Ecosystems Center
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The Ecosystems Center carries out research in ecosystems that range from the Arctic to the Antarctic, from Brazil to Martha’s Vineyard. In the Alaskan Arctic, scientists study the effect of warmer temperatures on tundra, stream and lake ecosystems. On the Arctic rivers of Eurasia, they measure how freshwater discharge is changing as the climate warms. On the western Antarctic peninsula, research focuses on the responses of the marine coastal ecosystem to rapid climate warming. In the western Amazon in Brazil, researchers assess how much the clearing of tropical forests will change the amount of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere, while on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, scientists used controlled burns to restore coastal ecosystems. In central Massachusetts and in Abisko, Sweden, soil warming experiments are conducted to assess the forest’s response to climate warming. In northeastern Massachusetts, scientists study how changes in rural land use and urban development affect the flow of nutrients and organic matter into New England estuaries. In Boston Harbor, they measure the transfer of nitrogen from sediments to the water column as the harbor recovers from decades of sewage addition.
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ArticleA trait-based framework for seagrass ecology: trends and prospects(Frontiers Media, 2023-03-20) Moreira-Saporiti, Agustín ; Teichberg, Mirta ; Garnier, Eric ; Cornelissen, J. Hans C. ; Alcoverro, Teresa ; Björk, Mats ; Boström, Christoffer ; Dattolo, Emanuela ; Eklöf, Johan S. ; Hasler-Sheetal, Harald ; Marbà, Nuria ; Marín-Guirao, Lázaro ; Meysick, Lukas ; Olivé, Irene ; Reusch, Thorsten B. H. ; Ruocco, Miriam ; Silva, João ; Sousa, Ana I. ; Procaccini, Gabriele ; Santos, RuiIn the last three decades, quantitative approaches that rely on organism traits instead of taxonomy have advanced different fields of ecological research through establishing the mechanistic links between environmental drivers, functional traits, and ecosystem functions. A research subfield where trait-based approaches have been frequently used but poorly synthesized is the ecology of seagrasses; marine angiosperms that colonized the ocean 100M YA and today make up productive yet threatened coastal ecosystems globally. Here, we compiled a comprehensive trait-based response-effect framework (TBF) which builds on previous concepts and ideas, including the use of traits for the study of community assembly processes, from dispersal and response to abiotic and biotic factors, to ecosystem function and service provision. We then apply this framework to the global seagrass literature, using a systematic review to identify the strengths, gaps, and opportunities of the field. Seagrass trait research has mostly focused on the effect of environmental drivers on traits, i.e., "environmental filtering" (72%), whereas links between traits and functions are less common (26.9%). Despite the richness of trait-based data available, concepts related to TBFs are rare in the seagrass literature (15% of studies), including the relative importance of neutral and niche assembly processes, or the influence of trait dominance or complementarity in ecosystem function provision. These knowledge gaps indicate ample potential for further research, highlighting the need to understand the links between the unique traits of seagrasses and the ecosystem services they provide.
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PreprintAccelerated phosphorus accumulation and acidification of soils under plastic greenhouse condition in four representative organic vegetable cultivation sites( 2015-04) Wang, Yanling ; Zhang, Hailin ; Tang, Jianwu ; Xu, Jiangbing ; Kou, Taiji ; Huang, HongmeiOrganic vegetable cultivation under plastic greenhouse conditions is expanding rapidly in the suburb of big cities in China due to the increasing demand for organic, out-of-season green vegetables and the sustainable development of agriculture. Phosphorus (P) is not only an important plant nutrient, but also a major contaminant in the water environment. However, information on the accumulation and distribution of P in organic vegetable soils under plastic greenhouse conditions is limited, relative to the open cultivation systems. Therefore, twenty-six plastic greenhouse vegetable soils (PGVS) were selected randomly from four representative organic vegetable cultivation sites located in the suburb of Nanjing, China. For comparison, 15 open vegetable soils (OVS) near the PGVS with similar soil and cultivation practices were selected. Soil pH, organic matter (OM) and the various P accumulation characteristics were investigated. We found that soil pH in PGVS were significantly decreased by 0.57~1.17 unit with obvious signs of acidification, compared with that in OVS. Soil OM was different for different sampling locations, but in general it was higher in PGVS than OVS. Soil total P (TP), inorganic P (Pi) and Olsen-P of PGVS were higher than those in the OVS. Olsen-P of all soil samples were far above the recommended optimum value of 20 mg kg-1 for field crops, and over 60% soil samples were considered excessive (>150 mg kg-1 ) in the PGVS and OVS. There were significant correlations between total P, available P and soil pH in those vegetable soils. Al-P/Fe-P ratio was also significantly correlated with vegetable soil pH (YpH = 7.44 - 1.32 XAl-P/Fe-P, r = - 0.705, p < 0.01). Soil total Pi was negatively correlated with soil pH in vegetable soils (r = -0.328, p < 0.05), but the interactive effect of soil various Pi and soil pH need to be further investigated through a series of controlled tests. Our results suggest that the rapid P accumulation and acidification make the current plastic greenhouse vegetable production in the study area unsustainable and better organic manure management practices need to be implemented to sustain crop yields while minimizing the impact of vegetable production on the environment.
