Nitrogen,phosphorus and organic carbon pools in natural and transplanted marsh soils

Total nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon were compared in natural and transplanted estuarine marsh soils (top 30 cm) to assess nutrient storage in transplanted marshes. Soils were sampled in five transplanted marshes ranging in age from 1 to 15 yr and in five nearby natural marshes along the North Carolina coast. Dry weight of macroorganic matter (MOM), soil bulk density, pH, humic matter, and extractable P also were measured. Nutrient pools increased with increasing marsh age and hydroperiod. Nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon pools were largest in soils of irregularly flooded natural marshes. The contribution of MOM to marsh nutrient reservoirs was 6–45%, 2–22%, and 1–7% of the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively. Rates of nutrient accumulation in transplanted marshes ranged from 2.6–10.0, 0.03–1.10, and 84–218 kmol ha^?1yr^?1 of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon, respectively. Accumulation rates were greater in the irregularly flooded marshes compared to the regularly flooded marshes. Approximately 11 to 12% and 20% of the net primary production of emergent vegetation was buried in sediments of the regularly flooded and irregularly flooded transplanted marshes, respectively. Macroorganic matter nutrient pools develop rapidly in transplanted marshes and may approximate natural marshes within 15 to 30 yr. However, development of soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus reservoirs takes considerably longer.     

Organic matter fluxes and marsh stability in a rapidly submerging estuarine marsh

We studied organic matter cycling in two Gulf Coast tidal, nonsaline marsh sites where subsidence causes marine intrusion and rapid submergence, which mimics increased sea-level rise. The sites experienced equally rapid submergence but different degrees of marine intrusion. Vegetation was hummocked and much of the marsh lacked rooted vegetation. Aboveground standing crop and production, as measured by sequential harvesting, were low relative to other Gulf CoastSpartina patens marshes. Soil bulk density was lower than reported for healthyS. alterniflora growth but that may be unimportant at the current, moderate sulfate levels. Belowground production, as measured by sequential harvesting, was extremely fast within hummocks, but much of the marsh received little or no belowground inputs. Aboveground production was slower at the more saline site (681 g m^?2 yr^?1) than at the less saline site (1,252 g m^?2 yr^?1). Belowground production over the entire marsh surface averaged 1,401 g m^?2 yr^?1 at the less saline site and 585 g m^?2 yr^?1 at the more saline site. Respiration, as measured by CO₂ emissions in the field and corrected for CH₄ emissions, was slower at the less saline site (956 g m^?2 yr^?1) than at the more saline site (1,438 g m^?2 yr^?1), reflecting greater contributions byS. alterniflora at the more saline site which is known to decompose more rapidly thanS. patens. Burial of organic matter was faster at the less saline site (796 g m^?2 yr^?1) than at the more saline site (434 g m^?2, yr^?1), likely in response to faster production and slower decomposition at the less saline site. Thus vertical accretion was faster at the less saline site (1.3 cm yr^?1) than at the more saline site (0.85 cm yr^?1); slower vertical accretion increased flooding at the more saline site. More organic matter was available for export at the less saline site (1,377 g m^?2 yr^?1) than at the more saline site (98 g m^?2 yr^?1). These data indicated that organic matter production decreased and burial increased in response to greenhouse-like conditions brought on by subsidence. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY069 00016     

Plant growth and productivity along complex gradients in a Pacific northwest brackish intertidal marsh

Environmental characteristics were measured and recorded in the Skagit Marsh, a brackish intertidal marsh on Puget Sound, Washington. Four transects were placed perpendicular to a known gradient of increasing salinity which began with fresh water at the bank of one of the outlets of the Skagit River and reached a surface water salinity of 22‰ at a point alongshore 5 km north of the outlet. The environmental characteristics which were measured varied along gradients (soil texture, organic carbon in fines, soil column temperature, free soil water salinity) or had a patchy distribution (soil redox potential, soil macro-organic matter). Growth and production vary across the marsh. The maximum aboveground standing crop (1,742 g m^?2 dry weight) was measured at a site with 0–4‰ free soil water salinity, dominated by the sedgeCarex lyngbyei. In more saline areas (8–12‰), the bulrushScirpus americanus was dominant and standing crop values dropped to a third of the maximum. Species performance varied in a complex manner as did the environment.C. lyngbyei had diminished growth and decreased standing crop in areas where salinity was higher.S. americanus was equally productive in low elevation, high salinity sites and in high elevation, low salinity sites. An increase in shoot density for dominant species occurred in saline areas as individual shoot weights and leaf areas decreased. Because species responded differently, environmental variation was magnified in the population and community responses of the marsh vegetation.     

