Biogeochemical sequestration of carbon within phytoliths of wetland plants: A case study of Xixi wetland, China

As an important long-term terrestrial carbon sequestration mechanism, biogeochemical sequestration of carbon within phytoliths may play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and climate change. The aim of this study is to explore the potential of carbon bio-sequestration within phytoliths produced by wetland plants. The results show that the occluded carbon content of phytoliths in wetland plants ranges from 0.49% to 3.97%, with a CV (coefficient of variation) value of 810%. The data also indicate that the phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) content of biomass for wetland plants depends not only on the phytolith content of biomass, but also the efficiency of carbon occlusion within phytoliths during plant growth in herb-dominated fens. The fluxes of carbon bio-sequestration within phytoliths of herb-dominated fen plants range from 0.003 to 0.077 t CO2 equivalents t-e-CO2ha-1a-1 . In China, 0.04×106 to 1.05×106t CO2 equivalents per year may be sequestrated in phytoliths of herbaceous-dominated fen plants. Globally, taking a fen area of 1.48×108 ha and the largest phytolith carbon biosequestration flux (0.077 t-e-CO 2 ha-1a-1 ) for herb-dominated fen plants, about 1.14×10 7 t CO 2 equivalents per year would have been sequestrated in phytoliths of fen plants. If other wetland plants have similar PhytOC production flux with herb-dominated fen plants (0.077 t-e-CO2ha-1a-1 ), about 4.39×10 7 t-e-CO2a-1 may be sequestrated in the phytoliths of world wetland plants. The data indicate that the management of wetland ecosystems (e.g. selection of plant species) to maximize the production of PhytOC have the potential to bio-sequestrate considerable quantities of atmospheric CO2 .     

Diurnal and monthly variations of carbon dioxide flux in an alpine shrub on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Long-term flux observation is an efficient approachto collect CO2 emission or assimilation data in an ecosys-tem. In cooperation with a series of international coopera-tion programs including those sponsored by IGBP (Inter-national Geosphere-Biosphere Program), WCRP (WorldClimate Research Program), IHDP (International HumanDimension of Global Environment Change), GCTE(Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystem) and LUCC(Land Use and Land Cover Change), a lot of researchwork conce…     

Response of phytoliths in Leymus chinensis to the simulation of elevated global CO2 concentrations in Songnen Grassland, China

Measuring the response of terrestrial ecosystems to elevated CO₂ concentrations is very important for understanding the effects of global change. In this study, OTC (open top chambers) were used to simulate elevated CO₂ concentrations in the Songnen Grassland. As well, phytoliths in Leymus chinensis were extracted to study the relationships between phytoliths and CO₂ concentration. The results show the rondel is abundant in Leymus chinensis, while the trapeziform polylobate is rare. When phytolith production is increased, the rondel phytoliths grow bigger and the proportions of the different phytolith types changes under high CO2 con-centration. These types include elongate hollow, acicular hair cell, square and laminate and are only observed in samples grown under high CO₂ concentrations. All this evidence demonstrates that phytoliths in Leymus chinensis are sensitive to CO₂ concentration, and indicate that phytolith analysis may have potential use in the study of global change, identifying different ecotypes of Leymus chinensis and for the reconstruction of paleoatmospheric CO₂ concentrations.     

Trend, seasonal and diurnal variations of atmospheric CO2 in Beijing

The concentration of atmospheric CO₂ in Beijing increased rapidly at a mean growth rate of 3.7% · a⁻¹ from 1993 to 1995. After displaying a peak of (409.7±25.9) μmol · mol⁻¹ in 1995, it decreased slowly. Both the almost stable anthropogenic CO₂ source and increasing biotic CO₂ sink contribute to the drop of CO₂ concentration from 1995 to 2000. The seasonal variation of CO₂ concentration exhibits a clear cycle with a maximum in winter, averaging (426.8±20.6) μmol · mol⁻¹, and a minimum in summer, averaging (369.1±6.1) μmol·mol⁻¹. The seasonal variation of CO₂ concentration is mainly controlled by phenology. The mean diurnal variation of atmospheric CO₂ concentration for a year in Beijing is highly clear: daily maximum CO₂ concentration usually occurs at night, but daily minimum CO₂ concentration does in the daytime, with a mean diurnal difference more than 34.7 μmol·mol⁻¹. It has been revealed that the interannual variations of atmospheric CO₂ concentration in winter and autumn regulated the interannual trend of atmospheric CO₂, whereas the interannual variation of CO₂ concentration in summer affected the general tendency of atmospheric CO₂ in a less degree.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> at a carbon paste electrode modified with a nickel (II)-5, 11, 17, 23-tetra-tert-butyl-25, 27-bis(Diethylcarbamoylmethoxy) calix[4] arene complex and its application

