| 1. |
- Alling, Vanja, et al.
(författare)
-
Degradation of terrestrial organic carbon, primary production and out-gassing of CO2 in the Laptev and East Siberian Seas as inferred from delta C-13 values of DIC
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-7037 .- 1872-9533. ; 95, s. 143-159
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The cycling of carbon on the Arctic shelves, including outgassing of CO2 to the atmosphere, is not clearly understood. Degradation of terrestrial organic carbon (OCter) has recently been shown to be pronounced over the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS), i.e. the Laptev and East Siberian Seas, producing dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). To further explore the processes affecting DIC, an extensive suite of shelf water samples were collected during the summer of 2008, and assessed for the stable carbon isotopic composition of DIC (delta C-13(DIC)). The delta C-13(DIC) values varied between -7.2 parts per thousand to +1.6 parts per thousand and strongly deviated from the compositions expected from only mixing between river water and seawater. Model calculations suggest that the major processes causing these deviations from conservative mixing were addition of (DIC) by degradation of OCter, removal of DIC during primary production, and outgassing of CO2. All waters below the halocline in the ESAS had delta C-13(DIC) values that appear to reflect mixing of river water and seawater combined with additions of on average 70 +/- 20 mu M of DIC, originating from degradation of OCter in the coastal water column. This is of the same magnitude as the recently reported deficits of DOCter and POCter for the same waters. The surface waters in the East Siberian Sea had higher delta C-13(DIC) values and lower DIC concentrations than expected from conservative mixing, consistent with additions of DIC from degradation of OCter and outgassing of CO2. The outgassing of CO2 was equal to loss of 123 +/- 50 mu M DIC. Depleted delta C-13(POC) values of -29 parts per thousand to -32 parts per thousand in the mid to outer shelf regions are consistent with POC from phytoplankton production. The low delta C-13(POC) values are likely due to low delta C-13(DIC) of precursor DIC, which is due to degradation of OCter, rather than reflecting terrestrial input compositions. Overall, the delta C-13(DIC) values confirm recent suggestions of substantial degradation of OCter over the ESAS, and further show that a large part of the CO2 produced from degradation has been outgassed to the atmosphere. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 2. |
- Alling, Vanja, et al.
(författare)
-
Non-conservative behavior of dissolved organic carbon across the Laptev and East Siberian Seas
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. - 0886-6236 .- 1944-9224. ; 24, s. GB4033-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change is expected to have a strong effect on the Eastern Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) region, which includes 40% of the Arctic shelves and comprises the Laptev and East Siberian seas. The largest organic carbon pool, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC), may change significantly due to changes in both riverine inputs and transformation rates; however, the present DOC inventories and transformation patterns are poorly understood. Using samples from the International Siberian Shelf Study 2008, this study examines for the first time DOC removal in Arctic shelf waters with residence times that range from months to years. Removals of up to 10%–20% were found in the Lena River estuary, consistent with earlier studies in this area, where surface waters were shown to have a residence time of approximately 2 months. In contrast, the DOC concentrations showed a strong nonconservative pattern in areas with freshwater residence times of several years. The average losses of DOC were estimated to be 30%–50% during mixing along the shelf, corresponding to a first-order removal rate constant of 0.3 yr−1. These data provide the first observational evidence for losses of DOC in the Arctic shelf seas, and the calculated DOC deficit reflects DOC losses that are higher than recent model estimates for the region. Overall, a large proportion of riverine DOC is removed from the surface waters across the Arctic shelves. Such significant losses must be included in models of the carbon cycle for the Arctic Ocean, especially since the breakdown of terrestrial DOC to CO2 in Arctic shelf seas may constitute a positive feedback mechanism for Arctic climate warming. These data also provide a baseline for considering the effects of future changes in carbon fluxes, as the vast northern carbon-rich permafrost areas draining into the Arctic are affected by global warming.