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ArticleAcidification increases microbial polysaccharide degradation in the ocean(Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union, 2010-05-19) Piontek, J. ; Lunau, M. ; Handel, N. ; Borchard, C. ; Wurst, M. ; Engel, A.With the accumulation of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2), a proceeding decline in seawater pH has been induced that is referred to as ocean acidification. The ocean's capacity for CO2 storage is strongly affected by biological processes, whose feedback potential is difficult to evaluate. The main source of CO2 in the ocean is the decomposition and subsequent respiration of organic molecules by heterotrophic bacteria. However, very little is known about potential effects of ocean acidification on bacterial degradation activity. This study reveals that the degradation of polysaccharides, a major component of marine organic matter, by bacterial extracellular enzymes was significantly accelerated during experimental simulation of ocean acidification. Results were obtained from pH perturbation experiments, where rates of extracellular α- and β-glucosidase were measured and the loss of neutral and acidic sugars from phytoplankton-derived polysaccharides was determined. Our study suggests that a faster bacterial turnover of polysaccharides at lowered ocean pH has the potential to reduce carbon export and to enhance the respiratory CO2 production in the future ocean.
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PreprintAdjustment of forest ecosystem root respiration as temperature warms( 2008-06) Burton, Andrew J. ; Melillo, Jerry M. ; Frey, Serita D.Adjustment of ecosystem root respiration to warmer climatic conditions can alter the autotrophic portion of soil respiration and influence the amount of carbon available for biomass production. We examined 44 published values of annual forest root respiration and found an increase in ecosystem root respiration with increasing mean annual temperature (MAT), but the rate of this cross-ecosystem increase (Q10 = 1.6) is less than published values for short-term responses of root respiration to temperature within ecosystems (Q10 = 2 to 3). When specific root respiration rates and root biomass values were examined, there was a clear trend for decreasing root metabolic capacity (respiration rate at a standard temperature) with increasing MAT. There also were tradeoffs between root metabolic capacity and root system biomass, such that there were no instances of high growing season respiration rates and high root biomass occurring together. We also examined specific root respiration rates at three soil warming experiments at Harvard Forest, USA, and found decreases in metabolic capacity for roots from the heated plots. This decline could be due to either physiological acclimation or to the effects of co-occurring drier soils on the measurement date. Regardless of the cause, these findings clearly suggest that modeling efforts that allow root respiration to increase exponentially with temperature, with Q10 values of 2 or more, may over-predict root contributions to ecosystem CO2 efflux for future climates and underestimate the amount of C available for other uses, including NPP.
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ArticleAerial photography based census of Adélie Penguin and its application in CH4 and N2O budget estimation in Victoria Land, Antarctic(Nature Publishing Group, 2017-10-11) He, Hong ; Cheng, Xiao ; Li, Xianglan ; Zhu, Renbin ; Hui, Fengming ; Wu, Wenhui ; Zhao, Tiancheng ; Kang, Jing ; Tang, JianwuPenguin guano provides favorable conditions for production and emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Many studies have been conducted to determine the GHG fluxes from penguin colonies, however, at regional scale, there is still no accurate estimation of total GHG emissions. We used object-based image analysis (OBIA) method to estimate the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) population based on aerial photography data. A model was developed to estimate total GHG emission potential from Adélie penguin colonies during breeding seasons in 1983 and 2012, respectively. Results indicated that OBIA method was effective for extracting penguin information from aerial photographs. There were 17,120 and 21,183 Adélie penguin breeding pairs on Inexpressible Island in 1983 and 2012, respectively, with overall accuracy of the estimation of 76.8%. The main reasons for the increase in Adélie penguin populations were attributed to increase in temperature, sea ice and phytoplankton. The average estimated CH4 and N2O emissions tended to be increasing during the period from 1983 to 2012 and CH4 was the main GHG emitted from penguin colonies. Total global warming potential (GWP) of CH4 and N2O emissions was 5303 kg CO2-eq in 1983 and 6561 kg CO2-eq in 2012, respectively.
