Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
1998
Authors
O. Janne Kjønaas Richard Frederic WrightAbstract
Chronic deposition of inorganic nitrogen (N) compounds from the atmosphere to forested ecosystems can alter the status of a forest ecosystem from N-limited towards N-rich, which may cause, among other things, increased leaching of inorganic N below the rooting zone. To assess the time aspects of excess N leaching, a process-oriented dynamic model, MERLIN (Model of Ecosystem Retention and Loss of Inorganic Nitrogen), was tested on an N-manipulated catchment at Grdsjn, Sweden (NITREX project). Naturally generated mature Norway spruce dominates the catchment with Scots pine in drier areas. Since 1991, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) solution at a rate of about 35 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (250 mmol m-2 yr-1) has been sprinkled weekly, to simulate increased atmospheric N deposition. MERLIN describes C and N cycles, where rates of uptake and cycling between pools are governed by the C/N ratios of plant and soil pools. The model is calibrated through a hindcast period and then used to predict future trends. A major source of uncertainty in model calibration and prediction is the paucity of good historical information on the specific site and stand history over the hindcast period 1930 to 1990. The model is constrained poorly in an N-limited system. The final calibration, therefore, made use of the results from the 6-year N addition experiment. No independent data set was available to provide a test for the model calibration. The model suggests that most N deposition goes to the labile (LOM) and refractory (ROM) organic matter pools. Significant leaching is predicted to start as the C/N ratio in LOM is reduced from the 1990 value of 35 to 28. At ambient deposition levels, the system is capable of retaining virtually all incoming N over the next 50 years. Increased decomposition rates, however, could simulate nitrate leaching losses. The rate and capacity of N assimilation as well as the change in carbon dynamics are keys to ecosystem changes. Because the knowledge of these parameters is currently inadequate, the model has a limited ability to predict N leaching from currently N-limited coniferous forest ecosystems in Scandinavia. The model is a useful tool for bookkeeping of N pools and fluxes, and it is an important contribution to further development of qualitative understanding of forest N cycles.
Authors
Dag FjeldAbstract
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Authors
Jan MulderAbstract
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Authors
Bridget A. Emmett O. Janne Kjønaas Per Gundersen Chris J. Koopmans Albert Tietema D. SleepAbstract
Chronic atmospheric nitrogen deposition can alter the rate of internal nitrogen cycling and increase the magnitude of N leaching losses in forested ecosystems. As fractionation of nitrogen in favour of the lighter 14N occurs during various transformations associated with N-enrichment and nitrogen loss, it has been proposed that the 15N signal of vegetation may provide a useful tool in evaluating the past and current N status of forested ecosystems. A series of coniferous forests across a European nitrogen deposition gradient within the NITREX project provided an opportunity to test the relationships between nitrogen supply from atmospheric deposition and the relative 15N-enrichment of vegetation to soil, across a large geographical area. Most 15N values for above- and below-ground tree components, soil at four depths, bulk precipitation and/or throughfall water and soil solution or outflow water values were within those observed elsewhere except for a few notable exceptions.There was a significant positive relationship between the 15N enrichment of the tree foliage relative to the soil horizons (or the enrichment factor), and nitrogen flux in the throughfall if Aber forest, N. Wales, was excluded from the regression analysis. An unusually high enrichment factor at the Aber site indicated that a the high rate of N cycling at the site was in excess of that predicted from current N deposition. This was attributed to the effect of ploughing and tree planting on the relatively N- and clay-rich mineral horizons at Aber compared to other sites. Highly significant relationships (P 0.01) between enrichment factors and parameters describing internal rates of N cycling, such as litterfall N flux and nitrification rates in upper soil horizons, supported this conclusion. There appears to be a strong link between the rate of N cycling and the 15N enrichment factor, rather than N deposition or nitrate leaching per se. These results confirm the potential use of the 15N enrichment factor to identify sites influenced by nitrogen deposition. However, consideration should be taken of other site characteristics and land management practises which also influence soil N dynamics and N cycling.
Authors
Ketil KohmannAbstract
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Authors
Bridget A. Emmett D. Boxman M. Bredemeier Per Gundersen O. Janne Kjønaas Filip Moldan Patrick Schleppi Albert Tietema Richard Frederic WrightAbstract
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Authors
Halvor Solheim Harald KvaalenAbstract
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Authors
Sondre Skatter Olav Albert HøibøAbstract
Scots pine (Pinus silvestris) logs and 106 Norway spruce (Picea abies) logs. Two of the models were the classical 3-parametric circle model and the 5-parametric ellipse model. These models were compared to the third model, the Fourier coefficient model, which had a variable number of parameters. By increasing the number of parameters in the Fourier coefficient model, this model fits the true shape perfectly. With the same number of parameters the Fourier model performed approximately as good as the two other models. To get a substantial improvement over the ellipse model the number of parameters had to be raised dramatically.