|
|
| 3. |
- Alling, Vanja, 1978-
(författare)
-
Terrestrial organic carbon dynamics in Arctic coastal areas : budgets and multiple stable isotope approaches
- 2010
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Arctic rivers transport 31-42 Tg organic carbon (OC) each year to the Arctic Ocean, which is equal to 10% of the global riverine OC discharge. Since the Arctic Ocean only holds approximately 1% of the global ocean volume, the influence of terrestrially derived organic carbon (OCter) in the Arctic Ocean is relatively high. Despite the global importance of this region the behavior of the, by far largest fraction of the OCter, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in Arctic and sub-arctic estuaries is still a matter of debate. This thesis describes data originating from field cruises in Arctic and sub-arctic estuaries and coastal areas with the aim to improve the understanding of the fate of OCter in these areas, with specific focus on DOC. All presented studies indicate that DOCter and terrestrially derived particulate organic carbon (POCter) are subjected to substantial degradation in high-latitude estuaries, as shown by the non-conservative behavior of DOC in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf Seas (ESAS) (paper I) and the even more rapid degradation of POC in the same region (paper II). The removals of OCter in Arctic shelf seas were further supported by multiple isotope studies (paper III and IV), which showed that a use of 13C/12C in both OC and DIC, together with 34S/32S is a powerful tool to describe the sources and fate of OCter in estuaries and coastal seas. High-latitude estuaries play a key role in the coupling between terrestrial and marine carbon pools. In contrast to the general perception, this thesis shows that they are not only transportation areas for DOCter from rivers to the ocean, but are also active sites for transformation, degradation and sedimentation of DOCter, as well as for POCter. In a rapidly changing climate, the importance of these areas for the coupling between inorganic and organic carbon pools cannot be underestimated.
|
|
| 4. |
- Alling, Vanja, et al.
(författare)
-
Tracing terrestrial organic matter by delta S-34 and delta C-13 signatures in a subarctic estuary
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Limnology and Oceanography. - 0024-3590 .- 1939-5590. ; 53:6, s. 2594-2602
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A key issue to understanding the transformations of terrestrial organic carbon in the ocean is to disentangle the latter from marine-produced organic matter. We applied a multiple stable isotope approach using delta S-34 and delta C-13 isotope signatures from estuarine dissolved organic matter (DOM), enabling us to constrain the contribution of terrestrial-derived DOM in an estuarine gradient of the northern Baltic Sea. The stable isotope signatures for dissolved organic sulfur (delta S-34(DOS)) have twice the range between terrestrial and marine end members compared to the stable isotope signatures for dissolved organic carbon (delta C-13(DOC)); hence, the share of terrestrial DOM in the total estuarine DOM can be calculated more precisely. DOM samples from the water column were collected using ultrafiltration on board the German RV Maria S Merian during a winter cruise, in the Bothnian Bay, Bothnian Sea, and Baltic proper. We calculated the terrestrial fraction of the estuarine DOC (DOCter) from both delta C-13(DOC) and delta S-34(DOS) signatures and applying fixed C: S ratios for riverine and marine end members to convert S isotope signatures into DOC concentrations. The delta S-34(DOS) signature of the riverine end member was +7.02 parts per thousand, and the mean signatures from Bothnian Bay, Bothnian Sea, and Baltic proper were +10.27, +12.51, and +13.67 parts per thousand, respectively, showing an increasing marine signal southwards (d34SDOS marine end member = 18.1 parts per thousand). These signatures indicate that 87%, 75%, and 67%, respectively, of the water column DOC is of terrestrial origin (DOCter) in these basins. Comparing the fractions of DOCter in each basin-that are still based on few winter values only-with the annual river input of DOC, it appears that the turnover time for DOCter in the Gulf of Bothnia is much shorter than the hydraulic turnover time, suggesting that high-latitude estuaries might be efficient sinks for DOCter.
|
|
| 5. |
- Alling, Vanja, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
Tracing terrestrial organic matter by delta34S and delta13C signatures in a subarctic estuary
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Limnology and Oceanography. - : Wiley. - 0024-3590 .- 1939-5590. ; 53:6, s. 2594-2602
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A key issue to understanding the transformations of terrestrial organic carbon in the ocean is to disentangle the latter from marine-produced organic matter. We applied a multiple stable isotope approach using 34S and 13C isotope signatures from estuarine dissolved organic matter (DOM), enabling us to constrain the contribution of terrestrial-derived DOM in an estuarine gradient of the northern Baltic Sea. The stable isotope signatures for dissolved organic sulfur (34SDOS) have twice the range between terrestrial and marine end members compared to the stable isotope signatures for dissolved organic carbon (13CDOC); hence, the share of terrestrial DOM in the total estuarine DOM can be calculated more precisely. DOM samples from the water column were collected using ultrafiltration on board the German RV Maria S Merian during a winter cruise, in the Bothnian Bay, Bothnian Sea, and Baltic proper. We calculated the terrestrial fraction of the estuarine DOC (DOCter) from both 13CDOC and 34SDOS signatures and applying fixed C: S ratios for riverine and marine end members to convert S isotope signatures into DOC concentrations. The 34SDOS signature of the riverine end member was +7.02‰, and the mean signatures from Bothnian Bay, Bothnian Sea, and Baltic proper were +10.27, +12.51, and +13.67‰, respectively, showing an increasing marine signal southwards (34SDOS marine end member 5 18.1‰). These signatures indicate that 87‰, 75‰, and 67‰, respectively, of the water column DOC is of terrestrial origin (DOCter) in these basins. Comparing the fractions of DOCter in each basin—that are still based on few winter values only—with the annual river input of DOC, it appears that the turnover time for DOCter in the Gulf of Bothnia is much shorter than the hydraulic turnover time, suggesting that high-latitude estuaries might be efficient sinks for DOCter.
