Search results for "Trie"

Mountain dairy wastewater treatment with the use of a 'irregularly shaped' constructed wetland (Aosta Valley, Italy)

2014

Abstract In mountain areas, economical activities related to milk processing represent both a key source of income and job opportunities. One of the main characteristics of cheese production is the seasonal variability in the volume of milk processed and wastewater production that tend to limit the capacity of ecosystems to absorb their inputs. In alpine environment, the scarcity of plain surfaces and the climatic conditions results in the need for high CW performances of variable nutrient inputs in different seasons. By evaluating a CW seasonal efficiency for dairy wastewaters in a mountain region (Aosta Valley-NW Italy), this research was aimed to understand how performances of nutrient r…

A New Method to Reconstruct Quantitative Food Webs and Nutrient Flows from Isotope Tracer Addition Experiments

2020

Understanding how nutrients flow through food webs is central in ecosystem ecology. Tracer addition experiments are powerful tools to reconstruct nutrient flows by adding an isotopically enriched element into an ecosystem and tracking its fate through time. Historically, the design and analysis of tracer studies have varied widely, ranging from descriptive studies to modeling approaches of varying complexity. Increasingly, isotope tracer data are being used to compare ecosystems and analyze experimental manipulations. Currently, a formal statistical framework for analyzing such experiments is lacking, making it impossible to calculate the estimation errors associated with the model fit, the…

Response of water and nutrient fluxes to improvement fellings in a tropical montane forest in Ecuador

2009

Abstract Management of natural forests might be one option to reduce the high deforestation rate in Ecuador. We therefore evaluated the response of water and nutrient cycles in a natural tropical montane forest to improvement fellings with the aim of favoring economically valuable target trees which will later be harvested with additional ecosystem impacts not considered here. The study was conducted at ca. 1900–2200 m above sea level in the south Ecuadorian Andes on the east-exposed slope of the east cordillera. In June 2004, one of two paired ca. 10-ha large catchments was thinned by felling 10.2% of the initial basal area (dbh ≥ 10 cm) on 30% of the catchment. The stems remained in situ.…

Changes in the seasonal snow cover of alpine regions and its effect on soil processes: A review

2007

Abstract At its maximum annual development, snow can cover more than half the Northern Hemisphere land area with one-third experiencing seasonal snow cover. The precise conditions that develop during the annual pattern of snowpack development formation have implications for: (i) soil microbiological activity and nutrient transformations; (ii) the capacity of the accumulating snowpack to retain atmospheric derived solutes; (iii) preferential elution and rapid runoff of solutes from the snowpack during periods of thaw; and (iv) leaching of solutes. Long-term records of annual snow accumulation suggest that substantial, regional scale shifts in snowpack characteristics have been occurring. The…

Nutrient Status and Fluxes at the Field and Catchment Scale

2008

Changes in Pore Water Quality After Peatland Restoration: Assessment of a Large-Scale, Replicated Before-After-Control-Impact Study in Finland

2017

Drainage is known to affect peatland natural hydrology and water quality, but peatland restoration is considered to ameliorate peatland degradation. Using a replicated BACIPS (Before-After-Control-Impact Paired Series) design, we investigated 24 peatlands, all drained for forestry and subsequently restored, and 19 pristine control boreal peatlands with high temporal and spatial resolution data on hydroclimate and pore water quality. In drained conditions, total nitrogen (Ntot), total phosphorus (Ptot), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in pore water were several-fold higher than observed at pristine control sites, highlighting the impacts of long-term drainage on pore water quality. In gen…

Use of the preliminary Jedlice Reservoir for water protection in the Turawa Reservoir on the Mała Panew River

2009

Abstract Physico-chemical variables of water quality and benthic community structure were assessed in order to evaluate the need for reinstating the use of the preliminary Jedlice Reservoir. The waters of the Mała Panew River carry a significant load of nutrient compounds, particularly nitrates and phosphates. Deteriorating water quality results in permanent algal blooms and changes in the macrofauna structure. It was confirmed that the use of a preliminary reservoir could contribute to the protection of the Turawa Dam Reservoir against pollutants transported by the waters of the Mała Panew River.

Long-term land-based and internal forcing of the nutrient state of the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea)

2004

Abstract The long-term nutrient trends (N, P, Si) in the Gulf of Riga and their driving factors were studied based on monitoring data from 1974 to 2000. Each nutrient showed individual temporal behaviour. The nitrate-N pool peaked in 1989–1990, but after that, the increasing trend switched to a decrease. The P pool, in turn, constantly increased till the mid-1990s; afterwards, a tendency was unclear. The obvious depletion of the silicate-Si pool reversed after 1995. Algal growth limitation responded to the changes in the nutrient pool. P deficiency during the vernal phytoplankton bloom in 1979–1990 switched to further alternate P or N limitation or co-limitation. Since 1991, Si shortage set…

Impact of catchment properties on aquatic chemistry in the rivers of Latvia

2010

The relationships between land use characteristics and aquatic chemistry (nutrient concentrations, major inorganic ions and indicators of organic matter concentrations) were analyzed to determine factors controlling the runoff of dissolved substances, spatial variability of water chemical composition and possible impacts of pollution sources in Latvia. Groups of factors were found to determine the variability of nutrient, organic matter and major inorganic ions concentrations. Bedrock geology and weathering of soil minerals affect the concentrations of inorganic ions, but the nature of the relationships between nutrient concentrations and those of land use are good indicators of human impac…

Trends in nutrient concentrations in Latvian rivers and the response to the dramatic change in agriculture

2003

In recent years, the use of fertilisers in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) has decreased at an unprecedented rate. The import of mineral fertilisers and feed stuff became almost non-existent, and extensive slaughtering of livestock reduced the amount of manure. In Latvia, the purchase of mineral fertilisers decreased by a factor of 15 between 1987 and 1996 and the number of livestock decreased with a factor of almost 4 during the same time period. Such abrupt and comprehensive changes in land use have never before occurred in the history of modern European agriculture. Here, the impact that this dramatic reduction has had on concentrations of nutrients in Latvian river…