Using nocturnal cold air drainage flow to monitor ecosystem processes in complex terrain.

This paper presents initial investigations of a new approach to monitor ecosystem processes in complex terrain on large scales. Metabolic processes in mountainous ecosystems are poorly represented in current ecosystem monitoring campaigns because the methods used for monitoring metabolism at the ecosystem scale (e.g., eddy covariance) require flat study sites. Our goal was to investigate the potential for using nocturnal down-valley winds (cold air drainage) for monitoring ecosystem processes in mountainous terrain from two perspectives: measurements of the isotopic composition of ecosystem-respired CO2 (delta13C(ER)) and estimates of fluxes of CO2 transported in the drainage flow. To test if this approach is plausible, we monitored the wind patterns, CO2 concentrations, and the carbon isotopic composition of the air as it exited the base of a young (approximately 40 yr-old) and an old (>450 yr-old) steeply sided Douglas-fir watershed. Nocturnal cold air drainage within these watersheds was strong, deep, and occurred on more than 80% of summer nights. The depth of cold air drainage rapidly increased to tower height or greater when the net radiation at the top of the tower approached zero. The carbon isotope composition of CO2 in the drainage system holds promise as an indicator of variation in basin-scale physiological processes. Although there was little vertical variation in CO2 concentration at any point in time, we found that the range of CO2 concentration over a single evening was sufficient to estimate delta 13C(ER) from Keeling plot analyses. The seasonal variation in delta 13C(ER) followed expected trends: during the summer dry season delta 13C(ER) became less negative (more enriched in 13C), but once rain returned in the fall, delta 13C(ER) decreased. However, we found no correlation between recent weather (e.g., vapor pressure deficit) and delta 13C(ER) either concurrently or with up to a one-week lag. Preliminary estimates suggest that the nocturnal CO2 flux advecting past the 28-m tower is a rather small fraction (<20%) of the watershed-scale respiration. This study demonstrates that monitoring the isotopic composition and CO2 concentration of cold air drainage at the base of a watershed provides a new tool for quantifying ecosystem metabolism in mountainous ecosystems on the basin scale.     

CO2 fluxes near a forest edge: a numerical study

In contrast with recent advances on the dynamics of the flow at a forest edge, few studies have considered its role on scalar transport and, in particular, on CO2 transfer. The present study addresses the influence of the abrupt roughness change on forest atmosphere CO2 exchange and contrasts the concentration and flux fields against those of a uniform forested surface. We use an atmospheric boundary layer two-equation closure model that accounts for the flow dynamics and vertical divergence of CO2 sources/sinks within a plant canopy. This paper characterizes the spatial variation of CO2 fluxes as a function of both sources/sinks distribution and the vertical structure of the canopy. Results suggest that the ground source plays a major role in the formation of wave-like vertical CO2 flux behavior downwind of a forest edge, despite the fact that the contribution of foliage sources/sinks changes monotonously. Such a variation is caused by scalar advection in the trunk space and reveals itself as a decrease or increase in vertical fluxes over the forest relative to carbon dioxide exchange of the underlying forest. The effect was more pronounced in model forests where the leaf area is concentrated in the upper part of the canopy. These results can be useful both for interpretation of existing measurements of net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) from flux towers in limited fetch conditions and in planning future CO2 transport experiments.     

Higher CO2 absorption using a new class of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) nanoparticles

Environmental Chemistry Letters - With rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations globally, there is an urgent need for highly efficient CO2 capture technologies. This report introduces...     

