Raymond Peter A.

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Raymond
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Peter A.
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  • Preprint
    Dual isotope analyses indicate efficient processing of atmospheric nitrate by forested watersheds in the northeastern U.S.
    ( 2008-07-15) Barnes, Rebecca T. ; Raymond, Peter A. ; Casciotti, Karen L.
    Nitrogen from atmospheric deposition serves as the dominant source of new nitrogen to forested ecosystems in the northeastern U.S.. By combining isotopic data obtained using the denitrifier method, with chemistry and hydrology measurements we determined the relative importance of sources and control mechanisms on nitrate (NO3-) export from five forested watersheds in the Connecticut River watershed. Microbially produced NO3- was the dominant source (82-100%) of NO3- to the sampled streams as indicated by the δ15N and δ18O of NO3-. Seasonal variations in the δ18O-NO3- in streamwater are controlled by shifting hydrology and temperature affects on biotic processing, resulting in a relative increase in unprocessed NO3- export during winter months. Mass balance estimates find that the unprocessed atmospherically derived NO3- stream flux represents less than 3% of the atmospherically delivered wet NO3- flux to the region. This suggests that despite chronically elevated nitrogen deposition these forests are not nitrogen saturated and are retaining, removing, and reprocessing the vast majority of NO3- delivered to them throughout the year. These results confirm previous work within Northeastern U.S. forests and extend observations to watersheds not dominated by a snow-melt driven hydrology. In contrast to previous work, unprocessed atmospherically derived NO3- export is associated with the period of high recharge and low biotic activity as opposed to spring snowmelt and other large runoff events.
  • Preprint
    Animating the carbon cycle
    ( 2013-08) Schmitz, Oswald J. ; Raymond, Peter A. ; Estes, James A. ; Kurz, Werner A. ; Holtgrieve, Gordon W. ; Ritchie, Mark E. ; Schindler, Daniel E. ; Spivak, Amanda C. ; Wilson, Rod W. ; Bradford, Mark A. ; Christensen, Villy ; Deegan, Linda A. ; Smetacek, Victor ; Vanni, Michael J. ; Wilmers, Christopher C.
    Understanding the biogeochemical processes regulating carbon cycling is central to mitigating atmospheric CO2 emissions. The role of living organisms has been accounted for, but the focus has traditionally been on contributions of plants and microbes. We develop the case that fully “animating” the carbon cycle requires broader consideration of the functional role of animals in mediating biogeochemical processes and quantification of their effects on carbon storage and exchange among terrestrial and aquatic reservoirs and the atmosphere. To encourage more hypothesis-driven experimental research that quantifies animal effects we discuss the mechanisms by which animals may affect carbon exchanges and storage within and among ecosystems and the atmosphere. We illustrate how those mechanisms lead to multiplier effects whose magnitudes may rival those of more traditional carbon storage and exchange rate estimates currently used in the carbon budget. Many animal species are already directly managed. Thus improved quantitative understanding of their influence on carbon budgets may create opportunity for management and policy to identify and implement new options for mitigating CO2 release at regional scales.
  • Preprint
    Seasonal and annual fluxes of nutrients and organic matter from large rivers to the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas
    ( 2011-03) Holmes, Robert M. ; McClelland, James W. ; Peterson, Bruce J. ; Tank, Suzanne E. ; Bulygina, Ekaterina ; Eglinton, Timothy I. ; Gordeev, Viacheslav V. ; Gurtovaya, Tatiana Y. ; Raymond, Peter A. ; Repeta, Daniel J. ; Staples, Robin ; Striegl, Robert G. ; Zhulidov, Alexander V. ; Zimov, Sergey A.