Effects of water table changes on soil CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes during the growing season in freshwater marsh of Northeast China

A field control experiment was carried out to determine the influence of water table changes on soil CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions in Calamagrostis angustifolia freshwater marsh in Northeast of China. The results showed that the water depth of 5 cm below the ground surface increased soil CO₂ emission, but there was no significant influence of deeper water table on gas emission. CH₄ emission was accelerated by deep standing water and approached the peak in the plant booming time. This suggests that root activity has influence on CH₄ production. The result also demonstrated that both low water table level and inundated environment would inhibit N₂O emission. Comparing the total global warming potential of three gases under different conditions, it can be concluded that maintaining a comparatively steady water table near the soil surface can benefit soil carbon sequestration in the C. angustifolia marsh, and decrease of the greenhouse gases emissions to the atmosphere.     

CO2 gas pools in Jiyang sag,China

The CO₂ gas pools of Jiyang sag are located along the Gaoqing–Pingnan fault within a region of alkaline basalts. The concentration of CO₂ in the gas pools is in the range of 68.85–96.99%. All of the geochemical tracers for the CO₂ gas pools support the suggestion that CO₂ was mainly derived from mantle degassing. The δ¹³C values of CO₂ in the gas pools are in the range of −5.67–−3.41‰, which are higher than those of organogenic CO₂, and near to those of abiogenic CO₂. Their ³He/⁴He ratios are 2.80–4.47×10⁶, i.e. the R/Ra ratios are 2.00–3.19, showing that the Jiyang sag had undergone strong mantle degassing. CO₂/³He ratios are 0.59–0.89×10⁹, which are identical to those for N-MORB, indicating that CO₂ in these CO₂ gas pools was mainly derived from the mantle. Accompanying the intrusion of mantle-derived magma, the mantle-derived CO₂ migrated upwards along deep faults and was trapped in advantageous structures forming gas pools.     

Live standing crop and metabolism of the marsh grassSpartina patens as related to edaphic factors in a brackish,mixed marsh community in Louisiana

Effects of soil factors on physiological indicators ofSpartina patens and live standing crop of the macrophyte community were investigated in a brackish marsh. Three distinct physiognomic zones were studied along a transect perpendicular to a tidal creek: the marsh edge, which was directly adjacent to the creek; the levee berm, 6 to 8 m from the creek; and the inland zone, which extended through the marsh interior. Soil physicochemical factors (soil moisture, redox potential, interstitial pH, salinity, and ammonium and sulfide concentrations) were compared to physiological indicators ofSpartina patens (leaf adenine nucleotides, root alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, and levels of ethanol, lactate, alanine and malate in the roots). In correlation matrices of soil and plant factors, increases in soil moisture and decreases in redox potential were associated with depressed leaf adenylate energy charge ratios (AEC, an integrative measure of plant stress) and elevated ADH activities and metabolite levels in the roots. ADH activity was greatest in roots from the inland zone where soil waterlogging was greatest and exhibited seasonal increases that followed seasonal declines in soil redox potential. Leaf AEC was greatest in the berm and generally lowest in the inland plants. End of season live standing crop was also greatest on the berm, but did not closely follow any edaphic trends across the three zones. This suggests that several factors, (i.e., soil aeration, and sulfide and nitrogen levels) may be of greater importance to standing crop than any single factor, as is thought for salt marshes dominated byS. alterniflora.     

Effect of nitrogen addition on soil organic carbon in freshwater marsh of Northeast China

Increased nitrogen (N) input to ecosystems could alter soil organic carbon (C) dynamics, but the effect still remains uncertain. To better understand the effect of N addition on soil organic C in wetland ecosystems, a field experiment was conducted in a seasonally inundated freshwater marsh, the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. In this study, litter production, soil total organic C (TOC) concentration, microbial biomass C (MBC), organic C mineralization, metabolic quotient (qCO₂) and mineralization quotient (qmC) in 0–15 cm depth were investigated after four consecutive years of N addition at four rates (CK, 0 g N m^?2 year^?1; low, 6 g N m^?2 year^?1; moderate, 12 g N m^?2 year^?1; high, 24 g N m^?2 year^?1). Four-year N addition increased litter production, and decreased soil organic C mineralization. In addition, soil TOC concentration and MBC generally increased at low and moderate N addition levels, but declined at high N addition level, whereas soil qCO₂ and qmC showed a reverse trend. These results suggest that short-term N addition alters soil organic C dynamics in seasonally inundated freshwater marshes of Northeast China, and the effects vary with N fertilization rates.     

