scholarly journals Effects of Wildfires and Ash Leaching on Stream Chemistry in the Santa Ynez Mountains of Southern California

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 2402
Author(s):  
Carl Swindle ◽  
Parker Shankin-Clarke ◽  
Matthew Meyerhof ◽  
Jean Carlson ◽  
John Melack
Keyword(s):  
Southern California ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Stream Chemistry ◽  
N Content ◽  
Fire Scar ◽  
Major Cations ◽  
C And N ◽  
Ash Leaching

Wildfires can change ecosystems by altering solutes in streams. We examined major cations in streams draining a chaparral-dominated watershed in the Santa Ynez Mountains (California, USA) following a wildfire that burned 75 km2 from July 8 to October 5, 2017. We identified changes in solute concentrations, and postulated a relation between these changes and ash leached by rainwater following the wildfire. Collectively, K+ leached from ash samples exceeded that of all other major cations combined. After the wildfire, the concentrations of all major cations increased in stream water sampled near the fire perimeter following the first storm of the season: K+ increased 12-fold, Na+ and Ca2+ increased 1.4-fold, and Mg2+ increased 1.6-fold. Our results suggested that the 12-fold increase in K+ in stream water resulted from K+ leached from ash in the fire scar. Both C and N were measured in the ash samples. The low N content of the ash indicated either high volatilization of N relative to C occurred, or burned material contained less N.

Soil and Stream Water Chemistry During Spring Snowmelt

1992 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Hendershot ◽  
L. Mendes ◽  
H. Lalande ◽  
F. Courchesne ◽  
S. Savoie
Keyword(s):  
Stream Water ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Stream Chemistry ◽  
Stream Water Chemistry ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Adsorption Desorption ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Best Fit ◽  
Spring Snowmelt ◽  
Over Time

In order to determine how water flowpath controls stream chemistry, we studied both soil and stream water during spring snowmelt, 1985. Soil solution concentrations of base cations were relatively constant over time indicating that cation exchange was controlling cation concentrations. Similarly SO4 adsorption-desorption or precipitation-dissolution reactions with the matrix were controlling its concentrations. On the other hand, NO3 appeared to be controlled by uptake by plants or microorganisms or by denitrification since their concentrations in the soil fell abruptly as snowmelt proceeded. Dissolved Al and pH varied vertically in the soil profile and their pattern in the stream indicated clearly the importance of water flowpath on stream chemistry. Although Al increased as pH decreased, the relationship does not appear to be controlled by gibbsite. The best fit of calculated dissolved inorganic Al was obtained using AlOHSO4 with a solubility less than that of pure crystalline jurbanite.

scholarly journals The effect of purified sewage discharge from a sewage treatment plant on the physicochemical state of water in the receiver

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-284
Author(s):  
Włodzimierz Kanownik ◽  
Agnieszka Policht-Latawiec ◽  
Magdalena Wiśnios
Keyword(s):  
Water Saturation ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Stream Water Quality ◽  
Sewage Discharge ◽  
Physicochemical State

Abstract The paper presents changes in the contents of physicochemical indices of the Sudół stream water caused by a discharge of purified municipal sewage from a small mechanical-biological treatment plant with throughput of 300 m3·d−1 and a population equivalent (p.e.) – 1,250 people. The discharge of purified sewage caused a worsening of the stream water quality. Most of the studied indices values increased in water below the treatment plant. Almost a 100-fold increase in ammonium nitrogen, 17-fold increase in phosphate concentrations and 12-fold raise in BOD5 concentrations were registered. Due to high values of these indices, the water physicochemical state was below good. Statistical analysis revealed a considerable effect of the purified sewage discharge on the stream water physicochemical state. A statistically significant increase in 10 indices values (BOD5, COD-Mn, EC, TDS, Cl−, Na+, K+, PO43−, N-NH4+ and N-NO2) as well as significant decline in the degree of water saturation with oxygen were noted below the sewage treatment plant. On the other hand, no statistically significant differences between the water indices values were registered between the measurement points localised 150 and 1,000 m below the purified sewage discharge. It evidences a slow process of the stream water self-purification caused by an excessive loading with pollutants originating from the purified sewage discharge.

scholarly journals Effects of Life-form and Plants Functional Traits on Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulfur Distributed in Different Parts in Dry Region of Western India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genda Singh ◽  
Bilas Singh
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Western India ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
N Content ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Leguminous Species ◽  
C And N

