Increased soil emissions of potent greenhouse gases under increased atmospheric CO2

Increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) can affect biotic and abiotic conditions in soil, such as microbial activity and water content. In turn, these changes might be expected to alter the production and consumption of the important greenhouse gases nitrous oxide (N(2)O) and methane (CH(4)) (refs 2, 3). However, studies on fluxes of N(2)O and CH(4) from soil under increased atmospheric CO(2) have not been quantitatively synthesized. Here we show, using meta-analysis, that increased CO(2) (ranging from 463 to 780 parts per million by volume) stimulates both N(2)O emissions from upland soils and CH(4) emissions from rice paddies and natural wetlands. Because enhanced greenhouse-gas emissions add to the radiative forcing of terrestrial ecosystems, these emissions are expected to negate at least 16.6 per cent of the climate change mitigation potential previously predicted from an increase in the terrestrial carbon sink under increased atmospheric CO(2) concentrations. Our results therefore suggest that the capacity of land ecosystems to slow climate warming has been overestimated.     

Plant diversity enhances ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 and nitrogen deposition

Human actions are causing declines in plant biodiversity, increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations and increases in nitrogen deposition; however, the interactive effects of these factors on ecosystem processes are unknown. Reduced biodiversity has raised numerous concerns, including the possibility that ecosystem functioning may be affected negatively, which might be particularly important in the face of other global changes. Here we present results of a grassland field experiment in Minnesota, USA, that tests the hypothesis that plant diversity and composition influence the enhancement of biomass and carbon acquisition in ecosystems subjected to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations and nitrogen deposition. The study experimentally controlled plant diversity (1, 4, 9 or 16 species), soil nitrogen (unamended versus deposition of 4 g of nitrogen per m2 per yr) and atmospheric CO2 concentrations using free-air CO2 enrichment (ambient, 368 micromol mol-1, versus elevated, 560 micromol mol-1). We found that the enhanced biomass accumulation in response to elevated levels of CO2 or nitrogen, or their combination, is less in species-poor than in species-rich assemblages.     

Arctic microorganisms respond more to elevated UV-B radiation than CO2

Surface ultraviolet-B radiation and atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased as a result of ozone depletion and burning of fossil fuels. The effects are likely to be most apparent in polar regions where ozone holes have developed and ecosystems are particularly sensitive to disturbance. Polar plant communities are dependent on nutrient cycling by soil microorganisms, which represent a significant and highly labile portion of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). It was thought that the soil microbial biomass was unlikely to be affected by exposure of their associated plant communities to increased UV-B. In contrast, increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations were thought to have a strong effect as a result of greater below-ground C allocation. In addition, there is a growing belief that ozone depletion is of only minor environmental concern because the impacts of UV-B radiation on plant communities are often very subtle. Here we show that 5 years of exposure of a subarctic heath to enhanced UV-B radiation both alone and in combination with elevated CO2 resulted in significant changes in the C:N ratio and in the bacterial community structure of the soil microbial biomass.     

Parasitic plants indirectly regulate below-ground properties in grassland ecosystems

Parasitic plants are one of the most ubiquitous groups of generalist parasites in both natural and managed ecosystems, with over 3,000 known species worldwide. Although much is known about how parasitic plants influence host performance, their role as drivers of community- and ecosystem-level properties remains largely unexplored. Parasitic plants have the potential to influence directly the productivity and structure of plant communities because they cause harm to particular host plants, indirectly increasing the competitive status of non-host species. Such parasite-driven above-ground effects might also have important indirect consequences through altering the quantity and quality of resources that enter soil, thereby affecting the activity of decomposer organisms. Here we show in model grassland communities that the parasitic plant Rhinanthus minor, which occurs widely throughout Europe and North America, has strong direct effects on above-ground community properties, increasing plant diversity and reducing productivity. We also show that these direct effects of R. minor on the plant community have marked indirect effects on below-ground properties, ultimately increasing rates of nitrogen cycling. Our study provides evidence that parasitic plants act as a major driver of both above-ground and below-ground properties of grassland ecosystems.     

