Zoran Nesic

Carbon Dioxide Exchange and Nocturnal Processes Over a Mixed Deciduous Forest

This paper reports the results of the analysis of CO2 exchange from a one-month experiment conducted at a mixed deciduous forest, Camp Borden (80°65′W, 44°19′ N), Canada, in the summer of 1993. The mid-day CO2 flux from the forest under clear sky conditions was around −1.0 mg m−2 s−1, the average light and water use efficiencies 13 mmol CO2(mol photon)−1 and 7.95 mg CO2(gH2O)−1 , and the average nocturnal respiration rate 0.21 mg CO2m−2s−1. We observed different flow features at heights of 34.5 (14.5 m above the canopy) and 22.4 m at night. Wavelike structures were frequently encountered at z = 34.5 m. Depending on the phase angle between the vertical velocity and CO2 concentration time series, they could act to enhance the co-gradient (upward) flux or to create counter-gradient (downward) flux of CO2. We speculate that the wave events were limited to isolated regions in the upwind direction. Near the tree-tops (z = 22.4 m), the strong wind shear was able to maintain turbulence. Inverse temperature ramp structures were very common and flux of sensible heat was well behaved (directed downward).

A NEW, AUTOMATED, MULTIANGULAR RADIOMETER INSTRUMENT FOR TOWER-BASED OBSERVATIONS OF CANOPY REFLECTANCE (AMSPEC II)

Plant photosynthesis is critical for understanding carbon cycling at landscape and global scales. While tower-based measurements of CO2 have enhanced our knowledge of ecosystem fluxes, scaling these measurements globally is difficult. Satellite observations provide full, global coverage and hold the potential of spatially continuous measurements of ecosystem fluxes, but the requirements for modeling these fluxes from satellite-derived surface parameters are not well understood. This article describes the further development of a tower-mounted, automated, multiangular spectroradiometer system (AMSPEC II) used to study the relationships between canopy-reflectance and plant-physiological processes from multiangular observations, thereby facilitating a comprehensive modeling of the bidirectional reflectance distribution of the canopy. A Webcam permits simultaneous monitoring of phenological changes over time.

Paper machine data compression using wavelets

The paper describes the analysis of paper machine process data using discrete wavelet transforms. The techniques have been adapted from a general signal analysis theory. The authors previously showed (1996) that wavelets are an effective representation for the detection of basis weight and moisture process variations in noisy data and lead to improved estimation and visualization of the machine direction and cross machine variations. This paper discusses data storage using the wavelet representation, and shows that the method also allows significant compression of the scanned data without diminishing the accuracy with which profiles can be reconstructed. It is shown that the compression method can be embedded into the estimation algorithm, producing excellent results without major expense in computation time. The ability to reduce data storage requirements is of increasing importance in mill-wide process monitoring systems and quality assurance.

Technological Advancement in Tower-Based Canopy Reflectance Monitoring: The AMSPEC-III System

Understanding plant photosynthesis, or Gross Primary Production (GPP), is a crucial aspect of quantifying the terrestrial carbon cycle. Remote sensing approaches, in particular multi-angular spectroscopy, have proven successful for studying relationships between canopy-reflectance and plant-physiology processes, thus providing a mechanism to scale up. However, many different instrumentation designs exist and few cross-comparisons have been undertaken. This paper discusses the design evolution of the Automated Multiangular SPectro-radiometer for Estimation of Canopy reflectance (AMSPEC) series of instruments. Specifically, we assess the performance of the PP-Systems Unispec-DC and Ocean Optics JAZ-COMBO spectro-radiometers installed on an updated, tower-based AMSPEC-III system. We demonstrate the interoperability of these spectro-radiometers, and the results obtained suggest that JAZ-COMBO can successfully be used to substitute more expensive measurement units for detecting and investigating photosynthesis and canopy spectra. We demonstrate close correlations between JAZ-COMBO and Unispec-DC measured canopy radiance (0.75 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.85) and solar irradiance (0.95 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.96) over a three month time span. We also demonstrate close agreement between the bi-directional distribution functions obtained from each instrument. We conclude that cost effective alternatives may allow a network of AMSPEC-III systems to simultaneously monitor various vegetation types in different ecosystems. This will allow to scale and improve our understanding of the interactions between vegetation physiology and spectral characteristics, calibrate broad-scale observations to stand-level measurements, and ultimately lead to improved understanding of changing vegetation spectral features from satellite.

Portable chamber system for measuring chloroform fluxes from terrestrial environments--methodological challenges.

This study describes a system designed to measure chloroform flux from terrestrial systems, providing a reliable first assessment of the spatial variability of flux over an area. The study takes into account that the variability of ambient air concentrations is unknown. It includes quality assurance procedures, sensitivity assessments, and testing of materials used to ensure that the flux equation used to extrapolate from concentrations to fluxes is sound and that the system does not act as a sink or a source of chloroform. The results show that many materials and components commonly used in sampling systems designed for CO2, CH4, and N2O emit chloroform and other volatile chlorinated compounds (VOCls) and are thus unsuitable in systems designed for studies of such compounds. To handle the above-mentioned challenges, we designed a system with a non-steady-state chamber and a closed-loop air-circulation unit returning scrubbed air to the chamber. Based on empirical observations, the concentration increase during a deployment was assumed to be linear. Four samples were collected consecutively and a line was fitted to the measured concentrations. The slope of the fitted line and the y-axis intercept were input variables in the equation used to transform concentration change data to flux estimates. The soundness of the flux equation and the underlying assumptions were tested and found to be reliable by comparing modeled and measured concentrations. Fluxes of chloroform in a forest clear-cut on the east coast of Vancouver Island, BC, during the year were found to vary from -130 to 620 ng m(-2) h(-1). The study shows that the method can reliably detect differences of approximately 50 ng m(-2) h(-1) in chloroform fluxes. The statistical power of the method is still comparatively strong down to differences of 35 ng m(-2) h(-1), but for smaller differences, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Protection from wintertime rainfall reduces nutrient losses and greenhouse gas emissions during the decomposition of poultry and horse manure-based amendments

