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In many regions across the globe, extreme weather events such as storms have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration due to climate change. Ecological theory predicts that such extreme events should have large impacts on ecosystem structure and function. High winds and precipitation associated with storms can affect lakes via short‐term runoff events from watersheds and physical mixing of the water column. In addition, lakes connected to rivers and streams will also experience flushing due to high flow rates. Although we have a well‐developed understanding of how wind and precipitation events can alter lake physical processes and some aspects of biogeochemical cycling, our mechanistic understanding of the emergent responses of phytoplankton communities is poor. Here we provide a comprehensive synthesis that identifies how storms interact with lake and watershed attributes and their antecedent conditions to generate changes in lake physical and chemical environments. Such changes can restructure phytoplankton communities and their dynamics, as well as result in altered ecological function (e.g., carbon, nutrient and energy cycling) in the short‐ and long‐term. We summarize the current understanding of storm‐induced phytoplankton dynamics, identify knowledge gaps with a systematic review of the literature, and suggest future research directions across a gradient of lake types and environmental conditions., Our understanding of ecosystem‐scale responses to storm events is fragmented, and terminological variability in defining a “storm” hinders resolution of generalizable impacts. We provide a comprehensive synthesis of the interactions between physical properties and biological responses in lakes that demonstrates the context‐dependency of storm impacts; lake/watershed attributes and their antecedent conditions mediate the extent to which storms impact lake ecosystems. We develop a framework which conceptualizes how abrupt, storm‐induced changes in the lake environment influence phytoplankton community dynamics through functional traits, identifies current limitations, and highlights several avenues of research to narrow knowledge gaps in synthetic and interdisciplinary ways.

We studied in 2013 and 2014 the spring carbon dynamics in a Boreal landscape consisting of a lake and 15 inflowing streams and an outlet. The first year had weather and a hydrological regime typical of past years with a distinct spring freshet connected with the thaw of the average snowpack. The latter year had higher air temperatures which did not permit snow accumulation, despite similar winter precipitation. As such, there was hardly any spring freshet in 2014, and stream discharge peaked in January, i.e., the conditions resembled those predicted in the future climate. Despite the hydrological differences between the years, there were only small interannual differences in the stream CO2 and DOC concentrations. The relationship between the concentrations and discharge was stronger in the typical year. CO2 concentrations in medium-sized streams correlated negatively with the discharge, indicating dilution effect of melting snowpacks, while in large-sized streams the correlation was positive, suggesting stronger groundwater influence. The DOC pathway to these streams was through the subsurface soil layers, not the groundwater. The total amount of carbon transported into the lake was ca. 1.5-fold higher in the typical year than in the year with warm winter. In 2013, most of the lateral inputs took place during spring freshet. In 2014, the majority of inputs occurred earlier, during the winter months. The lateral CO2 signal was visible in the lake at 1.5 m depth. DOC dominated the carbon transport, and in both years, 12% of the input C was in inorganic form.

Dramatic environmental shifts are occuring throughout the Arctic from climate change, with consequences for the cycling of mercury (Hg). This review summarizes the latest science on how climate change is influencing Hg transport and biogeochemical cycling in Arctic terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. As environmental changes in the Arctic continue to accelerate, a clearer picture is emerging of the profound shifts in the climate and cryosphere, and their connections to Hg cycling. Modeling results suggest climate influences seasonal and interannual variability of atmospheric Hg deposition. The clearest evidence of current climate change effects is for Hg transport from terrestrial catchments, where widespread permafrost thaw, glacier melt and coastal erosion are increasing the export of Hg to downstream environments. Recent estimates suggest Arctic permafrost is a large global reservoir of Hg, which is vulnerable to degradation with climate warming, although the fate of permafrost soil Hg is unclear. The increasing development of thermokarst features, the formation and expansion of thaw lakes, and increased soil erosion in terrestrial landscapes are increasing river transport of particulate-bound Hg and altering conditions for aquatic Hg transformations. Greater organic matter transport may also be influencing the downstream transport and fate of Hg. More severe and frequent wildfires within the Arctic and across boreal regions may be contributing to the atmospheric pool of Hg. Climate change influences on Hg biogeochemical cycling remain poorly understood. Seasonal evasion and retention of inorganic Hg may be altered by reduced sea-ice cover and higher chloride content in snow. Experimental evidence indicates warmer temperatures enhance methylmercury production in ocean and lake sediments as well as in tundra soils. Improved geographic coverage of measurements and modeling approaches are needed to better evaluate net effects of climate change and long-term implications for Hg contamination in the Arctic. Highlights • Current evidence indicates climate change is influencing Hg cycling in the Arctic. • Permafrost thaw, glacier melt, and coastal erosion are increasing Hg export. • Arctic permafrost is a global Hg reservoir, vulnerable to degradation and release. • Experiments show warmer temperatures increase MeHg in Arctic sediments and soils. • Net effects of climate change on Arctic Hg contamination remain poorly resolved.