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ArticleAggregate measures of ecosystem services : can we take the pulse of nature?(Ecological Society of America, 2005-02) Meyerson, Laura A. ; Baron, Jill ; Melillo, Jerry M. ; Naiman, Robert J. ; O'Malley, Robin I. ; Orians, Gordon ; Palmer, Margaret A. ; Pfaff, Alexander S. P. ; Running, Steven W. ; Sala, Osvaldo E.National scale aggregate indicators of ecosystem services are useful for stimulating and supporting a broad public discussion about trends in the provision of these services. There are important considerations involved in producing an aggregate indicator, including whether the scientific and technological capacity exists, how to address varying perceptions of the societal importance of different services, and how to communicate information about these services to both decision makers and the general public. Although the challenges are formidable, they are not insurmountable. Quantification of ecosystem services and dissemination of information to decision makers and the public is critical for the responsible and sustainable management of natural resources.
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PreprintAmazon deforestation alters small stream structure, nitrogen biogeochemistry and connectivity to larger rivers( 2010-08-29) Deegan, Linda A. ; Neill, Christopher ; Haupert, Christie L. ; Ballester, M. Victoria R. ; Krusche, Alex V. ; Victoria, Reynaldo L. ; Thomas, Suzanne M. ; de Moor, EmilyHuman activities that modify land cover can alter the structure and biogeochemistry of small streams but these effects are poorly known over large regions of the humid tropics where rates of forest clearing are high. We examined how conversion of Amazon lowland tropical forest to cattle pasture influenced the physical and chemical structure, organic matter stocks and N cycling of small streams. We combined a regional ground survey of small streams with an intensive study of nutrient cycling using 15N additions in three representative streams: a second-order forest stream, a second-order pasture stream and a third-order pasture stream that were within several km of each other and on similar soils and landscape positions. Replacement of forest with pasture decreased stream habitat complexity by changing streams from run and pool channels with forest leaf detritus (50% cover) to grass-filled (63% cover) channel with runs of slow-moving water. In the survey, pasture streams consistently had lower concentrations of dissolved oxygen and nitrate (NO3-) compared with similar-sized forest streams. Stable isotope additions revealed that second-order pasture stream had a shorter NH4+ uptake length, higher uptake rates into organic matter components and a shorter 15NH4+ residence time than the second-order forest stream or the third-order pasture stream. Nitrification was significant in the forest stream (19% of the added 15NH4+) but not in the second-order pasture (0%) or third-order (6%) pasture stream. The forest stream retained 7% of added 15N in organic matter compartments and exported 53% (15NH4+ =34%; 15NO3- = 19%). In contrast, the second-order pasture stream retained 75% of added 15N, predominantly in grasses (69%) and exported only 4% as 15NH4+. The fate of tracer 15N in the third-order pasture stream more closely resembled that in the forest stream, with 5% of added N retained and 26% exported (15NH4+ = 9%; 15NO3- = 6%). These findings indicate that the widespread infilling by grass in small streams in areas deforested for pasture greatly increases the retention of inorganic N in the first- and second-order streams, which make up roughly three-fourths of total stream channel length in Amazon basin watersheds. The importance of this phenomenon and its effect on N transport to larger rivers across the larger areas of the Amazon Basin will depend on better evaluation of both the extent and the scale at which stream infilling by grass occurs, but our analysis suggests the phenomenon is widespread.
