Golden Eagle fatalities and the continental‐scale consequences of local wind‐energy generation

Renewable energy production is expanding rapidly despite mostly unknown environmental effects on wildlife and habitats. We used genetic and stable isotope data collected from Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) killed at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) in California in demographic models to test hypotheses about the geographic extent and demographic consequences of fatalities caused by renewable energy facilities. Geospatial analyses of δ²H values obtained from feathers showed that ≥25% of these APWRA‐killed eagles were recent immigrants to the population, most from long distances away (>100 km). Data from nuclear genes indicated this subset of immigrant eagles was genetically similar to birds identified as locals from the δ²H data. Demographic models implied that in the face of this mortality, the apparent stability of the local Golden Eagle population was maintained by continental‐scale immigration. These analyses demonstrate that ecosystem management decisions concerning the effects of local‐scale renewable energy can have continental‐scale consequences.     

泸沽湖沉积物α纤维素的提取及其稳定碳同位素研究初探

湖泊沉积是环境气候变化的敏感指示器 ,在沉积过程中有机大分子α纤维素不易发生降解 ,其碳链上的C、H、O原子也不会与外界发生交换 ,故沉积物α纤维素的碳同位素能真实地反映原始环境信息。湖泊沉积物中的α纤维素含量少 ,笔者经过反复条件试验 ,得出了从湖泊沉积物提取α纤维素的简便可行的方法。泸沽湖是云贵高原上一半封闭湖泊 ,湖区人为活动干扰较微弱 ,该湖对环境变化敏感。笔者提取了泸沽湖沉积物柱的α纤维素 ,并研究了其碳同位素 ,结果表明 ,α纤维素碳同位素灵敏、精确地反映了该湖一百年来的环境信息 :泸沽湖沉积物有机质以内生为主 ;气候变化趋势为冷—暖—冷—暖。     

甲烷13C同位素比值表征温度对甲烷生成途径的影响

采用测试气相碳同位素比值的方法比较了中温厌氧降解和高温厌氧降解过程中甲烷（CH₄）生成途径的差异,表征了生活垃圾厌氧消化过程CH₄生成途径的演变,并结合气液相化学组分和产甲烷菌荧光原位杂交（FISH）分析对同位素表征结果进行了验证.中温（35℃）条件下,垃圾降解初期甲烷¹³C同位素比值（δ¹³CH₄）下降至-69.5‰,表明此阶段CH₄主要产生自CO₂还原途径;随着垃圾降解进入快速产CH₄阶段,δ¹³CH₄值相应迅速上升至-23.8‰,说明乙酸发酵逐渐成为CH₄生成的主要途径,FISH实验结果也发现此阶段以乙酸发酵型产甲烷菌Methanosarcinaceae为主;当产CH₄速率逐渐减小进入稳定期时,δ¹³CH₄值迅速降低至-55‰后相对稳定,说明乙酸发酵途径的比例减小,并且维持在较稳定的水平.高温（55℃）条件下,δ¹³CH₄值始终维持在约-70‰,表明甲烷主要由CO₂还原作用生成,在快速产CH₄阶段,乙酸氧化和CO₂还原作用是CH₄生成的重要途径.     

δ~(15)N和δ~(18)O指标识别环境中N_2O生成机理

δ15N和δ18O指标在识别环境N2 O生成机理中具有重要的作用。本文主要讨论δ15N指标在识别海洋、土壤和污染水体N2 O生成机理中的作用 ;分析硝化和反硝化作用引起的同位素分馏特征 ;并对δ18O指标的应用进行了探讨。     

