Biogeochemistry Commons^™

Nutrient Contamination From An Agricultural Non-Point Source And Its Mitigation: A Case Study Of Eku Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky, Walter S. Borowski, Reid E. Buskirk, James Scott Winter, Jonathan Malzone Dr.

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Non-point sources are now responsible for most nutrient contamination in surface water and groundwater, leading to eutrophication and decreased water quality. Because of fertilizer use and animal husbandry, agricultural areas are prime sources for nutrient contamination. Consequently, it is advisable to mitigate entry of nutrients into watersheds from agricultural runoff and groundwater flow. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Meadowbrook Farm (Madison County, Kentucky) seeks to decrease its export of nutrients to Muddy Creek, which is tributary of the Kentucky River. To demonstrate the efficacy of any sequestration strategies, nutrient export must be measured both before and after sequestration efforts are implemented. …

Characterization Of Groundwater And Surface Water Geochemistry In An Agricultural Setting At Eku Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky, Reid E. Buskirk, Walter S. Borowski, Jonathan M. Malzone

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Agricultural activities often contaminate watersheds with excess nutrients leading to poor water quality and eutrophication. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Meadowbrook Farm raises crops and livestock, which contribute dissolved nutrients to the neighboring Muddy Creek watershed. Consequently, the Farm is developing methods to sequester phosphorous and limit nutrient contamination.

Before phosphorous sequestration methods can be tested, Farm surface water and groundwater geochemistry must be better understood to determine hydrological pathways for nutrients. We use naturally-occurring dissolved cations, pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), specific conductivity (SC), dissolved oxygen (DO%), total hardness, and alkalinity as chemical tracers to parse the contribution of dissolved ions …

First Assessment On The Air Co2 Dynamic In The Show Caves Of Tropical Karst, Vietnam, Duc A. Trinh, Quan H. Trinh, Angel Fernández-Cortés, David Mattey, Javier G. Guinea

International Journal of Speleology

In this study, air, water, and host rock in show caves in a Vietnam’s karst region was monitored and analyzed to identify the ventilation regime and track the cave air CO₂ sources. In general, the studied caves are well ventilated. In dynamic – multiple entrance caves, air ventilation is described with the use of U shape model. In static – single entrance cave, air circulation is explained by cold air trap model. Both ventilation models suggest that air is more circulated in winter than in summer. Seasonally, the cave air CO₂ increases from early spring to summer. Value …

Warming Deferentially Altered Multidimensional Soil Legacy Induced By Past Land Use History, Weiling Dong, Alin Song, Xueduan Liu, Bing Yu, Boren Wang, Yuqiu Lu, Yanling Li, Huaqun Yin, Jianwei Li, Fenliang Fan

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

The legacy effects of previous land use and climate history may affect current soil function. However, the manner in which these legacy effects of land use are modulated by the subsequent climate remains unclear. For this reason, we investigated how the legacies of soil multiple functions left by conversion of grassland to agricultural management were mediated by climate warming with a reciprocal transplant approach. The overall legacy was further separated into the contributions by changes in the abiotic properties of the soil (abiotic process) and microbial community (biotic process). We here hypothesized that warming may mediate the legacy effects of …

Phosphorus Limitation Of Aboveground Production In Northern Hardwood Forests, Shinjini Goswami, Melany C. Fisk, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Mariann Garrison-Johnston, Ruth D. Yanai, Timothy J. Fahey

All Materials

Forest productivity on glacially derived soils with weatherable phosphorus (P) is expected to be limited by nitrogen (N), according to theories of long-term ecosystem development. However, recent studies and model simulations based on resource optimization theory indicate that productivity can be co-limited by N and P. We conducted a full factorial N × P fertilization experiment in 13 northern hardwood forest stands of three age classes in central New Hampshire, USA, to test the hypothesis that forest productivity is co-limited by N and P. We also asked whether the response of productivity to N and P addition differs among species …

Carbon Fluxes And Interannual Drivers In A Temperate Forest Ecosystem Assessed Through Comparison Of Top-Down And Bottom-Up Approaches, Andrew P. Ouimette, Scott V. Ollinger, Andrew D. Richardson, David Y. Hollinger, Trevor F. Keenan, Lucie C. Lepine, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur

All Materials

Despite decades of research, gaining a comprehensive understanding of carbon (C) cycling in forests remains a considerable challenge. Uncertainties stem from persistent methodological limitations and the difficulty of resolving top-down estimates of ecosystem C exchange with bottom-up measurements of individual pools and fluxes. To address this, we derived estimates and associated uncertainties of ecosystem C fluxes for a 100-125 year old mixed temperate forest stand at the Bartlett Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA, using three different approaches: (1) tower-based eddy covariance, (2) a biometric approach involving C flux measurements of individual ecosystem subcomponents, and (3) an inventory approach involving changes …

Stable Bromine Isotope Signature Of Bromoform From Enzymatic And Abiotic Formation Pathways And Its Application In Identifying Sources Of Environmental Bromoform In The Damariscotta River, Chengyang Wang

Honors Theses

Bromoform is a major source of atmospheric bromine. Most bromoform is produced by marine organisms including macroalgae and phytoplankton, using the enzyme bromoperoxidase (BPO). Bromoform can also be a byproduct of industrial processes such as water disinfection. Identifying sources of environmental bromoform is still a challenge. A novel technique of using quadrupole mass spectrometry coupled to a gas chromatography (GCqMS) was developed and optimized for Br isotope analyses. The study shows that GCqMS in single ion monitoring (SIM) mode can measure 81Br with precision of around ±0.7‰ (60pmol bromoform injected). This study aims to investigate stable Br isotopes of bromoform …

