Phytoplankton in a temperate-zone salt marsh: Net production and exchanges with coastal waters

Phytoplankton production and associated variables were measured in Flax Pond, a 52 ha salt marsh on the north shore of Long Island, New York, from July 1972 to October 1973. Measurements made up to five times per day, once per week, yielded a mean annual net primary production, determined by the 14 C technique, of 20.5 mg C/m 3 /h; daily means were as high as 60.0 mg C/m 3 /h. However, when productivity was calculated for the entire marsh ecosystem, the shallow water in the salt marsh produced only 11.7 g C/m 2 of marsh/year. There was a net flux of phytoplankton from the coastal waters into the marsh; during the summer up to 0.2 g chlorophy 11/m 2 of marsh was carried in with the tides daily and remained in the marsh. Analysis of the productivity data, as well as variables associated with productivity (pH, standing crop, nutrients, extinction coefficient), indicated that the aquatic portion of the marsh behaved more as a net consumer rather than a net producer of phytoplankton.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46630/1/227_2004_Article_BF00391561.pd

Role of organic soils in the world carbon cycle: problem analysis and research needs

In May 1979, The Institute of Ecology held a workshop to determine the role of organic soils in the global carbon cycle and to ascertain their past, present and future significance in world carbon flux. Wetlands ecologists and soil scientists who participated in the workshop examined such topics as Soils as Sources of Atmospheric CO/sub 2/, Organic Soils, Primary Production and Growth of Wetlands Ecosystems, and Management of Peatlands. The major finding of the workshop is that the organic soils are important in the overall carbon budget. Histosols and Gleysols, the major organic soil deposits of the world, normally sequester organic carbon fixed by plants. They may now be releasing enough carbon to account for nearly 10% of the annual rise in atmospheric content of CO/sub 2/

Role of organic soils in the world carbon cycle: problem definition and research needs

The following goals were addressed in the workshop: review and analysis of available data on carbon in organic soils from the past century to the present; assessment of the probable flux of carbon to and from organic soils in the near future; identification of major data inadequacies which preclude reliable analysis of the principal processes influencing carbon flux in organic soils; and proposal of research initiatives which could improve understanding of organic deposits in relation to the carbon cycle within a time frame of two to four years. The major finding of the workshop is that the organic soils are important in the overall carbon budget. Histosols and gleysols, the major organic soil deposits of the world, normally sequester organic carbon fixed by plants. They may now be releasing enough carbon to account for nearly 10% of the annual rise in atmospheric content of CO/sub 2/. Current annual release of carbon from organic soils is estimated to fall within the range of 0.03 to 0.37 x 10/sup 9/ t, a release equivalent to 1.3% to 16% of the annual increase of carbon in the atmosphere. Present annual releases of carbon from the Everglades Agricultural Area in Florida and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley in California are estimated at 0.017 x 10/sup 9/ tons. Annual sequestering of carbon by undrained organic soils has been estimated at about 0.045 x 10/sup 9/ tons. Several strategies for peatland management are available, including creation, preservation, functional designation, and use of wetlands for agriculture and energy supply

Role of temperate zone forests in the world carbon cycle: problem definition and research needs

The proceedings of a workshop on carbon uptake and losses from temperate zone forests are presented. The goals of the workshop were to analyze existing data on growth and utilization of the temperate zone forest carbon pool and to identify further research needs in relation to the role of temperate forests in the global carbon cycle. Total standing stock and growth recovery transients were examined for most of the temperate region over a period from pre-settlement times to the present, with emphasis on the last three decades. Because of data availability, certain regions and topics were covered more in detail than others. Forest inventory data from most of the commercial timberlands of the north temperate zone suggest these forests have functioned over the past several decades as an annual sink for about 10/sup 9/ metric tons of carbon. Thus, net growth of these forests has withdrawn carbon from the atmosphere at a rate equivalent, approximately, to 50% of the annual rise in atmospheric carbon. Various data inadequacies make this estimate probably no more precise than plus or minus half of the value. Analysis of growth and vegetation changes in New England and the southeastern United States shows that forest biomass has partly recovered since extensive clearing took place in the 18th and 19th centuries. This regrowth represents a net withdrawal of carbon (carbon sink) from the atmosphere in recent decades, although the difference in pool size between present and original forests means that, in the longer term, the two regions have functioned as carbon sources