Molecular and Dual-Isotopic Profiling of the Microbial Controls on Nitrogen Leaching in Agricultural Soils under Managed Aquifer Recharge.

Nitrate (NO3-) leaching is a serious health and ecological concern in global agroecosystems, particularly those under the application of agricultural-managed aquifer recharge (Ag-MAR); however, there is an absence of information on microbial controls affecting NO3- leaching outcomes. We combine natural dual isotopes of NO3- (15N/14N and 18O/16O) with metagenomics, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and a threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN) to investigate the activities, taxon profiles, and environmental controls of soil microbiome associated with NO3- leaching at different depths from Californian vineyards under Ag-MAR application. The isotopic signatures demonstrated a significant priming effect (P < 0.01) of Ag-MAR on denitrification activities in the topsoil (0-10 cm), with a 12-25-fold increase of 15N-NO3- and 18O-NO3- after the first 24 h of flooding, followed by a sharp decrease in the enrichment of both isotopes with ∼80% decline in denitrification activities thereafter. In contrast, deeper soils (60-100 cm) showed minimal or no denitrification activities over the course of Ag-MAR application, thus resulting in 10-20-fold of residual NO3- being leached. Metagenomic profiling and laboratory microcosm demonstrated that both nitrifying and denitrifying groups, responsible for controlling NO3- leaching, decreased in abundance and potential activity rates with soil depth. TITAN suggested that Nitrosocosmicus and Bradyrhizobium, as the major nitrifier and denitrifier, had the highest and lowest tipping points with regard to the NO3- changes (P < 0.05), respectively. Overall, our study provides new insight into specific depth limitations of microbial controls on soil NO3- leaching in agroecosystems.

Nitrogen fate during agricultural managed aquifer recharge: Linking plant response, hydrologic, and geochemical processes.

Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (Ag-MAR, on-farm recharge), where farmland is flooded with excess surface water to intentionally recharge groundwater, has received increasing attention by policy makers and researchers in recent years. However, there remain concerns about the potential for Ag-MAR to exacerbate nitrate (NO3-) contamination of groundwater, and additional risks, such as greenhouse gas emissions and crop tolerance to prolonged flooding. Here, we conducted a large-scale, replicated winter groundwater recharge experiment to quantify the effect of Ag-MAR on soil N biogeochemical transformations, potential NO3- leaching to groundwater, soil physico-chemical conditions, and crop yield. The field experiment was conducted in two grapevine vineyards in the Central Valley of California, which were each flooded for 2 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively, with 1.31 and 1.32 m3 m-2 of water. Hydrologic, geochemical, and microbial results indicate that NO3- leaching from the first 1 m of the vadose zone was the dominant N loss pathway during flooding. Based on pore water sample and N2O emission data, denitrification played a lesser role in decreasing NO3- in the root zone but prolonged anoxic conditions resulted in a significant 29 % yield decrease in the 4-week flooded vineyard. The results from this research, combined with data from previous studies, are summarized in a new conceptual model for integrated water-N dynamics under Ag-MAR. The proposed model can be used to determine best Ag-MAR management practices.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stabilizing nutrients from dairy manure using chemical coagulation.

Two primary concerns of dairies that store manure wastewater in anaerobic ponds are greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and unpredictable nutrient availability after applying it to forage crops. Solid-liquid separation of dairy manure wastewater with chemical coagulants significantly reduces the fraction of organic matter stored in anaerobic conditions. However, the effects of coagulants on methane emissions from ponds and nutrient availability following field application are not well understood. In this experiment, several metal salts and organic polymers were used to coagulate dairy manure wastewater for separation into solid (floc) and liquid (effluent) fractions. The coagulants tested were ferric sulfate, ferric chloride, polyaluminum chloride, Superfloc C-569, and chitosan. An anaerobic incubation of manure effluent to simulate liquid manure storage and an aerobic incubation of manure floc-amended soil to simulate field application were conducted with analysis of GHGs and carbon and nitrogen transformations. The treatment of chemically separating organic matter from manure wastewater effectively eliminated methane emissions under anaerobic conditions in the laboratory. In the solid manure fraction, organic carbon was stabilized in the chemically separated flocs, and, apart from flocs produced with ferric iron, nitrogen mineralization was reduced as well. Carbon dioxide emissions were also reduced from the flocs applied to soil compared with untreated manure solids.

