N2O flux from plant-soil systems in polar deserts switch between sources and sinks under different light conditions

Production and consumption of greenhouse gases such as CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O are key factors driving climate change. While CO₂ sinks are commonly reported and the mechanisms relatively well understood, N₂O sinks have often been overlooked and the driving factors for these sinks are poorly understood. We examined CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O flux in three High Arctic polar deserts under both light (measured in transparent chambers) and dark (measured in opaque chambers) conditions. We further examined if differences in soil moisture, evapotranspiration, Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), and/or plant communities were driving gas fluxes measured in transparent and opaque chambers at each of our sites. Nitrous oxide sinks were found at all of our sites suggesting that N₂O uptake can occur under extreme polar desert conditions, with relatively low soil moisture, soil temperature and limited soil N. Fluxes of CO₂ and N₂O switched from sources under dark conditions to sinks under light conditions, while CH₄ fluxes at our sites were not affected by light conditions. Neither evapotranspiration nor PAR were significantly correlated with CO₂ or N₂O flux, however, soil moisture was significantly correlated with both gas fluxes. The relationship between soil moisture and N₂O flux was different under light and dark conditions, suggesting that there are other factors, in addition to moisture, driving N₂O sinks. We found significant differences in N₂O and CO₂ flux between plant communities under both light and dark conditions and observed individual communities that shifted between sources and sinks depending on light conditions. Failure of many studies to include plant-mediated N₂O flux, as well as, N₂O soil sinks may account for the currently unbalanced global N₂O budget.     

Reducing Sediment Connectivity Through man‐Made and Natural Sediment Sinks in the Minizr Catchment,Northwest Ethiopia

Man‐made and natural sediment sinks provide a practical means for reducing downstream reservoir sedimentation by decreasing soil erosion and enhancing the rate of sedimentation within a catchment. The Minizr catchment (20 km²) in the northwest Ethiopian highlands contains numerous man‐made soil and water conservation (SWC) structures such as soil bunds (Erken), fanya juu ridge (Cab) and micro‐trenches and natural sediment sinks such as wetlands, floodplains and grassed waterways. These sediment sinks reduce downstream sedimentation into the Koga reservoir, located at the catchment outlet, however, a large quantity of sediment is still reaching the reservoir. This study evaluates the function and effectiveness of both man‐made SWC structures and natural sediment sinks in reducing sediment export from the Minizr catchment. SWC structures and natural sediment sinks were digitized using Google Earth Imagery. Sediment pins and vertical sampling through the deposit were used to quantify the amount of deposited sediment. In addition, inflow and outflow of suspended sediment data were used to calculate the sediment‐trapping efficacies (STE) of man‐made SWC structures (soil bunds and fanya juu ridges) and natural sediment sinks. Results reveal that 144 km soil bunds and fanya juu ridges trapped 7,920 Mg y⁻¹ (55 kg m⁻¹ y⁻¹) and micro‐trenches trapped 13·26 Mg y⁻¹, each micro‐trench on average trapped 23 kg y⁻¹. The 17 ha floodplain located in the centre of the catchment trapped 9,970 Mg y⁻¹ (59 kg m⁻² y⁻¹), while a wetland with a surface area of 24 ha, located near the outlet of the catchment, trapped 8,715 Mg y⁻¹ (36 kg m⁻² y⁻¹). The STEs of soil bunds and fanya juu ridges, wetlands and floodplains were 54%, 85% and 77%, respectively. Substantial differences were observed between the STE of grassed and un‐grassed waterways at 75% and 21%, respectively. Existing man‐made and natural sediment sinks played an important role in trapping sediment, with 38% (26,600 Mg y⁻¹) of transported sediment being trapped, while 62% (43,000 Mg y⁻¹) is exported from the catchment and thus enters the Koga reservoir. Therefore, additional catchment treatment measures are required as an integrated catchment scale sediment trapping approach to help reduce sediment loads entering Koga reservoir. Moreover, to maximize the effectiveness of sediment trapping measures, avoid structural failure and ensure their sustainability, regular maintenance is needed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Natural sinks of CO2: Technical synthesis from the palmas Del Mar Workshop

