Impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir on the upper Yangtze River has remarkably altered hydrological regime within the dammed reaches, triggering structural and functional changes of the riparian ...ecosystem. Up to date, how vegetation recovers in response to compound habitat stresses in the water level fluctuation zone remains inexplicitly understood. In this study, plant above-ground biomass (AGB) in a selected water level fluctuation zone was quantified to depict its spatial and temporal pattern using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-derived multispectral images and screened empirical models. The contributions of multiple habitat stressors in governing vegetation recovery dynamics along the environmental gradient were further explored. Screened random forest models indicated relatively higher accuracy in AGB estimation, with R2 being 0.68, 0.79 and 0.62 during the sprouting, growth, and mature periods, respectively. AGB displayed a significant linear increasing trend along the elevational gradient during the sprouting and early growth period, while it showed an inverted U-shaped pattern during late growth and mature period. Flooding duration, magnitude and timing were found to exert greater negative effects on plant sprouting and biomass accumulation and acted as decisive factors in governing the elevation-dependent pattern of AGB. Localized spatial variations in AGB were modulated by other stressors such as sediment burial, soil erosion, soil moisture and nutrient content. Occurrence of episodic summer floods and vegetation distribution were responsible for an inverted U-shaped pattern of AGB during the late growth and mature period. Generally, AGB reached its peak in August, thereafter an obvious decline by an unprecedent dry-hot climatic event. The water level fluctuations with cumulative flooding effects exerted substantial control on AGB temporal dynamics, while climatic condition played a secondary role. Herein, further restorative efforts need to be directed to screening suitable species, maintaining favorable soil condition, and improving vegetation pattern to balance the many trade-offs.
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•Vegetation recovery in a water level fluctuation zone was studied by modelling AGB.•UAV imagery and screened random forest models provide reliable AGB estimates.•AGB increased at growth stage but declined after an extreme heat-drought event.•AGB exhibited a linear trend at elevations but an inversed U-shaped trend thereafter.•Flooding governs overall AGB variability, other stressors generate local variances.
A farm-to-landscape scale modelling framework combining regulating services and life cycle assessment mid-point impacts for air and water was used to explore the co-benefits and trade-offs of ...alternative management futures for grazing livestock farms. Two intervention scenarios were compared: one using on-farm interventions typically recommended following visual farm audits (visually-based) and the other using mechanistical understanding of nutrient and sediment losses to water (mechanistically-based). At farm scale, reductions in business-as-usual emissions to water of total phosphorus (TP) and sediment, using both the visually-based and mechanistically-based scenarios, were <5%. These limited impacts highlighted the important role of land drains and the lack of relevant on-farm measures in current recommended advisory lists for the soil types in question. The predicted impacts of both scenarios on free draining soils were significantly higher; TP reductions of ∼9% (visually-based) and ∼20% (mechanistically-based) compared with corresponding respective estimates of >20% and >35% for sediment. Key co-benefits at farm scale included reductions in nitrous oxide emissions and improvements in physical soil quality, whereas an increase in ammonia emissions was the principal trade-off. At landscape scale, simulated reductions in business-as-usual losses were <3% for both pollutants for both scenarios. The visually-based and mechanistically-based scenarios narrowed the gaps between current and modern background sediment loads by 6% and 11%, respectively. The latter scenario also improved the reduction of GWP100 relative to business-as-usual by 4%, in comparison to 1% for the former. However, with the predicted increase of ammonia emissions, both eutrophication potential and acidification potential increased (e.g., by 7% and 14% for the mechanistically-based scenario). The discrepancy of on-farm intervention efficacy across spatial scales generated by non-agricultural water pollutant sources is a key challenge for addressing water quality problems at landscape scale.