Electrochemical behavior of a carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with nickel(II)-5, 11, 17, 23-tetra-tert-butyl-25, 27-bis(diethylcarbamoylmethoxy) calix[4]arene (Ni (II)-L) complex and its electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide were investigated by cyclic voltammetric technique in a 5.0×10⁻² mol/L NaClO₄+1.0×10⁻³ mol/L NaOH solution. It was found that Ni(II)-L acts as an effective catalyst for the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide. The modified electrode exhibited a linear response over a hydrogen peroxide concentrations in the range of 2.0×10⁻⁵−1.0×10⁻⁴ mol/L with a detection limit as low as 1.0×10⁻⁶ mol/L. The relative standard deviation was 3.5% for 5 successive determinations of H₂O₂ at 1.0×10⁻⁵ mol/L. The modified electrode was used successfully in rainwater analysis. Foundation item: Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (98J040). Biography: Li Chun ya(1972-), Ph. D. candidate, research direction: electroanalysis and electrosynthesis.     

Voltammetric Response of Epinephrine at Carbon Nanotube Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode and Activated Glassy Carbon Electrode

0Introduction Epinephrine(EP)isanimportantcate cholamineneurotransmitterinthemammaliancentralnervoussystem,whichissecretedbythesu prarenalglandalongwithnorepinephrine.Itisgen erallyusedtotreathypertension,bronchialasthma,organicheartdisease,andincardiacsurgeryand myocardialinfarction[1].VariousmethodshavebeendevelopedforEPstudy,suchascapillaryelectro phoresis(CE)[2],highperformanceliquidchroma tography(HPLC)andflowinjectionanalysis(FIA)[3].Numerousobservationsontheelectro chemicalbehavio…     

Estimate of carbonate production by scleractinian corals at Luhuitou fringing reef, Sanya, China

Carbonate production by scleractinian corals not only maintains coral reef growth, but also represents an important source of atmospheric carbon dioxide. In this paper the carbonate production by scler-actinian corals at Luhuitou fringing reef, Sanya, Hainan Island, China, is investigated with an ecological census-based method. Averaged carbonate production is 1.16 ± 0.55 kg·m-2·a-1 and 3.52 ± 1.32 kg·m-2·a-1 on the reef flat and reef slope, respectively, depending on the composition and distribution of cor...     

The v-v energy transfer of highly vibrationally excited states (I)

The relaxation of the highly vibrationally excited CO (v = 1–8) by CO₂ is studied by timeresolved Fourier transform infrared emission spectroscopy (TR FTIR). 193 nm laser photolysis of the mixture of CHBr₃ with O₂ generates the highly vibrationally excited CO(v) molecules. TR FTIR records the intense infrared emission of CO(v→v-1). The vibrational populations of each level of CO(v) have been determined by the method of spectral simulation. Based on the evolution of the time resolved populations and the differential method, 8 energy transfer rate constants of CO(v = 1–8) to CO₂ molecules areobtained: (5.7±0.1), (5.9±0.1), (5.2±0.2), (3.4±0.2), (2.4±0.3), (2.2±0.4), (2.0±0.4) and (1.8±0.6) (10¹⁴ cm³ · molecule⁻¹ · s⁻¹), respectively. A two-channel energy transfer model can explain the feature of the quenching of CO(v) by CO². For the lower vibrational states of CO, the vibrational energy transfers preferentially to the u³ mode of CO² For the higher levels, the major quenching channel changes to the vibrational energy exchange between CO(v→v-1) and the u¹ mode of CO².     

