Eiichi Konohira

Three-dimensional fluorescence as a tool for investigating the dynamics of dissolved organic matter in the Lake Biwa watershed

Quantitative and qualitative characterizations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were carried out at the watershed level in central Japan by measuring dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and the three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (3-D EEM). DOC concentration was low (mean 37 ± 19 µM C) in the upstream waters, whereas, in general, it increased toward the downstream areas (mean 92 ± 47 µM C). Significant variations in DOC concentration were detected among rivers and channels. DOC concentration in the epilimnion of Lake Biwa increased during the summer period and decreased during the winter period. The lake hypolimnion has lower DOC concentration (mean 87 ± 7 µM C) compared with the epilimnion (107 ± 15 µM C). Fulvic acid (FA)-like substances in the DOM were directly characterized by 3-D EEM. The fluorescence peak for upstream DOM was found in regions with longer wavelengths (excitation/emission 386 ± 6/476 ± 5 nm) compared with downstream and lake DOM (351 ± 12/446 ± 15 nm and 341 ± 6/434 ± 6 nm, respectively). The DOC concentration is correlated with fluorescence peak intensity of FA-like substances in DOM in river waters. Such a relationship was not found in lake DOM. A blueshift of the fluorescence peak from upstream to lake DOM was observed. A decrease in fluorescence intensities was also detected during the summer period. These results may suggest that the degradation of FA-like substances in DOM occurs from natural solar irradiation. Protein-like fluorescence was significantly detected in the lake epilimnion during the summer period. A linear relationship between DOC concentration and protein-like fluorescence indicated that an autochthonous input of DOM gave rise to the increase in DOC concentration in the lake epilimnion during the summer. These results may suggest that the 3-D EEM can be used as a tool for the investigation of DOM dynamics at the watershed level with concurrent measurement of DOC concentration and the fluorescence properties of fulvic acid-like and protein-like substances.

Distribution and characteristics of molecular size fractions of freshwater-dissolved organic matter in watershed environments: its implication to degradation

Distributions of molecular size and fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the Lake Biwa and Lake Baikal watersheds were investigated using the cross-flow ultrafiltration technique and three-dimensional fluorescence measurements. From the fluorescence properties, protein-like substances were usually found in the 0.1 μm-GF/F fraction (the Durapore membrane retentate of the GF/F filtrate) of the lake DOM. The results indicated autochthonous production of protein-like organic-matters in the lake environment. Fulvic acid (FA)-like components were composed of two fractions with respect to fluorescence properties and molecular size. Two FA-like fluorescence peaks, which showed different fluorescence peak positions in the excitation-emission matrix (EEM), were partly fractionated by the molecular size of 5000 daltons (5 kDa). The FA-like fluorescence peak position of the <5-kDa fraction was observed at the shorter wavelength region compared with that of the fraction between 5 kDa and 0.1 μm (5 kDa20.1 μm fraction). A blue shift of the FA-like fluorescence peak position as well as a decrease in the molecular size of the DOM was observed in lake samples. The relative contribution of the <5 kDa fraction to the DOC concentration was high in lake waters (68%–79%) compared with river waters (44%–68%), suggesting characteristic changes in molecular size between riverine and lacustrine DOM. DOM of the 5 kDa–0.1 μm fraction was relatively higher in river waters than in lake waters. These findings coincided with in situ distributions of the fluorescence properties and molecular size of DOM found in both stream and lake environments. These results indicate that FA-like substances from forested watersheds are decomposed qualitatively and quantitatively in the river-lake environment by photochemical and biological processes.

Balance And Behavior Of Carbon Dioxide At An Urban Forest Inferred From The Isotopic And Meteorological Approaches

Diurnal variations in δ 14 C, δ 13 C and the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in an urban forest were measured on 9 February 1999 to discriminate and quantify contributions from different CO 2 sources. The biogenic CO 2 concentration remained relatively constant throughout the day. However, anthropogenic CO 2 concentration fluctuated with the atmospheric CO 2 concentration, and seemed to be controlled by wind velocity and the amount of exhaust gases from fossil fuel burning. The vertical profiles of anthropogenic, biogenic, and total CO 2 showed a constant concentration within forest during daytime because of the large vertical CO 2 influx, strong winds, and neutral atmospheric condition. The biogenic contribution at night decreased from the forest floor upwards with a smooth gradient, while the anthropogenic contribution showed a direct mirror because of the location of respective CO 2 sources-the vertical gradient of wind velocity and the horizontal CO 2 supply.

Effects of Riparian Denitrification on Stream Nitrate-Evidence from Isotope Analysis and Extreme Nitrate Leaching during Rainfall-

The effects of riparian denitrification on stream nitrate were investigated by detailed soil water observations and isotope analysis at a small headwater catchment in an urban area near Tokyo, central Japan. In the base flow period, stream nitrate concentration (<100 µM) was comparable with that of riparian ground water which had less nitrate than unsaturated soil water. Nitrogen isotope analysis showed that the consumption of nitrate by denitrification took place in riparian ground water, suggesting that denitrification is an important process to control nitrate leaching to streams. During rainfall, the concentration of stream nitrate increased up to 400 µM, which was comparable with that of pre-event soil water. The fact that soil water nitrate directly leached to streams indicated that the riparian denitrification process did not work during rainfall because of the rapid discharge of water. A decrease of denitrification effects is a possible reason for high stream nitrate concentration during rainfall.