秋季黄河pCO2控制因素及水-气界面通量

根据2006年11月1~10日,秋季黄河平水期二氧化碳分压(pCO₂)的现场实测数据及相关同步观测资料,对黄河表层水pCO₂的分布及其影响因素进行了研究。结果表明:水体pCO₂在80~166Pa,平均值110Pa,在世界主要河流中属中等偏下水平;空间分布存在较大的不均匀性,中游高于上游和下游。浮游植物的光合作用对pCO₂有一定的影响但强度较弱,即使在叶绿素最高值3.58μg/L的包头站pCO₂仍达到91Pa。黄河水体有机物含量较低且继承了陆源有机物难降解的特性,干流和库区EpCO₂/AOU的比值为0.14和0.20,远低于生物好氧呼吸作用控制水体pCO₂的理论下限0.62,因此,生物好氧呼吸作用对水体pCO₂的贡献不大。悬浮物(TSS)含量为3.77~1308mg/L,溶解无机碳(DIC)含量为3.03~4.14mmol/L,普遍高于世界其它河流且最大值均出现在潼关站;同时水体pCO₂与TSS、PIC、DIC含量具有极好的正相关性。因此黄河流域强烈的机械侵蚀和化学风化作用形成的碳酸盐体系是控制水体pCO₂的主要因素。利用Wanninkhof提出的淡水水-气交换系数的通量模式估算,黄河水域水-气界面CO₂交换速率约为0.229μmol/m2·s,秋季可向大气释放CO₂14.5亿moL,相当于8250km2草原或是112km2森林一年的固碳量。黄河CO₂释放通量与渥太华河相近,但要远小于亚马逊河。     

Ecosystem metabolism and carbon fluxes of a tidally-dominated coastal lagoon

The metabolism and carbon flux in the western sector of the highly dynamic coastal lagoon Ria Formosa (south Portugal) were assessed to elucidate the relative importance of the contribution of the main communities, the treated sewage inputs from the adjacent city of Faro, and the exchange with the adjacent coastal waters to the ecosystem metabolism. The results depict the Ria Formosa as being a highly productive ecosystem dominated by the seagrassZostera noltii. The community dominated by the seagrassCymodocea nodosa had half of the gross production ofZ. noltii, followed by bare sediments and phytoplankton. The net contribution of seagrasses to community metabolism was negligible, as bothZ. noltii andC. nodosa showed a production: respiration ratio close to 1. Benthic microalgae emerge as the most important components of the net metabolism. The western sector of Ria Formosa was in metabolic balance during the summer when the study was done. Even though the total net ecosystem production was 7.22 Kmol C d⁻¹, the error associated with this estimate was 8.38 Kmol C d⁻¹, so ecosystem net production was not significantly different from zero. The Ria Formosa ecosystem is shallow and rapidly flushed by the tides, which force an important exchange of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) with the adjacent coastal waters. The daily net export rate to the adjacent coastal waters, 0.98 Kmol d⁻¹, represented 7.6% of the net ecosystem production, suggesting that the bulk of the net ecosystem production accumulates within the ecosystem. The organic carbon retention in the western sector of the Ria Formosa is higher than net production, because the allochthonous carbon inputs from urban sewage enter the carbon mass balance with about 40% of the autochthonous processes, at about 1.6 Kmol d⁻¹ of DOC and 2.8 Kmol d⁻¹ of POC. The western sector of Ria Formosa has an organic carbon sink of about 46.4 tons per year. Most of this is harvested in the form of molluscs (clams, cuttlefish, etc.) and fish (sea bream, sea bass, etc.). The total carbon harvested every year in the form of bivalves is about 40 tons, rendering the Ria Formosa the most productive seafood area in Portugal.     

