Seasonal connections between meteoric water and streamflow generation along a mountain headwater stream

In snowmelt-driven mountain watersheds, the hydrologic connectivity between meteoric waters and stream flow generation varies strongly with the season, reflecting variable connection to soil and groundwater storage within the watershed. This variable connectivity regulates how streamflow generation mechanisms transform the seasonal and elevational variation in oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O and δD) of meteoric precipitation. Thus, water isotopes in stream flow can signal immediate connectivity or more prolonged mixing, especially in high-relief mountainous catchments. We characterized δ¹⁸O and δD values in stream water along an elevational gradient in a mountain headwater catchment in southwestern Montana. Stream water isotopic compositions related most strongly to elevation between February and March, exhibiting higher δ¹⁸O and δD values with decreasing elevation. These elevational isotopic lapse rates likely reflect increased connection between stream flow and proximal snow-derived water sources heavily subject to elevational isotopic effects. These patterns disappeared during summer sampling, when consistently lower δ¹⁸O and δD values of stream water reflected contributions from snowmelt or colder rainfall, despite much higher δ¹⁸O and δD values expected in warmer seasonal rainfall. The consistently low isotopic values and absence of a trend with elevation during summer suggest lower connectivity between summer precipitation and stream flow generation as a consequence of drier soils and greater transpiration. As further evidence of intermittent seasonal connectivity between the stream and adjacent groundwaters, we observed a late-winter flush of nitrate into the stream at higher elevations, consistent with increased connection to accumulating mineralized nitrogen in riparian wetlands. This pattern was distinct from mid-summer patterns of nitrate loading at lower elevations that suggested heightened human recreational activity along the stream corridor. These observations provide insights linking stream flow generation and seasonal water storage in high elevation mountainous watersheds. Greater understanding of the connections between surface water, soil water and groundwater in these environments will help predict how the quality and quantity of mountain runoff will respond to changing climate and allow better informed water management decisions.     

Spatial Patterns in Nutrient and In Vivo Fluorescence Distributions in the Marginal Ice Zone and the Seasonally Open Oceanic Zone in the Indian Sector of the Antarctic Ocean, in Austral Summer

Surface temperature, salinity, concentrations of silicate (Si) and nitrate + nitrite (N), and in vivo fluorescence (Fluor) were investigated in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and the seasonally open oceanic zone (SOOZ) (32–40°E, 64–69°S) from February 23 to 28 1992. In the MIZ the mean Si and N were 67.8 ± 2.2 M and 32.5 ± 1.7 M, respectively. There was a trend that low N values coincided with high Fluor values. Observation conducted at one point (64°S, 38°E) revealed a diel variation pattern in Fluor. Applying this pattern of deviation from noon value, all Fluor data were normalized to value at local noon. In the MIZ a significant negative correlation was observed between the normalized Fluor and N but not Si. On the other hand, Si decreased continuously from south to north in the SOOZ and was negatively correlated with the normalized Fluor. Difference in Si concentration was about 30 M between the sea around 64°S and the MIZ, while the difference in N concentration was estimated as less than 10 M. If diatoms take up silicate and nitrogen at an approximate ratio of 1:1, additional nitrogenous nutrients other than nitrate and nitrite (e.g. ammonia, urea etc.) would be required. In this case, an f-ratio of lower than 33% is obtained. It is suggested that in the MIZ abundance of phytoplankton community dominated by non-diatom increases utilizing nitrate while in the SOOZ abundance of phytoplankton community dominated by diatoms increases consuming Si and regenerated nitrogen.     

