Land Ocean Carbon Transfer (1-year extension)
Lead Research Organisation:
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Department Name: Water Resources (Penicuik)
Abstract
The Land Ocean Carbon Transfer (LOCATE) programme has established genuinely new and highly effective collaborations across NOC, CEH, PML and BGS to deliver new understanding of terrigenous dissolved organic matter (tDOM) fluxes across streams, rivers, estuaries and into coastal seas and the global ocean. These fluxes collectively represent a significant and changing, yet poorly understood, component of the global C cycle. Together, we have already achieved the following, major advances: 1) the first internally consistent integration of tDOM fluxes to the tidal extent of GB rivers, demonstrating that coniferous forestry in uplands enhances this flux; 2) the largest study of tDOM transport across temperate estuarine waters, highlighting that the composition and fate of this material is strongly influenced by human activities on land; 3) the most comprehensive assessment of the distribution of tDOM throughout the North Sea, identifying that the bulk of tDOM exported from the Northwest European and Scandinavian landmasses must be buried or remineralized internally, with potential losses to the atmosphere; 4) the development of a fundamentally new model, UniDOM, that unifies concepts, state variables and parameterisations of tDOM turnover across the land-ocean aquatic continuum (LOAC).
Our developments in understanding the fluxes and fate of tDOM have brought into sharp focus how little is known about greenhouse gas (GHGs; CO2, CH4, N2O) fluxes and the processes that control these in aquatic ecosystems. Our key stakeholders, including BEIS and major water companies, recognise that this lack of understanding hinders national GHG emissions reporting and the development of sustainable land- and water management policies to enable the UK government to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
Building upon our previous achievements, our proposed extension activities aim to:
1) develop a GHG budget for the GB LOAC,
2) understand the biotic and abiotic processes that control these, and
3) assess the influence of human activities.
We will achieve these through a series of interconnected objectives that combine desk-based syntheses and modelling activities, analysis of archived samples from our original year-long GB-scale field programme, use of our legacy focal catchments to establish a suite of baseline observations, and stakeholder engagement. We will continue to work with our diverse range of regional, national and international stakeholders to identify where and how this new understanding can achieve beneficial outcomes for policies and practices relating to C sequestration and climate regulation.
Our developments in understanding the fluxes and fate of tDOM have brought into sharp focus how little is known about greenhouse gas (GHGs; CO2, CH4, N2O) fluxes and the processes that control these in aquatic ecosystems. Our key stakeholders, including BEIS and major water companies, recognise that this lack of understanding hinders national GHG emissions reporting and the development of sustainable land- and water management policies to enable the UK government to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
Building upon our previous achievements, our proposed extension activities aim to:
1) develop a GHG budget for the GB LOAC,
2) understand the biotic and abiotic processes that control these, and
3) assess the influence of human activities.
We will achieve these through a series of interconnected objectives that combine desk-based syntheses and modelling activities, analysis of archived samples from our original year-long GB-scale field programme, use of our legacy focal catchments to establish a suite of baseline observations, and stakeholder engagement. We will continue to work with our diverse range of regional, national and international stakeholders to identify where and how this new understanding can achieve beneficial outcomes for policies and practices relating to C sequestration and climate regulation.
Publications
Bell V
(2021)
Long term simulations of macronutrients (C, N and P) in UK freshwaters
in Science of The Total Environment
Brown AM
(2022)
Anthropogenic-estuarine interactions cause disproportionate greenhouse gas production: A review of the evidence base.
in Marine pollution bulletin
García-Martín E
(2021)
Contrasting Estuarine Processing of Dissolved Organic Matter Derived From Natural and Human-Impacted Landscapes
in Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Pickard A
(2021)
Greenhouse gas budgets of severely polluted urban lakes in India.