|
|
| 6. |
- Andersen, Hans Estrup, et al.
(författare)
-
Identifying Hot Spots of Agricultural Nitrogen Loss Within the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Water, Air and Soil Pollution. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0049-6979 .- 1573-2932. ; 227:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Agricultural management practices are among the major drivers of agricultural nitrogen (N) loss. Legislation and management incentives for measures to mitigate N loss should eventually be carried out at the individual farm level. Consequently, an appropriate scale to simulate N loss from a scientific perspective should be at the farm scale. A data set of more than 4000 agricultural fields with combinations of climate, soils and agricultural management which overall describes the variations found in the Baltic Sea drainage basin was constructed. The soil-vegetation-atmosphere model Daisy (Hansen et al. 2012) was used to simulate N loss from the root zone of all agricultural fields in the data set. From the data set of Daisy simulations, we identified the most important drivers for N loss by multiple regression statistics and developed a statistical N loss model. By applying this model to a basin-wide data set on climate, soils and agricultural management at a 10 x 10 km scale, we were able to calculate root-zone N losses from the entire Baltic Sea drainage basin and identify N loss hot spots in a consistent way and at a level of detail not hitherto seen for this area. Further, the root-zone N loss model was coupled to estimates of nitrogen retention in catchments separated into retention in groundwater and retention in surface waters allowing calculation of the coastal N loading.
|
|
| 7. |
- Anderson, Leif G, 1951, et al.
(författare)
-
Export of calcium carbonate corrosive waters from the East Siberian Sea
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 14:7, s. 1811-1823
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Siberian shelf seas are areas of extensive biogeochemical transformation of organic matter, both of marine and terrestrial origin. This in combination with brine production from sea ice formation results in a cold bottom water of relative high salinity and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)). Data from the SWERUS-C3 expedition compiled on the icebreaker Oden in July to September 2014 show the distribution of such waters at the outer shelf, as well as their export into the deep central Arctic basins. Very high pCO(2) water, up to similar to 1000 mu atm, was observed associated with high nutrients and low oxygen concentrations. Consequently, this water had low saturation state with respect to calcium carbonate down to less than 0.8 for calcite and 0.5 for aragonite. Waters undersaturated in aragonite were also observed in the surface in waters at equilibrium with atmospheric CO2; however, at these conditions the cause of undersaturation was low salinity from river runoff and/or sea ice melt. The calcium carbonate corrosive water was observed all along the continental margin and well out into the deep Makarov and Canada basins at a depth from about 50 m depth in the west to about 150 m in the east. These waters of low aragonite saturation state are traced in historic data to the Canada Basin and in the waters flowing out of the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland and in the western Fram Strait, thus potentially impacting the marine life in the North Atlantic Ocean.
|
|
| 8. |
- Artioli, Yuri, et al.
(författare)
-
Nutrient budgets for European seas: A measure of the effectiveness of nutrient reduction policies.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Marine Pollution Bulletin. - : Elsevier BV. - 0025-326X .- 1879-3363. ; 56:9, s. 1609-1617
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Socio-economic development in Europe has exerted increasing pressure on the marine environment. Eutrophication, caused by nutrient enrichment, is evident in regions of all European seas. Its severity varies but has, in places, adversely impacted socio-economic activities. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of recently adopted policies to reduce anthropogenic nutrient inputs to European seas. Nitrogen and phosphorus budgets were constructed for three different periods (prior to severe eutrophication, during severe eutrophication and contemporary) to capture changes in the relative importance of different nutrient sources in four European seas suffering from eutrophication (Baltic Proper, coastal North Sea, Northern Adriatic and North-Western Black Sea Shelf). Policy success is evident for point sources, notably for P in the Baltic and North Seas, but reduction of diffuse sources has been more problematic.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Björkvald, Louise, et al.
