bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An episodic event of pollen transport of European beech
Authors: Piringer M. , Polreich E. , Schüler S. , Robitschek K.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The meteorological impacts on pollen emission and spread in a typical Central European forest of mixed deciduous and coniferous trees are investigated. Pollen samples as well as meteorological measurements have been conducted during the flowering period of spring flowering tree species in 2009. An episodic event of pollen transport to the study area is analyzed in detail with the aid of hourly backwards trajectories. The results indicate that the experimental set-up was well designed for a thorough meteorological analysis of the pollen counts.
Formation of a large scale spot-like structure of the total deposition due to a powerful elevated finite source
Authors: Skrynyk O. Y. , Chernysh R. I. , Hrytsyuk Y. Y.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The process of formation of a large scale spot-like structure of the cumulative deposition pattern due to a powerful elevated finite lifetime source is studied using numerical solutions of a model diffusion problem. A possible cause of spottiness at regional scale, namely the diurnal cycle of the vertical turbulent mixing intensity in the atmospheric boundary layer, is investigated. It is shown that the atmospheric boundary layer diurnal cycle can cause the appearance of the spot-like structure when the source lifetime, t*, is much shorter than the diurnal period, T.
The seasonal characteristics of the breeze circulation at a coastal Mediterranean site in South Italy
Authors: Federico S. , Pasqualoni L. , Sempreviva A. M. , De Leo L. , Avolio E. , Calidonna C. R. , Bellecci C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. We present a study on the characteristics of the sea breeze flow at a coastal site located in the centre of the Mediterranean basin at the southern tip of Italy. This study is finalized to add new data on breeze circulations over a narrow peninsula and present a unique experimental coastal site at about 600 m from the coastline in a flat open area at the foot of a mountain chain located in a region of complex orography. We study the seasonal behaviour of the sea-land breeze circulation by analysing two years of hourly data of wind speed and direction, temperature, radiation and relative humidity from a surface meteorological station, eighteen-months data from a wind profiler, and two-year data from the ECMWF analysis. Results show that breezes dominate the local circulation and play a major role for the local climate. They are modulated by the season, through the sea-land temperature difference and the large-scale flow. The large-scale forcing acts in phase with the diurnal breeze and opposes the nocturnal breeze. In summer, the daytime difference between the land surface temperature and the SST (Sea Surface Temperature) reaches its maximum, while the nigh-time difference has its minimum. This causes a strong, frequent and intense diurnal breeze and a weak nocturnal breeze. In winter and fall the nocturnal difference between the sea and land surface temperature reaches a maximum value, while the diurnal difference is at its minimum value. This causes a strong, frequent and intense nocturnal breeze despite of the large-scale forcing that is usually opposed to local-scale flow.
The 27 July 2002 tornado event in Athens, Greece
Authors: Matsangouras J. T. , Nastos P. T.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. This study analyzes the tornado event on 27 July 2002 at Athens International Airport (Eleutherios Venizelos), a suburban area located at the east of Athens. The tornado was formed approximately at 10:20 UTC and characterized as T4 (Torro Scale). A synoptic discussion of the ECMWF analysis charts from the surface up to the 500 hPa geopotential height level is presented along with the daily composite anomaly (reference period: 1968–1996) of the relative meteorological parameters from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dataset. The vertical profile of the atmosphere is also presented, and derived from the operational sounding of the nearest upper air meteorological station to the tornado incidence site. The dynamic indices of the atmosphere revealed unstable atmospheric conditions capable for thunderstorm formation. The tornado caused injuries to a woman due to the shift of a parked airplane during the disembarkation procedure and also several damage at the airport facilities.
Large-scale environmental controls on microbial biofilms in high-alpine streams
Authors: Battin T. J. , Wille A. , Psenner R. , Richter A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Glaciers are highly responsive to global warming and important agents of landscape heterogeneity. While it is well established that glacial ablation and snowmelt regulate stream discharge, linkage among streams and streamwater geochemistry, the controls of these factors on stream microbial biofilms remain insufficiently understood. We investigated glacial (metakryal, hypokryal), groundwater-fed (krenal) and snow-fed (rhithral) streams - all of them representative for alpine stream networks - and present evidence that these hydrologic and hydrogeochemical factors differentially affect sediment microbial biofilms. Average microbial biomass and bacterial carbon production were low in the glacial streams, whereas bacterial cell size, biomass, and carbon production were higher in the tributaries, most notably in the krenal stream. Whole-cell in situ fluorescence hybridization revealed reduced detection rates of the Eubacteria and higher abundance of α-Proteobacteria in the glacial stream, a pattern that most probably reflects the trophic status of this ecosystem. Our data suggest low flow during the onset of snowmelt and autumn as a short period (hot moment) of favorable environmental conditions with pulsed inputs of allochthonous nitrate and dissolved organic carbon, and with disproportionately high microbial growth. Tributaries are relatively more constant and favorable environments than kryal streams, and serve as possible sources of microbes and organic matter to the main glacial channel during periods (e.g., snowmelt) of elevated hydrologic linkage among streams. Ice and snow dynamics - and their impact on the amount and composition of dissolved organic matter - have a crucial impact on stream biofilms, and we thus need to consider microbes and critical hydrological episodes in future models of alpine stream communities.
