Drivers of nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in a groundwater-fed urban catchment revealed by high-frequency monitoring

Eutrophication of water bodies has been a problem causing severe degradation of water quality in cities. To gain mechanistic understanding of the temporal dynamics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in a groundwater-fed lowlying urban polder, we applied high-frequency monitoring in Geuzenveld, a polder in the city of Amsterdam. The highfrequency monitoring equipment was installed at the pumping station where water leaves the polder. From March 2016 to June 2017, total phosphorus (TP), ammonium (NH4), turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), and water temperature were measured at intervals of less than 20 min. This paper discusses the results at three timescales: Annual scale, rain event scale, and single pumping event scale. Mixing of upwelling groundwater (main source of N and P) and runoff from precipitation on pavements and roofs was the dominant hydrological process governing the temporal pattern of the EC, while N and P fluxes from the polder were also regulated by primary production and iron transformations. In our groundwater-seepage controlled catchment, NH4 appeared to be the dominant form of N with surface water concentrations in the range of 2-6 mgNL-1, which stems from production in an organic-rich subsurface. The concentrations of NH4 in the surface water were governed by the mixing process in autumn and winter and were reduced down to 0.1 mgNL-1 during the algal growing season in spring. The depletion of dissolved NH4 in spring suggests uptake by primary producers, consistent with high concentrations of chlorophyll a, O2, and suspended solids during this period. Total P and turbidity were high during winter (range 0.5-2.5 mg P L-1 and 200-1800 FNU, respectively, where FNU represents Formazin Nephelometric Unit) due to the release of P and reduced iron from anoxic sediment to the water column, where Fe2C was rapidly oxidized and precipitated as iron oxides which contributed to turbidity. In the other seasons, P is retained in the sediment by sorption to precipitated iron oxides. Nitrogen is exported from the polder to the receiving waters throughout the whole year, mostly in the form of NH4 but in the form of organic N in spring. P leaves the polder mainly during winter, primarily associated with Fe(OH)3 colloids and as dissolved P. Based on this new understanding of the dynamics of N and P in this low-lying urban catchment, we suggested management strategies that may effectively control and reduce eutrophication in urban polders and receiving downstream waters. </p

Influence of deep-water derived isoprenoid tetraether lipids on the TEXH86 paleothermometer in the Mediterranean Sea

The View the MathML sourceTEX86H paleothermometer based on isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (isoGDGTs) has widely been applied in various marine settings to reconstruct past sea surface temperatures (SSTs). However, it still remains uncertain how well this proxy reconstructs annual mean SSTs. Here, we assess environmental factors governing the View the MathML sourceTEX86H paleothermometer in the Mediterranean Sea, by studying the distribution of isoGDGTs in surface sediments, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and two sediment cores. A redundancy analysis using the fractional abundance of the six major isoGDGTs indicates that the sedimentary isoGDGTs are mostly influenced by three environmental factors explaining a large part (74%) of the variance in isoGDGT distribution. In order of decreasing significance, these factors are annual mean SST, continental organic matter input as indicated by the BIT index, and water depth. However, when considering only the four isoGDGTs that are used for the View the MathML sourceTEX86H proxy, water depth is the most significant parameter, explaining 63% of the variance. Indeed, a strong positive relationship between water depth and View the MathML sourceTEX86H is observed in both surface sediments and SPM from the Mediterranean Sea. This is driven by an increase in fractional abundances of GDGT-2 and crenarchaeol regio-isomer and a decrease in the fractional abundances of GDGT-1 and GDGT-3 with increasing water depth, leading to a bias to higher temperatures of View the MathML sourceTEX86H in deep-water surface sediments. The fact that the water-depth trend is also apparent in SPM suggests that this change might be due to a change in thaumarchaeotal community thriving below surface mixed-layer waters and that this signal is, at least partly, incorporated into sedimentary isoGDGTs. Interestingly, surface-sediment View the MathML sourceTEX86H values from >1000 m water depth do not show a correlation with water depth anymore and instead are correlated to annual mean SSTs. A composite deep-water View the MathML sourceTEX86H dataset of surface sediments from both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, interconnected regional restricted basins with relatively high bottom-water temperatures and high salinity, forms a distinctive correlation line, statistically distinct from that of the general global correlation. Application of this correlation on two sedimentary records from the western Mediterranean Sea covering the last deglaciation yields SSTs nearly identical to those obtained with the View the MathML sourceU37K′ paleothermometer, whereas the global calibration substantially overestimates SSTs. Our results show that the warm bias of the View the MathML sourceTEX86H proxy in the Mediterranean Sea is not due to seasonality, as previously suggested. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism behind the strong water depth trend of View the MathML sourceTEX86H in the Mediterranean Sea which is not apparent in open ocean settings

Influence of deep-water derived isoprenoid tetraether lipids on the TEXH86 paleothermometer in the Mediterranean Sea

International audienceThe TEXH86 paleothermometer based on isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (isoGDGTs) has widely been applied in various marine settings to reconstruct past sea surface temperatures (SSTs). However, it still remains uncertain how well this proxy reconstructs annual mean SSTs. Here, we assess environmental factors governing the TEXH86 paleothermometer in the Mediterranean Sea, by studying the distribution of isoGDGTs in surface sediments, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and two sediment cores. A redundancy analysis using the fractional abundance of the six major isoGDGTs indicates that the sedimentary isoGDGTs are mostly influenced by three environmental factors explaining a large part (74%) of the variance in isoGDGT distribution. In order of decreasing significance, these factors are annual mean SST, continental organic matter input as indicated by the BIT index, and water depth. However, when considering only the four isoGDGTs that are used for the TEXH86 proxy, water depth is the most significant parameter, explaining 63% of the variance. Indeed, a strong positive relationship between water depth and TEXH86 is observed in both surface sediments and SPM from the Mediterranean Sea. This is driven by an increase in fractional abundances of GDGT-2 and crenarchaeol regio-isomer and a decrease in the fractional abundances of GDGT-1 and GDGT-3 with increasing water depth, leading to a bias to higher temperatures of TEXH86 in deep-water surface sediments. The fact that the water-depth trend is also apparent in SPM suggests that this change might be due to a change in thaumarchaeotal community thriving below surface mixed-layer waters and that this signal is, at least partly, incorporated into sedimentary isoGDGTs. Interestingly, surface-sediment TEXH86 values from >1000 m water depth do not show a correlation with water depth anymore and instead are correlated to annual mean SSTs. A composite deep-water TEXH86 dataset of surface sediments from both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, interconnected regional restricted basins with relatively high bottom-water temperatures and high salinity, forms a distinctive correlation line, statistically distinct from that of the general global correlation. Application of this correlation on two sedimentary records from the western Mediterranean Sea covering the last deglaciation yields SSTs nearly identical to those obtained with the UK'37 paleothermometer, whereas the global calibration substantially overestimates SSTs. Our results show that the warm bias of the TEXH86 proxy in the Mediterranean Sea is not due to seasonality, as previously suggested. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism behind the strong water depth trend of TEXH86 in the Mediterranean Sea which is not apparent in open ocean settings