沿海城市降水中总汞及汞同位素特征研究

大气汞沉降是汞从排放源进入地表系统最主要的迁移途径,利用汞同位素追踪汞在大气中的迁移转化规律及潜在来源对研究汞的生物地球化学循环具有重要意义.本研究于2012—2013年对厦门市小坪、坂头、鼓浪屿和洪文站点降水中总汞(THg)浓度和汞同位素的变化特征进行了研究.结果表明,厦门降水中THg浓度为1.0～59.4 ng·L~(-1),大气THg湿沉降量为13.1μg·m~(-2)·a~(-1).厦门冷、暖季降水中THg浓度相当,但由于暖季丰沛的降水量,导致暖季THg的湿沉降量约为冷季的2.5倍.降水样品中均表现出负的偶数汞同位素质量分馏(δ~(202)Hg,-2.2‰～-1.5‰)、正的奇数汞同位素非质量分馏(Δ~(199)Hg,0.08‰～0.22‰),以及轻微偏正的偶数汞同位素非质量分馏(Δ~(200)Hg,0.01‰～0.07‰).厦门降水中奇数汞同位素非质量分馏是大气汞液相光致还原反应的结果.偶数汞同位素非质量分馏不明显与其处于较低的纬度有关.厦门降水中δ~(202)Hg接近于厦门当地及贵州燃煤烟气中的δ~(202)Hg值,表明厦门降水中汞可能受到本地或传输过来的燃煤排放的影响.     

Predicting δCDIC dynamics in CCS: A scheme based on a review of inorganic carbon chemistry under elevated pressures and temperatures

Stable carbon isotopes are important tools to assess potential storage sites for CO₂, as they allow the quantification of ionic trapping via isotope mass balances. In deep geological formations high p/T conditions need to be considered, because CO₂ dissolution, equilibrium constants and isotope fractionation of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) depend on temperature, pressure and solute composition. After reviewing different approaches to account for these dependencies, an expanded scheme is presented for speciation and carbon isotope fractionation of DIC and dissolution of CaCO₃ for pCO₂ up to 100 bar, pH down to 3 and temperatures of up to 200 °C. The scheme evaluates the influence of respective parameters on isotope ratios during CO₂ sequestration. The pCO₂ and pH are the dominant controlling factors in the DIC/δ¹³C/pH system. The fugacity of CO₂ has major impact on DIC concentrations at temperatures below 100 °C at high pCO₂. Temperature dependency of activities and equilibrium dominates at temperatures above 100 °C. Isotope ratios of DIC are expected to be about 1–2‰ more depleted in ¹³C compared to the free CO₂ at pCO₂ values above 10 bar. This depletion is controlled by carbon isotope fractionation between CO₂ and H₂CO₃* which is the dominant species of DIC at the resulting pH below 5.     

基于氢氧稳定同位素的黄土高原云下二次蒸发效应

根据GNIP提供的1985年1月至2004年12月黄土高原8个站点的409个降水同位素数据及同期的气象资料,结合HYSPLIT 4.9模型,分析了该区δ18O和d的时空分布特征,计算了二次蒸发的比率,并对不同气象因子影响二次蒸发的程度作了探讨,得到以下结论:1冬季风和夏季风期间,在黄土高原内由南向北δ18O呈上升趋势,d呈下降趋势;自东向西δ18O仅在夏季风期间有上升趋势,而在冬季风期间呈现下降趋势,d总呈现下降的趋势,δ18O和d的变化幅度可以指示季风的路径.2该区全年存在二次蒸发效应,夏季风期间最为明显,蒸发比率介于1.51%~5.88%之间,平均值为3.87%.冬季风期间蒸发比率总体较低,介于1.06%~5.46%之间,平均值也降为3.03%.黄土高原边缘站点蒸发比率受季风变化影响较大,而中部站点受季风变化影响较小.3温度对二次蒸发的影响较大,降水量和水汽压其次,相对湿度较小.此外,风速和海拔对二次蒸发的影响较弱.     

