Fundamental Molecules of Life are Pigments which Arose and Evolved to Dissipate the Solar Spectrum

The driving force behind the origin and evolution of life has been the thermodynamic imperative of increasing the entropy production of the biosphere through increasing the global solar photon dissipation rate. In the upper atmosphere of today, oxygen and ozone derived from life processes are performing the short wavelength UVC and UVB dissipation. On Earth's surface, water and organic pigments in water facilitate the near UV and visible photon dissipation. The first organic pigments probably formed, absorbed, and dissipated at those photochemically active wavelengths in the UVC that could have reached Earth's surface during the Archean. Proliferation of these pigments can be understood as an autocatalytic photochemical process obeying non-equilibrium thermodynamic directives related to increasing solar photon dissipation rate. Under these directives, organic pigments would have evolved over time to increase the global photon dissipation rate by; 1) increasing the ratio of their effective photon cross sections to their physical size, 2) decreasing their electronic excited state life times, 3) quenching non-radiative de-excitation channels (e.g. fluorescence), 4) covering ever more completely the solar spectrum, and 5) dispersing into an ever greater surface area of Earth. From knowledge of the evolution of the spectrum of G-type stars, and considering the most probable history of the transparency of Earths atmosphere, we construct the most probable surface solar spectrum as a function of time and compare this with the history of molecular absorption maxima obtained from the available data in the literature. This comparison supports the thermodynamic dissipation theory for the origin of life, constrains models for Earth's early atmosphere, and sheds some new light on the origin of photosynthesis.Comment: 43 pages, 3 figure

Environmental Biophysics

Ця книга призначена для студентів, які вивчають навколишнє середовище. Буде корисна для студентів, для яких англійська не є рідною мовою і які прагнуть покращити знання професійної англійської термінології, що дозволить краще зрозуміти сучасну наукову літературу, приймати активнішу участь в наукових міжнародних конференціях, симпозіумах, семінарах.This text-book: 1) provides a description of physical surrounding of living organisms; 2) elucidates the ability of living organisms to respond to the change of external factors due to receptor systems and to choose optimal conditions of survival; 3) gives information on the principles of operation of modern instrumentation for measure-ment of the environmental parameters with special emphasis on automated system and remote sensing of environmental components; 4) reviews transfer phenomena and processes which characterise the interaction of living or-ganisms with the environment; 5) considers the main principles of the solar radiation budget and the energy balance of physical and biological systems with the environment. This text-book is based on the concept of transfer phenomena – irreversible processes which are important from the point of view of viability of living organisms; the spatial transfer of physical values such as entropy, mass, energy, momentum, electric charges in the envi-ronment occurs due to these phenomena. Such an approach makes it possible to unite all bio-physical processes that characterise the interaction of living organisms with the environment. This text-book is intended for the students of Environmental Sciences. It will be useful for those students whose native language is not English and who want to improve the knowledge of professional English terminology that will make it possible to better understand modern literature, take a more active role in scientific missions abroad, get into contact with foreign colleagues, and enhance attendance at international conferences, symposiums, seminars, etc.Participation of Prof. Yuriy Posudin in research program in Japan was possible due to Fellowship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Fellow’s ID No.: S-07117 in 2007

On the habitability of Mars: An approach to planetary ecosynthesis

The possibility of utilizing Mars as a habitat for terrestrial life, including man, is examined. Available data, assumptions, and speculations on the climate, physical state, and chemical inventory of Mars are reviewed and compared with the known requirements and environmental limits of terrestrial life. No fundamental, insuperable limitation of the ability of Mars to support a terrestrial ecology is identified. The lack of an oxygen-containing atmosphere would prevent the unaided habitation of Mars by man. The present strong ultraviolet surface irradiation is an additional major barrier. The creation of an adequate oxygen and ozone-containing atmosphere on Mars may be feasible through the use of photosynthetic organisms. The time needed to generate such an atmosphere, however, might be several millions of years. This period might be drastically reduced by the synthesis of novel, Mars-adapted, oxygen producing photosynthetic strains by techniques of genetic engineering, and modifying the present Martian climate by melting of the Martian polar caps and concomitant advective and greenhouse heating effects

Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems: Natural and Artificial Ecosystems

The scientists supported by the NASA sponsored Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) program have played a major role in creating a Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) section devoted to the development of bioregenerative life support for use in space. The series of 22 papers were sponsored by Subcommission F.4. The papers deal with many of the diverse aspects of life support, and with outgrowth technologies that may have commercial applications in fields such as biotechnology and bioengineering. Papers from researchers in France, Canada, Japan and the USSR are also presented

Environmental and climatic dependences of stable isotope ratios in tree rings on different temporal scales

This work examines stable isotope ratios of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in annual growth rings of trees. Isotopic composition in wood cellulose is used as a tool to study past climate. The method benefits from the accurate and precise dating provided by dendrochronology. In this study the origin, nature and the strength of climatic correlations are studied on different temporal scales and at different sites in Finland. The origin of carbon isotopic signal is in photosynthetic fractionation. The basic physical and chemical fractionations involved are reasonably well understood. This was confirmed by measuring instantaneous photosynthetic discrimination on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The internal conductance of CO2 was recognized to have a significant impact on the observed fractionation, and further investigations are suggested to quantify its role in controlling the isotopic signal of photosynthates. Isotopic composition of the produced biomass can potentially be affected by variety of external factors that induce physiological changes in trees. Response of carbon isotopic signal in tree ring cellulose to changes in resource availability was assessed in a manipulation experiment. It showed that the signal was relatively stable despite of changes in water and nitrogen availability to the tree. Palaeoclimatic reconstructions are typically based on functions describing empirical relationship between isotopic and climatic parameters. These empirical relationships may change depending on the site conditions, species and timeframe studied. Annual variation in Scots pine tree ring carbon and oxygen isotopic composition was studied in northern and in central eastern Finland and annual variation in tree ring latewood carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic ratio in Oak (Quercus robur L.) was studied in southern Finland. In all of the studied sites at least one of the studied isotope ratios was shown to record climate strongly enough to be used in climatic reconstructions. Using the observed relationships, four-century-long climate reconstructions from living Scots pine were created for northern and central eastern Finland. Also temporal stability of the relationships between three proxy indicators, tree ring growth and carbon and oxygen isotopic composition was studied during the four-hundred-year period. Isotope ratios measured from tree rings in Finland were shown to be sensitive indicators of climate. Increasing understanding of environmental controls and physiological mechanisms affecting tree ring isotopic composition will make possible more accurate interpretation of isotope data. This study also demonstrated that by measuring multiple isotopes and physical proxies from the same tree rings, additional information on tree physiology can be obtained. Thus isotopic ratios measured from tree ring cellulose provide means to improve the reliability of climate reconstructions.Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkittiin hiilen, hapen ja vedyn stabiilien eli pysyvien isotooppien suhdetta puiden vuosilustoissa ja niiden käyttöä tiedonlähteenä menneistä ilmastonvaihteluista. Kemiallisissa, fysikaalisissa ja biologisissa prosesseissa saman alkuaineen isotooppien suhde hieman muuttuu, eli tapahtuu fraktioitumista. Puuaineksessa isotooppisuhteet muuttuvat riippuen siitä millaisissa kasvuoloissa ja ilmastossa puu on kasvanut. Kun isotooppisuhde mitataan puun vuosilustosta, lusto voidaan dendrokronologisten menetelmien avulla ajoittaa ja isotooppisuhde yhdistää kyseisen vuoden kasvuoloihin. Aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa Suomesta on mitattu lähinnä hiilen isotooppisuhteita puiden vuosilustoista. Tässä työssä perehdyttiin tarkemmin niihin prosesseihin jotka puussa muokkaavat hiilen isotooppisuhdetta sekä mitattiin hiilen lisäksi myös hapen ja vedyn pysyvien isotooppien suhdetta puiden vuosilustoissa. Kasvimateriaalin hiilen isotooppikoostumus määräytyy ensisijaisesti kasvin sitoessa hiiltä ilmakehästä yhteyttämällä. Tätä tutkittiin männyllä (Pinus sylvestris L.) kammiomittauksilla ja mallintamalla Etelä-Suomessa. Lisäksi tutkittiin männyn kasvuresurssien muutoksen vaikutusta vuosiluston hiilen isotooppikoostumukseen ja puun kasvuun Lapissa. Isotooppisuhteessa ei havaittu merkittävää muutosta, huolimatta kasvussa tapahtuneista muutoksista. Lapista ja Itä-Suomesta mitattiin 400 vuotta pitkät hiili- ja happi-isotooppi sekä lustonleveys aikasarjat mäntyjen vuosilustoista. Vuosittaista vaihtelua isotooppisuhteissa verrattiin säähavaintoihin viimeisen sadan vuoden ajalta. Hiilen isotooppien havaittiin korreloivan vahvasti kesälämpötilojen kanssa molemmilla alueilla. Itä-Suomessa havaittiin hapen ja myös hiilen isotooppien korreloivan kesän sademäärän kanssa. Pitkiä aikasarjoja käyttäen tehtiin 400 vuoden lämpötilarekonstruktio Lappiin ja lämpötila- ja sademäärärekonstruktiot Itä-Suomeen. Pitkiä aikasarjoja myös vertailtiin keskenään ja havaittiin niiden välisessä korrelaatiossa ajallista vaihtelua. Työssä tutkittiin myös voitaisiinko tammen (Quercus robur L.) vuosilustojen isotooppisuhteita käyttää ilmastoindikaattorina. Tammista mitattiin sekä hiilen, hapen että vedyn stabiilit isotoopit vuosiluston kesäpuusta viimeisen sadan vuoden ajalta. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin erityisesti hapen, mutta myös hiilen isotooppisuhteen heijastavan vuosittaista vaihtelua kesän pilvisyydessä ja sademäärässä. Pysyvien isotooppien suhteen todettiin olevan usein vuosiluston leveyttä vahvempi ilmastoindikaattori. Niitä voidaan myös hyödyntää laajemmalla maantieteellisellä alueella. Lisäksi, koska samasta puulustosta voidaan mitata useampi isotooppisuhde sekä fysikaaliset indikaattorit, voidaan useampaa tiedonlähdettä käyttämällä saada kattavampi kuva puun toiminnasta ja siihen vaikuttavista tekijöistä ja näin ollen parantaa ilmastorekonstruktioiden luotettavuutta

