Carbon concentrations and carbon storage capacity of three old-growth forests in the Sila National Park,Southern Italy

Old-growth forests play a key-role in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) concentrations by storing large CO_(2)amounts in biomass and soil over time.This quantifies the carbon pool into different forest compartments in three Mediterranean old-growth forests of Southern Italy populated by Pinus laricio,Fagus sylvatica and Abies alba.Ecosystem carbon pools have been assessed per compartment,i.e.,living trees,dead wood,litterfall(foliar and woody),roots and 0-20 cm topsoil,combining the whole old-growth forest mass,(i.e.,using tree allometric relationships,deadwood factor conversions,root-to-shoot ratios,litterfall and soil samplings) by the respective organic carbon concentrations.The results show the considerable capacity of these forest ecosystems in storing CO_(2)in biomass and soil,with carbon pool values ranging from 532.2to 596.5 Mg C ha-1.Living trees and 0-20 cm topsoil had larger carbon pool,contributing 53.0 and 22.1%,respectively.In most cases,organic carbon concentration was higher(more than 60%) than the average carbon conversion rate of 50%,especially in living trees,deadwood,and woody litterfall.This study contributes further scientific evidence of the capacity of old-growth forests in storing CO_(2)in their different compartments,with special evidence on tree biomass,litterfall and mineral soil,thereby highlighting the key role of old-growth forests within the challenge of climate change mitigation.

Study on Treatment Technologies of High Concentrations of Industrial Organic Wastewater

The characteristics and harm of high concentrations of organic wastewater were introducecl firstly, and then several treatment processes and effects of high concentrations of organic wastewater were summarized, which can provide theoretical references for the choice of wastewater treatment process.

Distribution of Terbium and Increase of Calcium Concentration in the Organs of Mice iv-Administered With Terbium Chloride

To investigate the biobeical effects of terbium (Tb), male mice were intravenously ad ministered with TbCl3 at 10, 25, or 50 mg Tb/kg. Time-course and dose-related changes in organ distributions of Tb were determined . More than 95 % of the Tb in blood was in plas ma, and the concentrations decreased rapidly. Contrary to normal pharmacokinetics, Tb con centrations in plasma were higher in the 10 mg/kg group than in the 50 mg/kg group. The concentrations after injection of 25 mg/kg were between 10 and 50 mg/kg injections. Tb was incorporated mainly in liver, lung, and spleen. In all groups more than 80% of Tb adminis tered were found in these three organs. Disappearance of Tb in these organs was very slow.Tb was also found in kidney, heart and other organs. Coincidentally, it was found that the Ca concentration was increased in organs in which Tb was incorporated. After administration of Tb (50 mg/kg) the Ca concentration, compared to the controls, was 70-fold in spleen, 20-fold in lung, and 6-fold in liver. There were highly positive correlations between Tb and Ca concentrations in organs. Excretion of Tb in urine was 0. 15 ～ 0. 3 % and that in feces was 1.7～12. 5 % for up to 7 days. These results indicate that liver, lung, and spleen are the main target organs of Tb administered intravenously, and that the increase in Ca concentrations is one of the important biological effects of Tb in target organs

Sedimentary record of climate change in a high latitude fjord—Kongsfjord

The sedimentary record of climate change in the Arctic region is useful for understanding global warming.Kongsfjord is located in the subpolar region of the Arctic and is a suitable site for studying climate change.Glacier retreat is occurring in this region due to climate change,leading to an increase in meltwater outflow with a high debris content.In August 2017,we collected a sediment Core Z3 from the central fjord near the Yellow River Station.Then,we used the widely used chronology method of 210Pb,^(137)Cs,and other parameters to reflect the climate change record in the sedimentary environment of Kongsfjord.The results showed that after the mid-late 1990s,the mass accumulation rate of this core increased from 0.10 g/(cm^(2)·a)to 0.34 g/(cm^(2)·a),while the flux of^(210)Pb_(ex)increased from 125 Bq/(m^(2)·a)to 316 Bq/(m^(2)·a).The higher sedimentary inventory of^(210)Pb_(ex)in Kongsfjord compared to global fallout might have been caused by sediment focusing,boundary scavenging,and riverine input.Similarities between the inventory of^(137)Cs and global fallout indicated that terrestrial particulate matter was the main source of^(137)Cs in fjord sediments.The sedimentation rate increased after 1997,possibly due to the increased influx of glacial meltwater containing debris.In addition,the^(137)Cs activity,percentage of organic carbon(OC),and OC/total nitrogen concentration ratio showed increasing trends toward the top of the core since 1997,corresponding to a decrease in the mass balance of glaciers in the region.The results ofδ^(13)C,δ^(15)N and OC/TN concentration ratio showed both terrestrial and marine sources contributed to the organic matter in Core Z3.The relative contribution of terrestrial organic matter which was calculated by a two-endmember model showed an increased trend since mid-1990s.All these data indicate that global climate change has a significant impact on Arctic glaciers.