Nutrient regulation of organic matter decomposition in a tropical rain forest

Terrestrial biosphere-atmosphere CO2 exchange is dominated by tropical forests, so understanding how nutrient availability affects carbon (C) decomposition in these ecosystems is central to predicting the global C cycle's response to environmental change. In tropical rain forests, phosphorus (P) limitation of primary production and decomposition is believed to be widespread, but direct evidence is rare. We assessed the effects of nitrogen (N) and P fertilization on litter-layer organic matter decomposition in two neighboring tropical rain forests in southwest Costa Rica that are similar in most ways, but that differ in soil P availability. The sites contain 100-200 tree species per hectare and between species foliar nutrient content is variable. To control for this heterogeneity, we decomposed leaves collected from a widespread neotropical species, Brosimum utile. Mass loss during decomposition was rapid in both forests, with B. utile leaves losing >80% of their initial mass in <300 days. High organic matter solubility throughout decomposition combined with high rainfall support a model of litter-layer decomposition in these rain forests in which rapid mass loss in the litter layer is dominated by leaching of dissolved organic matter (DOM) rather than direct CO2 mineralization. While P fertilization did not significantly affect mass loss in the litter layer, it did stimulate P immobilization in decomposing material, leading to increased P content and a lower C:P ratio in soluble DOM. In turn, increased P content of leached DOM stimulated significant increases in microbial mineralization of DOM in P-fertilized soil. These results show that, while nutrients may not affect mass loss during decomposition in nutrient-poor, wet ecosystems, they may ultimately regulate CO2 losses (and hence C storage) by limiting microbial mineralization of DOM leached from the litter layer to soil.     

大气CO_2浓度升高对稻田土壤Ca、Mg含量的影响

为了研究稻田生态系统中土壤钙、镁元素生物地球化学循环对大气CO2浓度升高的响应。利用中国稻/麦轮作FACE（Free Air Carbon-dioxide Enrichment）试验平台,研究大气CO2浓度升高（比周围大气高200μmol mol-1）对2007年稻季各生育期不同深度土壤溶液ρ（Ca）、ρ（Mg）的影响。结果表明,大气CO2浓度升高降低了5 cm处土壤溶液ρ（Ca）、ρ（Mg）,有增加稻季30、60和90 cm处土壤溶液ρ（Ca）的趋势,其增幅分别为18.3%、12.4%和15.3%;大气CO2浓度升高会增加稻季Ca淋溶损失风险;稻季不同深度土壤溶液ρ（Ca）、ρ（Mg）对大气CO2浓度升高的响应有所不同。稻田生态系统不同深度土壤Ca、Mg循环对大气CO2浓度升高的响应值得深入研究。     

Long-term CO2 enrichment of a forest ecosystem: implications for forest regeneration and succession.

The composition and successional status of a forest affect carbon storage and net ecosystem productivity, yet it remains unclear whether elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) will impact rates and trajectories of forest succession. We examined how CO2 enrichment (+200 microL CO2/L air differential) affects forest succession through growth and survivorship of tree seedlings, as part of the Duke Forest free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment in North Carolina, USA. We planted 2352 seedlings of 14 species in the low light forest understory and determined effects of elevated CO2 on individual plant growth, survival, and total sample biomass accumulation, an integrator of plant growth and survivorship over time, for six years. We used a hierarchical Bayes framework to accommodate the uncertainty associated with the availability of light and the variability in growth among individual plants. We found that most species did not exhibit strong responses to CO2. Ulmus alata (+21%), Quercus alba (+9.5%), and nitrogen-fixing Robinia pseudoacacia (+230%) exhibited greater mean annual relative growth rates under elevated CO2 than under ambient conditions. The effects of CO2 were small relative to variability within populations; however, some species grew better under low light conditions when exposed to elevated CO2 than they did under ambient conditions. These species include shade-intolerant Liriodendron tulipifera and Liquidambar styraciflua, intermediate-tolerant Quercus velutina, and shade-tolerant Acer barbatum, A. rubrum, Prunus serotina, Ulmus alata, and Cercis canadensis. Contrary to our expectation, shade-intolerant trees did not survive better with CO2 enrichment, and population-scale responses to CO2 were influenced by survival probabilities in low light. CO2 enrichment did not increase rates of sample biomass accumulation for most species, but it did stimulate biomass growth of shade-tolerant taxa, particularly Acer barbatum and Ulmus alata. Our data suggest a small CO2 fertilization effect on tree productivity, and the possibility of reduced carbon accumulation rates relative to today's forests due to changes in species composition.     

