Emission of nitric oxide from soils and termite nests in a Trachypogon savanna of the Orinoco basin

Nitric oxide fluxes from soils in the Trachypogon savanna of the Orinoco basin were determined during the dry season using the static chamber method. The emission from dry soils fluctuated from 0.4 to 3 ng N m^–2 s^–1 and increased up to 25 ng N m^–2 s^–1 after moderate watering or light rain-falls (1 to 5 mm). The mean emission values are up to 6 times lower than one observed earlier at the Chaguaramas site, but up to 10 times higher than one recorded at the Guri site, indicating an important spatial variability in NO fluxes of the Venezuelan savanna region. The changes observed after the addition of nitrogen to the soil, in the form of ammonium and/or nitrate, indicate a high denitrification potential in this acidic soil. Burning of the surface vegetation produced an increase by a factor of 10 in the emission rate of NO, but the effect was relatively short in time, about 5 days. It was estimated for the savanna region that burning increases the total NO soil emission during the dry season by 15% compared to the unburnt case. Soils with termite nests emit 10 times more NO than soil without nests, but the contribution from this source is less than 2% of the total savanna soil flux.     

Field measurements of NO and NO2 emissions from fertilized and unfertilized soils

Field measurements of NO and NO₂ emissions from soils have been performed in Finthen near Mainz (F.R.G.) and in Utrera near Seville (Spain). The applied method employed a flow box coupled with a chemiluminescent NO _x detector allowing the determination of minimum flux rates of 2 g N m^-2 h^-1 for NO and 3 g m^-2 h^-1 for NO₂.The NO and NO₂ flux rates were found to be strongly dependent on soil surface temperatures and showed strong daily variations with maximum values during the early afternoon and minimum values during the early morning. Between the daily variation patterns of NO and NO₂, there was a time lag of about 2 h which seem to be due to the different physico-chemical properties of NO and NO₂. The apparent activation energy of NO emission calculated from the Arrhenius equation ranged between 44 and 103 kJ per mole. The NO and NO₂ emission rates were positively correlated with soil moisture in the upper soil layer.The measurements carried out in August in Finthen clearly indicate the establishment of NO and NO₂ equilibrium mixing ratios which appeared to be on the order of 20 ppbv for NO and 10 ppbv for NO₂. The soil acted as a net sink for ambient air NO and NO₂ mixing ratios higher than the equilibrium values and a net source for NO and NO₂ mixing ratios lower than the equilibrium values. This behaviour as well as the observation of equilibrium mixing ratios clearly indicate that NO and NO₂ are formed and destroyed concurrently in the soil.Average flux rates measured on bare unfertilized soils were about 10 g N m^-2 h^-1 for NO₂ and 8 g N m^-2 h^-1 for NO. The NO and NO₂ flux rates were significantly reduced on plant covered soil plots. In some cases, the flux rates of both gases became negative indicating that the vegetation may act as a sink for atmospheric NO and NO₂.Application of mineral fertilizers increased the NO and NO₂ emission rates. Highest emission rates were observed for urea followed by NH₄Cl, NH₄NO₃ and NaNO₃. The fertilizer loss rates ranged from 0.1% for NaNO₃ to 5.4% for urea. Vegetation cover substantially reduced the fertilizer loss rate.The total NO _x emission from soil is estimated to be 11 Tg N yr^-1. This figure is an upper limit and includes the emission of 7 Tg N yr^-1 from natural unfertilized soils, 2 Tg N yr^-1 from fertilized soils as well as 2 Tg N yr^-1 from animal excreta. Despite its speculative character, this estimation indicates that NO _x emission by soil is important for tropospheric chemistry especially in remote areas where the NO _x production by other sources is comparatively small.     

