Model simulations of carbon sequestration in the northwest Pacific by patch fertilization

Iron fertilization of nutrient-rich surface waters of the ocean is one possible way to help slow the rising levels of atmospheric CO₂ by sequestering it in the oceans via biological carbon export. Here, I use an ocean general circulation model to simulate a patch of nutrient depletion in the subpolar northwest Pacific under various scenarios. Model results confirm that surface fertilization is an inefficient way to sequester carbon from the atmosphere (Gnanadesikan et al., 2003), since only about 20% of the exported carbon comes initially from the atmosphere. Fertilization reduces future production and thus CO₂ uptake by utilizing nutrients that would otherwise be available later. Effectively, this can be considered as leakage when compared to a control run. This “effective” leakage and the actual leakage of sequestered CO₂ cause a significant, rapid decrease in carbon retention (only 30–45% retained after 10 years and less than 20% after 50 years). This contrasts markedly with the almost 100% retention efficiency for the same duration using the same model, when carbon is disposed directly into the northwest Pacific (Matsumoto and Mignone, 2005). As a consequence, the economic effectiveness of patch fertilization is poor in two limiting cases of the future price path of carbon. Sequestered carbon in patch fertilization is lost to the atmosphere at increasingly remote places as time passes, which would make monitoring exceedingly difficult. If all organic carbon from one-time fertilization reached the ocean bottom and remineralized there, acidification would be about −0.05 pH unit with O₂ depletion about −20 μmol kg⁻¹. These anomalies are probably too small to seriously threaten deep sea biota, but they are underestimated in the model because of its large grid size. The results from this study offer little to advocate purposeful surface fertilization as a serious means to address the anthropogenic carbon problem.     

南四湖,东平湖资源综合开发问题探讨

南四湖，东平湖是华北重要的淡水湖，湖区自然条件优越，资源丰富，有巨大开发潜力。本文分析湖区资源特征，开发利用现状和存在问题，提出合理开发利用途径与对策。     

胶州湾菲律宾蛤仔死壳分布与生态环境关系的研究

胶州湾菲律宾蛤仔栖息地带由于近年受拖耙捕生产，底质遭到频繁骚动。同时沿岸带局部水域环境污染严重，以及河口盐度突发性骤降等因素，直接影响了蛤仔的存活率。因而蛤仔死壳逐年增多。据１９９０年调查，９月份幼蛤和成蛤死壳平均密度比同年４月分别增加３．５倍和１．８倍，蛤仔资源量亦受一定损失。     

秋茄和榕树叶片中正构烷烃分布和单体化合物δ13C值及其光合作用

对深圳福田、阳江、海南新竹红树林秋茄Kandelia candel及海口榕树Ficusm icrocarpa叶中类脂物进行萃取,分离出正构烷烃,通过气相色谱(GC)及色谱-质谱(GC MS)分析,测出了正构烷烃的碳数分布和相对含量.气相色谱-稳定同位素比质谱仪(GC-IRMS)测定了正构烷烃单体化合物的稳定同位素组成δ13C.秋茄叶和榕树叶正构烷烃的碳数分布均为C17C33,主要集中在C23-C31(＞90%).化合物含量最高为C27的有深圳福田秋茄、海南新竹秋茄、海口榕树,而阳江秋茄为C25.单体化合物的稳定同位素δ13C深圳福田秋茄为-31.42‰-34.48‰,阳江秋茄为-31.69‰-33.62‰,海南新竹秋茄为-30.30‰-33.04‰,海口榕树为-29.92‰33.56‰;平均值分别为-32.95‰、32.67‰、31.67‰、-31.74‰.结果表明,秋茄和陆地植物榕树的光合作用都是通过C3途径,是典型C3植物.     

赤道东北太平洋沉积物中生物钡的分布特征

分析了赤道东北太平洋海域沉积物中Ba、Ti、Al和有机碳(Corg)的含量。研究表明,研究区沉积物中钡为0.198%~0.792%;采用标准陆源物质扣除法获得的生物钡(Babio)的含量为0.162%~0.764%,占沉积物中总钡含量的81.6%~96.5%,平均为88.7%,其在沉积物中的分布表现为上部一致,下部变化较大;有机碳(Corg)的含量为0.18%~0.58%,并表现为随沉积物深度的增加而降低。沉积物中Babio/Ti的比值表现为东区高于西区,且向高纬度降低的特点,而沉积物中Corg/Ti和Babio/Ti则表现为负相关关系,表明研究区沉积物中钡可能和上层海洋生产力的相关性不明显。     

The POC / Th ratio of settling particles isolated using split flow-thin cell fractionation (SPLITT)