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ArticleThe Amazon frontier of land-use change : croplands and consequences for greenhouse gas emissions(American Meteorological Society, 2010-10-28) Galford, Gillian L. ; Melillo, Jerry M. ; Mustard, John F. ; Cerri, Carlos E. P. ; Cerri, Carlos C.The Brazilian Amazon is one of the most rapidly developing agricultural frontiers in the world. The authors assess changes in cropland area and the intensification of cropping in the Brazilian agricultural frontier state of Mato Grosso using remote sensing and develop a greenhouse gas emissions budget. The most common type of intensification in this region is a shift from single- to double-cropping patterns and associated changes in management, including increased fertilization. Using the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, the authors created a green-leaf phenology for 2001–06 that was temporally smoothed with a wavelet filter. The wavelet-smoothed green-leaf phenology was analyzed to detect cropland areas and their cropping patterns. The authors document cropland extensification and double-cropping intensification validated with field data with 85% accuracy for detecting croplands and 64% and 89% accuracy for detecting single- and double-cropping patterns, respectively. The results show that croplands more than doubled from 2001 to 2006 to cover about 100 000 km2 and that new double-cropping intensification occurred on over 20% of croplands. Variations are seen in the annual rates of extensification and double-cropping intensification. Greenhouse gas emissions are estimated for the period 2001–06 due to conversion of natural vegetation and pastures to row-crop agriculture in Mato Grosso averaged 179 Tg CO2-e yr−1, over half the typical fossil fuel emissions for the country in recent years.
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PreprintAn analysis of the carbon balance of the Arctic Basin from 1997 to 2006( 2010-06-18) McGuire, A. David ; Hayes, Daniel J. ; Kicklighter, David W. ; Manizza, Manfredi ; Zhuang, Qianlai ; Chen, Min ; Follows, Michael J. ; Gurney, Kevin R. ; McClelland, James W. ; Melillo, Jerry M. ; Peterson, Bruce J. ; Prinn, Ronald G.This study used several model-based tools to analyze the dynamics of the Arctic Basin between 1997 and 2006 as a linked system of land-ocean-atmosphere C exchange. The analysis estimates that terrestrial areas of the Arctic Basin lost 62.9 Tg C yr-1 and that the Arctic Ocean gained 94.1 Tg C yr-1. Arctic lands and oceans were a net CO2 sink of 108.9 Tg C yr-1, which is within the range of uncertainty in estimates from atmospheric inversions. Although both lands and oceans of the Arctic were estimated to be CO2 sinks, the land sink diminished in strength because of increased fire disturbance compared to previous decades, while the ocean sink increased in strength because of increased biological pump activity associated with reduced sea ice cover. Terrestrial areas of the Arctic were a net source of 41.5 Tg CH4 yr-1 that increased by 0.6 Tg CH4 yr-1 during the decade of analysis, a magnitude that is comparable with an atmospheric inversion of CH4. Because the radiative forcing of the estimated CH4 emissions is much greater than the CO2 sink, the analysis suggests that the Arctic Basin is a substantial net source of green house gas forcing to the climate system.
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ArticleApplication of DMSP/OLS nighttime light images : a meta-analysis and a systematic literature review(MDPI AG, 2014-07-25) Huang, Qingxu ; Yang, Xi ; Gao, Bin ; Yang, Yang ; Zhao, YuanyuanSince the release of the digital archives of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Line Scanner (DMSP/OLS) nighttime light data in 1992, a variety of datasets based on this database have been produced and applied to monitor and analyze human activities and natural phenomena. However, differences among these datasets and how they have been applied may potentially confuse researchers working with these data. In this paper, we review the ways in which data from DMSP/OLS nighttime light images have been applied over the past two decades, focusing on differences in data processing, research trends, and the methods used among the different application areas. Five main datasets extracted from this database have led to many studies in various research areas over the last 20 years, and each dataset has its own strengths and limitations. The number of publications based on this database and the diversity of authors and institutions involved have shown promising growth. In addition, researchers have accumulated vast experience retrieving data on the spatial and temporal dynamics of settlement, demographics, and socioeconomic parameters, which are “hotspot” applications in this field. Researchers continue to develop novel ways to extract more information from the DMSP/OLS database and apply the data to interdisciplinary research topics. We believe that DMSP/OLS nighttime light data will play an important role in monitoring and analyzing human activities and natural phenomena from space in the future, particularly over the long term. A transparent platform that encourages data sharing, communication, and discussion of extraction methods and synthesis activities will benefit researchers as well as public and political stakeholders.
