Accelerating Nutrient Cycles at the Riparian Land : Water Interface
Lead Research Organisation:
James Hutton Institute
Department Name: Enviromental & Biochemical Sciences
Abstract
Riparian zones are the dynamic interfaces between terrestrial and aquatic systems, ultimately governing transfers of the macronutrients carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) between the land and the oceans, via rivers. The concern is that with a changing climate, the stability of these systems is shifting, and potentially the nutrient cycling rates are accelerating as a consequence. This proposal focuses on our concept of the dynamic riparian reactive interface (RRI) and how it governs the fate of nutrients down the system from the land to the river, perhaps to the atmosphere, and onward to the oceans. The proposal describes an approach that combines data-rich UK research catchments (Scottish Dee, English Eden) with flagship international catchment platforms (in Sweden and Germany). We propose to conduct new biogeochemical research and new modelling across geo-climatic regions to evaluate riparian functions controlling the potential acceleration in nutrient mass transfers across the land to water interface and how these may scale to globally-significant changes in nutrient cycles as our climate changes.
Organisations
- James Hutton Institute (Lead Research Organisation)
- Eden Rivers Trust (Collaboration)
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Collaboration)
- Marine Scotland Science (MSS) (Collaboration)
- Forest Research (Collaboration)
- EdenDTC (Collaboration)
- Scottish Wildlife Trust (Collaboration)
- Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (Collaboration)
- Helmholtz Ctr for Environmental Research (Project Partner)
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Project Partner)
Publications
Van Soest MAJ
(2022)
Grazing and topography control nutrient pools in low Arctic soils of Southwest Greenland.
in European journal of soil science
Ramler D
(2022)
Keeping Up with Phosphorus Dynamics: Overdue Conceptual Changes in Vegetative Filter Strip Research and Management
in Frontiers in Environmental Science
Stutter M
(2023)
The riparian reactive interface: a climate-sensitive gatekeeper of global nutrient cycles
in Frontiers in Environmental Science
Haygarth P
(2023)
Opportunity to improve global phosphorus governance
in Nature Food
McDowell RW
(2023)
A Global Database of Soil Plant Available Phosphorus.
in Scientific data
Janes-Bassett V
(2022)
A meta-analysis of phosphatase activity in agricultural settings in response to phosphorus deficiency
in Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Ogilvy T
(2022)
Riverwoods for Scotland: Report on Scientific Evidence
| Description | Group discussion guiding SEPA's role in Scotland Riverwoods initiative |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | The close role of SEPA was cemented by the commitment of the new Chief Executive in terms of support for strategic staff within SEPA to integrate the Riverwoods goals with their regulatory goals. This will develop into further impact stories within a 1-2 year timespan. |
| Description | Riparian management factsheet and podcast for farmers (part of SRuC Rural ecosystem services series) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | https://www.sruc.ac.uk/business-services/sac-consulting/sustainability/rural-ecosystem-services/ |
| Title | A Global Database of Soil Plant Available Phosphorus |
| Description | Soil phosphorus drives food production that is needed to feed a growing global population. However, knowledge of plant available phosphorus stocks at a global scale is poor but needed to better match phosphorus fertiliser supply to crop demand. We collated, checked, converted, and filtered a database of c. 575,000 soil samples to c. 33,000 soil samples of soil Olsen phosphorus concentrations. These data represent the most up-to-date repository of freely available data for plant available phosphorus at a global scale. We used these data to derive a model (R2 = 0.54) of topsoil Olsen phosphorus concentrations that when combined with data on bulk density predicted the distribution and global stock of soil Olsen phosphorus. We expect that these data can be used to not only show where plant available P should be boosted, but also where it can be drawn down to make more efficient use of fertiliser phosphorus and to minimise likely phosphorus loss and degradation of water qualit |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | A new first time dataset of soil Olsen phosphorus |
| URL | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02022-4 |
| Description | Chair of the Riverwoods science group |
| Organisation | Forest Research |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | As the chair of this group I coordinate the partners, spanning research, regulatory and applied organisations, for developing the state of evidence and knowledge supporting advancing the goals for multiple benefit woodland along Scotland's river corridors |
| Collaborator Contribution | Other partners (10-12) regularly contribute to quarterly-bi-annual meetings and via emails and editing reports and wider input. |
