Conservation practices in U.S. agriculture and their impact on carbon sequestration

Increase in the use of conservation practices byagriculture in the United States will enhance soilorganic carbon and potentially increase carbonsequestration. This, in turn, will decrease the netemission of carbon dioxide. A number of studies existthat calibrate the contribution of various individual,site-specific conservation practices on changes insoil organic carbon. There is a general absence,however, of a comprehensive effort to measureobjectively the contribution of these practicesincluding conservation tillage, the ConservationReserve Program, and conservation buffer strips to anchange in soil organic carbon. This paper fills thatvoid. After recounting the evolution of the use ofthe various conservation practices, it is estimatedthat organic carbon in the soil in 1998 in the UnitedStates attributable to these practices was about 12.2million metric tons. By 2008, there will be anincrease of about 25%. Given that there is asignificant potential for conservation practices tolead to an increase in carbon sequestration, there area number of policy options that can be pursued.     

Mapping and Modeling the Biogeochemical Cycling of Turf Grasses in the United States

Turf grasses are ubiquitous in the urban landscape of the United States and are often associated with various types of environmental impacts, especially on water resources, yet there have been limited efforts to quantify their total surface and ecosystem functioning, such as their total impact on the continental water budget and potential net ecosystem exchange (NEE). In this study, relating turf grass area to an estimate of fractional impervious surface area, it was calculated that potentially 163,800 km² (± 35,850 km²) of land are cultivated with turf grasses in the continental United States, an area three times larger than that of any irrigated crop. Using the Biome-BGC ecosystem process model, the growth of warm-season and cool-season turf grasses was modeled at a number of sites across the 48 conterminous states under different management scenarios, simulating potential carbon and water fluxes as if the entire turf surface was to be managed like a well-maintained lawn. The results indicate that well-watered and fertilized turf grasses act as a carbon sink. The potential NEE that could derive from the total surface potentially under turf (up to 17 Tg C/yr with the simulated scenarios) would require up to 695 to 900 liters of water per person per day, depending on the modeled water irrigation practices, suggesting that outdoor water conservation practices such as xeriscaping and irrigation with recycled waste-water may need to be extended as many municipalities continue to face increasing pressures on freshwater.     

Cap and trade policy for managing water competition from potential future carbon plantations

Carbon sequestration from reforestation can play a large role in mitigating global climate change. However, resulting interception of rainfall runoff may impose high irrigation, water supply and/or environmental flow costs. This article presents an assessment of water trade policy to manage fresh water supply, carbon sequestration trade-offs for the Murray-Darling Basin. A linked Australian high spatial resolution land use and global integrated assessment framework evaluated plausible and internally-consistent global scenarios to 2050 involving significant carbon planting incentive. Substantial flow loss from increased interception was estimated absent policy to balance carbon water trade-offs. Absent policy to address the trade-off, irrigation opportunity costs was estimated to substantially exceed carbon sequestration economic value in futures with significant carbon sequestration incentive. The value of integrating interception from new carbon plantings into the existing water trade system was estimated at $3.3 billion and $2.0 billion (2050 annual value) for our strong and moderately strong global climate action outlooks with our reference case assumptions. The conclusion that trade provision in policy to cap interception impacts can produce significant benefits in scenarios with significant carbon sequestration incentive remained robust over a very broad set of sensitivities tested with benefit estimated at over $1 billion annually at 2050 even for very conservative assumptions.     