Environmental change, including joint effects of increasing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total phosphorus (TP) in boreal northern lakes could potentially affects food web energy sources and the biochemical composition of organisms. These environmental stressors are enhanced by anthropogenic land-use and can decrease the quality of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in seston and zooplankton, and therefore, possibly cascading up to fish. In contrast, the content of mercury in fish increases with lake browning potentially amplified by intensive forestry practises. However, there is little evidence on how these environmental stressors simultaneously impact beneficial omega-3 fatty acid (n3-FA) and total mercury (THg) content of fish muscle for human consumption. A space-for-time substitution study was conducted to assess whether environmental stressors affect Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) allochthony and muscle nutritional quality [PUFA, THg, and their derivative, the hazard quotient (HQ)]. Perch samples were collected from 31 Finnish lakes along pronounced lake size (0.03–107.5 km2), DOC (5.0–24.3 mg L−1), TP (5–118 μg/ L) and land-use gradients (forest: 50.7–96.4%, agriculture: 0–32.6%). These environmental gradients were combined using principal component analysis (PCA). Allochthony for individual perch was modelled using source and consumer δ2H values. Perch allochthony increased with decreasing lake pH and increasing forest coverage (PC1), but no correlation between lake DOC and perch allochthony was found. Perch muscle THg and omega-6 fatty acid (n6-FA) content increased with PC1 parallel with allochthony. Perch muscle DHA (22:6n3) content decreased, and ALA (18:3n3) increased towards shallower murkier lakes (PC2). Perch allochthony was positively correlated with muscle THg and n6-FA content, but did not correlate with n3-FA content. Hence, the quality of perch muscle for human consumption decreases (increase in HQ) with increasing forest coverage and decreasing pH, potentially mediated by increasing fish allochthony. peerReviewed

Coastal ecosystems act as filters of nutrients from land to the open sea. We investigated the role of eelgrass (Zostera marina) metabolism in the coastal filter transforming nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon. Field campaigns following identical methodologies were carried out at two contrasting coastal locations: the mesohaline and nutrient-rich Roskilde Fjord, Denmark, and the mesotrophic brackish Tvärminne archipelago, Finland. Over the 24-h in situ benthic incubations, we measured oxygen concentrations continuously and assessed changes in DOM characteristics and net fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Ecosystem metabolism modeled on the basis of the O2 data showed that the systems were either net heterotrophic (Roskilde Fjord; − 1.6 and − 2.4 g O2 m−2 day−1 in eelgrass meadow and bare sand, respectively) or had balanced primary production and respiration (Tvärminne; 0.0 and 0.2 g O2 m−2 day−1). Overall, initial nutrient stoichiometry was a key factor determining benthic–pelagic fluxes of nutrients, which exacerbated the deviations from Redfield ratios of N and P, indicating an efficient use of the limiting nutrient. A net diel uptake of dissolved inorganic N was observed at both locations (− 2.3 μmol l−1 day−1 in Roskilde Fjord and − 0.1 μmol l−1 day−1 in Tvärminne). Despite minor changes in dissolved organic carbon concentrations during the incubations, a marked increase of fluorescent DOM was observed at both locations, suggesting rapid heterotrophic processing of the DOM pool. Our results underline that the biogeochemical role of eelgrass in the coastal filter is not inherent, but strongly dependent on the environmental conditions.