Acclimation of ecosystem CO2 exchange in the Alaskan Arctic in response to decadal climate warming

Long-term sequestration of carbon in Alaskan Arctic tundra ecosystems was reversed by warming and drying of the climate in the early 1980s, resulting in substantial losses of terrestrial carbon. But recent measurements suggest that continued warming and drying has resulted in diminished CO2 efflux, and in some cases, summer CO2 sink activity. Here we compile summer CO2 flux data for two Arctic ecosystems from 1960 to the end of 1998. The results show that a return to summer sink activity has come during the warmest and driest period observed over the past four decades, and indicates a previously undemonstrated capacity for ecosystems to metabolically adjust to long-term (decadal or longer) changes in climate. The mechanisms involved are likely to include changes in nutrient cycling, physiological acclimation, and population and community reorganization. Nevertheless, despite the observed acclimation, the Arctic ecosystems studied are still annual net sources of CO2 to the atmosphere of at least 40 g C m(-2) yr(-1), due to winter release of CO2, implying that further climate change may still exacerbate CO2 emissions from Arctic ecosystems.     

Urbanization effects on tree growth in the vicinity of New York City

Plants in urban ecosystems are exposed to many pollutants and higher temperatures, CO2 and nitrogen deposition than plants in rural areas. Although each factor has a detrimental or beneficial influence on plant growth, the net effect of all factors and the key driving variables are unknown. We grew the same cottonwood clone in urban and rural sites and found that urban plant biomass was double that of rural sites. Using soil transplants, nutrient budgets, chamber experiments and multiple regression analyses, we show that soils, temperature, CO2, nutrient deposition, urban air pollutants and microclimatic variables could not account for increased growth in the city. Rather, higher rural ozone (O3) exposures reduced growth at rural sites. Urban precursors fuel the reactions of O3 formation, but NO(x) scavenging reactions resulted in lower cumulative urban O3 exposures compared to agricultural and forested sites throughout the northeastern USA. Our study shows the overriding effect of O3 despite a diversity of altered environmental factors, reveals 'footprints' of lower cumulative urban O3 exposures amidst a background of higher regional exposures, and shows a greater adverse effect of urban pollutant emissions beyond the urban core.     

A global synthesis reveals biodiversity loss as a major driver of ecosystem change

Evidence is mounting that extinctions are altering key processes important to the productivity and sustainability of Earth's ecosystems. Further species loss will accelerate change in ecosystem processes, but it is unclear how these effects compare to the direct effects of other forms of environmental change that are both driving diversity loss and altering ecosystem function. Here we use a suite of meta-analyses of published data to show that the effects of species loss on productivity and decomposition--two processes important in all ecosystems--are of comparable magnitude to the effects of many other global environmental changes. In experiments, intermediate levels of species loss (21-40%) reduced plant production by 5-10%, comparable to previously documented effects of ultraviolet radiation and climate warming. Higher levels of extinction (41-60%) had effects rivalling those of ozone, acidification, elevated CO(2) and nutrient pollution. At intermediate levels, species loss generally had equal or greater effects on decomposition than did elevated CO(2) and nitrogen addition. The identity of species lost also had a large effect on changes in productivity and decomposition, generating a wide range of plausible outcomes for extinction. Despite the need for more studies on interactive effects of diversity loss and environmental changes, our analyses clearly show that the ecosystem consequences of local species loss are as quantitatively significant as the direct effects of several global change stressors that have mobilized major international concern and remediation efforts.     

