Diagenetic mineralization in Pennsylvanian coals from Indiana, USA: C/C and O/O implications for cleat origin and coalbed methane generation

Cleats and fractures in southwestern Indiana coal seams are often filled with authigenic kaolinite and/or calcite. Carbon- and oxygen-stable isotope ratios of kaolinite, calcite, and coalbed CO₂ were evaluated in combination with measured values and published estimates of δ¹⁸O of coalbed paleowaters that had been present at the time of mineralization. δ¹⁸O_mineral and δ¹⁸O_water values jointly constrain the paleotemperature of mineralization. The isotopic evidence and the thermal and tectonic history of this part of the Illinois Basin led to the conclusion that maximum burial and heat-sterilization of coal seams approximately 272 Ma ago was followed by advective heat redistribution and concurrent precipitation of kaolinite in cleats at a burial depth of < 1600 m at  78 ± 5 °C. Post-Paleozoic uplift, the development of a second generation of cleats, and subsequent precipitation of calcite occurred at shallower burial depth between  500 to  1300 m at a lower temperature of 43 ± 6 °C. The available paleowater in coalbeds was likely ocean water and/or tropical meteoric water with a δ¹⁸O_water  − 1.25‰ versus VSMOW. Inoculation of coalbeds with methanogenic CO₂-reducing microbes occurred at an even later time, because modern microbially influenced ¹³C-enriched coalbed CO₂ (i.e., the isotopically fractionated residue of microbial CO₂ reduction) is out of isotopic equilibrium with ¹³C-depleted calcite in cleats.     

Recognizing Carbon Forestry’s Uneven Geography: A Response to Purdon and the Structure-Agency Dichotomy That Never Was

We here respond to the critique by Purdon of an article on carbon forestry that we published in this journal last year (Carton and Andersson). While we welcome critical engagements with our work, Purdon’s argument is wide of the mark and appears based largely on misconceptions regarding our theoretical entry point and empirical findings. Underlying this are fundamental disagreements about the nature of carbon forestry, structure-agency dynamics, and how to understand environmental interventions in the global South more broadly. We argue that we are unlikely to “find common ground” in our respective analyses of the Trees for Global Benefits project unless we share a common understanding of the unequal power relations and fundamental geographical unevenness within which carbon projects operate. Contrary to what Purdon argues, this position has nothing to do with ignoring local benefits, nor with denying the agency of the smallholder farmers who participate in the project. We see no contradiction between an analysis that does justice to the various structural conditions that frame carbon forest projects, and a recognition of local agency.     

西鄂尔多斯荒漠灌丛生态系统碳密度

为了估算西鄂尔多斯天然荒漠灌丛生态系统碳密度并揭示碳储量在不同层片（灌丛植株、草本层、枯落物层及土壤层）、器官间的分配规律,以该区5种优势荒漠灌丛（沙冬青Ammopiptanthus mogolicus、霸王Zygophyllum xanthoxylum、四合木Tetraena mongolica、半日花Helianthemum songaricum和红砂Reaumuria songarica）群落为对象,测定了5种灌丛生态系统碳密度。结果表明：西鄂尔多斯5种荒漠灌丛生态系统碳密度40.28~55.51 t·hm^-2,其中土壤层碳密度占绝对优势（97.15%~98.51%）,为39.40~54.48 t·hm^-2,且在0~50 cm随着土层深度的增加而增加;植被层生物量密度垂直分布格局表现为灌丛层 > 草本层 > 枯落物层,灌丛层碳密度空间上表现为距离黄河越近碳密度越大（沙冬青和半日花灌丛生物量碳分别占各自植被层生物量密度的92.16%和62.42%）,而草本层碳密度表现出与之相反的规律;草本层根系生物量碳也是灌丛生态系统碳重要组成部分,碳密度8.41~38.29 g·m^-2,占植被层碳密度的5.36%~45.18%;除红砂灌丛外,灌丛草本层地下部分碳密度显著高于地上部分（P<0.05）;灌丛个体碳储量分布表现为枝条 > 根系 > 叶片,粗枝和粗根是单株灌丛碳储量的主要贡献者,且在灌丛种间差异显著（P<0.05）,根系生物量碳占植被层碳储量的20.00%~33.53%,叶片生物量碳占总植被层碳储量的2.02%~24.54%。     