Nitrous oxide emissions from fertilized and unfertilized soils in a subtropical region (Andalusia,Spain)

Field measurements of N₂O emission rates were carried out from August until October 1982 in a subtropical region in Europe, i.e. in Andalusia, Spain. The measurements were performed by using an automatic sampling and analysis technique allowing the semi-continuous determination of N₂O emission rates. The N₂O emission rates were positively correlated to the soil surface temperature and exhibited a diurnal rhythm with maximum rates in the afternoon and minimum rates in the early morning with average values of 1 g N₂O–N/m²/h for the grass lawn and 15 g N₂O–N/m²/h for cultivated land. Application of urea and ammonium nitrate resulted in elevated N₂O emission rates when compared to the unfertilized control. The loss of fertilizer-nitrogen as N₂O was 0.18% for urea and 0.04% for NH₄NO₃ which compares very well with data obtained in a temperate climate (Germany). The total source strength of fertilizer-derived N₂O is estimated to be 0.01–2.2 Tg N₂O–N per year. The N₂O flux from unfertilized natural soils may be as high as 4.5 Tg N₂O–N, indicating that the N₂O emission from soils contributes significantly to the global N₂O budget.     

A study to explain the emission of nitric oxide from a marsh soil

In the period 18–21 September 1989, soil NO emission was studied at Halvergate Marshes, Norfolk (U.K.) within the framework of the BIATEX-LOVENOX joint field experiment. Using a dynamic chamber technique, 186 measurements at four plots were performed showing a net NO flux of 7.2–14.6×10^–12 kgN m^–2 s^–1. Soil samples from a soil profile (1.0 m) at a representative site and from the uppermost layer (0.1 m) of each of the four plots were sent to the laboratory for (a) detailed physical and chemical soil analysis, (b) determination of NO production rates, NO uptake rate constants, and NO compensation mixing ratios, and (c) characterization of the microbial processes involved. A diffusive model (Galbally and Johansson, 1989) was applied to the laboratory results to infer NO fluxes of the individual soil samples. When we compared these fluxes with those measured in the field, we found agreement within a factor 2–4. Furthermore, laboratory studies showed, that NO was produced and consumed only in the upper soil layer (0–0.1 m depth) and that the NO production and consumption activities observed in the Halvergate marsh soil were most probably due to the anaerobic metabolism of denitrifying bacteria operating in anaerobic microniches within the generally aerobic soil.     

Aspects of the cycle of inorganic nitrogen compounds in the tropical rain forest of the Ivory Coast

A partial balance of mineral N is given for the basins of two coastal rivers in a forest zone in the Ivory Coast. The dry and wet depositions on the basin surfaces is given for particulate matter (NO₃ ^–, NH₄ ⁺). The quantity of mineral N washed away in the rivers is evaluated. The losses from leaching of the soils by rainwater are about 0.33 to 1.0% of the atmospheric depositions for NH₄ ⁺–N and 2.2 to 5.8% for NO₃ ^––N. The yearly atmospheric input of N compounds to the ecosystem, about 1.4 g N m^–2 y^–1, is at least 14% of mineral N formed in the soils and is therefore quite significant.     

Emission of nitrous oxide from temperate forest soils into the atmosphere

N₂O emission rates were measured during a 13-month period from July 1981 till August 1982 with a frequency of once every two weeks at six different forest sites in the vicinity of Mainz, Germany. The sites were selected on the basis of soil types typical for many of the Central European forest ecosystems. The individual N₂O emission rates showed a high degree of temporal and spatial variabilities which, however, were not significantly correlated to variabilities in soil moisture content or soil temperatures. However, the N₂O emission rates followed a general seasonal trend with relatively high values during spring and fall. These maxima coincided with relatively high soil moisture contents, but may also have been influenced by the leaf fall in autumn. In addition, there was a brief episode of relatively high N₂O emission rates immediately after thawing of the winter snow. The individual N₂O emission rates measured during the whole season ranged between 1 and 92 g N₂O-N m^–2 h^–1. The average values were in the range of 3–11 g N₂O-N m^–2 h^–1 and those with a 50% probability were in the range of 2–8 g N₂O-N m^–2 h^–1. The total source strength of temperate forest soils for atmospheric N₂O may be in the range of 0.7–1.5 Tg N yr^–1.     

