Novel manure management technologies in no-till and forage introduction to the special series

Surface application of manures leaves nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) susceptible to being lost in runoff, and N can also be lost to the atmosphere through ammonia (IH3) volatilization. Tillage immediately after surface application of manure moves manure nutrients under the soil surface, where they are less vulnerable to runoff and volatilization loss. Tillage, however, destroys soil structure, can lead to soil erosion, and is incompatible with forage and no-till systems. A variety of technologies are now available to place manure nutrients under the soil surface, but these are not widely used as surface broadcasting is cheap and long established as the standard method for land application of manure. This collection of papers includes agronomic, environmental, and economic assessments of subsurface manure application technologies, many of which clearly show benefits when comparedwith surface broadcasting. However, there remain significant gaps in our current knowledge, some related to the site-specific nature of technological performance, others related to the nascent and incomplete nature of the assessment process. Thus, while we know that we can improve land application of manure and the sustainability of farming systems with alternatives to surface broadcasting, many questions remain concerning which technologies work best for particular soils, manure types, and farming and cropping systems.     

College and university environmental programs as a policy problem (part 1): integrating knowledge, education, and action for a better world?

The environmental sciences/studies movement, with more than 1000 programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, is unified by a common interest??ameliorating environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. Unfortunately, environmental programs have struggled in their efforts to integrate knowledge across disciplines and educate students to become sound problem solvers and leaders. We examine the environmental program movement as a policy problem, looking at overall goals, mapping trends in relation to those goals, identifying the underlying factors contributing to trends, and projecting the future. We argue that despite its shared common interest, the environmental program movement is disparate and fragmented by goal ambiguity, positivistic disciplinary approaches, and poorly rationalized curricula, pedagogies, and educational philosophies. We discuss these challenges and the nature of the changes that are needed in order to overcome them. In a subsequent article (Part 2) we propose specific strategies for improvement.     

Habitat modification affects recruitment of abalone in central New Zealand

The habitat experienced during early life-history stages can determine the number and quality of individuals that recruit to adult populations. In a field experiment, biogenic habitat complexity was manipulated (presence or absence of foliose macroalgae) at two depths (2–3 m and 5–6 m) and the habitat-dependent effects on recruitment of the black foot abalone (Haliotis iris) were examined at three field sites along the south coast of Wellington, New Zealand (41°20′S, 174°47′E), between July and November 2005. Recruit density (<5 weeks post-settlement) was measured on cobbles covered with crustose coralline algae. Habitats of low complexity (barrens treatments) had consistently greater densities of recruits than habitats of high complexity (algae treatments). However, recruits in algae habitats were larger, and for deep habitats, there was greater survival in algae habitats compared with barrens habitats. While depth had no significant effect on early recruit (<2 weeks post-settlement) density, late recruit (<5 weeks post-settlement) density was greater in shallow habitats, and so it seems recruit survival was greater in shallow habitats. In this experiment, algal habitat complexity had strong effects on early recruit abundance, but habitat-dependent variations in recruit growth and survival may modify initial patterns of abundance and determine recruitment to adult abalone populations.     

三峡库区澎溪河与磨刀溪电导率等水质特征与水华的关系比较

三峡库区北岸最大一级支流自三峡大坝2003年蓄水以来,频繁暴发水华,而毗邻的一级支流磨刀溪却少有水华暴发.本文以澎溪河和磨刀溪作为研究对象,于2014年春季和夏季三峡库区水华高发期对两条河流同时采样,对比分析两条河流水体水质以及叶绿素a(Chl-a)含量的时空变化,探索澎溪河水华暴发机理.结果表明:澎溪河Chl-a含量较磨刀溪高,澎溪河春季Chl-a最大值为60.5μg·L~(-1),夏季Chl-a最大值仅7.8μg·L~(-1);磨刀溪Chl-a变化趋势与澎溪河相反,磨刀溪春季Chl-a含量为2.92μg·L~(-1),夏季Chl-a达到7.48μg·L~(-1).澎溪河与磨刀溪春季和夏季节水体温度分层,为温跃层+滞温层模式,而没有混合层;两条河流Chl-a含量均位于水深10 m温跃层.澎溪河春季总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)平均值为2.305 mg·L~(-1)和0.053 mg·L~(-1),夏季为1.673 mg·L~(-1)和0.097 mg·L~(-1);磨刀溪春季为1.875 mg·L~(-1)和0.075 mg·L~(-1),夏季为1.79 mg·L~(-1)和0.054 mg·L~(-1).TN、TP水平均超过了国际公认发生富营养化的阈值;水体氮磷含量与Chl-a浓度并无显著相关性,营养盐并不是藻类生物量的限制性因素.然而在水体电导率的规律方面,两条河却存在很大的差异;春季,磨刀溪上游上层水体(0~10 m)电导率只有下游和长江干流的75%,来自长江干流的回水可覆盖至磨刀溪中游(断面MD03),与Chl-a在此处密集保持一致;夏季电导率和回水区分布与春季相似.与磨刀溪不同,澎溪河春季上游电导率为下游和干流的150%,长江干流回水可到PX04与PX05之间,上游高电导率对应着高Chl-a含量;澎溪河电导率与藻类生长分布表现出显著正相关关系,水体中除N、P营养盐外的其它离子对澎溪河水华暴发起重要作用.     

