scholarly journals Nitrous oxide and methane in two tropical estuaries in a peat-dominated region of northwestern Borneo

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2415-2428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Müller ◽  
Hermann W. Bange ◽  
Thorsten Warneke ◽  
Tim Rixen ◽  
Moritz Müller ◽  
...  

Abstract. Estuaries are sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. However, our present knowledge of N2O and CH4 emissions from estuaries in the tropics is very limited because data are scarce. In this study, we present first measurements of dissolved N2O and CH4 from two estuaries in a peat-dominated region of northwestern Borneo. Two campaigns (during the dry season in June 2013 and during the wet season in March 2014) were conducted in the estuaries of the Lupar and Saribas rivers. Median N2O concentrations ranged between 7.2 and 12.3 nmol L−1 and were higher in the marine end-member (13.0 ± 7.0 nmol L−1). CH4 concentrations were low in the coastal ocean (3.6 ± 0.2 nmol L−1) and higher in the estuaries (medians between 10.6 and 64.0 nmol L−1). The respiration of abundant organic matter and presumably anthropogenic input caused slight eutrophication, which did not lead to hypoxia or enhanced N2O concentrations, however. Generally, N2O concentrations were not related to dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations. Thus, the use of an emission factor for the calculation of N2O emissions from the inorganic nitrogen load leads to an overestimation of the flux from the Lupar and Saribas estuaries. N2O was negatively correlated with salinity during the dry season, which suggests a riverine source. In contrast, N2O concentrations during the wet season were not correlated with salinity but locally enhanced within the estuaries, implying that there were additional estuarine sources during the wet (i.e., monsoon) season. Estuarine CH4 distributions were not driven by freshwater input but rather by tidal variations. Both N2O and CH4 concentrations were more variable during the wet season. We infer that the wet season dominates the variability of the N2O and CH4 concentrations and subsequent emissions from tropical estuaries. Thus, we speculate that any changes in the Southeast Asian monsoon system will lead to changes in the N2O and CH4 emissions from these systems. We also suggest that the ongoing cultivation of peat soil in Borneo is likely to increase N2O emissions from these estuaries, while the effect on CH4 remains uncertain.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Müller ◽  
H. W. Bange ◽  
T. Warneke ◽  
T. Rixen ◽  
M. Müller ◽  
...  

Abstract. Estuaries are sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. However, our present knowledge of N2O and CH4 emissions from estuaries in the tropics is very limited because data is scarce. In this study, we present first measurements of dissolved N2O and CH4 from two estuaries in a peat-dominated region of north-western Borneo. Two campaigns (during the dry seaso n in June 2013 and during the wet season in March 2014) were conducted in the estuaries of the rivers Lupar and Saribas. Median N2O concentrations ranged between 7.2 and 12.3 nmol L-1and were higher in the marine end-member (13.0 ± 7.0 nmol L-1). CH4 concentrations were low in the coastal ocean (3.6 ± 0.2 nmol L-1) and higher in the estuaries (medians between 12.2 and 64.0 nmol L-1). The respiration of abundant organic matter and presumably anthropogenic input caused a slight eutrophication, which did not lead to hypoxia or enhanced N2O concentrations, however. Generally, N2O concentrations were not related to dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations. Thus, the use of an emission factor for the calculation of N2O emissions from the inorganic nitrogen load leads to an overestimation of the flux from the Lupar and Saribas estuaries. N2O was negatively correlated with salinity during the dry season, which suggests a riverine source. In contrast, N2O concentrations during the wet season were not correlated with salinity but locally enhanced within the estuaries, implying that there were additional estuarine sources during the wet (i.e. monsoon) season. Estuarine CH4 distributions were not driven by freshwater input but rather by tidal variations. Both N2O and CH4 concentrations were more variable during the wet season. We infer that the wet season dominates the variability of the N2O and CH4 concentrations and subsequent emissions from tropical estuaries. Thus, we speculate that any changes the Southeast Asian monsoon system will lead to changes in the N2O and CH4 emissions from these systems. We also suggest that the ongoing cultivation of peat soil in Borneo is likely to increase N2O emissions from these estuaries, while the effect on CH4 remains uncertain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4928
Author(s):  
Alicia Vanessa Jeffary ◽  
Osumanu Haruna Ahmed ◽  
Roland Kueh Jui Heng ◽  
Liza Nuriati Lim Kim Choo ◽  
Latifah Omar ◽  
...  