Quantitative predictions of impacts on public water supplies are essential for planning climate change adaptations. Monitoring data from five full-scale Scottish drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) showed that significant correlations exist between conditionally carcinogenic trihalomethanes (THMs) levels, water temperature (r = 0.812, p = 0.0013) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (r = 0.892, p

Quantification of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and iron (Fe) in surface waters is critical for understanding the water quality dynamics, brownification and carbon balance in the northern hemisphere. Especially in the remote areas, sampling and laboratory analysis of DOC and Fe content at a sufficient temporal frequency is difficult. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry is a promising tool for water quality monitoring to increase the sampling frequency and applications in remote regions. The aim of this study was (1) to investigate the performance of an in-situ UV-Vis spectrophotometer for detecting spectral absorbances in comparison with a laboratory benchtop instrument; (2) to analyse the stability of DOC and Fe estimates from UV-Vis spectrophotometers among different rivers using multivariate methods; (3) to compare site-specific calibration of models to pooled models and investigate the extrapolation of DOC and Fe predictions from one catchment to another. This study indicates that absorbances that were measured by UV-Vis sensor explained 96% of the absorbance data from the laboratory benchtop instrument. Among the three tested multivariate methods, multiple stepwise regression (MSR) was the best model for both DOC and Fe predictions. Accurate and unbiased models for multiple watersheds for DOC were built successfully, and these models could be extrapolated from one watershed to another even without site-specific calibration for DOC. However, for Fe the combination of different datasets was not possible.

The quality and chemical composition of urban dew collections with dust precipitates without pre-cleaning of the collecting surface WSF (white standard foil) were investigated for 16 out of 20 collected samples with collected volumes ranging from 22 to 230 ml. The collection period was from March to July 2015 at an urban area, Jubaiha, which is located in the northern part of the capital city Amman, Jordan. The obtained results indicated the predominance of Ca2+ and SO42− ions (ratio 2.2:1) that originated from Saharan soil dust; where the collected samples were alkaline (mean pH = 7.35) with high mineralization (429.22 mg/L) exceeding the previously reported dew values in Amman-Jordan. A relocation of NaCl and to a less extent Mg2+ from sea to land by Saharan wind is indicated by the percent sea-salt fraction calculations (over 100 and 52, respectively). The collected samples exhibited high total organic carbon (TOC) values ranging from 11.86 to 74.60 mg/L, presence of particulate settled material with turbidity ranging from 20.10 to 520.00 NTU, and presence of undesired elements like boron (mean = 1.48 mg/L) that made it different in properties from other dew water collections at clean surfaces, and exceeding the standard limits for drinking water for these parameters set by Jordanian Drinking Water standards (JS286/2015)/WHO standard. The quality of this water is more close to that for raw or agricultural water but if it is meant to be used as potable source of water, at least sand and activated charcoal filters are needed to purify it.