Biofiltration of fugitive methane emissions from landfills using scum from municipal wastewater treatment plants as alternative substrate

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Biofilters have been recognized as a key technology in the mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by landfills. This study aimed to evaluate...     

Regional-scale meteorological characteristics of the Vento Norte phenomenon observed in Southern Brazil

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The sudden increase in air temperature associated with strong gusty winds of northerly direction is a phenomenon occasionally observed during the cold season in the...     

Flux capacities and acclimation costs in Trichodesmium from the Gulf of Mexico

Phytoplankton function and acclimation are driven by catalytic protein complexes that mediate key physiological transformations, including generation of photosynthetic ATP and reductant, and carbon and nitrogen fixation. Quantitation of capacities for these processes allows estimation of rates for key ecosystem processes, and identification of factors limiting primary productivity. We herein present molar quantitations of PSI, PSII, ATP synthase, RuBisCO and the Fe protein of nitrogenase of Trichodesmium collected from the Gulf of Mexico, in comparison to determinations for a range of cyanobacteria growing in culture. Using these measurements, estimates were generated for Trichodesmium capacities for carbon fixation of 1–3.4 g C g chl a ⁻¹ h⁻¹ and nitrogen fixation of 0.06–0.17 g N g chl a ⁻¹ h⁻¹, with diel variations in capacities. ATP synthase levels show that ATP synthesis capacity is sufficient to support these levels of carbon and nitrogen fixation, and that ATP synthase levels change over the day in accordance with the ATP demands of nitrogenase and RuBisCO activity. Levels of measured complexes indicate that Trichodesmium manifests n-type diel light acclimation through rapid changes in RuBisCO:PSII, supported by significant investment of cellular nitrogen. The plasticity in the levels and stoichiometry of these core complexes show that changes in the abundance of core protein complexes are an important component of acclimation and regulation of metabolic function by Trichodesmium populations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Simulating soil organic matter with CQESTR (v. 2.0): Model description and validation against long-term experiments across North America

Soil carbon (C) models are important tools for examining complex interactions between climate, crop and soil management practices, and to evaluate the long-term effects of management practices on C-storage potential in soils. CQESTR is a process-based carbon balance model that relates crop residue additions and crop and soil management to soil organic matter (SOM) accretion or loss. This model was developed for national use in U.S and calibrated initially in the Pacific Northwest. Our objectives were: (i) to revise the model, making it more applicable for wider geographic areas including potential international application, by modifying the thermal effect and incorporating soil texture and drainage effects, and (ii) to recalibrate and validate it for an extended range of soil properties and climate conditions. The current version of CQESTR (v. 2.0) is presented with the algorithms necessary to simulate SOM at field scale. Input data for SOM calculation include crop rotation, aboveground and belowground biomass additions, tillage, weather, and the nitrogen content of crop residues and any organic amendments. The model was validated with long-term data from across North America. Regression analysis of 306 pairs of predicted and measured SOM data under diverse climate, soil texture and drainage classes, and agronomic practices at 13 agricultural sites having a range of SOM (7.3–57.9 g SOM kg⁻¹), resulted in a linear relationship with an r² of 0.95 (P < 0.0001) and a 95% confidence interval of 4.3 g SOM kg⁻¹. Using the same data the version 1.0 of CQESTR had an r² of 0.71 with a 95% confidence interval of 5.5 g SOM kg⁻¹. The model can be used as a tool to predict and evaluate SOM changes from various management practices and offers the potential to estimate C accretion required for C credits.