Biomass burning is a significant contributor to atmospheric carbon emissions but may also provide an avenue in which fire-affected ecosystems can accumulate carbon over time, through the generation of highly resistant fire-altered carbon. Identifying how fuel moisture, and subsequent changes in the fire behavior, relates to the production of fire-altered...
Wildfire greatly impacts the composition and quantity of organic carbon stocks within watersheds. Most methods used to measure the contributions of fire altered organic carbon–i.e. pyrogenic organic carbon (Py-OC) in natural samples are designed to quantify specific fractions such as black carbon or polyaromatic hydrocarbons. In contrast, the CuO oxidation...
Christmas tree production removes organic matter and associated nutrients from a site and can change soil physical properties, reduce mycorrhizal populations, and result in pesticide over-use/accumulation. These impacts have been implicated in potential field productivity declines. Assessing Christmas tree productivity is complicated by genetics, management, and market forces. We approached...
We investigated the export of particulate organic matter (POM) to the ocean by two contrasting small, mountainous rivers, the Umpqua and Eel Rivers, by collecting suspended sediment samples over a range of discharges and analyzing them for a variety of constituents, including organic carbon, nitrogen, biomarkers with distinct biochemical sources,...
Mariner 9 and Viking spacecraft observations provided evidence for planetary-scale, wavelike disturbances in the Mars winter atmosphere. Possible sources of the wave activity are dynamical instabilities, for example, barotropic and / or baroclinic instabilities. Other candidate sources are forced. quasi-stationary planetary waves—waves that arise predominantly via zonally asymmetric surface properties....
Forest harvesting intrinsically removes organic matter and associated nutrients; these exports may impact soil productivity and soil carbon stores of managed forests. This study examined the effect of manipulating forest floor and harvest residue inputs on nutrient availability and carbon content in the context of intensive forest management. Treatments were...
This study is an investigation into the roles of wildfire and changing agricultural practices in controlling the inter-decadal scale trends of suspended sediment production from semi-arid mountainous rivers. In the test case, a decreasing trend in suspended sediment concentrations was found in the lower Salinas River, California between 1967 and...
As more engineered nanomaterials (eNM) are developed for a wide range of applications, it is crucial to minimize any unintended environmental impacts resulting from the application of eNM. To realize this vision, industry and policymakers must base risk management decisions on sound scientific information about the environmental fate of eNM,...
BACKGROUND: Predictive modeling of the biological effects of nanomaterials is critical for industry and policymakers to assess the potential hazards resulting from the application of engineered nanomaterials.
METHODS: We generated an experimental dataset on the toxic effects experienced by embryonic zebrafish due to exposure to nanomaterials. Several nanomaterials were studied,...
Cursorial ground birds are paragons of bipedal running that span a
500-fold mass range from quail to ostrich. Here we investigate the
task-level control priorities of cursorial birds by analysing how they
negotiate single-step obstacles that create a conflict between body
stability (attenuating deviations in body motion) and consistent leg...