International audience; Metal contamination is one of the major issues to the environment worldwide, yet it is poorly known how exposure to metals affects tropical species. We assessed the sensitivity of a tropical micro-crustacean Daphnia lumholtzi to three trace metals: copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni). Both, acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted with metals dissolved in in situ water collected from two sites in the lower part of the Mekong River. In the acute toxicity test, D. lumholtzi neonates were exposed to Cu (3-30 mu g L-1), Zn (50-540 mu g L-1) or Ni (46-2356 mu g L-1) for 48 h. The values of median lethal concentrations (48 h-LC50) were 11.57-16.67 mu g Cu L-1, 179.3-280.9 mu g Zn L-1, and 1026-1516 mu g Ni L-1. In the chronic toxicity test, animals were exposed to Cu (3 and 4 mu g L-1), Zn (50 and 56 mu g L-1), and Ni (six concentrations from 5 to 302 mu g L-1) for 21 days. The concentrations of 4 mu g Cu L-1 and 6 mu g Ni L-1 enhanced the body length of D. lumholtzi but 46 mu g Ni L-1 and 50 mu g Zn L-1 resulted in a strong mortality, reduced the body length, postponed the maturation, and lowered the fecundity. The results tentatively suggest that D. lumholtzi showed a higher sensitivity to metals than related species in the temperate region. The results underscore the importance of including the local species in ecological risk assessment in important tropical ecosystems such as the Mekong River to arrive at a better conservational and management plan and regulatory policy to protect freshwater biodiversity from metal contamination. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface water browning affects boreal lakes in the Northern Hemisphere. This process is expected to increase with global warming. Boreal lakes are the most numerous lakes on Earth. These ecosystems are particularly sensitive to disturbances due to their low biodiversity compared to other aquatic environments. The recent darkening of surface water is expected to hinder key ecosystem processes, particularly through lower primary productivity and loss of biodiversity. However, studies based on long-term data collections have rarely been conducted on the ecological consequences of water browning on aquatic food webs, especially concerning its impacts on invertebrate communities. For the first time, our analysis based on two decades of data collection in Finnish lakes highlighted a relation between water browning and a decline in aquatic macroinvertebrate abundances. Aquatic invertebrates are the main food resource for many secondary predators such as fish and waterbirds, hence such effect on their populations may have major consequences for boreal ecosystem functioning.

Ecosystem-level metabolism is a good sentinel for human and natural disturbances in freshwater systems, responding from local changes (for example, land use) to regional and global changes (for example, climate). Despite the increasing understanding of metabolic processes in tropical lakes, our knowledge on how morphometric and catchment characteristics affect metabolic responses to those changes in tropical lakes is still very scarce. We investigated how metabolic rates in the upper mixed layer of twelve Brazilian tropical lakes responded to reduced rainfall, considering their lake area and drainage area ratio and the percentage of native forest cover in their drainage area. An 80% reduction in the 2013 rainy season rainfall, compared with 2012, resulted in a reduction of approximated 1 m in the water column depth, a 1–2 m deepening of the upper mixed layer, a 50% reduction in mean light availability, and a doubling in total phosphorus concentrations. These changes were associated with 38% increases in gross primary production (GPP), stimulated by higher nutrient concentrations and reduced photoinhibition. These effects of reduced rainfall were strongest in lakes with a small volume in relation to their catchment areas. Our results show that climatic-related reductions in precipitation in this tropical region will reduce lake volumes, affect temperature, water mixing, and nutrient supply with pronounced effects on lake metabolic processes and carbon cycling in this region.

Terrestrial export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to watercourses has increased in boreal zone. Effect of decomposing material and soil food webs on the release rate and quality of DOC are poorly known. We quantified carbon (C) release in CO2, and DOC in different molecular weights from the most common organic soils in boreal zone; and explored the effect of soil type and enchytraeid worms on the release rates. Two types of mor and four types of peat were incubated in laboratory with and without enchytraeid worms for 154 days at + 15 A degrees C. Carbon was mostly released as CO2; DOC contributed to 2-9% of C release. The share of DOC was higher in peat than in mor. The release rate of CO2 was three times higher in mor than in highly decomposed peat. Enchytraeids enhanced the release of CO2 by 31-43% and of DOC by 46-77% in mor. High molecular weight fraction dominated the DOC release. Upscaling the laboratory results into catchment level allowed us to conclude that peatlands are the main source of DOC, low molecular weight DOC originates close to watercourse, and that enchytraeids substantially influence DOC leaching to watercourse and ultimately to aquatic CO2 emissions.

Permafrost soils preserve huge amounts of organic carbon (OC) prone to decomposition under changing climatic conditions. However, knowledge on the composition of soil organic matter (OM) and its transformation and vulnerability to decomposition in these soils is scarce. We determined neutral sugars and lignin-derived phenols, released by trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and CuO oxidation, respectively, within plants and soil density fractions from the active layer and the upper permafrost layer at three different tundra types (shrubby grass, shrubby tussock, shrubby lichen) in the Northeast Siberian Arctic. The heavy fraction (HF; > 1.6 g mL(-1)) was characterized by a larger enrichment of microbial sugars (hexoses vs. pentoses) and more pronotmced lignin degradation (acids vs. aldehydes) as compared to the light fraction (LF

