Timber harvest has many effects on aquatic ecosystems, including changes in hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes that can influence mercury (Hg) cycling. Although timber harvest's influence on aqueous Hg transformation and transport are well studied, the effects on Hg bioaccumulation are not. We evaluated Hg bioaccumulation, biomagnification, and food web structure in 10 paired catchments that were either clear-cut in their entirety, clear-cut except for an 8-m wide riparian buffer, or left unharvested. Average mercury concentrations in aquatic biota from clear-cut catchments were 50% higher than in reference catchments and 165% higher than in catchments with a riparian buffer. Mercury concentrations in aquatic invertebrates and salamanders were not correlated with aqueous THg or MeHg concentrations, but rather treatment effects appeared to correspond with differences in the utilization of terrestrial and aquatic basal resources in the stream food webs. Carbon and nitrogen isotope data suggest that a diminished shredder niche in the clear-cut catchments contributed to lower basal resource diversity compared with the reference of buffered treatments, and that elevated Hg concentrations in the clear-cut catchments reflect an increased reliance on aquatic resources in clear-cut catchments. In contrast, catchments with riparian buffers had higher basal resource diversity than the reference catchments, indicative of more balanced utilization of terrestrial and aquatic resources. Further, following timber harvest THg concentrations in riparian songbirds were elevated, suggesting an influence of timber harvest on Hg export to riparian food webs. These data, coupled with comparisons of individual feeding guilds, indicate that changes in organic matter sources and associated effects on stream food web structure are important mechanisms by which timber harvest modifies Hg bioaccumulation in headwater streams and riparian consumers.

Forest management can alter the mobilization of mercury (Hg) into headwater streams and its conversion to methylmercury (MeHg), the form that bioaccumulates in aquatic biota and biomagnifies through food webs. As headwater streams are important sources of organic materials and nutrients to larger systems, this connectivity may also increase MeHg in downstream biota through direct or indirect effects of forestry on water quality or food web structure. In this study, we collected water, seston, food sources (biofilm, leaves, organic matter), five macroinvertebrate taxa and fish (slimy sculpin; Cottus cognata) at 6 sites representing different stream orders (1–5) within three river basins with different total disturbances from forestry (both harvesting and silviculture). Methylmercury levels were highest in water and some food sources from the basin with moderate disturbance (greater clearcutting but less silviculture). Water, leaves, stoneflies and fish increased in MeHg or total Hg along the river continuum in the least disturbed basin, and there were some dissipative effects of forest management on these spatial patterns. Trophic level (δ¹⁵N) was a significant predictor of MeHg (and total Hg in fish) within food webs across all 18 sites, and biomagnification slopes were significantly lower in the basin with moderate total disturbance but not different in the other two basins. The elevated MeHg in lower trophic levels but its reduced trophic transfer in the basin with moderate disturbance was likely due to greater inputs of sediments and of dissolved organic carbon that is more humic, as these factors are known to both increase transport of Hg to streams and its uptake in primary producers but to also decrease MeHg bioaccumulation in consumers. Overall, these results suggest that the type of disturbance from forestry affects MeHg bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in stream food webs and some longitudinal patterns along a river continuum.

Forest soils are among the world’s largest repositories for long-term accumulation of atmospherically deposited mercury (Hg), and understanding the potential for remobilization through gaseous emissions, aqueous dissolution and runoff, or erosive particulate transport to down-gradient aquatic ecosystems is critically important for projecting ecosystem recovery. Forestry operations, especially clear-cut logging where most of the vegetaiton is removed, can influence Hg mobility/fluxes, foodweb dynamics, and bioaccumulation processes. This paper measured surface-air Hg fluxes from catchments in the Pacific Northwest, USA, to determine if there is a difference between forested and logged catchments. These measurements were conducted as part of a larger project on the impact of forestry operations on Hg cycling which include measurements of water fluxes as well as impacts on biota. Surface-air Hg fluxes were measured using a commonly applied dynamic flux chamber (DFC) method that incorporated diel and seasonal variability in elemental Hg (Hg⁰) fluxes at multiple forested and harvested catchments. The results showed that the forested ecosystem had depositional Hg⁰ fluxes throughout most of the year (annual mean: −0.26 ng/m²/h). In contrast, the harvested catchments showed mostly emission of Hg⁰ (annual mean: 0.63 ng/m²/h). Differences in solar radiation reaching the soil was the primary driver resulting in a shift from net deposition to emission in harvested catchments. The surface-air Hg fluxes were larger than the fluxes to water as runoff and accounted for 97% of the differences in Hg sequestered in forested versus harvested catchments.

