| 1. |
- Datry, T., et al.
(författare)
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A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Geoscience. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 11:7, s. 497-503
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Perennial rivers and streams make a disproportionate contribution to global carbon (C) cycling. However, the contribution of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which sometimes cease to flow and can dry completely, is largely ignored although they represent over half the global river network. Substantial amounts of terrestrial plant litter (TPL) accumulate in dry riverbeds and, upon rewetting, this material can undergo rapid microbial processing. We present the results of a global research collaboration that collected and analysed TPL from 212 dry riverbeds across major environmental gradients and climate zones. We assessed litter decomposability by quantifying the litter carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and oxygen (O2) consumption in standardized assays and estimated the potential short-term CO2 emissions during rewetting events. Aridity, cover of riparian vegetation, channel width and dry-phase duration explained most variability in the quantity and decomposability of plant litter in IRES. Our estimates indicate that a single pulse of CO2 emission upon litter rewetting contributes up to 10% of the daily CO2 emission from perennial rivers and stream, particularly in temperate climates. This indicates that the contributions of IRES should be included in global C-cycling assessments.
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| 2. |
- von Schiller, D., et al.
(författare)
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Sediment Respiration Pulses in Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams
- 2019
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Ingår i: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0886-6236 .- 1944-9224. ; 33:10, s. 1251-1263
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) may represent over half the global stream network, but their contribution to respiration and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is largely undetermined. In particular, little is known about the variability and drivers of respiration in IRES sediments upon rewetting, which could result in large pulses of CO2. We present a global study examining sediments from 200 dry IRES reaches spanning multiple biomes. Results from standardized assays show that mean respiration increased 32-fold to 66-fold upon sediment rewetting. Structural equation modeling indicates that this response was driven by sediment texture and organic matter quantity and quality, which, in turn, were influenced by climate, land use, and riparian plant cover. Our estimates suggest that respiration pulses resulting from rewetting of IRES sediments could contribute significantly to annual CO2 emissions from the global stream network, with a single respiration pulse potentially increasing emission by 0.2-0.7%. As the spatial and temporal extent of IRES increases globally, our results highlight the importance of recognizing the influence of wetting-drying cycles on respiration and CO2 emissions in stream networks.
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| 3. |
- Nava, Veronica, et al.
(författare)
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Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 619:7969, s. 317-322
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plastic debris is thought to be widespread in freshwater ecosystems globally(1). However, a lack of comprehensive and comparable data makes rigorous assessment of its distribution challenging(2,3). Here we present a standardized cross-national survey that assesses the abundance and type of plastic debris (>250 mu m) in freshwater ecosystems. We sample surface waters of 38 lakes and reservoirs, distributed across gradients of geographical position and limnological attributes, with the aim to identify factors associated with an increased observation of plastics. We find plastic debris in all studied lakes and reservoirs, suggesting that these ecosystems play a key role in the plastic-pollution cycle. Our results indicate that two types of lakes are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination: lakes and reservoirs in densely populated and urbanized areas and large lakes and reservoirs with elevated deposition areas, long water-retention times and high levels of anthropogenic influence. Plastic concentrations vary widely among lakes; in the most polluted, concentrations reach or even exceed those reported in the subtropical oceanic gyres, marine areas collecting large amounts of debris(4). Our findings highlight the importance of including lakes and reservoirs when addressing plastic pollution, in the context of pollution management and for the continued provision of lake ecosystem services.
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| 4. |
- Shumilova, Oleksandra, et al.
(författare)
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Simulating rewetting events in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams : A global analysis of leached nutrients and organic matter
- 2019
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : WILEY. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 25:5, s. 1591-1611
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change and human pressures are changing the global distribution and the extent of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which comprise half of the global river network area. IRES are characterized by periods of flow cessation, during which channel substrates accumulate and undergo physico-chemical changes (preconditioning), and periods of flow resumption, when these substrates are rewetted and release pulses of dissolved nutrients and organic matter (OM). However, there are no estimates of the amounts and quality of leached substances, nor is there information on the underlying environmental constraints operating at the global scale. We experimentally simulated, under standard laboratory conditions, rewetting of leaves, riverbed sediments, and epilithic biofilms collected during the dry phase across 205 IRES from five major climate zones. We determined the amounts and qualitative characteristics of the leached nutrients and OM, and estimated their areal fluxes from riverbeds. In addition, we evaluated the variance in leachate characteristics in relation to selected environmental variables and substrate characteristics. We found that sediments, due to their large quantities within riverbeds, contribute most to the overall flux of dissolved substances during rewetting events (56%-98%), and that flux rates distinctly differ among climate zones. Dissolved organic carbon, phenolics, and nitrate contributed most to the areal fluxes. The largest amounts of leached substances were found in the continental climate zone, coinciding with the lowest potential bioavailability of the leached OM. The opposite pattern was found in the arid zone. Environmental variables expected to be modified under climate change (i.e. potential evapotranspiration, aridity, dry period duration, land use) were correlated with the amount of leached substances, with the strongest relationship found for sediments. These results show that the role of IRES should be accounted for in global biogeochemical cycles, especially because prevalence of IRES will increase due to increasing severity of drying events.
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| 5. |
- Vohland, K., et al.
(författare)
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How to ensure a credible and efficient IPBES?
- 2011
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 1462-9011 .- 1873-6416. ; 14:8, s. 1188-1194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The accelerated loss of biodiversity, impaired ecosystem services, and lack of policy action pose a major threat to human welfare. The installation of an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), as decided upon at the UN general assembly in December 2010, will provide a much needed framework to better coordinate global response to biodiversity loss. The Busan Outcome laid out the foundation of the structure, function and governance of the IPBES. However, the main goal is to make IPBES credible and effective. Here we discuss three main challenges for IPBES: (1) How to identify topics for the agenda and the assessments, (2) how to organise the assessment process, and (3) how to make findings more policy relevant. In this contribution we recommend that scientists actively act as "early warners", identify pertinent topics that unify different stakeholders, and reflect the characteristics of the different regions and scales. Science has to be independent and improve its communication e.g. through the elaboration of different models and policy scenarios. A short reflection on fairness and effectivity leads to the conclusion that trust due to transparency will be one of the main factors that determines the success of IPBES. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
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