Snowball Earth termination by destabilization of equatorial permafrost methane clathrate

The start of the Ediacaran period is defined by one of the most severe climate change events recorded in Earth history--the recovery from the Marinoan 'snowball' ice age, approximately 635 Myr ago (ref. 1). Marinoan glacial-marine deposits occur at equatorial palaeolatitudes, and are sharply overlain by a thin interval of carbonate that preserves marine carbon and sulphur isotopic excursions of about -5 and +15 parts per thousand, respectively; these deposits are thought to record widespread oceanic carbonate precipitation during postglacial sea level rise. This abrupt transition records a climate system in profound disequilibrium and contrasts sharply with the cyclical stratigraphic signal imparted by the balanced feedbacks modulating Phanerozoic deglaciation. Hypotheses accounting for the abruptness of deglaciation include ice albedo feedback, deep-ocean out-gassing during post-glacial oceanic overturn or methane hydrate destabilization. Here we report the broadest range of oxygen isotope values yet measured in marine sediments (-25 per thousand to +12 per thousand) in methane seeps in Marinoan deglacial sediments underlying the cap carbonate. This range of values is likely to be the result of mixing between ice-sheet-derived meteoric waters and clathrate-derived fluids during the flushing and destabilization of a clathrate field by glacial meltwater. The equatorial palaeolatitude implies a highly volatile shelf permafrost pool that is an order of magnitude larger than that of the present day. A pool of this size could have provided a massive biogeochemical feedback capable of triggering deglaciation and accounting for the global postglacial marine carbon and sulphur isotopic excursions, abrupt unidirectional warming, cap carbonate deposition, and a marine oxygen crisis. Our findings suggest that methane released from low-latitude permafrost clathrates therefore acted as a trigger and/or strong positive feedback for deglaciation and warming. Methane hydrate destabilization is increasingly suspected as an important positive feedback to climate change that coincides with critical boundaries in the geological record and may represent one particularly important mechanism active during conditions of strong climate forcing.     

Uptake of dissolved organic carbon and trace elements by zebra mussels

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are widespread and abundant in major freshwater ecosystems in North America, even though the phytoplankton food resources in some of these systems seem to be too low to sustain them. Because phytoplankton biomass is greatly depleted in ecosystems with large D. polymorpha populations and bacteria do not seem to be an important food source for this species, exploitation of alternative carbon sources may explain the unexpected success of D. polymorpha in such environments. Here we examine the possibility that absorption of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from water could provide a nutritional supplement to zebra mussels. We find that mussels absorb 14C-labelled DOC produced by cultured diatoms with an efficiency of 0.23%; this indicates that DOC in natural waters could contribute up to 50% of the carbon demand of zebra mussels. We also find that zebra mussels absorb some dissolved metals that have been complexed by the DOM; although absorption of dissolved selenium was unaffected by DOC, absorption of dissolved cadmium, silver and mercury by the mussels increased 32-, 8.7- and 3.6-fold, respectively, in the presence of high-molecular-weight DOC.     

Eocene global warming events driven by ventilation of oceanic dissolved organic carbon

'Hyperthermals' are intervals of rapid, pronounced global warming known from six episodes within the Palaeocene and Eocene epochs (～65-34 million years (Myr) ago). The most extreme hyperthermal was the ～170 thousand year (kyr) interval of 5-7 °C global warming during the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, 56?Myr ago). The PETM is widely attributed to massive release of greenhouse gases from buried sedimentary carbon reservoirs, and other, comparatively modest, hyperthermals have also been linked to the release of sedimentary carbon. Here we show, using new 2.4-Myr-long Eocene deep ocean records, that the comparatively modest hyperthermals are much more numerous than previously documented, paced by the eccentricity of Earth's orbit and have shorter durations (～40?kyr) and more rapid recovery phases than the PETM. These findings point to the operation of fundamentally different forcing and feedback mechanisms than for the PETM, involving redistribution of carbon among Earth's readily exchangeable surface reservoirs rather than carbon exhumation from, and subsequent burial back into, the sedimentary reservoir. Specifically, we interpret our records to indicate repeated, large-scale releases of dissolved organic carbon (at least 1,600 gigatonnes) from the ocean by ventilation (strengthened oxidation) of the ocean interior. The rapid recovery of the carbon cycle following each Eocene hyperthermal strongly suggests that carbon was re-sequestered by the ocean, rather than the much slower process of silicate rock weathering proposed for the PETM. Our findings suggest that these pronounced climate warming events were driven not by repeated releases of carbon from buried sedimentary sources, but, rather, by patterns of surficial carbon redistribution familiar from younger intervals of Earth history.     

