Low and contrasting impacts of vegetation CO₂ fertilization on global terrestrial runoff over 1982–2010: accounting for aboveground and belowground vegetation–CO₂ effects

Elevation in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (eCO2) affects vegetation water use, with consequent impacts on terrestrial runoff (Q). However, the sign and magnitude of the eCO2 effect on Q are still contentious. This is partly due to eCO2-induced changes in vegetation water use having opposing responses at the leaf scale (i.e., water-saving effect caused by partially stomatal closure) and the canopy scale (i.e., water-consuming induced by foliage cover increase), leading to highly debated conclusions among existing studies. In addition, none of the existing studies explicitly account for eCO2-induced changes to plant rooting depth that is overwhelmingly found in experimental observations. Here we develop an analytical ecohydrological framework that includes the effects of eCO2 on plant leaf, canopy density, and rooting characteristics to attribute changes in Q and to detect the eCO2 signal on Q via vegetation feedbacks over 1982–2010. Globally, we detect a very small decrease of Q induced by eCO2 during 1982–2010 (−1.7 %). Locally, we find a small positive trend (p < 0.01) in the Q–eCO2 response along a resource availability (β) gradient. Specifically, the Q–eCO2 response is found to be negative (i.e., eCO2 reduces Q) in low-β regions (typically dry and/or cold) and gradually changes to a small positive response (i.e., eCO2 increases Q) in high-β areas (typically warm and humid). Our findings suggest a minor role of eCO2 on changes in global Q over 1982–2010, yet we highlight that a negative Q–eCO2 response in semiarid and arid regions may further reduce the limited water resource there.

Phosphate bound to calcareous sediments hampers skeletal development of juvenile coral

To test the hypothesis that terrestrial runoff affects the functions of calcareous sediments in coral reefs and hampers the development of corals, we analysed calcareous sediments with different levels of bound phosphate, collected from reef areas of Okinawajima, Japan. We confirmed that phosphate bound to calcareous sediments was readily released into ambient seawater, resulting in much higher concentrations of phosphorous in seawater from heavily polluted areas (4.3–19.0 µM as compared with less than 0.096 µM in natural ambient seawater). Additionally, we examined the effect of phosphate released from calcareous sediments on the development of Acropora digitifera coral juveniles. We found that high phosphate concentrations in seawater clearly inhibit the skeletal formation of coral juveniles. Our results demonstrate that calcareous sediments in reef areas play a crucial role in mediating the impact of terrestrial runoff on corals by storing and releasing phosphate in seawater.

Terrestrial Inputs Shape Coastal Bacterial and Archaeal Communities in a High Arctic Fjord (Isfjorden, Svalbard)

The Arctic is experiencing dramatic changes including increases in precipitation, glacial melt, and permafrost thaw, resulting in increasing freshwater runoff to coastal waters. During the melt season, terrestrial runoff delivers carbon- and nutrient-rich freshwater to Arctic coastal waters, with unknown consequences for the microbial communities that play a key role in determining the cycling and fate of terrestrial matter at the land-ocean interface. To determine the impacts of runoff on coastal microbial (bacteria and archaea) communities, we investigated changes in pelagic microbial community structure between the early (June) and late (August) melt season in 2018 in the Isfjorden system (Svalbard). Amplicon sequences of the 16S rRNA gene were generated from water column, river and sediment samples collected in Isfjorden along fjord transects from shallow river estuaries and glacier fronts to the outer fjord. Community shifts were investigated in relation to environmental gradients, and compared to river and marine sediment microbial communities. We identified strong temporal and spatial reorganizations in the structure and composition of microbial communities during the summer months in relation to environmental conditions. Microbial diversity patterns highlighted a reorganization from rich communities in June toward more even and less rich communities in August. In June, waters enriched in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) provided a niche for copiotrophic taxa including Sulfitobacter and Octadecabacter. In August, lower DOC concentrations and Atlantic water inflow coincided with a shift toward more cosmopolitan taxa usually associated with summer stratified periods (e.g., SAR11 Clade Ia), and prevalent oligotrophic marine clades (OM60, SAR92). Higher riverine inputs of dissolved inorganic nutrients and suspended particulate matter also contributed to spatial reorganizations of communities in August. Sentinel taxa of this late summer fjord environment included taxa from the class Verrucomicrobiae (Roseibacillus, Luteolibacter), potentially indicative of a higher fraction of particle-attached bacteria. This study highlights the ecological relevance of terrestrial runoff for Arctic coastal microbial communities and how its impacts on biogeochemical conditions may make these communities susceptible to climate change.

Low and contrasting impacts of vegetation CO₂ fertilization on terrestrial runoff over the past three decades: Accounting for above- and below-ground vegetation-CO₂ effects

Elevation in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (eCO2) affects vegetation water use, with consequent impacts on terrestrial runoff (Q). However, the sign and magnitude of the eCO2 effect on Q is still contentious. This is partly due to the poor understanding of the opposing eCO2-induced water effects at different scales, being water-saving caused by partial stomatal closure at the leaf-level contrasting with increased water-consumption due to increase foliage cover at the canopy level, leading to highly debated findings among existing studies. None of the existing studies implicitly account for eCO2-induced changes to below-ground vegetation functioning. Here we develop an analytical eco-hydrological framework that includes the effects of eCO2 on plant leaf, canopy density, and rooting characteristics to attribute changes in Q and detect the eCO2 signal on Q over the past three decades. Globally, we detect a very small decrease of Q induced by eCO2 during 1982–2010 (−1.69 %). When assessed locally, along the resource availability (α) gradient, a positive trend (p

Offshore transport of floodwaters following extreme storms impacts sponge health and associated microbial communities

Terrestrial runoff can negatively impact marine ecosystems through stressors including excess nutrients, freshwater, sediments, and contaminants. Severe storms, which are increasing with global climate change, generate massive inputs of runoff over short timescales (hours to days); such runoff impacted offshore reefs in the northwest Gulf of Mexico (NW GoM) following severe storms in 2016 and 2017. Several weeks after coastal flooding from these events, NW GoM reef corals, sponges, and other benthic invertebrates experienced mortality (2016 only) and/or sub-lethal stress (both years). To assess the impact of storm-derived runoff on reef filter feeders, we characterized the microbiomes of two sponges, Agelas clathrodes and Xestospongia muta, during periods of lethal stress, sub-lethal stress, and no stress over a three-year period (2016-2018). Increased anaerobes during lethal stress indicate hypoxic conditions were associated with the 2016 mortality event. Additionally, we found evidence of wastewater contamination (based on 16S rRNA gene libraries and quantitative PCR) in sponges 185 km offshore following storms (2016 and 2017), but not during the non-flooding year (2018). We show that flooding after severe storms reaches offshore reef ecosystems and may impact offshore benthic organisms, highlighting the need for molecular and microbial time series from near- and offshore reef ecosystems, and for the continued mitigation of stormwater runoff and climate change impacts.ImportanceStressors associated with terrestrial runoff have contributed to substantial population declines in nearshore marine ecosystems worldwide over the last three decades. It has been assumed that offshore marine ecosystems (>100 km from land) are largely unaffected by terrestrial runoff. Our findings, however, suggest that flooding events can significantly impact offshore marine organisms, based on the detection of shifted microbiomes and human pathogens in offshore sponges after extreme storm events across two separate years, and lack of detection in a non-flooding year.