陆地碳平衡对大气CO_2升高的响应及其机制

研究陆地碳平衡对大气CO2浓度升高的响应,能为揭示碳失汇之迷提供有力证据,为制定缓解全球变化的合理政策措施提供理论依据.综述了陆地碳平衡对全球大气CO2升高的响应及其町能的机制,由于陆地生态系统的复杂性,以及不同的研究在具体的对象、时间、地点、方法和角度的差异,目前有关陆地碳平衡对全球大气CO2升高的响应还存在很大的分歧.陆地碳库主要可分为植被碳库和土壤碳库,大气CO2浓度升高主要是通过影响光合作用、土壤养分、水分供应、光照条件、群落组成、光合产物分配等方式影响植被碳库;而土壤碳库的响应机理主要包括光合产物向土壤的输入量、脱落物质量、养分循环、光合产物分配、根系周转期、微生物活性等的响应.关于陆地碳平衡对全球大气CO2升高的响应今后应该主要集中在:(1)不同生态系统影响全球植被碳库变化的主导因子;(2)大气CO2浓度升高与其他环境因子的互作效应;(3)大气CO2浓度升高对植物光合作用的促进效应与光合作用适应性间的关系;(4)地上碳库与地下碳库间的相关性,及其对大气CO2浓度升高的分别响应;(5)克服目前实验方法存在的局限性.     

[CO2]和温度增加的相互作用对植物生长的影响

ＣＯ2 和温度是影响植物生长、发育和功能的两个关键因子 .在过去一个世纪中 ,[ＣＯ2 ]从 2 80 μｍｏｌ/ｍｏｌ增加到 36 0μｍｏｌ/ｍｏｌ且每年增长速率为 1～ 5 μｍｏｌ/ｍｏｌ,到 2 0世纪末达到更高的浓度[1] .最近的模型预测表明 ,到 2 10 0年 ,全球表面温度可能会增加 1～ 4 .5℃ [2 \〗.ＣＯ2 是光合作用的底物 ,而且还是初级代谢过程 (气孔反应和光合作用 )、光合同化物分配和生长的调节者 .温度几乎影响植物所有的生物学过程 .因此 ,在全球气候变化要素中 ,大气 [ＣＯ2 ]和温度升高对植物的生理过程和生物量及产量具有极为重要的…     

Calcium constrains plant control over forest ecosystem nitrogen cycling

Forest ecosystem nitrogen (N) cycling is a critical controller of the ability of forests to prevent the movement of reactive N to receiving waters and the atmosphere and to sequester elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Here we show that calcium (Ca) constrains the ability of northern hardwood forest trees to control the availability and loss of nitrogen. We evaluated soil N-cycling response to Ca additions in the presence and absence of plants and observed that when plants were present, Ca additions "tightened" the ecosystem N cycle, with decreases in inorganic N levels, potential net N mineralization rates, microbial biomass N content, and denitrification potential. In the absence of plants, Ca additions induced marked increases in nitrification (the key process controlling ecosystem N losses) and inorganic N levels. The observed "tightening" of the N cycle when Ca was added in the presence of plants suggests that the capacity of forests to absorb elevated levels of atmospheric N and CO2 is fundamentally constrained by base cations, which have been depleted in many areas of the globe by acid rain and forest harvesting.     

Mass conservation and atmospheric dynamics in the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS)

This paper examines the spatio-temporal patterns of atmospheric carbon dioxide transport predicted by the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). Forty-eight hour simulations over northern New England incorporating a simple representation of the diurnal summertime surface carbon dioxide forcing arising from biological activity indicate that, in its native formulation, RAMS exhibits a significant degree of mass non-conservation. Domain-wide rates of non-physical mass gain and mass loss are as large as three percent per day which translates into approximately eleven parts per million per day for carbon dioxide — enough to rapidly dilute the signature of carbon dioxide fluxes arising from biological activity. Analysis shows that this is due to the approximation used by RAMS to compute the Exner function. Substitution of the exact, physically complete equation improves mass conservation by two orders of magnitude. In addition to greatly improving mass conservation, use of the complete Exner function equation has a substantial impact on the spatial pattern of carbon dioxide predicted by the model, yielding predictions differing from a conventional RAMS simulation by as much as forty parts per million. Such differences have important implications both for comparisons of modeled atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to observations and for carbon dioxide inversion studies, which use estimates of atmospheric transport of carbon dioxide in conjunction with measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to infer the spatio-temporal distribution of surface carbon dioxide fluxes. Furthermore, use of the complete Exner function equation affects the vertical velocity and water mixing ratio fields, causing significant changes in accumulated precipitation over the region.     

