Widespread persistent thickening of the East Antarctic ice sheet by freezing from the base

An International Polar Year aerogeophysical investigation of the high interior of East Antarctica reveals widespread freeze-on that drives substantial mass redistribution at the bottom of the ice sheet. Although the surface accumulation of snow remains the primary mechanism for ice sheet growth, beneath Dome A, 24% of the base by area is frozen-on ice. In some places, up to half of the ice thickness has been added from below. These ice packages result from the conductive cooling of water ponded near the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountain ridges and the supercooling of water forced up steep valley walls. Persistent freeze-on thickens the ice column, alters basal ice rheology and fabric, and upwarps the overlying ice sheet, including the oldest atmospheric climate archive, and drives flow behavior not captured in present models.     

Seasonal variations in the radiation regime within an oak-hickory forest

Seasonal variations in solar elevation, canopy phenology and leaf pigmentation result in a dynamic variation in the radiation regime within a deciduous forest. Measurements of several insolation components taken within an east Tennessee oak-hickory forest during eight combinations of season and phenological conditions of the canopy are presented. Insolation measurements were made with instruments mounted on a moving tram system at seven levels within, and at one level above the canopy.The attenuation of solar radiation is least during the leafless phenoseason since only woody biomass is present to intercept and absorb it. Net radiation is attenuated to a greater extent than shortwave and photosynthetically active radiation, which are attenuated to a similar degree, since the sparse woody biomass does not effectively trap the outgoing reflected and radiated radiation. Solar elevation did not influence the attenuation of insolation within the leafless forest under the conditions studied.The attenuation of insolation within the leafing, spring canopy increases progressively with increasing leaf area. The attenuation among the components, however, varies. Shortwave attenuation progresses at a faster rate with expanding leaf area than photosynthetically active radiation since newly expanded leaves are low in chlorophyll. The penetration of light into the leafing canopy is independent of solar elevations less than 40° and increases linearly with greater solar elevations.The radiation regime within the fully-leafed canopy is rather static. For daily mean values, no effects of leaf age or seasonal variation in solar elevation are evident. Penetration of light into the canopy, however, increases when solar elevation exceeds 65°.The attenuation of insolation components diminishes during the autumnal senescence—abscission phenoseason, in response to changes in leaf pigment and loss of foliage. Attenuation of insolation is greater in the autumn than during spring periods with similar leaf area since the sun is lower in the sky in the autumn.The depletion of photosynthetically active radiation with depth is minimal during the leafless, early leafing and autumnal phenoseasons. Moderate depletion occurs during the late leafing period and maximal depletion occurs during the fully-leafed phenoseason.     

A multiscale soil–landform relationship in the glacial‐drift area based on digital terrain analysis and soil attributes

Understanding the linkages between structure and processes in soil landscapes involves analyses across several spatial and temporal scales. The transfer of information between scales requires the (1) identification of respective scale levels and (2) procedures for regionalization. Here, we present a multiparameter delineation of landform units and their attribution with typical Reference Soil Groups (RSG) of a landscape of NE Germany which is representative of young moraine regions. Data sources are a digital elevation model (DEM, 5 m × 5 m), a reference data set from sections of an intensively augered landscape, and expert knowledge. A conceptual digital soil map was constructed in the scale 1:5000 based on the Topographic Position Index (TPI). The methodology is applicable for multiscale analyses. Results are (1) the landform unit classified by digital terrain analysis of a DEM, (2) the attribution of RSG, and (3) the evaluation of the classification. Accuracy of the method was 57% overall, with 70% accuracy on typical erosional sites. The developed method allows identification of terrain‐related soil pattern with high spatial resolution in glacial‐drift areas. The high resolution of soil information can be used for delineation of management zones in precision farming, or as input for process studies and models requiring a translation of typological soil information into relevant soil properties (e.g., by pedotransfer functions).     

Characterization of cation exchange capacity (CEC) for agricultural land-use areas

Spatial assessment of soil properties needs conversion of point data to an area-oriented model. Methods are required that create a reproducible map. The development of a map is shown by the example of cation exchange capacity. Twenty sorption types are formed and derived from the vertical sequence of values for substrate types and are aggregated to six main types. A qualitative assessment of the main CEC sorption types is carried out with comparative ranking. The association of different substrate types on an areal soil pattern requires the identification of sorption association types. These are shown by the areal share of the main sorption types for the substrate types involved in each case. For interpreting the site parameters from the MMK (Mittelmaßstäbige Landwirtschaftliche Standortkartierung), the procedure is presented in detail. An example of the results is shown with CEC maps. Tables complement the visualization for different areas, defined by administrative or natural landscape boundaries. The application of this method for relative evaluation of CEC is demonstrated using KA5-rules. The CEC characterization of agricultural areas can be reproduced on the basis of the mapping units of soil maps with different scales (BÜK 200). The areal-specific labeling of CEC constitutes soil-related decision guideline.     

Sensory characteristics and volatile profiles of parsley ( Petroselinum crispum [Mill.] Nym.) in correlation to resistance properties against Septoria Blight ( Septoria petroselini )

Sixteen different genotypes of parsley, including two cultivars, six populations, and eight inbred lines, were investigated regarding their sensory characteristics in relation to the volatile patterns and resistance to Septoria petroselini . The sensory quality was determined by a combination of profile analysis and preference test, whereas the volatile patterns were analyzed by headspace-SPME-GC of leaf homogenates with subsequent nontargeted data processing to prevent a possible overlooking of volatile compounds. The more resistant genotypes are characterized by several negative sensory characteristics such as bitter, grassy, herbaceous, pungent, chemical, and harsh. In contrast, the contents of some volatile compounds correlate highly and significantly either with resistance (e.g., hexanal and α-copaene) or with susceptibility (e.g., p-menthenol). Some of these compounds with very strong correlation to resistance are still unidentified and are presumed to act as resistance markers.     

Characterization of resistant starch type III from banana (Musa acuminata)

Banana starch (Musa acuminata var. Nandigobe) was evaluated for its use in generating resistant starch (RS) type III. Structural, physicochemical, and biological properties of these products were analyzed. The investigated process includes debranching of the native starch and retrogradation under different storage temperatures and starch concentrations. After enzymatic debranching, a high amount of low-molecular-weight polymers with a degree of polymerization between 10 and 35 glucose units beside a higher molecular weight fraction were found. The resulting products comprised RS contents of about 50%. After heat-moisture treatment, the RS yield increased up to 84%. Peak temperatures of about 145 degrees C found in DSC measurements pointed to a high thermal stability of the RS products. In vitro fermentations of the RS products, carried out with intestinal microflora of healthy humans, resulted in a molar ratio of acetate:propionate:butyrate of about 49:17:34. The established method allowed the production of a high-quality RS with prebiotic properties for health preventing applications.     

Genome-wide insertional mutagenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana

Over 225,000 independent Agrobacterium transferred DNA (T-DNA) insertion events in the genome of the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana have been created that represent near saturation of the gene space. The precise locations were determined for more than 88,000 T-DNA insertions, which resulted in the identification of mutations in more than 21,700 of the approximately 29,454 predicted Arabidopsis genes. Genome-wide analysis of the distribution of integration events revealed the existence of a large integration site bias at both the chromosome and gene levels. Insertion mutations were identified in genes that are regulated in response to the plant hormone ethylene.