Marine water quality monitoring is performed for compliance with regulatory issues, trend detection, model validation and assessment of the effectiveness of adopted policies. As the end users are managers and policy makers, the objectives should be of practical interest and the answers should reduce the uncertainty concerning environmental impact, supporting planning and decision making. Simple and clearcut answers on environmental issues require synthesis of the field information using statistics, simulation models and multiple criteria analysis (MCA). Statistics is easy to apply whereas simulation models enable researchers to forecast future trends as well as test different scenarios. MCA allows the co-estimation of socio-economic variables providing a compromise between scientists’ and policy makers’ priorities. In addition, stakeholders and the public have the right to know and participate. This article reviews marine water quality monitoring principles, design and data analysis procedures. A brief review of international conventions of regional seas is also included.

The present study aimed to elucidate the atmosphere-forest exchange of ammoniacal nitrogen (NHX-N) at a young larch ecosystem. NHX-N exchanges were measured at a remote site in northernmost Japan where 4-year-old larches were growing after a pristine forest had been clear-cut and subsequent dense dwarf bamboo (Sasa) had been strip-cut. The site was a clean area for atmospheric ammonia with mean concentrations of 0.38 and 0.11 μg N m⁻³ in snowless and snow seasons, respectively. However, there was a general net emission of NHX-N. The annual estimated emission of NHX-N of 4.8 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ exceeded the annual wet deposition of 2.4 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, but the weekly exchange fluxes may have been underestimated by 28-60%. The main cause of the ammonia loss from the young larch ecosystem was probably enhanced nitrogen supply stimulated by the cutting of the pristine forest and Sasa, in particular, the Sasa.

In six small catchments located at the Cordillera de la Costa in southern Chile (40° S), concentrations and fluxes of NO3-N, NH4-N, organic-N, total-N and total-P in bulk precipitation and runoff water were measured. The main objective of this study was to compare nitrogen and phosphorus retention of catchments with varying land cover of native forest and exotic plantations, in order to evaluate possible effects of land use change. Nitrate-N was the dominant fraction (>50%) of nitrogen loss, especially in the catchments dominated by exotic plantations. In the catchment with native forests, NO3 - only contributed with 34% of the nitrogen loss and DON was the main output with 55%. Annual NO3 - export was lower in the catchment with native forest compared to the catchments with exotic plantations where the streamflow output exceed the precipitation input. Average inputs of total-N were 2.6 kg ha-¹ year-¹ (DIN = 1.4 kg ha-¹ year-¹, DON = 1.2 kg ha-¹ year-¹) and outputs were 1.7 kg ha-¹ year-¹ (DIN = 1.2 kg ha-¹ year-¹, DON = 0.5 kg ha-¹ year-¹). Annual retention of total nitrogen fluctuated between 61% in a catchment dominated by native forests to 15% in catchments dominated by exotic plantations of Eucalyptus sp. Nitrogen retention was positively related with native forest coverage. The N retention capacity of the catchments could be both attributed to consequences of clear cutting practices and differences in vegetation cover.

Being one of the most important staple crops of the world, rice has played a vital role in slaking the calorie requirements of the masses in all the inhabitable continents of our planet. Regardless of this fact, there are many environmental concerns related to the rice production systems across the globe. One of the major worries is the emission of lethal greenhouse gases as a result of the different steps and procedures concerned with rice production and their contribution towards global warming. This study presents the status quo of the rice straw burning practice across the globe. It focuses on the greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the open field burning of rice residues and its direct effect on the environment, eventually contributing towards climate change. The study evidently shortlists the most profound regions contributing towards the open burning dilemma and the socio-political reasons associated with it. The study additionally discusses the different alternatives to straw burning with a clear-cut motive of throwing light on the opportunities that lie in the efficacious and sustainable utilization of homogeneous agricultural wastes. Different in-field straw management techniques related to the farmers and off-field methods related to the industry have been discussed. Predicated upon a survey of the life cycle assessment (LCA) studies across the globe, it is concluded that soil incorporation and electricity generation are the most environment friendly alternatives with an enormous scope of improvement in the coming future.