Composition Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Pore Waters Of Anoxic Marine Sediments Analyzed By 1h Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Christina A. Fox, Hussain A. Abdulla, David J. Burdige, James P. Lewicki, Tomoko Komada

OES Faculty Publications

Marine sediments are globally significant sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to the oceans, but the biogeochemical role of pore-water DOM in the benthic and marine carbon cycles remains unclear due to a lack of understanding about the molecular composition of DOM. To help fill this knowledge gap, we used 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to examine depth variability in the composition of pore-water DOM in anoxic sediments of Santa Barbara Basin, California Borderland. Proton detected spectra were acquired on whole samples without pre-concentration to avoid preclusion of any DOM components from the analytical window. Broad unresolved resonance (operationally …

Interpreting Mosaics Of Ocean Biogeochemistry, Andrea Fassbender, A. Bourbonnais, Sophie Clayton, P. Gaube, M. Ormand, P.J.S. Franks, M. A. Altabet, D.J. Mcgillicuddy Jr.

OES Faculty Publications

Advances in technology and modeling capabilities are driving a surge in progress in our understanding of how ocean ecosystems mix and mingle on medium to small scales.

Biologically Available Phosphorus In Biocrust-Dominated Soils Of The Chihuahuan Desert, Grace Margaret Crain

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In desert soils, phosphorus (P) is an important limiting nutrient and its cycling characteristics are less understood compared to nitrogen and carbon. Phosphorus cycling is controlled by both geochemical and biological factors. Traditionally, P availability has been characterized via sequential extraction analyses such as Hedley fractionation, but newly developed extraction methods allow for the examination of more biologically relevant P fractions, providing insight on mechanisms of P acquisition by plants and microbes. We examined these P cycling features in the context of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which have been found to be important drivers of nutrient cycling and have the …

Geostatistical And Geospatial Distribution Of Multiple Metallic Elements In Agricultural Regions Of The Mid-Continental Usa, Najwah Alssaeidi Ahmed Almesleh

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Regional geochemical mapping constitute the chemistry of the surface of the earth in a large scale and relatively low sample density. It is widely accepted scientific activity and man uses some cases to identify contamination. In the present study, data present in national geochemical survey database was used to investigate the chemical loading loading of the agricultural soil. In the mid-continent region of the United States. Several traditional parameters were used mainly the enrichment factor (EF), and geoaccumulation index (I geo). Total chemical influence (TCI) maps were used to guide sampling. In addition, regional trace element chemistry of bedrock was …

Improving In-Stream Nutrient Routines In Water Quality Models Using Stable Isotope Tracers: A Review And Synthesis, Alexandria K. Jensen, William I. Ford, James F. Fox, Admin Husic

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Water quality models serve as an economically feasible alternative to quantify fluxes of nutrient pollution and to simulate effective mitigation strategies; however, their applicability is often questioned due to broad uncertainties in model structure and parameterization, leading to uncertain outputs. We argue that reduction of uncertainty is partially achieved by integrating stable isotope data streams within the water quality model architecture. This article outlines the use of stable isotopes as a response variable within water quality models to improve the model boundary conditions associated with nutrient source provenance, constrain model parameterization, and elucidate shortcomings in the model structure. To assist …

Effects Of Increasing Deciduous Shrub Litter On Ecosystem Functioning In Alpine Tundra, Alejandro Emmanuel Benhumea

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Rising temperatures due to global warming have resulted in rapid environmental changes in northern environments, resulting in an increase in deciduous shrub growth which has the potential to alter soil ecosystem properties and processes. In order to address some potential mechanisms by which shrubs alter ecosystem properties and processes, we designed an experiment which separated the effects of physical shrub presence and the effects of litter quantity in a fully factorial experiment on a north facing alpine plateau in the southwest Yukon, Canada. Specifically, we asked the following questions: What are effects of shrub litter, independent of shrub presence, on …

Trace Metal And Metalloid Behavior In The Submicron Scale Components Of Coal Fly Ashes: Insights From Combined Microscopic And Microbiological Studies, Matthew Costa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For over a century, coal has been used worldwide to meet ever-growing energy demands. Coal combustion accounts for over 30% of electricity generation in the United States. In the U.S., coal combustion produces annually over 100 million tons of coal combustion products (CCPs) of which only 30% are used in beneficial and economic ways. One of the primary CCPs from coal-burning power plants is fly ash, typically fine-sized and enriched in many trace elements (e.g., arsenic, chromium, lead, and vanadium). When disposed in the environment, fly ash may release significant concentrations of trace elements into surrounding ecosystems and induce toxicity …

Characterizing Cdom Spectral Variability From Seas To Space, Brice Grunert

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption varies significantly across the global oceans, presumably due to differences in source and degradation pathways. Tracking this variability on a global, or even regional, scale requires broad temporal and spatial sampling at high frequency. Satellite remote sensing provides this platform; however, current and near future sensors are/will be limited to measurements within the UV and visible wavelengths (> 350 nm) while most optical proxies estimating CDOM composition, and relevant for understanding largescale biogeochemical processes, use wavelengths less than 350 nm. This dissertation examines global variability in CDOM spectral variability utilizing a variety of optical …

Wildfire Emissions In The Context Of Global Change And The Implications For Mercury Pollution, Aditya Kumar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Wildfires are episodic disturbances that exert a significant influence on the Earth system. They emit substantial amounts of atmospheric pollutants, which can impact atmospheric chemistry/composition and the Earth’s climate at the global and regional scales. This work presents a collection of studies aimed at better estimating wildfire emissions of atmospheric pollutants, quantifying their impacts on remote ecosystems and determining the implications of 2000s-2050s global environmental change (land use/land cover, climate) for wildfire emissions following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) A1B socioeconomic scenario.

A global fire emissions model is developed to compile global wildfire emission inventories for major atmospheric …