in The Science of the total environment
Pickard A
(2022)
Effects of peatland management on aquatic carbon concentrations and fluxes
in Biogeosciences
Tye A
(2022)
Dissolved inorganic carbon export from rivers of Great Britain: Spatial distribution and potential catchment-scale controls
in Journal of Hydrology
Zhou Y
(2021)
Extensive Remineralization of Peatland-Derived Dissolved Organic Carbon and Ocean Acidification in the Sunda Shelf Sea, Southeast Asia
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
| Description | - Overall, DIC dominates dissolved C inputs to coastal waters, meaning that estuarine carbon dynamics are sensitive to underlying geology and therefore are likely to be reasonably constant. - In the UK most large reservoirs constructed for public water supply are in upland areas and situated in catchments that contain at least some organic-rich soils. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) leaching from these soils imparts a brownish colour to water and raises treatment challenges for the water industry since excessive post-treatment concentrations result in the generation of potentially harmful disinfection by-products in drinking water. Catchment management measures have rarely been monitored with downstream water quality as the focus, and that restoration impacts vary across sites. - The flux of terrigenous organic carbon through estuaries is an important and changing, yet poorly understood, component of the global carbon cycle. land use strongly influences the fate of DOC across the land ocean transition via its influence on the composition and lability of the constituent dissolved organic matter (DOM). In general, estuaries draining catchments with a high percentage of peatland (=18%) have higher area-specific estuarine exports of DOC (>13 g C m?² yr?¹) compared to those estuaries draining catchments with a high percentage (=46%) of arable and (sub)urban land uses (<2.1 g C m?² yr?¹). |
| Exploitation Route | The project data can be used t better constrain models of carbon loss from GB land to sea. For example, our data indicate that arable and (sub)urban estuaries tend to export, on average, ~50% more DOC to coastal areas than they receive from rivers due to net anthropogenic derived organic matter inputs within the estuary. The project reviewed the impacts of such changes on drinking water reservoirs, for example, including management actions that could reduce the cost of of treatment as well as assessing the impacts of land-use management options on water quality. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
| Description | We worked with industry partners through knowledge-exchange activities to develop understanding of risk to raw water from dissolved organic matter changes. This included providing evidence on the effects of climate change and land-management. This evidence is being used to inform future investments by industry in catchment management and treatment works operation to avoid future future undesirable changes in water quality. The findings of the work in the Falkland Islands and in GB are being used to inform peatland management policies through consultation with Prof Chris Evans. The developing evidence on greenhouse gas emissions assessments are being used by various stakeholders (e.g., water industry, National Trust, Broads Authority) to infomr early policy development on land and asset management with respect to Net Zero ambitions. Amy Pickard is working directly with stakeholders, and in particular with Scottish Water, through the Scottish Government (CREW) Hydro Nation Research Leaders programme. This projects support the Hydro Nation strategy by developing understanding of how and where best to develop the value of Scotland's water resources. Amy's work will focus on bringing together the evidence base to support effective land-management priorities to deliver on Scottish Water's contribution to Scotland's Hydro Nations strategy. https://www.gov.scot/policies/water/hydro-nation/ |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Environment |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Greenhouse Gas Instrumentation System for Aquatic Ecosystems (GHG-Aqua) |
| Amount | £994,280 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/V01627X/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 01/2023 |
| Description | Hydro Nation Research Leader Fellowship |
| Amount | £160,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of Scotland |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2021 |
| End | 08/2027 |
| Title | Aquatic carbon and greenhouse gas concentrations in headwater streams draining from natural, drained and restored peatland catchments in the Flow Country, Scotland, September 2008-August 2010 |
| Description | The dataset contains aquatic carbon and dissolved greenhouse gas data collected from 6 headwater stream sampling sites within the UK's largest tract of blanket bog, the Flow Country of N. Scotland. The streams drain from catchments under different peatland management regimes: natural non-drained peatland, drained peatland, and restored peatland (achieved via ditch blocking). Sites were sampled on an approximately fortnightly basis between September 2008 and August 2010. Data were obtained via collection of water and gas samples in situ, and concentrations were derived via subsequent sample processing and analysis. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | New use of data. |
| URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/7525088d-e504-456a-bc55-e48d8ca85303 |
| Title | Greenhouse gas and nutrient data measured across estuaries in the UK, 2017-2018 |
| Description | The dataset contains dissolved greenhouse and nutrient data collected from seven UK estuaries: the Clyde, Clywd, Conwy, Dart, Forth, Tamar and Tay, for the LOCATE project. Sampling was conducted from July 2017 to April 2018 on a quarterly basis, and was coordinated to occur on falling tides and to target specific salinities of interest: 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 25 psu. Data were obtained via collection of gas and water samples in situ, and concentrations were derived via subsequent sample processing and analysis. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Use of data by UK researchers. |
| URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/328cacca-c33b-450a-a39c-302b4eed07a2 |
| Title | Greenhouse gas and water chemistry data measured across the Tay estuary, Scotland, from 2009-2011 |
