CARBON CYCLE OF MARSH IN THE SANJIANG PLAIN

Peat~hisaprocessofbeinghelpfulfordecreasingtheincrementofopcontentintheair,whichiscausedbycombustionofdineralfuelsandhumanactivitiesinterrestrialecosystem.But,exploitingrnaxsh,eSPeCiallyPeatedtObefuels,impliesthatorgbocsubstanceaccUInulatedfroma~hereduringthepastthousandsofyearsisrapidlyOxidized.aamthemarShplaysanimPOrtantroleinthecycleofbiogaxhdristry.TheSanjiangPlainisalowplainformedbythecommonreactionoftheHeilongRiver,SonghuaherandWUSuliabover.Thetotalareais10.89X104klnZandmarsharea…     

华北中元古代浅海碳酸盐沉淀方式变化:海水氧化还原条件波动的响应?*

海相碳酸盐的沉淀方式被认为与水体氧化还原条件密切相关,即太古宙至古元古代缺氧的铁化海水中碳酸盐沉淀抑制剂Fe²⁺和Mn²⁺强力抑制灰泥在水柱中成核,但允许文石直接在海底生长,从而导致大量文石以海底沉淀方式产出,而新元古代适度的氧化海水则有利于灰泥以水柱沉淀方式形成。然而,碳酸盐沉淀方式的长期变化还可能受控于其他因素,其与海水氧化还原条件之间的关系还需要通过大量具体实例来验证。针对上述科学问题,笔者选择碳酸盐沉淀方式尚处于过渡时期的华北中元古界碳酸盐岩为研究对象,开展碳酸盐沉淀方式及与之对应的氧化还原条件研究。结果表明,华北高于庄组三段(约1.56 Ga)、雾迷山组四段下部(约1.48 Ga)和铁岭组二段(约1.44 Ga)发育大量灰泥水柱沉淀,其Ⅰ/(Ca+Mg)值较高(普遍大于0.5 μmol/mol)、Ce负异常(低至0.8),指示适度氧化的条件;而高于庄组四段下部(约1.55 Ga)和雾迷山组二段中部(约1.50 Ga)则发育大量纤维状文石海底沉淀,其Ⅰ/(Ca+Mg)值约为0,指示次氧化至缺氧的环境。因此,本研究首次用大量实例证实了前寒武纪海水氧化还原条件对碳酸盐沉淀方式的重要调控作用,并且后者可作为海水氧化还原条件分析的重要指标,适用于高效开展长序列、多剖面的低氧背景下前寒武纪碳酸盐岩地层的氧化还原条件分析。     

水合物生成过程中碳同位素组成变化的实验研究

天然气水合物是一种新型的洁净能源。甲烷天然气水合物是储量最丰富的一种类型,常出现在深海中或极地大陆上,其生成的过程中会发生同位素的分馏效应。通过实验室模拟水合物生成的过程,利用天然海水与甲烷或二氧化碳气体反应,以及更接近实际生成环境的甲烷-海水-沉积物动态聚散实验,对甲烷水合物和二氧化碳水合物生成前后δ13C值进行测定,研究水合物生成过程中δ13C的变化情况。实验证明,水合物反应中碳同位素分馏是存在的,其变化程度明显小于氧同位素和氢同位素。甲烷水合物碳同位素的分馏系数αC的值为1000 3~1000 9。二氧化碳水合物生成反应后气相的碳、氧同位素变轻,重同位素趋向于进入水合物中,二氧化碳水合物碳同位素的分馏系数αC的值为1000 7~1001 2。海水中溶解的CO2气体在甲烷水合物形成过程中会被水合物捕获,从而使得δ13CDIC值变小,重的碳同位素趋于进入水合物中,而较轻的碳同位素留在海水中。但由于海水中含有的溶解CO2气体有限,经过多轮水合物动态聚散后δ13CDIC值的变化幅度会越来越小。     

A rapid method for preparing low volume CH4 and CO2 gas samples for 14C AMS analysis

