The effects of freeze-thaw cycles on sorption/desorption of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in two wetland soils and one reclaimed wetland soil were investigated. DOC concentrations added were 0-600 mg/L. Laboratory incubations of sorption/desorption of DOC had been carried out at -15℃ for 10 h, and then at +5℃ for 13 h. Soil samples were refrozen and thawed subsequently for 5 cycles. Initial Mass model was used to describe sorption behavior of DOC. The results indicate that freeze-thaw cycles can significantly increase the sorption capacity of DOC and reduce the desorption capacity of DOC in the three soils. The freeze-thaw effects on desorpfion of DOC in soils increase with the increasing freeze-thaw cycles. The conversion of natural wetlands to soybean farmland can decrease the sorption capacity and increase the desorption capacity of DOC in soils. Global warming and reclamation may increase DOC release, and subsequently increase the loss of carbon and the emission of greenhouse gas.
Nitrogen (N) cycling in boreal peatland ecosystems may be influenced in important ways by freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs). Adsorption and desorption of ammonium ions (NH4+) were examined in a controlled laboratory experiment for soils sampled from palustrine wetland, riverine wetland, and farmland reclaimed from natural wetland in response to the number of FTCs. The results indicate that freeze-thaw significantly increased the adsorption capacity of NH: and reduced the desorption potential of NH4+ in the wetland soils. There were significant differences in the NH4+ adsorption amount between the soils with and without freeze-thaw treatment. The adsorption amount of NH4+ increased with increasing FTCs. The palustrine wetland soil had a greater adsorption capacity and a weaker desorption potential of NH4+ than the riverine wetland soil because of the significantly higher clay content and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the riverine wetland soil. Because of the altered soil physical and chemical properties and hydroperiods, the adsorption capacity of NH4+ was smaller in the farmland soil than in the wetland soils, while the desorption potential of the farmland soil was higher than that of the wetland soils. Thus, wetland reclamation would decrease adsorption capacity and increase desorption potential of NH4+, which could result in N loss from the farmland soil. FTCs might mitigate N loss from soils and reduce the risk of water pollution in downstream ecosystems.
The grain-size distribution characteristics and grain-size parameters of sediment in two vertical sections of Daniugou peatland in the Changbai Mountains were systematically investigated.A comparative analysis of the sediment granularity using a discriminative function with Hongyuan peat,red clay,loess-paleosol,fluvial deposit as well as lacustrine deposit was also conducted.It turns out that the vertical section of Daniugou peat ash is primarily constituted by clay and silt particles,and the content of sand is relatively small.Grain-size frequency curves generally show a single-peak modality while a bimodal pattern is detected in the upper layer.The grain-size component and peak pattern of grain-size frequency curves also illustrate that peat ash materials were transported to the peatland by long-range aeolian dust during the deposition process,while there existed short-distance dust influence in peat deposition of the upper layer.Comparisons of grain-size parameters and the discriminative Y-value of Daniugou peat ash with those of typical aeolian sediments show close similarities,suggesting the possibility that atmospheric dust transport processes were involved in the accumulation of peat again.Moreover,the variations of grain-size distribution suggest the local environmental deterioration which is just the driving force of local dust elevation.Grain-size analysis of peatland sediment is demonstrated to be one effective method to extract information about regional and global environmental evolution,and more attention should be paid to current local ecological environment and to seeking a balance between economic development and environmental protection in Northeast China.
Geohazards appear to be increasing in frequency globally. It is of necessity to actively manage these natural hazards to minimize loss of life and property. From an early warning perspective, this paper stresses the potential fatal flood hazard represented by the huge volume of water in Tianchi Lake, the unique geography of Changbai Mountain, and the limited flood control ability in the upstream of the Songhua River. Northeast Asian countries should keep a watchful eye on the Changbai volcano cooperatively, and Chinese government especially needs to prepare plans for fighting a flood in advance.
BAO KunshanWANG GuopingLU XianguoNeil B. McLaughlin