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Abrupt changes in biomass burning during the last glacial period
No full textUnderstanding the causes of past atmospheric methane (CH4) variability is important for characterizing the relationship between CH4, global climate and terrestrial biogeochemical cycling. Ice core records of atmospheric CH4 contain rapid variations linked to abrupt climate changes of the last glacial period known as Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events and Heinrich events (HE)1,2. The drivers of these CH4 variations remain unknown but can be constrained with ice core measurements of the stable isotopic composition of atmospheric CH4, which is sensitive to the strength of different isotopically distinguishable emission categories (microbial, pyrogenic and geologic)3,4,5. Here we present multi-decadal-scale measurements of δ13C–CH4 and δD–CH4 from the WAIS Divide and Talos Dome ice cores and identify abrupt 1‰ enrichments in δ13C–CH4 synchronous with HE CH4 pulses and 0.5‰ δ13C–CH4 enrichments synchronous with DO CH4 increases. δD–CH4 varied little across the abrupt CH4 changes. Using box models to interpret these isotopic shifts6 and assuming a constant δ13C–CH4 of microbial emissions, we propose that abrupt shifts in tropical rainfall associated with HEs and DO events enhanced 13C-enriched pyrogenic CH4 emissions, and by extension global wildfire extent, by 90–150%. Carbon cycle box modelling experiments7 suggest that the resulting released terrestrial carbon could have caused from one-third to all of the abrupt CO2 increases associated with HEs. These findings suggest that fire regimes and the terrestrial carbon cycle varied contemporaneously and substantially with past abrupt climate changes of the last glacial period
Plant and soil responses to ground-mounted solar panels in temperate agricultural systems
Get PDFIn the move to decarbonise energy supplies to meet Net Zero targets, ground-mounted solar farms have proliferated around the world, with uncertain implications for hosting ecosystems. We provide some of the first evidence on the effects of ground-mounted solar panels on plant and soil properties in temperate agricultural systems. We sampled 32 solar farms in England and Wales in summer 2021. Plant cover and aboveground biomass, as well as soil nutrients and physiochemical properties, were quantified on land underneath solar panels, in the gaps between rows of solar arrays, and in control land (pasture) adjacent to three solar farms. Plant cover and aboveground biomass were significantly lower under solar panels than in the gaps between solar arrays and in pastures. Soil compaction was 14.4% and 15.5% higher underneath solar panels than in gaps and pastures, respectively. Soil organic carbon was 9% lower under solar panels than in gaps, while particulate organic matter was 29.1% and 23.6% lower under solar panels than in gaps and pastures, respectively. Soil mineral nitrogen was 30.5% higher under solar panels than in gaps, while soil (plant-available) phosphorus was approximately 60% higher in solar farm soils than in pasture soils. Reductions in solar radiation and changes to microclimate caused by solar panels may be driving lower plant productivity and growth, with consequences for nutrient cycling and soil properties. However, impacts must be considered in light of the previous land use and the total land area under solar panels, in the gaps between solar arrays, and around the margins of the solar farm. Our findings can inform solar farm design and management options (e.g., increase the proportion of land unaffected by solar panels, enhance plant cover under solar panels) to ensure the long-term provision of ecosystem services (e.g., soil carbon storage) within this fast-growing land use
The impacts of erosion on the carbon cycle
Get PDFPhysical and chemical erosion associated with water both affect land–atmosphere carbon exchanges. However, previous studies have often addressed these processes separately or used oversimplified mechanisms, leading to ongoing debates and uncertainties about erosion-induced carbon fluxes. We provide an overview of the on-site carbon uptake fluxes induced by physical erosion (0.05–0.29 Pg C yr−1, globally) and chemical erosion (0.26–0.48 Pg C yr−1). Then, we discuss off-site carbon dynamics (during transport, deposition, and burial). Soil organic carbon mineralization during transport is nearly 0.37–1.20 Pg C yr−1 on the globe. We also summarize the overall carbon fluxes into estuaries (0.71–1.06 Pg C yr−1) and identify the sources of different types of carbon within them, most of which are associated with land erosion. Current approaches for quantifying physical-erosion-induced vertical carbon fluxes focus on two distinct temporal scales: short-term dynamics (ranging from minutes to decades), emphasizing net vertical carbon flux, and long-term dynamics (spanning millennial to geological timescales), examining the fate of eroded carbon over extended periods. In addition to direct chemical measurement and modeling approaches, estimation using indicators of riverine material is popular for constraining chemical-erosion-driven carbon fluxes. Lastly, we highlight the key challenges for quantifying related fluxes. To overcome potential biases in future studies, we strongly recommend integrated research that addresses both physical and chemical erosion over a well-defined timescale. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms driving erosion-induced lateral and vertical carbon fluxes is crucial for closing the global carbon budget