Global soil-derived ammonia emissions from agricultural nitrogen fertilizer application: A refinement based on regional and crop-specific emission factors.

Ammonia (NH3 ) emissions from fertilized soils to the atmosphere and the subsequent deposition to land surface exert adverse effects on biogeochemical nitrogen (N) cycling. The region- and crop-specific emission factors (EFs) of N fertilizer for NH3 are poorly developed and therefore the global estimate of soil NH3 emissions from agricultural N fertilizer application is constrained. Here we quantified the region- and crop-specific NH3 EFs of N fertilizer by compiling data from 324 worldwide manipulative studies and focused to map the global soil NH3 emissions from agricultural N fertilizer application. Globally, the NH3 EFs averaged 12.56% and 14.12% for synthetic N fertilizer and manure, respectively. Regionally, south-eastern Asia had the highest NH3 EFs of synthetic N fertilizer (19.48%) and Europe had the lowest (6%), which might have been associated with the regional discrepancy in the form and rate of N fertilizer use and management practices in agricultural production. Global agricultural NH3 emissions from the use of synthetic N fertilizer and manure in 2014 were estimated to be 12.32 and 3.79 Tg N/year, respectively. China (4.20 Tg N/year) followed by India (2.37 Tg N/year) and America (1.05 Tg N/year) together contributed to over 60% of the total global agricultural NH3 emissions from the use of synthetic N fertilizer. For crop-specific emissions, the NH3 EFs averaged 11.13%-13.95% for the three main staple crops (i.e., maize, wheat, and rice), together accounting for 72% of synthetic N fertilizer-induced NH3 emissions from croplands in the world and 70% in China. The region- and crop-specific NH3 EFs of N fertilizer established in this study offer references to update the default EF in the IPCC Tier 1 guideline. This work also provides an insight into the spatial variation of soil-derived NH3 emissions from the use of synthetic N fertilizer in agriculture at the global and regional scales.

Restoring effect of soil acidity and Cu on N2O emissions from an acidic soil.

Heavy metals are believed to impact soil processes by influencing microbial communities, nutrient cycling or exchanging for essential plant nutrients. Soil pH adjustment highly influences the bio-availability of nutrients and microbial processes. We examined the effect of soil pH manipulation and copper (Cu as CuCl2.2H2O) application on nitrogen (N) cycling and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from an acid soil. Increasing amounts of Cu (0, 250, 500 and 1000 mg kg-1) were added to an acidic soil (pH = 5.44) that was further amended with increasing amounts of dolomite [CaMg(CO3)2] to increase soil pH. Dolomite increased soil pH values, which reached a maximum without Cu application (-Cu) at day 42 of the experiment. The soil pH values decreased with increasing dose of Cu, and remained low as compared with both control and dolomite amended soil. Ammonium (NH4+-N) concentrations were higher in Cu contaminated soil as compared with the control and dolomite treated soil. Nitrate (NO3--N) concentrations increased in dolomite treated soil when compared with the +Cu alone treatments and control. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) contents were higher in dolomite treated soil as compared with the +Cu treatments and control. The application of increasing amounts of Cu progressively decreased soil MBC and MBN. Nitrous oxide emissions were higher (p ≤ 0.01) in +Cu soil as compared with the control, and increased with increasing Cu concentration in soil. Application of dolomite highly suppressed soil N2O emissions in both +Cu and -Cu soils. The results indicate that the effects of heavy metal contamination (specifically Cu contamination) can increase N2O emissions, but this can be effectively mitigated through increasing soil pH, also decreasing potential toxic effects on soil microorganisms.

Effects of ferric sulfate and polyaluminum chloride coagulation enhanced treatment wetlands on Typha growth, soil and water chemistry.