| Impact | Ogilvy T, Melville N, Martinez R, Stutter M, Sime I, Wilkinson M, Morison J, Broadmeadow S, O'Brien L (2022) Riverwoods for Scotland: Report on Scientific Evidence. Available at: https://www.riverwoods.org.uk/resource/riverwoods-evidence-review/ Co-development of the Riverwoods storymap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5eef590832aa486b86c78cb9d2d2d71f |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Chair of the Riverwoods science group |
| Organisation | Marine Scotland Science (MSS) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | As the chair of this group I coordinate the partners, spanning research, regulatory and applied organisations, for developing the state of evidence and knowledge supporting advancing the goals for multiple benefit woodland along Scotland's river corridors |
| Collaborator Contribution | Other partners (10-12) regularly contribute to quarterly-bi-annual meetings and via emails and editing reports and wider input. |
| Impact | Ogilvy T, Melville N, Martinez R, Stutter M, Sime I, Wilkinson M, Morison J, Broadmeadow S, O'Brien L (2022) Riverwoods for Scotland: Report on Scientific Evidence. Available at: https://www.riverwoods.org.uk/resource/riverwoods-evidence-review/ Co-development of the Riverwoods storymap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5eef590832aa486b86c78cb9d2d2d71f |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Chair of the Riverwoods science group |
| Organisation | Scottish Environment Protection Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | As the chair of this group I coordinate the partners, spanning research, regulatory and applied organisations, for developing the state of evidence and knowledge supporting advancing the goals for multiple benefit woodland along Scotland's river corridors |
| Collaborator Contribution | Other partners (10-12) regularly contribute to quarterly-bi-annual meetings and via emails and editing reports and wider input. |
| Impact | Ogilvy T, Melville N, Martinez R, Stutter M, Sime I, Wilkinson M, Morison J, Broadmeadow S, O'Brien L (2022) Riverwoods for Scotland: Report on Scientific Evidence. Available at: https://www.riverwoods.org.uk/resource/riverwoods-evidence-review/ Co-development of the Riverwoods storymap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5eef590832aa486b86c78cb9d2d2d71f |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Chair of the Riverwoods science group |
| Organisation | Scottish Wildlife Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | As the chair of this group I coordinate the partners, spanning research, regulatory and applied organisations, for developing the state of evidence and knowledge supporting advancing the goals for multiple benefit woodland along Scotland's river corridors |
| Collaborator Contribution | Other partners (10-12) regularly contribute to quarterly-bi-annual meetings and via emails and editing reports and wider input. |
| Impact | Ogilvy T, Melville N, Martinez R, Stutter M, Sime I, Wilkinson M, Morison J, Broadmeadow S, O'Brien L (2022) Riverwoods for Scotland: Report on Scientific Evidence. Available at: https://www.riverwoods.org.uk/resource/riverwoods-evidence-review/ Co-development of the Riverwoods storymap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5eef590832aa486b86c78cb9d2d2d71f |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Collaboration with Eden Demonstration Test Catchment Project |
| Organisation | EdenDTC |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We share knowledge on catchment function, share results from additional phosphorus sampling and stream gauging |
| Collaborator Contribution | Eden DTC shares all data from their catchment monitoring: weather data, stream discharge and water quality data |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Collaboration with Eden Rivers Trust |
| Organisation | Eden Rivers Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We provide evidence of diffuse pollution which Eden Rivers Trust can use to help farmers understand how to plan mitigation measures |
| Collaborator Contribution | Eden Rivers Trust has helped with gaining land access permissions for installing and maintaining equipment, and has been a vital link in contacting farmers for stakeholder workshops |
| Impact | Stakeholder workshop in Morland, Cumbria, jointly organised by NUTCAT and Eden Rivers Trust |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Field trip for Harz mountain field site scoping, hosted by UFZ Helmholtz, Leipzig |
| Organisation | Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres |
| Department | Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Field sites from the Harz mountain headwaters to River Elbe, N Germany, will be used in the data collection collaboration for our international riparian observatories. This trip furthered the exchange by a visit to look in detail in the field at site selection for the main sampling trip in 2024, discussions of measurements and data sharing and the process of exchanging spatial data to map the sites into our consistent system of riparian units. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The exchange visit was hosted by UFZ Helmholtz scientists involving arranging field excursion, site specialists for discussion and later pathway to data exchanges. |