Farming systems on peat soils are novel, considering the complexities of these organic soil. Since peat soils effectively capture greenhouse gases in their natural state, cultivating peat soils with annual or perennial crops such as pineapples necessitates the monitoring of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, especially from cultivated peat lands, due to a lack of data on N2O emissions. An on-farm experiment was carried out to determine the movement of N2O in pineapple production on peat soil. Additionally, the experiment was carried out to determine if the peat soil temperature and the N2O emissions were related. The chamber method was used to capture the N2O fluxes daily (for dry and wet seasons) after which gas chromatography was used to determine N2O followed by expressing the emission of this gas in t ha−1 yr−1. The movement of N2O horizontally (832 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) during the dry period was higher than in the wet period (599 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) because of C and N substrate in the peat soil, in addition to the fertilizer used in fertilizing the pineapple plants. The vertical movement of N2O (44 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) was higher in the dry season relative to N2O emission (38 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) during the wet season because of nitrification and denitrification of N fertilizer. The peat soil temperature did not affect the direction (horizontal and vertical) of the N2O emission, suggesting that these factors are not related. Therefore, it can be concluded that N2O movement in peat soils under pineapple cultivation on peat lands occurs horizontally and vertically, regardless of season, and there is a need to ensure minimum tilling of the cultivated peat soils to prevent them from being an N2O source instead of an N2O sink.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 320
Author(s):  
Qianyao Si ◽  
Mary G. Lusk ◽  
Patrick W. Inglett

Stormwater infiltration basins (SIBs) are vegetated depressions that collect stormwater and allow it to infiltrate to underlying groundwater. Their pollutant removal efficiency is affected by the properties of the soils in which they are constructed. We assessed the soil nitrogen (N) cycle processes that produce and remove inorganic N in two urban SIBs, with the goal of further understanding the mechanisms that control N removal efficiency. We measured net N mineralization, nitrification, and potential denitrification in wet and dry seasons along a sedimentation gradient in two SIBs in the subtropical Tampa, Florida urban area. Net N mineralization was higher in the wet season than in the dry season; however, nitrification was higher in the dry season, providing a pool of highly mobile nitrate that would be susceptible to leaching during periodic dry season storms or with the onset of the following wet season. Denitrification decreased along the sediment gradient from the runoff inlet zone (up to 5.2 μg N/g h) to the outermost zone (up to 3.5 μg N/g h), providing significant spatial variation in inorganic N removal for the SIBs. Sediment accumulating around the inflow areas likely provided a carbon source, as well as maintained stable anaerobic conditions, which would enhance N removal.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1014
Author(s):  
Liza Nuriati Lim Kim Choo ◽  
Osumanu Haruna Ahmed ◽  
Nik Muhamad Nik Majid ◽  
Zakry Fitri Abd Aziz

Burning pineapple residues on peat soils before pineapple replanting raises concerns on hazards of peat fires. A study was conducted to determine whether ash produced from pineapple residues could be used to minimize carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in cultivated tropical peatlands. The effects of pineapple residue ash fertilization on CO2 and N2O emissions from a peat soil grown with pineapple were determined using closed chamber method with the following treatments: (i) 25, 50, 70, and 100% of the suggested rate of pineapple residue ash + NPK fertilizer, (ii) NPK fertilizer, and (iii) peat soil only. Soils treated with pineapple residue ash (25%) decreased CO2 and N2O emissions relative to soils without ash due to adsorption of organic compounds, ammonium, and nitrate ions onto the charged surface of ash through hydrogen bonding. The ability of the ash to maintain higher soil pH during pineapple growth primarily contributed to low CO2 and N2O emissions. Co-application of pineapple residue ash and compound NPK fertilizer also improves soil ammonium and nitrate availability, and fruit quality of pineapples. Compound NPK fertilizers can be amended with pineapple residue ash to minimize CO2 and N2O emissions without reducing peat soil and pineapple productivity.


1994 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barrios E. ◽  
Herrera R.

ABSTRACTSeasonally flooded forests represent a transition between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The Mapire river, a tributary of the Orinoco river, floods its surrounding forests during the wet season (May–December). The soils are very acid and the total nitrogen concentration (0.1%) is only half that found in nearby soils flooded by Orinoco waters. Ammonium-nitrogen predominates in the soil during the flooded period while nitrate-nitrogen concentrations are higher in the dry period. Wide fluctuations in the inorganic nitrogen fractions did not considerably affect the annual course of soil nitrogen.The predominance of mineralization versus nitrification (56 and 5 μgsoil month−1respectively) and possibly the synchronization of nitrogen availability with plant demand could be considered as nitrogen conserving mechanisms.In synchrony with the hydrologic cycle, the seasonally flooded forest studied shows a nitrogencycle where inputs and accumulation are maximized when the system is under minimum stress (dry season). During flooding, the system enters a period of dormancy making minimal use of nutrient and energy to avoid or tolerate anaerobiosis.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabassum Abbasi ◽  
Tasneem Abbasi ◽  
Chirchom Luithui ◽  
Shahid Abbas Abbasi