Natural CO₂ sinks in terrestrial and marine environments are important components of the global carbon cycle, yet the sign and magnitudes of key fluxes among them are unknown. The results of the Palmas Del Mar Workshop — Natural Sinks of CO₂ presented in this special issue and its companion hardbound volume of Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, provide a synthesis of current research on the carbon cycle, CO₂ sinks and associated processes and fluxes, and critical research needs to assess the potential role of forest and land-use management in carbon sequestration. The papers in this volume present data, observations, and model simulations that demonstrate: 1) the existence of natural CO₂ sinks that could mitigate a significant amount of CO₂ emissions from fossilfuel combustion; 2) probable, human-caused imbalances in C exchanges among vegetation, soils, and the atmosphere; 3) enhanced C storage in vegetation in response to excess atmospheric CO₂; 4) strong interactions among carbon, nutrient and hydrological cycles; and 5) an excess of carbon production over consumption in several, large managed forests. Although it appears unlikely that the search for the “missing” C sink required to balance the C budget will end in the open ocean, new estimates of C storage in mangrove wood and peat, suggest that coastal ecosystems have the capacity to store significant amounts of carbon in vegetation and sediments. Convincing analyses are also presented indicating the technical and economical feasibility of managing existing lands to sequester additional carbon. Long-term field studies of CO₂ fertilization effects and carbon cycling by plants and soils in geographically important systems, native forests, and coastal ecosystems will go a long way toward meeting the research needs identified at the workshop.     

Temporal dynamics of iron-rich, tropical soil organic carbon pools after land-use change from forest to sugarcane

Background, aim, and scope  

Land-use change can significantly influence carbon (C) storage and fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil–plant systems can act as sinks or sources of atmospheric CO₂ depending on formation and decomposition rates of soil organic matter. Therefore, changes in tropical soil C pools could have significant impacts on the global C cycle. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of long-term sugarcane cultivation on soil aggregation and organic matter, and to quantify temporal dynamics of soil organic matter in cultivated sugarcane plantation soils previously under a tropical natural secondary forest.     

Tropospheric Ozone in Alpine Forest Sites: Air Quality Monitoring and Statistical Data Analysis

Plants represent one of the major sinks for tropospheric ozone that, at high concentrations, can affect plants' physiological activity with consequent serious damage. A research project has been promoted by the Lombardy Foundation for the Environment to investigate the effects of air pollution on forest ecosystems. The areas of study are located on the southern slopes of the Italian Alps in two valleys, only 10 km apart, selected because of their different plant injury: Val Gerola and Val Masino. Air quality (O₃, NO_x, SO_x, VOC) and meteorological parameters were monitored during four summer seasons (1994-97) using automatic sampling devices providing hourly mean values for each variable. Data analysis showed very different ambient ozone concentrations at the two sites, with average concentration values observed in the more damaged valley (Val Gerola) twice those measured at the other site. Multivariate data analyses have been used to interpret the observed differences in long-term O₃ exposure between the two sites and to identify possible underlying processes.     

Effects of air pollution on the searching behaviour of an insect parasitoid

To assess the impact of air pollutants on the population dynamics of herbivores, the effects of pollutants on their natural enemies including predators, parasites, and pathogens must be evaluated in addition to direct effects and indirect effects mediated via the host plant. Insect parasitoids are an important group of such natural enemies providing many examples of partial or complete biological control of pest species. This study examined the effects of air pollutants (ozone (O₃), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)) on the searching behaviour of insect parasitoids. A series of experiments comprising short-term, closed chamber fumigations of O₃, SO₂, and NO₂ (100 nl l^?1) of the braconid parasitoid (Asobara tabida) and aggregated distributions of its host larvae (Drosophila subobscura) was set up. Analysis of chamber results showed that the proportion of hosts parasitised and the searching efficiency of the parasitoids were both significantly reduced with O₃ fumigation, but not with NO₂ or SO₂ fumigations. O₃ fumigation reduced percentage parasitism by approximately 10%. Parasitoids were able to avoid patches with no hosts, both in filtered air controls and when exposed to pollutants. However in the O₃ and NO₂ treatments they appeared less able to discriminate between different host densities, suggesting that pollutants may interfere with the olfactory responses of the parasitoids. These results indicate the potential for air pollutants, particularly O₃, to negatively influence the searching behaviour of parasitoids, and hence reduce the efficiency of natural enemy control of many pest species.     