Effect of soil moisture stress on growth and flowering of carnations, The

Includes bibliographical references (pages [106]-115).December, 1967.The effect of differences in soil moisture stress, provided by the use of different soils and depths of soil, on yield and quality of carnations was investigated. A technique that would offer a better indication of when to water carnations under greenhouse conditions was also evaluated. The values of bulk density, moisture content at all suctions and total pore space of the best soils were an average of the extremes of all soils compared. Reduction of soil depth from 8 to 4 inches increased problems that result from too much or insufficient water. Yield and grade were best on plants grown in 8-inch soil. Raw field soil had a decreased yield due to an aeration problem when placed in a greenhouse bench. The effect of stress was most noticeable in the flowering of the second crop which was delayed up to 5 weeks under high stress. Indications were that some stress may be essential for production of higher grade carnations. The number of stomatal and epidermal cells per unit area increased as either solar radiation or soil moisture stress increased. Stomata on leaves from plants grown under high stress adapted to the unfavorable growing conditions by having a greater resistance to transpiration. The use of stomatal index was not beneficial in understanding stomatal distribution. A higher correlation was found between transpiration rate and stomatal aperture than transpiration rate and solar radiation. Although the lithium chloride hygrometer was easy to use, it was not sensitive enough to be used in a greenhouse as an indication of when to water. The measurement of stomatal apertures by the use of silicon rubber impressions was too laborious to be used as a practical field technique