Carbon sources supporting benthic mineralization in mangrove and adjacent seagrass sediments (Gazi Bay, Kenya)
Authors: Bouillon S. , Moens T. , Dehairs F.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The origin of carbon substrates used by in situ sedimentary bacterial communities was investigated in an intertidal mangrove ecosystem and in adjacent seagrass beds in Gazi bay (Kenya) by δ13C analysis of bacteria-specific PLFA (phospholipid fatty acids) and bulk organic carbon. Export of mangrove-derived organic matter to the adjacent seagrass-covered bay was evident from sedimentary total organic carbon (TOC) and δ13CTOC data. PLFA δ13C data indicate that the substrate used by bacterial communities varied strongly and that exported mangrove carbon was a significant source for bacteria in the adjacent seagrass beds. Within the intertidal mangrove forest, bacterial PLFA at the surface layer (0-1cm) typically showed more enriched δ13C values than deeper (up to 10cm) sediment layers, suggesting a contribution from microphytobenthos and/or inwelled seagrass material. Under the simplifying assumption that seagrasses and mangroves are the dominant potential end-members, the estimated contribution of mangrove-derived carbon to benthic mineralization in the seagrass beds (16-74%) corresponds fairly well to the estimated contribution of mangrove C to the sedimentary organic matter pool (21-71%) across different seagrass sites. Based on the results of this study and a compilation of literature data, we suggest that trapping of allochtonous C is a common feature in seagrass beds and often represents a significant source of C for sediment bacteria - both in cases where seagrass C dominates the sediment TOC pool and in cases where external inputs are significant. Hence, it is likely that data on community respiration rates systematically overestimate the role of in situ mineralization as a fate of seagrass production.
Submarine groundwater discharge to a small estuary estimated from radon and salinity measurements and a box model
Authors: Crusius J. , Koopmans D. , Bratton J. F. , Charette M. A. , Kroeger K. , Henderson P. , Ryckman L. , Halloran K. , Colman J. A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Submarine groundwater discharge was quantified by a variety of methods for a 4-day period during the early summer of 2004, in Salt Pond, adjacent to Nauset Marsh, on Cape Cod, USA. Discharge estimates based on radon and salinity took advantage of the presence of the narrow channel connecting Salt Pond to Nauset Marsh, which allowed constructing whole-pond mass balances as water flowed in and out due to tidal fluctuations. The data suggest that less than one quarter of the discharge in the vicinity of Salt Pond happened within the pond itself, while three quarters or more of the discharge occurred immediately seaward of the pond, either in the channel or in adjacent regions of Nauset Marsh. Much of this discharge, which maintains high radon activities and low salinity, is carried into the pond during each incoming tide. A box model was used as an aid to understand both the rates and the locations of discharge in the vicinity of Salt Pond. The model achieves a reasonable fit to both the salinity and radon data assuming submarine groundwater discharge is fresh and that most of it occurs either in the channel or in adjacent regions of Nauset Marsh. Salinity and radon data, together with seepage meter results, do not rule out discharge of saline groundwater, but suggest either that the saline discharge is at most comparable in volume to the fresh discharge or that it is depleted in radon. The estimated rate of fresh groundwater discharge in the vicinity of Salt Pond is 3000-7000 m3 d-1. This groundwater flux estimated from the radon and salinity data is comparable to a value of 3200-4500 m3 d-1 predicted by a recent hydrologic model (Masterson, 2004; Colman and Masterson, 2004), although the model predicts this rate of discharge to the pond whereas our data suggest most of the groundwater bypasses the pond prior to discharge. Additional work is needed to determine if the measured rate of discharge is representative of the long-term average, and to better constrain the rate of groundwater discharge seaward of Salt Pond.
Aggregate and soil organic carbon dynamics in South Chilean Andisols
Authors: Huygens D. , Boeckx P. , Van Cleemput O. , Oyarzún C. , Godoy R.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Extreme sensitivity of soil organic carbon (SOC) to climate and land use change warrants further research in different terrestrial ecosystems. The aim of this study was to investigate the link between aggregate and SOC dynamics in a chronosequence of three different land uses of a south Chilean Andisol: a second growth Nothofagus obliqua forest (SGFOR), a grassland (GRASS) and a Pinus radiata plantation (PINUS). Total carbon content of the 0-10cm soil layer was higher for GRASS (6.7 kg C m-2) than for PINUS (4.3 kg C m-2, while TC content of SGFOR (5.8 kg C m-2) was not significantly different from either one. High extractable oxalate and pyrophosphate Al concentrations (varying from 20.3-24.4 g kg-1, and 3.9-11.1 g kg-1, respectively) were found in all sites. In this study, SOC and aggregate dynamics were studied using size and density fractionation experiments of the SOC, δ13C and total carbon analysis of the different SOC fractions, and C mineralization experiments. The results showed that electrostatic sorption between and among amorphous Al components and clay minerals is mainly responsible for the formation of metal-humus-clay complexes and the stabilization of soil aggregates. The process of ligand exchange between SOC and Al would be of minor importance resulting in the absence of aggregate hierarchy in this soil type. Whole soil C mineralization rate constants were highest for SGFOR and PINUS, followed by GRASS (respectively 0.495, 0.266 and 0.196 g CO2-Cm-2d-1 for the top soil layer). In contrast, incubation experiments of isolated macro organic matter fractions gave opposite results, showing that the recalcitrance of the SOC decreased in another order: PINUS>SGFOR>GRASS. We deduced that electrostatic sorption processes and physical protection of SOC in soil aggregates were the main processes determining SOC stabilization. As a result, high aggregate carbon concentrations, varying from 148 till 48 g kg-1, were encountered for all land use sites. Al availability and electrostatic charges are dependent on pH, resulting in an important influence of soil pH on aggregate stability. Recalcitrance of the SOC did not appear to largely affect SOC stabilization. Statistical correlations between extractable amorphous Al contents, aggregate stability and C mineralization rate constants were encountered, supporting this hypothesis. Land use changes affected SOC dynamics and aggregate stability by modifying soil pH (and thus electrostatic charges and available Al content), root SOC input and management practices (such as ploughing and accompanying drying of the soil).