Distribution of CO2 parameters in the Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean

The variability of sea surface Total Alkalinity (TA) and sea surface Total Inorganic Carbon (C_T) is examined using all available data in the western tropical Atlantic (WTA: 20°S-20°N, 60°W-20°W). Lowest TA and C_T are observed for the region located between 0°N-15°N/60°W-50°W and are explained by the influence of the Amazon plume during boreal summer. In the southern part of the area, 20°S-10°S/40°W-60°W, the highest values of TA and C_T are linked to the CO₂–rich waters due to the equatorial upwelling, which are transported by the South Equatorial Current (SEC) flowing from the African coast to the Brazilian shore. An increase of C_T of 0.9 ± 0.3 μmol kg⁻¹yr⁻¹ has been observed in the SEC region and is consistent with previous published estimates. A revised C_T-Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) relationship is proposed for the WTA to take into account the variability of C_T at low salinities. This new C_T-SSS relationship together with a published TA-SSS relationship allow to calculate pCO₂ values that compare well with observed pCO₂ (R² = 0.90).     

Negotiating Indigenous benefits from payment for ecosystem service (PES) schemes

This paper draws on research conducted with Aboriginal land managers across Northern Australia to show how and why payments for ecosystem service (PES) schemes should be framed around Indigenous rights to and relationships with their traditional estates. PES schemes offer opportunities to recognize and support Aboriginal communities' land and sea management knowledge and practices, and there is strong evidence that Indigenous communities are seeking to engage with such schemes. We focus on Aboriginal savanna landscape management, particularly traditional burning practices, to extend the ecosystem services framework to recognize Indigenous values and interactions with their lands as a critical service for Indigenous well-being. Drawing on case-study analysis of PES projects negotiated to support Aboriginal fire management programs across Northern Australia, we show how cultural ecosystem services can be applied to represent the active, dynamic and often interdependent relationships inherent in Indigenous human-environment relationships.     

朝鲜平南盆地埃迪卡拉系-下寒武统地层碳同位素特征

中朝古陆(华北古陆)平南盆地位于朝鲜半岛中部,广泛发育新元古界-古生界地层。根据化石记录,一般认为燕滩群(自下而上包括飞狼洞组和棱里组)主体属于埃迪卡拉系,黄州(超)群坪山组和中和组主体属于下寒武统。然而,该套地层记录的新元古界-古生界界线处在什么位置,燕滩群是否记录冰期事件(如,Gaskiers冰期),尚有争议。本文对这些地层开展了碳、氧同位素分析。结果表明,飞浪洞组δ13C值从底部+2‰开始,在+2‰和+6‰之间变化,最上部为+2‰;棱里组从下到上从0降至-7‰;坪山组在-3.1‰~0‰之间变化;中和组基本上在-1.2‰~+1.9‰范围变化。这些数据表明,原先认为有冰碛岩的飞浪洞组可能没有记录Gaskiers冰期;棱里组δ13C值与Gaskiers或Marinoan等冰期不可对比,而可能对应于埃迪卡拉系最末期的负漂移。通过将平南盆地燕滩群-黄州群地层碳同位素值变化趋势与国际地层对比,明确地层时代属于埃迪卡拉系末期-下寒武统;由于不存在明确的的不整合,燕滩群-黄州群地层可以作为这一时期连续剖面。我们认为黄州群坪山组底部含磷、含金属硫化物黑色板岩可以作为界线标志层。     