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION: A PROCESS DRIVING MASS TRANSPORT AND ENERGY EXCHANGE IN THE SOIL-PLANT-ATMOSPHERE-CLIMATE SYSTEM

The role of evapotranspiration (ET) in the global, continental, regional, and local water cycles is reviewed. Elevated atmospheric CO2, air temperature, vapor pressure deficit (D), turbulent transport, radiative transfer, and reduced soil moisture all impact biotic and abiotic processes controlling ET that must be extrapolated to large scales. Suggesting a blueprint to achieve this link is the main compass of this review. Leaf-scale transpiration ( fe) as governed by the plant biochemical demand for CO2 is first considered. When this biochemical demand is combined with mass transfer formulations, the problem remains mathematically intractable, requiring additional assumptions. A mathematical “closure” that assumes stomatal aperture is autonomously regulated so as to maximize the leaf carbon gain while minimizing water loss is proposed, which leads to analytical expressions for leaf-scale transpiration. This formulation predicts well the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and increases in D on fe. The case of soil moisture stress is then considered using extensive gas exchange measurements collected in drought studies. Upscaling the fe to the canopy is then discussed at multiple time scales. The impact of limited soil water availability within the rooting zone on the upscaled ET as well as some plant strategies to cope with prolonged soil moisture stress are briefly presented. Moving further up in direction and scale, the soil-plant system is then embedded within the atmospheric boundary layer, where the influence of soil moisture on rainfall is outlined. The review concludes by discussing outstanding challenges and how to tackle them by means of novel theoretical, numerical, and experimental approaches. Citation: Katul, G. G., R. Oren, S. Manzoni, C. Higgins, and M. B. Parlange (2012), Evapotranspiratio

Commercial-Scale Conversion of Algae to Biofuel

Biodiesel, derived from renewable feedstocks like algae, has the potential to replace traditional, petroleum-based fuels — providing a carbon-neutral, sustainable transportation fuel. However, with plummeting oil prices, alternative fuels have become less competitive. Thus, process modeling and optimization are needed to reduce costs. Extensive modeling has been done for the conversion of algae and plant lipids to biofuels, but the upstream operations remain poorly understood. We partnered with other organizations to create an overall techno-economic model for a commercial-scale algae-to-biodiesel venture, using software packages like ASPEN PLUS, the ASPEN Process Economic Analyzer, gPROMS, and AIMMS. The two most important findings from this model were that: (1) cultivation represented 90% of the total capital expense because of the massive fields required to grow the algae, and (2) extraction of the oil from algae had highly variable cost estimates, which spanned three orders of magnitude. The low photosynthetic efficiency of the algae was the major limiting factor in terms of algae growth. Therefore an exergy analysis was undertaken to rigorously calculate the efficiency (3.9%) and determine what could be done to improve it. Overall, the algae cell’s absorption of sunlight was the largest loss of exergy, and therefore the most crucial factor in decreasing capital expenditures for this venture. Regarding the extraction of the oils, supercritical carbon dioxide is a green, non-toxic solvent that can be used to extract and convert algae-oils to biodiesel in a single step, eliminating the need for pre- or post-processing of the oil or biodiesel product. The statistical associating fluid theory equations-of-state in ASPEN PLUS (PC-SAFT) and gProms (SAFT-γ Mie) were used to perform the fluid-phase equilibria calculations because of their improved robustness and higher accuracy for long-chain hydrocarbons when compared with cubic equations-of-state. A multi-phase reactor model was formulated to account for the effects of changing phase equilibria on reaction conversions. While further research is required to obtain cost estimates, preliminary results for this system show that it is possible to achieve high oil-to-biodiesel conversions at much lower pressures than previous anticipated