bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The seasonal cycle of the greenhouse gas balance of a continental tundra site in the Indigirka lowlands, NE Siberia
Authors: van der Molen M. K. , van Huissteden J. C. , Parmentier F. J. , Petrescu A. M. R. , Dolman A. J. , Maximov T. C. , Kononov A. V. , Karsanaev S. V. , Suzdalov D. A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Carbon dioxide and methane fluxes were measured at a tundra site near Chokurdakh, in the lowlands of the Indigirka river in north-east Siberia. This site is one of the few stations on Russian tundra and it is different from most other tundra flux stations in its continentality. A suite of methods was applied to determine the fluxes of NEE, GPP, Reco and methane, including eddy covariance, chambers and leaf cuvettes. Net carbon dioxide fluxes were unusually high, compared with other tundra sites, with NEE=–92 g C m−2 yr−1, which is composed of an Reco=+141 g C m−2 yr−1 and GPP=–232 g C m−2 yr−1. This large carbon dioxide sink may be explained by the continental climate, that is reflected in low winter soil temperatures (–14°C), reducing the respiration rates, and short, relatively warm summers, stimulating high photosynthesis rates. Interannual variability in GPP was dominated by the frequency of light limitation (Rg <200 W m−2), whereas Reco depends most directly on soil temperature and time in the growing season, which serves as a proxy of the combined effects of active layer depth, leaf area index, soil moisture and substrate availability. The methane flux, in units of global warming potential, was +28 g C-CO2e m−2 yr−1, so that the greenhouse gas balance was –64 g C-CO2e m−2 yr−1. Methane fluxes depended only slightly on soil temperature and were highly sensitive to hydrological conditions and vegetation composition.
Competing roles of rising CO2 and climate change in the contemporary European carbon balance
Authors: Harrison R. , Jones C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Natural ecosystems respond to, and may affect climate change through uptake and storage of atmospheric CO2. Here we use the land-surface and carbon cycle model JULES to simulate the contemporary European carbon balance and its sensitivity to rising CO2 and changes in climate. We find that the impact of climate change is to decrease the ability of Europe to store carbon by about 175 TgC yr−1. In contrast, the effect of rising atmospheric CO2 has been to stimulate increased uptake and storage. The CO2 effect is currently dominant leading to a net increase of around 150 TgC yr−1. Our simulations do not at present include other important factors such as land use and management, the effects of forest age classes and nitrogen deposition. There seems to be an emerging consensus that changes in climate will weaken the European land-surface's ability to take up and store carbon. It is likely that this effect is happening at the present and will continue even more strongly in the future as climate continues to change. Although CO2 enhanced growth currently exceeds the climate effect, this may not continue indefinitely. Understanding this balance and its implications for mitigation policies is becoming increasingly important.
Distribution of micro-organisms along a transect in the South-East Pacific Ocean (BIOSOPE cruise) from epifluorescence microscopy
Authors: Masquelier S. , Vaulot D.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The distribution of selected groups of micro-organisms was analyzed along a South-East Pacific Ocean transect sampled during the BIOSOPE cruise in 2004. The transect could be divided into four regions of contrasted trophic status: a high Nutrient Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) region (mesotrophic) near the equator, the South-East Pacific Ocean gyre (hyper-oligotrophic), the transition region between the gyre and the coast of South America (moderately oligotrophic), and the Chile upwelling (eutrophic). The abundance of phycoerythrin containing picocyanobacteria, autotrophic and heterotrophic eukaryotes in different size ranges, dinoflagellates, and ciliates was determined by epifluorescence microscopy after DAPI staining. All populations reached a maximum in the Chile upwelling and a minimum near the centre of the gyre. Picocyanobacteria reached a maximum abundance of 70×10³ cell mL−1. In the HNLC zone, up to 50% of picocyanobacteria formed colonies. Autotrophic eukaryote and dinoflagellate abundance reached 24.5×10³ and 200 cell mL−1, respectively. We observed a shift in the size distribution of autotrophic eukaryotes from 2–5 μm in eutrophic and mesotrophic regions to less than 2 μm in the central region. The contribution of autotrophic eukaryotes to total eukaryotes was the lowest in the central gyre. Maximum concentration of ciliates (18 cell ml−1) also occurred in the Chile upwelling, but, in contrast to the other groups, their abundance was very low in the HNLC zone and near the Marquesas Islands.
Nutrients limitation of primary productivity in the Southeast Pacific (BIOSOPE cruise)
Authors: Bonnet S. , Guieu C. , Bruyant F. , Prášil O. , Van Wambeke F. , Raimbault P. , Grob C. , Moutin T. , Gorbunov M. Y. , Zehr J. P. , Masquelier S. M. , Garczarek L. , Claustre H.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Iron is an essential nutrient involved in a variety of biological processes in the ocean, including photosynthesis, respiration and nitrogen fixation. Atmospheric deposition of aerosols is recognized as the main source of iron for the surface ocean. In high nutrient, low chlorophyll areas, it is now clearly established that iron limits phytoplankton productivity but its biogeochemical role in low nutrient, low chlorophyll environments has been poorly studied. We investigated this question in the unexplored southeast Pacific, arguably the most oligotrophic area of the global ocean. Situated far from any continental aerosol source, the atmospheric iron flux to this province is amongst the lowest of the world ocean. Here we report that, despite low dissolved iron concentrations (~0.1 nmol l−1) measured across the whole gyre (3 stations situated in the center, the western and the eastern edge), photosynthesis and primary productivity are only limited by iron availability at the border of the gyre, but not in the center. The seasonal stability of the gyre has apparently allowed for the development of populations acclimated to these extreme oligotrophic conditions. Moreover, despite clear evidence of nitrogen limitation in the central gyre, we were unable to measure nitrogen fixation in our experiments, even after iron and/or phosphate additions, and cyanobacterial nifH gene abundances were extremely low compared to the North Pacific Gyre. The South Pacific gyre is therefore unique with respect to the physiological status of its phytoplankton populations.
