The application of recreational fishing survey data for ecological research,a case study from Western Port,Australia

There is a world‐wide need for information on the ecology and habitat dependencies of important fish species. Recreational fishing surveys represent a potential source of data to increase our knowledge of fish distribution and habitat relationships. Here, a case study is provided on two key recreational species, King George Whiting Sillaginodes punctatus (Cuvier) and Snapper Chrysophrys auratus (Forster). The data came from a recreational fishing survey where 10,978 interviews were conducted from 1998 to 2013 in Western Port, Victoria, Australia. Spatial mapping of catch rate in relation to depth and habitat showed that S. punctatus distribution was related to seagrass cover while C. auratus distribution was related to deeper reef habitat. Juveniles of both species were more abundant in the south‐eastern section of the bay, where water quality is affected by catchment inputs. Overall, the study showed that the inclusion of spatial and habitat information in the design of recreational fishing surveys can significantly increase understanding of the ecology of key species.     

The Current State of Solar Modeling

Data from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) project and other helioseismic experiments provide a test for models of stellar interiors and for the thermodynamic and radiative properties, on which the models depend, of matter under the extreme conditions found in the sun. Current models are in agreement with the helioseismic inferences, which suggests, for example, that the disagreement between the predicted and observed fluxes of neutrinos from the sun is not caused by errors in the models. However, the GONG data reveal subtle errors in the models, such as an excess in sound speed just beneath the convection zone. These discrepancies indicate effects that have so far not been correctly accounted for; for example, it is plausible that the sound-speed differences reflect weak mixing in stellar interiors, of potential importance to the overall evolution of stars and ultimately to estimates of the age of the galaxy based on stellar evolution calculations.     

Straw incorporation and tillage for winter barley: Soil structural effects

A large-scale field experiment was conducted over four seasons on a gleysol (24% clay in topsoil) in Scotland. Conventional ploughing, shallow ploughing and shallow rotary or tine cultivation were investigated for the incorporation of straw in winter barley. Straw after harvest was either chopped or removed. Thus the residue treatments were either straw plus stubble or stubble only. Incorporation depths ranged from 0–100 to 0–300 mm.The presence of straw changed soil physical conditions after several seasons in which straw was incorporated. In the ploughed treatments, the presence of straw plus stubble decreased the average soil water content and matric potential in the topsoil in comparison to stubble only, indicating more rapid drainage. This was associated with the presence of buried straw in zones of loose soil just above plough depth and with a long-term increase in soil pore continuity related to the presence of straw residues. The presence of straw plus stubble under conventional ploughing decreased thermal diffusivities in the top 150 mm of soil in comparison with stubble only. Shallow incorporation of straw plus stubble gave higher overall strengths, bulk densities, lower water infiltration rates and poorer drainage in the topsoil than deeper incorporation. However, shallow incorporation caused an accumulation of organic matter over the first three seasons. This accumulation probably contributed to the increased aggregate stability and resistance to compaction of the top 50-mm soil layer, indicating improved resistance to erosion and to further compaction.     

Considerations for Scottish soil monitoring in the European context

Two contrasting phases of work are described that help inform the development and requirements of a soil monitoring system: firstly, the development and application of a multi-criterion analysis of soil quality indicators grounded in the basic natural sciences; and secondly, scrutiny of the outcome of that process by a wide range of non-specialist but key stakeholders at a workshop. This process ensures that the final monitoring design meets both the scientific rigour expected from a monitoring system and as far as possible meets the aspirations of policy and regulatory stakeholders. Individual indicators of soil quality were evaluated in terms of their applicability against a number of important environmental and logistical parameters and therefore their overall fitness for purpose. These included relevance to different soil types, functions, habitats and threats to soil, the inherent variability of soil, and a range of technical aspects such as analytical complexity, precision and reproducibility of analytical results and whether a standard operating procedure (SOP) existed for the technique. A tiered approach to soil monitoring was supported by workshop delegates. This will require indicators that are suitable and effective at national, site-specific and process-level scales. In addition, the opportunities for synchronizing soil monitoring with air and water quality monitoring should be considered and the potential for integrating on-site measurements with remote methods should be researched further. It was considered by workshop attendees that soil monitoring should be rooted in pedological principles (i.e. recognizing defined soil horizons) to ensure that results can be extrapolated from individual sites and to retain flexibility.     