Efficiency of the silicate pump at a coastal oligotrophic site in the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Leblanc K. , Quéguiner B. , Raimbault P. , Garcia N.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A one-year survey of the sedimenting particulate material was conducted at the SOFi site located on the edge of the continental slope in the Gulf of Lions (Northwestern Mediterranean) between September 1999 and December 2000. The main focus of this paper was to establish an annual budget of biogenic silica export, to describe the seasonnal pattern of Si fluxes in relation to the organic and mineral C fluxes and to quantify the Si/C decoupling processes during sedimentation. The pattern of the downward flux of BSi was partly typical with increased daily sedimentation rates during spring followed by smaller peaks during summer. However, an unusual sedimentation event was recorded in the bottom trap in February before the spring thermal stratification occurred, and represented 37% of the annual BSi mass flux. The total annual BSi flux at the SOFi site was estimated from the bottom trap and amounted to 86.8 mmol Si m-2 y-1, while the organic carbon flux amounted to 154.9 mmol C m-2 y-1. The overall efficiency of C export to depth compared to surface primary production budgets was low (3%) and similar to values found for oligotrophic regions of the Eastern Mediterranean. On the other hand, we documented a very high efficiency of the Si export at the SOFi site, with 62% of the Si produced in the surface layer exported to the bottom trap. The excellent correlation between BSi and particulate organic C (POC) in the bottom trap further indicates that the bulk of the organic matter is transferred to depth in association with diatoms. However, the main fraction of the C produced by phytoplankton is lost in the water column through oxidation or metabolisation, while biogenic silica is more efficiently transferred to depth. This strong Si/C decoupling with depth is likely to be the cause of the spring depletion of silicic acid over the entire water column which was observed by mid-April in a companion study (Leblanc et al., 2003) and may cause a severe Si limitation of the diatom spring bloom in this oligotrophic region of the Gulf of Lions.
Coupled carbon-water exchange of the Amazon rain forest, II. Comparison of predicted and observed seasonal exchange of energy, CO2, isoprene and ozone at a remote site in Rondônia
Authors: Simon E. , Meixner F. X. , Rummel U. , Ganzeveld L. , Ammann C. , Kesselmeier J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A one-dimensional multi-layer scheme describing the coupled exchange of energy and CO2, the emission of isoprene and the dry deposition of ozone is applied to a rain forest canopy in southwest Amazonia. The model was constrained using mean diel cycles of micrometeorological quantities observed during two periods in the wet and dry season 1999. Calculated net fluxes and concentration profiles for both seasonal periods are compared to observations made at two nearby towers. The modeled day- and nighttime thermal stratification of the canopy layer is consistent with observations in dense canopies. The observed and modeled net fluxes above and H2O and CO2 concentration profiles within the canopy show a good agreement. The predicted net carbon sink decreases from 2.5 t C ha-1 yr-1 for wet season conditions to 1 t C ha-1 yr-1 for dry season conditions, whereas observed and modeled midday Bowen ratio increases from 0.5 to 0.8. The evaluation results confirmed a seasonal variability of leaf physiological parameters, as already suggested in a companion study. The calculated midday canopy net flux of isoprene increased from 7.1 mg C m-2 h-1 during the wet season to 11.4 mg C m-2 h-1 during the late dry season. Applying a constant emission capacity in all canopy layers, resulted in a disagreement between observed and simulated profiles of isoprene concentrations, suggesting a smaller emission capacity of shade adapted leaves and deposition to the soil or leaf surfaces. Assuming a strong light acclimation of emission capacity, equivalent to a 66% reduction of the standard emission factor for leaves in the lower canopy, resulted in a better agreement of observed and modeled concentration profiles and a 30% reduction of the canopy net flux compared to model calculations with a constant emission factor. The mean calculated ozone flux for dry season conditions at noontime was ≈12 n mol m-2 s-1, agreeing well with observed values. The corresponding deposition velocity increased from 0.8 cm s-1 to >1.6 cm s-1 in the wet season, which can not be explained by increased stomatal uptake. Considering reasonable physiological changes in stomatal regulation, the modeled value was not larger than 1.05 cm s-1. Instead, the observed fluxes could be explained with the model by decreasing the cuticular resistance to ozone deposition from 5000 to 1000 s m-1.