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•Monitoring data frames visually- and mechanistically-based intervention scenarios.•Farm to landscape modelling explores mitigation scenario co-benefits/trade-offs.•Farm scenarios reduced total phosphorus (TP) and sediment by <5% on drained soils.•Farm scenarios reduced TP and sediment by up to ∼20% and >35% on free draining soils.•Reductions in nitrous oxide emissions are the main co-benefit at farm and landscape scales.
Fine sediment inputs into river systems can be a major source of nutrients and heavy metals and have a strong impact on water quality and ecosystem functions of rivers and lakes, including those in ...semiarid regions. However, little is known to date about the spatial distribution of sediment sources in most large scale river basins in Central Asia. Accordingly, a sediment source fingerprinting technique was used to assess the spatial sources of fine-grained (<10μm) sediment in the 15 000km2 Kharaa River basin in northern Mongolia. Variation in geochemical composition (e.g. in Ti, Sn, Mo, Mn, As, Sr, B, U, Ca and Sb) was used for sediment source discrimination with geochemical composite fingerprints based on Genetic Algorithm (GA)-driven Discriminant Function Analysis, the Kruskal–Wallis H-test and Principal Component Analysis. All composite fingerprints yielded a satisfactory GOF (>0.97) and were subsequently used for numerical mass balance modelling with uncertainty analysis. The contributions of the individual sub-catchment spatial sediment sources varied from 6.4% (the headwater sub-catchment of Sugnugur Gol) to 36.2% (the Kharaa II sub-catchment in the middle reaches of the study basin), generally showing higher contributions from the sub-catchments in the middle, rather than the upstream, portions of the study area. The importance of river bank erosion is shown to increase from upstream to midstream tributaries. The source tracing procedure provides results in reasonable accordance with previous findings in the study region and demonstrates the applicability and associated uncertainties of the approach for fine-grained sediment source investigation in large scale semi-arid catchments.
•Applied statistical approach for selecting composite fingerprints in Mongolia.•Geochemical fingerprinting for the definition of source areas in semiarid catchment.•Test of applicability of sediment sourcing in large scale semi-arid catchments.•Combined geochemical and fallout radionuclide fingerprint for management advice.
Remote sensing of specific climatic and biogeographical parameters is an effective means of evaluating the large-scale desertification status of drylands affected by negative human impacts. Here, we ...identify and analyze desertification trends in Iran for the period 2001-2015 via a combination of three indices for vegetation (NPP-net primary production, NDVI-normalized difference vegetation index, LAI-leaf area index) and two climate indices (LST-land surface temperature, P-precipitation). We combine these indices to identify and map areas of Iran that are susceptible to land degradation. We then apply a simple linear regression method, the Mann-Kendall non-parametric test, and the Theil-Sen estimator to identify long-term temporal and spatial trends within the data. Based on desertification map, we find that 68% of Iran shows a high to very high susceptibility to desertification, representing an area of 1.1 million km
(excluding 0.42 million km
classified as unvegetated). Our results highlight the importance of scale in assessments of desertification, and the value of high-resolution data, in particular. Annually, no significant change is evident within any of the five indices, but significant changes (some positive, some negative) become apparent on a seasonal basis. Some observations follow expectations; for instance, NDVI is strongly associated with cooler, wet spring and summer seasons, and milder winters. Others require more explanation; for instance, vegetation appears decoupled from climatic forcing during autumn. Spatially, too, there is much local and regional variation, which is lost when the data are considered only at the largest nationwide scale. We identify a northwest-southeast belt spanning central Iran, which has experienced significant vegetation decline (2001-2015). We tentatively link this belt of land degradation with intensified agriculture in the hinterlands of Iran's major cities. The spatial and temporal trends identified with the three vegetation and two climate indices afford a cost-effective framework for the prediction and management of future environmental trends in developing regions at risk of desertification.