Land surface subsidence is a concern in many deltas worldwide as it contributes to water quality degradation, loss of fertile land and increased potential for levee failure. As a possible solution to these concerns, on-site coagulation enhanced treatment wetlands (CETWs), coagulation water treatment followed by wetland passage serving as a settling basin, were implemented in a field-scale study located on a subsided island of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in northern California under three treatments; coagulation with polyaluminum chloride (PAC), coagulation with ferric sulfate and an untreated control. Because CETWs offer a relatively novel solution for water quality improvement and subsidence reversal due to its low-infrastructure requirements and in-situ nature, effects from these systems remain uncharted and they may have adverse effects on plant biomass production that also contribute to sediment accretion. This study focuses on the effect CETWs had on the growth of Typha spp.; the dominant vegetation in the wetlands. Plant growth parameters and nutrient content were measured in conjunction with soil, pore water and surface water chemistry. Soil analysis indicated there was no intermixing of newly formed flocs and original soil material. Where there was significant deposition of floc, PAC treatment reduced phosphate concentrations and ferric sulfate treatment increased total Fe concentrations in surrounding water compared to the control. Results indicated coagulation treatments had no negative effects on Typha leaf nutrient content, Typha growth or allometric parameters. Additionally, no signs of plant toxicity such as necrosis, wilting or chlorosis were observed in any of the treatments. Overall, this study suggests that CETWs are viable treatment option for water quality improvement and sediment accretion while having no negative impact on the growth of Typha plants.

Limited potential of harvest index improvement to reduce methane emissions from rice paddies.

Rice is a staple food for nearly half of the world's population, but rice paddies constitute a major source of anthropogenic CH4 emissions. Root exudates from growing rice plants are an important substrate for methane-producing microorganisms. Therefore, breeding efforts optimizing rice plant photosynthate allocation to grains, i.e., increasing harvest index (HI), are widely expected to reduce CH4 emissions with higher yield. Here we show, by combining a series of experiments, meta-analyses and an expert survey, that the potential of CH4 mitigation from rice paddies through HI improvement is in fact small. Whereas HI improvement reduced CH4 emissions under continuously flooded (CF) irrigation, it did not affect CH4 emissions in systems with intermittent irrigation (II). We estimate that future plant breeding efforts aimed at HI improvement to the theoretical maximum value will reduce CH4 emissions in CF systems by 4.4%. However, CF systems currently make up only a small fraction of the total rice growing area (i.e., 27% of the Chinese rice paddy area). Thus, to achieve substantial CH4 mitigation from rice agriculture, alternative plant breeding strategies may be needed, along with alternative management.

Mercury sequestration and transformation in chemically enhanced treatment wetlands.

Mercury (Hg) pollution is a concern to human and wildlife health worldwide, and management strategies that reduce Hg inputs to aquatic systems are of broad interest. Using a replicated field-scale study in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, we tested the effectiveness of chemically enhanced treatment wetlands (CETWs) under two coagulation treatments, polyaluminum chloride (Al treatment) and ferric sulfate (Fe treatment), in their initial removal and longer-term sequestration of Hg compared to untreated control wetlands. The primary mechanism for Hg removal by CETWs was the transfer of Hg from filtered forms to insoluble particulate forms and enhanced settling of particles. CETWs resulted in total Hg annual load removals of 63 ng m-2 yr-1 (71%) and 54 ng m-2 yr-1 (54%) for the Al and Fe treatments, respectively. Control wetlands removed significantly less at 13 ng m-2 yr-1 (14%). Load removals indicate that Fe treatment wetlands more effectively reduced filtered and total methylmercury (MeHg) exports, while Al treatment wetlands more effectively reduced particulate MeHg and total Hg exports. These differences in Hg species load reductions possibly indicate different mechanisms of Hg sequestration; current data suggest more effective floc formation and particle settling was likely responsible for the Al treatment behavior, while either preferential MeHg sequestration or methylation suppression was potentially responsible for Fe treatment behavior. Differences in Hg sequestration behavior post-coagulation between the flocs formed by different coagulants indicate the importance of in-situ studies and the need for careful selection of coagulant treatment depending on the Hg species requiring remediation.

