Unleashing the sequestration potential of soil organic carbon under climate and land use change scenarios in Danish agroecosystems.

Future global climate changes are expected to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition. However, the combined effect of C inputs, land use changes, and climate on SOC turnover is still unclear. Exploring this SOC-climate-land use interaction allows us to understand the SOC stabilization mechanisms and examine whether the soil can act as a source or a sink for CO2. The current study estimates the SOC sequestration potential in the topsoil layer of Danish agricultural lands by 2038, considering the effect of land use change and future climate scenarios using the Rothamsted Carbon (RothC) model. Additionally, we quantified the loss vulnerability of existing and projected SOC based on the soil capacity to stabilize OC. We used the quantile random forest model to estimate the initial SOC stock by 2018, and we simulated the SOC sequestration potential with RothC for a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario and a crop rotation change (LUC) scenario under climate change conditions by 2038. We compared the projected SOC stocks with the carbon saturation deficit. The initial SOC stock ranged from 10 to 181 Mg C ha-1 in different parts of the country. The projections showed a SOC loss of 8.1 Mg C ha-1 for the BAU scenario and 6 Mg C ha-1 after the LUC adoption. This SOC loss was strongly influenced by warmer temperatures and clay content. The proposed crop rotation became a mitigation measure against the negative effect of climate change on SOC accumulation, especially in sandy soils with a high livestock density. A high C accumulation in C-saturated soils suggests an increase in non-complexed SOC, which is vulnerable to being lost into the atmosphere as CO2. With these results, we provide information to prioritize areas where different soil management practices can be adopted to enhance SOC sequestration in stable forms and preserve the labile-existing SOC stocks.

Improved description of terrestrial habitat types by including microbial communities as indicators.

Soils host diverse communities of microorganisms essential for ecosystem functions and soil health. Despite their importance, microorganisms are not covered by legislation protecting biodiversity or habitats, such as the Habitats Directive. Advances in molecular methods have caused breakthroughs in microbial community analysis, and recent studies have shown that parts of the communities are habitat-specific. If distinct microbial communities are present in the habitat types defined in the Habitats Directive, the Directive may be improved by including these communities. Thus, monitoring and reporting of biodiversity and conservation status of habitat types could be based not only on plant communities but also on microbial communities. In the present study, bacterial and plant communities were examined in six habitat types defined in the Habitats Directive by conducting botanical surveys and collecting soil samples for amplicon sequencing across 19 sites in Denmark. Furthermore, selected physico-chemical properties expected to differ between habitat types and explain variations in community composition of bacteria and vegetation were analysed (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil texture, soil water repellency, soil organic carbon content (OC), inorganic nitrogen, and in-situ water content (SWC)). Despite some variations within the same habitat type and overlaps between habitat types, habitat-specific communities were observed for both bacterial and plant communities, but no correlation was observed between the alpha diversity of vegetation and bacteria. PERMANOVA analysis was used to evaluate the variables best able to explain variation in the community composition of vegetation and bacteria. Habitat type alone could explain 46% and 47% of the variation in bacterial and plant communities, respectively. Excluding habitat type as a variable, the best model (pH, SWC, OC, fine silt, and Shannon's diversity index for vegetation) could explain 37% of the variation for bacteria. For vegetation, the best model (pH, EC, ammonium content and Shannon's diversity index for bacteria) could explain 25% of the variation. Based on these results, bacterial communities could be included in the Habitats Directive to improve the monitoring, as microorganisms are more sensitive to changes in the environment compared to vegetation, which the current monitoring is based on.

Degradation and enantiomeric fractionation of mecoprop in soil previously exposed to phenoxy acid herbicides - New insights for bioremediation.

Phenoxy acid-contaminated subsoils are common as a result of irregular disposal of residues and production wastes in the past. For enhancing in situ biodegradation at reducing conditions, biostimulation may be an effective option. Some phenoxy acids were marketed in racemic mixtures, and biodegradation rates may differ between enantiomers. Therefore, enantio-preferred degradation of mecoprop (MCPP) in soil was measured to get in-depth information on whether amendment with glucose (BOD equivalents as substrate for microbial growth) and nitrate (redox equivalents for oxidation) can stimulate bioremediation. The degradation processes were studied in soil sampled at different depths (3, 4.5 and 6m) at a Danish urban site with a history of phenoxy acid contamination. We observed preferential degradation of the R-enantiomer only under aerobic conditions in the soil samples from 3- and 6-m depth at environmentally relevant (nM) MCPP concentrations: enantiomer fraction (EF)<0.5. On the other hand, we observed preferential degradation of the S-enantiomer in all samples and treatments at elevated (µM) MCPP concentrations: EF>0.5. Three different microbial communities were discriminated by enantioselective degradation of MCPP: 1) aerobic microorganisms with little enantioselectivity, 2) aerobic microorganisms with R-selectivity and 3) anaerobic denitrifying organisms with S-selectivity. Glucose-amendment did not enhance MCPP degradation, while nitrate amendment enhanced the degradation of high concentrations of the herbicide.