| Description | The dataset contains dissolved greenhouse gas and water chemistry data collected across 12 axial surveys of the Tay estuary, Scotland, starting in April 2009 and ending in July 2011. Ten fixed sampling points on the estuary were surveyed on each boat based campaign. Data were obtained either via direct, field-based measurements, or via subsequent sample processing and analysis in laboratories at UKCEH Edinburgh. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | These data were used in the preparation of an ISI publication on greenhouse gas emissions in UK estuaries. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X21012741?via%3Dihub |
| URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/ec78b74e-631d-4bef-8c28-618b4dc0fffd |
| Title | Monthly sampling of riverine chemistry and organic matter for 41 rivers in Great Britain in 2017 as part of the LOCATE project |
| Description | This dataset contains particulate and dissolved organic carbon concentrations, nutrients (ammonia, nitrates, phosphate), alkalinity, pH, particulate organic nitrogen, delta-C-13 and delta-15-N isotopes, fluorescence and absorbance from river water samples. Data come from 41 rivers from around Great Britain, sampled on a monthly basis during 2017. LOCATE (Land Ocean CArbon TransfEr) is a multi-disciplinary project that undertakes coordinated sampling of the major rivers in Great Britain to establish how much carbon from soils is getting into rivers and estuaries and to determine what is happening to it. LOCATE is a multidisciplinary NERC project involving the National Oceanography Centre, the British Geological Survey, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, with assistance from the University of Lancaster, University of Durham, University of Hull, the University of the Highlands and Islands and the Environment Agency. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The data has been used to produce two key Locate papers to date. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10533-021-00762-2 https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2021GB007023 |
| URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/08223cdd-5e01-43ad-840d-15ff81e58acf |
| Description | Peatland Research in Scotland |
| Organisation | University of the Highlands and Islands |
| Department | Environmental Research Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Joint field observations on water quality and greenhouse gas emissions from inland waters in the Halladale catchment |
| Collaborator Contribution | ERI conducted sample collection and sample analysis within their laboratory facility at Thurso. |
| Impact | ERI staff have contributed to publications on dissolved organic carbon processing in peatland aquatic ecosystems. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SAERI - South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute |
| Organisation | South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute |
| Country | Falkland Islands (Malvinas) |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | Prof Chris Evans consults on monitoring of aquatic carbon processing and on the assessment of peatland status |
| Collaborator Contribution | SAERI staff conduct monitoring in the field and lab analysis to produce data on water quality of inland waters as well as peatland quality in the Falkland Island. |
| Impact | None as yet |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Briefing notes for UK Water Industry on dissolved organic matter sources and management in drinking water reservoirs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Locate project during its extension year synthesized evidence across academic and industry experts in the field of DOM management. This evidence was presented publicly through the UKCEH website through the FREEDOM portal. Responses to these materials has been positive, with feedback from our industry colleagues indicating that it is being used to inform decision making. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://www.ceh.ac.uk/freedom-bccr |
| Description | Lectures to University of Edinburgh School of GeoScience Catchment Water Resources undergraduate course |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | About 20 students attended an on line lecture series including presentation of Locate and the UK Legacy Waste projects on DOM and metal pollution losses from land to freshwater. The students participated in a discussion on options to better manage land-use to address land based pollution. At least four students have since developed research projects around this topic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| Description | Meetings with water industry on legacy contaminant behaviour in drinking water reservoirs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Discussions were invited by Scottish Water, Welsh Water and Yorkshire Water in response to recent issue with legacy contaminants in drinking water reservoirs. This involved presentations and informal discussions on the sources and fate of manganese, DOM, iron, and phosphorus in the natural environment. The discussions were virtual and involved up to five UKCEH staff, other academics staff from partner universities (estimated <10) and key representatives from the water industry (estimated at <10). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| Description | Seminar series with UK Water Industry on DOM cycling in drinking water catchments and climate change resilience options |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Develop understanding of in-reservoir and catchment interventions for the control of DOM concentrations and treatability in raw water. Three Evidence Review Seminars. The seminars were coordinated by the NERC FREEDOM BCCR and Locate teams and in consultation with our industry partners to develop joint presentations with some key questions discussed during the sessions. Coordination teams have worked to prepare written outputs as industry briefing notes which will be published 2021. 2nd July 2020 10:00 - 12:30 Catchment management 9th July 2020 10:00 - 12:30 In-reservoir management 16th July 2020 10:00 - 12:30 DOM treatability modelling and management implications Outputs were co-developed with industry in 2021 as outlined at URL below, with Locate team responsible for outputs on water quality. Engagement with industry has continued under the Locate extension stakeholder engagement tasks with a focus on GHG emissions and nutrient interactions, informing land management directions within industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.ceh.ac.uk/freedom-bccr |