(författare)
-
Landscape variations in stream water SO42- and delta S-34(SO4) in a boreal stream network
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-7037 .- 1872-9533. ; 73:16, s. 4648-4660
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite reduced anthropogenic deposition during the last decades, deposition sulphate may still play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles of S and many catchments may act as net sources of S that may remain for several decades. The aim of this study is to elucidate the temporal and spatial dynamics of both SO42- and delta S-34(SO4) in stream water from catchments with varying percentage of wetland and forest coverage and to determine their relative importance for catchment losses of S. Stream water samples were collected from 15 subcatchments ranging in size from 3 to 6780 ha, in a boreal stream network, northern Sweden. In forested catchments (2% wetland cover) S-SO42- concentrations in stream water averaged 1.7 mg L-1 whereas in wetland dominated catchments (30% wetland cover) the concentrations averaged 0.3 mg L-1. A significant negative relationship was observed between S-SO42- and percentage wetland coverage (r(2) = 0.77, p 0.001) and the annual export of stream water SO42- and wetland coverage (r(2) = 0.76 p 0.001). The percentage forest coverage was on the other hand positively related to stream water SO42- concentrations and the annual export of stream water SO42- (r(2) = 0.77 and r(2) = 0.79, respectively). The annual average delta S-34(SO4) value in wetland dominated streams was +7.6%omicron. and in streams of forested catchments +6.7%omicron. At spring flood the delta S-34(SO4) values decreased in all streams by 1%omicron to 5%omicron. The delta S-34(SO4) values in all streams were higher than the delta S-34(SO4) value of +4.7%omicron in precipitation (snow). The export of S ranged from 0.5 kg S ha(-1) yr(-1) (wetland headwater stream) to 3.8 kg S ha(-1) yr(-1) (forested headwater stream). With an average S deposition in open field of 1.3 kg S ha(-1) yr(-1) (2002-2006) the mass balance results in a net export of S from all catchments, except in catchments with 30% wetland. The high temporal and spatial resolution of this study demonstrates that the reducing environments of wetlands play a key role for the biogeochemistry of S in boreal landscapes and are net sinks of S. Forested areas, on the other hand were net sources of S.
|
|
| 11. |
|
|
| 12. |
- Broman, Elias, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
-
Biotic interactions between benthic infauna and aerobic methanotrophs mediate methane fluxes from coastal sediments
- 2024
-
Ingår i: The ISME journal. - 1751-7370 .- 1751-7362. ; 18:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal ecosystems dominate oceanic methane (CH4) emissions. However, there is limited knowledge about how biotic interactions between infauna and aerobic methanotrophs (i.e. CH4 oxidizing bacteria) drive the spatial-temporal dynamics of these emissions. Here, we investigated the role of meio- and macrofauna in mediating CH4 sediment-water fluxes and aerobic methanotrophic activity that can oxidize significant portions of CH4. We show that macrofauna increases CH4 fluxes by enhancing vertical solute transport through bioturbation, but this effect is somewhat offset by high meiofauna abundance. The increase in CH4 flux reduces CH4 pore-water availability, resulting in lower abundance and activity of aerobic methanotrophs, an effect that counterbalances the potential stimulation of these bacteria by higher oxygen flux to the sediment via bioturbation. These findings indicate that a larger than previously thought portion of CH4 emissions from coastal ecosystems is due to faunal activity and multiple complex interactions with methanotrophs.
|
|
| 13. |
- Broman, Elias, et al.