In vitro formation of Ca-oxalates and the mineral glushinskite by fungal interaction with carbonate substrates and seawater
Authors: Kolo K. , Claeys Ph.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. This study investigates the in vitro formation of Ca-oxalates and glushinskite through fungal interaction with carbonate substrates and seawater as a process of biologically induced metal recycling and neo-mineral formation. The study also emphasizes the role of the substrates as metal donors. In the first experiment, thin sections prepared from dolomitic rock samples of Terwagne Formation (Carboniferous, Viséan, northern France) served as substrates. The thin sections placed in Petri dishes were exposed to fungi grown from naturally existing airborne spores. In the second experiment, fungal growth and mineral formation was monitored using only standard seawater (SSW) as a substrate. Fungal growth media consisted of a high protein/carbohydrates and sugar diet with demineralized water for irrigation. Fungal growth process reached completion under uncontrolled laboratory conditions. The newly formed minerals and textural changes caused by fungal attack on the carbonate substrates were investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The fungal interaction and attack on the dolomitic and seawater substrates resulted in the formation of Ca-oxalates (weddellite CaC2O4·2(H2O), whewellite (CaC2O4·(H2O)) and glushinskite MgC2O4·2(H2O) associated with the destruction of the original hard substrates and their replacement by the new minerals. Both of Ca and Mg were mobilized from the experimental substrates by fungi. This metal mobilization involved a recycling of substrate metals into newly formed minerals. The biochemical and diagenetic results of the interaction strongly marked the attacked substrates with a biological fingerprint. Such fingerprints are biomarkers of primitive life. The formation of glushinskite is of specific importance that is related, besides its importance as a biomineral bearing a recycled Mg, to the possibility of its transformation through diagenetic pathway into an Mg carbonate. This work is the first report on the in vitro formation of the mineral glushinskite through fungal interaction with carbonate and seawater substrates. Besides recording the detailed Raman signature of various crystal habits of Mg- and Ca-oxalates, the Raman spectroscopy proved two new crystal habits for glushinskite. The results of this work document the role of microorganisms as metal recyclers in biomineralization, neo-mineral formation, sediment diagenesis, bioweathering and in the production of mineral and diagenetic biomarkers. They also reveal the capacity of living fungi to interact with liquid substrates and precipitate new minerals.
Geophysical and geochemical signatures of Gulf of Mexico seafloor brines
Authors: Joye S. B. , MacDonald I. R. , Montoya J. P. , Peccini M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Geophysical, temperature, and discrete depth-stratified geochemical data illustrate differences between an actively venting mud volcano and a relatively quiescent brine pool in the Gulf of Mexico along the continental slope. Geophysical data, including laser-line scan mosaics and sub-bottom profiles, document the dynamic nature of both environments. Temperature profiles, obtained by lowering a CTD into the brine fluid, show that the venting brine was at least 10°C warmer than the bottom water. At the brine pool, thermal stratification was observed and only small differences in stratification were documented between three sampling times (1991, 1997 and 1998). In contrast, at the mud volcano, substantial temperature variability was observed, with the core brine temperature being slightly higher than bottom water (by 2°C) in 1997 but substantially higher than bottom water (by 19°C) in 1998. Detailed geochemical samples were obtained in 2002 using a device called the "brine trapper" and concentrations of dissolved gases, major ions and nutrients were determined. Both brines contained about four times as much salt as seawater and steep concentration gradients of dissolved ions and nutrients versus brine depth were apparent. Differences in the concentrations of calcium, magnesium and potassium between the two brine fluids suggest that the fluids are derived from different sources, have different dilution/mixing histories, or that brine-sediment reactions are more important at the mud volcano. Substantial concentrations of methane, ammonium, and silicate were observed in both brines, suggesting that fluids expelled from deep ocean brines are important sources of these constituents to the surrounding environment.
Controls of the surface water partial pressure of CO2 in the North Sea
Authors: Thomas H. , Bozec Y. , Elkalay K. , de Baar H. J. W. , Borges A. V. , Schiettecatte L.-S.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The seasonal variability of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) has been investigated in the North Sea, a northwest European shelf sea. Based on a seasonal and high spatial resolution data set the main controlling factors - biological processes and temperature - have been identified and quantified. In the central and northern parts being a CO2-sink all year round, the biological control dominates the temperature control. In the southern part, the temperature control dominates the biological control at an annual scale, since the shallow water column prevents stronger net-CO2 removal from the surface layer due to the absence of seasonal stratification. The consequence is a reversal of the CO2 sea-to-air flux during the spring bloom period, the only time, when CO2 is taken up from the atmosphere in the southern region. Net community production in the mixed layer has been estimated to 4 mol C m-2 yr-1 with higher values (4.3 mol C m-2 yr-1) in the northern part and lower values in the southern part (2.6 mol C m-2 yr-1).