An organic carbon budget for the Mississippi River turbidity plume and plume contributions to air-sea CO2 fluxes and bottom water hypoxia

We investigated seasonal variability in organic carbon (OC) budgets using a physical-biological model for the Mississippi River turbidity plume. Plume volume was calculated from mixed layer depth and area in each of four salinity subregions based on an extensive set of cruise data and satellite-derived suspended sediment distributions. These physical measurements were coupled with an existing food web model to determine seasonally dependent budgets for labile (reactive on time scales of days to weeks) OC in each salinity subregion. Autochthonous gross primary production (GPP) equaled 1.3×10¹² g C yr⁻¹ and dominated labile OC inputs (88% of the budget) because riverine OC was assumed mostly refractory (nonreactive). For perspective, riverine OC inputs amounted to 3.9×10¹² g C yr⁻¹, such that physical inputs were 3 times greater than biological inputs to the plume. Annually, microbial respiration (R) accounted for 65% of labile OC losses and net metabolism (GPP—R) for the entire plume was, autotrophic, equaling 5.1×10¹¹ g C yr⁻¹. Smaller losses of labile OC occurred via sedimentation (20%), advection (10%), and export to higher trophic levels (5%). In our present model, annual losses of labile OC are 10% higher than inputs, indicating future improvements are required. Application of our model to estimate air-sea carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes indicated the plume was a net sink of 2.0×10⁹ mol CO₂ yr⁻¹, of which 90% of the total drawdown was from biotic factors. In all seasons, low salinity waters were a source of CO₂ (pCO₂=560–890 μatm), and intermediate to high salinity waters were a sink of CO₂ (pCO₂=200–370 μatm). Our model was also used to calculate O₂ demand for the development, of regional hypoxia, and our spring and early summer budgets indicated that sedimentation of autochthonous OC from the immediate plume contributed 23% of the O₂ demand necessary for establishment of hypoxia in the region.     

Carbon river fluxes and weathering CO2 consumption in the Congo and Amazon river basins

Data on carbon river fluxes recently obtained by the authors for the Congo basin within the framework of the PIRAT Program (INSU-CNRS/ORSTOM) are compared with results previously obtained for the Amazon basin. A special interest is devoted to the bicarbonate river fluxes and to their relationships with river discharges. The flux of atmospheric and soil CO₂ consumed by rock weathering is estimated to be 3.1 × 10⁵ and 0.5 × 10⁵ moles/a/km² respectively for the Amazon and the Congo basin. These CO₂ fluxes represent, respectively, 67.4% and 74.7% of the total bicarbonate river fluxes. A comparison to other large river basins shows that this contribution is directly related to the proportion of carbonate rock areas. A transfer function between the weathering CO₂ flux and the river discharge is calculated for each basin and allows the reconstitution of the variations of this flux using the river discharge fluctuations during the last century. These interannual CO₂ fluctuations present average increasing trends of 10% for Amazon basin and only 0.7% for the Congo basin during the last century.     

三峡澎溪河水域CO2与CH4年总通量估算

以2010年6月~2011年5月三峡澎溪河回水区CO₂与CH₄通量监测数据为基础,参考澎溪河高阳平湖水域全年4次的24 h昼夜连续跟踪观测结果,对每月各采样点的日通量值进行估算。提出了水下地形划分法和环境因素控制法,将各采样点日通量数据外延至整个回水区水域,并估算了澎溪河回水区水域CO₂与CH₄年总通量值。研究期间,澎溪河回水区全年各采样点CO₂通量均值为(3.05±0.46)mmol/(m2·h);CH₄为(0.050 1±0.009 6)mmol/(m2·h)。以水下地形法为基础,该水域全年CO₂和CH₄总通量分别为40 060.5 t和540.9 t;以环境因素控制法为基础,全年CO₂与CH₄总通量分别为39 073.0 t和467.2 t。以环境要素控制法为参考,该水域CO₂全年平均释放强度为43.26 mmol/(m2·d),在全球水库数据序列中处于中等略偏高水平,CH₄全年平均释放强度为1.42 mmol/(m2·d),在全球水库序列中处于中等水平。     

A comparison of the diets of Gulf killifish,Fundulus grandis Baird and Girard,entering and leaving a Mississippi brackish marsh

We examined the diets of Gulf killifish,Fundulus grandis Baird and Girard, collected monthly from March through July 1988 with unbaited minnow traps during two sampling periods: (1) on flood tides before they reached the marsh surface, and (2) on ebb tides as they left the marsh. Thirty-five prey taxa, plant parts, and detritus were identified from the stomach contents of 110 Gulf killifish (mean SL = 55 mm, range = 30?82 mm). Fiddler crabs,Uca longisignalis Salmon and Atsaides; amphipods, mostlyCorophium louisianum Shoemaker; tanaidaceans,Hargeria rapax (Harger); and hydrobiids,Littoridinops palustris Thompson, were their most important prey. Killifish diets differed both quantitatively and qualitatively relative to the habitat in which they were feeding. Fiddler crabs and polychaetes were consumed more frequently and in greater numbers in the intertidal zone, whereas more amphipods were eaten by killifish feeding in subtidal and low intertidal areas. Gulf killifish consumed a greater volume of food when they had access to the marsh surface than when they were confined to subtidal areas.     