Biochemical characteristics and bacterial community structure of the sea surface microlayer in the South Pacific Ocean
Authors: Obernosterer I. , Catala P. , Lami R. , Caparros J. , Ras J. , Bricaud A. , Dupuy C. , van Wambeke F. , Lebaron P.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The chemical and biological characteristics of the surface microlayer were determined during a transect across the South Pacific Ocean in October-December 2004. Concentrations of particulate organic carbon (1.3 to 7.6-fold) and nitrogen (1.4 to 7), and POC:PON ratios were consistently higher in the surface microlayer as compared to subsurface waters (5 m). The large variability in particulate organic matter enrichment was negatively correlated to wind speed. No enhanced concentrations of dissolved organic carbon were detectable in the surface microlayer as compared to 5 m, but chromophoric dissolved organic matter was markedly enriched (by 2 to 4-fold) at all sites. Based on pigment analysis and cell counts, no consistent enrichment of any of the major components of the autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial community was detectable. CE-SSCP fingerprints and CARD FISH revealed that the bacterial communities present in the surface microlayer had close similarity (>76%) to those in subsurface waters. By contrast, bacterial heterotrophic production (3H-leucine incorporation) was consistently lower in the surface microlayer than in subsurface waters. By applying CARD-FISH and microautoradiography, we observed that Bacteroidetes and Gammaproteobacteria dominated leucine uptake in the surface microlayer, while in subsurface waters Bacteroidetes and Alphaproteobacteria were the major groups accounting for leucine incorporation. Our results demonstrate that the microbial community in the surface microlayer closely resembles that of the surface waters of the open ocean. However, even short time periods in the surface microlayer result in differences in bacterial groups accounting for leucine incorporation, probably as a response to the differences in the physical and chemical nature of the two layers.
Modelling CH4 emissions from arctic wetlands: effects of hydrological parameterization
Authors: Petrescu A. M. R. , van Huissteden J. C. , Jackowicz-Korczynski M. , Yurova A. , Christensen T. R. , Crill P. M. , Maximov T. C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. This study compares the CH4 fluxes from two arctic wetland sites of different annual temperatures during 2004 to 2006. The PEATLAND-VU model was used to simulate the emissions. The CH4 module of PEATLAND-VU is based on the Walter-Heimann model. The first site is located in northeast Siberia, Indigirka lowlands, Kytalyk reserve (70° N, 147° E) in a continuous permafrost region with mean annual temperatures of –14.3°C. The other site is Stordalen mire in the eastern part of Lake Torneträsk (68° N, 19° E), ten kilometres east of Abisko, northern Sweden. It is located in a discontinuous permafrost region. Stordalen has a sub arctic climate with a mean annual temperature of –0.7°C. Model input consisted of observed temperature, precipitation and snow cover data. In all cases, modelled CH4 emissions show a direct correlation between variations in water table and soil temperature variations. The differences in CH4 emissions between the two sites are caused by different climate, hydrology, soil physical properties, vegetation type and NPP. For Kytalyk the simulated CH4 fluxes show similar trends during the growing season, having average values for 2004 to 2006 between 1.29–2.09 mg CH4 m−2 h−1. At Stordalen the simulated fluxes show a slightly lower average value for the same years (3.52 mg CH4 m−2 h−1) than the observed 4.7 mg CH4 m−2 h−1. The effect of the longer growing season at Stordalen is simulated correctly. Our study shows that modelling of arctic CH4 fluxes is improved by adding a relatively simple hydrological model that simulates the water table position from generic weather data. We conclude that CH4 fluxes at these sites are less sensitive to temperature variation than to water table variations. Furthermore, parameter uncertainty at site level in wetland CH4 process models is an important factor in large scale modelling of CH4 fluxes.