有序中孔铁催化剂的费-托合成催化性能研究

以KIT-6为模板用硬模板法合成了有序中孔铁催化剂,并引入Cu助剂,考察其费-托合成反应催化性能,采用原位小角X-射线衍射和N2物理吸附等对其表征,考察了Cu助剂和CO还原对其催化性能和结构的影响.结果表明：模板法合成的铁催化剂不同于传统沉淀铁催化剂,它具有特殊的有序中孔结构和较大的比表面积,较高的费-托合成反应活性和C5＋选择性.Cu助剂使有序中孔铁催化剂的还原性提高,故活性最高.CO还原后的催化剂为孔径均一的中孔结构,比表面积较大,但有序性降低,存在部分孔坍塌.     

与植物有关的河口营养迁移过程及其研究进展

沿海生态系统自养生物群落复杂,初级生产力高,虽然这一区域只占海洋表面积的不足2%,但是其初级生产量约占整个海洋初级生产量的20%.近年来沿海生态系统受人类活动干扰较大,营养盐供应变化较大,对植物群落结构和数量变化产生了重要的影响,而植物群落结构和数量的变化又直接或间接对营养盐的迁移过程产生影响.目前,植物对营养物质迁移的影响的研究相对较少.本文讨论了与植物有关的河口营养迁移的机制,并比较了具有不同优势种的植物群落对营养盐迁移的影响及其程度.     

Nitrogen limitation of microbial decomposition in a grassland under elevated CO2

Carbon accumulation in the terrestrial biosphere could partially offset the effects of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on atmospheric CO2. The net impact of increased CO2 on the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems is unclear, however, because elevated CO2 effects on carbon input to soils and plant use of water and nutrients often have contrasting effects on microbial processes. Here we show suppression of microbial decomposition in an annual grassland after continuous exposure to increased CO2 for five growing seasons. The increased CO2 enhanced plant nitrogen uptake, microbial biomass carbon, and available carbon for microbes. But it reduced available soil nitrogen, exacerbated nitrogen constraints on microbes, and reduced microbial respiration per unit biomass. These results indicate that increased CO2 can alter the interaction between plants and microbes in favour of plant utilization of nitrogen, thereby slowing microbial decomposition and increasing ecosystem carbon accumulation.     

载体MgO/Al2O3比对CH4/CO2重整Ni基催化剂性能的影响

以ＭｇＯ、Ａｌ２Ｏ３以及其混合物为载体,研究ＭｇＯ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３ｍｏｌ比对ＣＨ４／ＣＯ２重整Ｎｉ基催化剂性能的影响．结果表明ＭｇＯ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３＝２（ｍｏｌ比）时其催化性能最好,积炭量最少．现场ＴＰＯ实验表明ＣＯ岐化的积炭量均大于相应催化剂ＣＨ４解离的积炭量,表明ＣＨ４／ＣＯ２重整Ｎｉ基催化剂的积炭,ＣＯ歧化高于ＣＨ４解离     

热解法制备碱式碳酸镁

以盐湖水氯镁石氨法一次沉镁后的母液经碳酸氢铵二次沉镁得到的复盐MgCO3·(NH4)2CO3·H2O为原料,采用热解法制备碱式碳酸镁.研究液固比、Mg2 用量、预氨量、热解温度和热解时间对产品质量的影响.研究结果表明:在液固比为6,Mg2 实际用量与理论用量的摩尔比为1：1,热解温度为90～100 ℃,预氨量为0.2 mL/g复盐和热解时间为4.0 h的工艺条件下得到的碱式碳酸镁质量达到HG/T 2959-2000标准,该工艺可作为盐湖水氯镁石制备碱式碳酸镁的有效方法.     

CO/CO_2/H_2低温合成甲醇新工艺及催化剂研究

以合成气(CO/CO2/H2)为原料,Cu-Zn基为催化剂,2-丁醇为溶剂,低温低压(443 K,3.0 MPa)下合成甲醇.醇溶剂参与反应,但并不被消耗,起到了助催化作用.考察了载体、稀土助剂对催化剂活性的影响,结果表明ZnO,MgO,Al2O3,La2O3,Y2O3作为载体制得的催化剂中,Cu/ZnO在反应中呈现了最高的反应活性;稀土元素作为助剂,能提高Cu-Zn基催化剂的活性,Y的质量分数为7.5%的Cu/ZnO/Y2O3和La的质量分数为10%的Cu/ZnO/La2O3催化剂在反应中均呈现出最高的反应活性,碳的总转化率比使用Cu/ZnO催化剂分别提高了10%和17.5%,两者甲醇的产率...     