Modeling carbon sequestration under zero-tillage at the regional scale. II. The influence of crop rotation and soil type

For policy decisions with respect to CO₂-mitigation measures in the agricultural sector, national and regional estimations of the efficiency of such measures are required. The conversion of ploughed cropland to zero-tillage is discussed as an option to reduce CO₂ emissions and promises at the same time effective soil and water conservation. Based on the upscaling of simulation results with the soil and land resources information system SLISYS-BW, estimations of CO₂-mitigation rates in relation to crop rotations and soil type have been made for the state of Baden-Württemberg (Germany). The results indicate considerable differences in the CO₂-mitigation rates between crop rotations ranging from 0.48 to 0.03 Mg C ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ for winter cereals–spring cereals–rape rotations and winter cereals–spring cereals–corn silage rotations, respectively. The efficiency of the crop rotations is strongly related to the total carbon input and in particular the amount of crop residues. Among the considered soil types, highest CO₂-mitigation rates are associated with Cumulic Anthrosols (0.62 Mg C ha⁻¹ a⁻¹) and the lowest with Gleysols (−0.01 Mg C ha⁻¹ a⁻¹). An agricultural extensification scenario with conventional plowing but conversion of the presently applied intensive crop rotations to a clover–clover–winter cereals rotation indicated a CO₂-mitigation potential of 466 Gg C a⁻¹. However, the present high market prices for cereals and increasing demand for energy production from biomass encourages an intensification of the agricultural production and an excessive removal of biomass which in future will seriously reduce the potential for carbon sequestration on cropland.     

模拟环境条件下δ-MnO2氧化As(III)的搅拌流动动力学特征

采用搅拌流动法研究了酸性水钠锰矿及水羟锰矿2种δ-MnO2矿物氧化As(Ⅲ)的动力学过程,构建了可用于多相体系的搅拌-流动氧化还原反应动力学模型.经过As吸附量的校正后,该模型对酸性水钠锰矿及水羟锰矿氧化As(III)动力学数据拟合度分别为0.980和0.951,模型拟合得到pH 7时2种矿物单位比表面上氧化As(III)的初始反应速率常数k分别为0.131,0.014min-1×m-2.相比而言,该速率常数明显高于批量法得到的表观速率常数kobs,0.021,0.001min-1×m-2更接近真实的化学动力学参数.搅拌流动法与批量法得到的不同矿物的速率常数大小趋势一致,即尽管酸性水钠锰矿对As(III)的氧化率低于水羟锰矿,单位比表面上酸性水钠锰矿氧化As(III)初始反应速率却远高于水羟锰矿.反应过程分析表明,反应初始阶段,As(III)的吸附为主要限速步骤;而随着反应的进行,矿物表面反应位点逐渐钝化或减少,反应位点数量成为限速步骤.     

有机垃圾热解生物碳的研究进展

生物碳是有机垃圾热解的产物。生物碳具有多孔性、高比表面积、高度芳香化结构,充当土壤活性调理剂能增加土壤微生物吸附性能,保水、保肥,促进作物生长,同时还具有贮碳功能。综述了近年来有机垃圾热解及热解生物碳的研究进展,着重介绍了生物碳的形成条件、特征结构、在土壤中的生物与非生物氧化过程,以及对全球气候变化和土壤环境效益等研究动态。展望了有机垃圾热解生物碳技术用于城镇有机垃圾处理的发展前景,提出应重点加强的几个研究方向:1)实现不同混合垃圾制取相似结构的生物碳;2)垃圾热解过程中污染物的控制;3)有机垃圾生物碳的土壤环境行为与环境效益。     

西藏高原生态系统服务时空格局及其变化特征

西藏高原是我国国家生态安全格局中至关重要的区域,维护提升其生态屏障功能是该区生态保护的核心目标。论文分析了1990—2010年西藏高原生态系统类型及其服务能力的时空变化格局,开展近20 a生态屏障功能的综合评估。结果表明：1）近20 a,西藏高原生态系统宏观格局稳定少动,森林、水体与湿地面积略有增加,草地、荒漠面积减少;2）森林、草地、湿地生态系统水源涵养量为895.19×10⁸ m³,平均单位面积水源涵养量为744.48 m³/hm²,近20 a水源涵养服务在波动中有所提升;3）水蚀区土壤水蚀模数为3 876 t/km²,土壤水蚀量为10.31×10⁸ t,生态系统土壤保持服务保有率为66.3%,近20 a土壤侵蚀量下降,而土壤保持服务保有率呈持续上升趋势;4）土壤风蚀模数为1 581.2 t/km²,土壤风蚀量为18.99×10⁸ t,防风固沙服务保有率为66.5%,近20 a由于风场强度减弱与植被覆盖度增加,土壤风蚀量下降,而生态系统防风固沙服务保有率持续提升;5）森林、草地、湿地碳固定服务量为1.95 Pg C,从前10 a略有下降态势转变为后10 a轻微上升趋势。     