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PreprintThe application of δ18O and δD for understanding water pools and fluxes in a Typha Marsh( 2011-05) Bijoor, Neeta S. ; Pataki, Diane E. ; Rocha, Adrian V. ; Goulden, Michael L.The δ18O and δD composition of water pools (leaf, root, standing water, and soil water) and fluxes (transpiration, evaporation) were used to understand ecohydrological processes in a managed Typha latifolia L. freshwater marsh. We observed isotopic steady state transpiration and deep rooting in Typha. The isotopic mass balance of marsh standing water showed that evaporation accounted for 3% of the total water loss, transpiration accounted for 17%, and subsurface drainage accounted for the majority, 80%. There was a vertical gradient in water vapor content and isotopic composition within and above the canopy sufficient for constructing an isotopic mass balance of water vapor during some sampling periods. During these periods, the proportion of transpiration in evapotranspiration (T/ET) was between 56 ± 17% to 96 ± 67%, and the estimated error was relatively high (>37%) due to non-local, background sources in vapor. Independent estimates of T/ET using eddy covariance measurements yielded similar mean values during the Typha growing season. The various T/ET estimates agreed that transpiration was the dominant source of marsh vapor loss in the growing season. The isotopic mass balance of water vapor yielded reasonable results, but the mass balance of standing water provided more definitive estimates of water losses.
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ArticleApplying the framework to study climate-induced extremes on food, energy, and water systems (C-FEWS): the role of engineered and natural infrastructures, technology, and environmental management in the United States Northeast and Midwest(Frontiers Media, 2023-03-08) Vörösmarty, Charles J. ; Melillo, Jerry M. ; Wuebbles, Donald J. ; Jain, Atul K. ; Ando, Amy W. ; Chen, Mengye ; Tuler, Seth ; Smith, Richard ; Kicklighter, David ; Corsi, Fabio ; Fekete, Balazs ; Miara, Ariel ; Bokhari, Hussain H. ; Chang, Joseph ; Lin, Tzu-Shun ; Maxfield, Nico ; Sanyal, Swarnali ; Zhang, JiaqiChange to global climate, including both its progressive character and episodic extremes, constitutes a critical societal challenge. We apply here a framework to analyze Climate-induced Extremes on the Food, Energy, Water System Nexus (C-FEWS), with particular emphasis on the roles and sensitivities of traditionally-engineered (TEI) and nature-based (NBI) infrastructures. The rationale and technical specifications for the overall C-FEWS framework, its component models and supporting datasets are detailed in an accompanying paper (Vörösmarty et al., this issue). We report here on initial results produced by applying this framework in two important macro-regions of the United States (Northeast, NE; Midwest, MW), where major decisions affecting global food production, biofuels, energy security and pollution abatement require critical scientific support. We present the essential FEWS-related hypotheses that organize our work with an overview of the methodologies and experimental designs applied. We report on initial C-FEWS framework results using five emblematic studies that highlight how various combinations of climate sensitivities, TEI-NBI deployments, technology, and environmental management have determined regional FEWS performance over a historical time period (1980–2019). Despite their relative simplicity, these initial scenario experiments yielded important insights. We found that FEWS performance was impacted by climate stress, but the sensitivity was strongly modified by technology choices applied to both ecosystems (e.g., cropland production using new cultivars) and engineered systems (e.g., thermoelectricity from different fuels and cooling types). We tabulated strong legacy effects stemming from decisions on managing NBI (e.g., multi-decade land conversions that limit long-term carbon sequestration). The framework also enabled us to reveal how broad-scale policies aimed at a particular net benefit can result in unintended and potentially negative consequences. For example, tradeoff modeling experiments identified the regional importance of TEI in the form wastewater treatment and NBI via aquatic self-purification. This finding, in turn, could be used to guide potential investments in point and/or non-point source water pollution control. Another example used a reduced complexity model to demonstrate a FEWS tradeoff in the context of water supply, electricity production, and thermal pollution. Such results demonstrated the importance of TEI and NBI in jointly determining historical FEWS performance, their vulnerabilities, and their resilience to extreme climate events. These infrastructures, plus technology and environmental management, constitute the “policy levers” which can actively be engaged to mitigate the challenge of contemporary and future climate change.