Rice Drain Management to Reduce Seepage Exports in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California.

Many deltas worldwide face subsidence issues due to increased anthropogenic activity. The Sacramento-San Joaquin delta similarly faces ongoing subsidence, more than 8 m in some areas, that increases levee failure risks and threatens the security of this water source for 25 million California residents and 1.2 million ha of agriculture. Rice ( L.) fields are an integral part of a proposed new strategy for managing subsidence because they have been shown to stop subsidence and provide an alternative crop for growers. Two important considerations for implementing rice fields are additional water requirement and the effect on water quality from mobilized dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and disinfection byproduct precursors. To understand constituent transport and potential management opportunities for rice farming, a plug flow reactor mass balance model was used to quantify surface and subsurface hydrologic pathways. Management of adjacent drainage ditch water levels under low and high scenarios were tested as a strategy to reduce seepage and water quality loads. Under high drains, groundwater met 10% of evapotranspiration (ET). Low drains resulted in a 100% increase in ET demand, which was met by surface water applied for irrigation. High drains reduced subsurface seepage by 95%. Subsurface DOC, trihalomethane, and total dissolved nitrogen loads were reduced 10-fold in high drains compared with low drains. Flow rate accounted for 74 to 90% of load variance and was the primary determinant of constituent loads. Thoughtful implementation of rice cultivation, with high water levels in adjacent drains, can be leveraged to reduce irrigation water demand and constituent load outputs.

Integrating effects of species composition and soil properties to predict shifts in montane forest carbon-water relations.

This study was designed to address a major source of uncertainty pertaining to coupled carbon-water cycles in montane forest ecosystems. The Sierra Nevada of California was used as a model system to investigate connections between the physiological performance of trees and landscape patterns of forest carbon and water use. The intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE)-an index of CO2 fixed per unit of potential water lost via transpiration-of nine dominant species was determined in replicated transects along an ∼1,500-m elevation gradient, spanning a broad range of climatic conditions and soils derived from three different parent materials. Stable isotope ratios of carbon and oxygen measured at the leaf level were combined with field-based and remotely sensed metrics of stand productivity, revealing that variation in iWUE depends primarily on leaf traits (∼24% of the variability), followed by stand productivity (∼16% of the variability), climatic regime (∼13% of the variability), and soil development (∼12% of the variability). Significant interactions between species composition and soil properties proved useful to predict changes in forest carbon-water relations. On the basis of observed shifts in tree species composition, ongoing since the 1950s and intensified in recent years, an increase in water loss through transpiration (ranging from 10 to 60% depending on parent material) is now expected in mixed conifer forests throughout the region.

Wetlands receiving water treated with coagulants improve water quality by removing dissolved organic carbon and disinfection byproduct precursors.

Constructed wetlands are used worldwide to improve water quality while also providing critical wetland habitat. However, wetlands have the potential to negatively impact drinking water quality by exporting dissolved organic carbon (DOC) that upon disinfection can form disinfection byproducts (DBPs) like trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). We used a replicated field-scale study located on organic rich soils in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to test whether constructed flow-through wetlands which receive water high in DOC that is treated with either iron- or aluminum-based coagulants can improve water quality with respect to DBP formation. Coagulation alone removed DOC (66-77%) and THM (67-70%) precursors, and was even more effective at removing HAA precursors (77-90%). Passage of water through the wetlands increased DOC concentrations (1.5-7.5mgL-1), particularly during the warmer summer months, thereby reversing some of the benefits from coagulant addition. Despite this addition, water exiting the wetlands treated with coagulants had lower DOC and DBP precursor concentrations relative to untreated source water. Benefits of the coagulation-wetland systems were greatest during the winter months (approx. 50-70% reduction in DOC and DBP precursor concentrations) when inflow water DOC concentrations were higher and wetland DOC production was lower. Optical properties suggest DOC in this system is predominantly comprised of high molecular weight, aromatic compounds, likely derived from degraded peat soils.