Rate constants for the reaction of ozone with <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-butyl, <Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>-butyl and <Emphasis Type="Italic">t</Emphasis>-butyl methyl sulfides

The rate constants for the ozone reactions with n-butyl methyl sulfide （n-BMS, CHaCH2CH2CH2SCH3）, sec-butyl methyl sulfide （s-BMS, CH3CH2（CH3）CHSCHa） and tert-butyl methyl sulfide （t-BMS, （CH3）3CSCH3） were measured using our smog chamber under supposedly pseudo-first-order conditions at 30002 K and 760 Torr. The experimental determined rate constants for n-butyl, s-butyl and t-butyl methyl sulfide are （1.23 ± 0.06）×10-19, （5.08 ± 0.19）×10-20 and （2.26 ± 0.14）×10-20 cm3 molecule-1· s-1, respectively. The reactivity-structure relationship of the reactions was discussed and used to illustrate the mechanism of the ozone reaction with thioethers. The results enrich the kinetics data of atmospheric chemistry.     

Trace determination of zirconium using anodic adsorptive voltammetry at a carbon paste electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes

A carbon paste electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNT） was prepared and the determination of ultra trace amount of zirconium based on the anodic adsorptive voltammetry of the zirconium-calcium-alizarin red S mix-polynuclear complex is described in this paper for the first time. The results showed that the sensitivity and the selectivity of the method are excellent. The second derivative linear scan voltammograms of the complex were recorded by polarographic analyzer from 200 to 1200 mV （vs. SCE） and it was found that the complex can be adsorbed on the surface of the electrode, yielding a peak at about 840 mV, corresponding to the oxidation of ARS in the complex. The peak current increases linearly with Zr （IV） concentration in the range of 6.0×10^-12--6.0×10^-11 mol. L^-1 （accumulation time 120 s）, 6.0×10^-11--2.0×10^-9 mol. L-1 （accumulation time 90 s） and 2.0×10^-9--1.0×10^-7 mol. L^-1 （accumulation time 60 s） and the detection limit （S/N = 3） is 2.0×10^-12 mol. L^-1 （accumulation time 180 s）. The procedure has been successfully applied to the determination of zirconium in the ore samples.     

The impacts of “05.6” extreme flood event on riverine carbon fluxes in Xijiang River

An extreme flood event with a frequency of nearly 200 year occurred in June of 2005 in the Xijiang River, the main trunk stream of the Zhujlang River. Samples were systematically collected during the flood event, and water quality parameters, including total suspended sediment （TSS）, dissolved inorganic carbon （DIC）, dissolved organic carbon （DOC）, and particulate organic carbon （POC） were analyzed, and riverine carbon concentrations associated with its changing pattern through the flood process were discussed. These parameters reflect the changes in basin surface flow and subsurface flow during the flood. This flood event influenced annual flux estimations of POC, DOC, and DIC to great extents. Based on carbon flux estimations for the year 2005 and the flood event （June 21-28） in the Xijiang River, it was found that DIC, DOC, and POC fluxes during ＇05.6＇ flood event are 1.52×10^6g.km^-2.a^-1, 0.24×10^6 g.km^-2.a^-1, and 0.54×10^6 g.km^-2.a^-1, and account for 14.87%, 24.75% and 44.89% of the annual fluxes in 2005, respectively. The results suggested that carbon exports during extreme flood events had great contributions to the total carbon fluxes and composition of various carbon components, being important for accurate estimates of annual carbon fluxes in rivers with frequent floods.     

Binding and endocytosis of monoterbium transferrin by K562 cells

Human serum apotransferrin is the major iron-tran- sport protein in blood. The protein binds iron as Fe3+ at two similar, but not identical, high-affinity binding sites. Although iron bound to human serum apotransferrin is less then 0.1% (~3 mg) of the total body iron, dynamically it is the most important iron pool with the highest rate of turnover. The turnover of transferrin iron is in the order of 30 mg per day and, normally, about 80% of this iron are transported to the bone marrow for hem…     

Investigation of the cross-reaction mechanism of C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>F-HNO<Subscript>2</Subscript> aqueous solution irradiated at 355 nm by transient absorbance spectrum technique