Volume distribution for particles between 3.5 to 2000 μm in the upper 200 m region of the South Pacific Gyre
Authors: Stemmann L. , Eloire D. , Sciandra A. , Jackson G. A. , Guidi L. , Picheral M. , Gorsky G.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The French JGOFS BIOSOPE cruise crossed the South Pacific Gyre (SPG) on a transect between the Marquesas Islands and the Chilean coast on a 7500 km transect (8° S–34° S and 8° W–72° W). The number and volume distributions of small (3.5100 μm) were analysed combining two instruments, the HIAC/Royco Counter (for the small particles) and the Underwater Video Profiler (UVP, for the large particles). For the HIAC analysis, samples were collected from 12 L CTD Rosette bottles and immediately analysed on board while the UVP provided an estimate of in situ particle concentrations and size in a continuous profile. Out of 76 continuous UVP and 117 discrete HIAC vertical profiles, 25 had both sets of measurements, mostly at a site close to the Marquesas Islands (site MAR) and one in the center of the gyre (site GYR). At GYR, the particle number spectra from few μm to few mm were fit with power relationships having slopes close to −4. At MAR, the high abundance of large objects, probably living organisms, created a shift in the full size spectra of particles such as a single slope was not appropriate. The small particle pool at both sites showed a diel pattern while the large did not, implying that the movement of mass toward the large particles does not take place at daily scale in the SPG area. Despite the relatively simple nature of the number spectra, the volume spectra was more variable because what were small deviations from the straight line in a log-log plot were large variations in the volume estimates. Results showed that the volume of large particles can equal the volume of the smaller particles. However the proportion of material in large particles decreased from the mesotrophic conditions at the border of the SPG to the ultra-oligotrophy of the center in the upper 200 m depth. We expect large particles to play a major role in the trophic interaction in the upper waters of the South Pacific Gyre.
Inter-annual variability of the carbon dioxide oceanic sink south of Tasmania
Authors: Borges A. V. , Tilbrook B. , Metzl N. , Lenton A. , Delille B.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. We compiled a large data-set from 22 cruises spanning from 1991 to 2003, of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in surface waters over the continental shelf (CS) and adjacent open ocean (43° to 46° S; 145° to 150° E), south of Tasmania. Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (as intense as 2°C) are apparent in the subtropical zone (STZ) and subAntarctic zone (SAZ). These SST anomalies also occur on the CS, and seem to be related to large-scale coupled atmosphere-ocean oscillations. Anomalies of pCO2 normalized to a constant temperature are negatively related to SST anomalies. A depressed winter-time vertical input of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) during phases of positive SST anomalies, related to a poleward shift of westerly winds, and a concomitant local decrease in wind stress are the likely cause of the negative relationship between pCO2 and SST anomalies. The observed trend is an increase of the sink for atmospheric CO2 associated with positive SST anomalies, although strongly modulated by inter-annual variability of wind speed. Assuming that phases of positive SST anomalies are indicative of the future evolution of regional ocean biogeochemistry under global warming, we show using a purely observational based approach that some provinces of the Southern Ocean could provide a potential negative feedback on increasing atmospheric CO2.
The impact on atmospheric CO2 of iron fertilization induced changes in the ocean's biological pump
Authors: Jin X. , Gruber N. , Frenzel H. , Doney S. C. , McWilliams J. C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Using numerical simulations, we quantify the impact of changes in the ocean's biological pump on the air-sea balance of CO2 by fertilizing a small surface patch in the high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll region of the eastern tropical Pacific with iron. Decade-long fertilization experiments are conducted in a basin-scale, eddy-permitting coupled physical biogeochemical ecological model. In contrast to previous studies, we find that most of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) removed from the euphotic zone by the enhanced biological export is replaced by uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere. Atmospheric uptake efficiencies, the ratio of the perturbation in air-sea CO2 flux to the perturbation in export flux across 100 m, are 0.75 to 0.93 in our patch size-scale experiments. The atmospheric uptake efficiency is insensitive to the duration of the experiment. The primary factor controlling the atmospheric uptake efficiency is the vertical distribution of the enhanced biological production. Iron fertilization at the surface tends to induce production anomalies primarily near the surface, leading to high efficiencies. In contrast, mechanisms that induce deep production anomalies (e.g. altered light availability) tend to have a low uptake efficiency, since most of the removed DIC is replaced by lateral and vertical transport and mixing. Despite high atmospheric uptake efficiencies, patch-scale iron fertilization of the ocean's biological pump tends to remove little CO2 from the atmosphere over the decadal timescale considered here.
Copepod feeding and reproduction in relation to phytoplankton development during the PeECE III mesocosm experiment
Authors: Carotenuto Y. , Putzeys S. , Simonelli P. , Paulino A. , Meyerhöfer M. , Suffrian K. , Antia A. , Nejstgaard J. C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Within the frame of the Pelagic Ecosystem CO2 Enrichment (PeECE III) experiment, reproduction and feeding of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus was monitored in relation to phytoplankton development in two mesocosms, at present 1× (350 μatm) and ca 3× present (1050 μatm) CO2 concentrations, respectively. Both mesocosms showed rapid phytoplankton growth after the initial nutrient additions and reached maximum chlorophyll (Chl) a concentrations around day 10. Flow-cytometry and specific pigment analysis (HPLC-CHEMTAX), showed that diatoms and prymnesiophyceae (Emiliania huxleyi (Ehux) and other nanoplankton) dominated the biomass. Feeding and egg production rates of C. finmarchicus developed similarly in both mesocosms, and were positively correlated with Chla, Ehux, diatom and prymnesiophyceae concentrations. Although the total number of copepod nauplii recruited during the experiment was similar in 1× and 3×, significantly less nauplii were recruited in 3× during the peak of the bloom compared to in 1×. We conclude that the algae responsible for the higher biomass in 3× during the peak of the bloom (diatoms and Ehux), may have been relatively inferior food for C. finmarchicus naupliar recruitment, possibly due to a high C:N ratio (>8). Nevertheless, the 3 fold increase in CO2 concentration did not show any clear overall effect on bulk phytoplankton or zooplankton development over the whole experiment, suggesting a more complex coupling between increased CO2 and the nutritional status of the system.