Varying Stable Nitrogen Isotope Ratios of Different Coastal Marsh Plants and Their Relationships with Wastewater Nitrogen and Land Use in New England, USA

The stable nitrogen isotope ratios of some biota have been used as indicators of sources of anthropogenic nitrogen. In this study the relationships of the stable nitrogen isotope ratios of marsh plants, Iva frutescens (L.), Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin ex Steud, Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl, Spartina alterniflora Loisel, Ulva lactuca (L.), and Enteromorpha intestinalis (L.) with wastewater nitrogen and land development in New England are described. Five of the six plant species (all but U. lactuca) showed significant relationships of increasing δ ¹⁵N values with increasing wastewater nitrogen. There was a significant (P < 0.0001) downward shift in the δ ¹⁵N of S. patens (6.0 ± 0.48‰) which is mycorrhizal compared with S. alterniflora (8.5 ± 0.41‰). The downward shift in δ ¹⁵N may be caused by the assimilation of fixed nitrogen in the roots of S. patens. P. australis within sites had wide ranges of δ ¹⁵N values, evidently influenced by the type of shoreline development or buffer at the upland border. In residential areas, the presence of a vegetated buffer (n = 24 locations) significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the δ ¹⁵N (mean = 7.4 ± 0.43‰) of the P. australis compared to stands where there was no buffer (mean = 10.9 ± 1.0‰; n = 15). Among the plant species, I. frutescens located near the upland border showed the most significant (R ² = 0.64; P = 0.006) inverse relationship with the percent agricultural land in the watershed. The δ ¹⁵N of P. australis and I. frustescens is apparently an indicator of local inputs near the upland border, while the δ ¹⁵N of Spartina relates with the integrated, watershed-sea nitrogen inputs.     

Importance of sulfate reducing bacteria in mercury methylation and demethylation in periphyton from Bolivian Amazon region

Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are important mercury methylators in sediments, but information on mercury methylators in other compartments is ambiguous. To investigate SRB involvement in methylation in Amazonian periphyton, the relationship between Hg methylation potential and SRB (Desulfobacteraceae, Desulfobulbaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae) abundance in Eichhornia crassipes and Polygonum densiflorum root associated periphyton was examined. Periphyton subsamples of each macrophyte were amended with electron donors (lactate, acetate and propionate) or inhibitors (molybdate) of sulfate reduction to create differences in SRB subgroup abundance, which was measured by quantitative real-time PCR with primers specific for the 16S rRNA gene. Mercury methylation and demethylation potentials were determined by a stable isotope tracer technique using ²⁰⁰HgCl and CH₃²⁰²HgCl, respectively. Relative abundance of Desulfobacteraceae (<0.01-12.5%) and Desulfovibrionaceae (0.01-6.8%) were both highly variable among samples and subsamples, but a significant linear relationship (p < 0.05) was found between Desulfobacteraceae abundance and net methylmercury formation among treatments of the same macrophyte periphyton and among all P. densiflorum samples, suggesting that Desulfobacteraceae bacteria are the most important mercury methylators among SRB families. Yet, molybdate only partially inhibited mercury methylation potentials, suggesting the involvement of other microorganisms as well. The response of net methylmercury production to the different electron donors and molybdate was highly variable (3-1104 pg g⁻¹ in 12 h) among samples, as was the net formation in control samples (17-164 pg g⁻¹ in 12 h). This demonstrates the importance of community variability and complexity of microbial interactions for the overall methylmercury production in periphyton and their response to external stimulus.     

Carbon isotope signature of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in precipitation and atmospheric CO2

This paper describes results of chemical and isotopic analysis of inorganic carbon species in the atmosphere and precipitation for the calendar year 2008 in Wroc?aw (SW Poland). Atmospheric air samples (collected weekly) and rainwater samples (collected after rain episodes) were analysed for CO₂ and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations and for δ¹³C composition. The values obtained varied in the ranges: atmospheric CO₂: 337-448 ppm; δ¹³C_CO2 from −14.4 to −8.4‰; DIC in precipitation: 0.6-5.5 mg dm⁻³; δ¹³C_DIC from −22.2 to +0.2‰. No statistical correlation was observed between the concentration and δ¹³C value of atmospheric CO₂ and DIC in precipitation. These observations contradict the commonly held assumption that atmospheric CO₂ controls the DIC in precipitation. We infer that DIC is generated in ambient air temperatures, but from other sources than the measured atmospheric CO₂. The calculated isotopic composition of a hypothetical CO₂ source for DIC forming ranges from −31.4 to −11.0‰, showing significant seasonal variations accordingly to changing anthropogenic impact and atmospheric mixing processes.