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ArticleAn approach to modeling resource optimization for substitutable and interdependent resources(Elsevier, 2020-03-31) Rastetter, Edward B. ; Kwiatkowski, Bonnie L.We develop a hierarchical approach to modeling organism acclimation to changing availability of and requirements for substitutable and interdependent resources. Substitutable resources are resources that fill the same metabolic or stoichiometric need of the organism. Interdependent resources are resources whose acquisition or expenditure are tightly linked (e.g., light, CO2, and water in photosynthesis and associated transpiration). We illustrate the approach by simulating the development of vegetation with four substitutable sources of N that differ only in the cost of their uptake and assimilation. As the vegetation develops, it uses the least expensive N source first then uses progressively more expensive N sources as the less expensive sources are depleted. Transition among N sources is based on the marginal yield of N per unit effort expended, including effort expended to acquire C to cover the progressively higher uptake costs. We illustrate the approach to interdependent resources by simulating the expenditure of effort to acquire light energy, CO2, and water to drive photosynthesis in vegetation acclimated to different conditions of soil water, atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, CO2 concentration, and light levels. The approach is an improvement on the resource optimization used in the earlier Multiple Element Limitation (MEL) model.
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ArticleThe Arctic freshwater system : changes and impacts(American Geophysical Union, 2007-11-20) White, Daniel ; Hinzman, Larry ; Alessa, Lilian ; Cassano, John ; Chambers, Molly ; Falkner, Kelly ; Francis, Jennifer ; Gutowski, William J. ; Holland, Marika M. ; Holmes, Robert M. ; Huntington, Henry ; Kane, Douglas ; Kliskey, Andrew ; Lee, Craig M. ; McClelland, James W. ; Peterson, Bruce J. ; Rupp, T. Scott ; Straneo, Fiamma ; Steele, Michael ; Woodgate, Rebecca ; Yang, Daqing ; Yoshikawa, Kenji ; Zhang, TingjunDramatic changes have been observed in the Arctic over the last century. Many of these involve the storage and cycling of fresh water. On land, precipitation and river discharge, lake abundance and size, glacier area and volume, soil moisture, and a variety of permafrost characteristics have changed. In the ocean, sea ice thickness and areal coverage have decreased and water mass circulation patterns have shifted, changing freshwater pathways and sea ice cover dynamics. Precipitation onto the ocean surface has also changed. Such changes are expected to continue, and perhaps accelerate, in the coming century, enhanced by complex feedbacks between the oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial freshwater systems. Change to the arctic freshwater system heralds changes for our global physical and ecological environment as well as human activities in the Arctic. In this paper we review observed changes in the arctic freshwater system over the last century in terrestrial, atmospheric, and oceanic systems.
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PreprintAspirations and common tensions : larger lessons from the third US national climate assessment( 2015-10) Moser, Susanne C. ; Melillo, Jerry M. ; Jacobs, Katharine L. ; Moss, Richard H. ; Buizer, James L.The Third US National Climate Assessment (NCA3) was produced by experts in response to the US Global Change Research Act of 1990. Based on lessons learned from previous domestic and international assessments, the NCA3 was designed to speak to a broad public and inform the concerns of policy- and decision-makers at different scales. The NCA3 was also intended to be the first step in an ongoing assessment process that would build the nation’s capacity to respond to climate change. This concluding paper draws larger lessons from the insights gained throughout the assessment process that are of significance to future US and international assessment designers. We bring attention to process and products delivered, communication and engagement efforts, and how they contributed to the sustained assessment. Based on areas where expectations were exceeded or not fully met, we address four common tensions that all assessment designers must confront and manage: between (1) core assessment ingredients (knowledge base, institutional set-up, principled process, and the people involved), (2) national scope and subnational adaptive management information needs, (3) scope, complexity, and manageability, and (4) deliberate evaluation and ongoing learning approaches. Managing these tensions, amidst the social and political contexts in which assessments are conducted, is critical to ensure that assessments are feasible and productive, while its outcomes are perceived as credible, salient, and legitimate.