Availability of phosphate for phytoplankton and bacteria and of labile organic carbon for bacteria at different pCO2 levels in a mesocosm study
Authors: Tanaka T. , Thingstad T. F. , Løvdal T. , Grossart H.-P. , Larsen A. , Schulz K. G. , Riebesell U.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Availability of phosphate for phytoplankton and bacteria and of labile organic carbon for bacteria at different pCO2 levels were studied in a mesocosm experiment (PeECE III). Using nutrient-depleted SW Norwegian fjord waters, three different levels of pCO2 (350 μatm: 1×CO2; 750 μatm: 2×CO2; 1050 μatm: 3×CO2) were set up, and nitrate and phosphate were added at the start of the experiment in order to induce a phytoplankton bloom. Despite similar responses of total particulate P concentration and phosphate turnover time at the three different pCO2 levels, the size distribution of particulate P and 33PO4 uptake suggested that phosphate transferred to the >10 μm fraction was greater in the 3×CO2 mesocosm during the first 6–10 days when phosphate concentration was high. During the period of phosphate depletion (after Day 12), specific phosphate affinity and specific alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) suggested a P-deficiency (i.e. suboptimal phosphate supply) but not a P-limitation for the phytoplankton and bacterial community at the three different pCO2 levels. Although specific phosphate affinity and specific APA tended to be higher in 3×CO2 than in 2×CO2 and 1×CO2 mesocosms during the phosphate depletion period, no statistical differences were found. Responses of specific glucose affinity for bacteria were similar at the three different pCO2 levels. Measured specific glucose affinities were consistently much lower than the theoretical maximum predicted from the diffusion-limited model, suggesting that bacterial growth was not limited by the availability of labile dissolved organic carbon. These results suggest that availability of phosphate and glucose was similar at the three different pCO2 levels.
Quality control of CarboEurope flux data – Part I: Footprint analyses to evaluate sites in forest ecosystems
Authors: Göckede M. , Foken T. , Aubinet M. , Aurela M. , Banza J. , Bernhofer C. , Bonnefond J. M. , Brunet Y. , Carrara A. , Clement R. , Dellwik E. , Elbers J. , Eugster W. , Fuhrer J. , Granier A. , Grünwald T. , Heinesch B. , Janssens I. A. , Knohl A. , Koeble R. , Laurila T. , Longdoz B. , Manca G. , Marek M. , Markkanen T. , Mateus J. , Matteucci G. , Mauder M. , Migliavacca M. , Minerbi S. , Moncrieff J. , Montagnani L. , Moors E. , Ourcival J.-M. , Papale D. , Pereira J. , Pilegaard K. , Pita G. , Rambal S. , Rebmann C. , Rodrigues A. , Rotenberg E. , Sanz M. J. , Sedlak P. , Seufert G. , Siebicke L. , Soussana J. F. , Valentini R. , Vesala T. , Verbeeck H. , Yakir D.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. We applied a site evaluation approach combining Lagrangian Stochastic footprint modelling with a quality assessment approach for eddy-covariance data to 25 forested sites of the CarboEurope-IP network. The analysis addresses the spatial representativeness of the flux measurements, instrumental effects on data quality, spatial patterns in the data quality, and the performance of the coordinate rotation method. Our findings demonstrate that application of a footprint filter could strengthen the CarboEurope-IP flux database, since only one third of the sites is situated in truly homogeneous terrain. Almost half of the sites experience a significant reduction in eddy-covariance data quality under certain conditions, though these effects are mostly constricted to a small portion of the dataset. Reductions in data quality of the sensible heat flux are mostly induced by characteristics of the surrounding terrain, while the latent heat flux is subject to instrumentation-related problems. The Planar-Fit coordinate rotation proved to be a reliable tool for the majority of the sites using only a single set of rotation angles. Overall, we found a high average data quality for the CarboEurope-IP network, with good representativeness of the measurement data for the specified target land cover types.
Effects of CO2 on particle size distribution and phytoplankton abundance during a mesocosm bloom experiment (PeECE II)
Authors: Engel A. , Schulz K. , Riebesell U. , Bellerby R. , Delille B. , Schartau M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The influence of seawater CO2 concentration on the size distribution of suspended particles (2–60 μm) and on phytoplankton abundance was investigated during a mesocosm experiment at the large scale facility (LFS) in Bergen, Norway, in the frame of the Pelagic Ecosystem CO2 Enrichment study (PeECE II). In nine outdoor enclosures the partial pressure of CO2 in seawater was modified by an aeration system to simulate past (~190 parts per million by volume (ppmV) CO2), present day (~370 ppmV CO2) and future (~700 ppmV CO2) CO2 conditions in triplicates. Due to initial addition of inorganic nutrients, phytoplankton blooms developed in all mesocosms and were monitored over a period of 19 days. Seawater samples were collected daily for analysing the abundance of suspended particles and phytoplankton with the Coulter Counter and Flow Cytometry, respectively. During the bloom period, the abundance of small particles (<4 μm) significantly increased at past, and decreased at future CO2 levels. At that time, the total surface to total volume ratio of suspended particles was significantly related to DIC concentration in all mesocosms. Significant changes with respect to the CO2 treatment were also observed in the phytoplankton community structure. While some populations such as diatoms seemed to be insensitive to the CO2 treatment, others like Micromonas spp. increased with CO2, or showed maximum abundance at present day CO2 (i.e. Emiliania huxleyi). The strongest response to CO2 was observed in the abundance of small autotrophic nano-plankton that strongly increased during the bloom in the past CO2 mesocosms. Together, changes in particle size distribution and phytoplankton community indicate a complex interplay between the ability of the cell to physiologically respond to changes in CO2 and size selection. Size of cells is of general importance for a variety of processes in seawater such as diffusion-limited uptake of substrates, resource allocation, preditor-prey interactions, and gravitational settling. The observed changes in particle size distribution are therefore discussed with respect to biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem functioning.