Crop yield and carbon sink potential with precipitation in maize and potato cropland ecosystems over the summertime monsoon transition zone of China

China has significantly enhanced vegetation coverage and terrestrial carbon sink functions through ecological restoration. However, cropland ecosystems are sensitive to a changing climate over the summertime monsoon transition zone of China (SMTZC), which has implications for carbon cycling. For example, it is unclear how changes in precipitation will affect the cropland ecosystem carbon sinks (CS_e) and carbon sink potential (CS_p), and the mechanisms of tradeoffs that develop between plant and soil organic carbon (SOC) are unclear. Here, we integrated crop yield, total biomass (TB) and water coefficient in a combined field and modelling experimental. We explored the mechanisms of ecosystem carbon cycling and CS_p in the SMTZC under different precipitation scenarios. We found that soil organic carbon sink (SOC_s) was strongly correlated with the plant organic carbon sink (POC_s) and discovered. Significant differences in CSp between ecosystems resulting from interannual precipitation. The C₄ (maize, Zea mays) and C₃ (potato, Solanum tuberosum L) carbon sinks (CSs) were 68.59, 190.73, 160.37 Mt and 10.21, 30.97, 14.59 Mt for the 3 years, respectively. Precipitation effectively increased TB and yield, but excessive precipitation in them, which was most obvious in C₃ ecosystem (R² > 0.60) and reduced POC_s, evident in C₄ ecosystem (R² > 0.16). This study provides data and a scientific basis for increasing CS and achieving carbon neutrality in cropland.     

Effects of Land Use on Hydrochemistry and Contamination of Karst Groundwater from Nandong Underground River System, China

The Nandong Underground River System (NURS) is located in Southeast Yunnan Province, China. Groundwater in NURS plays a critical role in socio-economical development of the region. However, with the rapid increase of population in recent years, groundwater quality has degraded greatly. In this study, the analysis of 36 groundwater samples collected from springs in both rain and dry seasons shows significant spatial disparities and slight seasonal variations of major element concentrations in the groundwater. In addition, results from factor analysis indicate that NO ₃ ^? , Cl^?, SO ₄ ^2? , Na⁺, K⁺, and EC in the groundwater are mainly from the sources related to human activities while Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, HCO ₃ ^? , and pH are primarily controlled by water–rock interactions in karst system with Ca²⁺ and HCO ₃ ^? somewhat from anthropogenic inputs. With the increased anthropogenic contaminations, the groundwater chemistry changes widely from Ca-HCO₃ or Ca (Mg)-HCO₃ type to Ca-Cl (+NO₃) or Ca (Mg)-Cl (+NO₃), and Ca-Cl (+NO₃+SO₄) or Ca (Mg)-Cl (+NO₃+SO₄) type. Concentrations of NO ₃ ^? , Cl^?, SO ₄ ^2? , Na⁺, and K⁺ generally show an indistinct grouping with respect to land use types, with very high concentrations observed in the groundwater from residential and agricultural areas. This suggests that those ions are mainly derived from sewage effluents and fertilizers. No specific land use control on the Mg²⁺ ion distribution is observed, suggesting Mg²⁺ is originated from natural dissolution of carbonate rocks. The distribution of Ca²⁺ and HCO ₃ ^? does not show any distinct land use control either, except for the samples from residential zones, suggesting the Ca²⁺ and HCO ₃ ^- mainly come from both natural dissolution of carbonate rocks and sewage effluents.     

Investigation of sorbate-induced plasticization of Pahokee peat by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Purpose

Sorbate-induced swelling and plasticization of sorbent have been linked to sorption hysteresis of organic compounds in the natural organic matter of isolated humic acids, soils, and coals. The above processes, which have important implications for the fate and bioavailability of organic and inorganic contaminants, are mostly based on macroscopic changes and require molecular-level confirmation. This study aimed to investigate the presence or absence of sorbate-induced plasticization of Pahokee peat soil as a function of different sorbates.

