Based on a comprehensive analysis framework including 15 factors, a factorial analysis scheme was developed to quantify a relative contribution of individual factors to carbon dynamics induced by urbanization. A case study in the southern US showed that land conversion had larger impacts than other factors, causing C loss. Urban managements & the interactive effect among factors compensated for 42% of the C loss in LC. The altered disturbance regime after urbanization enhanced the urban C sink. Hide

Climate change projections suggest large regional ocean productivity shifts for mesozooplankton, an important food resource for fish, which are amplified relative to changes in phytoplankton production. Amplification is attributed to changes in planktonic food web dynamics under global warming. Results have implications for regional economies and food security. Improved understanding of the response of plankton food webs to climate change is essential to refine amplification estimates. Hide

Light availability to seagrass is an important factor in their success. We deployed instrumentation to measure light in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, and found lower availability in the southern bay due to high turbidity (suspended sediment), while the northern bay has higher availability. In the northern bay, dissolved organic material and chlorophyll are most responsible for blocking light to the seagrass canopy. We also found that boat wakes do not have a large effect on sediment resuspension. Hide

Halimeda algae were used as a test organism to untangle some of the specific factors that influence skeletal composition, in particular Ca-isotope composition. Algae were stimulated to precipitate both calcite and aragonite by growth in artificial Cretaceous seawater. Comparison of the skeletal Ca-isotope ratios with inorganic carbonate forms indicates the effects of mineralogy and Rayleigh distillation of Ca on the geochemistry of their carbonate skeletons. Hide

The methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) exchange of a temperate mountain grassland near Neustift, Austria, was measured during 2010–2012 over a time period of 22 months using the eddy covariance method. The meadow acted as a sink for both compounds during certain time periods, but was a clear source of CH4 and N2O on an annual timescale. Both gases contributed to an increase of the global warming potential (GWP), effectively reducing the sink strength in terms of CO2 equivalents. Hide

We found that the multi-level meadow response to nutrient enrichment was faster and stronger than to CO2 enrichment, being both mediated by shifts in leaf epiphyte or sediment communities. Our findings highlight the relevance of integrative approaches considering not only species interactions and connections between organization levels, but also the effect of interactive stressors, to anticipate the evolution of seagrass meadows in the near future and to endorse conservation efforts. Hide

This work studies the biogeophysical impacts of peatland forestation on regional climate conditions in Finland by a regional climate model with two land cover maps produced from Finnish national forest inventories. A warming in spring and a slight cooling in the growing season are found in peatland forestation area, which are mainly induced by the decreased surface albedo and increased ET, respectively. The snow clearance days are advanced. The results are also compared with observational data. Hide

Recent evidence suggests that competition between phytoplankton groups is significantly affected by changing climatic factors. We investigated the effects of phytoplankton community composition on spring bloom carbon flows. The comparison of differing communities showed that community structure significantly affected C accumulation parameters. Climate-driven changes in phytoplankton dominance patterns will have far-reaching consequences for major biogeochemical cycles. Hide

We examine and discuss the portion of ocean alkalinity that varies in response to carbonate cycling and riverine alkalinity inputs using a new tracer, Alk*. We use this tracer to quantify the controls on marine carbonate saturation: at depth, we find carbonate cycling to be a minor control relative to organic matter cycling and pressure changes. In well-equilibrated surface water, we find carbonate cycling to be less important than temperature changes and freshwater cycling. Hide

Specimens of the patellogastropod limpet Patella caerulea were collected within and outside a CO2 vent site at Ischia, Italy. The distribution of different crystal structures across shell sections was analysed. Patella caerulea counteracts shell dissolution in corrosive waters by enhanced production of aragonitic parts of the shell. We conclude that it is not possible to predict the dissolution behaviour of a composite biomineral on the basis of the properties of its constituent mineral. Hide

We have successfully used NASA-AIRS temperature-humidity profiles and associated radiances within a Bowen ratio framework to produce the first ever global sounder latent and sensible heat fluxes (SoLH and SoSH). These SoLH and SoSH estimates do not require any land surface parameterisations of the aerodynamic and stomatal conductances and hence are ideally suited to interrogate or improve the surface paramaterisations embedded in the land components of Earth system models. Hide