| Impact | Data sharing; Knowledge exchange; field guide; access to sites and measurements; local soil and hydrochemical expertise. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Article on Observer and Guardian Newspapers and Online |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Intereviewed and quoted in paper |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/12/scientists-warn-of-phosphogeddon-fertiliser-shor... |
| Description | Contribution to the Krycklan Swedish research platform newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The NERC Accelerating Nutrient Cycles project (now given the short name: Changes at the Reactive Riparian Interface; CARRI) was invited to give an overview for a compilation of new research investment linked to the Krycklan international research platform (N Sweden). The lead of this platform Prof Hjalmar Laudon is a project partner. The communication aimed to bring together international researchers on catchment processes and contained other highly relevant riparian processes projects that we are exploring links with. We also have an invite to contribute in person to the Sept 2023 Krycklan international research symposium (part of the 20 year site celebrations). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ui.ungpd.com/Issues/52a9099f-0c6f-4f2a-b278-ac2206e7568d?AccountId=f7787f2e-8aad-4bf3-a6cc-9... |
| Description | Discussions with land owners on the needs and rationale for a set of riparian observatories with the River Dee, Aberdeenshire |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | During 2022 to 2023 three main discussions have been held with influential landowners in Aberdeenshire in order to negotiate the need for and goals of three riparian science 'observatory' sites along the River Dee. These were: (i) with Michel Bruce, owner of Glen Tanar estate, (ii) with Iain Hill, senior forester at Invercauld estate and (iii) John Rogie, farmer at Tarland. During discussions researchers addressed the rationale and need for such data and answered questions. This led to successful negotiations to run the three sites over a period of 2 years, including paperwork on site agreements and permissions to work in National Park and on SSSI areas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| Description | Effective Phosphorus Management BASIS Podcast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In this month's episode of the BASIS Agronomy Matters Podcast, our Business Development Executive, Jade Prince hones in on effective phosphorus management as an essential part of producing high quality profitable crops whilst also protecting the wider environment and as this year's topic for the FACTS online assessment, phosphorus management is of particular interest to our FACTS Qualified Advisers. We have some great speakers who tell us more about phosphorus application, use efficiency and potential impacts on the environment. First, we have Tim Kerr, crop nutrition manager at Hutchinsons who speaks about the importance of phosphate for plant growth and building and protecting phosphate reserves in our soils. Our second speaker is Professor Phil Haygarth from the University of Lancaster, who talks about the risks and potential mitigation strategies for phosphates in the environment and finally we have Matt Taylor from the Biosolids assurance scheme who tells us a bit more about the contribution that biosolids can make to phosphate in soils as well as other benefits and potential concerns around biosolids use. Make sure you listen to the end to find out how to claim one BASIS CPD point via the members' area on the BASIS website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://open.spotify.com/episode/5q6cUOiuptqx0JMYi1yzrB?si=341e400033894007 |
| Description | Podcast on Science for the Anthropocene |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Podcast on phosphorus and climate change |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://open.spotify.com/episode/3I2bgqwKi4q3NmxvQkmGQs?si=TehsjpHWQIO63V3c8mtP_g |
| Description | River corridor management talk for countryside management students at Scotland's Rural College |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A couple of applied scientists and regulators in the water environment are invited as guest speakers to this course annually. Marc Stutter gave the talk 'Improving water quality and wider ecosystem services through riparian condition and functions' giving a summary of riparian and river management work from different research projects. There were about 20 students present on the day and the talk and Q&A was filmed for use at the central SRuC facility at Edinburgh as a further teaching aid. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk at UFZ, Leipzig 'Observatories of change at the Riparian Reactive Interface: processes, measurements and collaboration' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A talk given at UFZ Helmholtz Institute, Leipzig, was part of a visit to view and discuss field sites, monitoring and experimentation for riparian processes. The talk explained the concepts of the NERC funded research, the role of UFZ as one of the international partners and explored wider collaborations with the staff and students at UFZ in terms of data sharing, development of riparian landscape units that support both UK and UFZ catchment sciences, potential for joint student projects and additional site investigations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |