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Nitrous oxide emissions from European agriculture – an analysis of variability and drivers of emissions from field experiments

Nitrous oxide emissions from a network of agricultural experiments in Europe were used to explore the relative importance of site and management controls of emissions. At each site, a selection of management interventions were compared within replicated experimental designs in plot-based experiments.

Vertical distributions of plutonium isotopes in marine sediment cores off the Fukushima coast after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

To obtain the vertical distribution of Pu isotopes in marine sediments and to better assess the possible contamination of Pu from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in the marine environment, we determined the activities of ^239+240Pu and ²⁴¹Pu as well as the atom ratios of ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Pu/²³⁹Pu in sediment core samples collected in the western North Pacific off Fukushima from July 2011 to July 2012.

Inverse estimation of source parameters of oceanic radioactivity dispersion models associated with the Fukushima accident

With combined use of the ocean–atmosphere simulation models and field observation data, we evaluate the parameters associated with the total caesium-137 amounts of the direct release into the ocean and atmospheric deposition over the western North Pacific caused by the accident of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that occurred in March 2011.

Short- and long-term consequences of larval stage exposure to constantly and ephemerally elevated carbon dioxide for marine bivalve populations

Experiments were performed to assess the short-term (days) and long-term (months) consequences of larval stage exposure to varying CO₂ concentrations for calcifying bivalves. The findings suggested that high CO₂ has a cascading negative physiological impact on bivalve larvae stemming in part from lower calcification rates.

An unknown oxidative metabolism substantially contributes to soil CO₂ emissions

The respiratory release of CO₂ from soils is a major determinant of the global carbon cycle. It is traditionally considered that this respiration is an intracellular metabolism consisting of complex biochemical reactions carried out by numerous enzymes and co-factors. Here we show that the endoenzymes released from dead organisms are stabilised in soils and have access to suitable substrates and co-factors to permit function.

High-latitude cooling associated with landscape changes from North American boreal forest fires

Here we simulated changes in forest composition due to altered burn area using a stochastic model of fire occurrence, historical fire data from national inventories, and succession trajectories derived from remote sensing.

Identifying urban sources as cause of elevated grass pollen concentrations using GIS and remote sensing

We examine here the hypothesis that during flowering, the grass pollen concentrations at a specific site reflect the distribution of grass pollen sources within a few kilometres of this site. We perform this analysis on data from a measurement campaign in the city of Aarhus (Denmark) using three pollen traps and by comparing these observations with a novel inventory of grass pollen sources.

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Management, regulation and environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilization in northwestern Europe under the Nitrates Directive; a benchmark study

Biogeosciences
DOI 10.5194/bg-9-5143-2012
14 December 2012

Implementation of the Nitrates Directive (NiD) and its environmental impacts were compared for member states in the northwest of the European Union (Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Northern France and Germany). The main sources of data were national reports for the third reporting period for the NiD (2004–2007) and results of the MITERRA-EUROPE model.

Internal respiration of Amazon tree stems greatly exceeds external CO₂ efflux

Here, we studied gas exchange from stems of tropical forest trees using a new approach to better understand respiration in an ecosystem that plays a key role in the global carbon cycle.

Ocean acidification limits temperature-induced poleward expansion of coral habitats around Japan

Using results from four coupled global carbon cycle-climate models combined with in situ observations, we estimate the effects of future global warming and ocean acidification on potential habitats for tropical/subtropical and temperate coral communities in the seas around Japan.

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