不同氮源对微小亚历山大藻生长和毒素产生的影响

通过尿素、氯化铵、酵母浸出粉和硝酸钠等氮源对微小亚历山大藻(Alexandrium minutum)生长及毒素产生的影响研究,分析了微小亚历山大藻对不同氮源利用状况的差异.结果表明,在氮饥饿条件下,加入硝酸钠和酵母浸出粉能显著促进微小亚历山大藻的生长;高浓度的氯化铵在加入后对微小亚历山大藻有一定的毒性效应,表现为生长停滞,但毒性效应在5 d后消失,并得到与添加硝酸钠及酵母浸出粉相似的增长速率0.21 d-1;添加尿素对微小亚历山大藻的生长没有显著促进作用.在四种氮源中,尿素对微小亚历山大藻毒素产生的刺激作用也最弱,在稳定期每个细胞藻细胞毒素含量维持在6.00~8.00 fmol;添加硝酸钠、氯化铵和酵母浸出粉的藻细胞在稳定期毒素含量分别达到11.85,12.86和14.64 fmol.硝酸钠和氯化铵刺激藻毒素产生的效果比酵母浸出粉更为直接.四种含氮营养盐对微小亚历山大藻毒素组成的影响都很小.     

Trace gas exchange at the air/water interface: Measurements of mass accommodation coefficients

A liquid jet of 90 m diameter and variable length has been utilized to determine absorption rates and, hence, mass accommodation coefficients , of atmospheric trace gases. The compounds investigated are HCl (0.01), HNO₃ (0.01), N₂O₅ (0.005), peroxyacetyl nitrate (>0.001), and HONO (0.005). It is concluded that the absorption of these trace gases by liquid atmospheric water is not significantly retarded by interfacial mass transport. The strengths and limitations of the liquid jet technique for measuring mass accommodation coefficients are explored.     

Measurement of the total nitrogen in lake sediments： Comparison and its environmental significance

Nitrogen cycle is an important bio-geochemical process in the environment. Measurement of the total nitrogen （TN） is a routine experiment in agriculture, biology and environmental sciences. The Kjeldahl method （KM） and elemental analyzer method （EA） are both commonly used to determine TN. Total nitrogen by EA is the sum of nitrate （NO3）, nitrite （NO2）, organic nitrogen and ammonia. Total nitrogen by KM （TKN） is made up of both organic nitrogen and ammonia. A comparative study focused on the two methods is conducted by analysis of TN in 97 samples from the sediment sequence of Gouchi, a salt lake in North China. KM presents a higher degree of accuracy than EA with a standard deviation of 0.007 vs. 0.024. With the presence of nitrate and/or nitrite nitrogen, however, measurement by KM is considerably lower than that by EA. Therefore, for samples from lake sediment sequences or soils in North China, KM is inapplicable to determining TN because of usually high contents of nitrous salt. Despite the inconsistency, use of both methods to the same samples makes sense in reconstructions of climatic and environmental changes from lake sediments. In Lake Gouchi, the contents of nitrate and nitrite nitrogen vary from 1.40% in the lower part of the sequence to 14.77% in the uppermost part, suggesting a gradual evolution process from a fresh water lake to the present-day salt lake.     

KCl-KNO3-CH3OH/H2O和KNO3-NH4NO3-CH3OH/H2O三元体系在25℃时的溶解度

测定了 2 5℃时KCl KNO3 CH3 OH H2 O和KNO3 NH4NO3 CH3 OH H2 O三元体系的溶解度 ,并与 2 5℃时相应体系在水中的溶解度进行了比较。     

土壤干湿交替促进硒酸盐的还原作用

采集不同类型的新鲜土壤，经处理获得其风干、烘干的样品，重新潮湿后，加入一定量的Na2SeO4溶液，进行了培育实验（incubationexperiments）。实验结果表明，随着土壤干燥程度的增加，硒酸盐还原作用的速度也随之加快。这进一步证实，作为一种地球化学营力的土壤干湿交替，通过对土壤水势（soilwaterpotential）、微生物群落等的影响，间接地促进了硒酸盐还原作用，因而成为硒生物地球化学循环的驱动力之一。     

Kinetics of the Gas-Phase Reactions of OH Radicals, NO3 Radicals and O3 with Three C7-Carbonyls Formed From The Atmospheric Reactions of Myrcene, Ocimene and Terpinolene

Rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals, NO₃ radicals and O₃ with the C₇-carbonyl compounds 4-methylenehex-5-enal [CH₂=CHC(=CH₂)CH₂CH₂CHO], (3Z)- and (3E)-4-methylhexa-3,5-dienal [CH₂=CHC(CH₃)=CHCH₂CHO] and 4-methylcyclohex-3-en-1-one, which are products of the atmospheric degradations of myrcene, Z- and E-ocimene and terpinolene, respectively, have been measured at 296 ± 2 K and atmospheric pressure of air using relative rate methods. The rate constants obtained (in cm³ molecule^–1 s^–1 units) were: for 4-methylenehex-5-enal, (1.55 ± 0.15) × 10^–10, (4.75 ± 0.35) × 10^–13 and (1.46 ± 0.12) × 10^–17 for the OH radical, NO₃ radical and O₃ reactions, respectively; for (3Z)-4-methylhexa-3,5-dienal: (1.61 ± 0.35) × 10^–10, (2.17 ± 0.30) × 10^–12, and (4.13 ± 0.81) × 10^–17 for the OH radical, NO₃ radical and O₃ reactions, respectively; for (3E)-4-methylhexa-3,5-dienal: (2.52 ± 0.65) × 10^–10, (1.75 ± 0.27) × 10^–12, and (5.36 ± 0.28) × 10^–17 for the OH radical, NO₃ radical and O₃ reactions, respectively; and for 4-methylcyclohex-3-en-1-one: (1.10 ± 0.19) × 10^–10, (1.81 ± 0.35) × 10^–12, and (6.98 ± 0.40) × 10^–17 for the OH radical, NO₃ radical and O₃ reactions, respectively. These carbonyl compounds are all reactive in the troposphere, with daytime reaction with the OH radical and nighttime reaction with the NO₃ radical being predicted to dominate as loss processes and with estimated lifetimes of about an hour or less.     

Pre‐ and post‐impoundment nitrogen in the lower Missouri River

Large water‐sample sets collected from 1899 through 1902, 1907, and in the early 1950s allow comparisons of pre‐impoundment and post‐impoundment (1969 through 2008) nitrogen concentrations in the lower Missouri River. Although urban wastes were not large enough to detectably increase annual loads of total nitrogen at the beginning of the 20^th century, carcass waste, stock‐yard manure, and untreated human wastes measurably increased ammonia and organic‐nitrogen concentrations during low flows. Average total‐nitrogen concentrations in both periods were about 2.5 mg/l, but much of the particulate‐organic nitrogen, which was the dominant form of nitrogen around 1900, has been replaced by nitrate. This change in speciation was caused by the nearly 80% decrease in suspended‐sediment concentrations that occurred after impoundment, modern agriculture, drainage of riparian wetlands, and sewage treatment. Nevertheless, bioavailable nitrogen has not been low enough to limit primary production in the Missouri River since the beginning of the 20^th century. Nitrate concentrations have increased more rapidly from 2000 through 2008 (5 to 12% per year), thus increasing bioavailable nitrogen delivered to the Mississippi River and affecting Gulf Coast hypoxia. The increase in nitrate concentrations with distance downstream is much greater during the post‐impoundment period. If strategies to decrease total‐nitrogen loads focus on particulate N, substantial decreases will be difficult because particulate nitrogen is now only 23% of total nitrogen in the Missouri River. A strategy aimed at decreasing particulates also could further exacerbate land loss along the Gulf of Mexico, which has been sediment starved since Missouri River impoundment. In contrast, strategies or benchmarks aimed at decreasing nitrate loads could substantially decrease nitrogen loadings because nitrates now constitute over half of the Missouri's nitrogen input to the Mississippi. Ongoing restoration and creation of wetlands along the Missouri River could be part of such a nitrate‐reduction strategy. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.