Oil palm is the most rapidly expanding tropical perennial crop, which raises environmental concerns, notably related to the use of nitrogen fertilisers and consequent pollution. We tested existing models to estimate N losses in plantations. Results were highly variable and highlighted the remaining challenges to improve the reliability of these models in order to steer towards more sustainable practices.

A new approach for the estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools north of the tree line has been developed based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the ENVISAT satellite. It can be shown that measurements of C-band SAR under frozen conditions represent vegetation and surface structure properties which relate to soil properties, specifically SOC. The approach provides the first spatially consistent account of soil organic carbon across the Arctic.

The sources and sinks of carbon monoxide (CO) in the biosphere are poorly understood. We report the first continuous data series of CO fluxes measured by eddy covariance method in an agricultural bioenergy crop. The CO fluxes were seasonally and diurnally variable demonstrating the parallel consumption and production processes. Radiation was the main driver of CO emissions, and the eddy covariance method was demonstrated as suitable for linking short-term flux dynamics to environmental drivers.

Throughfall and litter leachate DOC fluxes amounted to 6.81 and 7.23 % of the net ecosystem exchange, respectively. The surface soil was a sink of above water transported DOC. The analysis of 13° C hydrological water DOC and soil, leaf and litter indicated that DOC is transformed in the surface soil. Soil respiration is more dependent on water transported DOC flux than soil-water content (at 0–20 cm), and most sensitive to soil-water DOC flux (at 0–20 cm) compared to soil temperature.

We evaluated relations between sapwood carbohydrate content and wood formation in Quercus robur and the more drought-tolerant Q. pyrenaica along a water-availability gradient in the NW Iberian Peninsula. Winter carbohydrate levels and wood production decreased under more humid conditions for both species. Our results also suggest that sugar levels in sapwood modulate earlywood production in Q. pyrenaica, which showed a more conservative carbon use strategy than Q. robur.

The modern hypersaline Great Salt Lake shows an extended modern and ancient microbial sedimentary system. This study on aerial images and field observations discusses the non-random distribution patterns of microbial deposits along linear alignments following isobaths, polygonal geometry or straight alignments along a topographic drop-off. This particular distribution of microbial deposits brings further insights to the reconstruction of paleoenvironments and paleoclimatic changes.

In order to understand microbial communities in the environment it is necessary to assess their metabolic potential. The hydrogen isotopic composition of fatty acids has been shown to be promising tool to study the general metabolism of microorganisms in pure culture. Here we showed that it is possible to study seasonal changes in the general metabolism of the whole community by studying the hydrogen isotopic composition of fatty acids.

In this study we systematically quantify simultaneities between meteorological extremes and the timing of flowering of four shrub species across Germany by using event coincidence analysis. Our study confirms previous findings of experimental studies, highlighting the impact of early spring temperatures on the flowering of the investigated plants. Additionally, the analysis reveals statistically significant indications of an influence of temperature extremes in the fall preceding the flowering.

We developed surface complexation model for Cd(II) adsorption on montmorillonite, B. subtilis, and their composite. The Cd adsorption behavior onto the composite can be described by a component additivity approach (CA-SCM). The Cd complexes of X₂Cd, SOCd⁺, R-COOCd⁺, and R-POCd⁺ were the predominant species on the composite over the pH range of 3 to 8. The model could be useful for the prediction of heavy metal distribution at the interface of multicomponents and their risk evaluation in soils.

We investigated the long-term trends of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soil solution and the drivers of changes in over 100 forest monitoring plots across Europe. An overall increasing trend was detected in the organic layers, but no overall trend was found in the mineral horizons. There are strong interactions between controls acting at local and regional scales. Our findings are relevant for researchers focusing on the link between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and for C-cycle models.

We re-evaluated the connection between satellite greenness products and C-flux tower data in four Australian ecosystems. We identify key mechanisms driving the carbon cycle, and provide an ecological basis for the interpretation of vegetation indices. We found relationships between productivity and greenness to be non-significant in meteorologically driven evergreen forests and sites where climate and vegetation phenology were asynchronous, and highly correlated in phenology-driven ecosystems.

The effect of Fe oxide on N transformation processes were different in soils as a function of pH. ¹⁵N-labelled ammonium and nitrate were used separately to determine N transformation rates combined with Fe oxide (ferrihydrite) addition. Iron oxide addition stimulated net nitrification in the low-pH soil (pH 5.1), while the opposite occurred in the high-pH soil (pH 7.8). Fe oxide increased NH3-N availability by stimulating N mineralization and inhibiting N immobilization at low pH.

Flower litters fed soil nutrition pool more efficiently because of their faster decomposition rate and higher nutrient contents. The underlying mechanism can enrich nutrients, which return to the soil, and non-structural carbohydrates, which feed and enhance the transitions of soil microorganisms. It can be realized that nature is more complex and magical than we thought. There are still some miraculous points of interaction between soil and plant to be explored in the future.

Oxygen-depleted mesoscale features in the open eastern tropical North Atlantic, which are formed in the Mauritanian upwelling region, were discovered recently. This study examines biogeochemical structure and magnitudes of related processes within these isolated water masses. We found very low oxygen concentrations and strongly enhanced acidity at near-surface depth. Oxygen utilization and downward carbon export were found to exceed known values for this ocean region.

During a flood in the Elbe in June 2013, a unique co-occurrence of ammonium, nitrite and nitrate in the water column was found. SPM and nutrient concentrations as well as isotopes were analysed. We calculated an isotope effect ¹⁵ε of −10.0 ± 0.1 ‰ during net nitrite and ¹⁵ε of −4.0 ± 0.1 ‰ and ¹⁸ε of −5.3 ± 0.1 ‰ during net nitrate consumption. A simple box-model calculation results in combined riparian denitrification and 22 to 36 % nitrification.

We introduce an approach applicable to dynamic global vegetation models for evaluating simulated soil carbon changes from land-use changes against meta-analyses. The approach makes use of the large spatial coverage of the observations, and accounts for different ages of the sampled land-use transitions. The evaluation offers an opportunity for identifying causes of model–data discrepancies. Applied to the model JSBACH, we find that introducing crop harvest substantially improves the results.

Soil development following glacier retreat was characterized using a novel integrated field, laboratory and modelling approach in Svalbard. We found community shifts in bacteria, which were responsible for driving cycles in carbon and nutrients. Allochthonous inputs were also important in sustaining bacterial production. This study shows how an integrated model–data approach can improve understanding and obtain a more holistic picture of soil development in an increasingly ice-free future world.