Export of dissolved organic carbon from peatlands under elevated carbon dioxide levels

Peatlands represent a vast store of global carbon. Observations of rapidly rising dissolved organic carbon concentrations in rivers draining peatlands have created concerns that those stores are beginning to destabilize. Three main factors have been put forward as potential causal mechanisms, but it appears that two alternatives--warming and increased river discharge--cannot offer satisfactory explanations. Here we show that the third proposed mechanism, namely shifting trends in the proportion of annual rainfall arriving in summer, is similarly unable to account for the trend. Instead we infer that a previously unrecognized mechanism--carbon dioxide mediated stimulation of primary productivity--is responsible. Under elevated carbon dioxide levels, the proportion of dissolved organic carbon derived from recently assimilated carbon dioxide was ten times higher than that of the control cases. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon appear far more sensitive to environmental drivers that affect net primary productivity than those affecting decomposition alone.     

Polysaccharide aggregation as a potential sink of marine dissolved organic carbon

The formation and sinking of biogenic particles mediate vertical mass fluxes and drive elemental cycling in the ocean. Whereas marine sciences have focused primarily on particle production by phytoplankton growth, particle formation by the assembly of organic macromolecules has almost been neglected. Here we show, by means of a combined experimental and modelling study, that the formation of polysaccharide particles is an important pathway to convert dissolved into particulate organic carbon during phytoplankton blooms, and can be described in terms of aggregation kinetics. Our findings suggest that aggregation processes in the ocean cascade from the molecular scale up to the size of fast-settling particles, and give new insights into the cycling and export of biogeochemical key elements such as carbon, iron and thorium.     

Efficient export of carbon to the deep ocean through dissolved organic matter

Oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) constitutes one of the largest pools of reduced carbon in the biosphere. Estimated DOC export from the surface ocean represents 20% of total organic carbon flux to the deep ocean, which constitutes a primary control on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. DOC is the carbon component of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and an accurate quantification of DOM pools, fluxes and their controls is therefore critical to understanding oceanic carbon cycling. DOC export is directly coupled with dissolved organic nitrogen and phosphorus export. However, the C:N:P stoichiometry (by atoms) of DOM dynamics is poorly understood. Here we study the stoichiometry of the DOM pool and of DOM decomposition in continental shelf, continental slope and central ocean gyre environments. We find that DOM is remineralized and produced with a C:N:P stoichiometry of 199:20:1 that is substantially lower than for bulk pools (typically >775:54:1), but greater than for particulate organic matter (106:16:1--the Redfield ratio). Thus for a given mass of new N and P introduced into surface water, more DOC can be exported than would occur at the Redfield ratio. This may contribute to the excess respiration estimated to occur in the interior ocean. Our results place an explicit constraint on global carbon export and elemental balance via advective pathways.     