Sea spray aerosol (SSA) particles represent one of the most abundant surfaces available for heterogeneous reactions to occur upon and thus profoundly alter the composition of the troposphere. In an effort to better understand tropospheric heterogeneous reaction processes, fundamental laboratory studies must be able to accurately reproduce the chemical complexity of SSA. Here we describe a new approach that uses microbial processes to control the composition of seawater and SSA particle composition. By inducing a phytoplankton bloom, we are able to create dynamic ecosystem interactions between marine microorganisms, which serve to alter the organic mixtures present in seawater. Using this controlled approach, changes in seawater composition become reflected in the chemical composition of SSA particles 4 to 10 d after the peak in chlorophyll-a. This approach for producing and varying the chemical complexity of a dominant tropospheric aerosol provides the foundation for further investigations of the physical and chemical properties of realistic SSA particles under controlled conditions.

Quantifying fluxes of water, sediment and dissolved compounds through Arctic rivers is important for linking the glacial, terrestrial and marine ecosystems and to quantify the impact of a warming climate. The quantification of fluxes is not trivial. This study uses a 8-years data set (2005–2012) of daily measurements from the high-Artic Zackenberg River in Northeast Greenland to estimate annual suspended sediment fluxes based on four commonly used methods: M1) is the discharge weighted mean and uses direct measurements, while M2-M4) are one uncorrected and two bias corrected rating curves extrapolating a continuous concentration trace from measured values. All methods are tested on complete and reduced datasets. The average annual runoff in the period 2005–2012 was 190 ± 25 mio · m3 y− 1. The different estimation methods gave a range of average annual suspended sediment fluxes between 43,000 ± 10,000 t y− 1 and 61,000 ± 16,000 t y− 1. Extreme events with high discharges had a mean duration of 1 day. The average suspended sediment flux during extreme events was 17,000 ± 5000 t y− 1, which constitutes a year-to-year variation of 20–37% of the total annual flux. The most accurate sampling strategy was bi-daily sampling together with a sampling frequency of 2 h during extreme events. The most consistent estimation method was an uncorrected rating curve of bi-daily measurements (M2), combined with a linear interpolation of extreme event fluxes. Sampling can be reduced to every fourth day, with both method-agreements and accuracies

In lakes and rivers, the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) are closely related. We analysed three large spectrophotometer data sets of Finnish inland waters from the years 1913–1914, 1913–1931 and 2014 for long-term changes in optical properties. The first data set consists of absorption spectra in the band 467–709 nm of 212 filtered water samples, the second one contains 11–19 years of data for seven rivers, and the third one contains 153 sites with high resolution spectra over the band 200–750 nm. These data sets were supplemented with more recent monitoring data of DOC. The sites represent typical optical inland water types of north-eastern Europe. The results did not show any consistent large-scale changes in CDOM concentrations over the 101-year time period. The statistics of the absorption coefficients in 1913 and 2014 were almost identical, at 467 nm they were 1.9 ± 1.0 m− 1 in 1913 and 1.7 ± 1.2 m− 1 in 2014, and the shape of the CDOM absorption spectrum was unchanged, proportional to exp(–S·λ), S = 0.011 nm− 1 and λ is wavelength. Catchment properties, primarily lake and peat-land percentages, explained 50% of the variation of CDOM concentration in the lakes, and hydrological conditions explained 50% of the variation of CDOM in the rivers. Both illustrate the importance of catchments and hydrology to CDOM concentrations of boreal inland waters.

Recent technological developments have increased the number of variables being monitored in lakes and reservoirs using automatic high frequency monitoring (AHFM). However, design of AHFM systems and posterior data handling and interpretation are currently being developed on a site-by-site and issue-by-issue basis with minimal standardization of protocols or knowledge sharing. As a result, many deployments become short-lived or underutilized, and many new scientific developments that are potentially useful for water management and environmental legislation remain underexplored. This Critical Review bridges scientific uses of AHFM with their applications by providing an overview of the current AHFM capabilities, together with examples of successful applications. We review the use of AHFM for maximizing the provision of ecosystem services supplied, by lakes and reservoirs (consumptive and non consumptive uses, food production, and recreation), and for reporting lake status in the EU Water Framework Directive. We also highlight critical issues to enhance the application of AHFM, and suggest the establishment of appropriate networks to facilitate knowledge sharing and technological transfer between potential users. Finally, we give advice on how modern sensor technology can successfully be applied on a larger scale to the management of lakes and reservoirs and maximize the ecosystem services they provide.