Materials and methods

The plasticization of Pahokee peat soil was studied upon sorption of different proton-free solutes including C₆D₆, CDCl₃, CCl₄, C₂Cl₄, CBr₄, C₆D₅Cl, and C₅D₅N, covering apolar and polar aromatic and aliphatic compounds. The swelling and plasticization of Pahokee peat soil were verified at the molecular level by ¹H wideline and two-dimensional wideline separation (2D WISE) NMR. The use of ¹H wideline shapes is the traditional technique for studying molecular dynamics but hampered by the lack of spectral resolution, with one dimension displaying ¹³C chemical shifts and the second showing ¹H wideline shapes, is capable of providing information on molecular dynamics of specific functional groups.

Results and discussion

Our results showed that the segments of Pahokee peat soil sorbed with C₆D₆, C₂Cl₄, and C₅D₅N became more mobile, but the changes due to the plasticization were small. Both C₆D₆ and C₅D₅N selectively increased the mobility of specific components, C₆D₆ of the nonpolar alkyl domains, and C₅D₅N of both the nonpolar alkyl domains and aromatic components.

Conclusions

Some liquid solutes at high concentrations (2–5 wt%) are capable of slightly “softening” natural organic matter of a soil, and this provides support for the hypothesis that natural organic matter in Pahokee peat soil is in a glassy state that is subject to plasticization.

     

Marine algae as a co2 sink

The most effective ways to reduce CO₂ emissions are to improve the energy efficiency of each economic sector and to reduce the cutting of tropical and temperate forests around the world. These options, however, may not fully reach their technical and economic potential due to various political and socioeconomic barriers. Other more innovative and less well developed mitigation measures therefore will be required. The most practical of these is to increase CO₂ sinks through photosynthesis in both standing tree biomass and in ocean primary producers. In this paper, the use of marine algae as CO₂ sinks is reviewed from a technical, engineering/economic, and environmental perspective. Two open ocean options are considered for large-scale CO₂ mitigation: the use of phytoplankton through Fe fertilization and macroalgal (kelp) farms, which can be used for both C sequestering and energy production. It has been estimated that these two approaches can sequester from 0.7 to 3 Gt C yr^?1 from the atmosphere at an estimated cost of $5 to 300 t^?1 C yr^?1. Other options currently under study are also mentioned. Numerous questions remain to be answered pertaining to the use of both microalgae and macroalgae for CO₂ assimilation before credible estimates of costs of C removal can be made for either system. In addition, there are several key environmental issues raised by the use of algae. A detailed discussion of these variables, including cost estimates, is presented.     

PRECIPITATION OF AMORPHOUS ALUMINOSILICATES FROM SOLUTIONS CONTAINING MONOMERIC SILICA AND ALUMINIUM IONS

Monomeric silica solutions were mixed with solutions containing AlCl₃, or Al(OH)_2-55Cl_0-45 to give a SiO₂/Al₂O₃, ratio varying from 8 to 8.0 and were kept at pH 6–0, 7.0, or 8.0 over a period of about I year. All precipitates which formed from solutions with SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios of 1–0 or higher were X-ray amorphous. The SiO₂/Al₂O₂, ratio of the precipitate varied in the range from 1.0 to 3.0. It increased with the Si concentration and the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of the parent solution and with reaction time. The pH did not affect the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of the precipitate but did affect its dispersion and flocculation. Al³⁺ and Al(OH)_2.55^+0.45 reacted differently with silica and yielded different reaction products. These differences were interpreted in terms of the stability of hydroxy-Al polymer units in the reaction. The amount of NaOH per Al atom which was required to reach and maintain the same pH, increased with the increasing SiO₂/A1₂O ratio of the precipitate, but the value was generally lower than that predicted from ‘one in four’ substitution of Si by Al in four-fold co-ordination. A ‘neutralization’ of the positive charge on the hydroxy-Al cations by silica was pointed out also to be a cause of the extra acidity. Implications of these observations on synthetic amorphous aluminosilicates to the genesis, structure, and properties of their natural counterparts were discussed.     