Effects of increased atmospheric CO2 on small and intermediate sized osmotrophs during a nutrient induced phytoplankton bloom
Authors: Paulino A. I. , Egge J. K. , Larsen A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. We report the transient population dynamic response of the osmotrophic community initiated by a nutrient pulse in mesocosms exposed to different pCO2 levels as well as quantitative variations in phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria created by the difference in CO2 exposure. Coastal seawater was enclosed in floating mesocosms (27 m3) and nutrients were supplied initially in order to stimulate growth of microbial organisms, including the coccolitophorid Emiliania huxleyi. The mesocosms were modified to achieve 350 μatm (1×CO2), 700 μatm (2×CO2) and 1050 µatm (3×CO2) CO2 pressure. The temporal dynamics was related to the nutrient conditions in the enclosures. Numerically small osmotrophs (picoeukaryotes and Synechoccocus sp.) dominated initially and towards the end of the experiment, whereas intermediate sized osmotrophs bloomed as the initial bloom of small sized osmotrophs ceased. Maximum concentrations of E. huxleyi were approximately 4.6×103 cells ml−1 whereas other intermediate sized osmotrophs reached approximately twice as high concentrations. Osmotrophic succession pattern did not change, and we were not able to detect differences with regard to presence or absence of specific osmotrophic taxa as a consequence of altered atmospheric CO2 concentration. Quantitative effects on the microbial communities associated with the CO2 treatment were, however, observed towards the end of the experiment.
Primary production during nutrient-induced blooms at elevated CO2 concentrations
Authors: Egge J. K. , Thingstad T. F. , Engel A. , Bellerby R. G. J. , Riebesell U.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Mesocosms experiments (PeECE II and PeECE III) were carried out in 9 transparent mesocosms. Prior to the experimental period, the seawater carbonate system was manipulated to achieve three different levels of CO2. At the onset of the experimental period, nutrients were added to all mesocosms in order to initiate phytoplankton blooms. Rates of primary production were measured by in-situ incubations using 14C-incorporation and oxygen production/consumption. Particulate primary production by 14C was also size fractionated and compared with phytoplankton species composition. Nutrient supply increased the primary production rates, and a net autotrophic phase with 14C-fixation rates up to 4 times higher than initial was observed midway through the 24 days experiment before net community production returned to near-zero and 14C-fixation rates relaxed back to lower than initial. We found a trend in the 14C-based measurements towards higher cumulative primary production at higher pCO2, consistent with recently published results for DIC removal (Riebesell et al., 2007). There where found differences to the size fractionated primary production response to CO2 treatments. The plankton composition changes throughout the bloom, however, resulted in no significant response until the final phase of the experiment where phytoplankton growth became nutrient limited, and phytoplankton community changed from diatom to flagellate dominance. This opens for the two alternative hypotheses that such an effect is associated with mineral nutrient limited growth, and/or with phytoplankton species composition. The lack of a clear net heterotrophic phase in the last part of the experiment supports the idea that a substantial part of production in the upper layer was not degraded locally, but either accumulated there or was exported vertically.
Miniaturized biosignature analysis reveals implications for the formation of cold seep carbonates at Hydrate Ridge (off Oregon, USA)
Authors: Leefmann T. , Bauermeister J. , Kronz A. , Liebetrau V. , Reitner J. , Thiel V.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Methane-related carbonates from Hydrate Ridge typically show several macroscopically distinguishable phases, namely whitish aragonite, lucent aragonite, and gray micrite. The relationship of these phases to particular microorganisms or biogeochemical processes is as yet unclear. We used a miniaturized biomarker technique on mg samples, combined with factor analysis and subsequent electron microprobe analysis, to study lipid biomarkers and chemical compositions of the individual phases. This allows us to identify particular mechanisms involved in the formation of the different carbonate precipitates. Our combined analysis of biomarkers and petrographic traits shows that most of the lipids related to the anaerobic oxidation of methane (>90% by weight) are concentrated within only a minor compartment (~20% by volume) of the Hydrate Ridge carbonates (whitish aragonite). The patterns indicate that the whitish aragonite represents fossilized biofilms of methanotrophic consortia, whereas the precipitation of the lucent aragonite does not seem to be directly controlled by microorganisms. The gray micrite shows a partly Mg-calcitic mineralogy, higher pyrite contents, and a much higher proportion of allochthonous biomarkers. The formation of these precipitates is interpreted to reflect periodic methane-rich fluid pulses that disrupted the sediments and promoted the growth of the respective methanotrophic consortia along fluid pathways.