The release of inorganic and organic contaminants from municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) bottom ash is controlled to a large extent by the release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and in particular by the reactive humic (HA) and fulvic acids (FA) subfractions of DOC. The properties of organic matter contributing to the release of DOC, HA and FA are, therefore, important for environmental risk assessment. In this study we have quantitatively measured the carbon speciation, and its relation with the leaching of Cu, in three fresh and carbonated MSWI bottom ash samples. Results show that up to only 25% of loss on ignition (LOI) consists of organic carbon (OC), while about 17% of OC in the three samples consists of HA and FA. Up to 50% of DOC in MSWI bottom ash leachates was identified as fulvic acid (FA). This value is substantially higher than previously estimated for these MSWI bottom ash samples and is consistent with the higher recovery of the new method that was applied. The results of this study imply that methods focusing on specific carbon fractions are more appropriate for assessment of environmentally relevant organic carbon species than the measurement of LOI.

We have studied the availability and leaching of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from two contaminated materials, a tar-containing asphalt granulate (Σ16 US-EPA PAHs 3412 mg/kg) and gasworks soil (ΣPAHs 900 mg/kg), by comparing results from three typical types of leaching tests: a column, sequential batch, and two different availability tests. The sequential batch test was found to largely resemble the column test. However, the leaching of particularly the larger PAHs (>5 aromatic rings) was found to be enhanced in the batch test by up to an order of magnitude, probably due to their association with large DOC (dissolved organic carbon) molecules generated by the vigorous mixing. The release of PAHs in the two availability tests, in which the leaching is facilitated by either a high concentration of DOC or Tenax resin, was similar, although the latter test was easier to perform and yielded more repeatable results. The availability was much higher than the amount leached in the column and sequential batch tests. However, biodegradation had apparently occurred in the column test and the total amount of PAHs released by either leaching or biodegradation, 9% and 26% for asphalt granulate and gasworks soil, respectively, did equal the amount leached in the availability tests. Therefore, the availability was found to provide a relevant measure of the PAH fraction that can be released from the solid phase. These results stress the importance of using the available instead of the total amount of contaminant in the risk analysis of solid materials in utilization or disposal.

