Cecily C. Y. Chang

Mechanisms underlying export of N from high-elevation catchments during seasonal transitions

Mechanisms underlying catchment export of nitrogen (N) during seasonal transitions (i.e., winter to spring and summer to autumn) were investigated in high-elevation catchments of the Sierra Nevada using stable isotopes of nitrate and water, intensive monitoring of stream chemistry and detailed catchment N-budgets. We had four objectives: (1) determine the relative contribution of snowpack and soil nitrate to the spring nitrate pulse, (2) look for evidence of biotic control of N losses at the catchment scale, (3) examine dissolved organic nitrogen ( DON) export patterns to gain a better understanding of the biological and hydrological controls on DON loss, and (4) examine the relationship between soil physico-chemical conditions and N export. At the Emerald Lake watershed, nitrogen budgets and isotopic analyses of the spring nitrate pulse indicate that 50 to 70% of the total nitrate exported during snowmelt (ca. April to July) is derived from catchment soils and talus; the remainder is snowpack nitrate. The spring nitrate pulse occurred several weeks after the start of snowmelt and was different from export patterns of less biologically labile compounds such as silica and DON suggesting that: (1) nitrate is produced and released from soils only after intense flushing has occurred and (2) a microbial N-sink is operating in catchment soils during the early stages of snowmelt. DON concentrations varied less than 20–30% during snowmelt, indicating that soil processes tightly controlled DON losses.

Pathways for nitrate release from an alpine watershed: Determination using δ15N and δ18O

d 18 O(NO3) indicated that about half of the nitrate in stream water was the product of microbial nitrification; at other times that amount was greater than half. Springs emerging from talus deposits had high nitrate concentrations and a seasonal pattern in d 18 O(NO3) that was similar to the pattern in the streams, indicating that shallow groundwater in talus deposits is a likely source of stream water nitrate. Only a few samples of surface water and groundwater collected during early snowmelt and large summer rain events had isotopic compositions that indicated most of the nitrate came directly from atmospheric deposition with no biological assimilation and release. This study demonstrates the value of the nitrate double-isotope technique for determining nitrogencycling processes and sources of nitrate in small, undisturbed watersheds that are enriched with inorganic nitrogen. INDEX TERMS: 1806 Hydrology: Chemistry of fresh water; 1871 Hydrology: Surface water quality; 1803 Hydrology: Anthropogenic effects; 1854 Hydrology: Precipitation (3354); KEYWORDS: nitrogen, oxygen, isotopes, alpine, watershed, deposition

Trace Metal Associations in the Water Column of South San Francisco Bay, California

Spatial distributions of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) were followed along a longitudinal gradient of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in South San Francisco Bay (herein referred to as the South Bay). Dissolved Cu, Zn and Cd concentrations ranged from 24 to 66 nM, from 20 to 107 nM and from 1·2 to 4·7 nM, respectively, in samples collected on five dates beginning with the spring phytoplankton bloom and continuing through summer,1985. Dissolved Cu and Zn concentrations varied indirectly with salinity and directly with DOC concentration which ranged from 2·1 to 4·1 mg l−1. Available thermodynamic data strongly support the hypothesis that Cu speciation may be dominated by association with dissolved organic matter. Analogous control of Zn speciation by organic complexation was, however, not indicated in our computations. Computed free ion activity estimates for Cu, Zn and Cd were of the order of 10−10, 10−8 and 10−10 M, respectively. The availability of these metals may be among the factors regulating the growth of certain phytoplankton species within this region of the estuary. In contrast to dissolved Cu, dissolved Cd was directly related to the concentration of suspended particulate matter, suggesting a source of dissolved Cd coincident with elevated particle concentrations in the South Bay (e.g. runoff and solute desorption). Consistent with work in other estuaries, partitioning of all three trace metals onto suspended particulates was negatively correlated with salinity and positively correlated with increases in particulate organic carbon associated with the phytoplankton bloom. These results for the South Bay indicate that sorption processes influence dissolved concentrations of these trace metals, the degree of this influence varies among metals, and processes controlling metal distribution in this estuary appear to be more element-specific than spatially- or temporally-specific.

A study of metal ion adsorption at low suspended-solid concentrations

A procedure for conducting adsorption studies at low suspended solid concentrations in natural waters (<50 mg l−1) is described. Methodological complications previously associated with such experiments have been overcome. Adsorption of zinc ion onto synthetic colloidal titania (TiO2) was studied as a function of pH, supporting electrolyte (NaCl) concentration (0·1-0·002 m) and particle concentration (2–50 mg l−1). The lack of success of the Davis Leckie site bonding model in describing Zn(II) adsorption emphasizes the need for further studies of adsorption at low suspended-solid concentrations.

The distribution, structure, and composition of freshwater ice deposits in Bolivian salt lakes

Freshwater ice deposits are described from seven, high elevation (4117–4730 m), shallow (mean depth <30 cm), saline (10–103 g l-1) lakes in the southwestern corner of Bolivia. The ice deposits range to several hundred meters in length and to 7 m in height above the lake or playa surface. They are located near the lake or salar margins; some are completely surrounded by water, others by playa deposits or salt crusts. Upper surfaces and sides of the ice deposits usually are covered by 20–40 cm of white to light brown, dry sedimentary materials. Calcite is the dominant crystalline mineral in these, and amorphous materials such as diatom frustules and volcanic glass are also often abundant.Beneath the dry overburden the ice occurs primarily as horizontal lenses 1–1000 mm thick, irregularly alternating with strata of frozen sedimentary materials. Ice represents from 10 to 87% of the volume of the deposits and yields freshwater (TFR <3 g l-1) when melted. Oxygen isotope ratios for ice are similar to those for regional precipitation and shoreline seeps but much lower than those for the lakewaters. Geothermal flux is high in the region as evidenced by numerous hot springs and deep (3.0–3.5 m) sediment temperatures of 5–10°C. This flux is one cause of the present gradual wasting away of these deposits. Mean annual air temperatures for the different lakes probably are all in the range of -2 to 4°C, and mean midwinter temperatures about 5°C lower. These deposits apparently formed during colder climatic conditions by the freezing of low salinity porewaters and the building up of segregation ice lenses.

Culturing Selenastrum capricornutum (Chlorophyta) in a synthetic algal nutrient medium with defined mineral particulates

Algal nutrient studies in chemically-defined media typically employ a synthetic chelator to prevent iron hydroxide precipitation. Micronutrient-particulate interactions may, however, significantly affect chemical speciation and hence biovailability of these nutrients in natural waters. A technique is described by which Selenastrum capricornutum Printz (Chlorophyta) may be cultured in a medium where trace metal speciation (except iron) is controlled, not by organic chelation, but by sorption onto titanium dioxide. Application of this culturing protocol in conjunction with results from sorption studies of nutrient ions on mineral particles provides a means of studying biological impacts of sorptive processes in aquatic environments.