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The global warming potential of nitrous oxide (N2O) and its long atmospheric lifetime mean its presence in the atmosphere is of major concern, and that methods are required to measure and reduce emissions. Large spatial and temporal variations means, however, that simple extrapolation of measured data is inappropriate, and that other methods of quantification are required. Although process-based models have been developed to simulate these emissions, they often require a large amount of input data that is not available at a regional scale, making regional and global emission estimates difficult to achieve. The spatial extent of organic soils means that quantification of emissions from these soil types is also required, but will not be achievable using a process-based model that has not been developed to simulate soil water contents above field capacity or organic soils. The ECOSSE model was developed to overcome these limitations, and with a requirement for only input data that is readily available at a regional scale, it can be used to quantify regional emissions and directly inform land-use change decisions. ECOSSE includes the major processes of nitrogen (N) turnover, with material being exchanged between pools of SOM at rates modified by temperature, soil moisture, soil pH and crop cover. Evaluation of its performance at site-scale is presented to demonstrate its ability to adequately simulate soil N contents and N2O emissions from cropland soils in Europe. Mitigation scenarios and sensitivity analyses are also presented to demonstrate how ECOSSE can be used to estimate the impact of future climate and land-use change on N2O emissions.
In order to identify the areas in the Xilingele grassland which are sensitive to wind erosion, a computational fluid dynamics model (CFD-WEM) was used to simulate the wind fields over a region of 37 km(2) which contains different topography and land use types. Previous studies revealed the important influences of topography and land use on wind erosion in the Xilingele grassland. Topography influences wind fields at large scale, and land use influences wind fields near the ground. Two steps were designed to implement the CFD wind simulation, and they were respectively to simulate the influence of topography and surface roughness on the wind. Digital elevation model (DEM) and surface roughness length were the key inputs for the CFD simulation. The wind simulation by CFD-WEM was validated by a wind data set which was measured simultaneously at six positions in the field. Three scenarios with different wind velocities were designed based on observed dust storm events, and wind fields were simulated according to these scenarios to predict the sensitive areas to wind erosion. General assumptions that cropland is the most sensitive area to wind erosion and heavily and moderately grazed grasslands are both sensitive etc. can be refined by the modelling of CFD-WEM. Aided by the results of this study, the land use planning and protection measures against wind erosion can be more efficient. Based on the case study in the Xilingele grassland, a method of regional wind erosion assessment aided by CFD wind simulation is summarized. The essence of this method is a combination of CFD wind simulation and determination of threshold wind velocity for wind erosion. Because of the physically-based simulation and the flexibility of the method, it can be generalised to other regions.
The open source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) wind model (CFD-WEM) for wind erosion research in the Xilingele grassland in Inner Mongolia (autonomous region, China) is compared with two open source CFD models Gerris and OpenFOAM. The evaluation of these models was made according to software technology, implemented methods, handling, accuracy and calculation speed. All models were applied to the same wind tunnel data set. Results show that the simplest CFD-WEM has the highest calculation speed with acceptable accuracy, and the most powerful OpenFOAM produces the simulation with highest accuracy and the lowest calculation speed. Gerris is between CFD-WEM and OpenFOAM. It calculates faster than OpenFOAM, and it is capable to solve different CFD problems. CFD-WEM is the optimal model to be further developed for wind erosion research in Inner Mongolia grassland considering its efficiency and the uncertainties of other input data. However, for other applications using CFD technology, Gerris and OpenFOAM can be good choices. This paper shows the powerful capability of open source CFD software in wind erosion study, and advocates more involvement of open source technology in wind erosion and related ecological researches.
The drainage and cultivation of fen peatlands create complex small-scale mosaics of soils with extremely variable soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and groundwater levels (GWLs). To date, the significance of such sites as sources or sinks for greenhouse gases such as CO2 and CH4 is still unclear, especially if the sites are used for cropland. As individual control factors such as GWL fail to account for this complexity, holistic approaches combining gas fluxes with the underlying processes are required to understand the carbon (C) gas exchange of drained fens. It can be assumed that the stocks of SOC and N located above the variable GWL - defined as dynamic C and N stocks - play a key role in the regulation of the plant- and microbially mediated CO2 fluxes in these soils and, inversely, for CH4. To test this assumption, the present study analysed the C gas exchange (gross primary production - GPP; ecosystem respiration - R-eco; net ecosystem exchange - NEE; CH4) of maize using manual chambers for 4 years. The study sites were located near Paulinenaue, Germany, where we selected three soil types representing the full gradient of GWL and SOC stocks (0-1 m) of the landscape: (a) Haplic Arenosol (AR; 8 kg C m(-2)); (b) Mollic Gleysol (GL; 38 kg C m(-2)); and (c) Hemic Histosol (HS; 87 kg C m(-2)). Daily GWL data were used to calculate dynamic SOC (SOCdyn) and N (N-dyn) stocks.
