Biochar is normally produced as a by-product of bioenergy. However, if biochar is produced as a co-product with bioenergy from sustainably managed forests and used for soil amendment, it could pro- vide a carbon neutr...Biochar is normally produced as a by-product of bioenergy. However, if biochar is produced as a co-product with bioenergy from sustainably managed forests and used for soil amendment, it could pro- vide a carbon neutral or even carbon negative solution for current envi- ronmental degradation problems. In this paper, we present a comprehen- sive review of biochar production as a co-product of bioenergy and its implications. We focus on biochar production with reference to biomass availability and sustainability and on bioehar utilization for its soil amendment and greenhouse gas emissions reduction properties. Past studies confirm that northwestern Ontario has a sustainable and sufficient supply of biomass feedstock that can be used to produce bioenergy, with biochar as a co-product that can replace fossil fuel consumption, increase soil productivity and sequester carbon in the long run. For the next step, we recommend that comprehensive life cycle assessment of bio- char-based bioenergy production, from raw material collection to bioehar application, with an extensive economic assessment is necessary for making this technology commercially viable in northwestern Ontario.展开更多
It is globally accepted that soil carbon （C） dynamics are at the core of interlinked environmental problems, deteriorating soil quality and changing climate. Its management remains a complex enigma for the scientifi...It is globally accepted that soil carbon （C） dynamics are at the core of interlinked environmental problems, deteriorating soil quality and changing climate. Its management remains a complex enigma for the scientific community due to its intricate relationship with soil nitrogen （N） availability and moisture-temperature interactions. This article reviews the management aspects of soil C dynamics in light of recent advances, particularly in relation to the availability of inorganic N pools and associated microbial processes under changing climate. Globally, drastic alterations in soil C dynamics under changing land use and management practices have been primarily attributed to the variation in soil N availability, resulting in a higher decomposition rate and a considerable decline in soil organic C （SOC） levels due to increased soil CO2 emissions, degraded soil quality, and increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations, leading to climate warming. Predicted climate warming is proposed to enhance SOC decomposition, which may further increase soil N availability, leading to higher soil CO2 effiux. However, a literature survey revealed that soil may also act as a potential C sink, if we could manage soil inorganic N pools and link microbial processes properly. Studies also indicated that the relative, rather than the absolute, availability of inorganic N pools might be of key importance under changing climate, as these N pools are variably affected by moisture-temperature interactions, and they have variable impacts on SOC turnover. Therefore, multi-factorial studies are required to understand how the relative availability of inorganic N pools and associated microbial processes may determine SOC dynamics for improved soil C management.展开更多
We report on the effects of forest management practices of understory removal and N-fixing species（Cassia alata） addition on soil CO2 fluxes in an Eucalyptus urophylla plantation（EUp）,Acacia crassicarpa plantation...We report on the effects of forest management practices of understory removal and N-fixing species（Cassia alata） addition on soil CO2 fluxes in an Eucalyptus urophylla plantation（EUp）,Acacia crassicarpa plantation（ACp）,10-species-mixed plantation（Tp）,and 30-species-mixed plantation（THp） using the static chamber method in southern China.Four forest management treatments,including（1） understory removal（UR）;（2） C.alata addition（CA）;（3） understory removal and replacement with C.alata（UR＋CA）;and（4） control without any disturbances（CK）,were applied in the above four forest plantations with three replications for each treatment.The results showed that soil CO2 fluxes rates remained at a high level during the rainy season（from April to September）,followed by a rapid decrease after October reaching a minimum in February.Soil CO2 fluxes were significantly higher（P 〈 0.01） in EUp（132.6 mg/（m2.hr）） and ACp（139.8 mg/（m2.hr）） than in Tp（94.0 mg/（m2.hr）） and THp（102.9 mg/（m2.hr））.Soil CO2 fluxes in UR and CA were significantly higher（P 〈 0.01） among the four treatments,with values of 105.7,120.4,133.6 and 112.2 mg/（m2.hr） for UR＋CA,UR,CA and CK,respectively.Soil CO2 fluxes were positively correlated with soil temperature（P 〈 0.01）,soil moisture（P 〈 0.01）,NO3？-N（P 〈 0.05）,and litterfall（P 〈 0.01）,indicating that all these factors might be important controlling variables for soil CO2 fluxes.This study sheds some light on our understanding of soil CO2 flux dynamics in forest plantations under various management practices.展开更多
The significant warming in urban environment caused by the combined effects of global warming and heat island has stimulated widely development of urban vegetations. However, it is less known of the climate feedback o...The significant warming in urban environment caused by the combined effects of global warming and heat island has stimulated widely development of urban vegetations. However, it is less known of the climate feedback of urban lawn in warmed environment. Soil warming effect on net ecosystem exchange （NEE） of carbon dioxide during the transition period from winter to spring was investigated in a temperate urban lawn in Beijing, China. The NEE （negative for uptake） under soil warming treatment （temperature was about 5~C higher than the ambient treatment as a control） was -0.71 ~mol/（m2.sec）, the ecosytem was a CO2 sink under soil warming treatment, the lawn ecosystem under the control was a CO2 source （0.13 Ixmol/（mE.sec））, indicating that the lawn ecosystem would provide a negative feedback to global warming. There was no significant effect of soil warming on nocturnal NEE （i.e., ecosystem respiration）, although the soil temperature sensitivity （Q10） of ecosystem respiration under soil warming treatment was 3.86, much lower than that in the control （7.03）. The CO2 uptake was significantly increased by soil warming treatment that was attributed to about 100% increase of ct （apparent quantum yield） and Amax （maximum rate of photosynthesis）. Our results indicated that the response of photosynthesis in urban lawn is much more sensitive to global warming than respiration in the transition period.展开更多
文摘Biochar is normally produced as a by-product of bioenergy. However, if biochar is produced as a co-product with bioenergy from sustainably managed forests and used for soil amendment, it could pro- vide a carbon neutral or even carbon negative solution for current envi- ronmental degradation problems. In this paper, we present a comprehen- sive review of biochar production as a co-product of bioenergy and its implications. We focus on biochar production with reference to biomass availability and sustainability and on bioehar utilization for its soil amendment and greenhouse gas emissions reduction properties. Past studies confirm that northwestern Ontario has a sustainable and sufficient supply of biomass feedstock that can be used to produce bioenergy, with biochar as a co-product that can replace fossil fuel consumption, increase soil productivity and sequester carbon in the long run. For the next step, we recommend that comprehensive life cycle assessment of bio- char-based bioenergy production, from raw material collection to bioehar application, with an extensive economic assessment is necessary for making this technology commercially viable in northwestern Ontario.