Nutrio-physiological studies on the tomato plant II. Translocation of photosynthates

The percentage translocation from the leaf is low in the tomato; it is as low as 16 per cent in some cases and the maximum value observed is 62 per cent.

The ability of a leaf to act as the sink for the photosynthates of other leaves becomes very low with age, but it serves as a sink for its own photosynthates for a long period.

The photosynthates of a leaf may be translocated to any alnk, but the major translocation stream under ordinary conditions is determined by the growth stage of the plant and the position of the source leaf. In this sense thero are source-sink partnerships between certain leaves and organs: The major sinks of L₅, L₉, L₁₁, L₁₄, and L₁₆ are the roots, T-1, T-Il, T-III, and T-III, respectively, although the partnerships are weak and flexible.     

A Module to Calculate Primary Particulate Matter Emissions and Abatement Measures in Europe

Primary particulate matter is emitted directly into the atmosphere from various anthropogenic and natural sources such as power plants (combustion of fossil fuels) or forest fires. Secondary particles are formed by transformation of SO₂, NO_x, NH₃, and VOC in the atmosphere. They both contribute to ambient particulate matter concentrations, which may have adverse effects on human health. Health hazards are caused by small particulate size, high number of especially fine (< 2.5 µm) and ultra-fine (< 0.1 µm) particles and/or their chemical composition. As part of an integrated assessment model developed at IIASA, a module on primary particulate matter (PM) emissions has been added to the existing SO₂, NO_x, NH₃ and VOC sections. The module considers so far primary emissions of total suspended particles (TSP), PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 from aggregated stationary and mobile sources. A primary PM emission database has been established. Country specific emission factors for stationary sources have been calculated within the module using the ash content of solid fuels.     

Exploring the effect of organic matter on the interactions between mineral particles and cations with Wien effect measurements

Purpose

Understanding of the interactions between cations, mineral particles, and organic matter (OM) in soils is of paramount importance in plant nutrition and environmental science, and thus, these phenomena have been studied extensively. At present, an effective and simple tool to investigate these interactions does not exist. Based on previous studies of Wien effect in suspensions, the interactions of cations with soil mineral particles, complicated by the presence of organic matter, can be easily determined by means of Wien effect measurements, which was the objective of this study.

Materials and methods

A paddy soil originating from a yellow-brown soil, rich in organic matter, served as a test sample, from which the clay fraction of less than 2 μm in diameter was separated. Organic matter of aliquots of the clay fraction was removed by the oxidation with hot H₂O₂, and the natural and OM-free samples were saturated with various cations: Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Cd²⁺. The effects of OM present in the paddy soil on the interactions between the cations and the soil mineral particles were investigated by measuring the suspension Wien effect with a homemade apparatus, SHP-2.

Results and discussion

The weak electrical field electrical conductivities (EC₀) of suspensions of the natural soils saturated with various cations were higher than those of the OM-free soils. The rate of increase in electrical conductivity of suspensions of the OM-free soil, except that of suspensions saturated with Na⁺, at electrical field strengths >50～100 kV?cm^?1 was higher than those of the natural soil suspensions. The presence of OM increased the mean free binding energies of cations other than Na⁺. The increasing binding energies for K⁺ and Ca²⁺ were 0.56 and 0.57 kJ?mol^?1, respectively, which were significantly larger than the increase for Cd²⁺ as only 0.03 kJ?mol^?1. The binding energies of various cations on both natural and OM-free soils were all in the order: Na⁺?<?K⁺?<?Ca²⁺≈Cd²⁺. As opposed to its effect on the binding energies, the presence of OM reduced the mean free adsorption energies of the cations. Except for Na⁺, the adsorption energies of K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Cd²⁺ at field strengths >50 kV?cm^?1 were lower in the natural soil as compared with the OM-free soil, and the differences between the adsorption energies became larger with increasing field strengths. The presence of OM made the zeta potential of the soil particles saturated with Na⁺ and K⁺ positive, and the particles saturated with Ca²⁺ and Cd²⁺ negative.