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ArticleAssessing the carbon balance of circumpolar Arctic tundra using remote sensing and process modeling(Ecological Society of America, 2007-01) Sitch, Stephen ; McGuire, A. David ; Kimball, John S. ; Gedney, Nicola ; Gamon, John ; Engstrom, Ryan ; Wolf, Annett ; Zhuang, Qianlai ; Clein, Joy S. ; McDonald, Kyle C.This paper reviews the current status of using remote sensing and process-based modeling approaches to assess the contemporary and future circumpolar carbon balance of Arctic tundra, including the exchange of both carbon dioxide and methane with the atmosphere. Analyses based on remote sensing approaches that use a 20-year data record of satellite data indicate that tundra is greening in the Arctic, suggesting an increase in photosynthetic activity and net primary production. Modeling studies generally simulate a small net carbon sink for the distribution of Arctic tundra, a result that is within the uncertainty range of field-based estimates of net carbon exchange. Applications of process-based approaches for scenarios of future climate change generally indicate net carbon sequestration in Arctic tundra as enhanced vegetation production exceeds simulated increases in decomposition. However, methane emissions are likely to increase dramatically, in response to rising soil temperatures, over the next century. Key uncertainties in the response of Arctic ecosystems to climate change include uncertainties in future fire regimes and uncertainties relating to changes in the soil environment. These include the response of soil decomposition and respiration to warming and deepening of the soil active layer, uncertainties in precipitation and potential soil drying, and distribution of wetlands. While there are numerous uncertainties in the projections of process-based models, they generally indicate that Arctic tundra will be a small sink for carbon over the next century and that methane emissions will increase considerably, which implies that exchange of greenhouse gases between the atmosphere and Arctic tundra ecosystems is likely to contribute to climate warming.
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ArticleAtmospheric and oceanographic forcing impact particle flux composition and carbon sequestration in the eastern Mediterranean Sea: a three-year time-series study in the deep Ierapetra Basin(Frontiers Media, 2021-02-25) Pedrosa-Pamies, Rut ; Parinos, Constantine ; Sanchez-Vidal, Anna ; Calafat, Antoni ; Canals, Miquel ; Velaoras, Dimitris ; Mihalopoulos, Nikolaos ; Kanakidou, Maria ; Lampadariou, Nikolaos ; Gogou, AlexandraSinking particles are a critical conduit for the export of organic material from surface waters to the deep ocean. Despite their importance in oceanic carbon cycling, little is known about the biotic composition and seasonal variability of sinking particles reaching abyssal depths. Herein, sinking particle flux data, collected in the deep Ierapetra Basin for a three-year period (June 2010 to June 2013), have been examined at the light of atmospheric and oceanographic parameters and main mass components (lithogenic, opal, carbonates, nitrogen, and organic carbon), stable isotopes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and source-specific lipid biomarkers. Our aim is to improve the current understanding of the dynamics of particle fluxes and the linkages between atmospheric dynamics and ocean biogeochemistry shaping the export of organic matter in the deep Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Overall, particle fluxes showed seasonality and interannual variability over the studied period. POC fluxes peaked in spring April–May 2012 (12.2 mg m−2 d−1) related with extreme atmospheric forcing. Summer export was approximately fourfold higher than mean wintertime, fall and springtime (except for the episodic event of spring 2012), fueling efficient organic carbon sequestration. Lipid biomarkers indicate a high relative contribution of natural and anthropogenic, marine- and land-derived POC during both spring (April–May) and summer (June–July) reaching the deep-sea floor. Moreover, our results highlight that both seasonal and episodic pulses are crucial for POC export, while the coupling of extreme weather events and atmospheric deposition can trigger the influx of both marine labile carbon and anthropogenic compounds to the deep Levantine Sea. Finally, the comparison of time series data of sinking particulate flux with the corresponding biogeochemical parameters data previously reported for surface sediment samples from the deep-sea shed light on the benthic–pelagic coupling in the study area. Thus, this study underscores that accounting the seasonal and episodic pulses of organic carbon into the deep sea is critical in modeling the depth and intensity of natural and anthropogenic POC sequestration, and for a better understanding of the global carbon cycle.