Measuring daytime CO2 fluxes from the inter-tidal mangrove soils of Indian Sundarbans

The aim of this research was to measure the rate of carbon dioxide (CO₂) exchange between the soil and atmosphere in the inter-tidal forest floor of the Indian Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem and to study its response with soil temperature and soil water content. Soil CO₂ effluxes were monitored every month at two stations (between April, 2011 and March, 2012); one situated at the land–ocean boundary of the Bay of Bengal (outer part of the mangrove forest) and the other lying 55 km inshore from the coast line (inner part of the mangrove forest). The static closed chamber technique was implemented at three inter-tidal positions (landward, seaward and bare mudflats) in each station. Fluxes were measured in the daytime every half an hour by circulating chamber headspace air through a sampling manifold assembly and a closed-path non-dispersive infrared gas analyser. The fluxes ranged between 0.15 and 2.34 μmol m^?2 s^?1 during the annual course of sampling. Effluxes of higher magnitude were measured during summer; however, it abruptly decreased during the monsoon. CO₂ flux from the forest floor was strongly related to soil temperature, with the highest correlation found with temperature at 2 cm depth. No such significant relationship between soil water content and CO₂ efflux could be properly ascertained; however, excessively high soil water content was found to be the only reason which hampered the rate of effluxes during the monsoon. On the whole, landward (LW) sites of the mangrove forest emitted more than the seaward (SW) sites. Q ₁₀ values (obtained from simple exponential model) which denote the multiplicative factor by which the efflux rate increases for a 10 °C rise in temperature ranged between 2.07 and 4.05.     

The influence of upwelling and short-term changes in concentrations of nutrients in the water column on fluxes across the surface of a salt marsh

Oceanic upwelling results in the intermittent intrusion of cold ocean water enriched in nitrate, and to a lesser extent soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), into the Kariega Estuary (South Africa). Laboratory measocosm experiments were conducted to determine the effects of such changes on fluxes of dissolved nutrients across the surface of a salt marsh within the estuary. When replicate mesocosms of the tidal creek and salt marsh were inundated with nonupwelled water (at 25°C and nitrate concentrations of 4.5 μmoll^?1), nitrate fluxes in both regions were small, and the tidal creek exhibited net uptake (negative value) of nitrate from the water column (?85 μmol m^?2 tide^?1), and the marsh, net release (positive values; 113 μmol m^?2 tide^?1). When the mesocosms were inundated with upwelled water, at 16°C and with nitrate concentrations of 24.2 μmol l^?1, both regions exhibited large net uptakes of nitrate (?514 μmol m^?2 tide^?1 and ?226 μmol m^?2 tide^?1 for the tidal creek and salt marsh, respectively). In contrast to nitrate, the fluxes of nitrite, ammonium, and SRP were not significantly different under upwelling and nonupwelling conditions, probably because initial concentrations in the two water types were similar. To determine the extent to which the nitrate uptakes were caused by decreased water temperatures or increased concentrations of nitrate, experiments were conducted in which mesocosms were inundated with water with a range of nitrate concentrations (1.8–25 μmol l^?1), at two temperatures representative of summer upwelling (16°C) and nonupwelling conditions (25°C). In both regions, the net fluxes of nitrate were positively correlated with initial concentrations of nitrate in the water column. For any given concentration, the fluxes at 16°C fell within the range of values at 25°C, indicating that the shifts in fluxes caused by upwelling occurred in response to increased concentrations in the water column and not reduced temperatures.     

气候变暖对多年冻土区土壤有机碳库的影响

多年冻土区存储了大量土壤有机碳。气候变暖、 多年冻土退化导致其长期封存的有机碳逐渐或快速释放, 进入大气圈或水系统, 改变原有多年冻土区碳循环, 并可能显著加速气候变暖。通过综述气候变暖对多年冻土区碳库的影响研究进展, 主要包括多年冻土碳库储量、 降解机理及变化预测, 研究表明： 北半球多年冻土区的碳储量巨大, 但不确定性很高, 尤其是海底多年冻土和水合物碳库储量的评估; 多年冻土碳库对气候变暖的响应速度受土壤水热特性、 土壤有机质C/N比、 有机碳含量和微生物群落特征等多种环境因素的控制或影响; 目前, 关于北半球多年冻土碳库对气候变暖响应模拟结果说明, 多年冻土退化短期内不会导致经济和生产方面的灾难性后果。但是, 无论是针对多年冻土碳库评估, 还是多年冻土有机碳库对气候变暖的响应模拟研究结果, 都有较大的不确定性。未来多年冻土碳库变化的模拟和预测研究应更多考虑多年冻土快速退化和多年冻土区水合物分解, 如中小尺度热喀斯特的生态环境和碳的源汇效应。准确的多年冻土区有机碳排放模拟可为未来多年冻土碳与气候反馈的预估提供重要支持。     