¹⁴C measurements of CH₄ in environmental samples (e.g. soil gas, lake water, gas hydrates) can advance understanding of C cycling in terrestrial and marine systems. The measurements are particularly useful for detecting the release of old C from climate sensitive environments such as peatlands and hydrate fields. However, because ¹⁴C CH₄ measurements tend to be complex and time consuming, they are uncommon. Here, we describe a novel vacuum line system for the preparation of CH₄ and CO₂ from environmental samples for ¹⁴C analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The vacuum line is a flow-through system that allows rapid preparation of samples (1 h for CH₄ and CO₂, 30 min for CH₄ alone), complete separation of CH₄ and CO₂ and is an easy addition to multipurpose CO₂ vacuum lines already in use. We evaluated the line using CH₄ and CO₂ standards with different ¹⁴C content. For CH₄ and CO₂, respectively, the total line blank was 0.4 ± 0.2 and 1.4 ± 0.6 μg C, the ¹⁴C background 51.1 ± 1.2 and 48.4 ± 1.5 kyr and the precision (based on pooled standard deviation) 0.9‰ and 1.3‰. The line was designed for sample volumes of ca. 180 ml containing 0.5–1% CH₄ and CO₂, but can be adjusted to handle lower concentration and larger volume samples. This rapid and convenient method for the preparation of CH₄ and CO₂ in environmental samples for ¹⁴C AMS analysis should provide more opportunities for the use of ¹⁴C CH₄ measurements in C cycle studies.     

Chlorine in the stratosphere

This paper reviews the various aspects of chlorine compounds in the stratosphere, both their roles as reactants and as tracers of dynamical processes. In the stratosphere, reactive chlorine is released from chlorofluorocarbons and other chlorine-containing organic source gases. To a large extent reactive chlorine is then sequestered in reservoir species ClONO₂ and HCl. Re-activation of chlorine happens predominantly in polar winter vortices by heterogeneous reaction in combination with sunlight. Catalytic cycles involving Cl, ClO, BrO, Cl₂O₂, ClO₂, and others like NO, NO₂, OH, and HO₂ remove odd oxygen (ozone and atomic oxygen) from the atmosphere. Under an ozone hole condition, the ClO dimer cycle is particularly important, while in mid-latitudes the short-lived reservoir HOC1 has some importance. Solar proton events can also affect stratospheric chlorine chemistry, but whether solar protons effectively activate or deactivate chlorine was shown to depend on illumination conditions. The lifetime of chlorofluorocarbons has an impact on the availability of ozone destructing substances in the stratosphere and depends on the Brewer-Dobson circulation which controls at which altitudes and how long an air parcel is exposed to photochemistry. In turn, the chlorine-containing source gases can be used as tracers to constrain the age of stratospheric air and thus to diagnose the Brewer-Dobson circulation. The use of complementary measurement systems was essential to extend our knowledge on chlorine-containing compounds in the stratosphere. ClO is best measured by remote sensing in its rotational bands in the far infrared and microwave region. For HOC1 the far infrared bands are ideal, but some substantial information was also gained with microwave and mid-infrared measurements. ClONO₂ is only measured in the thermal infrared, while HCl has a measurable signal in the microwave, far infrared and mid-infrared regions. The mid-infrared HCl lines, however, are situated at wavelengths where blackbody emission at terrestrial temperatures is so low that infrared measurements of HCl are possible only in solar absorption geometry, but not in thermal emission. Chlorine source gases are most accurately measured by air sampling techniques, while global coverage can only be achieved by satellite-borne thermal infrared measurements. In epistemological terms, research on stratospheric chemistry and particularly the role of chlorine compounds used various scientific concepts from deductive reasoning, falsificationism, abductive reasoning and so-called “puzzle-solving within normal science”. The structuralist theory of science with the concept of non-statement view of theories, however, seems to be best applicable to stratospheric chlorine research of the recent decades.     

Nitrogen dioxide DOAS measurements from ground and space: comparison of zenith scattered sunlight ground-based measurements and OMI data in Central Mexico

The use of satellite data in combination with ground-based measurements can provide valuable information about atmospheric chemistry and air quality. In this study, ground-based Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) conducted in central Mexico are compared with the space-borne Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) dataset of 2006-2011. Ground-based measurements exhibited large day-to-day variations and were on average three times higher than the space-borne derived average over the observation site. This difference is attributed to strong horizontal inhomogeneity of the lower layer of the measured NO₂ columns, sampled over a large footprint from the satellite instrument. Also, a reduced sensitivity of the satellite observation near the surface, where the largest concentrations are expected, could be responsible for this large discrepancy. From the analyzed OMI dataset, distribution maps of NO₂ above central Mexico were reconstructed, allowing to identify three main areas with increased NO₂ column densities: The dominating metropolitan area of Mexico City, the heavily industrialized region of Tula to the north and the Cuernavaca valley to the south. In this analysis, seasonal variability of NO₂ columns over central Mexico was detected, finding higher NO₂ columns during the dry and cold season, followed by the dry and warm period, and finally the lowest NO₂ columns were found during the rainy season. Pollution transport of this gas from Tula into Mexico City, as well as towards the Cuernavaca valley, is evident from this dataset.     