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ArticleBacterioplankton community shifts in an Arctic lake correlate with seasonal changes in organic matter source(American Society for Microbiology, 2003-04) Crump, Byron C. ; Kling, George W. ; Bahr, Michele ; Hobbie, John E.Seasonal shifts in bacterioplankton community composition in Toolik Lake, a tundra lake on the North Slope of Alaska, were related to shifts in the source (terrestrial versus phytoplankton) and lability of dissolved organic matter (DOM). A shift in community composition, measured by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA genes, occurred at 4°C in near-surface waters beneath seasonal ice and snow cover in spring. This shift was associated with an annual peak in bacterial productivity ([14C]leucine incorporation) driven by the large influx of labile terrestrial DOM associated with snow meltwater. A second shift occurred after the flux of terrestrial DOM had ended in early summer as ice left the lake and as the phytoplankton community developed. Bacterioplankton communities were composed of persistent populations present throughout the year and transient populations that appeared and disappeared. Most of the transient populations could be divided into those that were advected into the lake with terrestrial DOM in spring and those that grew up from low concentrations during the development of the phytoplankton community in early summer. Sequencing of DNA in DGGE bands demonstrated that most bands represented single ribotypes and that matching bands from different samples represented identical ribotypes. Bacteria were identified as members of globally distributed freshwater phylogenetic clusters within the {alpha}- and ß-Proteobacteria, the Cytophaga-Flavobacteria-Bacteroides group, and the Actinobacteria.
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PreprintBarnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary : case study of a highly eutrophic coastal bay system( 2006-09-26) Kennish, Michael J. ; Bricker, Suzanne B. ; Dennison, William C. ; Glibert, Patricia M. ; Livingston, Robert J. ; Moore, Kenneth A. ; Noble, Rachel T. ; Paerl, Hans W. ; Ramstack, Joy M. ; Seitzinger, Sybil P. ; Tomasko, David A. ; Valiela, IvanThe Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary is classified here as a highly eutrophic estuary based on application of NOAA’s National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment model. Because it is shallow, poorly flushed, and bordered by highly developed watershed areas, the estuary is particularly susceptible to the effects of nutrient loading. Most of this load (~50%) is from surface water inflow, but substantial fractions also originate from atmospheric deposition (~39%), and direct groundwater discharges (~11%). No point source inputs of nutrients exist in the Barnegat Bay watershed. Since 1980, all treated wastewater from the Ocean County Utilities Authority's regional wastewater treatment system has been discharged 1.6 km offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Eutrophy causes problems in this system, including excessive micro- and macroalgal growth, harmful algal blooms (HABs), altered benthic invertebrate communities, impacted harvestable fisheries, and loss of essential habitat (i.e., seagrass and shellfish beds). Similar problems are evident in other shallow lagoonal estuaries of the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions. To effectively address nutrient enrichment problems in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary, it is important to determine the nutrient loading levels that produce observable impacts in the system. It is also vital to continually monitor and assess priority indicators of water quality change and estuarine health. In addition, the application of a new generation of innovative models using web-based tools (e.g., NLOAD) will enable researchers and decision-makers to more successfully manage nutrient loads from the watershed. Finally, the implementation of stormwater retrofit projects should have beneficial effects on the system.
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ArticleBelowground competition among invading detritivores(John Wiley & Sons, 2016-01-29) Chang, Chih-Han ; Szlavecz, Katalin ; Filley, Timothy ; Buyer, Jeffrey S. ; Bernard, Michael J. ; Pitz, Scott L.The factors regulating soil animal communities are poorly understood. Current theory favors niche complementarity and facilitation over competition as the primary forms of non-trophic interspecific interaction in soil fauna; however, competition has frequently been suggested as an important community-structuring factor in earthworms, ecosystem engineers that influence belowground processes. To date, direct evidence of competition in earthworms is lacking due to the difficulty inherent in identifying a limiting resource for saprophagous animals. In the present study, we offer the first direct evidence of interspecific competition for food in this dominant soil detritivore group by combining field observations with laboratory mesocosm experiments using 13C and 15N double-enriched leaf litter to track consumption patterns. In our experiments, the Asian invasive species Amynthas hilgendorfi was a dominant competitor for leaf litter against two European species currently invading the temperate deciduous forests in North America. This competitive advantage may account for recent invasion success of A. hilgendorfi in forests with established populations of European species, and we hypothesize that specific phenological differences play an important role in determining the outcome of the belowground competition. In contrast, Eisenoides lonnbergi, a common native species in the Eastern United States, occupied a unique trophic position with limited interactions with other species, which may contribute to its persistence in habitats dominated by invasive species. Furthermore, our results supported neither the hypothesis that facilitation occurs between species of different functional groups nor the hypothesis that species in the same group exhibit functional equivalency in C and N translocation in the soil. We propose that species identity is a more powerful approach to understand earthworm invasion and its impacts on belowground processes.