Continuous 'Passive' flow-proportional monitoring of drainage using a new modified Sutro weir (MSW) unit.

In view of their crucial role in water and solute transport, enhanced monitoring of agricultural subsurface drain tile systems is important for adequate water quality management. However, existing monitoring techniques for flow and contaminant loads from tile drains are expensive and labour intensive. The aim of this study was to develop a cost-effective and simple method for monitoring loads from tile drains. The Flowcap is a modified Sutro weir (MSW) unit that can be attached to the outlet of tile drains. It is capable of registering total flow, contaminant loads and flow-averaged concentrations. The MSW builds on a modern passive sampling technique that responds to hydraulic pressure and measures average concentrations over time (days to months) for various substances. Mounting the samplers in the MSW allowed a flow-proportional part of the drainage to be sampled. Laboratory testing yielded high linear correlation between the accumulated sampler flow, q total, and accumulated drainage flow, Q total (r (2) > 0.96). The slope of these correlations was used to calculate the total drainage discharge from the sampled volume, and therefore contaminant load. A calibration of the MSW under controlled laboratory condition was needed before interpretation of the monitoring results was possible. The MSW does not require a shed, electricity, or maintenance. This enables large-scale monitoring of contaminant loads via tile drains, which can improve contaminant transport models and yield valuable information for the selection and evaluation of mitigation options to improve water quality. Results from this type of monitoring can provide data for the evaluation and optimisation of best management practices in agriculture in order to produce the highest yield without water quality and recipient surface waters being compromised.

Measuring binding and speciation of hydrophobic organic chemicals at controlled freely dissolved concentrations and without phase separation.

The binding and speciation of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) in aqueous solutions were determined by controlling chemical activity and measuring total concentrations. Passive dosing was applied to control chemical activities of HOCs in aqueous solutions by equilibrium partitioning from a poly(dimethylsiloxane) polymer preloaded with the chemicals. The HOC concentrations in the equilibrated solutions [C(solution(eq))] and water [C(water(eq))] were then measured. Free fractions of the HOCs were determined as C(water(eq))/C(solution(eq)), whereas enhanced capacities (E) of the solutions for HOCs were determined as C(solution(eq))/C(water(eq)). A mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons served as model analytes, while humic acid, sodium dodecyl sulfate, hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin, and NaCl served as model medium constituents. The enhanced capacities were plotted versus the concentrations of medium constituents, and simple linear regression provided precise partition ratios, salting out constants, and critical micelle concentrations. These parameters were generally in good agreement with published values obtained by solid phase microextraction and fluorescence quenching. The very good precision was indicated by the low relative standard errors for the partition ratios of 0.5-8%, equivalent to 0.002-0.03 log unit. This passive dosing approach allows binding and speciation of HOCs to be studied without any phase separation steps or mass balance assumptions.

Transport modes and pathways of the strongly sorbing pesticides glyphosate and pendimethalin through structured drained soils.

Leaching of the strongly sorbing pesticides glyphosate and pendimethalin was evaluated in an 8-month field study focussing on preferential flow and particle-facilitated transport, both of which may enhance the leaching of such pesticides in structured soils. Glyphosate mainly sorbs to mineral sorption sites, while pendimethalin mainly sorbs to organic sorption sites. The two pesticides were applied in equal dosage to a structured, tile-drained soil, and the concentration of the pesticides was then measured in drainage water sampled flow-proportionally. The leaching pattern of glyphosate resembled that of pendimethalin, suggesting that the leaching potential of pesticides sorbed to either the inorganic or organic soil fractions is high in structured soils. Both glyphosate and pendimethalin leached from the root zone, with the average concentration in the drainage water being 3.5 and 2.7 µg L(-1), respectively. Particle-facilitated transport (particles >0.24 µm) accounted for only a small proportion of the observed leaching (13-16% for glyphosate and 16-31% for pendimethalin). Drain-connected macropores located above or in the vicinity of the drains facilitated very rapid transport of pesticide to the drains. That the concentration of glyphosate and pendimethalin in the drainage water remained high (>0.1 µg L(-1)) for up to 7d after a precipitation event indicates that macropores between the drains connected to underlying fractures were able to transport strongly sorbing pesticides in the dissolved phase. Lateral transport of dissolved pesticide via such discontinuities implies that strongly sorbing pesticides such as glyphosate and pendimethalin could potentially be present in high concentrations (>0.1 µg L(-1)) in both water originating from the drainage system and the shallow groundwater located at the depth of the drainage system.