Forest regeneration operations increase the concentration of nitrogen (N) in watercourses especially outside the growing season when traditional biological water protection methods are inefficient. Biochar adsorption-based water treatment could be a solution for nutrient retention. We studied the total nitrogen (TN) and nitrate–nitrogen (NO₃⁻–N) adsorption–desorption properties of spruce and birch biochar. The adsorption test was performed under four different initial concentrations of TN (1, 2, 3, and 4 mg L⁻¹) using forest runoff water collected from ditch drains of boreal harvested peatland. The results showed that the TN adsorption amount increased linearly from the lowest to the highest concentration. The maximum adsorption capacity was 2.4 and 3.2 times greater in the highest concentration (4 mg L⁻¹) compared to the lowest concentration (1 mg L⁻¹) in spruce and birch biochar, respectively. The NO₃⁻–N adsorption amount of birch biochar increased linearly from 0 to 0.15 mg NO₃⁻–N g biochar⁻¹ when the initial concentration of NO₃⁻–N increased from 0.2 to 1.4 mg L⁻¹. However, in spruce biochar, the initial concentration did not affect NO₃⁻–N adsorption amount. The results indicate that concentration significantly affects the biochar’s capacity to adsorb N from water. The desorption test was performed by adding biochar extracted from the adsorption test into the forest runoff water with low TN concentration (0.2 or 0.35 mg L⁻¹). The desorption results showed that desorption was negligibly small, and it was dependent on the TN concentration for birch biochar. Therefore, biochar can be a complementary method supporting water purification in peatland areas.

Recent attention has focused on riparian forest buffer systems for filtering sediment, nutrients, and pesticides entering from upslope agricultural fields. Studies in a variety of physiographic areas have shown that concentrations of sediment and agrichemicals are reduced after passage through a riparian forest. The mechanisms involved are both physical and biological, including deposition, uptake by vegetation, and loss by microbiological processes such as denitrification. Current research by USDA-ARS and University of Georgia scientists at Tifton, GA is focusing on managing riparian forest buffer systems to alleviate agricultural impacts on the environment. The underlying concept for this research is that agricultural impact on streams is best protected by a riparian forest buffer system consisting of three zones. In consecutive upslope order from the stream these zones are (1) a narrow band of permanent trees (5-10 m wide) immediately adjacent to the stream channel which provides streambank stabilization, organic debris input to streams, and shading of streams, (2) a forest management zone where maximum biomass production is stressed and frees can be harvested, and (3) a grass buffer strip up to 10 m wide to provide control of coarse sediment and to spread overland flow. Several ongoing projects at Tifton, GA are focusing on using riparian forest buffer systems as filters. A forest management project is testing the effects of different management practices on surface and ground water quality. This project includes three different forest management practices: mature forest, selectively thinned forest, and clearcut. In a different study a natural wetland is being restored by planting frees. The effectiveness of this wetland on filtering nutrients from dairy wastes which are being applied upslope is being evaluated. At this same site, a pesticide study is being conducted on the side opposite to where dairy wastes are applied. An overland flow-riparian buffer system using swine lagoon waste is evaluating the effectiveness of different vegetative treatments and lengths of buffer zones on filtering of nutrients. In this study three vegetative treatments are compared: (1) 10 m grass buffer and 20 m riparian forest, (2) 20 m grass buffer and 10 m riparian forest, (3) 10 m grass buffer and 20 m of the recommended wetland species maidencane. Waste is applied at the upper end of each plot at either a high or low rate, and then allowed to flow downslope. The three zone riparian forest buffer system is being used for the Riparian Ecosystem Management Model (REMM). This model, which is currently under development at Tifton, GA, is a computer simulation model designed to reduce soil and water degradation by aiding farmers and land use managers in decision making regarding how best to utilize their riparian buffer system. Both information currently being collected in field studies and development of the REMM are innovative farm-level and forestry technologies to protect soil and water resources.