(författare)
-
Low Abundance of Methanotrophs in Sediments of Shallow Boreal Coastal Zones With High Water Methane Concentrations
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-302X. ; 11
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal zones are transitional areas between land and sea where large amounts of organic and inorganic carbon compounds are recycled by microbes. Especially shallow zones near land have been shown to be the main source for oceanic methane (CH4) emissions. Water depth has been predicted as the best explanatory variable, which is related to CH4 ebullition, but exactly how sediment methanotrophs mediates these emissions along water depth is unknown. Here, we investigated the relative abundance and RNA transcripts attributed to methane oxidation proteins of aerobic methanotrophs in the sediment of shallow coastal zones with high CH4 concentrations within a depth gradient from 10–45 m. Field sampling consisted of collecting sediment (top 0–2 cm layer) from eight stations along this depth gradient in the coastal Baltic Sea. The relative abundance and RNA transcripts attributed to the CH4 oxidizing protein (pMMO; particulate methane monooxygenase) of the dominant methanotroph Methylococcales was significantly higher in deeper costal offshore areas (36–45 m water depth) compared to adjacent shallow zones (10–28 m). This was in accordance with the shallow zones having higher CH4 concentrations in the surface water, as well as more CH4 seeps from the sediment. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the low prevalence of Methylococcales and RNA transcripts attributed to pMMO was restrained to the euphotic zone (indicated by Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) data, photosynthesis proteins, and 18S rRNA data of benthic diatoms). This was also indicated by a positive relationship between water depth and the relative abundance of Methylococcales and pMMO. How these processes are affected by light availability requires further studies. CH4 ebullition potentially bypasses aerobic methanotrophs in shallow coastal areas, reducing CH4 availability and limiting their growth. Such mechanism could help explain their reduced relative abundance and related RNA transcripts for pMMO. These findings can partly explain the difference in CH4 concentrations between shallow and deep coastal areas, and the relationship between CH4 concentrations and water depth.
|
|
| 14. |
- Broman, Elias, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
-
No evidence of light inhibition on aerobic methanotrophs in coastal sediments using eDNA and eRNA
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Environmental DNA. - 2637-4943. ; 5:4, s. 766-781
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is estimated that up to half of global methane (CH4) emissions are derived from microbial processes in aquatic ecosystems. However, it is not fully understood which factors explain the spatial and temporal variability of these emissions. For example, light has previously been shown to both inhibit and stimulate aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (i.e., methanotrophs) in the water column. These contrasting results indicate that the mechanisms that light has on CH4 oxidation are not yet clearly known, even less so for benthic aerobic methanotrophs. Here, we tested whether light reaching the seafloor can inhibit methanotrophic activity on the sediment surface. We sampled and distributed over 40 intact sediment cores from two coastal sites (illuminated 10 m, and a dark site at 33 m water depth) into 0, 50, and 100 PAR light treatments. After 10 days, we found no difference between treatments for each site in pore-water CH4 concentrations, relative abundance of aerobic methanotrophs, or the number of RNA transcripts related to methane oxidation. Our results suggest that light attenuation in coastal waters does not significantly affect aerobic methanotrophs in coastal sediments.
|
|
| 15. |
- Conley, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
-
Hypoxia is increasing in the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 45:16, s. 6777-6783
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hypoxia is a well-described phenomenon in the offshore waters of the Baltic Sea with both the spatial extent and intensity of hypoxia known to have increased due to anthropogenic eutrophication, however, an unknown amount of hypoxia is present in the coastal zone. Here we report on the widespread unprecedented occurrence of hypoxia across the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. We have identified 115 sites that have experienced hypoxia during the period 1955-2009 increasing the global total to ca. 500 sites, with the Baltic Sea coastal zone containing over 20% of all known sites worldwide. Most sites experienced episodic hypoxia, which is a precursor to development of seasonal hypoxia. The Baltic Sea coastal zone displays an alarming trend with hypoxia steadily increasing with time since the 1950s effecting nutrient biogeochemical processes, ecosystem services, and coastal habitat.
|
|
| 16. |
- Conley, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
-
Past, present and future state of the biogeochemical Si cycle in the Baltic Sea
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Journal of Marine Systems. - : Elsevier BV. - 0924-7963 .- 1879-1573. ; 73:3-4, s. 338-346
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Baltic Sea is one of many aquatic ecosystems that show long-term declines in dissolved silicate (DSi) concentrations due to anthropogenic alteration of the biogeochemical Si cycle. Reductions in DSi in aquatic ecosystems have been coupled to hydrological regulation reducing inputs, but also with eutrophication, although the relative significance of both processes remains unknown for the observed reductions in DSi concentrations. Here we combine present and historical data on water column DSi concentrations, together with estimates of present river DSi loads to the Baltic, the load prior to damming together with estimates of the long-term accumulation of BSi in sediments. In addition, a model has been used to evaluate the past, present and future state of the biogeochemical Si cycle in the Baltic Sea. The present day DSi load to the Baltic Sea is 855 ktons y(-1). Hydrological regulation and eutrophication of inland waters can account for a reduction of 420 ktons y(-1) less riverine DSi entering the Baltic Sea today. Using published data on basin-wide accumulation rates we estimate that 1074 ktons y(-1) of biogenic silica (BSi) is accumulating in the sediments, which is 36% higher than earlier estimates from the literature (791 ktons y(-1)). The difference is largely due to the high reported sedimentation rates in the Bothnian Sea and the Bothnian Bay. Using river DSi loads and estimated BSi accumulation, our model was not able to estimate water column DSi concentrations as burial estimates exceeded DSi inputs. The model was then used to estimate the BSi burial from measured DSi concentrations and DSj load. The model estimate for the total burial of BSi in all three basins was 620 ktons y(-1), 74% less than estimated from sedimentation rates and sediment BSi concentrations. The model predicted 20% less BSi accumulation in the Baltic Proper and 10% less in the Bothnian Bay than estimated, but with significantly less BSi accumulation in the Bothnian Sea by a factor of 3. The model suggests there is an overestimation of basin-wide sedimentation rates in the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea. In the Baltic Proper, modelling shows that historical DSi concentrations were 2.6 times higher at the turn of the last century (ca. 1900) than at present. Although the DSi decrease has leveled out and at present there are only restricted areas of the Baltic Sea with limiting DSi concentrations, further declines in DSi concentrations will lead to widespread DSi limitation of diatoms with severe implications for the food web.