三江平原典型岛状林湿地土壤水DOC质量浓度分布特征

以三江平原典型岛状林湿地作为研究对象,分别在6、8和10月下旬分层采集土壤水溶液(0-60era),测定土壤水可溶性有机碳(DOC)和其他几种元素的质量浓度,研究三江平原典型岛状林湿地土壤水DOC质量浓度分布特征.结果表明,岛状林湿地土壤水DOC质量浓度具有明显的季节变化规律,6月份土壤水DOC质量浓度最高,10月份次之,8月份最低.土壤水DOC质量浓度还具有明显的垂直分布规律,从土壤表层向下,随深度增加,土壤水DOC质量浓度先减小后增加,剖面层次之间土壤水DOC质量浓度差异显著(P(0.05).不同月份之间土壤水DOC质量浓度的垂直分布特征存在差异性,但差异不显著(P-41.061).土壤有机质数量和分布、土壤的冻融作用、土壤矿物吸附作用是引起土壤水DOC质量浓度分布的主要原因,采样点的排水状况也对土壤水DOC的分布有重要影响.另外,岛状林湿地土壤水DOC质量浓度与TOC、TC、Fe2+、TP、N03‘呈显著相关关系,与NH4+、P043-、TN、pH存在一定相关关系,说明土壤水DOC质量浓度的分布还与其他各种元素迁移、转化紧密相关,尤其营养元素.     

溶解有机碳对黄龙钙华沉积的影响

为定量研究地表水中溶解有机碳(DOC)浓度变化对黄龙风景区各景点钙华沉积速率的影响,于2014年4月~11月,对景区5个主要景点钙华沉积速率和地表水DOC浓度进行为期近一年的监测,利用SPSS软件对旅客人数、降雨量、溶解有机碳浓度、钙华沉积速率间的相关性进行分析。结果发现,DOC浓度与游客数量呈现明显的正相关变化趋势,而钙华沉积速率与DOC浓度则呈现明显的负相关变化趋势,说明旅游活动已对黄龙地表水DOC浓度产生影响,继而影响钙华沉积;黄龙风景区各景点钙华沉积对DOC浓度变化敏感性大小依次为马蹄海、金砂铺地、迎宾池、争艳池,五彩池。     

三江平原湿地沟渠侵扰带土壤DOC分布特征

在三江平原选择排水沟渠位于湿地低处的某一特定沟渠,平行于沟渠方向按照1.2m×1.2m的网格布点法分层采集土壤,共设计25个采样点,100个土壤样品,测定土壤可溶有机碳(DOC)含量,研究湿地沟渠侵扰带土壤DOC分布特征.结果显示,随着距沟渠距离减小,土壤DOC含量及其水平和垂直分布变异性有增加的趋势,并且到沟渠边缘达到最大.原因是沟渠对湿地土壤的影响是双重的.它为湿地地下水流创造了一个排泄点.沟渠侧向径流将湿地上坡方向的土壤DOC带到沟渠边缘,引起临近沟渠湿地土壤DOC的累积.沟渠水迅速流走,沟渠边缘土壤产生更大频率的水位波动.另外,排水沟渠对湿地沟渠侵扰带土壤DOC分布的影响大小与土壤本身的剖面过程密切相关.     

聚硅酸铁对溶解性有机物与浊度的去除

采用透射电镜法及光子相关光谱法对自制的氧化性聚硅酸铁(PSF)与聚合硫酸铁(PFS)进行微观表征,同时以254 nm的吸光度A(UV_(254))溶解性有机碳质量浓度c(DOC)、色度及比紫外吸光值A(SUV_(254))作为溶解性有机物(DOM)的检测指标,对PSF降低以上各指标与浊度去除效果及相关性进行研究.结果表明:PSF由很短的链节样物种及枝状结构组成,形态尺寸及分维数较大,并且较稳定;PSF具有良好的混凝效果,对浊度及色度的去除率超过95%,对A(UV_(254)),A(SUV_(254)),c(DOE)的去除率分别达到85%,80%,60%;用于评价PSF去除DOM性能的各指标间及其与余浊之间均具有良好的相关性.     

