Exemplifying whole-plant ozone uptake in adult forest trees of contrasting species and site conditions

Whole-tree O3 uptake was exemplified for Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica and Larix decidua in stands at high and low altitude and contrasting water availability through sap flow measurement in tree trunks, intrinsically accounting for drought and boundary layer effects on O3 flux. O3 uptake of evergreen spruce per unit foliage area was enhanced by 100% at high relative to low elevation, whereas deciduous beech and larch showed similar uptake regardless of altitude. The responsiveness of the canopy conductance to water vapor and, as a consequence, O3 uptake to soil moisture and air humidity did not differ between species. Unifying findings at the whole-tree level will promote cause-effect based O3 risk assessment and modeling.     

Combining sap flow and eddy covariance approaches to derive stomatal and non-stomatal O3 fluxes in a forest stand

Stomatal O₃ fluxes to a mixed beech/spruce stand (Fagus sylvatica/Picea abies) in Central Europe were determined using two different approaches. The sap flow technique yielded the tree-level transpiration, whereas the eddy covariance method provided the stand-level evapotranspiration. Both data were then converted into stomatal ozone fluxes, exemplifying this novel concept for July 2007. Sap flow-based stomatal O₃ flux was 33% of the total O₃ flux, whereas derivation from evapotranspiration rates in combination with the Penman-Monteith algorithm amounted to 47%. In addition to this proportional difference, the sap flow-based assessment yielded lower levels of stomatal O₃ flux and reflected stomatal regulation rather than O₃ exposure, paralleling the daily courses of canopy conductance for water vapor and eddy covariance-based total stand-level O₃ flux. The demonstrated combination of sap flow and eddy covariance approaches supports the development of O₃ risk assessment in forests from O₃ exposure towards flux-based concepts.     

Ecosystem services and hydroelectricity in Central America: modelling service flows with fuzzy logic and expert knowledge

Because ecosystem services are generally not produced and used in the same place, their assessment should consider the flows of services from ecosystems to users. These flows depend on the characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems and users, the spatial relationships between them, and the presence of filters or barriers between ecosystems and users. The objective of this paper is to map the ecosystem services provided to the Costa Rican and Nicaraguan hydroelectric sectors, which are crucial sectors for national sustainable development and depend directly on hydrological ecosystem services. The paper presents an approach for modelling the flows of multiple services from diverse ecosystems to diverse users through different kinds of filters in a landscape. The approach uses expert knowledge and fuzzy numbers to handle uncertainties. The analyses for Costa Rica and Nicaragua show how the approach helps identify priority areas for the conservation and restoration of forests for the services they provide to the hydroelectric sector. As such, it is a useful tool for defining spatially targeted policies for the conservation of ecosystem services and for involving the users of ecosystem services in ecosystem management.     

Aerosol species concentrations and source apportionment of ammonia at Rocky Mountain National Park

Changes in ecosystem function at Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) are occurring because of emissions of nitrogen and sulfate species along the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, as well as sources farther east and west. The nitrogen compounds include both oxidized and reduced nitrogen. A year-long monitoring program of various oxidized and reduced nitrogen species was initiated to better understand their origins as well as the complex chemistry occurring during transport from source to receptor. Specifically, the goals of the study were to characterize the atmospheric concentrations of nitrogen species in gaseous, particulate, and aqueous phases (precipitation and clouds) along the east and west sides of the Continental Divide; identify the relative contributions to atmospheric nitrogen species in RMNP from within and outside of the state of Colorado; identify the relative contributions to atmospheric nitrogen species in RMNP from emission sources along the Colorado Front Range versus other areas within Colorado; and identify the relative contributions to atmospheric nitrogen species from mobile sources, agricultural activities, and large and small point sources within the state of Colorado. Measured ammonia concentrations are combined with modeled releases of conservative tracers from ammonia source regions around the United States to apportion ammonia to its respective sources, using receptor modeling tools.

Implications: Increased deposition of nitrogen in RMNP has been demonstrated to contribute to a number of important ecosystem changes. The rate of deposition of nitrogen compounds in RMNP has crossed a crucial threshold called the “critical load.” This means that changes are occurring to park ecosystems and that these changes may soon reach a point where they are difficult or impossible to reverse. Several key issues need attention to develop an effective strategy for protecting park resources from adverse impacts of elevated nitrogen deposition. These include determining the importance of previously unquantified nitrogen inputs within the park and identification of important nitrogen sources and transport pathways.     