High diurnal variation in dissolved inorganic C, δ13C values and surface efflux of CO2 in a seasonal tropical floodplain

Diurnal variations in aquatic systems may be a major factor influencing carbon cycling. However, few studies have examined diurnal variation on floodplains and wetlands, especially in the tropics. Stable isotope analysis of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ¹³C_DIC) provides insight into the driving factors behind diurnal physio-chemical variability, but to date, the manual collection of large sample numbers at high temporal frequency has been prohibitive. Here, we report one of the first, high-resolution isotopic studies of δ¹³C_DIC on a tropical floodplain using acidification-interface cavity ring-down spectrometry. Water samples were analysed for δ¹³C_DIC and other water quality parameters at 15-min intervals for 24 h. Our results show significant diurnal variation in both DIC concentration and δ¹³C_DIC. Maximum DIC concentration, recorded overnight, was approximately 100 % greater than during the day. Maximum DIC concentration coincided with minimum δ¹³C_DIC as a result of shifting autotrophic/heterotrophic balance. Changes were significant over small time scales and showed CO₂ gas evasion estimates could vary by as much as 50 % based on measurements taken less than 5 h apart. These data show that to accurately evaluate the role of tropical floodplains in global carbon dynamics, a comprehensive understanding of diurnal variation will be essential.     

水旱轮作稻田旱作季种植不同作物对CH4和N2O排放的影响

甲烷（CH4）和氧化亚氮（N2O）是仅次于二氧化碳（CO2）的重要温室气体,农田是大气CH4和N20的重要来源,但目前农业措施对CH4和N2O排放的影响尚不明确。以水旱轮作稻田旱作季休闲为对照,采用静态箱．气相色谱法研究了种植紫云英、黑麦草、冬小麦以及油菜等4种作物对稻田旱作季CH4和N2O排放及其温室效应的影响。结果表明：水旱轮作稻田旱作季CH4排放通量较低,而N2O排放较为明显。稻田旱作季CH4平均排放通量表现为油菜〉黑麦草〉冬小麦〉紫云英〉休闲,依次为8．96、7．19、6．94、6．52和6．02μg·m-2·h-1,季节N20平均排放通量的顺序是油菜（61．1lμg·m-2·h-1）〉冬小麦（52．5lag·m-2·h-1）〉黑麦草（34．0μg·m-2·h。）〉休闲（15.3lμg·m-2·h-1）〉紫云英（13．6lμg·m-2·h-1）。稻田旱作季种植不同作物对CH4和N2O季节总排放量的影响达到极显著水平（P〈0．01）,C144和N2O季节总排放量均以种植油菜为最大,分别达到43．2和294．7mg·m-2,比对照休闲增加49％和299％。种植油菜、冬小麦和黑麦草较对照休闲显著增加稻田旱作季总增温潜势（P〈0．05）,紫云英和休闲处理间总增温潜势无显著差异（P〉0．05）。研究表明,种植油菜、冬小麦和黑麦草等作物由于氮肥的施用增加了水旱轮作稻田旱作季温室效应。     

二氧化碳浓度升高对植物入侵的影响

从入侵植物和入侵植物群落两个方面,综述了大气二氧化碳浓度升高对植物入侵的影响。二氧化碳浓度升高,可以增加C3植物的入侵性,提高入侵植物的生物量、资源利用率以及繁殖能力,直接影响植物入侵;还可以通过改变土壤水分、氮循环、干扰体系等其它环境因子间接地影响植物入侵。此外,二氧化碳浓度升高,对入侵群落的初级生产量、组成与结构以及群落动态产生重要影响,改变群落的可入侵性。今后应当着重从群落水平,结合其它全球变化因子的共同作用研究二氧化碳浓度升高对植物入侵的影响,同时深入探讨其作用机制以及不同植物类群对二氧化碳的响应,为入侵种的预防和控制提供理论指导。     

Litterfall 15N abundance indicates declining soil nitrogen availability in a free-air CO2 enrichment experiment