兰州市冬半年大气污染物分布特征及变化规律

本文利用１９８８年至１９９２年兰州市１０月至下年度３月期间的较为详尽的污染资料，进行了统计平均，通过图的形式，总结了兰州市冬半年大气污染物分布特征及变化规律，并就这种特征和规律进行了分析，一年之中，ＳＯ２、ＣＯ、ＮＯｘ浓度最大值出现在１２月，而Ｏ３浓度则在此月最低。之内，ＣＯ、ＮＯｘ出现两次峰值，ＳＯ２最大值出现于午后，Ｏ３则较为复杂与ＮＯｘ牵扯相连，峰谷相映．ＳＯ２、ＣＯ、ＮＯｘ３种污染物的浓度城关区大于西固区，而Ｏ３则相反。     

Au/Al_2O_3/Al整体型催化剂的研究

采用阳极氧化法制备了Al2O3/Al载体,研究了阳极氧化条件(硫酸浓度、电流密度、氧化时间等)对载体比表面积和孔结构的影响.用这种载体,经过水合或负载CeO2、Fe2O3等助剂对载体的不同处理后,采用浸渍法制备了金负载量为1%的Au/Al2O3/Al、Au/Al2O3-CeO2/Al、Au/Al2O3-Fe2O3/Al催化剂,考察了其CO催化氧化活性.结果表明:阳极氧化条件对载体的表面结构有着显著的影响,同时也明显影响到催化剂的活性;助剂CeO2的加入能明显提高催化剂的活性.     

CO2 regulator SLAC1 and its homologues are essential for anion homeostasis in plant cells

The continuing rise in atmospheric [CO2] is predicted to have diverse and dramatic effects on the productivity of agriculture, plant ecosystems and gas exchange. Stomatal pores in the epidermis provide gates for the exchange of CO2 and water between plants and the atmosphere, processes vital to plant life. Increased [CO2] has been shown to enhance anion channel activity proposed to mediate efflux of osmoregulatory anions (Cl- and malate(2-)) from guard cells during stomatal closure. However, the genes encoding anion efflux channels in plant plasma membranes remain unknown. Here we report the isolation of an Arabidopsis gene, SLAC1 (SLOW ANION CHANNEL-ASSOCIATED 1, At1g12480), which mediates CO2 sensitivity in regulation of plant gas exchange. The SLAC1 protein is a distant homologue of bacterial and fungal C4-dicarboxylate transporters, and is localized specifically to the plasma membrane of guard cells. It belongs to a protein family that in Arabidopsis consists of four structurally related members that are common in their plasma membrane localization, but show distinct tissue-specific expression patterns. The loss-of-function mutation in SLAC1 was accompanied by an over-accumulation of the osmoregulatory anions in guard cell protoplasts. Guard-cell-specific expression of SLAC1 or its family members resulted in restoration of the wild-type stomatal responses, including CO2 sensitivity, and also in the dissipation of the over-accumulated anions. These results suggest that SLAC1-family proteins have an evolutionarily conserved function that is required for the maintenance of organic/inorganic anion homeostasis on the cellular level.     

African vegetation controlled by tropical sea surface temperatures in the mid-Pleistocene period

The dominant forcing factors for past large-scale changes in vegetation are widely debated. Changes in the distribution of C4 plants--adapted to warm, dry conditions and low atmospheric CO2 concentrations--have been attributed to marked changes in environmental conditions, but the relative impacts of changes in aridity, temperature and CO2 concentration are not well understood. Here, we present a record of African C4 plant abundance between 1.2 and 0.45 million years ago, derived from compound-specific carbon isotope analyses of wind-transported terrigenous plant waxes. We find that large-scale changes in African vegetation are linked closely to sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. We conclude that, in the mid-Pleistocene, changes in atmospheric moisture content--driven by tropical sea surface temperature changes and the strength of the African monsoon--controlled aridity on the African continent, and hence large-scale vegetation changes.     