As a result of ubiquitous excretion by micro-organisms, extracellular polymeric substances are reported in high concentrations in marine systems. The majority of this material is exopolysaccharide (EPS). Despite previous studies showing that EPS can affect carbon as well as trace metal cycling, little is known about the effect on Fe - a critical nutrient limiting primary productivity in up to 40% of the ocean. Here, we have characterised an EPS purified from bacteria isolated from the pelagic Southern Ocean (Pseudoalteromonas sp.) and investigated its role in Fe chemical speciation, solubility, as well as bioavailability for two keystone Southern Ocean phytoplankton strains. This EPS has an average molecular weight of 4.6 MDa, exhibiting mainly -OH. COO- and -NH2 functional groups. An asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation coupled online with UV-spectrophotometer, differential refractive index, and multiangle laser light scattering (aFIFFF-UV-DRI-MALS) demonstrates that this EPS is polydisperse with three, not well resolved, size populations having molar masses in the range from 0.57 to 15.8 MDa. Fe was exclusively associated with the medium size fraction of this EPS and was the most abundant trace metal with 2.2 nM Fe per nM EPS. Only a third of this Fe was chemically labile, and the strength of Fe-EPS complexes increased with equilibration time. 1 nM EPS is efficient to retain Fe in solution, mainly in the colloidal phase (0.02-0.2 mu m). Fe bound to the EPS was highly bioavailable (25% as much as for inorganic Fe). Due to combined effect of EPS on Fe solubility and bioavailability, it can increase the residence time of bioavailable Fe in the euphotic zone, therefore possibly sustaining and controlling primary productivity in sensitive oceanic regions, such as the Southern Ocean. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The terrestrial carbon (C) cycle has received increasing interest over the past few decades, however, there is still a lack of understanding of the fate of newly assimilated C allocated within plants and to the soil, stored within ecosystems and lost to the atmosphere. Stable carbon isotope studies can give novel insights into these issues. In this review we provide an overview of an emerging picture of plant-soil-atmosphere C fluxes, as based on C isotope studies, and identify processes determining related C isotope signatures. The first part of the review focuses on isotopic fractionation processes within plants during and after photosynthesis. The second major part elaborates on plant-internal and plant-rhizosphere C allocation patterns at different time scales (diel, seasonal, interannual), including the speed of C transfer and time lags in the coupling of assimilation and respiration, as well as the magnitude and controls of plant-soil C allocation and respiratory fluxes. Plant responses to changing environmental conditions, the functional relationship between the physiological and phenological status of plants and C transfer, and interactions between C, water and nutrient dynamics are discussed. The role of the C counterflow from the rhizosphere to the aboveground parts of the plants, e.g. via CO2 dissolved in the xylem water or as xylem-transported sugars, is highlighted. The third part is centered around belowground C turnover, focusing especially on above- and belowground litter inputs, soil organic matter formation and turnover, production and loss of dissolved organic C, soil respiration and CO2 fixation by soil microbes. Furthermore, plant controls on microbial communities and activity via exudates and litter production as well as microbial community effects on C mineralization are reviewed. A further part of the paper is dedicated to physical interactions between soil CO2 and the soil matrix, such as CO2 diffusion and dissolution processes within the soil profile. Finally, we highlight state-of-the-art stable isotope methodologies and their latest developments. From the presented evidence we conclude that there exists a tight coupling of physical, chemical and biological processes involved in C cycling and C isotope fluxes in the plant-soil-atmosphere system. Generally, research using information from C isotopes allows an integrated view of the different processes involved. However, complex interactions among the range of processes complicate or currently impede the interpretation of isotopic signals in CO2 or organic compounds at the plant and ecosystem level. This review tries to identify present knowledge gaps in correctly interpreting carbon stable isotope signals in the plant-soil-atmosphere system and how future research approaches could contribute to closing these gaps.

The biogeochemistry of carbon and nutrients (N, P) in the surface layer of the ocean strongly depends on the interaction between C, N and P at the cell level and at the population level where interaction between primary producers (phytoplankton) and remineralizers (heterotrophic bacteria) impact the overall stock and dynamics of organic carbon. To understand these interactions in the surface layer of the Mediterranean Sea, we implemented, using Eco3M, a multi-element, steady state, mechanistic model. This cell-based model intend to represent the growth of phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria under various amount of nutrients. As a results, it displays the expected biogeochemical characteristics of the system and give us insight on the expected interaction between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria both in term of competition for inorganic nutrients and in term of commensalism for organic carbon. In this study, we found a good quantitative agreement between model results and literrature data for stocks and fluxes of the western Mediterranean basin. In addition, for phytoplankton we show how the uncoupling between carbon production and growth could impact the overall DOC dynamic and based on these results, we proposed a new explanantion for the observed DOC accumulation in the surface layer of the Mediterranean Sea.

We present a new synthesis, based on a suite of complementary approaches, of the primary production and carbon sink in forests of the 25 member states of the European Union (EU-25) during 1990-2005. Upscaled terrestrial observations and model-based approaches agree within 25% on the mean net primary production (NPP) of forests, i.e. 520 +/- 75 g C m-2 yr-1 over a forest area of 1.32 x 106 km2 to 1.55 x 106 km2 (EU-25). New estimates of the mean long-term carbon forest sink (net biome production, NBP) of EU-25 forests amounts 75 +/- 20 g C m-2 yr-1. The ratio of NBP to NPP is 0.15 +/- 0.05. Estimates of the fate of the carbon inputs via NPP in wood harvests, forest fires, losses to lakes and rivers and heterotrophic respiration remain uncertain, which explains the considerable uncertainty of NBP. Inventory-based assessments and assumptions suggest that 29 +/- 15% of the NBP (i.e., 22 g C m-2 yr-1) is sequestered in the forest soil, but large uncertainty remains concerning the drivers and future of the soil organic carbon. The remaining 71 +/- 15% of the NBP (i.e., 53 g C m-2 yr-1) is realized as woody biomass increments. In the EU-25, the relatively large forest NBP is thought to be the result of a sustained difference between NPP, which increased during the past decades, and carbon losses primarily by harvest and heterotrophic respiration, which increased less over the same period.