Abstract Background: Plants adapt to adverse environmental conditions accumulate varying concentrations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) compounds to cope up with adverse climatic conditions. Carbon, N and S concentrations were determined in roots, stem and leaves of 33 species of trees/shrubs with objectives to observe the effects of life-form and plants functional traits, and select species with high concentration of these elements for their utilization in afforestation and medicinal uses. Results: Concentrations of C, N, and S and C: N and N: S ratio varied (P<0.05) between species, organs, life-forms and functional traits (legume vs non-legume). These variables were higher (except C in roots and stem) in trees than shrubs, and in leguminous than non-leguminous species. Non-leguminous species showed high S content and low N: S ratio. Antagonistic and synergistic relations were observed between C and N, and N and S concentration respectively. Species showed varying potential in assimilating carbon by regulating uptake and accumulation of these elements in different organs making them adapt to the habitats affected by drought and salinity. We observed strong plant size/life-form effects on C and N content and C: N and N: S ratios and of function on S content. Conclusions: Life-form/size and varying functions of the species determined C: nutrient ratio and elemental composition and helped adapting varying environmental stresses. This study assist in selecting species of high carbon, nitrogen and S content to utilize them in afforesting the areas affected by water and salt stresses, increased carbon storage and species with high S/N content in medicinal uses.

scholarly journals Influence of Drying and Wildfire on Longitudinal Chemistry Patterns and Processes of Intermittent Streams

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth B. MacNeille ◽  
Kathleen A. Lohse ◽  
Sarah E. Godsey ◽  
Julia N. Perdrial ◽  
Colden V. Baxter
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Stream Chemistry ◽  
Intermittent Streams ◽  
Temporal Shift ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Stream Drying ◽  
Patterns And Processes

Stream drying and wildfire are projected to increase with climate change in the western United States, and both are likely to impact stream chemistry patterns and processes. To investigate drying and wildfire effects on stream chemistry (carbon, nutrients, anions, cations, and isotopes), we examined seasonal drying in two intermittent streams in southwestern Idaho, one stream that was unburned and one that burned 8 months prior to our study period. During the seasonal recession following snowmelt, we hypothesized that spatiotemporal patterns of stream chemistry would change due to increased evaporation, groundwater dominance, and autochthonous carbon production. With increased nutrients and reduced canopy cover, we expected greater shifts in the burned stream. To capture spatial chemistry patterns, we sampled surface water for a suite of analytes along the length of each stream with a high spatial scope (50-m sampling along ~2,500 m). To capture temporal variation, we sampled each stream in April (higher flow), May, and June (lower flow) in 2016. Seasonal patterns and processes influencing stream chemistry were generally similar in both streams, but some were amplified in the burned stream. Mean dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations increased with drying by 22% in the unburned and by 300% in the burned stream. In contrast, mean total nitrogen (TN) concentrations decreased in both streams, with a 16% TN decrease in the unburned stream and a 500% TN decrease (mostly nitrate) in the burned stream. Contrary to expectations, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations varied more in space than in time. In addition, we found the streams did not become more evaporative relative to the Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL) and we found weak evidence for evapoconcentration with drying. However, consistent with our expectations, strontium-DIC ratios indicated stream water shifted toward groundwater-dominance, especially in the burned stream. Fluorescence and absorbance measurements showed considerable spatial variation in DOC sourcing each month in both streams, and mean values suggested a temporal shift from allochthonous toward autochthonous carbon sources in the burned stream. Our findings suggest that the effects of fire may magnify some chemistry patterns but not the biophysical controls that we tested with stream drying.

scholarly journals Bud Necrosis of Green Ash Nursery Trees Is Influenced by Nitrogen Availability and Fertilizer Type

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 206-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn F. Scagel ◽  
Richard P. Regan ◽  
Guihong Bi
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Urea Formaldehyde ◽  
Shoot Biomass ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Green Ash ◽  
N Content ◽  
Ash Trees ◽  
Nursery Trees ◽  
C And N ◽  
N Status

A study was conducted to determine whether the nitrogen (N) status of nursery-grown green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica ‘Summit’) trees in the autumn is related to bud necrosis during the following spring. In 2005, different rates of N from urea formaldehyde (UF) or a controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) containing ammonium nitrate were applied during the growing season to green ash trees and leaves were sprayed or not with urea in the autumn. Biomass and N content was determined in Autumn 2005 and Spring 2006, and stem biomass and bud necrosis were evaluated for necrosis in Spring 2006. Trees with low N content in Autumn 2005 grew less in Spring 2006 but bud necrosis was more prevalent on trees grown at the highest N rate. Compared with trees grown with a similar amount of N from UF, growing trees with CRF altered N allocation in 2005 and the relationship between carbon (C) and N dynamics (import, export, and metabolism) in stems in 2006. Additionally, trees grown with CRF had less total shoot biomass in Spring 2006 and more bud failure than trees grown with a similar N rate from UF. Significant relationships between bud failure and N status and C/N ratios in different tissues suggest that a combination of tree N status and the balance between N and C in certain tissues plays a role in the occurrence of bud failure of green ash trees in the spring.

scholarly journals Linking groundwater travel times to stream chemistry, isotopic composition and catchment characteristics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Jutebring Sterte ◽  
Fredrik Lidman ◽  
Emma Lindborg ◽  
Ylva Sjöberg ◽  
Hjalmar Laudon
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Stream Chemistry ◽  
Travel Times ◽  
Underlying Assumption ◽  
Tracking Model