南亚热带森林植被恢复演替中土壤有机碳组分及其稳定性

以鼎湖山森林植被恢复演替过程中的松林(初期)、混交林(中期)和季风林(后期)为研究对象,通过测定其土壤总有机碳(TOC)、易氧化有机碳(ROC)和不易氧化有机碳(NROC)及凋落物13C-NMR分析,以期阐明森林植被恢复演替过程中土壤有机碳组分变化规律及其原因。结果表明:(1)3个森林土壤ROC含量差异不显著;由松林向季风林演替过程中,ROC占TOC的比例下降。松林新鲜凋落物层的烷氧基碳含量(57.03%)高于季风林(49.10%)和混交林(54.50%)。(2)3个森林土壤NROC含量差异显著,大小顺序为:季风林混交林松林。混交林和季风林凋落物半分解层和已分解层的惰性指数明显高于松林。TOC趋势与NROC一致。南亚热带森林由松林向季风林恢复演替过程中,土壤有机碳的稳定性增加,惰性有机碳的持续积累可能是季风林和混交林土壤TOC积累的一个重要过程。     

Above ground biomass and tree species richness estimation with airborne lidar in tropical Ghana forests

Estimates of forest aboveground biomass are fundamental for carbon monitoring and accounting; delivering information at very high spatial resolution is especially valuable for local management, conservation and selective logging purposes. In tropical areas, hosting large biomass and biodiversity resources which are often threatened by unsustainable anthropogenic pressures, frequent forest resources monitoring is needed. Lidar is a powerful tool to estimate aboveground biomass at fine resolution; however its application in tropical forests has been limited, with high variability in the accuracy of results. Lidar pulses scan the forest vertical profile, and can provide structure information which is also linked to biodiversity. In the last decade the remote sensing of biodiversity has received great attention, but few studies focused on the use of lidar for assessing tree species richness in tropical forests.This research aims at estimating aboveground biomass and tree species richness using discrete return airborne lidar in Ghana forests. We tested an advanced statistical technique, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), which does not require assumptions on data distribution or on the relationships between variables, being suitable for studying ecological variables.We compared the MARS regression results with those obtained by multilinear regression and found that both algorithms were effective, but MARS provided higher accuracy either for biomass (R² = 0.72) and species richness (R² = 0.64). We also noted strong correlation between biodiversity and biomass field values. Even if the forest areas under analysis are limited in extent and represent peculiar ecosystems, the preliminary indications produced by our study suggest that instrument such as lidar, specifically useful for pinpointing forest structure, can also be exploited as a support for tree species richness assessment.     

Progress of Tracing Fossil Fuel CO2 by Radiocarbon in Chinese Cities

The main cause of increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration is the carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustions and so on. Cities are regarded as the hot spots of carbon emissions. On the basis of obtaining the levels and spatial-temporal variation characteristics of atmospheric fossil fuel CO₂ （CO_2ff）， we can provide scientific data for government policy-making and international negotiations on carbon reductions. In the recent ten years， some important progresses have been achieved in the study of tracing urban atmospheric CO_2ff using ¹⁴C by Chinese scientists. The variation characteristics of urban CO_2ff at different temporal and spatial scales were obtained through the analysis of ¹⁴C in air， tree ring and annual plant samples. Our results show that the northern cities are the key points to reduce carbon emissions， and that the CO_2ff emissions can be reduced simultaneously by controlling atmospheric pollutant emissions， indicating a synergistic emission reduction. It was found that CO_2ff in Xi'an was mainly from local coal-burning emissions with the use of improved WRF-CHEM model and δ¹³C. Finally， the yearly CO_2ff traced by tree-ring ¹⁴C in Xi'an showed similar trends and amplitudes with the statistical data of carbon emissions， which indicates that the ¹⁴C tracing method and statistical method can be mutually validated to ensure the reliability of the data. In order to promote the ¹⁴C trace study to serve the national carbon emission reduction task， we suggest that the urban atmospheric Δ¹⁴CO₂ observation network should be established as soon as possible， and that this study should be enhanced with more scientists involved in it and more financial resources to support it.