Geodynamic and metabolic cycles in the Hadean
Authors: Russell M. J. , Arndt N. T.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. High-degree melting of hot dry Hadean mantle at ocean ridges and plumes resulted in a crust about 30km thick, overlain in places by extensive and thick mafic volcanic plateaus. Continental crust, by contrast, was relatively thin and mostly submarine. At constructive and destructive plate boundaries, and above the many mantle plumes, acidic hydrothermal springs at ~400°C contributed Fe and other transition elements as well as P and H2 to the deep ocean made acidulous by dissolved CO2 and minor HCl derived from volcanoes. Away from ocean ridges, submarine hydrothermal fluids were cool (≤100°C), alkaline (pH ~10), highly reduced and also H2-rich. Reaction of solvents in this fluid with those in ocean water was catalyzed in a hydrothermal mound, a natural self-restoring flow reactor and fractionation column developed above the alkaline spring. The mound consisted of brucite, Mg-rich clays, ephemeral carbonates, Fe-Ni sulfide and green rust. Acetate and glycine were the main products, some of which were eluted to the ocean. The rest, along with other organic byproducts were retained and concentrated within Fe-Ni sulfide compartments. These compartments, comprising the natural hydrothermal reactor, consisted partly of greigite (Fe5NiS8). It was from reactions between organic modules confined within these inorganic compartments that the first prokaryotic organism evolved. These acetogenic precursors to the bacteria diversified and migrated down the mound and into the ocean floor to inaugurate the "deep biosphere". Once there they were protected from cataclysmic heating events caused by large meteoritic impacts. Geodynamic forces led to the eventual obduction of the deep biosphere into the photic zone where, initially protected by a thin veneer of sediment, the use of solar energy was mastered and photosynthesis emerged. The further evolution to oxygenic photosynthesis was effected as catalytic [Mn,Ca]-bearing molecules that otherwise would have been interred in minerals such as ranciéite and hollandite in shallow marine manganiferous sediments, were sequestered and invaginated within the cyanobacterial precursor where, energized by light, they could oxidize water. Thus, a chemical sedimentary environment was required both for the emergence of chemosynthesis and of oxygenic photosynthesis, the two innovations that did most to change the nature of our planet.
N2O, NO and CH4 exchange, and microbial N turnover over a Mediterranean pine forest soil
Authors: Rosenkranz P. , Brüggemann N. , Papen H. , Xu Z. , Seufert G. , Butterbach-Bahl K.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Trace gas exchange of N2O, NO/NO2 and CH4 between soil and the atmosphere was measured in a typical Mediterranean pine (Pinus pinaster) forest during two intensive field campaigns in spring and autumn 2003. Furthermore, gross and net turnover rates of N mineralization and nitrification as well as soil profiles of N2O and CH4 concentrations were determined. For both seasons a weak but significant N2O uptake from the atmosphere into the soil was observed. During the unusually dry and hot spring mean N2O uptake was −4.32 µg N m-2 h-1, whereas during the wet and mild autumn mean N2O uptake was −7.85 µg N m-2 h-1. The observed N2O uptake into the soil was linked to the very low availability of inorganic nitrogen at the study site. Organic layer gross N mineralization decreased from 5.06 mg N kg-1 SDW d-1 in springtime to 2.68 mg N kg-1 SDW d-1 in autumn. Mean NO emission rates were significantly higher in springtime (9.94 µg N m-2 h-1) than in autumn (1.43 µg N m-2 h-1). A significant positive correlation between NO emission rates and gross N mineralization as well as nitrification rates was found. The negative correlation between NO emissions and soil moisture was explained with a stimulation of aerobic NO uptake under N limiting conditions. Since NO2 deposition was continuously higher than NO emission rates the examined forest soil functioned as a net NOx sink. Observed mean net CH4 uptake rates were in spring significantly higher (−73.34 µg C m-2 h-1) than in autumn (−59.67 µg C m-2 h-1). Changes in CH4 uptake rates were strongly negatively correlated with changes in soil moisture. The N2O and CH4 concentrations in different soil depths revealed the organic layer and the upper 0.1 m of mineral soil as the most important soil horizons for N2O and CH4 consumption.