Build-up and decline of organic matter during PeECE III
Authors: Schulz K. G. , Riebesell U. , Bellerby R. G. J. , Biswas H. , Meyerhöfer M. , Müller M. N. , Egge J. K. , Nejstgaard J. C. , Neill C. , Wohlers J. , Zöllner E.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations due to anthropogenic fossil fuel combustion currently change the ocean's chemistry. Increasing oceanic [CO2] and subsequent decreasing seawater pH have the potential to significantly impact marine life. Here we describe and analyze the build-up and decline of a natural phytoplankton bloom initiated during the 2005 mesocosm Pelagic Ecosystem CO2 Enrichment study (PeECE III). We show that processes of inorganic carbon uptake in mixed surface waters and organic carbon export to depth were significantly enhanced at elevated CO2, while ammonium regeneration in deep waters was substantially reduced. This has important implications for our understanding of pelagic ecosystem functioning and future carbon cycling.
Only small changes in soil organic carbon and charcoal concentrations found one year after experimental slash-and-burn in a temperate deciduous forest
Authors: Eckmeier E. , Gerlach R. , Skjemstad J. O. , Ehrmann O. , Schmidt M. W. I.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Anthropogenic fires affected the temperate deciduous forests of Central Europe over millennia. Biomass burning releases carbon to the atmosphere and produces charcoal, which potentially contributes to the stable soil carbon pools and is an important archive of environmental history. The fate of charcoal in soils of temperate deciduous forests, i.e. the processes of charcoal incorporation and transportation, and the effects on soil organic matter are still not clear. In a long-term experimental burning site, we investigated the effects of slash-and-burn and determined soil organic carbon, charcoal carbon and nitrogen concentrations and the soil lightness of colour (L*) in the topmost soil material (0–1, 1–2.5 and 2.5–5 cm depths) before, immediately after the fire and one year after burning. The main results are that (i) only few charcoal particles from the forest floor were incorporated into the soil matrix by soil mixing animals. In 0–1 cm and during one year, the charcoal C concentrations increased only by 0.4 g kg−1 and the proportion of charcoal C to SOC concentrations increased from 2.8 to 3.4%; (ii) the SOC concentrations did not show any significant differences; (iii) soil lightness significantly decreased in the topmost soil layer and correlated with the concentrations of charcoal C (r=-0.87**) and SOC (r=−0.94**) in samples 0–5 cm. We concluded that the soil colour depends on the proportion of aromatic charcoal carbon in total organic matter and that Holocene burning could have influenced soil charcoal concentrations and soil colour.
Does chlorophyll a provide the best index of phytoplankton biomass for primary productivity studies?
Authors: Huot Y. , Babin M. , Bruyant F. , Grob C. , Twardowski M. S. , Claustre H.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Probably because it is a readily available ocean color product, almost all models of primary productivity use chlorophyll as their index of phytoplankton biomass. As other variables become more readily available, both from remote sensing and in situ autonomous platforms, we should ask if other indices of biomass might be preferable. Herein, we compare the accuracy of different proxies of phytoplankton biomass for estimating the maximum photosynthetic rate (Pmax) and the initial slope of the production versus irradiance (P vs. E) curve (α). The proxies compared are: the total chlorophyll a concentration (Tchla, the sum of chlorophyll a and divinyl chlorophyll), the phytoplankton absorption coefficient, the phytoplankton photosynthetic absorption coefficient, the active fluorescence in situ, the particulate scattering coefficient at 650 nm (bp (650)), and the particulate backscattering coefficient at 650 nm (bbp (650)). All of the data (about 170 P vs. E curves) were collected in the South Pacific Ocean. We find that when only the phytoplanktonic biomass proxies are available, bp (650) and Tchla are respectively the best estimators of Pmax and alpha. When additional variables are available, such as the depth of sampling, the irradiance at depth, or the temperature, Tchla becomes the best estimator of both Pmax and α. From a remote sensing perspective, error propagation analysis shows that, given the current algorithms errors for estimating bbp(650), Tchla remains the best estimator of Pmax.