The aim of this study was to investigate temporal trends and controlling factors of As and V in running waters throughout Sweden. For this purpose, data on stream water chemistry from 62 streams of varying catchment size and characteristics, included in the Swedish environmental monitoring programmes were evaluated. The geochemical software Visual MINTEQ was used to model the speciation and trend analyses were performed on total concentrations of As and Vas well as modelled fractions (dissolved species as well as arsenate and vanadate adsorbed to ferrihydrite). The trend analyses showed increasing total concentrations of As and V in southern Sweden. Concentrations of As and V correlated significantly to Fe concentrations in 59 and 60 of the 62 streams respectively, indicating that Fe is an important determining factor for As and V concentrations in Swedish streams. This was confirmed by the geochemical modelling that indicated that the adsorbed fraction is the dominant form of As and V and that the concentrations of As and V in Swedish streams are thus highly determined by concentrations of colloidal or particulate Fe. It is therefore suggested that the increasing trends of As and V are to a large extent due to increasing concentrations of colloidal Fe, which is stabilised by increasing concentrations of DOC. Further the geochemical modelling indicates that the dissolved fraction of As and V generally is small, with the exception of a few streams with high pH and/or phosphate concentrations. QC 20110215

The objectives of this study were to investigate formation of trihalomethane (THM) species in waters treated by different methods and to determine effectiveness of using various methods for controlling disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors in drinking water. Experiments were carried out using batch experimental set-ups. Combinations of pre-ozonation, post-ozonation, enhanced coagulation, rapid sand filtration, activated carbon filtration and UV radiation were performed. Finished waters were analyzed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV 254 ), total trihalomethane formation potential (TTHMFP), bromide and bromate. The results indicated that using the sequence of pre-ozonation/enhanced coagulation/activated carbon filter is the most effective method for reducing THM precursors. It was also concluded that the formation of THM species primarily related to the characteristics of finished water before chlorination.

Seasonal increases in the ultraviolet (UV) transparency of the surface waters of an oligotrophic lake in Pennsylvania suggest that clear-water phase (CWP) events similar to those previously observed for visible light also exist for the potentially damaging UV wavelengths. Seasonal increases in zooplankton grazers indicate that they play a role in these changes in UV that is similar to the role that zooplankton play in CWP events involving longer-wavelength visible, or photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400¿700 nm). The potential role of zooplankton and incident UV in generating UV CWP events was investigated with a set of in situ microcosm experiments that manipulated UV and zooplankton, and followed changes in particulate and dissolved absorbance in the UV (320 nm) and PAR wavelength ranges over an 8-d period in April. Nutrients were also manipulated independently to examine the potential role of nutrient regeneration by zooplankton grazing in altering water transparency. Photobleaching by incident solar UV led to a strong and significant decrease in dissolved UV and PAR absorbance. The presence of zooplankton grazers also significantly decreased dissolved UV absorbance but increased dissolved PAR absorbance. Neither zooplankton nor UV had any significant effects on UV or PAR absorbance by particulates. In contrast, nutrient additions significantly increased dissolved absorbance in both the UV and PAR wavelength ranges, indicating that regeneration of nutrients by zooplankton offsets decreases in UV absorbance and enhances increases in PAR absorbance due to grazing. While photobleaching by UV radiation is likely to make a consistent strong contribution to UV CWP events in lakes, the net effects of zooplankton on UV transparency in a given lake will depend upon multiple factors including zooplankton density and a balance between the edibility and extent of nutrient limitation of the phytoplankton.