Land Ocean Carbon Transfer (1-year extension)
Lead Research Organisation:
NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE
Department Name: Science and Technology
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
Pickard A
(2021)
Greenhouse gas budgets of severely polluted urban lakes in India.
in The Science of the total environment
Bell V
(2021)
Long term simulations of macronutrients (C, N and P) in UK freshwaters
in Science of The Total Environment
Sanwlani N
(2022)
Rising dissolved organic carbon concentrations in coastal waters of northwestern Borneo related to tropical peatland conversion.
in Science advances
Brown AM
(2022)
Anthropogenic-estuarine interactions cause disproportionate greenhouse gas production: A review of the evidence base.
in Marine pollution bulletin
Tye A
(2022)
Dissolved inorganic carbon export from rivers of Great Britain: Spatial distribution and potential catchment-scale controls
in Journal of Hydrology
Tye A
(2022)
Dissolved inorganic carbon export from rivers of Great Britain: Spatial distribution and potential catchment-scale controls
in Journal of Hydrology
García-Martín E
(2021)
Contrasting Estuarine Processing of Dissolved Organic Matter Derived From Natural and Human-Impacted Landscapes
in Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Description | Work delivered through LOCATE has influenced catchment management strategies to help ensure the provision of clean drinking water in Scotland. |
First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
Impact Types | Societal,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 | 07/2021 |
End | 08/2027 |
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 |
Title | NEMO-FABM-ERSEM with terrestrial DOC: 1981-2015 |
Description | NEMO-FABM-ERSEM simulation (1981-2015) for the AMM7 domain with the addition of terrestrial DOC (tDOC). Riverine inputs of of tDOC are taken from the LTLS Integrated Model (Great Britain; Bell et al., 2021) and published literature. |
Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Model results have been given to CEFAS for use in another project |
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 | 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 |