|
|
| 17. |
- Czajkowski, Mikołaj, et al.
(författare)
-
Increasing the cost-effectiveness of nutrient reduction targets using different spatial scales
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 790
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we investigate the potential gains in cost-effectiveness from changing the spatial scale at which nutrient reduction targets are set for the Baltic Sea, with particular focus on nutrient loadings from agriculture. The costs of achieving loading reductions are compared across five levels of spatial scale, namely the entire Baltic Sea; the marine basin level; the country level; the watershed level; and the grid square level. A novel highly-disaggregated model, which represents decreases in agricultural profits, changes in root zone N concentrations and transport to the Baltic Sea is used. The model includes 14 Baltic Sea marine basins, 14 countries, 117 watersheds and 19,023 10-by-10 km grid squares. The main result which emerges is that there is a large variation in the total cost of the program depending on the spatial scale of targeting: for example, for a 40% reduction in loads, the costs of a Baltic Sea-wide target is nearly three times lower than targets set at the smallest level of spatial scale (grid square). These results have important implications for both domestic and international policy design for achieving water quality improvements where non-point pollution is a key stressor of water quality.
|
|
| 18. |
- Dessirier, Benoît, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
-
A century of nitrogen dynamics in agricultural watersheds of Denmark
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - 1748-9326. ; 18:10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Intensive agriculture has been linked to increased nitrogen loads and adverse effects on downstream aquatic ecosystems. Sustained large net nitrogen surpluses have been shown in several contexts to form legacies in soil or waters, which delay the effects of reduction measures. In this study, detailed land use and agricultural statistics were used to reconstruct the annual nitrogen surpluses in three agriculture-dominated watersheds of Denmark (600-2700 km2) with well-drained loamy soils. These surpluses and long-term hydrological records were used as inputs to the process model ELEMeNT to quantify the nitrogen stores and fluxes for 1920-2020. A multi-objective calibration using timeseries of river nitrate loads, as well as other non-conventional data sources, allowed to explore the potential of these different data to constrain the nitrogen cycling model. We found the flux-weighted nitrate concentrations in the root zone percolate below croplands, a dataset not commonly used in calibrating watershed models, to be critical in reducing parameter uncertainty. Groundwater nitrate legacies built up in all three studied watersheds during 1950-1990 corresponding to & SIM;2% of the surplus (or & SIM;1 kg N ha yr-1) before they went down at a similar rate during 1990-2015. Over the same periods active soil nitrogen legacies first accumulated by approximately 10% of the surplus (& SIM;5 kg N ha yr-1), before undergoing a commensurate reduction. Both legacies appear to have been the drivers of hysteresis in the diffuse load at the catchments' outlet and hindrances to reaching water quality goals. Results indicate that the low cropland surpluses enforced during 2008-2015 had a larger impact on the diffuse river loads than the European Union's untargeted grass set-aside policy of 1993-2008. Collectively, the measures of 1990-2015 are estimated to have reset the diffuse load regimes of the watersheds back to the situation prevailing in the 1960s.
|
|
| 19. |
- Deutsch, Barbara, et al.