Reflexivity as a transformative capacity for sustainability science: introducing a critical systems approach
Get PDF•Non-technical summary: Transdisciplinary sustainability scientists work with many different actors in pursuit of change. In so doing they make choices about why and how to engage with different perspectives in their research. Reflexivity – active individual and collective critical reflection – is considered an important capacity for researchers to address the resulting ethical and practical challenges. We developed a framework for reflexivity as a transformative capacity in sustainability science through a critical systems approach, which helps make any decisions that influence which perspectives are included or excluded in research explicit. We suggest that transdisciplinary sustainability research can become more transformative by nurturing reflexivity.
•Technical summary: Transdisciplinary sustainability science is increasingly applied to study transformative change. Yet, transdisciplinary research involves diverse actors who hold contrasting and sometimes conflicting perspectives and worldviews. Reflexivity is cited as a crucial capacity for navigating the resulting challenges, yet notions of reflexivity are often focused on individual researcher reflections that lack explicit links to the collective transdisciplinary research process and predominant modes of inquiry in the field. This gap presents the risk that reflexivity remains on the periphery of sustainability science and becomes ‘unreflexive’, as crucial dimensions are left unacknowledged. Our objective was to establish a framework for reflexivity as a transformative capacity in sustainability science through a critical systems approach. We developed and refined the framework through a rapid scoping review of literature on transdisciplinarity, transformation, and reflexivity, and reflection on a scenario study in the Red River Basin (US, Canada). The framework characterizes reflexivity as the capacity to nurture a dynamic, embedded, and collective process of self-scrutiny and mutual learning in service of transformative change, which manifests through interacting boundary processes – boundary delineation, interaction, and transformation. The case study reflection suggests how embedding this framework in research can expose boundary processes that block transformation and nurture more reflexive and transformative research.
•Social media summary: Transdisciplinary sustainability research may become more transformative by nurturing reflexivity as a dynamic, embedded, and collective learning process
Wastewater-based analysis of antimicrobial resistance at UK airports: evaluating the potential opportunities and challenges
Get PDFWith 40 million annual passenger flights, airports are key hubs for microbial communities from diverse geographic origins to converge, mix, and distribute. Wastewater derived from airports and aircraft represent both a potential route for the global dispersion of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) organisms and an under-utilised resource for strengthening global AMR surveillance. This study investigates the abundance and diversity of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater samples collected from airport terminals (n = 132), aircraft (n = 25), and a connected wastewater treatment plant (n = 11) at three international airports in the UK (London Heathrow, Edinburgh and Bristol). A total of 76 ARGs were quantified using high throughput qPCR (HT-qPCR) while a subset of samples (n = 30) was further analysed by metagenomic sequencing. Our findings reveal that aircraft wastewater resistomes were compositionally distinct from those observed at airport terminals, despite their similar diversity. Notably, flights originating from Asia and Africa carried a higher number of unique ARGs compared to those from Europe and North America. However, clustering of the ARG profile displayed no overall association with geography. Edinburgh terminal and pumping station wastewater had compositionally comparable resistomes to that of the connected urban wastewater treatment plant, though further research is needed to determine the relative contributions of the local population and international travellers. This study provides the first comprehensive investigation of AMR in wastewater from both aircraft and terminals across multiple international airports. Our results highlight aircraft wastewater as a potential route for cross-border AMR transmission and a valuable tool for global AMR surveillance. However, the findings also underscore the limitations and need for standardised approaches for AMR monitoring in airport environments, to effectively mitigate the global spread of AMR and enhance public health surveillance strategies
