Prediction of organic matter degradability in river sediments

Author(s):  
Julia Gebert ◽  
Florian Zander

<p>Under anaerobic conditions, degradation of organic matter in river sediments leads to gas formation, with organic carbon being released mainly as CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub>. Gas bubbles reduce sediment density, viscosity and shear strength, impede sonic depth finding and are suspected to affect the sediments’ rheological properties. Moreover, methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential (GWP<sub>100</sub>) of 28-36. Therefore, the climate impact may vary greatly depending on the way sediments are managed (for example, type and frequency of dredging and relocation in the water body or treatment on land). The objective of this paper is therefore to quantify the time-dependent stability, or inversely, the lability of sediment organic matter (SOM) as a basis for prediction of effects on sediment mechanical properties and on the release of greenhouse gases.</p><p>Within two years, over 200 samples of predominantly fine-grained sediment were collected from nine locations within a 30 km transect through the Port of Hamburg. All samples were, amongst other analyses, subjected to long-term (> 250 days) aerobic and anaerobic incubation for measurement of SOM degradation, yielding a comprehensive data set on the time-dependent change in degradation rates and the corresponding size of differently degradable SOM pools. SOM degradability exhibited a pronounced spatial variability with an approximately tenfold higher anaerobic and a roughly fivefold higher aerobic degradability of upstream SOM compared to downstream SOM. Lower δ<sup>13</sup>C values, higher DNA concentrations and a higher share of organic carbon in the light density fraction as well as elevated chlorophyll concentrations in the water phase support the hypothesis of increased biological sources of SOM at upstream locations and increased SOM degradability in shallow compared to deep layers (Zander et al., 2020).</p><p>First statistical and time series analyses indicate that</p><ul><li>Long-term SOM lability appears to be predictable from short-term measurements.</li> <li>The relationship between short-term and long-term SOM degradation is site-specific and also differs for layers of different age (depth). This supports the above-mentioned variability between sites regarding the size of differently degradable carbon pools, as well as for the depth profile at any one site.</li> <li>The relevance of the available electron acceptors (redox conditions) for SOM degradation, i.e. the ratio between carbon release under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, differs less by site but more so by layers of different age (depth). This is plausible as especially the top layers are exposed to more variability in redox conditions than the deeper layers that are always under reducing conditions.</li> </ul><p>Zander, F., Heimovaara, T., Gebert, J. (2020): Spatial variability of organic matter degradability in tidal Elbe sediments. Journal of Soils and Sediments, accepted for publication.</p>

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 8171-8183 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Neubauer ◽  
R. B. Franklin ◽  
D. J. Berrier

Abstract. Environmental perturbations in wetlands affect the integrated plant-microbial-soil system, causing biogeochemical responses that can manifest at local to global scales. The objective of this study was to determine how saltwater intrusion affects carbon mineralization and greenhouse gas production in coastal wetlands. Working with tidal freshwater marsh soils that had experienced ~ 3.5 yr of in situ saltwater additions, we quantified changes in soil properties, measured extracellular enzyme activity associated with organic matter breakdown, and determined potential rates of anaerobic carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) production. Soils from the field plots treated with brackish water had lower carbon content and higher C : N ratios than soils from freshwater plots, indicating that saltwater intrusion reduced carbon availability and increased organic matter recalcitrance. This was reflected in reduced activities of enzymes associated with the hydrolysis of cellulose and the oxidation of lignin, leading to reduced rates of soil CO2 and CH4 production. The effects of long-term saltwater additions contrasted with the effects of short-term exposure to brackish water during three-day laboratory incubations, which increased rates of CO2 production but lowered rates of CH4 production. Collectively, our data suggest that the long-term effect of saltwater intrusion on soil CO2 production is indirect, mediated through the effects of elevated salinity on the quantity and quality of autochthonous organic matter inputs to the soil. In contrast, salinity, organic matter content, and enzyme activities directly influence CH4 production. Our analyses demonstrate that saltwater intrusion into tidal freshwater marshes affects the entire process of carbon mineralization, from the availability of organic carbon through its terminal metabolism to CO2 and/or CH4, and illustrate that long-term shifts in biogeochemical functioning are not necessarily consistent with short-term disturbance-type responses.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 10685-10720 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Neubauer ◽  
R. B. Franklin ◽  
D. J. Berrier

