awarded to members of the Joint Danube Survey team in December 2011. Two out of three distinguished publications were based on findings made in the course of JDS1 (2001) and JDS2 (2007). The ICPDR congratulates the scientists, primarily Georg Reischer, Andreas Farnleitner and Branko Velimirov, for this great success and is looking forward to continuing important research in the JDS3 next year.

The first publication (Reischer et al., see below) describes the first application of a new concept of source tracking human faecal markers in a large river sys tem. The second publication (Velimirov et al., see below) provides new and surprising insights into the development of bacterial communities along large rivers.

Reischer and Farnleitner are based at the Institute for Chemical Engineering of Vienna University of Technology, ICC Water and Health; Velimirov works at the Medical University Vienna, Department of Cell Biology and Ultrastructure Research. The Liepolt Award is presented annually through the Austrian Committee of the International Association for Danube Research.

1) Reischer GH, Kavka GG, Kasper DC, Winter C, Mach RL & Farnleitner AH (2008) Applicability of DNA based quantitative microbial source tracking evaluated on a large scale in the Danube River and its important tributaries. Large Rivers 18 (1-2): 117–125

2) Velimirov B, Milosevic N, Kavka GG, Farnleitner AH & Kirschner AKT (2011) Development of the bacterial compartment along the Danube River: a continuum despite local influences. Microbial Ecology 61: 955-67. (BM)