Marked variability in distance-decay patterns suggests contrasting dispersal ability in abyssal taxa
Get PDFWe assess the role of spatial distance and depth difference in shaping beta diversity patterns across abyssal seascape regions. We measured the decrease of faunistic similarity across the northeast Pacific seafloor, to test whether species turnover rates differ between deep and shallow-abyssal biogeographical provinces and whether these patterns vary across functionally or taxonomically different biotic groups
National Seabed Geology Scoping Project: stakeholder needs and existing data review
Get PDFThe Crown Estate have proposed a potential project aimed at updating and improving national-scale seabed geology data holdings to ensure that their decision-making processes are informed by the highest quality information. The development of any new data compilation should also be of benefit to external users across multiple marine sectors. This report describes a scoping exercise for the project, aimed at understanding stakeholder needs in relation to national-scale seabed geology information. An online survey was conducted in which 82 participants, representing at least 60 different organisations, responded to questions concerning: access and use of seabed geology data, thematic data needs, regions of interest, and resolution and format. In addition, more than 80 existing primary and derived datasets have been identified that relate to UK seabed geology. These were assessed alongside the survey results to determine a picture of stakeholder needs and priority areas for improvement and development of new datasets. The results are summarised in this report alongside recommendations for a potential new data compilation
A global dataset of nitrogen fixation rates across inland and coastal waters
Get PDFBiological nitrogen fixation is the conversion of dinitrogen (N 2 ) gas into bioavailable nitrogen by microorganisms with consequences for primary production, ecosystem function, and global climate. Here we present a compiled dataset of 4793 nitrogen fixation (N 2 ‐fixation) rates measured in the water column and benthos of inland and coastal systems via the acetylene reduction assay, 15 N 2 labeling, or N 2 /Ar technique. While the data are distributed across seven continents, most observations (88%) are from the northern hemisphere. 15 N 2 labeling accounted for 67% of water column measurements, while the acetylene reduction assay accounted for 81% of benthic N 2 ‐fixation observations. Dataset median area‐, volume‐, and mass‐normalized N 2 ‐fixation rates are 7.1 μ mol N 2 ‐N m −2 h −1 , 2.3 × 10 −4 μ mol N 2 ‐N L −1 h −1 , and 4.8 × 10 −4 μ mol N 2 ‐N g −1 h −1 , respectively. This dataset will facilitate future efforts to study and scale N 2 ‐fixation contributions across inland and coastal aquatic environments
The genome sequence of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner, 1796
Get PDFWe present a genome assembly from an individual female specimen of Ostrinia nubilalis (European Corn Borer; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Crambidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 495.50 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.87%) is scaffolded into 32 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the Z and W sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.24 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 16,780 protein-coding genes
Refining the known extent of major onshore Quaternary glaciation in the UK — types of evidence, nomenclature and uncertainty
Get PDFRepeated cycles of Quaternary glaciation have had a major impact on the morphology and shallow sub-surface properties of much of the UK landscape and continental shelf. Understanding the extent of glaciation involves understanding of our landscape history but is also critical to the broad range of applied users that interact with the shallow sub-surface including engineers, hydrogeologists, planners and decision makers. Numerous interpretations of the onshore extent of the Anglian and Late Devensian glaciations have been published. However, many are not clearly evidenced or justified, being sometimes based on anecdotal evidence or supposition, with the levels of associated uncertainty not effectively communicated. As part of this work, the long-term record of Quaternary glaciation within the UK is reviewed and the types of geological and geomorphological information that can be employed to interpret their former extent are assessed. We also examine the range of factors that may influence the relative preservation of this evidence. As part of this assessment, we recommend abandoning the term ‘glacial limit’ (and other related synonyms) when interpreting the extent of glaciation within the geological record. Instead, we recommend using the term limit of preserved evidence which more accurately reflects the spatial context of such evidence. Finally, we present new onshore linework for the limit of preserved evidence of both the Anglian and Late Devensian glaciations, presenting how this linework was captured and the associated levels of uncertainty
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