Abstract. Environmental perturbations in wetlands affect the integrated plant-microbial-soil system, causing biogeochemical responses that can manifest at local to global scales. The objective of this study was to determine how saltwater intrusion affects carbon mineralization and greenhouse gas production in coastal wetlands. Working with tidal freshwater marsh soils that had experienced roughly 3.5 yr of in situ saltwater additions, we quantified changes in soil properties, measured extracellular enzyme activity associated with organic matter breakdown, and determined potential rates of anaerobic carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) production. Soils from the field plots treated with brackish water had lower carbon content and higher C : N ratios than soils from freshwater plots, indicating that saltwater intrusion reduced carbon availability and increased organic matter recalcitrance. This was reflected in reduced activities of enzymes associated with the hydrolysis of cellulose and the oxidation of lignin, leading to reduced rates of soil CO2 and CH4 production. The effects of long-term saltwater additions contrasted with the effects of short-term exposure to brackish water during three-day laboratory incubations, which increased rates of CO2 production but lowered rates of CH4 production. Collectively, our data suggest that the long-term effect of saltwater intrusion on soil CO2 production is indirect, mediated through the effects of elevated salinity on the quantity and quality of autochthonous organic matter inputs to the soil. In contrast, salinity, organic matter content, and enzyme activities directly influence CH4 production. Our analyses demonstrate that saltwater intrusion into tidal freshwater marshes affects the entire process of carbon mineralization, from the availability of organic carbon through its terminal metabolism to CO2 and/or CH4, and illustrate that long-term shifts in biogeochemical functioning are not necessarily consistent with short-term disturbance-type responses.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 650
Author(s):  
Jesús Aguilera-Huertas ◽  
Beatriz Lozano-García ◽  
Manuel González-Rosado ◽  
Luis Parras-Alcántara

The short- and medium—long-term effects of management and hillside position on soil organic carbon (SOC) changes were studied in a centenary Mediterranean rainfed olive grove. One way to measure these changes is to analyze the soil quality, as it assesses soil degradation degree and attempts to identify management practices for sustainable soil use. In this context, the SOC stratification index (SR-COS) is one of the best indicators of soil quality to assess the degradation degree from SOC content without analyzing other soil properties. The SR-SOC was calculated in soil profiles (horizon-by-horizon) to identify the best soil management practices for sustainable use. The following time periods and soil management combinations were tested: (i) in the medium‒long-term (17 years) from conventional tillage (CT) to no-tillage (NT), (ii) in the short-term (2 years) from CT to no-tillage with cover crops (NT-CC), and (iii) the effect in the short-term (from CT to NT-CC) of different topographic positions along a hillside. The results indicate that the SR-SOC increased with depth for all management practices. The SR-SOC ranged from 1.21 to 1.73 in CT0, from 1.48 to 3.01 in CT1, from 1.15 to 2.48 in CT2, from 1.22 to 2.39 in NT-CC and from 0.98 to 4.16 in NT; therefore, the soil quality from the SR-SOC index was not directly linked to the increase or loss of SOC along the soil profile. This demonstrates the time-variability of SR-SOC and that NT improves soil quality in the long-term.


2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 2614-2623 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Zabka ◽  
G. S. Mitchell ◽  
E. B. Olson ◽  
M. Behan