(författare)
-
Tracing inputs of terrestrial high molecular weight dissolved organic matter within the Baltic Sea ecosystem
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 9:11, s. 4465-4475
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To test the hypothesis whether high molecular weight dissolved organic matter (HMW-DOM) in a high latitude marginal sea is dominated by terrestrial derived matter, 10 stations were sampled along the salinity gradient of the central and northern Baltic Sea and were analyzed for concentrations of dissolved organic carbon as well as δ13C values of HMW-DOM. Different end-member-mixing models were applied to quantify the influence of terrestrial DOM and to test for conservative versus non-conservative behavior of the terrestrial DOM in the different Baltic Sea basins. The share of terrestrial DOM to the total HMW-DOM was calculated for each station, ranging from 43 to 83%. This shows the high influence of terrestrial DOM inputs for the Baltic Sea ecosystem. The data also suggest that terrestrial DOM reaching the open Baltic Sea is not subject to substantial removal anymore. However compared to riverine DOM concentrations, our results indicate that substantial amounts of HMW-DOM (> 50%) seem to be removed near the coastline during estuarine mixing. A budget approach yielded residence times for terrestrial DOM of 2.8, 3.0, and 4.5 yr for the Bothnian Bay, the Bothnian Sea and the Baltic Proper.
|
|
| 20. |
- Eero, Margit, et al.
(författare)
-
Use of food web knowledge in environmental conservation and management of living resources in the Baltic Sea
- 2021
-
Ingår i: ICES Journal of Marine Science. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1054-3139 .- 1095-9289. ; 78:8, s. 2645-2663
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Food webs are central entities mediating processes and external pressures in marine ecosystems. They are essential to understand and predict ecosystem dynamics and provision of ecosystem services. Paradoxically, utilization of food web knowledge in marine environmental conservation and resource management is limited. To better understand the use of knowledge and barriers to incorporation in management, we assess its application related to the management of eutrophication, chemical contamination, fish stocks, and non-indigenous species. We focus on the Baltic, a severely impacted, but also intensely studied and actively managed semi-enclosed sea. Our assessment shows food web processes playing a central role in all four areas, but application varies strongly, from formalized integration in management decisions, to support in selecting indicators and setting threshold values, to informal knowledge explaining ecosystem dynamics and management performance. Barriers for integration are complexity of involved ecological processes and that management frameworks are not designed to handle such information. We provide a categorization of the multi-faceted uses of food web knowledge and benefits of future incorporation in management, especially moving towards ecosystem-based approaches as guiding principle in present marine policies and directives. We close with perspectives on research needs to support this move considering global and regional change.
|
|
| 21. |
- Ehrnsten, Eva, et al.
(författare)
-
Understanding Environmental Changes in Temperate Coastal Seas : Linking Models of Benthic Fauna to Carbon and Nutrient Fluxes
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745. ; 7
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal seas are highly productive systems, providing an array of ecosystem services to humankind, such as processing of nutrient effluents from land and climate regulation. However, coastal ecosystems are threatened by human-induced pressures such as climate change and eutrophication. In the coastal zone, the fluxes and transformations of nutrients and carbon sustaining coastal ecosystem functions and services are strongly regulated by benthic biological and chemical processes. Thus, to understand and quantify how coastal ecosystems respond to environmental change, mechanistic modeling of benthic biogeochemical processes is required. Here, we discuss the present model capabilities to quantitatively describe how benthic fauna drives nutrient and carbon processing in the coastal zone. There are a multitude of modeling approaches of different complexity, but a thorough mechanistic description of benthic-pelagic processes is still hampered by a fundamental lack of scientific understanding of the diverse interactions between the physical, chemical and biological processes that drive biogeochemical fluxes in the coastal zone. Especially shallow systems with long water residence times are sensitive to the activities of benthic organisms. Hence, including and improving the description of benthic biomass and metabolism in sediment diagenetic as well as ecosystem models for such systems is essential to increase our understanding of their response to environmental changes and the role of coastal sediments in nutrient and carbon cycling. Major challenges and research priorities are (1) to couple the dynamics of zoobenthic biomass and metabolism to sediment reactive-transport in models, (2) to test and validate model formulations against real-world data to better incorporate the context-dependency of processes in heterogeneous coastal areas in models and (3) to capture the role of stochastic events.