Conclusions

Organic matter affected the interactions of cations with soil mineral particles significantly. Binding and adsorption energies, which were quantitative measures of the interactions between cations and soil particles, could be determined by Wien effect measurements in suspensions. The binding energies on natural soils were larger than those on the corresponding OM-free soils, and the adsorption energies on the natural soils were lower than those on OM-free soils.     

Sorption of sulfur gases by soils

Gas Chromatographie studies showed that air-dry and moist soils have the capacity to sorb dimethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₃), dimethyl disulfide (CH₃SSCH₃). carbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon disulfide (CS₂), but do not sorb sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆). Moist soils sorb larger amounts of CH₃SCH₃. CH₃SSCH₃. COS or CS₂, than do air-dry soils, but the capacity of moist (or air-dry) soils for Sorption of these gases is much smaller than their capacity for sorption of H₂S. SO₂ or CH₃SH. The ability of moist soils to sorb COS is considerably greater than their ability to sorb CH₃SCH₃, CH₃SSCH₃ or CS₂. and sorption of COS by moist soils is accompanied by release of small amounts of CS₂.Experiments with sterilized (autoclaved) soils indicated that soil microorganisms are partly responsible for the sorption of CH₃SCH₃. CH₃SSCH₃. COS and CS₂ by moist soils. Support for this conclusion was obtained from experiments showing that the rate of sorption of these gases by moist soils increases with time.The work reported provides further evidence that soil is an important natural sink for gaseous atmospheric pollutants, but indicates that soils have little, if any, potential value for removal of CH₃SCH₃. CH₃SSCH₃. COS or CS₂, from industrial emissions polluted by these gases. The finding that soils have no capacity for sorption of SF₆ is significant in relation to use of this gas as a tracer for atmospheric research and as an internal standard for gas Chromatographie studies of evolution and sorption of gases by soils.     

可变电荷土壤黏粒表面带电点与离子相互作用的Wien效应表征

To investigate the interactions of oppositely charged sites on the surfaces of variable-charge soil particles with cations and anions, and to evaluate the mean Gibbs free binding and adsorption energies of various cations on particles of red soil and latosol, clay fractions smaller than 2 μm were separated from samples of the two variable-charge soils. Ferric oxides were removed from part of the clay fractions, which were then saturated with various chlorides (NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, CdCl2 or LaCl3). Electrical conductivities (EC) of dilute suspensions of the original and of the iron oxides-free clay fractions in deionized water were measured with the SHP-2 short high-voltage pulse apparatus, which enables measurement of the Wien effect at field strengths (E) from 14 to 250 kV cm-1. The Wien effect (EC-E) curves revealed EC increases of red soil suspensions between 14 to 200 kV cm-1, of 8.3, 8.4, 12.1, 5.9, and 1.2 μS cm-1 for NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, CdCl2, and LaCl3, respectively, reflecting the differing interactions with the various cations and chloride. The EC increments with the iron-free red soil suspensions were higher, being 29.7, 17.2, and 15.3 μS cm-1 for NaCl, CaCl2, and CdCl2, respectively. In the natural latosol suspensions the EC increments were practically zero, whereas in the iron-free fractions there were significant EC increments of 10.3, 5.7, 5.0, and 1.6 μS cm-1 for NaCl, CaCl2, CdCl2, and LaCl3, respectively.     

Greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation measures in Chinese agroecosystems

Globally, CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O, contribute 60%, 15% and 5%, respectively, to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect. Atmospheric CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O are currently increasing by 0.5%, 1.1% and 0.3% per year, respectively. This paper reviews studies on greenhouse gas emission and mitigation measures in China in recent years. CH₄ emissions originate mainly from rice paddy fields, and are determined by soil characteristics, e.g., temperature, water content, pH and Eh conditions, and by land and crop management, e.g., land use, rice varieties and fertilizer application. Rice paddies emit N₂O in addition to CH₄, however, the N₂O and CH₄ emission patterns are quite different. Fertilization practices and field water conditions are major factors that control N₂O emissions. In order to minimize net greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production systems, either sources of emissions must be reduced, or agricultural greenhouse gas sinks must be enhanced or newly created. Because the effects of greenhouse gas mitigation measures on each greenhouse gas are different, specific practices must be developed and adopted for the various gases. This paper discusses some promising greenhouse gas mitigation strategies to reduce net emissions from agroecosystems in China.     