Paddy fields, which are shallow man-made wetlands, are estimated to be responsible for ~11% of the total methane emissions attributed to anthropogenic sources. The role of water use in driving these emissions, and the apportioning of the emissions to individual countries engaged in paddy cultivation, are aspects that have been mired in controversy and disagreement. This is largely due to the fact that methane (CH4) emissions not only change with the cultivar type but also regions, climate, soil type, soil conditions, manner of irrigation, type and quantity of fertilizer added—to name a few. The factors which can influence these aspects also encompass a wide range, and have origins in causes which can be physical, chemical, biological, and combinations of these. Exceedingly complex feedback mechanisms, exerting different magnitudes and types of influences on CH4 emissions under different conditions, are operative. Similar is the case of nitrous oxide (N2O); indeed, the present level of understanding of the factors which influence the quantum of its emission is still more patchy. This makes it difficult to even understand precisely the role of the myriad factors, less so model them. The challenge is made even more daunting by the fact that accurate and precise data on most of these aspects is lacking. This makes it nearly impossible to develop analytical models linking causes with effects vis a vis CH4 and N2O emissions from paddy fields. For situations like this the bioinspired artificial intelligence technique of artificial neural network (ANN), which can model a phenomenon on the basis of past data and without the explicit understanding of the mechanism phenomena, may prove useful. However, no such model for CH4 or N2O has been developed so far. Hence the present work was undertaken. It describes ANN-based models developed by us to predict CH4 and N2O emissions using soil characteristics, fertilizer inputs, and rice cultivar yield as inputs. Upon testing the predictive ability of the models with sets of data not used in model development, it was seen that there was excellent agreement between model forecasts and experimental findings, leading to correlations coefficients of 0.991 and 0.96, and root mean square error (RMSE) of 11.17 and 261.3, respectively, for CH4 and N2O emissions. Thus, the models can be used to estimate CH4 and N2O emissions from all those continuously flooded paddy wetlands for which data on total organic carbon, soil electrical conductivity, applied nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, NPK, and grain yield is available.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Murray ◽  
Dirk Erler ◽  
Judith Rosentreter ◽  
Naomi Wells ◽  
Bradley Eyre

AbstractEstuarine N2O emissions contribute to the atmospheric N2O budget, but little is known about estuary N2O fluxes under low dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) conditions. We present high-resolution spatial surveys of N2O concentrations and water-air fluxes in three low-DIN (NO3−< 30µmol L−1) tropical estuaries in Queensland, Australia (Johnstone River, Fitzroy River, Constant Creek) during consecutive wet and dry seasons. Constant Creek had the lowest concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; 0.01 to 5.4µmol L−1of NO3−and 0.09 to 13.6µmol L−1of NH4+) and N2O (93–132% saturation), and associated lowest N2O emissions (– 1.4 to 8.4µmol m−2d−1) in both seasons. The other two estuaries exhibited higher DIN inputs and higher N2O emissions. The Johnstone River Estuary had the highest N2O concentrations (97–245% saturation) and emissions (– 0.03 to 25.7µmol m−2d−1), driven by groundwater inputs from upstream sources, with increased N2O input in the wet season. In the Fitzroy River Estuary, N2O concentrations (100–204% saturation) and emissions (0.03–19.5µmol m−2d−1) were associated with wastewater inputs, which had a larger effect during the dry season and were diluted during the wet season. Overall N2O emissions from the three tropical estuaries were low compared to previous studies, and at times water-air N2O fluxes were actually negative, indicating that N2O consumption occurred. Low water column NO3−concentration (i.e. < 5µmol L−1) appears to promote negative water-air N2O fluxes in estuary environments; considering the number of estuaries and mangrove creeks where DIN falls below this threshold, negative water-air N2O fluxes are likely common.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 8637-8683
Author(s):  
T. R. Marwick ◽  
F. Tamooh ◽  
B. Ogwoka ◽  
C. Teodoru ◽  
A. V. Borges ◽  
...  