Mobility of black carbon in drained peatland soils
Authors: Leifeld J. , Fenner S. , Müller M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Amount, stability, and distribution of black carbon BC were studied at four sites of a large peatland ("Witzwil") formerly used as a disposal for combustion residues from households to derive BC displacement rates in the profile. Possible artefacts from thermal oxidation with Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) on BC quantification of C-rich deposits were inferred by choosing three sites from a second peatland with no historical record of waste disposal as a reference ("Seebodenalp"). All sites were under grassland at time of sampling, but were partially cropped in the past at Witzwil. Mean BC contents in topsoils of Witzwil ranged from 10.7 to 91.5 (0–30 cm) and from 0.44 to 51.3 (30–140 cm) mg BC g−1 soil, corresponding to BC/OC ratios of 0.04 to 0.3 (topsoil) and 0.02 to 0.18 (deeper soil). At three sites of Seebodenalp, BC was below the detection limit of 0.4 mg g−1 organic soil, indicating negligible formation of BC during thermal oxidation of peat. 13C NMR spectra corroborated the high BC contents at Witzwil. The data refer to a considerable vertical transport of BC given that soils were ploughed not deeper than 30 cm since abandonment of waste application about 50 years ago. The total amount of BC in the Witzwil profiles ranged from 3.2 to 7.5 kg BC m−2, with 21 to 69 percent of it stemming from below the former ploughing depth. Under the premise of negligible rates of BC consumption since abandonment of waste application, minimum BC transport rates in these peats are 0.6 to 1.2 cm a−1. The high mobility of BC might be explained by high macro-pore volumes in combination with occasional water saturation. By means of DSC peak temperatures, different types of BC could be distinguished, with deeper horizons containing BC of higher thermal stability. Application of combustion residues likely involved a mixture of various BC types, of which thermally more stable ones, most likely soots, were preferentially transported downwards.
Chlorophyll signatures and nutrient cycles in the Mediterranean Sea: a model sensitivity study to nitrogen and phosphorus atmospheric inputs
Authors: Pacciaroni M. , Crispi G.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In this work, the relative importance of nitrogen and phosphorus, considered as external loads, on Mediterranean biogeochemical cycles is evaluated. Biomass concentrations are analysed considering the steady state response of the three-dimensional ECHYM model to three nitrogen and phosphorus atmospheric depositions, considered as continuous in time. After reaching stationary evolutions, chlorophyll surficial maps and vertical transects are compared with existing datasets, showing a good agreement at their large scale sampling. The distributions of nutrients within the biochemical compartments are analysed, highlighting, inside the Mediterranean oligotrophic environment, the role played by ultraplankton, the smaller phytoplankton compartment. For all the three different atmospheric loads, western primary production estimation is about twice than that in the eastern basin, while western secondary production is about three times the eastern one. This numerical exercise suggests that the Eastern Mediterranean, cycling at low nutrient sill, is eventually pushed toward an higher nutrient depletion, when loading new nitrogen and phosphorus.
Towards spatial assessment of carbon sequestration in peatlands: spectroscopy based estimation of fractional cover of three plant functional types
Authors: Schaepman-Strub G. , Limpens J. , Menken M. , Bartholomeus H. M. , Schaepman M. E.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Peatlands accumulated large carbon stocks as peat in historical times. Currently however, many peatlands are on the verge of becoming sources with their carbon sequestration function becoming sensitive to environmental changes such as increases in temperature, decreasing water table and enhanced nitrogen deposition. Long term changes in vegetation composition are both, a consequence and indicator of future changes in carbon sequestration. Spatial continuous accurate assessment of the vegetation composition is a current challenge in keeping a close watch on peatland vegetation changes. In this study we quantified the fractional cover of three major plant functional types (Sphagnum mosses, graminoids, and shrubs) in peatlands, using field spectroscopy reflectance measurements (400–2400 nm) on 25 plots differing in plant functional type cover. The data was validated using point intercept methodology on the same plots. Our results showed that the detection of open Sphagnum versus Sphagnum covered by vascular plants (shrubs and graminoids) is feasible with an R2 of 0.81. On the other hand, the partitioning of the vascular plant fraction into shrubs and graminoids revealed lower correlations of R2 of 0.54 and 0.57, respectively. This study was based on a dataset where the reflectance of all main plant functional types and their pure components within the peatland was measured at local spatial scales. Spectrally measured species or plant community abundances can further be used to bridge scaling gaps up to canopy scale, ultimately allowing upscaling of the C balance of peatlands to the ecosystem level.
Peatlands and the carbon cycle: from local processes to global implications – a synthesis
Authors: Limpens J. , Berendse F. , Blodau C. , Canadell J. G. , Freeman C. , Holden J. , Roulet N. , Rydin H. , Schaepman-Strub G.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Although peatlands cover only 3% of the Earth's land surface, boreal and subarctic peatlands store about 15–30% of the world's soil carbon as peat. Despite their potential for large positive feedbacks to the climate system through sequestration and emission of greenhouse gases, peatlands are not explicitly included in global climate models and therefore in predictions of future climate change. In April 2007 a symposium was held in Wageningen, the Netherlands, to advance our understanding of peatland C cycling through integration across disciplines and research approaches and to develop a more synthetic picture of the present and future role of peatlands in the global C cycle and their interactions with the climate system. This paper aims to synthesize the main findings of the symposium, focusing on (i) small-scale processes, (ii) C fluxes at the landscape scale, and (iii) peatlands and climate. The paper concludes with a summary of the main drivers of the C balance of peatlands, and proposes directions for new research to reduce key uncertainties in our knowledge of C cycling in peatlands in order to facilitate the explicit inclusion of these ecosystems in a new generation of earth system models.