Forest productivity increases in response to carbon dioxide (CO2) enrichment of the atmosphere. However, in nitrogen-limited ecosystems, increased productivity may cause a decline in soil nitrogen (N) availability and induce a negative feedback on further enhancement of forest production. In a free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment, the response of sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) productivity to elevated CO2 concentrations [CO2] has declined over time, but documenting an associated change in soil N availability has been difficult. Here we assess the time history of soil N availability through analysis of natural 15N abundance in archived samples of freshly fallen leaf litterfall. Litterfall delta15N declined from 1998 to 2005, and the rate of decline was significantly faster in elevated [CO2]. Declining leaf litterfall delta15N is indicative of a tighter ecosystem N cycle and more limited soil N availability. By integrating N availability over time and throughout the soil profile, temporal dynamics in leaf litterfall delta15N provide a powerful tool for documenting changes in N availability and the critical feedbacks between C and N cycles that will control forest response to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations.     

推荐管理措施情景下黄淮海地区旱地土壤固碳潜力模拟研究——以河南省获嘉县为例

农田土壤固碳不仅可以减缓气候变化,而且能够提高土壤质量。推荐管理措施,如少、免耕和秸秆还田等,具有促进农田土壤有机碳（SOC）增加的巨大潜力。旱地占中国农田面积的70%以上,在固定大气CO2方面可以发挥重要作用。本研究基于黄淮海地区的一个旱地土壤肥力长期监测点数据并运用Century模型模拟了监测期间（1998～2007）土壤有机碳动态变化。在此基础上,设计了1种基础管理措施情景和4种推荐管理措施情景并模拟了它们未来20年的固碳潜力。模拟结果表明,监测期间监测点土壤有机碳密度增加2.72 Mg.hm-2,年均增加0.27 Mg.hm-2。土壤有机碳的增加主要是因为氮肥施用量的增加。模型验证结果表明,Century模型很好地模拟了监测点土壤有机碳的动态变化。各推荐管理措施均具有较大的固碳潜力,其中50%秸秆还田是比少、免耕更有效的固碳措施,而少耕＋50%秸秆还田的固碳潜力最大。因此,在黄淮海地区旱地推广实施推荐管理措施是促进农田土壤固碳的有效策略,有助于减缓大气CO2浓度升高和保障国家粮食安全。     

A model on the carbon cycling in Lake Taihu, China

A model of the carbon cycling in Lake Taihu was developed based on the previous developed model EcoTaihu Model, which couples the hydrology, the nutrient cycling and a number of biological processes. The carbon cycling model (abbreviated CCM) has in addition to the states variables of the EcoTaihu Model, the carbon in phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish, macroplant, hydrogen carbonate carbon, carbonate carbon, dissolved carbon, abiotic organic carbon in water, organic carbon in sediment, soluble organic carbon in pore water, inorganic carbon in sediments, soluble inorganic carbon in pore water and pH. The calibration and validation of the CCM showed that the model results are in good accordance with the observations (from the period February17 to December. 5, 2003). It implies that the model can be used to assess the variation of the carbon dioxide flux at the water-air interface, and to find the pH value of the lake water as function of time. According to the model, the carbon dioxide flux at the water-air interface has clear, diurnal variations. Eutrophied water is a sink for the atmospheric carbon dioxide due to the phytosynthesis during the summer. Due to the terrestrial input of carbon to the lake, Lake Taihu is, however, a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The total annual flux is almost equal to the terrestrial input of carbon to the lake.     

Disappearing plants: why they hide and how they return

Prolonged dormancy is a life-history stage in which mature plants fail to resprout for one or more growing seasons and instead remain alive belowground. Prolonged dormancy is relatively common, but the proximate causes and consequences of this intriguing strategy have remained elusive. In this study we tested whether stored resources are associated with remaining belowground, and investigated the resource costs of remaining belowground during the growing season. We measured stored resources at the beginning and end of the growing season in Astragalus scaphoides, an herbaceous perennial in southwest Montana, USA. At the beginning of the growing season, dormant plants had lower concentrations of stored mobile carbon (nonstructural carbohydrates, NSC) than did emergent plants. Surprisingly, during the growing season, dormant plants gained as much NSC as photosynthetically active plants, an increase most likely due to remobilization of structural carbon. Thus, low levels of stored NSC were associated with remaining belowground, and remobilization of structural carbon may allow for dormant plants to emerge in later seasons. The dynamics of NSC in relation to dormancy highlights the ability of plants to change their own resource status somewhat independently of resource assimilation, as well as the importance of considering stored resources in understanding plant responses to the environment.     