Reductions in CO2 emissions are essential to support the UK in achieving its net zero policy objective by around mid-century. Both changing climate and land use change (LUC) offer an opportunity to ...deploy suitable bioenergy crops strategically to enhance energy production and C sequestration to help deliver net zero through capturing atmospheric CO2. Against this background, we applied process-based models to evaluate the extent of net primary productivity (NPP) losses/gains associated with perennial bioenergy crops and to assess their C sequestration potential under changing climate in the upper River Taw observatory catchment in southwest England. In so doing, we also determined whether LUC from permanent grassland to perennial bioenergy crops, considered in this study, can increase the production and C sequestration potential in the study area. The results show that a warming climate positively impacts the production of all crops considered (permanent grassland, Miscanthus and two cultivars of short rotation coppice (SRC) willow). Overall, Miscanthus provides higher aboveground biomass for energy compared to willow and grassland whereas the broadleaf willow cultivar ‘Endurance’ is best suited, among all crops considered, for C sequestration in this environment, and more so in the changing climate. In warmer lowlands, LUC from permanent grassland to Miscanthus and in cooler uplands from permanent grassland to ‘Endurance’, enhances NPP. Colder areas are predicted to benefit more from changing climate in terms of above and belowground biomass for both Miscanthus and willow. The study shows that the above LUC can help augment non-fossil energy production and increase C sequestration potential if C losses from land conversion do not exceed the benefits from LUC. In the wake of a changing climate, aboveground biomass for bioenergy and belowground biomass to enhance carbon sequestration can be managed by the careful selection of bioenergy crops and targeted deployment within certain climatic zones.
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•The effect of climate on biomass production and C sequestration was evaluated.•Changing climate helps net primary productivity of perennial bioenergy crops.•Endurance willow is the best of all crops for C sequestration in this environment.•Miscanthus provides greater aboveground biomass than willow for bioenergy.•Land use change from grassland to Endurance willow can enhance C sequestration potential.
Previous studies comparing sediment fingerprinting un‐mixing models report large differences in their accuracy. The representation of tracer concentrations in source groups is perhaps the largest ...difference between published studies. However, the importance of decisions concerning the representation of tracer distributions has not been explored explicitly. Accordingly, potential sediment sources in four contrasting catchments were intensively sampled. Virtual sample mixtures were formed using between 10 and 100% of the retrieved samples to simulate sediment mobilization and delivery from subsections of each catchment. Source apportionment used models with a transformed multivariate normal distribution, normal distribution, 25th–75th percentile distribution and a distribution replicating the retrieved source samples. The accuracy and precision of model results were quantified and the reasons for differences were investigated. The 25th–75th percentile distribution produced the lowest mean inaccuracy (8.8%) and imprecision (8.5%), with the Sample Based distribution being next best (11.5%; 9.3%). The transformed multivariate (16.9%; 17.3%) and untransformed normal distributions (16.3%; 20.8%) performed poorly. When only a small proportion of the source samples formed the virtual mixtures, accuracy decreased with the 25th–75th percentile and Sample Based distributions so that when <20% of source samples were used, the actual mixture composition infrequently fell outside of the range of uncertainty shown in un‐mixing model outputs. Poor performance was due to combined random Monte Carlo numbers generated for all tracers not being viable for the retrieved source samples. Trialling the use of a 25th–75th percentile distribution alongside alternatives may result in significant improvements in both accuracy and precision of fingerprinting estimates, evaluated using virtual mixtures. Caution should be exercised when using a normal type distribution, without exploration of alternatives, as un‐mixing model performance may be unacceptably poor.
The representation of source group tracer concentrations is perhaps the largest difference between sediment fingerprinting un‐mixing models. Despite this, the effects of different distributions on model accuracy have not been explored explicitly. ‘This study compared a transformed multivariate normal, a normal and a 25th–75th percentile distribution as well as a distribution replicating the retrieved source samples. The 25th–75th percentile distribution produced the lowest mean inaccuracy (8.8%), with the Sample Based being next best (11.5%). The transformed multivariate (16.9%) and untransformed normal distributions (16.3%) performed poorly.