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from soil under silage production by use of organic manures or slow-release fertilizer

Abstract. Grassland is a major source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) emissions in the UK, resulting from high rates of fertilizer application. We studied the effects of substituting mineral fertilizer by organic manures and a slow-release fertilizer in silage grass production on greenhouse gas emissions and soil mineral N content in a three-year field experiment. The organic manures investigated were sewage sludge pellets and composted sewage sludge (dry materials), and digested sewage sludge and cattle slurry (liquid materials). The organic manures produced N₂O and carbon dioxide (CO₂) consistently from time of application up to harvest. However, they mitigated N₂O emissions by around 90% when aggregate emissions of 15.7 kg N ha⁻¹ from NPK fertilizer were caused by a flux of up to 4.9 kg N ha⁻¹ d⁻¹ during the first 4 days after heavy rainfall subsequent to the NPK fertilizer application. CH₄ was emitted only for 2 or 3 days after application of the liquid manures. CH₄ and CO₂ fluxes were not significantly mitigated. Composting and dried pellets were useful methods of conserving nutrients in organic wastes, enabling slow and sustained release of nitrogen. NPK slow-release fertilizer also maintained grass yields and was the most effective substitute for the conventional NPK fertilizer for mitigation of N₂O fluxes.     

The effect of soil texture and soil drainage on emissions of nitric oxide and nitrous oxide

Abstract. Agricultural soils are important sources of the tropospheric ozone precursor NO and the greenhouse gas N₂O. Emissions are controlled primarily by parameters that vary the soil mineral N supply, temperature and soil aeration. In this field experiment, the importance of soil physical properties on emissions of NO and N₂O are identified. Fluxes were measured from 13 soils which belonged to 11 different soil series, ranging from poorly drained silty clay loams to freely drained sandy loams. All soils were under the same soil management regime and crop type (winter barley) and in the same maritime climate zone. Despite this, emissions of NO and N₂O ranged over two orders of magnitude on all three measurement occasions, in spring before and after fertilizer application, and in autumn after harvest. NO emissions ranged from 0.3 to 215 μg NO-N m^–2 h^–1, with maximum emissions always from the most sandy, freely drained soil. Nitrous oxide emissions ranged from 0 to 193 μg N₂O-N m^–2 h^–1. Seasonal shifts in soil aeration caused maximum N₂O emissions to switch from freely drained sandy soils in spring to imperfectly drained soils with high clay contents in autumn. Although effects of soil type on emissions were not consistent, N₂O emission was best related to a combination of bulk density and clay content and the NO/N₂O ratio decreased logarithmically with increasing water filled pore space.     

Modeling the Exchanges of Energy, Water, and Carbon Between Continents and the Atmosphere

Atmospheric general circulation models used for climate simulation and weather forecasting require the fluxes of radiation, heat, water vapor, and momentum across the land-atmosphere interface to be specified. These fluxes are calculated by submodels called land surface parameterizations. Over the last 20 years, these parameterizations have evolved from simple, unrealistic schemes into credible representations of the global soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer system as advances in plant physiological and hydrological research, advances in satellite data interpretation, and the results of large-scale field experiments have been exploited. Some modern schemes incorporate biogeochemical and ecological knowledge and, when coupled with advanced climate and ocean models, will be capable of modeling the biological and physical responses of the Earth system to global change, for example, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.     

Field assessment of soil structural quality – a development of the Peerlkamp test

Increased awareness of the role of soil structure in defining the physical fertility or quality of soil has led to the need for a simple assessment relevant to the environmental and economic sustainability of soil productivity. A test is required that is usable by farmer, consultant and researcher alike. Here an assessment of soil structure quality (Sq) is described which is based on a visual key linked to criteria chosen to be as objective as possible. The influences of operator, tillage and crop type on Sq value were tested. The test takes 5–15 min per location and enough replicates were obtained for statistical comparison of data sets. The assessments of individual operators were influenced to an extent by differences between fields, making the use of multiple operators desirable. Differences in soil management were revealed by the test and related to differences in soil physical properties (bulk density, penetration resistance and porosity) and crop growth. Indicative thresholds of soil management are suggested. The assessment should be viewed as complementary to conventional laboratory assessments of soil structure. Visual soil structure assessment can indicate to the soil scientist where to sample and what soil measurements are likely to be worthwhile.