Enteromorpha and the cycling of nitrogen in a small estuary

The nitrogen relations of Enteromorpha spp. growing on intertidal mud flats have been examined over a twelve-month period. Nitrogen assimilation rates using ¹⁵N have been used to calculate the production of the alga and were between 0·046 and 0·217 mg $\text{NH}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{N}$ (g dry wt alga)^?1 h^?1 A considerable quantity of the alga was buried beneath the sediment over the growth season and was calculated to be equivalent to an input of up to 9·52 g N m^?2 per month and 32 g N m^?2 over one complete growth season. Based on carbon, this latter value represented an input of approximately 320 g C m^?2 annually. Low rates of nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) were found to be associated with the Enteromorpha. The organisms responsible for the nitrogenase activity were probably heterotrophic bacteria but they did not contribute significant quantities of nitrogen to the alga.     

12,000-Year, preliminary results of the stable nitrogen and carbon isotope record from the Empakai Crater lake sediments, Northern Tanzania

The stable isotope compositions of organic carbon and nitrogen, the contents of organic carbon and nitrogen and C/N ratios for two cores recovered from the Empakai Crater at water depths of 11 and 20 m are used to document climatic changes in northern Tanzania. Eight ¹⁴C AMS dates determined on total organic matter (OM) indicate that the sedimentation rate in this lake is about 30 cm/ka for the late Pleistocene to early Holocene period. There are differences in the δ¹³C values of organic carbon between the two cores, which may be a result of differences in location from the present shoreline and of different water depths. In the deeper-water core the δ¹³C values show a general downcore decrease to the base of the core with a sharp change to lower values of about 4‰ at a depth of 100 cm (8.7 ka). The general trend of downcore decrease in ¹³C values can be attributed either to a systematic decrease in the relative proportion of C₄ type of OM, owing to an increase in precipitation and change in vegetation cover from grassland to forest, or to utilization of isotopically enriched carbon during photosynthesis. The δ¹⁵N values show a general downcore increase with again a sharp change of about 5‰ to lower values at about 8.7 ka. A sharp change of about 5‰ and 4‰ to more depleted values at a depth of 100 cm of both ¹⁵N and ¹³C, respectively, suggests either hiatus or abrupt change in climatic condition from wetter conditions to drier conditions. There is enhanced preservation of OM in the lake as depicted by high mean values of organic carbon and nitrogen at both sites.     

Organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in the intertidal sediments from the Yangtze Estuary, China

The natural isotopic compositions and C/N elemental ratios of sedimentary organic matter were determined in the intertidal flat of the Yangtze Estuary. The results showed that the ratios of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes were respectively −29.8‰ to − 26.0‰ and 1.6‰–5.5‰ in the flood season (July), while they were −27.3‰ to − 25.6‰ and 1.7‰–7.8‰ in the dry season (February), respectively. The δ¹³C signatures were remarkably higher in July than in February, and gradually increased from the freshwater areas to the brackish areas. In contrast, there were relatively complex seasonal and spatial changes in stable nitrogen isotopes. It was also reflected that δ¹⁵N and C/N compositions had been obviously modified by organic matter diagenesis and biological processing, and could not be used to trace the sources of organic matter at the study area. In addition, it was considered that the mixing inputs of terrigenous and marine materials generally dominated sedimentary organic matter in the intertidal flat. The contribution of terrigenous inputs to sedimentary organic matter was roughly estimated according to the mixing balance model of stable carbon isotopes.     

Relationship of topography to surface water chemistry with particular focus on nitrogen and organic carbon solutes within a forested watershed in Hokkaido,Japan

We studied the relationships between streamwater chemistry and the topography of subcatchments in the Dorokawa watershed in Hokkaido Island, northern Japan, to examine the use of topography as a predictor of streamwater chemistry in a watershed with relatively moderate terrain compared with other regions of Japan. Topographic characteristics of the Dorokawa watershed and its subcatchments were expressed as topographic index (TI) values, which ranged from 4·5 to 20·4 for individual grid cells (50 × 50 m²), but averaged from 6·4 to 7·4 for the 20 subcatchments. Streamwater samples for chemical analyses were collected four times between June and October 2002 from 20 locations in the watershed. The pH of water that passed through the watershed increased from ～5·0 to 7·0, with major increases in Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ and marked decreases in NO₃^? and SO . Distinctive spatial patterns were observed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and NO₃^? concentrations of streamwater across the watershed. Statistical analyses indicated significant linear relationships between the average TI values of subcatchments and DOC, DON, and NO₃^? concentrations. Furthermore, the proportion of DOC in streamwaters in the wet season increased with TI values relative to other nitrogen species, whereas NO₃^? concentrations decreased with TI. The gradients of soil wetness and the presence of wetlands explained many of the observed spatial and temporal patterns of DOC, DON, and NO₃^? concentrations in the surface waters of the Dorokawa watershed. Our results suggest that the TI is especially useful for predicting the spatial distribution of DOC, DON and NO₃^? in the surface waters of Hokkaido, where topographical relief is moderate and wetlands more common than in other regions of Japan. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