ABSTRACT Manure-based soil amendments (herein “amendments”) are important fertility sources, but differences among amendment types and management can significantly affect their nutrient value and environmental impacts. A 6-month in situ decomposition experiment was conducted to determine how protection from wintertime rainfall affected nutrient losses and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in poultry (broiler chicken and turkey) and horse amendments. Changes in total nutrient concentration were measured every 3 months, changes in ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−) concentrations every month, and GHG emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) every 7–14 days. Poultry amendments maintained higher nutrient concentrations (except for K), higher emissions of CO2 and N2O, and lower CH4 emissions than horse amendments. Exposing amendments to rainfall increased total N and NH4+ losses in poultry amendments, P losses in turkey and horse amendments, and K losses and cumulative N2O emissions for all amendments. However, it did not affect CO2 or CH4 emissions. Overall, rainfall exposure would decrease total N inputs by 37% (horse), 59% (broiler chicken), or 74% (turkey) for a given application rate (wet weight basis) after 6 months of decomposition, with similar losses for NH4+ (69–96%), P (41–73%), and K (91–97%). This study confirms the benefits of facilities protected from rainfall to reduce nutrient losses and GHG emissions during amendment decomposition. Implications: The impact of rainfall protection on nutrient losses and GHG emissions was monitored during the decomposition of broiler chicken, turkey, and horse manure-based soil amendments. Amendments exposed to rainfall had large ammonium and potassium losses, resulting in a 37–74% decrease in N inputs when compared with amendments protected from rainfall. Nitrous oxide emissions were also higher with rainfall exposure, although it had no effect on carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Overall, this work highlights the benefits of rainfall protection during amendment decomposition to reduce nutrient losses and GHG emissions.

Greater Impacts of Incubation Temperature and Moisture on Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Poultry Relative to Horse Manure-based Soil Amendments

Manure-based soil amendments (MBSAs) must be managed optimally to maximize N concentration and availability while minimizing environmental impacts (e.g., greenhouse gas [GHG]) emissions. We conducted an 83-d incubation study to determine the effects of different moisture (60 or 120% of water-holding capacity [WHC]) and temperature (4 or 20°C) conditions during the decomposition of MBSAs. We measured CO, CH, and NO emissions and total C, total N, NH, and NO during the decomposition of chicken MBSA and two understudied MBSAs (turkey and horse). Total N decreased by 38 to 50% after 83 d in poultry MBSAs incubated at 20°C and 120% WHC, whereas NH concentration peaked at 30 d. In contrast, poultry MBSAs incubated at 60% WHC or 4°C had limited N losses but higher CO and/or NO emissions. Horse MBSA incubated for 83 d at 20°C and 60% WHC had two- to threefold higher C losses, 53 to 68% higher total N, and two to three orders of magnitude higher NO concentrations than at wetter and/or colder incubation conditions. Horse MBSA incubated at 20°C and 60% WHC had 13- to 130-fold (CH) and 4- to 70-fold (NO) higher emissions than horse MBSA incubated at 4°C. In contrast, CH emissions peaked at 120% WHC and 20°C. Overall, incubating horse MBSA at 20°C and 60% WHC minimized tradeoffs between maximizing N concentration and availability and minimizing GHG emissions during decomposition, whereas we found no ideal decomposition conditions for poultry MBSAs.

Isotopic composition of CO2 in gasoline, diesel and natural gas combustion exhaust in Vancouver, BC, Canada

The!isotopic!composition!(δC!and!δO)!in!atmospheric!carbon!dioxide!(CO2)!originating!from!gasoline! and!diesel!vehicle!exhaust!and!from!natural!gas!combustion!was!determined.!Gasoline!and!diesel! samples!were!taken!in!the!exhaust!of!representative!vehicles!of!the!fleet!in!Vancouver,!BC,!Canada! between!November!2013!and!May!2014.!The!fleet!average!gasoline!exhaust!(which!contained!a!fraction! bioethanol)!was!determined!with!a!δC!of!Z27.27!(±0.93)!‰!and!a!δO!of!Z12.46!(±3.45)!‰!(w.r.t.!VPDZ CO2).!The!fleet!average!for!diesel!vehicles!exhibited!a!slightly!lower!δC!of!Z28.81!(±0.40)!‰!and!a!δO! of!Z18.63!(±0.72)!‰!close!to!unfractionated!combustion.!For!natural!gas,!samples!were!taken!from!a! open!torch!using!the!city’s!natural!gas!supply!network!at!different!dates!over!the!year.!The!mean!δC! for!natural!gas!samples!was!Z41.64!(±0.82)‰,!while!the!mean!δO!was!lower!than!for!internal! combustion!engines!at!Z22.74!(±0.56)‰.!In!conclusion,!δC!depends!on!the!fuel!type!and!origin!and! there!is!evidence!that!δO!is!fractionated!in!the!combustion!process!and!presence!and!state!of!catalytic! converters!causes!different!δO.!