Abstract. As part of a broader study on the riverine biogeochemistry in the Athi–Galana–Sabaki (A–G–S) River catchment (Kenya), we present data constraining the sources, transit and transformation of multiple nitrogen (N) species as they flow through the A–G–S catchment (~47 000 km2). The data-set was obtained in August–September 2011, November 2011, and April–May 2012, covering the dry season, short-rain season and long-rain season respectively. Release of, largely untreated, waste water from the city of Nairobi had a profound impact on the biogeochemistry of the upper Athi river, leading to low dissolved oxygen (DO) saturation levels (67–36%), high ammonium (NH4+) concentrations (1193–123 μmol L−1), and high dissolved methane (CH4) concentrations (6729–3765 nmol L−1). Total dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations entering the study area were highest during the dry season (1195 μmol L−1), while total DIN concentration was an order of magnitude lower during the short and long rain seasons (212 and 193 μmol L−1, respectively). During the rain seasons, low water residence time led to relatively minimal instream N-cycling prior to discharge to the ocean. Conversely, increased residence time during the dry season creates two differences comparative to wet season conditions, where (1) intense cycling and removal of DIN in the upper- to mid-catchment leads to significantly less DIN export during the dry season, and (2) as a result of the intense DIN cycling, dry season particulate N export is significantly enriched in the N stable isotope ratio (δ15NPN), strongly reflecting the dominance of organic matter as the prevailing source of riverine nitrogen. The rapid removal of NH4+ in the upper study area during the dry season was accompanied by a quantitatively similar production of NO3− and nitrous oxide (N2O) downstream, pointing towards strong nitrification over this reach during the dry season. Nitrous oxide produced was rapidly degassed downstream, while the elevated NO3− concentrations steadily decreased to levels observed elsewhere in more pristine African river networks. Low pelagic primary production rates over the same reach suggest that benthic denitrification was the dominant process controlling the removal of NO3−, although large cyanobacterial blooms further downstream highlight the significant role of DIN assimilation by primary producers in the drainage network. The intense upper- to mid-catchment N-cycling leads to a significantly enriched δ15NPN during the dry season (mean: +16.5 ± 8.2‰ but reaching as high as +31.5‰) compared to the short (+7.3 ± 2.6‰) and long (+7.6 ± 5.9‰) rain seasons. A strong correlation found between seasonal δ15NPN and oxygen stable isotope ratios (δ18OH2O; as a proxy of freshwater discharge) presents the possibility of employing a combination of proxies, such as δ15NPN of sediments, bivalves and near-shore corals, to reconstruct how historical land-use changes have influenced nitrogen cycling within the catchment, whilst potentially providing foresight in the impacts of future land management decisions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2821-2836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Moritz Müller ◽  
Jie Jin ◽  
Ying Wu ◽  
Kun Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), including nitrate, nitrite and ammonium, frequently acts as the limitation for primary productivity. Our study focused on the transport and transformation of DIN in a tropical estuary, i.e., the Rajang River estuary, in Borneo, Malaysia. Three cruises were conducted in August 2016 and February–March and September 2017, covering both dry and wet seasons. Before entering the coastal delta, decomposition of the terrestrial organic matter and the subsequent soil leaching was assumed to be the main source of DIN in the river water. In the estuary, decomposition of dissolved organic nitrogen was an additional DIN source, which markedly increased DIN concentrations in August 2016 (dry season). In the wet season (February 2017), ammonium concentrations showed a relatively conservative distribution during the mixing, and the nitrate addition was weak. La Niña events induced high precipitations and discharge rates, decreased reaction intensities of ammonification and nitrification. Hence similar distribution patterns of DIN species in the estuary were found in September 2017 (end of the dry season). The magnitude of riverine DIN flux varied between 77.2 and 101.5 t N d−1, which might be an important support for the coastal primary productivity.


1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 631 ◽  
Author(s):  
WH Winter ◽  
JJ Mott ◽  
RW McLean

The effect of killing trees upon the production and quality of native perennial grasses, Themeda triandra, Chrysopogon fallax, Sehima nervosum, and Sorghum plumosum, and oversown legumes from the genus Stylosanthes, was studied over 4 years at Katherine, in the semi-arid tropics of northwestern Australia. The pastures were either unfertilised or received low inputs of superphosphate, and for each fertility level were grazed at 3 stocking rates. At no time were legume yields affected by killing the trees but, in the first 3 years, the amount of grass was approximately twice as much when the trees were killed. During this period the mean grass yields declined 4-5 fold from about 2.2 t/ha. By the fourth year the advantage from tree killing upon grass yield was apparent only at the lowest stocking rates at each fertility level. Nitrogen concentrations of the grasses and legumes, with the exception of S. hamata, were increased 7 and 10% respectively above the mean annual values of 0.89 and 1.75% where the trees were killed, while the phosphorus and sulfur concentrations were not affected. Tree killing had no effect upon wet season liveweight gains during the last 2 years of the experiment. However, there were some benefits during the dry season when weight losses were lower for most treatments during the early dry season (June-September) and also lower for the lowest stocking rate treatment without fertiliser during the late dry season (October-November).


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