Studies on the quantitative significance of protozoa on carbon and nitrogen digestion and metabolism in the rumen were carried out in sheep given a diet of pelleted concentrate (500 g/d) and chopped hay (500 g/d). Measurements were made of apparent digestibility; flows of organic matter and dietary and microbial non-ammonia N (NAN) (using 15NH4+) to the duodenum; and rates of production, interc...

Soil-organic matter (SOM) is a complex array of components including soil fauna and flora at different stages of decomposition (Berg et al . , 1982). I ts concentration in soils can vary from 0.5% in mineral soils to almost 100% in peat soils (Brady, 1974). Organic matter (OM) in the surface mineral soil is considered a major determinant of forest ecosystem productivity because it affects water...

During the New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS) in the summer of 2004, airborne measurements were made of the major inorganic ions and the water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) of the submicron (PM1.0) aerosol. These and ancillary data are used to describe the overall aerosol chemical characteristics encountered during the study. Fine particle mass was estimated from particle volume and a calcul...

The burial of organic matter (OM) in marine sediments represents the major link between “active” surface pools of carbon in the oceans, atmosphere, on land, and in marine sediment, and carbon pools that cycle on much longer, geologic time scales (i.e., carbon in sedimentary rock, coal, and petroleum deposits). It also plays some role in controlling atmospheric CO2 and O2 on these long time scal...

The ‘‘mesopore protection hypothesis’’ [Chem. Geol. 114 (1994) 347; Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 58 (1994) 1271] proposes that organic matter (OM) may be protected from enzymatic degradation by sequestration within mineral mesopores (2–50 nm diameter). This hypothesis is a leading, though controversial, theory in explaining both the preservation of some extremely labile OM compounds and observed co...

Three types of pathways (degradation–recondensation, natural sulphurization and selective preservation) are commonly considered for the formation of kerogen dispersed in sedimentary rocks. A fourth pathway has been recently put forward, however, from studies on Recent marine sediments, the so-called sorptive protection mechanism. This pathway is based on the adsorption of otherwise labile organ...

Sludge applications have been used to maintain fertility of agricultural soils without damaging the natural ecosystem. The aim of this study was evaluating the influence of sewage-sludge addition on the quality of organic matter (OM) of a Brazilian Oxisol by Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF). LIF was used to analyze OM of whole soil and different soil fractions separated by chemical and physical...

Coral bleaching events are predicted to occur more frequently in the coming decades with global warming. The susceptibility of corals to bleaching during thermal stress episodes depends on many factors, including the magnitude of thermal stress and irradiance. The interactions among these two factors, and in particular with ultra-violet radiation (UVR), the most harmful component of light, are ...

Organic matter (OM) uptake in cloud droplets produces water-soluble secondary organic aerosols (SOA) via aqueous chemistry. These play a significant role in aerosol properties. We report the effects of OM uptake in wet aerosols, in terms of the dissolved-to-gas carbon dioxide nucleation using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Carbon dioxide has been implicated in the natural rainwater as wel...

The changing climate in the Arctic has a profound impact on permafrost coasts, which are subject to intensified thermokarst formation and erosion. Consequently, terrestrial organic matter (OM) is mobilized and transported into the nearshore zone. Yet, little is known about the fate of mobilized OM before and after entering the ocean. In this study we investigated a retrogressive thaw slump (RTS...