Biogeochemical cycles-processes

General Characterization of Nitrogen Biogeochemical Cycling Processes Let us consider the various ways that N is processed by the biosphere. These ways are important for both terrestrial and oceanic nitrogen cycles. They are shown schematically in Figure 19. 

Figure 2. Schematic illustration of the biogeochemical cycling processes in Forest ecosystems (Nihkgard et al, 1994).

Feedbacks may be affected directly by atmospheric CO2, as in the case of possible CO2 fertilization of terrestrial production, or indirectly through the effects of atmospheric CO2 on climate. Furthermore, feedbacks between the carbon cycle and other anthropogenically altered biogeochemical cycles (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur) may affect atmospheric CO2. If the creation or alteration of feedbacks have strong effects on the magnitudes of carbon cycle fluxes, then projections, made without consideration of these feedbacks and their potential for changing carbon cycle processes, will produce incorrect estimates of future concentrations of atmospheric CO2. 

Biogeochemical cycling in forests includes elemental inputs, exports, and a complex set of physical, chemical and biotic processes which comprise internal nutrient cycles (Fig. 1). Any disturbance, whether anthropogenic (i.e. 

This chapter focuses on types of models used to describe the functioning of biogeochemical cycles, i.e., reservoir or box models. Certain fundamental concepts are introduced and some examples are given of applications to biogeochemical cycles. Further examples can be found in the chapters devoted to the various cycles. The chapter also contains a brief discussion of the nature and mathematical description of exchange and transport processes that occur in the oceans and in the atmosphere. This chapter assumes familiarity with the definitions and basic concepts listed in Section 1.5 of the introduction such as reservoir, flux, cycle, etc. 

In most cases models describing biogeochemical cycles are used to estimate the concentration (or total mass) in the various reservoirs based on information about source and sink processes, as in the examples given in Section 4.4. This is often called forward modeling. If direct measurements of the concentration are available, they can be compared to the model estimates. This process is referred to as model testing. If there are significant differences between observations and model simulations, improvements in the model are necessary. A natural step is then to reconsider the specification of the sources and/or the sinks and perform additional simulations. 

So far we have not gone in-depth into the nature of the transport processes responsible for fluxes of material between and within reservoirs. This section includes a very brief discussion of some of the processes that are important in the context of global biogeochemical cycles. More comprehensive treatments can be found in textbooks on geology, oceanography and meteorology and in reviews such as Lerman (1979) and Liss and Slinn (1983). 

Fig. 7-11 Compilation of the most important photochemical processes in the atmosphere, including estimates of flux rates expressed in moles per year between the earth s surface and the atmosphere and within the atmosphere. (Modified with permission from P. J. Crutzen, Atmospheric interactions - homogeneous gas reactions of C, N, and S containing compounds. In B. Bolin and R. Cook (1983). "The Major Biogeochemical Cycles and Their Interactions," pp. 67-112, John Wiley, Chichester.)...

Pollard, D., Sitch, S. and Haxeltine, A. (1996). An integrated biosphere model of land surface processes, terrestrial carbon balance, and vegetation dynamics. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 10, 603-628. 

Hunt, E. R. Jr., Piper, S. C., Nemani, R., Keeling, C. D., Otto, R. D. and Running, S. W. (1996). Global net carbon exchange and intra-annual atmospheric CO2 concentrations predicted by an ecosystem process model and three-dimensional atmospheric transport model. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 10, 431-456. 

Potter, C. S., Randerson, J. T., Field, C. B., Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M., Mooney, H. A. and Klooster, S. A. (1993). Terrestrial ecosystem production A process model based on global satellite and surface data. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 7, 811-841. 

The availability of a metal describes one aspect of its potential to cycle among biogeochemical reservoirs. The initiation of the cycling process is called mobilization. Metals may be mobilized, that is, made available for transport away from their region of deposition, when the geochemi-... 

Summary of reactions and processes important in metal biogeochemical cycling (after Nelson... 

Keeping in mind the entire set of components in the climate system as depicted in Figs 17-2,4-13, and 17-3, we can now re-examine Fig. 1-2 to emphasize that biogeochemical cycles are coupled with the climate system. The temperature (as inferred from the record of the deuterium to hydrogen ratio in Antarctic ice) covaries with CO2, CH4 and other species that derive from biological processes. Two simple, if extreme, possibilities can be drawn ... 

Fig. 19-1 Schematic of the processes that connect global biogeochemical cycles and climate. Boxes denote observables and ovals indicate processes that affect these. 

Flegal and Stukas [406] described the special sampling and processing techniques necessary for the prevention of lead contamination of seawater samples, prior to stable lead isotopic ratio measurements by thermal ionisation mass spectrometry. Techniques are also required to compensate for the absence of an internal standard and the presence of refractory organic compounds. The precision of the analyses is 0.1 -0.4% and a detection limit of 0.02 ng/kg allows the tracing of lead inputs and biogeochemical cycles. 

Biogeochemical cycling of elements and pollutants exposure pathways in the tropical ecosystems, which occur between 30°N and 30°S, are both intensive and at high probability of risk for human and ecosystem health. The tropical belt receives about 60% of solar radiation inputting on the Earth s surface. The total area of tropical ecosystems is about 40 x 106 km2, with exception of the High Mountain and Extra-Dry Sandy Deserts with strongly depressed life processes. 

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