ALBERT

Description: Vegetated coastal ecosystems have been increasingly recognized for their capacity to sequester organic carbon in their soils and sediments under the term blue carbon. The vegetation of these habitats shows specific adaptations to severe abiotic soil conditions, particularly, waterlogging and salinity, and supports therefore ecosystem functioning and services. Wadden Sea salt marshes in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) have been utilized for high density sheep grazing over centuries. At the beginning of the 1990s, in many parts of salt marshes livestock densities were reduced and the maintenance of the anthropogenic drainage system was ceased. In 2012, 17 years after the change of land utilization, the contents, densities, and accumulation rates of surface soil carbon were investigated at 50 sampling positions with different elevations along eight transects in Wadden Sea mainland salt marshes at Hamburger Hallig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, under different livestock grazing regimes (ungrazed, moderately grazed, intensively grazed). Surface soil was collected in 150 permanent plots (2 m * 2 m) at 50 sampling positions, covering a salt marsh area of 1050 ha. The carbon contents, pH, and bulk density were determined from dried soil. The elevations of the 150 permanent plots were measured and annual vertical accretion rates were calculated from 17 years sedimentation monitoring. This study was supported by the BASSIA project (Biodiversity, management, and ecosystem functions of salt marshes in the Wadden Sea National Park of Schleswig-Holstein), funded by the Bauer-Hollmann Foundation and Universität Hamburg.

Description: The Hyperspectral Analysis of the Mourne Mountains (HAMM) project was undertaken from 2020-2022 in Northern Ireland to integrate spectral, geochemical, and remote sensing data from an exposed, non-arid setting. Mourne Mountain Complex (MMC) samples were obtained by donation from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) and the Sedgwick Museum (University of Cambridge) as well as from the field by the authors. Samples represent the 5 primary granite types (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5), other minor rock types, and alteration styles. Some sample donations were historic and exact locations unspecified. Their reported coordinates are best estimates from historic literature and projections to surface (see notes in the datasets). Remote sensing spectra data (Level 2A–below atmosphere) was obtained from the European Space Agency's (ESA) SENTINEL-2 satellite. Data and imagery were acquired from the ESA's Copernicus Open Access Hub (ESA Copernicus 2022) and was processed using ENVI 5.6 and FLAASH module from L3Harris at University College Dublin. A recent image from August 2022 was chosen as there was little to no cloud cover over the MMC. The spectral data was extracted from the rocks exposed at surface as well as nearby vegetated, representing the major granite types from this study.

Description: The Hyperspectral Analysis of the Mourne Mountains (HAMM) project was undertaken from 2020-2022 in Northern Ireland to integrate spectral, geochemical, and remote sensing data from an exposed, non-arid setting. Mourne Mountain Complex (MMC) samples were obtained by donation from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) and the Sedgwick Museum (University of Cambridge) as well as from the field by the authors. Samples represent the 5 primary granite types (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5), other minor rock types, and alteration styles. Some sample donations were historic and exact locations unspecified. Their reported coordinates are best estimates from historic literature and projections to surface (see notes in the datasets). Whole rock samples were sent to ALS in Loughrea, Co. Galway for crushing and sodium peroxide fusion followed by mass spectrometry analysis for trace element data. Boron was obtained using glassless digestion. Fluorine and Cl were obtained by KOH fusion and ion chromatography. Sample splits were then fused into Li meta/tetra borate discs for major element oxides and also into pressed pellets for additional trace element analyses by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) at the Geological Survey Ireland's (GSI) Earth Surface Research Laboratory (ESRL) at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Both fused discs and pressed pellets were analysed using a PANanalytical Zetium WD XRF. Method codes are present under element headings to denote respective analytical method. Additional data such as REE chondrite normalisation (McDonough & Sun 1995); λ (O'Neill 2016); as well as Ce- and Eu-anomalies, and τ (Anenburg & Williams 2022) are also included.

Description: The Hyperspectral Analysis of the Mourne Mountains (HAMM) project was undertaken from 2020-2022 in Northern Ireland to integrate spectral, geochemical, and remote sensing data from an exposed, non-arid setting. Mourne Mountain Complex (MMC) samples were obtained by donation from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) and the Sedgwick Museum (University of Cambridge) as well as from the field by the authors. Samples represent the 5 primary granite types (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5), other minor rock types, and alteration styles. Some sample donations were historic and exact locations unspecified. Their reported coordinates are best estimates from historic literature and projections to surface (see notes in the datasets). Whole rock samples were analysed at the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Field Spectroscopy Facility (FSF) at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland for visible (VIS) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectra (i.e. 350–2500 nm). Spectra were obtained using an Analytical Spectra Devices (ASD) FieldSpec3 spectroradiometer with contact probe attachment. The contact probe includes an internal, 4.5 W quartz tungsten halogen lamp attached to the unit by a fibre optic cable and a total viewing area of 12.7 mm by 10.6 mm. The instrument was left to stabilise for 2 hours on after starting up, then calibrated to a Spectralon™ white reference before each measurement. Each measurement comprises a batch of 25 complete spectra and multiple measurements were taken on each sample. Areas measured included fresh, least altered sections as well as their weathered/vegetated counterparts exposed at surface as well as hydrothermal veins and associated alteration, if present. The spectra from each sample were averaged in ViewSpecPro to create a representative "whole rock" spectrum that comprises the dataset. Some sample spectra were not averaged across the entire rock sample to better highlight the spectra for vein alteration assemblages and specific minerals (e.g. beryl from the Diamond Rocks).