Water use strategies and ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of CO2 in two highly seasonal environments
Authors: Arneth A. , Veenendaal E. M. , Best C. , Timmermans W. , Kolle O. , Montagnani L. , Shibistova O.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. We compare assimilation and respiration rates, and water use strategies in four divergent ecosystems located in cold-continental central Siberia and in semi-arid southern Africa. These seemingly unrelated systems have in common a harsh and highly seasonal environment with a very sharp transition between the dormant and the active season, with vegetation facing dry air and soil conditions for at least part of the year. Moreover, the northern high latitudes and the semi-arid tropics will likely experience changes in key environmental parameters (e.g., air temperature and precipitation) in the future; indeed, in some regions marked climate trends have already been observed over the last decade or so. The magnitude of instantaneous or daily assimilation and respiration rates, derived from one to two years of eddy covariance measurements in each of the four ecosystems, was not related to the growth environment. For instance, respiration rates were clearly highest in the two deciduous systems included in the analysis (a Mopane woodland in northern Botswana and a Downy birch forest in Siberia; >300 mmol m−2 d−1), while assimilation rates in the Mopane woodland were relatively similar to a Siberian Scots pine canopy for a large part of the active season (ca. 420 mmol m−2 d−1). Acknowledging the limited number of ecosystems compared here, these data nevertheless demonstrate that factors like vegetation type, canopy phenology or ecosystem age can override larger-scale climate differences in terms of their effects on carbon assimilation and respiration rates. By far the highest rates of assimilation were observed in Downy birch, an early successional species. These were achieved at a rather conservative water use, as indicated by relatively low levels of λ, the marginal water cost of plant carbon gain. Surprisingly, the Mopane woodland growing in the semi-arid environment had significantly higher values of λ. However, its water use strategy included a very plastic response to intermittently dry periods, and values of λ were much more conservative overall during a rainy season with low precipitation and high air saturation deficits. Our comparison demonstrates that forest ecosystems can respond very dynamically in terms of water use strategy, both on interannual and much shorter time scales. But it remains to be evaluated whether and in which ecosystems this plasticity is mainly due to a short-term stomatal response, or alternatively goes hand in hand with changes in canopy photosynthetic capacity.
Light availability in the coastal ocean: impact on the distribution of benthic photosynthetic organisms and their contribution to primary production
Authors: Gattuso J.-P. , Gentili B. , Duarte C. M. , Kleypas J. A. , Middelburg J. J. , Antoine D.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. One of the major features of the coastal zone is that part of its sea floor receives a significant amount of sunlight and can therefore sustain benthic primary production by seagrasses, macroalgae, microphytobenthos and corals. However, the contribution of benthic communities to the primary production of the global coastal ocean is not known, partly because the surface area where benthic primary production can proceed is poorly quantified. Here, we use a new analysis of satellite (SeaWiFS) data collected between 1998 and 2003 to estimate, for the first time at a nearly global scale, the irradiance reaching the bottom of the coastal ocean. The following cumulative functions provide the percentage of the surface (S) of the coastal zone receiving an irradiance greater than Ez (in mol photons m−2 d−1): SNon-polar = 29.61 − 17.92 log10(Ez) + 0.72 log102(Ez) + 0.90 log103(Ez) SArctic = 15.99 − 13.56 log10(Ez) + 1.49 log102(Ez) + 0.70 log103(Ez) Data on the constraint of light availability on the major benthic primary producers and net community production are reviewed. Some photosynthetic organisms can grow deeper than the nominal bottom limit of the coastal ocean (200 m). The minimum irradiance required varies from 0.4 to 5.1 mol photons m−2 d−1 depending on the group considered. The daily compensation irradiance of benthic communities ranges from 0.24 to 4.4 mol photons m−2 d−1. Data on benthic irradiance and light requirements are combined to estimate the surface area of the coastal ocean where (1) light does not limit the distribution of primary producers and (2) net community production (NCP, the balance between gross primary production and community respiration) is positive. Positive benthic NCP can occur over 33% of the global shelf area. The limitations of this approach, related to the spatial resolution of the satellite data, the parameterization used to convert reflectance data to irradiance, the lack of global information on the benthic nepheloid layer, and the relatively limited biological information available, are discussed.
Seasonal dynamics of Pseudocalanus minutus elongatus and Acartia spp. in the southern Baltic Sea (Gdańsk Deep) – numerical simulations
Authors: Dzierzbicka-Głowacka L. , Bielecka L. , Mudrak S.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A population dynamics model for copepods is presented, describing the seasonal dynamics of Pseudocalanus minutus elongatus and Acartia spp. in the southern Baltic Sea (Gdańsk Deep). The copepod model was coupled with a one-dimensional physical and biological upper layer model for nutrients (total inorganic nitrogen, phosphate), phytoplankton, microzooplankton, and an early juvenile of herring as a predator. In this model, mesozooplankton (herbivorous copepods) has been introduced as an animal having definite patterns of growth in successive stages, reproduction and mortality. The populations are represented by 6 cohorts in different developmental stages, thus assuming that recruitment of the next generation occurs after a fixed period of adult life. The copepod model links trophic processes and population dynamics, and simulates individual growth within cohorts and the changes in biomass between cohorts. The simulations of annual cycles of copepods contain one complete generation of Pseudocalanus and two generations of Acartia in the whole column water, and indicate the importance of growth in the older stages of 6 cohorts of each species, to arrive at a total population biomass. The peaks of copepods' biomass are larger at the turn of June and July for Pseudocalanus and smaller in July for Acartia, lagging that of phytoplankton by ca. two mouths, due to the growth of cohorts in successive stages and egg production by females. The numerical results show that the investigated species could not be the main factor limiting the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Gdańsk Deep, because the initial development was slow for Acartia and faster for Pseudocalanus, but the main development formed after the bloom, in both cases. The phytoplankton bloom is very important in the diet of the adults of the copepods, but it is not particularly important for the youngest part of new generation (early nauplii). However, the simulated microzooplankton biomass was enough high to conclude, in our opinion, that, in this case, it was a major cause in limiting phytoplankton bloom. The model presented here is a next step in understanding how the population dynamics of a dominant species in the southern Baltic Sea interact with the environment.