    River inputs of nutrients and organic matter impact the biogeochemistry of arctic estuaries and the Arctic Ocean as a whole, yet there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of fluvial fluxes at the pan-arctic scale. Samples from the six largest arctic rivers, with a combined watershed area of 11.3 x 106 km2, have revealed strong seasonal variations in constituent concentrations and fluxes within rivers as well as large differences among the rivers. Specifically, we investigate fluxes of dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, nitrate, and silica. This is the first time that seasonal and annual constituent fluxes have been determined using consistent sampling and analytical methods at the pan arctic scale, and consequently provide the best available estimates for constituent flux from land to the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas. Given the large inputs of river water to the relatively small Arctic Ocean, and the dramatic impacts that climate change is having in the Arctic, it is particularly urgent that we establish the contemporary river fluxes so that we will be able to detect future changes and evaluate the impact of the changes on the biogeochemistry of the receiving coastal and ocean systems.
  • Preprint
    Multiple-source heterotrophy fueled by aged organic carbon in an urbanized estuary
    ( 2010-08-02) Griffith, David R. ; Raymond, Peter A.
    The lower Hudson River is a highly urbanized estuary that receives large inputs of treated wastewater. To determine how organic matter from wastewater influences carbon cycling in this type of system, we measured chlorophyll a, pCO2, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), δ13C-DOC, and Δ14C-DOC along the salinity gradient and at wastewater treatment plants. Isotopic mixing curves indicate a net removal of DOC that is 13C enriched and 14C depleted. The amount of DOC removed was consistent with CO2 evasion from the estuary. During two transects at average to low flow, the lower Hudson River Estuary was a heterotrophic system with CO2 evasion balanced by the utilization of aged DOC derived from wastewater and marine phytoplankton that enter the estuary at the seaward end-member. DOC removals were largest during a period of high river flow, when isotopic mixing curves also suggest large contributions from labile terrestrial OC sources. Overall, our results suggest that net heterotrophy in the lower Hudson River Estuary is fueled by aged labile DOC derived from a combination of sources, which are influenced by seasonal phytoplankton blooms, hydrological conditions, and the nature of wastewater inputs.
  • Preprint
    Estimates of new and total productivity in central Long Island Sound from in situ measurements of nitrate and dissolved oxygen
    ( 2013-01) Collins, James R. ; Raymond, Peter A. ; Bohlen, Walter Franklin ; Howard-Strobel, Mary M.
    Biogeochemical cycles in estuaries are regulated by a diverse set of physical and biological variables that operate over a variety of time scales. Using in situ optical sensors, we conducted a high-frequency time-series study of several biogeochemical parameters at a mooring in central Long Island Sound from May to August 2010. During this period, we documented well-defined diel cycles in nitrate concentration that were correlated to dissolved oxygen, wind stress, tidal mixing, and irradiance. By filtering the data to separate the nitrate time series into various signal components, we estimated the amount of variation that could be ascribed to each process. Primary production and surface wind stress explained 59% and 19%, respectively, of the variation in nitrate concentrations. Less frequent physical forcings, including large-magnitude wind events and spring tides, served to decouple the relationship between oxygen, nitrate, and sunlight on about one-quarter of study days. Daytime nitrate minima and dissolved oxygen maxima occurred nearly simultaneously on the majority (> 80%) of days during the study period; both were strongly correlated with the daily peak in irradiance. Nighttime nitrate maxima reflected a pattern in which surface-layer stocks were depleted each afternoon and recharged the following night. Changes in nitrate concentrations were used to generate daily estimates of new primary production (182 ± 37 mg C m-2 d-1) and the f-ratio (0.25), i.e., the ratio of production based on nitrate to total production. These estimates, the first of their kind in Long Island Sound, were compared to values of community respiration, primary productivity, and net ecosystem metabolism, which were derived from in situ measurements of oxygen concentration. Daily averages of the three metabolic parameters were 1660 ± 431, 2080 ± 419, and 429 ± 203 mg C m-2 d-1, respectively. While the system remained weakly autotrophic over the duration of the study period, we observed very large day-to-day differences in the f-ratio and in the various metabolic parameters.