The common assumption that the ratio between particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate ²³⁴Th obtained from shallow sediment traps and filterable particles are representative of the ratio in the total particle settling flux should be treated with caution in view of well-known biases associated with tethered shallow sediment traps and the decoupling between size and settling velocity of many natural particle regimes. To make progress toward reliably constraining the POC / ²³⁴Th ratio on truly settling particles, we have tested here a settling collection technique designed to remove any hydrodynamic bias; split flow-thin cell fractionation (SPLITT). These first results from a North Sea fjord and an open Baltic Sea time-series station indicates that the POC / ²³⁴Th ratio on the more complete particle-settling spectrum, isolated with SPLITT, was higher than the POC / ²³⁴Th ratio obtained simultaneously from tethered shallow sediment traps in seven out of seven parallel deployments with an average factor of 210%. The POC / ²³⁴Th ratio from the SPLITT was either in the same range or higher than that obtained on filtered “bulk” particles. To explain this novel data we hypothesize that the slowest settling fraction is organic-matter rich and does not strongly complex ²³⁴Th (i.e., high POC / ²³⁴Th). We suggest that this ultra-slow sinking fraction is better collected by SPLITT than with tethered sediment traps because of minimized hydrodynamic bias.This was tested using the ratio of POC / Al as a tracer of detrital mineral-ballast influenced settling velocity. The higher POC / Al ratios in SPLITT samples relative to in traps is consistent with the hypothesis that SPLITT is better suited for collecting also the slow-settling component of sinking particles. This important slow-settling component appears to here consist primarily of non-APS/TEP components of plankton exudates or other less-strongly ²³⁴Th-complexing organic matter. Further applications of the SPLITT technique are likely to return increasingly new insights on the composition (including “truly settling” POC / ²³⁴Th) of the total spectrum of particles settling out of the upper ocean.     

Semidiurnal Dynamics of Salinity, Nutrients and Suspended Particulate Matter in an Estuary in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, during a Spring Tide Cycle

The physical and chemical variability of the water column at subtidal station of an estuary in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, was studied over a 24-hour period during a spring tide (tidal range ca. 2 m) in May 1995. Surface water and several depths through the water column were monitored every one and two hours, respectively. At each occasion, water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration were measured and water samples were collected for the determination of nutrients and suspended particulate matter (SPM). Disruptive changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of the water was produced by the tidal cycle and the mixing of water masses of different origin. These changes were highly significant both spatially and temporally, yet with varying effects on physical parameters, nutrients and the different components of SPM. Significant differences in nutrient concentrations were also observed when the data-set was divided into ebb and flood components, irrespective of the depth. Nitrate and nitrite rose to 1.8 times higher during the flood. Spatial differences of SPM were less marked than those of nutrients, only particulate organic carbon (POC) being significantly higher at the surface than in the intermediate and the lower layer. Both POC and pheopigment concentrations increased markedly through the water column, being highest shortly before the lower low tide. In contrast, suspended solid (SS) content increased sharply after the lower low tide (>40 mg l⁻¹) and this coincided with a marked decrease of the C/SS content (<20 mg g⁻¹). The lagtime between POC and SS tidal transport was caused by particle resuspension from the exposed intertidal sediments as the tidal level rose, and particle transport selection in relation to the tidal state. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comprehensive development of agriculture in the Loess Plateau Area

The Loess Plateau is one of China s developing areas where socio-econ-omy is backward, ecological environment deteriorated and people's life difficult.The purpose of carrying out comprehensive development of the area's agriculture is, in essence, to open up new fields of agro-production, to intensify the utilization of related resources, to raise productivity and to win bigger output. The decision is important, as by so doing, the physical landscape could be tranformed, the local economy could be flourished, and the people's standard of living could be improved, and moreover the national development strategy of "depending on the East and shifting to the West" and building Shanxi Province into an energy and chemical industrial base could be realized.Based on field investigations in recent years, the auther proposed the purpose, target, principles, steps, tactics and strategies for the comprehensive development of the are's agriculture.     

基于GIS的县域土壤重金属生态风险评价

为研究经济快速发展区农田土壤中重金属的含量及污染状况,本文以浙江省慈溪市为研究对象,研究土壤中铜、汞、镉、铅、砷、铬、锌七种重金属含量特征,并采用潜在生态危害指数法对其进行评价,并绘制生态风险危害指数分级图。结果表明:土壤中除汞元素含量较高外,其他各元素含量仅稍高于当地土壤背景值。七种元素的单因子污染指数Cfi值均属于中等的污染参数,综合污染指数Cd上限值已处于高污染指数的范围,但平均值为属于中等污染水平。从潜在生态风险评价结果来看,七种元素的单项潜在生态风险参数Eri的值也只有汞达到了强生态危害,七种元素综合潜在生态危害指数RI刚刚达到中等生态危害水平,说明该区农田土壤尚处于较低的生态风险状态。生态危害指数插值结果表明,慈溪市重金属元素的高风险区分布在中南部人类活动较为活跃、城乡工业较发达的区域,在今后的土地利用中,应高度重视人类活动对土壤重金属污染的影响。