Morphological changes in branchial mitochondria-rich cells of the teleost Paralichthys olivaceus as a potential indicator of CO2 impacts

We studied the morphological and biochemical changes of mitochondria-rich cells (MRCs) of a demersal teleost, Paralichthys olivaceus, during exposure to 0.98, 2.97 and 4.95 kPa pCO₂. The apical opening area of MRCs increased 2.2 and 4.1 times by 24 h exposure to 2.97 and 4.95 kPa pCO₂, respectively, while the cross-sectional area or density of MRCs did not change. Gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity more than doubled at 72 h and then returned to the pre-exposure level at 168 h in 0.98 kPa pCO₂, while it increased 1.7 times at 24 h at 4.95 kPa. These results indicate that the apical opening area of MRCs and the gill Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity may be used as an indicator of acute (up to 72 h), but not chronic, impacts of high (>1 kPa) seawater CO₂ conditions in P. olivacues. Limitations of those parameters as indices of CO₂ impacts are discussed.     

Apatite Chlorine Concentration Measurements by LA‐ICP‐MS

Apatite incorporates variable and significant amounts of halogens (mainly F and Cl) in its crystal structure, which can be used to determine the initial F and Cl concentrations of magmas. The amount of chlorine in the apatite lattice also exerts an important compositional control on the degree of fission‐track annealing. Chlorine measurements in apatite have conventionally required electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) is increasingly used in apatite fission‐track dating to determine U concentrations and also in simultaneous U‐Pb dating and trace element measurements of apatite. Apatite Cl measurements by ICP‐MS would remove the need for EPMA but the high (12.97 eV) first ionisation potential makes analysis challenging. Apatite Cl data were acquired using two analytical set‐ups: a Resonetics M‐50 193 nm ArF Excimer laser coupled to an Agilent 7700× quadrupole ICP‐MS (using a 26 μm spot with an 8 Hz repetition rate) and a Photon Machines Analyte Excite 193 nm ArF Excimer laser coupled to a Thermo Scientific iCAP Qc (using a 30 μm spot with a 4 Hz repetition rate). Chlorine concentrations were determined by LA‐ICP‐MS (1140 analyses in total) for nineteen apatite occurrences, and there is a comprehensive EPMA Cl and F data set for 13 of the apatite samples. The apatite sample suite includes different compositions representative of the range likely to be encountered in natural apatites, along with extreme variants including two end‐member chlorapatites. Between twenty‐six and thirty‐nine isotopes were determined in each apatite sample corresponding to a typical analytical protocol for integrated apatite fission track (U and Cl contents) and U‐Pb dating, along with REE and trace element measurements. ³⁵Cl backgrounds (present mainly in the argon gas) were ~ 45–65 kcps in the first set‐up and ~ 4 kcps in the second set‐up. ³⁵Cl background‐corrected signals ranged from ~ 0 cps in end‐member fluorapatite to up to ~ 90 kcps in end‐member chlorapatite. Use of a collision cell in both analytical set‐ups decreased the low mass sensitivity by approximately an order of magnitude without improving the ³⁵Cl signal‐to‐background ratio. A minor Ca isotope was used as the internal standard to correct for drift in instrument sensitivity and variations in ablation volume during sessions. The ³⁵Cl/⁴³Ca values for each apatite (10–20 analyses each) when plotted against the EPMA Cl concentrations yield excellently constrained calibration relationships, demonstrating the suitability of the analytical protocol and that routine apatite Cl measurements by ICP‐MS are achievable.     

Why are carbon taxes unfair? Disentangling public perceptions of fairness

In order to reach climate goals, governments need to gain support from their voters for the necessary policy interventions, such as carbon dioxide taxes. Previous research concludes that people often do not support and legitimize such taxes because they perceive them as unfair. However, the notion of fairness implies a multitude of factors and despite attempts of the previous research to further nuance people’s fairness perceptions, we currently lack a more precise understanding of what people mean when they regard carbon taxes as unfair. In this article, we thoroughly investigate this problem by using original survey data from YouGov collected in the United States in 2018 and analyzing open-ended survey responses on why people think carbon taxes are unfair. Applying structural topic modeling, we unpack the multi-dimensional meaning of unfairness, as perceived by the US population. The results from our analysis show that people regard carbon taxes based on gas pricing as unfair because they perceive gas prices already being high, because of the need to drive, unfairness for the poor or rural population, lack of trust in government, or considerations that the purpose of the tax is unjustified. These findings help provide a more nuanced policy design to address fairness concerns related to carbon taxes.