| 1. |
- Biggs, Reinette, et al.
(författare)
-
Preparing for the future : teaching scenario planning at the graduate level
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295. ; 8:5, s. 267-273
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Are environmental science students developing the mindsets and obtaining the tools needed to help address the considerable challenges posed by the 21st century? Today's major environmental issues are characterized by high-stakes decisions and high levels of uncertainty. Although traditional scientific approaches are valuable, contemporary environmental issues also require new tools and new ways of thinking. We provide an example of how such new, or “post-normal”, approaches have been taught at the graduate level, through practical application of scenario planning. Surveyed students reported that they found the scenario planning course highly stimulating, thought-provoking, and inspiring. Key learning points included recognizing the need for multiple points of view when considering complex environmental issues, and better appreciating the pervasiveness of uncertainty. Collaborating with non-academic stakeholders was also particularly helpful. Most students left the course feeling more positive about the potential contribution they can make in addressing the environmental challenges that society faces. Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/080075
|
|
| 2. |
- Bade, Darren L., et al.
(författare)
-
Sources and fates of dissolved organic carbon in lakes as determined by whole-lake carbon isotope additions
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Biogeochemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-515X .- 0168-2563. ; 84:2, s. 115-129
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Four whole- lake inorganic C-13 addition experiments were conducted in lakes of differing trophic status. Inorganic C-13 addition enriched algal carbon in C-13 and changed the delta C-13- DOC by + 1.5 parts per thousand to + 9.5 parts per thousand, depending on the specific lake. This change in delta C-13- DOC represented a significant input of algal DOC that was not completely consumed by bacteria. We modeled the dynamics in delta C-13- DOC to estimate the fluxes of algal and terrestrial carbon to and from the DOC pool, and determine the composition of the standing stock. Two experiments in lightly stained, oligotrophic lakes indicated that algal production was the source of about 20% of the DOC pool. In the following year, the experiment was repeated in one of these lakes under conditions of nutrient enrichment, and in a third, more humic lake. Algal contributions to the DOC pool were 40% in the nutrient enriched lake and 5% in the more humic lake. Spectroscopic and elemental analyses corroborated the presence of increased algal DOC in the nutrient enriched lake. Natural abundance measurements of the delta C-13 of DOC in 32 lakes also revealed the dual contributions of both terrestrial and algal carbon to DOC. From these results, we suggest an approach for inferring the contribution of algal and terrestrial DOC using easily measurable parameters.
|
|
| 3. |
- Bastviken, D., et al.
(författare)
-
Fates of methane from different lake habitats : Connecting whole-lake budgets and CH4 emissions
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 113:G2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Methane (CH4) represents a major product of organic matter decomposition in lakes. Once produced in the sediments, CH4 can be either oxidized or emitted as a greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. Lakes represent an important source of atmospheric CH4, but the relative magnitudes of the internal pathways that lead to CH4 emissions are not yet clear. We quantified internal cycling and methane emissions in three lakes during summer stratification. These methane budgets included: sediment release of CH4 at different depths; water column transport patterns and methane oxidation; methane storage in the water column; and methane emissions to the atmosphere by diffusion and ebullition. The contribution of CH4 carbon, via oxidation by methanotrophic bacteria, to pelagic food webs was also estimated. Despite the very low concentration of CH4 in surface waters, shallow, epilimnetic sediments were major contributors of CH4 to the atmosphere. While 51 - 80% of the CH4 produced in deep sediments was oxidized in the water column, most of the CH4 released from shallow sediment escaped oxidation and reached the atmosphere. Epilimnetic sediments accounted for 100% of CH4 emitted during summer stratification, and 14 - 76% considering the release of CH4 stored in deep water layers during lake circulation after the stratification period; diffusive emission accounted for 26 - 48% and ebullition the remainder. These results indicate that it is important to address transport rates of CH4 from the shallow sediment along with the production-consumption processes when trying to understand methane dynamics and the regulation of lake methane emissions.
|
|