Age and the estrus cycle affect time-dependent respiratory responses to episodic hypoxia in female rats. Respiratory long-term facilitation (LTF) is enhanced in middle-aged vs. young female rats ( 72 ). We tested the hypothesis that phrenic and hypoglossal (XII) LTF are diminished in acyclic geriatric rats when fluctuating sex hormone levels no longer establish conditions that enhance LTF. Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) enhances LTF ( 41 ); thus we further predicted that CIH would restore LTF in geriatric female rats. LTF was measured in young (3-4 mo) and geriatric (20-22 mo) female Sasco Sprague-Dawley rats and in a group of geriatric rats exposed to 1 wk of nocturnal CIH (11 vs. 21% O2 at 5-min intervals, 12 h/night). In anesthetized, paralyzed, vagotomized, and ventilated rats, time-dependent hypoxic phrenic and XII responses were assessed. The short-term hypoxic response was measured during the first of three 5-min episodes of isocapnic hypoxia (arterial Po2 35-45 Torr). LTF was assessed 15, 30, and 60 min postepisodic hypoxia. Phrenic and XII short-term hypoxic response was not different among groups, regardless of CIH treatment ( P > 0.05). LTF in geriatric female rats was smaller than previously reported for middle-aged rats but comparable to that in young female rats. CIH augmented phrenic and XII LTF to levels similar to those of middle-aged female rats without CIH ( P < 0.05). The magnitude of phrenic and XII LTF in all groups was inversely related to the ratio of progesterone to estradiol serum levels ( P < 0.05). Thus CIH and sex hormones influence the magnitude of LTF in geriatric female rats.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2249
Author(s):  
Nikolett Uzinger ◽  
Orsolya Szécsy ◽  
Nóra Szűcs-Vásárhelyi ◽  
István Padra ◽  
Dániel Benjámin Sándor ◽  
...  

Organic waste and the compost and vermicompost derived from it may have different agronomic values, but little work is available on this aspect of sewage sludge. A 75-day pot experiment with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) as the test plant aimed to investigate the fertiliser value and organic matter replenishment capacity of digested sewage sludge (DS) and the compost (COM) and vermicompost (VC) made from it, applied in 1% and 3% doses on acidic sand and calcareous loam. The NPK content and availability, changes in organic carbon content and plant biomass, and the efficiency of the amendments as nitrogen fertilisers were investigated. The final average residual carbon content for DS, COM, and VC was 35 ± 34, 85 ± 46, and 55 ± 46%, respectively. The organic carbon mineralisation rate depended on the soil type. The additives induced significant N mineralisation in both soils: the average increment in mineral N content was 1.7 times the total added N on acidic sand and 4.2 times it on calcareous loam for the 1% dose. The agronomic efficiency of COM and VC as fertilisers was lower than that of DS. In the short term, DS proved to be the best fertiliser, while COM was the best for organic matter replenishment.


Soil Research ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 975 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Golchin ◽  
P Clarke ◽  
JM Oades ◽  
JO Skjemstad

Soil samples were obtained from the surface horizons of five untilled sites and adjacent sites under short- and long-term cultivation. The soil samples were fractionated based on density and organic materials were concentrated in various fractions which enabled comparative chemical composition of the organic materials in cultivated and uncultivated sites by solid-state C-13 CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. Changes in the nature of organic carbon with cultivation were different in different soils and resulted from variations in the chemistry of carbon inputs to the soils and a greater extent of decomposition of organic materials in cultivated soils. Differences in the chemical composition of organic carbon between cultivated and uncultivated soils resided mostly in organic materials occluded within aggregates, whereas the chemistry of organic matter associated with clay particles showed only small changes. The results indicate a faster decomposition of O-alkyl C in the cultivated soils. Wet aggregate stability, mechanically dispersible clay and modulus of rupture tests were used to assess the effects of cultivation on structural stability of soils. In four of five soils, the virgin sites and sites which had been under long-term pasture had a greater aggregate stability than the cultivated sites. Neither total organic matter nor total O-alkyl C content was closely correlated with aggregate stability, suggesting that only a part of soil carbon or carbohydrate is involved in aggregate stability. The fractions of carbon and O-alkyl C present in the form of particulate organic matter occluded within aggregates were better correlated with aggregate stability (r = 0.86** and 0.88**, respectively). Cultivation was not the dominant factor influencing water-dispersible clay across the range of soil types used in this study. The amount of dispersible clay was a function of total clay content and the percentage of clay dispersed was controlled by factors such as clay mineralogy, CaCO3 and organic matter content of soils. The tendency of different soils for hard-setting and crusting, as a result of structural collapse, was reflected in the modulus of rupture (MOR). The cultivated sites had significantly higher MOR than their non-tilled counterparts. The soils studied had different MOR due to differences in their physical and chemical properties.