The transient absorption spectrum technique was employed to investigate the cross-reaction mechanism of C6H5F-HNO2 aqueous solution irradiated at 355 nm. The characteristic and the kinetic parameters of transient species were also detected. Hydroxyl radical derived from the photolysis of HNO2 was added to monofluorobenzene with a second-order rate constant of （5.83±0.17）×10^9 L·mol^-1·s^-1 to form an adduct, C6H5F…OH, which was able to react with HNO2 as the main reaction pathway with a rate constant of （8.3±0.1）×10^7 L·mol^-1·s^-1. The C6F6…OH adduct can also be decayed by elimination of H2O to yield monofluorophenyl radical C6H4F-. By GC-MS technique, the final products were identified to be monofluorophenol, nitro-monofluorobenzene, nitro-monofluorophenol and para-fluorobiphenyl.     

Diet control on carbon isotopic composition of land snail shell carbonate

Carbon isotope compositions for both the carbonate shells and soft bodies (organic tissue) of living land snails collected mostly from the Loess Plateau, China have been measured. The result shows that δ 13C values range from -13.1‰ to -4.3‰ for the aragonite shell samples and from -26.8‰ to -18.0‰ for the soft body samples. Although the shells are enriched in 13C relative to the bodies averagely by 14.2(±0.8)‰, the shell δ 13Ca values are closely correlated to the body δ 13Corg values, expressed as δ 13Ca = 1.021 δ 13Corg 14.38 (R = 0.965; N = 31). This relationship indicates that δ 13Ca is primarily a function of the isotopic composition of the snail diets since previous studies have proved that the snail body is the same as their food in carbon isotope composition. In other words, carbon isotope compo-sition of the carbonate shell can be used as a proxy to estimate the dietary 13C abundance of the land snails. The data also support that the 13C enrichment of the carbonate shells results mainly from the equilibrium fractionations between the metabolic CO2, HCO3-in the hemolymph and shell aragonite, and partially from kinetic fractionations when snail shells form during their activity.     

Distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon of alpine meadow in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

A study on the distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the alpine meadow in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been carried out. The results indicate that the content of soil organic carbon (C _SOC) in the topsoil of terrace meadow (TM) ((67.16 ± 1.02) g·kg⁻¹) is more than that in the soil of upland meadow (UM) ((63.42 ± 0.65) g·kg⁻¹), while the C _SOC in upland shrubland (US) ((67.49 ± 0.83) g·kg⁻¹) is the most abundant in the scoreh stage (September). From May to September, the C _SOC in the topsoil of UM and US tends to descend, but that of TM tends to ascend. As for the distribution of the C _SOC and the density of SOC in the soil in the three sample areas, the data show that the deeper the soil, the lesser the content and density of SOC. The C _SOC in US is higher than that in TM and UM; the C _SOC in UM is the lowest at 0–10 cm soil depth. The density of SOC in US is always the lowest among UM, TM, and US at 0–40 cm depth, which shows that the storage of carbon in UM is more than that in US in the same range; the carbon pool capacity in UM is higher than that in US in the same range. Biography: ZHANG Wei (1979–), male, Lecturer, research direction: ecology of environment.     

Analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from C3 and C4 plants and modern soils

The analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from modern plants and surface soils in China shows that the values of carbon isotope are consistent with those from C3 and C4 plants,and the processes of photosynthesis of the original plants can be clearly identified by carbon isotope in phytoliths.The value of carbon isotope varied from -23.8‰ to -28‰,with the maximum distributed in the latitude zone from 34° N to 40° N in North China and East China areas,and the minimum in the Northeast China and South China regions.The values of carbon of phytoliths tend to increase from low to high and then reduce to low value again as the latitude increases.In the same latitude zone,the carbon isotope in phytoliths from grassland soil under the trees is obviously lower than that from grassland soil without any trees with the difference of 1‰-2‰.     