Stability of organic carbon in deep soil layers controlled by fresh carbon supply

The world's soils store more carbon than is present in biomass and in the atmosphere. Little is known, however, about the factors controlling the stability of soil organic carbon stocks and the response of the soil carbon pool to climate change remains uncertain. We investigated the stability of carbon in deep soil layers in one soil profile by combining physical and chemical characterization of organic carbon, soil incubations and radiocarbon dating. Here we show that the supply of fresh plant-derived carbon to the subsoil (0.6-0.8 m depth) stimulated the microbial mineralization of 2,567 +/- 226-year-old carbon. Our results support the previously suggested idea that in the absence of fresh organic carbon, an essential source of energy for soil microbes, the stability of organic carbon in deep soil layers is maintained. We propose that a lack of supply of fresh carbon may prevent the decomposition of the organic carbon pool in deep soil layers in response to future changes in temperature. Any change in land use and agricultural practice that increases the distribution of fresh carbon along the soil profile could however stimulate the loss of ancient buried carbon.     

Fate of secondary effluent dissolved organic matter during soil-aquifer treatment

The reduction of mass and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its fractions from secondary effluent during laboratory-scale soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) soil columns were studied. Reduction in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), absorbance of ultraviolet light at 254 nm (UV-254), biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) and nonbiodegradable dis- solved organic carbon (NBDOC) for the bulk DOM averaged 72.35%, 53.98%, 97.49% and 35.33% across the soil columns, respectively. Using XAD-8 and XAD-4 resins, DOM was fractionated into 3 fractions: hydrophobic acid (HPO-A), transphilic acid (TPI-A) and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). HPO-A was removed by 61.06%, TPI-A by 54.86% and HPI by 74.95% as DOC as a consequence of the laboratory-scale SAT, respectively. The reduction of THMFP from HPO-A, TPI-A and HPI was 27.24%, 26.24% and 36.08%, respectively. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectra revealed that the HPO-A isolated from the secondary effluent contained more aromatic functional groups than the corresponding TPI-A. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum analysis illustrated that TPI-A had decreased hydrocarbon and increased aromatics content in the SAT columns. Specific ultraviolet light absorbance (SUVA) and specific THMFP for each DOM fraction increased across the soil columns and HPI exhibited greater increase in both than HPO-A and TPI-A. The most problematic THM precursor was found to be HPO-A with its high quantity present in recharged water and high chlorine reactivity.     

Biodegradation of dissolved organic carbon in soil extracts and leachates from a temperate forest stand and its relationship to ultraviolet absorbance

The amount and biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in forest floors can contribute to carbon sequestration in soils and the release of CO 2-C from soil to the atmosphere.There is only limited knowledge about the biodegradation of DOC in soil extracts and leachates due to the limitations inherent in degradation experiments.Differences in the biodegradation of DOC were studied in forest soil extracts using cold and hot water and 4 mmol/L CaCl 2 solution and in soil leachates sampled under different conditions over a wide range of DOC concentrations.From these results,we developed a simple and rapid method for determining the biodegradable organic C in forest floors.The hot water extracts and CaCl 2 extracts after CH 3 Cl fumigation contained higher concentrations of biodegradable organic C than the cold water extracts and CaCl 2 extracts before fumigation,with rapid DOC degradation occurring 24-48 h after incubation with an inoculum,followed by slow DOC degradation till 120-168 h into the incubation.During a 7-d incubation with an inoculum,the variation in DOC degradation in the different soil extracts was consistent with the change in special UV absorbance at 254 nm.Relatively higher levels of biodegradable organic C were detected in soil leachates from the forest canopy than in forest gaps between April and October 2008 (P <0.05).Relatively lower concentrations of DOC and biodegradable organic C were observed in soil leachates from N-fertilized plots during the growing season compared with the control,with the exception of the plot treated with KNO 3 at a rate of 45 kg N ha 1 a 1.Around 77.4% to 96.3% of the variability in the biodegradable organic C concentrations in the forest floors could be accounted for by the initial DOC concentration and UV absorbance at 254 nm.Compared with the conventional inoculum incubation method,the method of analyzing UV absorbance at 254 nm is less time consuming and requires a much smaller sample volume.The results suggest that the regression models obtained using the initial DOC concentration and UV absorbance can provide a rapid,simple and reliable method for determining the biodegradable organic C content,especially in field studies involving relatively large numbers of samples.     