The effects of biomanipulation on the biogeochemistry, carbon isotopic composition and pelagic food web relations of a shallow lake
Authors: Bontes B. M. , Pel R. , Ibelings B. W. , Boschker H. T. S. , Middelburg J. J. , Van Donk E.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In this study we investigated the effects of experimental biomanipulation on community structure, ecosystem metabolism, carbon biogeochemistry and stable isotope composition of a shallow eutrophic lake in the Netherlands. Three different biomanipulation treatments were applied. In two parts of the lake, isolated from the rest, fish was removed and one part was used as a reference treatment in which no biomanipulation was applied. Stable isotopes have proved useful to trace trophic interactions at higher food web levels but until now methodological limitations have restricted species specific isotope analysis in the plankton community. We applied a new approach based on the combination of fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) to trace carbon flow through the planktonic food web. With this method we aimed at obtaining group specific δ13C signatures of phytoplankton and to trace possible shifts in δ13C resulting from fish removal. Biomanipulation led to an increase in transparency and macrophyte biomass and decrease in phytoplankton abundance, but zooplankton numbers did not increase. Fish removal also resulted in high pH, high O2, low CO2 and more negative δ13CDIC values than expected, which is attributed to chemical enhanced diffusion with large negative fractionation. Despite high temporal variation we detected differences between the isotopic signatures of the primary producers and between the different treatments. The fractionation values of green algae (~21) and diatoms (~23) were similar and independent of treatment, while fractionation factors of filamentous cyanobacteria were variable between the treatments that differed in CO2 availability. 13C-labeling of the phytoplankton groups showed that biomanipulation led to increased growth rates of green algae and diatoms at the expense of cyanobacteria. Finally, consumers seemed generalists to the available food sources.
Culturable bacteria in Himalayan glacial ice in response to atmospheric circulation
Authors: Zhang S. , Hou S. , Ma X. , Qin D. , Chen T.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Only recently has specific attention been given to culturable bacteria in Tibetan glaciers, but their relation to atmospheric circulation is less understood yet. Here we present the results of culturable bacteria preserved in an ice core drilled from the East Rongbuk (ER) glacier, Himalayas. The average concentrations of culturable bacteria are 5.0, 0.8, 0.1 and 0.7 CFU mL−1 for the glacier ice deposited during the premonsoon, monsoon, postmonsoon and winter seasons, respectively. The high concentration of culturable bacteria in ER glacier deposited during the premonsoon season is attributed to the transportation of continental dust stirred up by the frequent dust storms during spring. This is also confirmed by the spatial distribution of culturable bacteria in Tibetan glaciers. Continental dust originated from the Northwest China accounts for the high abundance of culturable bacteria in the northern Tibetan Plateau, while monsoon moisture exerts great influence on culturable bacteria with low abundance in the southern plateau. The numbers of representatives with different ARDRA patterns from RFLP analysis are 10, 15, 1 and 2 for the glacial ice deposited during the premonsoon, monsoon, postmonsoon and winter seasons, respectively, suggesting that culturable bacteria deposited in ER glacier during monsoon season are more diverse than that deposited during the other seasons, possibly due to their derivation from both marine air masses and local or regional continental sources, while culturable bacteria deposited during the other seasons are from only one possible origin that is transported by westerlies. Our results show the first report of seasonal variations of abundance and species diversity of culturable bacteria recovered from glacial ice in the Himalayas, and we suggest that microorganisms in Himalayan ice might provide a potential new proxy for the reconstruction of atmospheric circulation.
Consequences of respiration in the light on the determination of production in pelagic systems
Authors: Pringault O. , Tassas V. , Rochelle-Newall E.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Oxygen microprobes were used to estimate Community Respiration (R), Net Community Production (NCP) and Gross Primary Production (GPP) in coastal seawater samples. Using this highly stable and reproducible technique to measure oxygen change during alternating dark and light periods, we show that respiration in the light could account for up to 640% of respiration in the dark. The light enhanced dark respiration can remain elevated for several hours following a 12 h period of illumination. Not including Rlight into calculations of production leads to an underestimation of GPP, which can reach up to 650% in net heterotrophic systems. The production: respiration (P:R) ratio is in turn affected by the higher respiration rates and by the underestimation of GPP. While the integration of Rlight into the calculation of P:R ratio does not change the metabolic balance of the system, it decreases the observed tendency, thus net autotrophic systems become less autotrophic and net heterotrophic systems become less heterotrophic. As a consequence, we propose that efforts have to be focused on the estimation and the integration of Rlight into the determination of GPP and R for a better understanding of the aquatic carbon cycle.