咸化水体中DIC的同位素组成及环境过程分析

系统采集了天津地区地表水样品,对其溶解无机碳的稳定碳同位素比值(δ13CDIC)及相关化学组成进行了全面测定,以期对咸化并且受到污染水体中的溶解无机碳的来源和迁移转化特征进行探讨.研究结果显示,天津地表水中溶解无机碳的δ13CDIC值主要分布于0.27‰～ -14.9‰之间,显示了相对较宽的分布范围.同时,天津地表水体...     

A multi-methodological approach to determine CO2 and CH4 fluxes and concentrations in solid waste disposal

The municipal solid waste （MSW） landfills are the significant sources of atmospheric contamination, due to biogas production by anaerobic decomposition of organic matter via bacterial activity. Biogas released from landfills is commonly composed of a mixture of methane （55%-60%） and carbon dioxide （40%-45%）, with minor contents of N2, H2, CO and traces of toxic and bad smelling inorganic and organic compounds. Particular attention has to be paid to CH4 and CO2 because of their liability for the greenhouse effect. Presently, the U.S. methane emission from landfills is considered to be about 25% of the total methane released to the atmosphere. Accordingly, field measurements should be planned in order to verify and, eventually, optimize the amount of gases released from waste disposals to the atmosphere. Simultaneous measurements of methane and carbon dioxide fluxes are an effective tool to better evaluate： （1） the amount of biogas released, （2） the real efficiency of the impervious cover, and （3） the presence of anomalous degassing zones or of newly formed fractures. Static closed-chamber methods for CH4 and CO2 flux measurements have been developed and used in both natural and artificial systems. Furthermore, portable gas-chromatographers equipped with flame ionization detector （FID） and accumulation chamber connected to infrared detectors （IR） .have been utilized for measuring CH4 and CO2 fluxes, respectively. This paper deals with a detailed investigation that combines （1） CH4 and CO2 flux measurements from solid waste disposal and surrounding areas （determined by an accumulation chamber equipped with two IR detectors, respectively）, （2） chemical composition of soil and piezometer gases （collected in pre-evacuated glass tubes and analyzed by gas-chromatography）, and （3） CO2 linear concentration measurements on optical air paths with IR laser devices. This multi-methodological approach was successfully applied to an active MSW in Tuscany （Central Italy）. The analytical results have shown that the CO2/CH4 ratios of the piezometer gases have large variations, likely related to the different stage of decomposition processes affecting the heterogeneous solid material of the waste landfill. Significant contents of light hydrocarbons and BTX were also detected.     

Production and life cycle of the gastropodHydrobia truncata,with notes onSpurwinkia salsa in Massachusetts salt marsh pools

Two hydrobiid gastropods are important components of the salt marsh pool invertebrate community at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge near Rowley, Massachusetts.Hydrobia truncata was found to be the dominant snail in the two higher salinity pools, withSpurwinkia salsa becoming the more important at lower salinities.H. truncata began to reproduce between May 19 and June 9. Cohorts lasted about 14 months, and 99% of production occurred during the first 12 months. Shell height inH. truncata was greater in pool 2 which had a much lower density than pool 1 on all dates of the 1980 growing season. Snail densities were positively correlated with the presence of floating algal mats of the genusCladophora, but the snails apparently do not graze on this alga.H. truncata production, calculated by four methods, ranged from 41.0 to 78.1 and averaged 60.5 g m^?2 cohort^?1 for pool 1, but were estimated to be less than 10% of these values in pool 2. In pool 1,H. truncata was estimated to assimilate 55% of net primary production or 28% of total pool energy income when detritus income was included. When found in the same pool asH. truncata, Spurwinkia salsa ordinarily comprised less than 0.5% of the total snail population.S. salsa veligers did not metamorphose into juveniles until July and were partitioned fromH. truncata by size durig their first growing season. The main separation between the two species, however, appeared to be spatial, on a salinity gradient. TheS. salsa cohort lasted about 19 months with a few individuals surviving to 27 months in their third summer.