ALBERT

Description: Recent studies indicate strengthened trade winds and intensified upwelling in the tropical Pacific since the late 1990s, suggesting implications for the biogeochemical processes. We employed a fully coupled physical-biogeochemical model to test the hypothesis that there were climate driven decadal variations in biogeochemical fields of the equatorial Pacific. We quantified changes in nitrate and iron concentrations, primary and secondary productions, and phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass between 1988–1996 and 1999–2007. Our modeling simulation showed that the intensified upwelling during 1999–2007 resulted in significant increases of nitrate and iron concentrations in the mixed layer of the central equatorial Pacific. In addition, the upwelling front moved westward, causing shifts of oligotrophic conditions to mesotrophic conditions in some parts of the western equatorial Pacific. As a result, there was an overall enhancement of biological activity in the western and central equatorial Pacific, leading to an increase in primary production and secondary production by 10–15% and 15–50%, respectively. Our study also indicated that there were changes in ecosystem states in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, suggesting alternative new states with more zooplankton biomass during 1999–2007. Additionally, our study showed significant changes in seasonal variations of biogeochemical fields. Particularly, there was a much stronger seasonality in biological production and plankton biomass near the dateline during 1999–2007 relative to 1988–1996.

Description: It is well known that most primary production is fueled by regenerated nitrogen in the open ocean. Therefore, studying the nitrogen cycle by focusing on uptake and regeneration pathways would advance our understanding of nitrogen dynamics in the marine ecosystem. Here, we carry out a basin-scale modeling study, by assessing model simulations of nitrate and ammonium, and rates of nitrate uptake, ammonium uptake and regeneration in the equatorial Pacific. Model-data comparisons show that the model is able to reproduce many observed features of nitrate, ammonium, such as the deep ammonium maximum (DAM). The model also reproduces the observed de-coupling of ammonium uptake and regeneration, i.e., regeneration rate greater than uptake rate in the lower euphotic zone. The de-coupling largely explains the observed DAM in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Our study indicates that zooplankton excretion and remineralization of organic nitrogen play a different role in nitrogen regeneration. Rates of zooplankton excretion vary from

Description: The equatorial Pacific Ocean is responsible for the interannual variability of the global ocean-atmosphere CO2 fluxes. However, most ocean carbon models significantly underestimate the interannual variability of the regional ocean-atmosphere CO2 fluxes. A basin-scale ocean circulation-biogeochemistry model is employed to investigate the uncertainties associated with the choice of gas exchange formulation, and to assess the implications of the choice of ecosystem model. Using four different, quadratic and cubic relationships of the gas transfer velocity with wind speed yields small differences in the integrated sea-to-air CO2 flux (0.32 to 0.42 Pg C yr−1), but large differences in the averaged Δ pCO2 (44 to 73 μatm) for the area of 150° E–90° W, 10° N–10° S. While the choice of gas exchange formulation primarily influences the magnitudes, the choice of ecosystem model has a broader influence on the spatial and temporal variations in modeled carbon fields in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Particularly, employing an ecosystem model without a dissolved organic pool overestimates the interannual variability in net community production, leading to under-estimated interannual variability of the basin-scale sea-to-air CO2 flux.

Description: Soil organic carbon (SOC) data were collected from six long-term experiment sites in the upland of northern China. Various fertilization (e.g. inorganic fertilizations and combined inorganic-manure applications) and cropping (e.g. mono- and double-cropping) practices have been applied at these sites. Our analyses indicate that long-term applications of inorganic nitrogen-phosphorus (NP) and nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) result in a significant increase in SOC at the sites with the double-cropping systems. The applications of inorganic NP and/or NPK combined with manure lead to a significantly increasing trend in SOC content at all the sites. However, the application of NPK with crop residue incorporation can only increase SOC content in the warm-temperate areas with the double-cropping systems. Regression analyses suggest that soil carbon sequestration responds linearly to carbon input at all the sites. Conversion rates of carbon input to SOC decrease significantly with an increase of annual accumulative temperature or precipitation, showing lower rates (6.8%–7.7%) in the warm-temperate areas than in the mid-temperate areas (15.8%–31.0%).

Description: Global policies that regulate anthropogenic mercury emissions to the environment require quantitative and comprehensive source–receptor relationships for mercury emissions, transport and deposition among major continental regions. In this study, we use the GEOS-Chem model to establish source–receptor relationships among eleven major continental regions worldwide. Source–receptor relationships for surface mercury concentrations (SMC) show that some regions (e.g. East Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Europe) should be responsible for their local surface Hg(II) and Hg(P) concentrations because of near-field transport and deposition contributions from their local anthropogenic emissions (up to 64% and 71% for Hg(II) and Hg(P), respectively, over East Asia). We define region of primary influence (RPI) and region of secondary influence (RSI) to establish intercontinental influence patterns. Results indicate that East Asia is SMC RPI for almost all other regions, while Europe, Russia and the Indian subcontinent also make some contributions to SMC over some receptor regions because they are dominant RSI source regions. Source–receptor relationships for mercury deposition show that approximately 16% and 17% of dry and wet deposition, respectively, over North America originate from East Asia, indicating that trans-pacific transport of East Asian emissions is the major foreign source of mercury deposition in North America. Europe, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent are also important mercury deposition sources for some receptor regions because they are dominant RSI. We also quantify seasonal variation on mercury deposition contributions over other regions from East Asia. Results show that mercury deposition (including dry and wet) contributions from East Asia over the Northern Hemisphere receptor regions (e.g. North America, Europe, Russia, Middle East and Middle Asia) vary seasonally, with the maximum values in summer and minimum values in winter. The opposite seasonal pattern occurs on mercury dry deposition contributions over Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Description: Lake sediment is an important carbon reservoir. However, little is known on the dynamics and sources of sediment organic carbon in the Bosten Lake. We collected 13 surface (0–2 cm) sediment samples in the Bosten Lake and analyzed total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), stable carbon isotopic composition in TOC (δ13Corg) and grain size. We found a large spatial variability in TOC content (1.8–4.4 %) and δ13Corg value (−26.77 to −23.98 ‰). Using a three end member mixing model with measured TOC : TN ratio and δ13Corg, we estimated that 54–90 % of TOC was from autochthonous sources. Higher TOC content (〉 3.7 %) was found in the east and central-north sections and near the mouth of the Kaidu River, which was attributable to allochthonous, autochthonous plus allochthonous, and autochthonous sources, respectively. The lowest TOC content was found in the mid-west section, which might be a result of high kinetic energy levels. Our study indicated that the spatial distribution of sediment TOC in the Bosten Lake was influenced by multiple and complex processes.