模拟氮沉降对三江平原湿地小叶章生物量及分配的影响

在非淹水、淹水两种水分条件下模拟氮沉降变化(分别相当于氮沉降0g/(m2.a)、1g/(m2.a)、3g/(m2.a)、5g/(m2.a))对三江平原典型湿地植物小叶章生物量及其分配的影响。结果表明,不同水分状况下氮沉降均促进小叶章生物量的积累,且以N5水平下生物量增加最多(p<0.05)。小叶章各器官生物量增长程度对氮沉降的响应并不一致:非淹水条件下根生物量平均增长最大(54.5%),其次是叶(31%)、茎(19.2%);淹水条件下小叶章各部位的生物量增长更为显著,其中根生物量平均增长124.7%,叶、茎生物量分别增长62%和61.1%。氮沉降明显促进了根生物量的积累,提高根生物量的分配比例。生长季的氮沉降对于改变湿地的营养状况、刺激植物生长具有直接的生态意义。     

北京奥运会期间CBM-Z化学机制的模拟应用

利用CBM-Z化学机制模拟了中国科学院大气物理研究所气象塔站在北京奥运会期间高臭氧时段O3浓度的日变化,评估了气象条件、北京奥运会加强控制措施以及O3前体物浓度对近地面O3生成的影响。结果表明:(1)CBM-Z化学机制较好地模拟了北京奥运会期间典型时段气象塔站O3、NO、NO2日变化特征。(2)有利于局地高臭氧事件发生的气象条件非常相似;北京奥运会加强控制措施的实施显著减少了NOx及VOCs的排放量,导致近地面O3浓度的明显下降。(3)奥运会期间VOCs和CO是影响气象塔站O3生成量的关键因素。     

New data of typomorphic features of diamonds from placers in North Timan

The morphological and spectral-optical properties of diamond crystals from placers in North Timan rivers have been studied with IR-spectroscopy and cathode luminescence methods. As a result, correlation between external characteristics of diamonds (size and degree of mechanical damage) and number of optically active centers has been revealed. The habit and the type of distribution of structural defects in diamond crystals studied are comparable with those in diamonds from the Archangelsk Region and North Timan’s placers. Based on the obtained data, origin issues and possible primary sources of diamonds from North Timan’s placers are discussed.     

Spatial and temporal dynamics of nitrogen exchange in an upwelling reach of a groundwater-fed river and potential response to perturbations changing rainfall patterns under UK climate change scenarios

We report the complex spatial and temporal dynamics of hyporheic exchange flows (HEFs) and nitrogen exchange in an upwelling reach of a 200 m groundwater-fed river. We show how research combining hydrological measurement, geophysics and isotopes, together with nutrient speciation techniques provides insight on nitrogen pathways and transformations that could not have been captured otherwise, including a zone of vertical preferential discharge of nitrate from deeper groundwater, and a zone of rapid denitrification linking the floodplain with the riverbed. Nitrate attenuation in the reach is dominated by denitrification but is spatially highly variable. This variability is driven by groundwater flow pathways and landscape setting, which influences hyporheic flow, residence time and nitrate removal. We observed the spatial connectivity of the river to the riparian zone is important because zones of horizontal preferential discharge supply organic matter from the floodplain and create anoxic riverbed conditions with overlapping zones of nitrification potential and denitrification activity that peaked 10–20 cm below the riverbed. Our data also show that temporal variability in water pathways in the reach is driven by changes in stage of the order of tens of centimetres and by strength of water flux, which may influence the depth of delivery of dissolved organic carbon. The temporal variability is sensitive to changes to river flows under UK climate projections that anticipate a 14%–15% increase in regional median winter rainfall and a 14%–19% reduction in summer rainfall. Superimposed on seasonal projections is more intensive storm activity that will likely lead to a more dynamic and inherently complex (hydrologically and biogeochemically) hyporheic zone. We recorded direct evidence of suppression of upwelling groundwater (flow reversal) during rainfall events. Such flow reversal may fuel riverbed sediments whereby delivery of organic carbon to depth, and higher denitrification rates in HEFs might act in concert to make nitrate removal in the riverbed more efficient.