Description: A tracer experiment was conducted in three study sites along a continental transect from arid to humid-temperate conditions in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. The objective was to determine the short-term (〈1 year) plant nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) acquisition from topsoil (A-Bw horizons), subsoil (Bw-BCw horizons), and saprolite (below BCw horizon). In February and March 2016, δ¹⁵N (as Na¹⁵NO₃, 99 at%) and the K analogs rubidium (as RbCl) and cesium (as CsCl) were injected in three soil depths around the focal plants: Gutierrezia resinosa (H.&A.) B. in the northernmost site (arid shrubland), Aristeguietia salvia (C.) K.&R. in the intermediate site (mediterranean woodland), and Araucaria araucana (M.) K. in the southernmost site (temperate rainforest). The injection holes were drilled with an auger and the excavated soil material was collected to determine soil N, K, Rb, and Cs contents. In November 2016, shoot and root material of labeled and unlabeled plants was collected. The N, K, Rb, and Cs contents and the stable isotope ratios of N (expressed as δ¹⁵N) in plant tissue were measured. The tracer recovery by plants was determined by the δ¹⁵N enrichment and the shift of Rb and Cs contents normalized to the K content between reference plants and labeled plants.The data set contains the N, K, Rb, and Cs contents as well as the stable isotope ratios of N in plant biomass.

Description: The Hyperspectral Analysis of the Mourne Mountains (HAMM) project was undertaken from 2020-2022 in Northern Ireland to integrate spectral, geochemical, and remote sensing data from an exposed, non-arid setting. Mourne Mountain Complex (MMC) samples were obtained by donation from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) and the Sedgwick Museum (University of Cambridge) as well as from the field by the authors. Samples represent the 5 primary granite types (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5), other minor rock types, and alteration styles. Some sample donations were historic and exact locations unspecified. Their reported coordinates are best estimates from historic literature and projections to surface (see notes in the datasets). A small subset of samples , representing all major rock types and samples of particular interest (e.g. Diamond Rocks), were analysed for thermal infrared (TIR) spectra (i.e. 2.5 to 15 μm) using a Midac M2000 Fourier Transform Infrared open path spectrometer (OP-FTIR) at the NERC FSF, University of Edinburgh. The OP-FTIR was placed within a jig system, which allowed for three blackbody units (2×2-inch extended area sources, model Infrared Systems Development Corporation IR-2100) to be placed at 90° from the entrance optics of the unit . The blackbody units were set at T1 = 40°C, T2 = 60°C, and Tambient = varying temperature set to ambient conditions and were controlled using an Infrared Systems Development Corporation IR-300 blackbody control unit (uncertainty = ±0.01°C). To convert the raw digital number signal from the FTIR instrument (e.g. the sample) to radiance values, radiometric calibration was conducted by taking measurements of the two blackbody sources at two different temperatures (one below and one above the temperature of the sample) during the measurements and assuming the raw digital number signal is linearly related to the input radiance. The low emissivity, InfraGold standard reference panel and samples were placed on the plate and heated to 50°C. Monitoring of the sample temperature was conducted using a handheld temperature probe.

Description: A tracer experiment was conducted in three study sites along a continental transect from arid to humid-temperate conditions in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. The objective was to determine the short-term (〈1 year) plant nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) acquisition from topsoil (A-Bw horizons), subsoil (Bw-BCw horizons), and saprolite (below BCw horizon). In February and March 2016, ¹⁵N (as Na¹⁵NO₃, 99 at%) and the K analogs rubidium (as RbCl) and cesium (as CsCl) were injected in three soil depths around the focal plants: Gutierrezia resinosa (H.&A.) B. in the northernmost site (arid shrubland), Aristeguietia salvia (C.) K.&R. in the intermediate site (mediterranean woodland), and Araucaria araucana (M.) K. in the southernmost site (temperate rainforest). The injection holes were drilled with an auger and the excavated soil material was collected to determine soil N, K, Rb, and Cs contents. In November 2016, shoot and root material of labeled and unlabeled plants was collected. The N, K, Rb, and Cs contents and the stable isotope ratios of δ¹⁵N (expressed as δ¹⁵N) in plant tissue were measured. The tracer recovery by plants was determined by the ¹⁵N enrichment and the shift of Rb and Cs contents normalized to the K content between reference plants and labeled plants. The data set contains the K, Rb, and Cs contents in soil.

Description: The Humboldt Upwelling System is of global interest due to its importance to fisheries, though the origin of its high productivity remains elusive. In regional physical-biogeochemical model simulations, the seasonal amplitude of mesozooplankton net production exceeds that of phytoplankton, indicating “seasonal trophic amplification.” An analytical approach identifies amplification to be driven by a seasonally varying trophic transfer efficiency due to mixed layer variations. The latter alters the vertical distribution of phytoplankton and thus the zooplankton and phytoplankton encounters, with lower encounters occurring in a deeper mixed layer where phytoplankton are diluted. In global model simulations, mixed layer depth appears to affect trophic transfer similarly in other productive regions. Our results highlight the importance of mixed layer depth for trophodynamics on a seasonal scale with potential significant implications, given mixed layer depth changes projected under climate change.