Anthropogenic carbon distributions in the Atlantic Ocean: data-based estimates from the Arctic to the Antarctic
Authors: Vázquez-Rodríguez M. , Touratier F. , Lo Monaco C. , Waugh D. W. , Padin X. A. , Bellerby R. G. J. , Goyet C. , Metzl N. , Ríos A. F. , Pérez F. F.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Five of the most recent observational methods to estimate anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) are applied to a high-quality dataset from five representative sections of the Atlantic Ocean extending from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Between latitudes 60° N–40° S all methods give similar spatial distributions and magnitude of Cant. Conversely, large discrepancies are found in the Southern Ocean and Nordic Seas. The differences in the Southern Ocean have a significant impact on the anthropogenic carbon inventories. The calculated total inventories of Cant for the Atlantic referred to 1994 range from 48 to 67 Pg (1015 g) of carbon, with an average of 54±8 Pg C, which is higher than previous estimates. These results, both the detailed Cant distributions and extrapolated inventories, will help to validate biogeochemical ocean models and coupled climate-carbon models.
Paleovegetation reconstruction using δ13C of Soil Organic Matter
Authors: Wang G. , Feng X. , Han J. , Zhou L. , Tan W. , Su F.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The relative contributions of C3 and C4 plants to vegetation at a given locality may be estimated by means of δ13C of soil organic matter. This approach holds great potential for paleoecological reconstruction using paleosols. However, two uncertainties exist, which limits the accuracy of this application. One is 13C enrichment as plant carbon becomes incorporated into soil organic matter. The other is due to environmental influences on δ13C of plants. Two types of data were collected and analyzed with an objective of narrowing the error of paleovegetation reconstruction. First, we investigated δ13C variations of 557 C3 and 136 C4 plants along a precipitation gradient in North China. A strong negative relationship is found between the δ13C value of C3 plants averaged for each site and the annual precipitation with a coefficient of −0.40‰/100 mm, while no significant coefficients were found for C4 plants. Second, we measured δ13C of soil organic matters for 14 soil profiles at three sites. The isotopic difference between vegetation and soil organic matter are evaluated to be 1.8‰ for the surface soil and 2.8‰ for the soil at the bottom of soil profiles. Using the new data we conducted a sample reconstruction of paleovegetation at the central Chinese Loess Plateau during the Holocene and the Last Glaciation, and conclude that, without corrections for 13C enrichment by decomposition, the C4 abundance would be overestimated. The importance and uncertainties of other corrections are also discussed.
Microbiology and atmospheric processes: an upcoming era of research on bio-meteorology
Authors: Morris C. E. , Sands D. C. , Bardin M. , Jaenicke R. , Vogel B. , Leyronas C. , Ariya P. A. , Psenner R.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. For the past 200 years, the field of aerobiology has explored the abundance, diversity, survival and transport of micro-organisms in the atmosphere. Micro-organisms have been explored as passive and severely stressed riders of atmospheric transport systems. Recently, an interest in the active roles of these micro-organisms has emerged along with proposals that the atmosphere is a global biome for microbial metabolic activity and perhaps even multiplication. As part of a series of papers on the sources, distribution and roles in atmospheric processes of biological particles in the atmosphere, here we describe the pertinence of questions relating to the potential roles that air-borne micro-organisms might play in meteorological phenomena. For the upcoming era of research on the role of air-borne micro-organisms in meteorological phenomena, one important challenge is to go beyond descriptions of abundance of micro-organisms in the atmosphere toward an understanding of their dynamics in terms of both biological and physico-chemical properties and of the relevant transport processes at different scales. Another challenge is to develop this understanding under contexts pertinent to their potential role in processes related to atmospheric chemistry, the formation of clouds, precipitation and radiative forcing. This will require truly interdisciplinary approaches involving collaborators from the biological and physical sciences, from disciplines as disparate as agronomy, microbial genetics and atmosphere physics, for example.
Microbial reduction of iron and porewater biogeochemistry in acidic peatlands
Authors: Küsel K. , Blöthe M. , Schulz D. , Reiche M. , Drake H. L.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Temporal drying of upper soil layers of acidic methanogenic peatlands might divert the flow of reductants from CH4 formation to other electron-accepting processes due to a renewal of alternative electron acceptors. In this study, we evaluated the in situ relevance of Fe(III)-reducing microbial activities in peatlands of a forested catchment that differed in their hydrology. Intermittent seeps reduced sequentially nitrate, Fe(III), and sulfate during periods of water saturation. Due to the acidic soil conditions, released Fe(II) was transported with the groundwater flow and accumulated as Fe(III) in upper soil layers of a lowland fen apparently due to oxidation. Microbial Fe(III) reduction in the upper soil layer accounted for 26.7 and 71.6% of the anaerobic organic carbon mineralization in the intermittent seep and the lowland fen, respectively. In an upland fen not receiving exogenous Fe, Fe(III) reduction contributed only to 6.7%. Fe(II) and acetate accumulated in deeper porewater of the lowland fen with maximum concentrations of 7 and 3 mM, respectively. Both supplemental glucose and acetate stimulated the reduction of Fe(III) indicating that fermentative, incomplete, and complete oxidizers were involved in Fe(II) formation in the acidic fen. Amplification of DNA yielded PCR products specific for Acidiphilium-, Geobacter-, and Geothrix-, but not for Shewanella- or Anaeroromyxobacter-related sequences. Porewater biogeochemistry observed during a 3-year-period suggests that increased drought periods and subsequent intensive rainfalls due to global climate change will further favor Fe(III) and sulfate as alternative electron acceptors due to the storage of their reduced compounds in the soil.