大气CO2升高对土壤碳循环影响的研究进展

土壤有机碳是陆地碳库的重要组成部分,其积累和分解的变化直接影响全球的碳平衡。据估计,全球土壤（表层1m）有机碳积累总量相当于大气中碳总量的2～3倍。土壤是温室气体的源或汇,土壤碳库的变化将影响大气C02的浓度,因此,土壤碳库对人类活动的响应也是全球碳循环和全球变化研究的热点。在全球变化的大背景下,大气CO2升高导致植被生态系统碳平衡的改变进而对土壤碳循环产生影响。总结了陆地生态系统碳循环对大气C02浓度升高响应的主要生物学机制及过程,简述了大气C02浓度升高对影响土壤碳输入和输出的各因素的研究进展,并指出未来研究的主要方向。在大气C02浓度升高条件下,陆地生态系统碳循环的变化主要反映在以下几个方面：1）不同类型植物群落的净初级生产力（NPP）显著增加,但湿地植物的净初级生产力也有可能降低;2）光合产物向根系分配的数量增加,地上／地下生物量降低,根系形态发生变化,根系周转速率和根系分泌等过程的碳流量提高;3）植物含氮量降低,C／N提高,次生代谢产物增加,微生物生长受到抑制,植物残体分解速率降低;4）土壤呼吸速率显著增加,提高幅度受植物类型与土壤状况的影响;5）进入土壤的植物残体及分泌物的数量和性质影响土壤酶的活性,脱氢酶和转化酶活性增加,酚氧化酶和纤维素酶受植物类型与环境条件的影响;6）土壤中真菌的数量的增加幅度要高于细菌;7）CH4释放量增加,在植物的生长期表现更为明显。由于陆地生态系统碳循环的复杂性,研究结果仍有很大的不确定性。大气C02浓度升高与全球变化的其它表现间的交互作用将是今后研究的重点,同时由于土壤碳循环是一个由微生物介导的生物地球化学循环过程,因此,加强陆地生态系统碳循环的微生物机制研究也将为全面理解碳循环的过程提供更加准确的研究理论基础。     

Environmental stability and seasonality of a harpacticoid copepod community

The southwest monsoon on the west coast of India brings about dynamic changes in estuaries and coastal waters. The response of the meiofauna to monsoonal rain is obvious, but the impact of such environmental changes on the community structure of harpacticoid copepod species and their seasonality in the estuaries influenced by the tropical monsoon is poorly understood. In this study the spatial and temporal variability in abundance and community structure of meiobenthic copepods was investigated over an annual cycle (June 1983 to June 1984), in an estuary influenced by the tropical monsoon. Total meiofaunal abundance showed wide variations in space and time. Minimum and maximum densities were observed in the monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons, respectively. Quick recovery of harpacticoid populations in the early post-monsoon season indicated their recuperative power under adverse conditions. Of the 25 species recorded from lower, middle and upper reaches, eight comprised over 70% of the total copepod population. The peak and low occurrence of dominant species displayed striking correlations with the summer and rainy seasons, respectively. While other species were restricted in distribution, Stenhelia longifurca was recorded from all salinity regimes. The harpacticoid community was greatly influenced by the onset of the monsoon period, and their spatial and temporal variabilities were related with physico-chemical parameters and the variability of these parameters in the estuary.     

雷州半岛桉林-砖红壤水分动态变化特征研究

根据定位观测数据,对雷州半岛浅海沉积物发育的桉林地砖红壤水分状况及其动态变化进行了初步探讨.结果表明,受水分蒸发量大等因素的影响,0～100 cm土层月均贮水量较低;主要受降雨分布的影响,土壤水分呈明显的季节性变化特征且季节性干旱时间较长,8～