Determinants influencing seasonal variations of methane emissions from alpine wetlands in Zoige Plateau and their implications

To understand the seasonality of methane flux from alpine wetlands in Zoige Plateau, 30 plots were set to measure the methane emissions in the growing and nongrowing seasons in three environmental types: dry hummock (DH), Carex muliensis (CM), and Eleocharis valleculosa (EV) sites. There were clearly seasonal patterns of methane flux in different environmental types in the growing and nongrowing seasons. Mean methane emission rate was 14.45 mg CH4 m(-2) h(-1) (0.17 to 86.78 mg CH4 m(-2) h(-1)) in the growing season, and 0.556 mg CH4 m(-2) h(-1) (0.002 to 6.722 mg CH4 m(-2) h(-1)) in the nongrowing season. In the growing season, the main maximum values of methane flux were found in July and August, except for a peak value in September in CM sites. In the nongrowing season, the similar seasonal variation pattern was shared among all the three sites, in which the methane emissions increased from February to April. In the growing season, the determining factors were surface temperatures (r(2) = 0.55, P < 0.05), standing water depths (r(2) = 0.32, P < 0.01) and plant community heights (r(2) = 0.61, P < 0.01), while in the nongrowing season, ice thickness (r(2) = 0.27, P < 0.05; in CM and EV sites) was found most related to flux. In our understanding, the seasonality of methane emissions in our study areas was temperature- and-plant-growth-dependent, and the water table position was also very important to shape the temperature- and-plant-growth-dependent seasonal variation of flux with its vigorous variations in alpine wetland ecosystems. Different environmental types within the wetland also influenced the seasonal pattern of methane flux. For an accurate estimate of the global methane source strength of alpine wetlands, the pronounced seasonal or even temporal variability in methane emission from alpine wetlands should be taken into consideration

High methane emissions from a littoral zone on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The littoral zones of lakes have been regarded as hotspots of methane (CH4) fluxes through several studies. In the present study, we measured CH4 fluxes in six kinds of littoral zones of Huahu Lake on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in the peak growing season of 2006 and 2007. We found that CH4 efflux (ranging from -0.1 to 90 mg CH4 m(-2) h(-1)) from the littoral zones of this lake was relatively high among those of boreal and temperate lakes. Our results also showed that emergent plant zones (Hippuris vulgarls and Glyceria maxima stands) recorded the highest CH4 flux rate. The CH4 flux in the floating mat zone of Carex muliensis was significantly lower than those of the emergent plant zones. CH4 fluxes in the floating-leaved zone of Polygonum amphibium and bare lakeshore showed no significant difference and ranked last but one, only higher than that of the littoral meadow (Kobresia tibetica). Plant biomass and standing water depths were important factors to explain such spatial variations in CH4 fluxes. No significant temporal variations in CH4 fluxes were found due to the insignificant variations of physical factors in the peak growing season. These results may help in our understanding of the importance of the littoral zone of lakes, especially the emergent plant zone, as a hotspot of CH4 emission. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

THE EFFECT OF HABITAT ON METHANE EMISSION FROM AN ALPINE WETLAND

Alpine wetland is a source for methane (CH4), an important greenhouse gas, but little is known about how this habitat influences the emission. To understand this wetland habitats were selected at the altitude of 3430 m a.s.l. (in National Wetland Nature Reserve of Zoige, Quingle - Tibetan Plateau) and the methane flux was measured with static chambers in three different sites, including hollows with Carex muliensis Hand - Mazz. and Eleocharis valleculosa Ohwi f. setosa (Ohwi) Kitagawa., grass hummocks composed of Kobresia tibetica Maxim, Cremanthodium pleurocaule R. D. Good, Potentilla bifurca L. and Pedicularis sp. We have found that in alpine wetland these habitats significantly affect CH, emissions in the onset (April, 2006) and peak (August, 2005) stages of growing season. Hollows covered with Carex muliensis and Eleocharis valleculosa had higher values of emission than grass hummocks built by several grass species. Slight difference of CH4 emission was found between two kinds of hollows with Carex muliensis and Eleocharis valleculosa. These results were consistent with the change of water table, which was found best correlated with CH4 emissions (r(2) = 0.43, P <0.01) in the peak stage of growing season. Directly measured shoot biomass and plant heights were best related to CH4 emissions (r(2) = 0.59, P <0.01). However, in the onset stage of growing season, variation of CH4 emission may not be simply ascribed to changes in water table and vegetation structure

Exploration of the bio-analogous asymmetric C–C coupling mechanism in tandem CO2 electroreduction

C–C coupling is a critical step of CO2 fixation in constructing the carbon skeleton of value-added multicarbon products. The Wood–Ljungdahl pathway is an efficient natural process through which microbes transform CO2 into methyl and carbonyl groups and subsequently couple them together. This asymmetric coupling mechanism remains largely unexplored in inorganic CO2 electroreduction. Here we experimentally validate the asymmetric coupling pathway through isotope-labelled co-reduction experiments on a Cu surface where 13CH3I and 12CO are co-fed externally as the methyl and the carbonyl source, respectively. Isotope-labelled multicarbon oxygenates were detected, which confirms an electrocatalytic asymmetric coupling on the Cu surface. We further employed tandem Cu–Ag nanoparticle systems in which *CHx and *CO intermediates can be generated to achieve asymmetric C–C coupling for a practical CO2 electroreduction. We found that the production of multicarbon oxygenates is correlated with the generation rate of two intermediate indicators, CH4 and CO. By aligning their rates, the oxygenates generation rate can be maximized. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

The PIEPEAR Workflow: A Critical Care Ultrasound Based 7-Step Approach as a Standard Procedure to Manage Patients with Acute Cardiorespiratory Compromise, with Two Example Cases Presented

Critical care ultrasound (CCUS) has been widely used as a useful tool to assist clinical judgement. The utilization should be integrated into clinical scenario and interact with other tests. No publication has reported this. We present a CCUS based “7-step approach” workflow—the PIEPEAR Workflow—which we had summarized and integrated our experience in CCUS and clinical practice into, and then we present two cases which we have applied the workflow into as examples. Step one is “problems emerged?” classifying the signs of the deterioration into two aspects: acute circulatory compromise and acute respiratory compromise. Step two is “information clear?” quickly summarizing the patient’s medical history by three aspects. Step three is “focused exam launched”: (1) focused exam of the heart by five views: the assessment includes (1) fast and global assessment of the heart (heart glance) to identify cases that need immediate life-saving intervention and (2) assessing the inferior vena cava, right heart, diastolic and systolic function of left heart, and systematic vascular resistance to clarify the hemodynamics. (2) Lung ultrasound exam is performed to clarify the predominant pattern of the lung. Step four is “pathophysiologic changes reported.” The results of the focused ultrasound exam were integrated to conclude the pathophysiologic changes. Step five is “etiology explored” diagnosing the etiology by integrating Step two and Step four and searching for the source of infection, according to the clues extracted from the focused ultrasound exam; additional ultrasound exams or other tests should be applied if needed. Step six is “action” supporting the circulation and respiration sticking to Step four. Treat the etiologies according step five. Step seven is “recheck to adjust.” Repeat focused ultrasound and other tests to assess the response to treatment, adjust the treatment if needed, and confirm or correct the final diagnosis. With two cases as examples presented, we insist that applying CCUS with 7-step approach workflow is easy to follow and has theoretical advantages. The coming research on its value is expected