Effects of Positively Charged Dicyandiamide and Nitrogen Fertilizer Sources on Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Irrigated Corn.

Synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer formulations vary in their effects as substrates on nitrous oxide (NO) emissions. Mitigation of NO emissions can potentially be achieved through appropriate choice of N fertilizer sources combined with stabilizers. The effects of three N fertilizers and urease and nitrification inhibitors on NO emissions, crop N uptake, and yields were determined in a furrow-irrigated corn ( L.) system in Reiff loam soil in the Sacramento Valley of California for one growing season. Aqua ammonia (Aq. NH), urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), and calcium nitrate were sidedressed at the rate of 202 kg N ha. The control treatment received only starter fertilizer (20 kg N ha). Total seasonal emissions were in the order Aq. NH > UAN > calcium nitrate = control with 1.38, 0.97, 0.35, and 0.27 kg NO-N ha, respectively. A novel, positively charged form of dicyandiamide, KAS-771G77 (G77), was combined with Aq. NH and UAN to test the effectiveness of this nitrification inhibitor in reducing NO emissions. When combined with Aq. NH, G77 did not reduce the emissions, but G77 significantly lowered them in the UAN treatment. A similar reduction of NO emissions in the UAN treatment was achieved with the urease and nitrification inhibitor AgrotainPlus. Yields and N use efficiency did not differ among the fertilized treatments. Ammoniacal fertilizers had higher NO emissions than nitrate-based fertilizers, which could imply nitrification pathways as a source of NO emissions. The use of G77 or AgrotainPlus, when applied with UAN, was an effective NO mitigation practice.

A genomic perspective on stoichiometric regulation of soil carbon cycling.

Similar to plant growth, soil carbon (C) cycling is constrained by the availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). We hypothesized that stoichiometric control over soil microbial C cycling may be shaped by functional guilds with distinct nutrient substrate preferences. Across a series of rice fields spanning 5-25% soil C (N:P from 1:12 to 1:70), C turnover was best correlated with P availability and increased with experimental N addition only in lower C (mineral) soils with N:P⩽16. Microbial community membership also varied with soil stoichiometry but not with N addition. Shotgun metagenome data revealed changes in community functions with increasing C turnover, including a shift from aromatic C to carbohydrate utilization accompanied by lower N uptake and P scavenging. Similar patterns of C, N and P acquisition, along with higher ribosomal RNA operon copy numbers, distinguished that microbial taxa positively correlated with C turnover. Considering such tradeoffs in genomic resource allocation patterns among taxa strengthened correlations between microbial community composition and C cycling, suggesting simplified guilds amenable to ecosystem modeling. Our results suggest that patterns of soil C turnover may reflect community-dependent metabolic shifts driven by resource allocation strategies, analogous to growth rate-stoichiometry coupling in animal and plant communities.

Higher yields and lower methane emissions with new rice cultivars.

Breeding high-yielding rice cultivars through increasing biomass is a key strategy to meet rising global food demands. Yet, increasing rice growth can stimulate methane (CH4 ) emissions, exacerbating global climate change, as rice cultivation is a major source of this powerful greenhouse gas. Here, we show in a series of experiments that high-yielding rice cultivars actually reduce CH4 emissions from typical paddy soils. Averaged across 33 rice cultivars, a biomass increase of 10% resulted in a 10.3% decrease in CH4 emissions in a soil with a high carbon (C) content. Compared to a low-yielding cultivar, a high-yielding cultivar significantly increased root porosity and the abundance of methane-consuming microorganisms, suggesting that the larger and more porous root systems of high-yielding cultivars facilitated CH4 oxidation by promoting O2 transport to soils. Our results were further supported by a meta-analysis, showing that high-yielding rice cultivars strongly decrease CH4 emissions from paddy soils with high organic C contents. Based on our results, increasing rice biomass by 10% could reduce annual CH4 emissions from Chinese rice agriculture by 7.1%. Our findings suggest that modern rice breeding strategies for high-yielding cultivars can substantially mitigate paddy CH4 emission in China and other rice growing regions.

Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Coffee at the Vegetative Stage as Influenced by Fertilizer Application Method.

Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient for coffee production in Colombia. An adequate supply is especially important during the vegetative period of growth, since any deficiency during this short period is known to have lasting effects on subsequent coffee bean production. Urea fertilizer is commonly applied on the soil surface since steep slopes hamper incorporation into soil, a practice which increases the risk of N volatilization. Little information is available on N recovery during early growth stages under different fertilizer application practices. The aim of this study was therefore to provide a comparison of 15N uptake during the early vegetative growth stage under surface-applied and incorporation practices at two contrasting locations. The highest proportion of plant N derived from fertilizer (Ndff) occurred 60 days following application at the site with greater precipitation and soil organic matter, where surface application also increased the Ndff in roots and stems after 120 days. Although fertilizer N supplied approximately 20-29% of total plant N after 4 months, this fertilizer-derived N corresponded on average to only 5% of the total application, indicating that very little fertilizer (relative to how much is applied) reaches plants during this time. Apart from the difference in Ndff observed at the wetter site, there was no effect of application method on dry weight and macronutrient content in different plant components, root to shoot ratio, and leaf 13C content. However, site effects were registered for most of these measurements, with the exception of total nutrient uptake. Similarly to Ndff trends, lower root/shoot ratio and higher concentrations of N, K, and Mg in aboveground biomass were found in the site with higher rainfall and soil organic matter, likely resulting from higher soil water and N availability. These findings provide new information useful as a direction for further research looking toward increasing NUE during the vegetative stage in Colombian coffee crops.

Conversion from rice to vegetable production increases N2O emission via increased soil organic matter mineralization.

The conversion from rice to vegetable production widely occurs in China. However, the effects of this conversion on N2O emission and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the present study, 12 rice paddies (R) were selected and half of them converted to vegetable fields (V) with the following treatments: rice paddies without N-fertilizer (R-CK), rice paddies with conventional N-fertilizer (R-CN), converted vegetable fields without N-fertilizer (V-CK), and converted vegetable fields with conventional N-fertilizer (V-CN) in a randomized block design with 3 replicates. N2O emissions were measured with static chambers from December 2012 to December 2015. Within each V-CN plot, a root exclusion subplot was established to measure soil heterotrophic respiration (CO2 effluxes), a proxy for soil organic matter mineralization. Conversion of rice paddies to vegetable production dramatically increased N2O emissions. The three-year cumulative N2O emissions were 0.59, 1.90, 55.50 and 160.14kg N ha-1 for R-CK, R-CN, V-CK and V-CN, respectively. The annual N2O emissions from vegetable fields ranged between 5.99 and 113.45kg N ha-1yr-1, with substantially higher emissions in the first year. N2O fluxes from V-CN were significantly and positively related to CO2 fluxes and inorganic N concentrations. The linear relationship between natural logarithms of N2O and CO2 fluxes was stronger and the regression coefficient higher in the first year, showing the dependence of N2O on soil organic matter mineralization. These results suggest that soil organic matter and N mineralization contributes significantly to N2O emission following conversion of rice paddies to vegetable production.

Greenhouse gas emissions from green waste composting windrow.

The process of composting is a source of greenhouse gases (GHG) that contribute to climate change. We monitored three field-scale green waste compost windrows over a one-year period to measure the seasonal variance of the GHG fluxes. The compost pile that experienced the wettest and coolest weather had the highest average CH4 emission of 254±76gCday-1 dry weight (DW) Mg-1 and lowest average N2O emission of 152±21mgNday-1 DW Mg-1compared to the other seasonal piles. The highest N2O emissions (342±41mgNday-1 DW Mg-1) came from the pile that underwent the driest and hottest weather. The compost windrow oxygen (O2) concentration and moisture content were the most consistent factors predicting N2O and CH4 emissions from all seasonal compost piles. Compared to N2O, CH4 was a higher contributor to the overall global warming potential (GWP) expressed as CO2 equivalents (CO2 eq.). Therefore, CH4 mitigation practices, such as increasing O2 concentration in the compost windrows through moisture control, feedstock changes to increase porosity, and windrow turning, may reduce the overall GWP of composting. Based on the results of the present study, statewide total GHG emissions of green waste composting were estimated at 789,000Mg of CO2 eq., representing 2.1% of total annual GHG emissions of the California agricultural sector and 0.18% of the total state emissions.