文摘It is globally accepted that soil carbon （C） dynamics are at the core of interlinked environmental problems, deteriorating soil quality and changing climate. Its management remains a complex enigma for the scientific community due to its intricate relationship with soil nitrogen （N） availability and moisture-temperature interactions. This article reviews the management aspects of soil C dynamics in light of recent advances, particularly in relation to the availability of inorganic N pools and associated microbial processes under changing climate. Globally, drastic alterations in soil C dynamics under changing land use and management practices have been primarily attributed to the variation in soil N availability, resulting in a higher decomposition rate and a considerable decline in soil organic C （SOC） levels due to increased soil CO2 emissions, degraded soil quality, and increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations, leading to climate warming. Predicted climate warming is proposed to enhance SOC decomposition, which may further increase soil N availability, leading to higher soil CO2 effiux. However, a literature survey revealed that soil may also act as a potential C sink, if we could manage soil inorganic N pools and link microbial processes properly. Studies also indicated that the relative, rather than the absolute, availability of inorganic N pools might be of key importance under changing climate, as these N pools are variably affected by moisture-temperature interactions, and they have variable impacts on SOC turnover. Therefore, multi-factorial studies are required to understand how the relative availability of inorganic N pools and associated microbial processes may determine SOC dynamics for improved soil C management.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30630015,30771704)
文摘We report on the effects of forest management practices of understory removal and N-fixing species（Cassia alata） addition on soil CO2 fluxes in an Eucalyptus urophylla plantation（EUp）,Acacia crassicarpa plantation（ACp）,10-species-mixed plantation（Tp）,and 30-species-mixed plantation（THp） using the static chamber method in southern China.Four forest management treatments,including（1） understory removal（UR）;（2） C.alata addition（CA）;（3） understory removal and replacement with C.alata（UR＋CA）;and（4） control without any disturbances（CK）,were applied in the above four forest plantations with three replications for each treatment.The results showed that soil CO2 fluxes rates remained at a high level during the rainy season（from April to September）,followed by a rapid decrease after October reaching a minimum in February.Soil CO2 fluxes were significantly higher（P 〈 0.01） in EUp（132.6 mg/（m2.hr）） and ACp（139.8 mg/（m2.hr）） than in Tp（94.0 mg/（m2.hr）） and THp（102.9 mg/（m2.hr））.Soil CO2 fluxes in UR and CA were significantly higher（P 〈 0.01） among the four treatments,with values of 105.7,120.4,133.6 and 112.2 mg/（m2.hr） for UR＋CA,UR,CA and CK,respectively.Soil CO2 fluxes were positively correlated with soil temperature（P 〈 0.01）,soil moisture（P 〈 0.01）,NO3？-N（P 〈 0.05）,and litterfall（P 〈 0.01）,indicating that all these factors might be important controlling variables for soil CO2 fluxes.This study sheds some light on our understanding of soil CO2 flux dynamics in forest plantations under various management practices.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41030744,31170424)the Chinese Academy of Sciences for Strategic Priority Research Program (No. XDA05050602,XDA05060102)
文摘The significant warming in urban environment caused by the combined effects of global warming and heat island has stimulated widely development of urban vegetations. However, it is less known of the climate feedback of urban lawn in warmed environment. Soil warming effect on net ecosystem exchange （NEE） of carbon dioxide during the transition period from winter to spring was investigated in a temperate urban lawn in Beijing, China. The NEE （negative for uptake） under soil warming treatment （temperature was about 5~C higher than the ambient treatment as a control） was -0.71 ~mol/（m2.sec）, the ecosytem was a CO2 sink under soil warming treatment, the lawn ecosystem under the control was a CO2 source （0.13 Ixmol/（mE.sec））, indicating that the lawn ecosystem would provide a negative feedback to global warming. There was no significant effect of soil warming on nocturnal NEE （i.e., ecosystem respiration）, although the soil temperature sensitivity （Q10） of ecosystem respiration under soil warming treatment was 3.86, much lower than that in the control （7.03）. The CO2 uptake was significantly increased by soil warming treatment that was attributed to about 100% increase of ct （apparent quantum yield） and Amax （maximum rate of photosynthesis）. Our results indicated that the response of photosynthesis in urban lawn is much more sensitive to global warming than respiration in the transition period.