Quantitative and structural analyses of hazardous elements in Chinese medicines and herbs

Thirty samples of Chinese medicines and herbs were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, mainly noting on the hazardous elements arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chromium, antimony and cobalt. The three Niuhuang Jiedu Pian samples contained 8.6%, 8.3% and 2.2% As. Two out of four Liushen Wan samples contained approximately7% of both As and Hg. Despite being identically named, the other two Liushen Wan samples did not contain such high concentrations. Japanese Liushen Wan for children contained 1.2 ± 0.03% As and 31 ± 12 mg/kg Hg, whereas Liushen Wan for adults manufactured by another Japanese company contained 550 ± 22 mg/kg As and 1.2 ± 0.05 mg/kg Hg. All the chemical structural formulas of As and Hg in the high-concentration Niuhuang Jiedu Pian and Liushen Wan were realgar (As₄S₄), uzonite (As₄S₅) and cinnabar (HgS). Although the human body is generally not believed to absorb sulphides, continuous intake of these Chinese medicines is potentially no good because it is possible that some arsenic-sulfides will dissolve in gastric acid and then alter their chemical structures. Additionally, many herbs contained low concentrations of Hg, and their chemical structures were unknown.     

不同气候带退耕还林对区域气温的影响差异分析

退耕还林改变陆表覆盖状况,导致碳收支和地表能量平衡变化,从而影响区域气温。论文通过定量估算耕地转为林地导致生态系统吸收大气CO₂和地表能量平衡的变化,分析21世纪初10 a中国不同气候区开展退耕还林对区域气候调节的影响差异。结果表明：1）仅考虑碳调节,各气候区退耕还林皆表现为241.6~470.2 Mg CO₂-eq hm^-2的碳蓄积过程,具有2.2~16.5 Mg CO₂-eq hm^-2的碳汇作用即致冷效应,特别是亚热带湿润区。2）仅考虑地表能量平衡,中温带干旱与半干旱区退耕还林引起的净辐射增加程度大于潜热通量的增加程度,因此地表对大气供热表现为增温效应;而亚热带湿润区退耕还林引起净辐射减少及潜热通量增加,青藏高原、中温带湿润区净辐射增加程度小于潜热通量的增加程度,因此地表对大气供热皆表现为致冷效应。3）同时考虑碳调节和地表能量收支,中国亚热带湿润区退耕还林的致冷效应是仅考虑碳调节致冷效应的1.25~1.45倍,而中温带干旱区退耕还林的致冷效应则为仅考虑碳调节效应的近一半。     

Forest optimisation models including timber production and carbon sequestration values of forest ecosystems: a case study

The integration of carbon sequestration value of forest ecosystems into forest management planning models has become increasingly important in sustainable forest management. This study analyses the economic effects of different minimum cutting ages on timber and carbon sequestration values for a Scots pine forest clumped mainly in older age classes in northeast Turkey. The analysis is performed by formulating three optimisation models. The objective of each model is to maximise net present value (NPV) of harvested timber, net present value of carbon sequestration and the total net present value of timber production and carbon sequestration, respectively. Results showed that increasing the minimum cutting ages by 10 years increased the NPV of timber by 10.5%. However, the current minimum cutting ages were optimal for maximizing the NPV of carbon and the sum of the NPV of timber and carbon benefits. In addition, the model outputs were found to be quite sensitive to unit carbon prices.