Average annual NEE differed considerably among sites, ranging from 47 +/- 30 g C m(-2) yr(-1) in AR to -305 +/- 123 g C m(-2) yr(-1) in GL and -127 +/- 212 g C m(-2) yr(-1) in HS. While static SOC and N stocks showed no significant effect on C fluxes, SOCdyn and N-dyn and their interaction with GWL strongly influenced the C gas exchange, particularly NEE and the GPP : R-eco ratio. Moreover, based on nonlinear regression analysis, 86% of NEE variability was explained by GWL and SOCdyn. The observed high relevance of dynamic SOC and N stocks in the aerobic zone for plant and soil gas exchange likely originates from the effects of GWL-dependent N availability on C formation and transformation processes in the plant-soil system, which promote CO2 input via GPP more than CO2 emission via R-eco.
The process-oriented approach of dynamic C and N stocks is a promising, potentially generalisable method for system-oriented investigations of the C gas exchange of groundwater-influenced soils and could be expanded to other nutrients and soil characteristics. However, in order to assess the climate impact of arable sites on drained peatlands, it is always necessary to consider the entire range of groundwater-influenced mineral and organic soils and their respective areal extent within the soil landscape.
Identifying the chemical mechanisms behind soil carbon bound in organo-mineral complexes is necessary to determine the degree to which soil organic carbon is stabilized belowground. Analysis of delta C-13 and delta N-15 isotopic signatures of stabilized OM fractions along with soil mineral characteristics may yield important information about OM-mineral associations and their processing history. We anlayzed the delta C-13 and delta N-15 isotopic signatures from two organic matter (OM) fractions along with soil mineral proxies to identify the likely binding mechanisms involved. We analyzed OM fractions hypothesized to contain carbon stabilized through organo-mineral complexes: (1) OM separated chemically with sodium pyrophosphate (OM(PY)) and (2) OM occluded in micro-structures found in the chemical extraction residue (OM(ER)). Because the OM fractions were separated from five different soils with paired forest and arable land use histories, we could address the impact of land use change on carbon binding and processing mechanisms. We used partial least squares regression to analyze patterns in the isotopic signature of OM with established mineral and chemical proxies indicative for certain binding mechanisms. We found different mechanisms predominate in each land use type. For arable soils, the formation of OM(PY)-Ca-mineral associations was identified as an important OM binding mechanism. Therefore, we hypothesize an increased stabilization of microbial processed OM(PY) through Ca2+ interactions. In general, we found the forest soils to contain on average 10% more stabilized carbon relative to total carbon stocks, than the agricultural counter part. In forest soils, we found a positive relationship between isotopic signatures of OM(PY) and the ratio of soil organic carbon content to soil surface area (SOC/SSA). This indicates that the OM(PY) fractions of forest soils represent layers of slower exchange not directly attached to mineral surfaces. From the isotopic composition of the OM(ER) fraction, we conclude that the OM in this fraction from both land use types have undergone a different pathway to stabilization that does not involve microbial processing, which may include OM which is highly protected within soil micro-structures.
Land use and mineral characteristics affect the ability of surface as well as subsurface soils to sequester organic carbon and their contribution to mitigation of the greenhouse effect. There is less information about the effects of land use and soil properties on the amount and composition of organic matter (OM) for subsurface soils as compared with surface soils. Here we aimed to analyse the long-term (>= 100 years) impact of arable and forest land use and soil mineral characteristics on subsurface soil organic carbon (SOC) contents, as well as on amount and composition of OM sequentially separated by Na pyrophosphate solution (OM(PY)) from subsurface soil samples. Seven soils with different mineral characteristics (Albic and Haplic Luvisol, Colluvic and Haplic Regosol, Haplic and Vertic Cambisol, Haplic Stagnosol) were selected from within Germany. Soil samples were taken from subsurface horizons of forest and adjacent arable sites continuously used for > 100 years. The OM(PY) fractions were analysed for their OC content (OC(PY)) and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Multiple regression analyses for the arable subsurface soils indicated significant positive relationships between the SOC contents and combined effects of the (i) exchangeable Ca (Ca(ex)) and oxalate-soluble Fe (Fe(ox)) and (ii) the Ca(ex) and Al(ox) contents. For these soils the increase in OC (OC(PY) multiplied by the relative C=O content of OM(PY)) and increasing contents of Ca(ex) indicated that OM(PY) mainly interacts with Ca2+. For the forest subsurface soils (pH < 5), the OC(PY) contents were related to the contents of Na-pyrophosphate-soluble Fe and Al. The long-term arable and forest land use seems to result in different OM(PY)-mineral interactions in subsurface soils. On the basis of this, we hypothesize that a long-term land-use change from arable to forest may lead to a shift from mainly OM(PY)-Ca2+ to mainly OM(PY)-Fe3+ and -Al3+ interactions if the pH of subsurface soils significantly decreases to < 5.