Nitrogen flow associated with food production and consumption and its effect on water quality in Japan from 1961 to 2005

Abstract Using statistical data, we evaluated food supply and consumption in terms of nitrogen flow to clarify its effects on water quality from 1961 to 2005 in Japan. We revised a nitrogen flow model to incorporate food production, trade and consumption as well as nitrogen mineralization of crop residues and livestock manure and denitrification. Food consumption increased steadily from 1961 to the mid 1980s and has been almost stable since then. There was a notable increase in the consumption of livestock products. By 1996, consumption had risen to fivefold the 1961 level of consumption, but it has been stable since then. We concluded that the demand for food reached a maximum in the 1990s. The increasing demand for animal feed was filled by an increase in the imports of coarse cereals until the 1980s and of oil cakes until now. As the consumption of food and animal feed increased until the mid 1980s, the nitrogen load to the environment also gradually increased during this period, after which it tended to decrease. We estimated the nitrogen concentration in river water for 8 km × 8 km grid cells from 1961 to 2005 and compared these estimated values with measurements taken at more than 4000 points from public bodies of water in 1998. The spatial distribution and prefectural average of the estimated nitrogen concentration roughly corresponded with the measured values, and both indicate that food supply and consumption have had considerable effects on water quality in Japan.

Dissolved organic carbon and nitrate concentrations in streams: a useful index indicating carbon and nitrogen availability in catchments

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and NO3− are important forms of C and N in stream water. Hypotheses concerning relationships between DOC and NO3− concentrations have been proposed, but there are no reports demonstrating a relationship between them in stream water. We observed 35 natural streams in the Lake Biwa watershed, central Japan, and found an inverse relationship between DOC and NO3− concentrations. This relationship was also found in observations of their seasonal variations in the Lake Biwa watershed. Moreover, this relationship was also found to apply to watersheds in other regions in Japan. These results suggest that forest biogeochemical processes which control DOC and NO3− concentrations in Japanese streams are closely related. Excess N availability together with a C (energy) deficit in a soil environment may explain this relationship. DOC and NO3− concentrations in streams will thus be a useful index indicating C and N availability in catchments.

Sources of organic carbon and depositional environment in the Bengal delta plain sediments during the Holocene period

This study investigated the sources of organic matter and sediment depositional environment within fluviatile sediments of the Ganges–Meghna (GM) delta plains. The very low contents of trace metals e.g., chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), scandium (Sc), and vanadium (V), organic carbon content, and cerium (Ce)-anomaly data of sediments indicate the redox conditions that fall within the boundary of oxic–anoxic condition, with dominantly oxic conditions in the sediment deposition environment. The higher atomic carbon nitrogen (C/N)a ratios and depleted stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) values for sediments from three study areas indicated the terrestrial sources of organic matter derived from C3 plant materials, whereas the contribution of organic materials from C4 vegetation and riverine productivity is low. Some silty sand samples exhibited lower (C/N)a ratios and enriched δ13C values in Sonargaon and Faridpur areas that are attributed to the adsorption of ammonium ions on clay minerals and the contribution of organic matter from C4 plants. Total sulfur over total organic carbon (TS/TOC) ratios in sediments of the Ganges delta reflect the nonmarine environments of sediment deposition. The lower ratios of syringyl to vanillyl phenols (S/V), cinnamyl to vanillyl phenols (C/V), and acid to aldehyde in vanillyl phenols (Ad/Al)v observed in Daudkandi indicate that the lignin in sediments derived from dominant woody gymnosperm sources and is very highly degraded. By contrast, the S/V ratio, C/V ratios, and [Ad/Al]v ratios in Faridpur suggest that the lignin in sediments derived from a mixture of woody and nonwoody angiosperm plant tissue contribution that underwent high degradation as well.

Terrestrial Ecosystems in Monsoon Asia: Scaling up from Shoot Module to Watershed

A GCTE core project “Global change impacts on terrestrial ecosystems in Monsoon Asia” (TEMA) has been carried out from 1995 to 2003. This chapter overviews the TEMA-employed unique approach of integrating across different scales, i.e., from a plant leaf to watershed budgets, targeting on the eastern Asian region. We particularly focused on the linkage between physiological processes of foliage canopy and landscape-scale processes of plant demography and plant community dynamics, where individual plant processes were integrated from physiology, and we projected the change in geographic pattern from individual plant processes. We evaluated the watershed unit where freshwater chemistry provides a signature of biogeochemical characteristics of terrestrial ecosystems. Stream chemistry controls the trophic condition of lake ecosystems, which can contribute to global change particularly through methane emission. Integration at the scale of watersheds will contribute, within the scope of the new GLP in relation to LOICZ, to the validation of the impact of environmental change on human society, and the impact of human activities on watershed-scale environments.