El cambio climático calienta tanto el aire y el océano, como el suelo, donde los procesos clave que determinan la fertilidad y la captura de carbono operan en un delicado equilibrio.
nitrogen
How Plant-Fungi Friendships Are Changing
A new framework shows how much carbon plants allocate to their endosymbionts and how that amount might change in the face of warming soil and rising carbon dioxide levels.
Shallow Injection Imperfectly Filters Florida Wastewater
Injection of wastewater into shallow wells is meant to filter nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus out of the wastewater. But a new study suggests that nutrients aren’t entirely eliminated—and may be polluting coastal waters.
Free-Roaming Bison Graze Life into Grasslands
A new study suggests that Yellowstone’s herd of bison accelerates nutrient cycling, offering a glimpse into the North American plains of yesteryear.
Nitrogen Needs Could Be Limiting Nature’s Carbon Capacity
A new study suggests that past calculations of biological nitrogen fixation were overestimated by up to 66%—and that farms growing nitrogen-fixing crops may be filling in the gaps, for better or worse.
Arctic Rivers Trade Inorganic Nitrogen for Organic
Climate change is shifting the makeup of a key nutrient in rivers across Russia, Alaska, and Canada, with the potential for ecosystem-wide impacts.
As the Arctic Warms, Soils Lose Key Nutrients
Climate change heats not only the air and the ocean but also the soil, where key processes that determine fertility and carbon sequestration operate in a fine-tuned balance.
A Great Whale Conveyor Belt Transports Nutrients Across Oceans
Baleen whales shift huge amounts of nutrients, including nitrogen, from high-latitude feeding waters to tropical breeding areas.
The “Surprising” Effect of Drying Headwaters on Nitrogen Dynamics
Contrary to predictions, spring rains caused a decrease in nitrogen at watershed outflows in Alabama.
Carbon-Nutrient Ratios Drive Nitrate Removal in Mediterranean Streams
The type of organic matter, and ratio of nutrients to carbon, impact the ability of heterotrophic bacteria to effectively remove certain forms of nitrogen pollution (nitrate) from streams.