An assessment of long term ecosystem research activities across European socio-ecological gradients

Integration of European long term ecosystem research (LTER) would provide important support for the management of the pan-European environment and ecosystems, as well as international policy commitments. This does require appropriate coverage of Europe and standardised frameworks and research methods between countries. Emerging interest in socio-ecological systems prompted the present assessment of the distribution of LTER activities across European socio-ecological gradients. This paper presents a European stratification with a 1 km² resolution, delineating 48 broad socio-ecological regions. The dataset is based on an existing biogeophysical stratification constructed using multivariate clustering of mainly climatic variables and a newly developed socio-economic stratification based on an economic density indicator. The coverage of European LTER facilities across the socio-ecological gradients is tested using this dataset. The analysis shows two strong biases in the present LTER effort. Firstly, urban and disturbed regions are consistently under-represented, illustrating a bias for traditional ecological research away from human activity. Secondly, the Mediterranean, for which some of the most extreme global change impacts are projected, is receiving comparatively little attention. Both findings can help guide future investment in the European LTER network – and especially in a Long Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) component– to provide a more balanced coverage. This will provide better scientific understanding of pan-European environmental concerns and support the management of natural resources and international policy commitments in the European Union.     

When Environmental Action Does Not Activate Concern: The Case of Impaired Water Quality in Two Rural Watersheds

Little research has considered how residents’ perceptions of their local environment may interact with efforts to increase environmental concern, particularly in areas in need of remediation. This study examined the process by which local environmental action may affect environmental concern. A model was presented for exploring the effects of community-based watershed organizations (CWOs) on environmental concern that also incorporates existing perceptions of the local environment. Survey data were collected from area residents in two watersheds in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA, an area affected by abandoned mine drainage. The findings suggest that residents’ perceptions of local water quality and importance of improving water quality are important predictors of level of environmental concern and desire for action; however, in this case, having an active or inactive CWO did not influence these perceptions. The implications of these findings raise important questions concerning strategies and policy making around environmental remediation at the local level.     

Reconciliation and interpretation of Big Bend National Park particulate sulfur source apportionment: results from the Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational Study--part I

The Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational (BRAVO) study was an intensive monitoring study from July through October 1999 followed by extensive assessments to determine the causes and sources of haze in Big Bend National Park, located in Southwestern Texas. Particulate sulfate compounds are the largest contributor of haze at Big Bend, and chemical transport models (CTMs) and receptor models were used to apportion the sulfate concentrations at Big Bend to North American source regions and the Carbón power plants, located 225 km southeast of Big Bend in Mexico. Initial source attribution methods had contributions that varied by a factor of > or =2. The evaluation and comparison of methods identified opposing biases between the CTMs and receptor models, indicating that the ensemble of results bounds the true source attribution results. The reconciliation of these differences led to the development of a hybrid receptor model merging the CTM results and air quality data, which allowed a nearly daily source apportionment of the sulfate at Big Bend during the BRAVO study. The best estimates from the reconciliation process resulted in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from U.S. and Mexican sources contributing approximately 55% and 38%, respectively, of sulfate at Big Bend. The distribution among U.S. source regions was Texas, 16%; the Eastern United States, 30%; and the Western United States, 9%. The Carbón facilities contributed 19%, making them the largest single contributing facility. Sources in Mexico contributed to the sulfate at Big Bend on most days, whereas contributions from Texas and Eastern U.S. sources were episodic, with their largest contributions during Big Bend sulfate episodes. On the 20% of the days with the highest sulfate concentrations, U.S. and Mexican sources contributed approximately 71% and 26% of the sulfate, respectively. However, on the 20% of days with the lowest sulfate concentrations, Mexico contributed 48% compared with 40% for the United States.     

Sensitivity of surface drag predictions using Monin–Obukhov similarity theory in non-ideal flow conditions

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Turbulent flux measurements in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL), acquired from a vertical tower of sonic anemometers, are used to investigate the transient...     

Organic reactions without organic solvents and oils and fats as renewable raw materials for the chemical industry

The use of organic solvents should be minimized as far as possible to reduce atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Examples of solvent-free organic syntheses are described. The increasing usage of renewable feedstocks taking advantage of the synthetic potential of nature is another way to avoid organic solvents. Most important is the development of chemical products, i.e., coatings that can be processed without organic solvents.