Effect of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> concentrations on the activity of photosynthetic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> fixation and extracelluar carbonic anhydrase in the marine diatom <Emphasis Type="Italic">Skeletonema costatum</Emphasis>

The growth and activity of photosynthetic CO2 uptake and extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CAext) of the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum were investigated while cultured at different levels of CO2 in order to see its physio-logical response to different CO2 concentrations under either a low (30 靘ol·m-2·s-1) or high (210 靘ol·m-2·s-1) irradiance. The changes in CO2 concentrations (4—31 靘ol/L) affected the growth and net photosynthesis to a greater extent under the low than under the high light re-gime. CAext was detected in the cells grown at 4 mol/L CO2 but not at 31 and 12 靘ol/L CO2, with its activity being about 2.5-fold higher at the high than at the low irradiance. Photo- synthetic CO2 affinity (1/ K1/2(CO2)) of the cells de-creased with increased CO2 concentrations in culture. The cells cultured under the high-light show significantly higher photosynthetic CO2 affinity than those grown at the low-light level. It is concluded that the regulations of CAext activity and photosynthetic CO2 affinity are dependent not only on CO2 concentration but also on light availability, and that the de-velopment of higher CAext activity and CO2 affinity under higher light level could sufficiently support the photosyn-thetic demand for CO2 even at low level of CO2.     

Coral reef ecosystems in the South China Sea as a source of atmospheric CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in summer

Field measurements of air-sea CO2 exchange in three coral reef areas of the South China Sea (i.e. the Yongshu Reef atoll of the Nansha Islands, southern South China Sea (SCS); Yongxing Island of Xisha Islands, north-central SCS; and Luhuitou Fringing Reef in Sanya of Hainan Island, northern SCS) during the summers of 2008 and 2009 revealed that both air and surface seawater partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2) showed regular diurnal cycles. Minimum values occurred in the evening and maximum values in the morning. Air pCO2 in each of the three study areas showed small diurnal variations, while large diurnal variations were ob-served in seawater pCO2. The diurnal variation amplitude of seawater pCO2 was ~70 μmol mol–1 at the Yongshu Reef lagoon, 420–619 μmol mol–1 on the Yongxing Island reef flat, and 264–579 μmol mol–1 on the reef flat of the Luhuitou Fringing Reef, and 324–492 μmol mol–1 in an adjacent area just outside of this fringing reef. With respect to spatial relations, there were large differences in air-sea CO2 flux across the South China Sea (e.g. ~0.4 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Yongshu Reef, ~4.7 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Yongxing Island, and ~9.8 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Luhuitou Fringing Reef). However, these positive values suggest that coral reef ecosystems of the SCS may be a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Additional analyses indicated that diurnal variations of surface seawater pCO2 in the shallow water reef flat are controlled mainly by biological metabolic processes, while those of deeper water lagoons and outer reef areas are regulated by both biological metabolism and hydrodynamic factors. Unlike the open ocean, inorganic metabolism plays a significant role in influencing seawater pCO2 variations in coral reef ecosystems.     

Observation of small-scale processes over shelf break in the East China Sea

The turbulent dissipation along with temperature and salinity was measured on board R/V Dong Fang Hong 2 over the shelf break of the East China Sea from March 7 to 9, 2004. Applying the Turner angle, it is found that the ＇diffusive＇ double diffusion, salt-fingering, and stable stratification coexist in the upper water column of about 50 m. Below that depth, there exists weak salt-fingering. The turbulent dissipation rates are enhanced along the ray paths of M2 internal tides emanating from the shelf break with values ranging from 1.0×10^-9 W·kg^-1 to 1.2×10^-6 W·kg^-1. The corresponding diapycnal mixing rates are from 1×10^-6 m^2· s^-1 to 1×10^-2 m^2· s^-1. The spatially averaged mixing rate over the whole observation section is 2.3×10^-3 m^2· s^-1, which is much larger than 1×10^-5 m^2·s^-1 of the background diapycnal mixing rate in the open ocean.     

The uptake of ethyl iodide on black carbon surface

The importance of the iodine chemistry in the atmosphere has been demonstrated by recent obserations. The uptake of ethyl iodine on black carbon surface was inestigated at 298 K for the first time. Degussa FW2 （an amorphous black carbon comprising medium oxides） was used as black carbon sample. Black carbon surface was found to be deactiated in reaction with C2H51, and the uptake coefficient （r） was dependent on the time of exposure. The alue of （2.3±0.9）×10^-2 was determined for the initial uptake coefficient （No）. The result suggests that the heterogeneous loss of C2H51 on carbonaceous aerosols may be important under the atmospheric conditions.