Description: The complex effects of light, nutrients and temperature lead to a variable carbon to chlorophyll (C:Chl) ratio in phytoplankton cells. Using field data collected in the Equatorial Pacific, we derived a new dynamic model with a non-steady C:Chl ratio as a function of irradiance, nitrate, iron, and temperature. The dynamic model is implemented into a basin-scale ocean circulation-biogeochemistry model and tested in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. The model reproduces well the general features of phytoplankton dynamics in this region. For instance, the simulated deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) is much deeper in the western warm pool (~100 m) than in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific (~50 m). The model also shows the ability to reproduce chlorophyll, including not only the zonal, meridional and vertical variations, but also the interannual variability. This modeling study demonstrates that combination of nitrate and iron regulates the spatial and temporal variations in the phytoplankton C:Chl ratio in the Equatorial Pacific. Sensitivity simulations suggest that nitrate is mainly responsible for the high C:Chl ratio in the western warm pool while iron is responsible for the frontal features in the C:Chl ratio between the warm pool and the upwelling region. In addition, iron plays a dominant role in regulating the spatial and temporal variations of the C:Chl ratio in the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific. While temperature has a relatively small effect on the C:Chl ratio, light is primarily responsible for the vertical decrease of phytoplankton C:Chl ratio in the euphotic zone.

Description: Soil carbon sequestration is a complex process influenced by agricultural practices, climate and soil conditions. This paper reports a study of long-term fertilization impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamic from six long-term experiments. The experiment sites are located from warm-temperate zone with a double-cropping system of corn (Zea mays L.) – wheat (Triticum Aestivium L.) rotation, to mild-temperate zones with mono-cropping systems of continuous corn, or a three-year rotation of corn-wheat-wheat. Mineral fertilizer applications result in an increasing trend in SOC except in the arid and semi-arid areas with the mono-cropping systems. Additional manure application is important to maintain SOC level in the arid and semi-arid areas. Carbon conversion rate is significant lower in the warm-temperate zone with double cropping system (6.8%–7.7%) than that in the mild-temperate areas with mono-cropping systems (15.8%–31.0%). The conversion rate is significantly correlated with annual precipitation and active accumulative temperature, i.e., higher conversion rate under lower precipitation and/or temperature conditions. Moreover, soil high in clay content has higher conversion rate than soils low in clay content. Soil carbon sequestration rate ranges from 0.07 to 1.461 t ha−1 year−1 in the upland of northern China. There is significantly linear correlation between soil carbon sequestration and carbon input at most sites, indicating that these soils are not carbon-saturated thus have potential to migrate more CO2 from atmosphere.

Description: Lake sediment is an important carbon reservoir. However, little is known on the dynamics and sources of sediment organic carbon in Bosten Lake. We collected 13 surface (0–2 cm) sediment samples in Bosten Lake and analyzed total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), stable carbon isotopic composition in TOC (δ13Corg), and grain size. We found a large spatial variability in TOC content (1.8–4.4 %) and δ 13Corg value (−26.77 to −23.98 ‰). Using a three-end-member mixing model with measured TOC : TN ratio and δ13Corg, we estimated that 54–90 % of TOC was from autochthonous sources. Higher TOC content (〉 3.7 %) was found in the east and central-north sections and near the mouth of the Kaidu River, which was attributable to allochthonous, autochthonous plus allochthonous, and autochthonous sources, respectively. The lowest TOC content was found in the mid-west section, which might be a result of high kinetic energy levels. Our study indicated that the spatial distribution of sediment TOC in the Bosten Lake was influenced by multiple and complex processes.

Description: The complex effects of light, nutrients and temperature lead to a variable carbon to chlorophyll (C:Chl) ratio in phytoplankton cells. Using field data collected in the equatorial Pacific, we derived a new dynamic model with a non-steady C:Chl ratio as a function of irradiance, nitrate, iron, and temperature. The dynamic model is implemented into a basin-scale ocean circulation-biogeochemistry model and tested in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The model reproduces well the general features of phytoplankton dynamics in this region. For instance, the simulated deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) is much deeper in the western warm pool (~100 m) than in the eastern equatorial Pacific (~50 m). The model also shows the ability to reproduce chlorophyll, including not only the zonal, meridional and vertical variations, but also the interannual variability. This study demonstrates that combination of nitrate and iron regulates the spatial and temporal variations in the phytoplankton C:Chl ratio. Particularly, nitrate is responsible for the high C:Chl ratio in the western warm pool while iron is responsible for the frontal features in the C:Chl ratio between the warm pool and the upwelling region. In addition, iron plays a dominant role in regulating the spatial and temporal variations of the C:Chl ratio in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. While temperature has a relatively small effect on the C:Chl ratio, light is primarily responsible for the vertical decrease of phytoplankton C:Chl ratio in the euphotic zone.