We report the molecular and hydrogen–isotopic compositions of fatty acids extracted from suspended particulate organic matter (POM) and surface sediments at three stations off the southern California coast: Santa Barbara Basin, Santa Monica Basin, and the Gulf of Santa Catalina. Values of dD for individual fatty acids ranged from 237‰ to 73‰ in POM and from 216‰ to 124‰ in sediments. For most f...

cation exchange capacity and specific surface area are among some of the important soil characteristics the direct measurement of which is laborious, costly and time consuming. therefore, fractal dimension of particle size distribution has been widely studied in relation with many such dynamic and static processes as transmission of water and solutes, water holding capacity, heat storage and co...

The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) pattern was analyzed in a forest humus and in an arable soil experimentally polluted with Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, or Zn at different concentrations. In both soil types, there were gradual changes in the PLFA patterns for the different levels of metal contamination. The changes in the forest soil were similar irrespective of which metal was used, while in the arable so...

A field study was conducted at three sites (S1-S3) of 500m longitudinal transect along the drain, where soil was irrigated by toxic metal rich brass and electroplating industrial effluent in suburban area of Moradabad, India. Spatial and seasonal variations of total heavy metal content in soil and their effect on physico-chemical and biological properties were studied in soil samples taken from...

BACKGROUND Natural forest succession often affects soil physical and chemical properties. Selected physical and chemical soil properties were studied in an old-growth forest across a forest successional series in Dinghushan Nature Reserve, Southern China. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The aim was to assess the effects of forest succession change on soil properties. Soil samples (0-20 cm dept...

Urease activity was determined in soil contaminated with four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, and pyrene in the amount of 0, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 mg·kg DM soil. Organic materials – cellulose, sucrose, and compost – were applied to the samples in the amount of 0 and 9 g·kg DM soil. The experiment was carried out in a laboratory, and soil samples...

A systematic radiological survey has been carried out in the region of high-background radiation area in Kollam district of Kerala to define the natural gamma-radiation levels. One hundred and forty seven soil samples from high-background radiation areas and five samples from normal background region were collected as per standard sampling procedures and were analysed for (238)U, (232)Th and (4...

It has been proposed that the large soil carbon (C) stocks of humid tropical forests result predominantly from C stabilization by reactive minerals, whereas oxygen (O2) limitation of decomposition has received much less attention. We examined the importance of these factors in explaining patterns of C stocks and turnover in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, using radiocarbon (C) me...

Understanding the spatial variability of herbicide sorption to soil is important in determining the bioavailability as well as leaching potential of the chemical across a field. Multiple methods have been used to estimate herbicide sorption variability at the macroscale, but it has been difficult to measure soil heterogeneity or herbicide sorption at the individual field level. One method to de...

[1] Incoming radiation forcing at the land surface is partitioned among the components of the surface energy balance in varying proportions depending on the time scale of the forcing. Based on a land-atmosphere analytic continuum model, a numerical land surface model, and field observations we show that high-frequency fluctuations in incoming radiation (with period less than 6 h, for example, d...