We hypothesized that at the very beginning of terrestrial ecosystem development, airborne testate amoebae play a pivotal role in facilitating organismic colonization and related soil processes. We, therefore, analyzed size and quantity of airborne testate amoebae and immigration and colonization success of airborne testate amoebae on a new land surface (experimental site "Chicken Creek", artificial post-mining water catchment). Within an altogether 91-day exposure of 70 adhesive traps, 12 species of testate amoebae were identified to be of airborne origin. Phryganella acropodia (51% of all individuals found, diameter about 35-45 mu m) and Centropyxis sphagnicola (23% of all individuals found, longest axis about 55-68 mu m), occurred most frequently in the adhesive traps. We extrapolated an aerial amoeba deposition of 61 individuals d(-1) m(-2) (living and dead individuals combined). Although it would be necessary to have a longer sequence (some additional years), our analysis of the "target substrate" of aerial immigration (catchment site) may point to a shift from a stochastic (variable) beginning of community assembly to a more deterministic (stable) course. This shift was assigned to an age of seven years of initial soil development. Although experienced specialists are necessary to conduct these time-consuming studies, the presented data suggest that terrestrial amoebae are suitable indicators for initial ecosystem development and utilization.
Leaching of dissolved C in arable hummocky ground moraine soil landscapes is characterized by a spatial continuum of more or less erosion-affected Luvisols, Calcaric Regosols at exposed positions, and Colluvic Regosols in depressions. Our objective was to estimate the fluxes of dissolved C in four differently eroded soils as affected by erosion-induced pedological and soil structural alterations. In this model study, we considered landscape position effects by adapting the water table as the bottom boundary condition and erosion effects by using pedon-specific soil hydraulic properties. The one-dimensional vertical water movement was described with the Richards equation using HYDRUS-1D. Solute fluxes were obtained by combining calculated water fluxes with concentrations of dissolved organic and inorganic C (DOC and DIC, respectively) measured from soil solution extracted by suction cups at biweekly intervals. In the 3-yr period (2010-2012), DOC fluxes in the 2-m soil depth were similar at the three non-colluvic locations with -0.8 +/- 0.1 g m(-2) yr(-1) (i.e., outflow) but were 0.4 g m(-2) yr(-1) (i.e., input) in the depression. The DIC fluxes ranged from -10.2 g m(-2) yr(-1) for the eroded Luvisol, -9.2 g m(-2) yr(-1) for the Luvisol, and -6.1 g m(-2) yr(-1) for the Calcaric Regosol to 3.2 g m(-2) yr(-1) for the Colluvic Regosol. The temporal variations in DOC and DIC fluxes were controlled by water fluxes. The spatially distributed leaching results corroborate the hypothesis that the effects of soil erosion influence fluxes through modified hydraulic and transport properties and terrain-dependent boundary conditions.
The size and dynamics of biogenic silicon (BSi) pools influence silicon (Si) fluxes from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems. The research focus up to now was on the role of plants in Si cycling. In recent studies on old forests annual biosilicification rates of idiosomic testate amoebae (i.e. TA producing self-secreted silica shells) were shown to be of the order of Si uptake by trees. However, no comparable data exist for initial ecosystems. We analyzed the protozoic BSi pool (idiosomic TA), corresponding annual biosilicification rates and readily available and amorphous Si fractions along a 10-year chronosequence in a post-mining landscape in Brandenburg, Germany.
Idiosomic Si pools ranged from 3 to 680 g Si ha(-1) and were about 3-4 times higher at vegetated compared to uncovered spots. They increased significantly with age and were related to temporal development of soil chemical properties. The calculation of annual biosilicification resulted in maxima between 2 and 16 kg Si ha(-1) with rates always higher at vegetated spots. Our results showed that the BSi pool of idiosomic TA is built up rapidly during the initial phases of ecosystem development and is strongly linked to plant growth. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of TA for Si cycling in young artificial ecosystems. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Humidity is an important determinant of the mycotoxin production (DON, ZEA) by Fusarium species in the grain ears. From a landscape perspective humidity is not evenly distributed across fields. The topographically-controlled redistribution of water within a single field rather leads to spatially heterogeneous soil water content and air humidity. Therefore we hypothesized that the spatial distribution of mycotoxins is related to these topographically-controlled factors. To test this hypothesis we studied the mycotoxin concentrations at contrasting topographic relief positions, i.e. hilltops and depressions characterized by soils of different soil moisture regimes, on ten winter wheat fields in 2006 and 2007. Maize was the preceding crop and minimum tillage was practiced in the fields. The different topographic positions were associated with moderate differences in DON and ZEA concentrations in 2006, but with significant differences in 2007, with six times higher median ZEA and two times higher median DON detected at depression sites compared to the hilltops. The depression sites correspond to a higher topographic wetness index as well as redoximorphic properties in soil profiles, which empirically supports our hypothesis at least for years showing wetter conditions in sensitive time windows for Fusarium infections.