锰锆镧固溶体的制备及负载铜催化剂的性能研究

采用改进的共沉淀法制备锰锆镧复合氧化物(MnxZr1-xLayO2-σ)载体,然后采用等体积浸渍法负载活性组分Cu,制得铜基锰锆镧复合氧化物(Cuλ/MnxZr1-xLayO2-σ)催化剂.考察该催化剂催化CO、C3H6和NO转化反应的三效催化性能,并且利用XRD、TG和SEM等方法研究催化剂结构与性能的关系.实验结果表明:Mn:Zr:La摩尔比为0.9:0.1:0.06,Cu负载量为5%时,制得的Cu5%/Mn0.9Zr0.1La0.06O2-σ催化剂催化CO、NO和C3H6转化反应的活性良好;Mn、Zr和La能够形成稳定的Mn-Zr-La固溶体,可以有效提高催化剂的低温活性和热稳定性,并且不出现Cu、Mn、Zr或者La物种在载体表面富集的现象;因此,Cu5%/Mn0.9Zr0.1La0.06O2-σ催化剂具有良好的性能,在该催化剂上CO、C3H6和NO的起燃温度(T50)分别为112℃,253℃,210℃,完全转化温度(T90)分别为154℃、319℃和288℃,至500℃时转化率分别高达100%、97.5%和99.3%.     

Cu—Mn—Pt／γ—Al2O3系列催化剂中组分间的活性增强效应

通过ＣＯ氧化活性测试，采用ＸＲＤ、ＸＰＳ、ＴＰＲ等方法表征，研究了Ｃｕ－Ｍｎ－Ｐｔ／γ－Ａｌ２Ｏ３系列催化剂中组分间的活性增强效应，并对其固相结构和表面组成进行表征．结果表明：（１）氧化型ＣｕＭｎ／γ－Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂中Ｃｕ和Ｍｎ之间存在一定的活性增强效应，两种活性组分发生协同作用；（２）还原型Ｐｔ－Ｃｕ／γ－Ａｌ２Ｏ３和Ｐｔ－Ｍｎ／γ－Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂的氧化活性在系列中最高，Ｐｔ－Ｍｎ／γ－Ａｌ２Ｏ３的ＣＯ氧化活性增强效应最为显著．这与加人Ｐｔ后，Ｃｕ２＋易被还原，Ｃｕ＋明显增多有关；（３）同时含有Ｃｕ、Ｍｎ组分的几种催化剂中，催化剂表面上Ｃｕ均有一定富集，加人Ｐｔ后，表相以Ｃｕ＋为主．由于Ｃｕ－Ｍｎ－Ｐｔ三元催化剂的制备方法不同，以致氧化活性相差很大，共浸制备较分浸制备的催化剂活性要好的多．     

中温同时干法钙基脱硫与氨法脱硝的实验研究

为了弄清楚中温条件下同时进行钙基脱硫与氨法脱硝的可行性,该文研究了脱硫脱硝过程中的相互作用。通过固定床实验台在700~850℃研究烟气中NO以及喷入的NH3对CaO固硫反应的影响以及SO2、CO2和H2O存在时固硫产物的脱硝活性。研究结果表明:烟气中的NO对固硫反应无明显影响,NH3仅在700~750℃且有CO2和H2O存在时才会使得CaO固硫反应速率有稍微的降低;SO2使得固硫产物对脱硝反应的催化效果减弱,但这种影响可逆,且H2O会减弱SO2的这种抑制作用。并且固硫产物在SO2,CO2和H2O同时存在时总体仍体现出较明显的脱硝效果。