A carbon isotope challenge to the snowball Earth

The snowball Earth hypothesis postulates that the planet was entirely covered by ice for millions of years in the Neoproterozoic era, in a self-enhanced glaciation caused by the high albedo of the ice-covered planet. In a hard-snowball picture, the subsequent rapid unfreezing resulted from an ultra-greenhouse event attributed to the buildup of volcanic carbon dioxide (CO(2)) during glaciation. High partial pressures of atmospheric CO(2) (pCO2; from 20,000 to 90,000?p.p.m.v.) in the aftermath of the Marinoan glaciation (～635?Myr ago) have been inferred from both boron and triple oxygen isotopes. These pCO2 values are 50 to 225 times higher than present-day levels. Here, we re-evaluate these estimates using paired carbon isotopic data for carbonate layers that cap Neoproterozoic glacial deposits and are considered to record post-glacial sea level rise. The new data reported here for Brazilian cap carbonates, together with previous ones for time-equivalent units, provide estimates lower than 3,200?p.p.m.v.--and possibly as low as the current value of ～400?p.p.m.v. Our new constraint, and our re-interpretation of the boron and triple oxygen isotope data, provide a completely different picture of the late Neoproterozoic environment, with low atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen that are inconsistent with a hard-snowball Earth.     

Self-organization of dissolved organic matter to micelle-like microparticles in river water

In aquatic systems, the concept of the 'microbial loop' is invoked to describe the conversion of dissolved organic matter to particulate organic matter by bacteria. This process mediates the transfer of energy and matter from dissolved organic matter to higher trophic levels, and therefore controls (together with primary production) the productivity of aquatic systems. Here we report experiments on laboratory incubations of sterile filtered river water in which we find that up to 25% of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) aggregates abiotically to particles of diameter 0.4-0.8 micrometres, at rates similar to bacterial growth. Diffusion drives aggregation of low- to high-molecular-mass DOC and further to larger micelle-like microparticles. The chemical composition of these microparticles suggests their potential use as food by planktonic bacterivores. This pathway is apparent from differences in the stable carbon isotope compositions of picoplankton and the microparticles. A large fraction of dissolved organic matter might therefore be channelled through microparticles directly to higher trophic levels--bypassing the microbial loop--suggesting that current concepts of carbon conversion in aquatic systems require revision.     

固定化生物活性炭除微量有机物的应用研究

采用筛选、驯化的工程菌,对刚投入使用的新炭进行固定化,研究结果果证明,在相同条件下,固定化生物活性炭对微量有机物的去除效果显著,保证在低温低浊期炭滤出水的ＣＯＤＭｎ小于２．５ｍｇ／Ｌ。同时,还对固定化生物活性炭的微观结构和作用机理进行了探讨,并对其综合效益进行了分析。     

二氧化碳溶解气对原油粘度的影响

利用高温高压油-气-水混合液粘度测量装置对原油及含二氧化碳气原油的粘-温特性进行了实验研究，测量了不同气油比条件下油-气混合液的粘度，分析了二氧化碳溶解气对原油粘度的影响。结果表明，在相同压力下，原油及其混合液粘度与温度存在指数关系，原油粘度与压力基本呈线性关系。在同-温度下，油-气混合液的粘度在达到泡点压力之前随着压力的升高而降低；在达到泡点压力之后，随压力的升高而增大；油-气混合液的粘度随气油比增加而减小；油-气混合液的泡点压力随着含气量的增加和温度的升高而增大。     

二氧化碳溶解气对原油粘度的影响

利用高温高压油气水混合液粘度测量装置对原油及含二氧化碳气原油的粘温特性进行了实验研究,测量了不同气油比条件下油气混合液的粘度,分析了二氧化碳溶解气对原油粘度的影响。结果表明,在相同压力下,原油及其混合液粘度与温度存在指数关系,原油粘度与压力基本呈线性关系。在同一温度下,油气混合液的粘度在达到泡点压力之前随着压力的升高而降低;在达到泡点压力之后,随压力的升高而增大;油气混合液的粘度随气油比增加而减小;油气混合液的泡点压力随着含气量的增加和温度的升高而增大。