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•CO2 hydrogenation to methanol on Ga-Pd/SiO2 catalysts is highly selective.•Pd2Ga nanoparticles are produced after reduction at 723 K.•Bimetallic particles are in contact with Ga2O2 ...thin layers.•Carbonaceous species on Ga2O3 are hydrogenated via spillover.
A series of palladium (2 wt.%) catalysts supported on silica (301 m2/g) and loaded with increasing amount of gallium – ratio of Ga/Pd = 2, 4 and 8 atom/atom – were investigated for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. The turnover frequency to methanol (H2/CO2 = 3; 523 K, 3 MPa), based on surface palladium, showed a 200-fold enhancement as compared to the monometallic Pd/SiO2 catalyst. Additionally, the apparent activation energy for methanol synthesis decreased from 60 kJ/mol on Pd/SiO2 to ∼40 kJ/mol on the supported Ga-Pd catalysts. Characterization of the Pd-Ga catalyst series by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy indicates the formation of Pd2Ga bimetallic nanoparticles partially covered by a thin layer of Ga2O3 on the silica surface. In situ infrared spectroscopy was employed to examine the reaction mechanism during the CO2 adsorption and hydrogenation at 0.7 MPa. It is proposed a bifunctional pathway where the carbonaceous species bound to the gallium oxide surface are hydrogenated, stepwise, to formate and methoxy groups by atomic hydrogen, which spillovers from the Pd-Ga bimetallic nanoparticles.
Abstract
Headwater streams are natural sources of methane but are suffering severe anthropogenic disturbance, particularly land use change and climate warming. The widespread intensification of ...agriculture since the 1940s has increased the export of fine sediments from land to streams, but systematic assessment of their effects on stream methane is lacking. Here we show that excess fine sediment delivery is widespread in UK streams (
n
= 236) and, set against a pre-1940s baseline, has markedly increased streambed organic matter (23 to 100 g m
−2
), amplified streambed methane production and ultimately tripled methane emissions (0.2 to 0.7 mmol CH
4
m
−2
d
−1
,
n
= 29). While streambed methane production responds strongly to organic matter, we estimate the effect of the approximate 0.7 °C of warming since the 1940s to be comparatively modest. By separating natural from human enhanced methane emissions we highlight how catchment management targeting the delivery of excess fine sediment could mitigate stream methane emissions by some 70%.
Sediment source fingerprinting using biomarker properties has led to new insights in our understanding of land use contributions to time-integrated suspended sediment samples at catchment scale. A ...time-integrated mass-flux sampler (TIMS; also known as the ‘Phillips’ sampler), a cost-effective approach for suspended sediment collection in situ. Such samplers are widely being used to collect sediment samples for source fingerprinting purposes, including studies using biomarkers as opposed to more conventional tracer properties. Here, we assessed the performance of TIMS for collecting representative sediment samples for biomarkers during high discharge events in a small lowland grassland-dominated catchment. Concentrations of long odd-chain n-alkanes (> C
23
) and both saturated free and bound fatty acids (C
14
-C
32
), as well as compound-specific
13
C were compared between sediment collected by both TIMS and autosamplers (ISCO). The results showed that concentrations of alkanes, free fatty acids, and bound fatty acids are consistently comparable between TIMS and ISCO suspended sediment samples. Similarly, compound-specific
13
C signals were not found to be significantly different in the suspended sediment samples collected using the different samplers. However, different magnitudes of resemblance in biomarker concentrations and compositions between the samples collected using the two sediment collection methods were confirmed by overlapping index and symmetric coordinates-based correlation analysis. Here, the difference is attributed to the contrasting temporal basis of TIMS (time-integrated) vs. ISCO (discrete) samples, as well as potential differences in the particle sizes collected by these different sediment sampling methods. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that TIMS can be used to generate representative biomarker data for suspended sediment samples collected during high discharge events.
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