Abstract. Understanding travel times of rain and snowmelt inputs transported through the subsurface environment to recipient surface waters is critical in many hydrological and biogeochemical investigations. In this study, a particle tracking model approach in Mike SHE was used to investigating the travel time of stream groundwater input to 14 partly nested, long-term monitored boreal sub-catchments. Based on previous studies in the area, we hypothesized that the main factor controlling groundwater travel times was catchment size. The modeled mean travel time (MTT) in the different sub-catchments ranged between 0.5 years and 3.6 years. Estimated MTTs were tested against the observed long-term winter isotopic signature (δ2H, δ18O) and chemistry (base cation concentration and pH) of the stream water. The underlying assumption was that older water would have an isotopic signature that resembles the long-term average precipitation input, while seasonal variations would be more apparent in catchments with younger water. Similarly, it was assumed that older water would be more affected by weathering, resulting in higher concentrations of base cations and higher pH. 10-year average winter values for stream chemistry were used for each sub-catchment. We found significant correlations between the estimated travel times and average water isotope signature (r = 0.80, p 

scholarly journals Preferential protein depolymerization as a preservation mechanism for vascular litter decomposing in <i>Sphagnum</i> peat

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik Reuter ◽  
Julia Gensel ◽  
Marcus Elvert ◽  
Dominik Zak
Keyword(s):  
Protein Content ◽  
Litter Breakdown ◽  
N Dynamics ◽  
N Content ◽  
Sphagnum Peat ◽  
Elemental Analyses ◽  
Microbial Carbon ◽  
C And N ◽  
Microbial C ◽  
Microbial N

Abstract. Nitrogen (N) dynamics in Phragmites australis litter due to anaerobic decomposition in three anoxic wetland substrates were analyzed by elemental analyses and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). After 75 days of decomposition, a relative accumulation of bulk N was detected in most litters, but N accumulated less when decomposition took place in a more N-poor environment. FTIR was used to quantify the relative content of proteins in litter tissue and revealed a highly linear relationship between bulk N content and protein content. Changes in bulk N content thus paralleled and probably were governed by changes in litter protein content. Such changes are the result of two competing processes within decomposing litter: enzymatic protein depolymerization as a part of the litter breakdown process and microbial protein synthesis as a part of microbial biomass growth within the litter. Assuming microbial homeostasis, DNA signals in FTIR spectra were used to calculate the amount of microbial N in decomposed litter which ranged from 14 to 42 % of the total litter N for all leaf samples. Microbial carbon (C) content and resultant calculated carbon-use efficiencies (CUEs) indicate that microbial N in litter accumulated according to predictions of the stoichiometric decomposition theory. Subtracting microbial C- and N-contributions from litter, however, revealed decomposition site dependent variations in the percentual amount of remaining, still unprocessed plant N compared to remaining plant C, an indicator for preferential protein depolymerization. For all leaf litters, the coefficient of preferential protein depolymerization (α), which relates N-compound depolymerization to C-compound depolymerization, ranged from 0.74–0.88 in a nutrient-rich detritus mud to 1.38–1.82 in Sphagnum peat, the most nutrient-poor substrate in this experiment. Preferential protein depolymerization leads to a gradual N depletion of decomposing litter which we propose as a preservation mechanism for vascular litter decomposing in Sphagnum peat.

scholarly journals Concentrations, Deposition, and Effects of Nitrogenous Pollutants in Selected California Ecosystems

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 304-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Bytnerowicz ◽  
Pamela E. Padgett ◽  
Sally D. Parry ◽  
Mark E. Fenn ◽  
Michael J. Arbaugh
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Dry Deposition ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Photochemical Reactions ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Sierra Nevada Mountains

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) in California ecosystems is ecologically significant and highly variable, ranging from about 1 to 45 kg/ha/year. The lowest ambient concentrations and deposition values are found in the eastern and northern parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the highest in parts of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains that are most exposed to the Los Angeles air pollution plume. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, N is deposited mostly in precipitation, although dry deposition may also provide substantial amounts of N. On the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, the majority of airborne N is in reduced forms as ammonia (NH3) and particulate ammonium (NH4+) from agricultural activities in the California Central Valley. In southern California, most of the N air pollution is in oxidized forms as nitrogen oxides (NOx), nitric acid (HNO3), and particulate nitrate (NO3–) resulting from fossil fuel combustion and subsequent complex photochemical reactions. In southern California, dry deposition of gases and particles provides most (up to 95%) of the atmospheric N to forests and other ecosystems. In the mixed-conifer forest zone, elevated deposition of N may initially benefit growth of vegetation, but chronic effects may be expressed as deterioration of forest health and sustainability. HNO3vapor alone has a potential for toxic effects causing damage of foliar surfaces of pines and oaks. In addition, dry deposition of predominantly HNO3has lead to changes in vegetation composition and contamination of ground- and stream water where terrestrial N loading is high. Long-term, complex interactions between N deposition and other environmental stresses such as elevated ozone (O3), drought, insect infestations, fire suppression, or intensive land management practices may affect water quality and sustainability of California forests and other ecosystems.

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