National Inventories of Terrestrial Carbon Sources and Sinks: The U.K. Experience

The U.K. has extensive databases on soils, land cover and historic land use change which have made it possible to construct a comprehensive inventory of the principal terrestrial sources and sinks of carbon for approximately the year 1990, using methods that are consistent with, and at least as accurate as, the revised 1996 guidelines recommended by IPCC where available – and including categories which are not currently considered under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This country inventory highlights issues concerning methodology, uncertainty, double counting, the importance of soils and the relative magnitude of sources and sinks which are reported to the UNFCCC relative to other sources and sinks. The carbon sinks (negative values in MtC a^-1) for categories reported to the UNFCCC, based on the IPCC categories, were estimated to be: forest trees and litter (–2.1), U.K. forest products (–0.5, ignoring imports and exports), non-forest biomass (–0.3), forest soils (–0.1) and soils on set-aside land (–0.4). The carbon sources (positive values) reported under the UNFCCC were estimated to be: losses of soil organic carbon resulting from cultivation of semi-natural land (6.2) and from urbanization (1.6), drainage of peatlands (0.3) and fenlands (0.5), and peat extraction (0.2). A range of other sources and sinks not covered by the IPCC guidelines were also quantified, namely, the accumulation of carbon in undrained peatlands (–0.7, ignoring methane emission), sediment accretion in coastal marshes (–0.1), the possible U.K. share of the CO₂ and N fertilization carbon sink (–2.0) and riverine organic and particulate carbon export to the sea (1.4, which may be assumed to be a source if most of this carbon is released as CO₂ in the sea). All sinks totalled –6.2 and sources 10.2, giving a net flux to the atmosphere in 1990 of 4.0 MtC a^-1. Uncertainties associated with categories, mostly based on best guesses, ranged from ±15% for forest biomass and litter to ±60% for CO₂ and N fertilization.     

Eddy correlation measurements of CO2, latent heat,and sensible heat fluxes over a crop surface

Eddy correlation equipment was used to measure mass and energy fluxes over a soybean crop. A rapid response CO₂ sensor, a drag anemometer, a Lyman-alpha hygrometer and a fine wire thermocouple were used to sense the fluctuating quantities.Diurnal fluxes of sensible heat, latent heat and CO₂ were calculated from these data. Energy budget closure was obtained by summing the sensible and latent heat fluxes determined by eddy correlation which balanced the sum of net radiation and soil heat flux. Peak daytime CO₂ fluxes were near 1.0 mg m^–2 (ground area) s^–1.The eddy correlation technique was also employed in this study to measure nocturnal CO₂ fluxes caused by respiration from plants, soil, and roots. These CO₂ fluxes ranged from - 0.1 to - 0.25 mg m^–2s^–1.From the data collected over mature soybeans, a relationship between CO₂ flux and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was developed. The crop did not appear to be light-saturated at PAR flux densities < 1800 Ei m^–2 s^–1. The light compensation point was found to be about 160 Ei m^–2 s^–1.Published as Paper No. 7402, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station. The work reported here was conducted under Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station Project 27-003 and Regional Research Project 11–33.Post-doctoral Research Associate, Professor and Professor, respectively. Center for Agricultural Meteorology and Climatology, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0728.     

Domestic Combustion of Biomass Fuels in Developing Countries: A Major Source of Atmospheric Pollutants

Biomass burning has important impacts on atmospheric chemistry and climate. Fires in tropical forests and savannas release large quantities of trace gases and particulate matter. Combustion of biofuels for cooking and heating constitutes a less spectacular but similarly widespread biomass burning activity. To provide the groundwork for a quantification of this source, we determined in rural Zimbabwe the emissions of CO₂, CO, and NO from more than 100 domestic fires fueled by wood, agricultural residues, and dung. The results indicate that, compared to open savanna fires, emissions from domestic fires are shifted towards products of incomplete combustion. A tentative global analysis shows that the source strength of domestic biomass burning is on the order of 1500 Tg CO₂–C yr^–1, 140 Tg CO–C yr^–1, and 2.5 Tg NO–N yr^–1. This represents contributions of about 7 to 20% to the global budget of these gases.     