Tree growth acceleration and expansion of alpine forests: The synergistic effect of atmospheric and edaphic change.

Many forest ecosystems have experienced recent declines in productivity; however, in some alpine regions, tree growth and forest expansion are increasing at marked rates. Dendrochronological analyses at the upper limit of alpine forests in the Tibetan Plateau show a steady increase in tree growth since the early 1900s, which intensified during the 1930s and 1960s, and have reached unprecedented levels since 1760. This recent growth acceleration was observed in small/young and large/old trees and coincided with the establishment of trees outside the forest range, reflecting a connection between the physiological performance of dominant species and shifts in forest distribution. Measurements of stable isotopes (carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen) in tree rings indicate that tree growth has been stimulated by the synergistic effect of rising atmospheric CO2 and a warming-induced increase in water and nutrient availability from thawing permafrost. These findings illustrate the importance of considering soil-plant-atmosphere interactions to understand current and anticipate future changes in productivity and distribution of forest ecosystems.

Direct green waste land application: How to reduce its impacts on greenhouse gas and volatile organic compound emissions?

Direct land application as an alternative to green waste (GW) disposal in landfills or composting requires an understanding of its impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. We investigated the effects of two approaches of GW direct land application, surface application and soil incorporation, on carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), and VOC emissions for a 12month period. Five treatments were applied in fall 2013 on fallow land under a Mediterranean climate in California: 30cm height GW on surface; 15cm height GW on surface; 15cm height GW tilled into soil; control+till; control+no till. In addition, a laboratory experiment was conducted to develop a mechanistic understanding of the influence of GW application on soil O2 consumption and GHG emission. The annual cumulative N2O, CO2 and VOC emissions ranged from 1.6 to 5.5kgN2O-Nha(-1), 5.3 to 40.6MgCO2-Cha(-1) and 0.6 to 9.9kgVOCha(-1), respectively, and were greatly reduced by GW soil incorporation compared to surface application. Application of GW quickly consumed soil O2 within one day in the lab incubation. These results indicate that to reduce GHG and VOC emissions of GW direct land application, GW incorporation into soil is recommended.

Investigating the Temporal Effects of Metal-Based Coagulants to Remove Mercury from Solution in the Presence of Dissolved Organic Matter.

The presence of mercury (Hg), particularly methylmercury (MeHg), is a concern for both human and ecological health as MeHg is a neurotoxin and can bioaccumulate to lethal levels in upper trophic level organisms. Recent research has demonstrated that coagulation with metal-based salts can effectively remove both inorganic mercury (IHg) and MeHg from solution through association with dissolved organic matter (DOM) and subsequent flocculation and precipitation. In this study, we sought to further examine interactions between Hg and DOM and the resulting organo-metallic precipitate (floc) to assess if (1) newly added IHg could be removed to the same extent as ambient IHg or whether the association between IHg and DOM requires time, and (2) once formed, if the floc has the capacity to remove additional Hg from solution. Agricultural drainage water samples containing ambient concentrations of both DOM and IHg were spiked with a traceable amount of isotopically enriched IHg and dosed with ferric sulfate after 0, 1, 5, and 30 days. Both ambient and newly added IHg were removed within hours, with 69-79 % removed. To a separate sample set, isotopically enriched IHg was added to solution after floc had formed. Under those conditions, 81-95 % of newly added Hg was removed even at Hg concentrations 1000-fold higher than ambient levels. Results of this study indicate coagulation with ferric sulfate effectively removes both ambient and newly added IHg entering a system and suggests rapid association between IHg and DOM. This work also provides new information regarding the ability of floc to remove additional Hg from solution even after it has formed.