|
|
| 22. |
- Eriksson Hägg, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
-
Future nutrient load scenarios for the Baltic Sea due to climate and lifestyle changes
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 43:3, s. 337--351
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dynamic model simulations of the future climate and projections of future lifestyles within the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin (BSDB) were considered in this study to estimate potential trends in future nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea. Total nitrogen and total phosphorus loads were estimated using a simple proxy based only on human population (to account for nutrient sources) and stream discharges (to account for nutrient transport). This population-discharge proxy provided a good estimate for nutrient loads across the seven sub-basins of the BSDB considered. All climate scenarios considered here produced increased nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea over the next 100 years. There was variation between the climate scenarios such that sub-basin and regional differences were seen in future nutrient runoff depending on the climate model and scenario considered. Regardless, the results of this study indicate that changes in lifestyle brought about through shifts in consumption and population potentially overshadow the climate effects on future nutrient runoff for the entire BSDB. Regionally, however, lifestyle changes appear relatively more important in the southern regions of the BSDB while climatic changes appear more important in the northern regions with regards to future increases in nutrient loads. From a whole-ecosystem management perspective of the BSDB, this implies that implementation of improved and targeted management practices can still bring about improved conditions in the Baltic Sea in the face of a warmer and wetter future climate
|
|
| 23. |
|
|
| 24. |
- Eriksson Hägg, Hanna, 1975-
(författare)
-
Nitrogen land-sea fluxes in the Baltic Sea catchment : Empirical relationships and budgets
- 2010
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis empirical relationships and modeling tools are used to describe the relationship between human activities and meso- and large scale riverine N fluxes from land to sea. On a large scale Paper I showed that by only having knowledge about human population size and runoff one can estimate the riverine export of DIN (r2= 0.76). In Paper II we included two other important anthropogenic N inputs, i.e. atmospheric deposition and primary emission (PE) from animals. In most of the catchments the PE from animals were larger than the PE from humans. Hence, development of livestock is important and increased animal protein consumption by humans might increase the riverine N export. Scenario analysis (Paper II) show that climate change is expected to both decrease and increase the riverine N export depending on which part of the catchment is modeled. In the southern and eastern parts of the Baltic Sea catchment there is large potential for N reductions from point sources (Papers III & V). The diffuse sources are more difficult to decrease and a reduction of mineral fertilizer does not always lead to reduced N loadings because the agricultural systems can buffer even a slight surplus (Paper III). There is inertia in the catchments which can be seen in for example in the northern part of the catchment. Here atmospheric N deposition is almost as high as in the southern part but the nitrogen flux from these rivers is not elevated. These northern river catchments have N exports of the same magnitude as the natural background (Paper IV), indicating that the atmospheric N deposition is retained in the system and probably taken up by N limited boreal forests. However, important reductions can be achieved in the agricultural sector by detailed management of the planted land and animal manure. The highest sensitivity is in catchments with high animal density and high specific discharge, primarily draining to Kattegat and Danish Straits (Paper II & IV).
|
|
| 25. |
- Eriksson Hägg, Hanna, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
-
Riverine nitrogen export in Swedish catchments dominated by atmospheric inputs
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The net anthropogenic nitrogen input (NANI) approach addressing N loading from agricultural sources and the atmosphere were applied to 36 major Swedish catchments. We tested three alternatives of the empirical relationship between NANI and riverine N export using different ways of estimating atmospheric N deposition as the major N input (31-94 %) in these catchments. The relationship between riverine N export and NANI was strongest for the NANI calculation using NOy (r2 linear =0.704, r2 exponential =0.723) compared to NOy + net NHx (r2 linear =0.623, r2 exponential =0.670) and total NOy + NHx deposition (r2 linear =0.615, r2 exponential =0.658). The y-intercept (NANI= 0) of the linear and exponential regression models were between 40-160 kg N km-2 year-1 indicating a natural background flux from the catchment without anthropogenic inputs of some 100 kg N km-2 year-1. This agrees with similar results from North American boreal catchments. The slope of the three linear regressions varies from 0.24 (NOy + Net NHx) to 0.25 (NOy and NOy+ NHx), suggesting that in average 25% of the human inputs of nitrogen are exported by the rivers to the Baltic Sea. Agricultural catchments, in the middle and southern Sweden, have increased their riverine N export up to an order of magnitude compared to the inferred natural background flux as an effect of anthropogenic loading. Although, the relatively unperturbed northernmost catchments receive significant N loads from atmospheric deposition these catchments do not show any significant elevated riverine N export. The fact that nitrogen export in Swedish catchments appears to be higher in proportion to NANI at higher loads suggests that N retention could be saturating as loading rates increase. Such nonlinear or threshold responses have significant implications for nutrient management.
|
|