华北平原高产农区冬小麦农田土壤温室气体排放及其综合温室效应

研究不同农业管理措施下小麦农田N2O、CO2、CH4等温室气体的综合增温潜势,有助于科学评价农业管理措施在减少温室气体排放和减缓全球变暖方面的作用,为制定温室气体减排措施提供依据。本研究采用静态明箱气相色谱法对华北平原高产农区4种农业管理措施下冬小麦农田土壤温室气体(CO2、CH4和N2O)季节排放通量进行了监测,估算了不同农业管理措施下小麦季的综合温室效应。结果表明,华北太行山前平原冬小麦农田土壤是CO2、N2O的排放源,CH4的吸收汇。不同农业管理措施对不同温室气体的排放源和吸收汇强度的影响不同,增施氮肥、充分灌溉促进了土壤CO2、N2O的生成,强化了土壤CO2和N2O排放源的特征;但却抑制了土壤对CH4的氧化,弱化了土壤作为大气CH4吸收汇的特征。2009—2010年和2010—2011年冬小麦生长季T1(传统模式)、T2(高产高效模式)、T3(再高产模式)和T4(再高产高效和土壤生产力提高模式)处理土壤排放的温室气体碳当量分别依次为8 880 kg(CO2).hm 2、8 372 kg(CO2).hm 2、9 600 kg(CO2).hm 2、9 318kg(CO2).hm 2和13 395 kg(CO2).hm 2、12 904 kg(CO2).hm 2、13 933 kg(CO2).hm 2、13 189 kg(CO2).hm 2。各处理间温室气体排放差异主要是由于施肥和灌溉措施的不同引起的,秸秆还田与否是造成年度间温室气体排放存在差异的主要原因。T2处理综合增温潜势相对较低,产量和产投比相对较高,为本区域冬小麦优化管理模式。     

Peat Biofilters in Long-Term Experiments for Removing Odorous Sulphur Compounds

Peat was employed as a biological filter material for the removal of hydrogen sulphide (H_2> S) dimethyl sulphide (Me₂S) and methyl mercaptan (MeSH) from odorous ventilation air. Removal of H₂S was possible without the need to inoculate the filter material with oxidizing microbes whereas Me₂S required inoculation for degradation. The removal of Me₂S was decreased as a result of MeSH addition. Liming of the filter material, i.e., addition of calcium hydroxide, increased removal efficiency and activated the oxidation of H₂S without any adaptation period. As a consequence of the poor Me₂S removal efficiency of natural peat, a limed and inoculated biofilter was needed to purify mixtures of gases containing sulphur. The highest H₂S load tested with limed but otherwise natural peat was 136 g-S m^-3 day^-1, yielding a 99 % reduction. The maximum Me₂S elimination capacity with limed and inoculated peat was 175 g-S m^-3day^-1, but removal became unstable when the load exceeded 150 g-S m^-3day^-1. The maximum MeSH load tested was 107 g-S m^-3day^-1, yielding 98 % removal.     

Change of hydrophysical properties of clayed minerals due to the influence of soluble salts

It was revealed that the influence of soluble salts on the hydrophysical properties of clayed minerals depends on the nature of minerals, the properties and state of salt (in solution or sorbing), and the region of fundamental hydrophysical characteristics (FHCH). The treatment of clayed minerals by NaCl, MgCl₂, Ca(CH₃COO)₂, and ZnCl₂ solutions increased their water-retention in the range NaCl > MgCl₂ > Ca(CH₃COO)₂ ≈ ZnCl₂. Pb(CH₃COO)₂ decreased the water-retaining ability of clayed minerals in all the FHCH range. A differential characteristic of the action MgCl₂, Ca(CH₃COO)₂, and ZnCl₂ on smectite is decrease of capillary water deduction.