Two High-Nutrient Low-Chlorophyll phytoplankton assemblages: the tropical central Pacific and the offshore Perú-Chile Current
Authors: Gómez F. , Claustre H. , Raimbault P. , Souissi S.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The phytoplankton (>15 μm) composition and abundance was investigated along a ~8000 km transect between the Marquesas Islands Archipelago and the Chilean coasts off Concepción. In the southern limit of the central Equatorial Pacific (at 8° S, 141° W), in High-Nutrient Low-Chlorophyll (HNLC) warm waters, the microphytoplankton assemblage was dominated by the lightly silicified diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima and Rhizosolenia bergonii. The morphology of these species, a small pennate diatom that exhibited a tendency to form "ball of needles" clusters and large centric diatom (>500 μm long), are interpreted as two anti-grazing strategies in an environment dominated by small micrograzers. Surprisingly, this a priori typical HNLC phytoplankton assemblage was also found in the temperate offshore waters of the Perú-Chile Current between 2000 and 600 km off Chile. This observation suggests that a common set of environmental factors (obviously other than temperature and salinity) are responsible for the establishment and maintaining of this distinctive phytoplankton in these geographically and hydrologically distant regions. Both regions are characterized by a surface nitrate-silicic acid ratio ranging from 1–3. Occasionally Rhizosolenia bergonii showed frustules anomalously fragmented, likely the result of extreme weakly silicified phytoplankton. We suggest that silicon deficiency may be responsible of the occurrence of HNLC phytoplankton assemblage in the tropical central Pacific as well as the offshore Perú-Chile Current during the austral summer.
Characterization of primary biogenic aerosol particles in urban, rural, and high-alpine air by DNA sequence and restriction fragment analysis of ribosomal RNA genes
Authors: Després V. R. , Nowoisky J. F. , Klose M. , Conrad R. , Andreae M. O. , Pöschl U.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. This study explores the applicability of DNA analyses for the characterization of primary biogenic aerosol (PBA) particles in the atmosphere. Samples of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and total suspended particulates (TSP) have been collected on different types of filter materials at urban, rural, and high-alpine locations along an altitude transect in the south of Germany (Munich, Hohenpeissenberg, Mt. Zugspitze). From filter segments loaded with about one milligram of air particulate matter, DNA could be extracted and DNA sequences could be determined for bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. Sequence analyses were used to determine the identity of biological organisms, and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses (T-RFLP) were applied to estimate diversities and relative abundances of bacteria. Investigations of blank and background samples showed that filter materials have to be decontaminated prior to use, and that the sampling and handling procedures have to be carefully controlled to avoid artifacts in the analyses. Mass fractions of DNA in PM2.5 were found to be around 0.05% in urban, rural, and high-alpine aerosols. The average concentration of DNA determined for urban air was on the order of ~7 ng m−3, indicating that human adults may inhale about one microgram of DNA per day (corresponding to ~108 haploid bacterial genomes or ~105 haploid human genomes, respectively). Most of the bacterial sequences found in PM2.5 were from Proteobacteria (42) and some from Actinobacteria (10) and Firmicutes (1). The fungal sequences were characteristic for Ascomycota (3) and Basidiomycota (1), which are known to actively discharge spores into the atmosphere. The plant sequences could be attributed to green plants (2) and moss spores (2), while animal DNA was found only for one unicellular eukaryote (protist). Over 80% of the 53 bacterial sequences could be matched to one of the 19 T-RF peaks found in the PM2.5 samples, but only 40% of the T-RF peaks did correspond to one of the detected bacterial sequences. The results demonstrate that the T-RFLP analysis covered more of the bacterial diversity than the sequence analysis. Shannon-Weaver indices calculated from both sequence and T-RFLP data indicate that the bacterial diversity in the rural samples was higher than in the urban and alpine samples. Two of the bacterial sequences (Gammaproteobacteria) and five of the T-RF peaks were found at all sampling locations.
Soils apart from equilibrium – consequences for soil carbon balance modelling
Authors: Wutzler T. , Reichstein M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Many projections of the soil carbon sink or source are based on kinetically defined carbon pool models. Para\\-meters of these models are often determined in a way that the steady state of the model matches observed carbon stocks. The underlying simplifying assumption is that observed carbon stocks are near equilibrium. This assumption is challenged by observations of very old soils that do still accumulate carbon. In this modelling study we explored the consequences of the case where soils are apart from equilibrium. Calculation of equilibrium states of soils that are currently accumulating small amounts of carbon were performed using the Yasso model. It was found that already very small current accumulation rates cause big changes in theoretical equilibrium stocks, which can virtually approach infinity. We conclude that soils that have been disturbed several centuries ago are not in equilibrium but in a transient state because of the slowly ongoing accumulation of the slowest pool. A first consequence is that model calibrations to current carbon stocks that assume equilibrium state, overestimate the decay rate of the slowest pool. A second consequence is that spin-up runs (simulations until equilibrium) overestimate stocks of recently disturbed sites. In order to account for these consequences, we propose a transient correction. This correction prescribes a lower decay rate of the slowest pool and accounts for disturbances in the past by decreasing the spin-up-run predicted stocks to match an independent estimate of current soil carbon stocks. Application of this transient correction at a Central European beech forest site with a typical disturbance history resulted in an additional carbon fixation of 5.7±1.5 tC/ha within 100 years. Carbon storage capacity of disturbed forest soils is potentially much higher than currently assumed. Simulations that do not adequately account for the transient state of soil carbon stocks neglect a considerable amount of current carbon accumulation.