Net carbon dioxide exchange in canopies of burned and unburned tallgrass prairie

Summary Net carbon dioxide exchange (NCE) rates were measured in a tallgrass prairie, a grassland with high productivity, to determine photosynthetic rates of the canopy. Canopy measurements were made in large, plexiglass chambers (1.21 m long; 0.91 m wide; 1.40 m tall) placed on burned and unburned areas of the prairie. The NCE rates of the canopy were compared with those of individual leaves ofAndropogon gerardii Vitman (big bluestem). In addition, CO₂ flux from the soil was quantified and compared with net photosynthetic flux. The canopy NCE rates were generally lower than those made on individual leaves. In mid-summer (11 July 1987), the maximum canopy NCE rates were 55% and 64% of those measured on individual leaves in burned and unburned treatments, respectively. Canopy NCE rates were lower than individual-leaf NCE rates for two reasons. First, the individualleaf measurements were made on young, unshaded, healthy leaves, while the canopy measurements were made on all types of leaves including senescing, shaded, and damaged leaves. Second, soil CO₂ flux into the chambers lowered NCE values. The CO₂ flux from the soil ranged from 7.2% to 28.4% of the total NCE. One needs to add soil CO₂ flux rates to the measured canopy NCE rates to obtain canopy NCE rates closer to individual-leaf NCE rates. Soil CO₂ flux decreased when conditions became dry, reaching a low of 0.06 mg CO₂m^–2s^–1, but increased after rain to 0.16 mg CO₂m^–2s^–1. Also, after rain, when plants were well watered, they were not light saturated at 1 900 µEm^–2s^–1. The NCE rates on the burned treatment were either higher or similar to those on the unburned treatment. For example, on 11 July 1987, NCE rates were higher on the burned treatment (0.66 mg CO₂m^–2s^–1) compared to the unburned treatment (0.47 mg CO₂m^–2s^–1). During the rest of July and August, the rates of the two treatments were not significantly different. But in September and October, the NCE rates were again higher on the burned treatment compared to the unburned treatment. The results indicated that canopy NCE rates may be more indicative of the productivity of the prairie than individual-leaf measurements made only on young, highly productive leaves.Contribution No. 89-82-J from the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. This research was supported, in part, by Grant No. DE-FG02-84ER60253.A000.With 4 Figures     

Emission and flux of DMS from the Australian Antarctic and Subantarctic Oceans during the 1988/89 summer

DMS emissions and fluxes from the Australasian sector of the Antarctic and Subantarctic Oceans, bound by 46–68° S and 65.5–142.6° E, were determined from a limited number of samples (n=32) collected during three summer resupply voyages to Australian Antarctic continental research bases between November 1988 and January 1989 (a 92 day period). The maximum DMS emission from this sector of the Antarctic Ocean was in an area near the Antarctic Divergence (60–63° S) and the minimum DMS emission was from the Antarctic coastal and offshelf waters. The greatest emission of DMS from this sector of the Southern Ocean was from the Subantarctic waters. DMS flux from the Australasian Antarctic Ocean was 64.3×10⁶ (±115) mol d^–1 or 5.9 (±10.6)×10⁹ mol based on an emission of 10.9 (±19.5) µmol m^–2 d^–1 (n=26). The flux of DMS from the Australasian sector of the Subantarctic Ocean was probably twice the flux of DMS from the adjacent Antarctic Ocean.     

Formulation and Evaluation of IMS, an Interactive Three-Dimensional Tropospheric Chemical Transport Model 2. Model Chemistry and Comparison of Modelled CH4, CO, and O3 with Surface Measurements

In part two of this series of papers on the IMS model, we present the chemistry reaction mechanism usedand compare modelled CH₄, CO, and O₃ witha dataset of annual surface measurements. The modelled monthly and 24-hour mean tropospheric OH concentrationsrange between 5–22 × 10⁵ moleculescm^–3, indicating an annualaveraged OH concentration of about 10 × 10⁵ moleculescm^–3. This valueis close to the estimated 9.7 ± 0.6 × 10⁵ moleculescm^–3 calculated fromthe reaction of CH₃CCl₃ with OH radicals.Comparison with CH₄ generally shows good agreementbetween model and measurements, except for the site at Barrow where modelledwetland emission in the summer could be a factor 3 too high.For CO, the pronounced seasonality shown in the measurements is generally reproduced by the model; however, the modelled concentrations are lower thanthe measurements. This discrepancy may due to lower the CO emission,especially from biomass burning,used in the model compared with other studies.For O₃, good agreement between the model and measurements is seenat locations which are away from industrial regions. The maximum discrepancies between modelled results and measurementsat tropical and remote marine sites is about 5–10 ppbv,while the discrepancies canexceed 30 ppbv in the industrial regions.Comparisons in rural areas at European and American continental sites arehighly influenced by the local photochemicalproduction, which is difficult to model with a coarse global CTM.The very large variations of O₃ at these locations vary from about15–25 ppbv in Januaryto 55–65 ppbv in July–August. The observed annual O₃amplitude isabout 40 ppbv compared with about 20 ppbv in the model. An overall comparison of modelled O₃ with measurements shows thatthe O₃seasonal surface cycle is generally governed bythe relative importance of two key mechanisms that drivea springtime ozone maximum and asummertime ozone maximum.     

Modelling Carbon Dynamics of Boreal Forest Ecosystems Using the Canadian Land Surface Scheme

The ecosystem carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) simulations recently implemented in the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS) are presented. The main calculations include plant photosynthesis, autotrophic respiration, root N uptake, litterfall, plant growth, and soil heterotrophic respiration. Model experiments are made on two boreal forest ecosystems, deciduous (aspen) and conifers (black spruce). Simulated plant, soil, and ecosystem CO₂ exchanges are analysed on half-hourly, daily, and annual time scales and compared with tower eddy correlation flux measurements and estimates from various authors. Modeled daily ecosystem CO₂ exchange explained86% and 54%, respectively, of the observed variance of eddy correlationflux at the aspen site and at the black spruce site. Annual results show that the aspen ecosystem was simulated as a C sink in both 1994 (+164 g Cm^–2) and 1996 (+142 g C m^–2), and the black spruce ecosystem wassimulated as a C sink in 1994 (+39 g C m^–2) and 1995 (+25 g Cm^–2), but as a C source in 1996 (–27 g C m^–2).     

Fluxes of gases and particles above a deciduous forest in wintertime

Eddy-correlation measurements of the vertical fluxes of ozone, carbon dioxide, fine particles with diameter near 0.1 m, and particulate sulfur, as well as of momentum, heat and water vapor, have been taken above a tall leafless deciduous forest in wintertime. During the experimental period of one week, ozone deposition velocities varied from about 0.1 cm s^–1 at night to more than 0.4 cm s^-1 during the daytime, with the largest variations associated primarily with changes in solar irradiation. Most of the ozone removal took place in the upper canopy. Carbon dioxide fluxes were directed upward due to respiration and exhibited a strong dependence on air temperature and solar heating. The fluxes were approximately zero at air temperatures less than 5 °C and approached 0.8 mg m^–2 s^–1 when temperatures exceeded 15 °C during the daytime. Fine-particle deposition rates were large at times, with deposition velocities near 0.8 cm s^–1 when turbulence levels were high, but fluxes directed upward were found above the canopy when the surface beneath was covered with snow. Diffusional processes seemed to dominate fine-particle transfer across quasilaminar layers and subsequent deposition to the upper canopy. Deposition velocities for particulate sulfur were highly variable and averaged to a value small in magnitude as compared to similar measurements taken previously over a pine forest in summer.     