FLORESTA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Fonseca D’Andréa ◽  
Marx Leandro Naves Silva ◽  
Diego Antonio França de Freitas ◽  
Nilton Curi ◽  
Carlos Alberto Silva

A matéria orgânica do solo armazena a maior parte do carbono contido nos sistemas terrestres do planeta, sendo a maioria encontrada nos solos com floresta. O objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar o fluxo de CO2 do solo e a sua variabilidade espacial em povoamento de Eucalyptus sp. Foram avaliados o fluxo de CO2 do solo, fatores ambientais (evaporação de água, temperatura e umidade do solo), atributos relacionados à fertilidade (pH, soma de bases e alumínio trocável), estrutura (densidade do solo e porosidade total) e matéria orgânica do solo (carbono orgânico total e carbono da biomassa microbiana). Análises de correlação linear simples indicaram que parte da variabilidade espacial do fluxo de CO2 do solo pode ser explicada pelo efeito conjunto do teor de carbono orgânico do solo, da biomassa da serapilheira e da presença de árvores no terreno, indicativas da participação de fatores bióticos no processo. No entanto, o fluxo de CO2 do solo é um fenômeno de natureza complexa, não sendo possível identificar um único atributo do solo ou do ambiente que, isoladamente, explique sua variação no espaço.Palavras-chave: Matéria orgânica; fatores ambientais; fertilidade; carbono; respiração do solo.AbstractSoil CO2 flux spatial variability on eucalyptus manmade forest.  The organic matter on soil retains most of carbon contained in the planet terrestrial systems, specially in forest soils. The aim of this work was to quantify soil CO2 flux and its spatial variability on Eucalyptus sp. manmade forest. In order to that, soil CO2 flux, environmental factors (water evaporation, soil temperature and moisture), fertility attributes (pH, bases sum and exchangeable aluminum), structure (bulk density and total porosity), and soil organic matter (total organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon) were evaluated. Simple linear correlation analyses indicated that part of the spatial variability of soil CO2 flux can be explained by the associated effect of soil organic carbon amount, litter biomass and presence of trees, indicatives of participation of biotic factors in the process. However, the soil CO2 flux is a complex phenomenon, been impossible to identify a single soil or environmental attribute, which, individually, could explain its spatial variability. Keywords: Organic matter; environmental factors; fertility; carbon; linear correlation. 


1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Heyma ◽  
R. G. Larkins

1. The effect of glucocorticoids on the deiodination of thyroxine (T4) to 3,5,3′-tri-iodothyronine (T3) was studied in rat renal tubules prepared by collagenase digestion. 2. In short-term (6 h) experiments, cortisol and dexamethasone inhibited the conversion of T4 into T3 at concentrations of 2 × 10-4 mol/l and 2 × 10-5 mol/l respectively. The inhibition by cortisol and dexamethasone was time dependent and was prevented by actinomycin D and progesterone, suggesting that the inhibition is mediated by an effect on nuclear transcription dependent on binding to glucocorticoid receptors. 3. In long-term (16 h) experiments, cortisol and dexamethasone inhibited T4 to T3 conversion by the tubules at concentrations of 1 × 10-12 mol/l and above. In addition, physiological concentrations of corticosterone (1 × 10-8 mol/l) were able to decrease T3 generation from T4. 4. Our data provide strong evidence that physiological concentrations of glucocorticoids are able to affect T3 production from T4 directly and suggest that they may be important regulators of T4 deiodination.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizz Ultee ◽  
Bryan Riel ◽  
Brent Minchew

&lt;p&gt;The rate of ice flux from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean depends on the ice flow velocity through outlet glaciers. Ice flow velocity, in turn, evolves in response to multiple geographic and environmental forcings at different timescales. For example, velocity may vary daily in response to ocean tides, seasonally in response to surface air temperature, and multi-annually in response to long-term trends in climate. The satellite observations processed as part of the NASA MEaSUREs Greenland Ice Sheet Velocity Map allow us to analyse variations in ice surface velocity at multiple timescales. Here, we decompose short-term and long-term signals in time-dependent velocity fields for Greenland outlet glaciers based on the methods of Riel et al. (2018). Patterns found in short-term signals can constrain basal sliding relations and ice rheology, while the longer-term signals hint at decadal in/stability of outlet glaciers. We present example velocity time series for outlets including Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbrae) and Helheim Glacier, and we highlight features indicative of dynamic drawdown or advective restabilization. Finally, we comment on the capabilities of a time series analysis software under development for glaciological applications.&lt;/p&gt;


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