Direct measurements of nitrogen oxides and ozone fluxes over grassland

Using the eddy correlation method, fluxes of nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, water, and sensible heat were measured at a site 20 km north of Denver, Colorado over mature crested wheat grass, 0.75 m high in late June and early July. During this period the weather was fair with no synoptic disturbances. In the early morning a well-mixed diluted urban pollution plume traversed the site, by late morning aged pollution had mixed downward into the local boundary layer, and by afternoon the air came from a relatively unpolluted area of the high plains. The mean trace gas concentrations reflect this repeated pattern of local air flow. The fluxes of the trace gases were influenced both by the variation of the means and by other factors including temperature and biological activity. Ozone fluxes were found to be always negative and proportional to the mean, with an average deposition velocity for this case of about 0.006 m s^-1. For the oxides of nitrogen this simple treatment was not appropriate. Both deposition and emission were observed, generally deposition predominated in the morning and emission in the afternoon with observed variations in the fluxes of NO_x=NO+NO₂ from –0.3 to +0.2 ppbv m s^-1.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation     

A numerical modeling study of the marine boundary layer over the Gulf Stream during cold air advection

A two-dimensional mesoscale model has been developed to simulate the air flow over the Gulf Stream area where typically large gradients in surface temperature exist in the winter. Numerical simulations show that the magnitude and the maximum height of the mesoscale circulation that develops downwind of the Gulf Stream depends on both the initial geostrophic wind and the large-scale moisture. As expected, a highly convective Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) develops over this area and it was found that the Gulf Stream plays an important role in generating the strong upward heat fluxes causing a farther seaward penetration as cold air advection takes place. Numerical results agree well with the observed surface fluxes of momentum and heat and the mesoscale variation of vertical velocities obtained using Doppler Radars for a typical cold air outbreak. Precipitation pattern predicted by the numerical model is also in agreement with the observations during the Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment (GALE).List of Symbols u east-west velocity [m s^–1] - v north-south velocity [m s^–1] - vertical velocity in coordinate [m s^–1] - w vertical velocity inz coordinate [m s^–1] - gq potential temperature [K] - q moisture [kg kg^–1] - scaled pressure [J kg^–1 K^–1] - U _g the east-south component of geostrophic wind [m s^–1] - V _g the north-south component of geostrophic wind [m s^–1] - vertical coordinate following terrain - x east-west spatial coordinate [m] - y north-south spatial coordinate [m] - z vertical spatial coordinate [m] - t time coordinate [s] - g gravity [m² s^–1] - E terrain height [m] - H total height considered in the model [m] - q _s saturated moisture [kg kg^–1] - p pressure [mb] - p ₀₀ reference pressure [mb] - P precipitation [kg m^–2] - vertical lapse rate for potential temperature [K km^–1] - L latent heat of condensation [J kg^–1] - C _p specific heat at constant pressure [J kg^–1 K^–1] - R gas constant for dry air [J kg^–1 K^–1] - R _v gas constant for water vapor [J kg^–1 K^–1] - f Coriolis parameter (2 sin ) [s^–1] - angular velocity of the earth [s^–1] - latitude [^o] - K _H horizontal eddy exchange coefficient [m² s^–1] - t integration time interval [s] - x grid interval distance inx coordinate [m] - y grid interval distance iny coordinate [m] - adjustable coefficient inK _H - subgrid momentum flux [m² s^–2] - subgrid potential temperature flux [m K s^–1] - subgrid moisture flux [m kg kg^–1 s^–1] - u _* friction velocity [m s^–1] - _* subgrid flux temperature [K] - q _* subgrid flux moisture [kg kg^–1] - w _* subgrid convective velocity [m s^–1] - z ₀ surface roughness [m] - L Monin stability length [m] - _s surface potential temperature [K] - k von Karman's constant (0.4) - v air kinematic viscosity coefficient [m² s^–1] - K _M subgrid vertical eddy exchange coefficient for momentum [m² s^–1] - K subgrid vertical eddy exchange coefficient for heat [m² s^–1] - K _q subgrid vertical eddy exchange coefficient for moisture [m² s^–1] - z _i the height of PBL [m] - h _s the height of surface layer [m]     

Characteristics of turnover of carbonyl sulfide in four different soils

Release and uptake of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) were measured at 25°C in samples of three forest soils (BL, BW, PBE) and one soil from a rape field (RA). The soil samples were flushed with a constant flow of either air (oxic conditions) or nitrogen (anoxic conditions) containing defined concentrations of OCS. A cryogenic trapping technique with liquid argon (-186 °C) was used to collect gas samples for analysis in a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame-photometric detector. The dependence of net OCS fluxes between soil and atmosphere could be described by a simple model of simultaneous OCS production and OCS uptake. By using this model, production rates (P), uptake rate constants (k) and compensation concentrations (m _c ) of OCS could be determined as function of the soil type and the incubation conditions. Under oxic conditions, OCS production (P) and uptake were observed in all soils tested. However, the compensation concentrations (<166 ng l^-1; 1 ng OCS l^-1=0.41 ppbv) that were calculated from the model were high relative to the ambient OCS concentration (ca. 0.5 ppbv). The production rates (0.16–1.9 ng h^-1 g^-1 dw) that were actually measured when flushing the soil samples with air containing zero OCS were smaller than those (17–114 ng h^-1 g^-1 dw) calculated from the model. This observation was explained by two different concepts: one assuming the existence of a threshold concentration (m _t ) below which OCS was no longer consumed in the soil; the other assuming the existence of two different OCS consumption processes, of which only the process active at elevated OCS concentrations was covered by the experiments. The latter concept allowed the estimation of OCS compensation concentrations that were partially low enough to allow the uptake of atmospheric OCS by soil. Both OCS production and uptake in PBE soil were dependent on soil temperature (optimum 20 °C) indicating a microbial process. However, both production and consumption of OCS were not consistently inhibited by sterilization of the soil, suggesting that they were not exclusively due to microbiological processes. Under anoxic conditions, OCS was also produced, but was not consumed except in one soil (RA). Production of OCS in the soils was stimulated after addition of thiocyanate, but not thiourea, thiosulfate, thioglycolate, tetrathionate, sulfate, elemental sulfur, cysteine and methionine.     

Continuous measurement of methane flux over a larch forest using a relaxed eddy accumulation method

We measured the methane flux of a forest canopy throughout a year using a relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) method. This sampling system was carefully validated against heat and CO₂ fluxes measured by the eddy covariance method. Although the sampling system was robust, there were large uncertainties in the measured methane fluxes because of the limited precision of the methane gas analyzer. Based on the spectral characteristics of signals from the methane analyzer and the diurnal variations in the standard deviation of the vertical wind velocity, we found the daytime and nighttime precision of half-hourly methane flux measurements to be approximately 1.2 and 0.7?μg?CH₄?m^?2?s^?1, respectively. Additional uncertainties caused by the dilution effect were estimated to affect the accuracy by as much as 0.21?μg?CH₄?m^?2?s^?1 on a half-hourly basis. Diurnal and seasonal variations were observed in the measured fluxes. The biological emission from plant leaves was not observed in our studies, and thus could be negligible at the canopy-scale exchange. The annual methane sink was 835?±?175?mg?CH₄?m^?2?year^?1 (8.35?kg?CH₄?ha^?1?year^?1), which was comparable to the flux range of 379–2,478?mg?CH₄?m^?2?year^?1 previously measured in other Japanese forest soils. This study indicated that the REA method could be a promising technique to measure canopy scale methane fluxes over forests, but further improvement of precision of the analyzer will be required.     

Water loss and canopy resistance of a young Sitka spruce plantation

Transpiration of a 7 m-high Stika spruce forest was investigated using measurments of net radiation, sensible heat and ground heat fluxes in an energy balance to give latent heat flux, and hence canopy resistance from the Penman-Monteith equation. Sensible heat flux was measured by the eddy-correlation method using a Fluxatron circuit.During six consecutive days of measurement in July/August, canopy resistance typically followed a decreasing trend from high values (150 s m-) at dawn to around 40 s m^–1 at midday and then returning steadily to > 100 s m^–1 at sunset. Transpiration was 3 mm day^–1 on average over the period studied and changes in the rate within the day were significantly correlated with changes in net radiation.Comparisons are drawn with published data from other forest sites and the conclusion is reached that it is imprudent to generalise about transpiration rates and canopy resistances of different species at different sites from results gathered at one or two places.