The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), has been conducting a world-wide survey of hydrogen (H/'H) and oxygen (O/O) isotope composition of monthly precipitation since 1961 At present, 72 IAEA/WMO network stations are in operation Another 82 stations belonging to national organizations continue to send their results to the IAEA for publication The paper focuses on basic features of spatial and temporal distribution of deuterium and O in global precipitation, as derived from the IAEA/WMO isotope database The internal structure and basic characteristics of this database are discussed in some detail The existing phenomenological relationships between observed stable isotope composition of precipitation and various climate-related parameters such as local surface air temperature and amount of precipitation are reviewed and critically assessed Attempts are presented towards revealing interannual fluctuations in the accumulated isotope records and relating them to changes of precipitation amount and the surface air temperature over the past 30 years

Isotopic Patterns in Modern Global Precipitation

Changes of the isotopic composition of water within the water cycle provide a recognizable signature, relating such water to the different phases of the cycle. The isotope fractionations that accompany the evaporation from the ocean and other surface waters and the reverse process of rain formation account for the most notable changes. As a result, meteoric waters are depleted in the heavy isotopic species of H and O relative to ocean waters, whereas waters in evaporative systems such as lakes, plants, and soilwaters are relatively enriched. During the passage through the aquifers, the isotope composition of water is essentially a conservative property at ambient temperatures, but at elevated temperatures, interaction with the rock matrix may perturb the isotope composition. These changes of the isotope composition in atmospheric waters, surface water, soil, and groundwaters, as well as in the biosphere, are applied in the characterization of hydrological system as well as indicators of paleo-climatological conditions in proxy materials in climatic archives, such as ice, lake sediments, or organic materials.

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in the hydrologic cycle

DEFORESTATION and logging transform more forest in eastern and southern Amazonia than in any other region of the world1–3. This forest alteration affects regional hydrology4–11 and the global carbon cycle12–14, but current analyses of these effects neglect an important deep-soil link between the water and carbon cycles. Using rainfall data, satellite imagery and field studies, we estimate here that half of the closed forests of Brazilian Amazonia depend on deep root systems to maintain green canopies during the dry season. Evergreen forests in northeastern Para state maintain evapotranspiration during five-month dry periods by absorbing water from the soil to depths of more than 8m. In contrast, although the degraded pastures of this region also contain deep-rooted woody plants, most pasture plants substantially reduce their leaf canopy in response to seasonal drought, thus reducing dry-season evapotranspiration and increasing potential subsurface runoff relative to the forests they replace. Deep roots that extract water also provide carbon to the soil. The forest soil below 1 m depth contains more carbon than does above-ground biomass, and as much as 15% of this deep-soil carbon turns over on annual or decadal timescales. Thus, forest alteration that affects depth distributions of carbon inputs from roots may also affect net carbon storage in the soil.

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The role of deep roots in the hydrological and carbon cycles of Amazonian forests and pastures

Because of their ability to transform atmospheric N2 into ammonia that can be used by the plant, researchers were originally very optimistic about the potential of associative diazotrophic bacteria to promote the growth of many cereals and grasses. However, multiple inoculation experiments during recent decades failed to show a substantial contribution of Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) to plant growth in most cases. It is now clear that associative diazotrophs exert their positive effects on plant growth directly or indirectly through (a combination of) different mechanisms. Apart from fixing N2, diazotrophs can affect plant growth directly by the synthesis of phytohormones and vitamins, inhibition of plant ethylene synthesis, improved nutrient uptake, enhanced stress resistance, solubilization of inorganic phosphate and mineralization of organic phosphate. Indirectly, diazotrophs are able to decrease or prevent the deleterious effects of pathogenic microorganisms, mostly through the synthesis of anti...

Plant Growth-Promoting Effects of Diazotrophs in the Rhizosphere

Sixty-one strains of the root-associated nitrogen fixer Spirillum lipoferum exhibited a similar morphology in peptone–succinate salts medium: vibrioid cells having a diameter of 1.0 μm. When grown ...

/pdf/a-taxonomic-study-of-the-spirillum-lipoferum-group-with-4fufz8px1p.pdf

A taxonomic study of the Spirillum lipoferum group, with descriptions of a new genus, Azospirillum gen. nov. and two species, Azospirillum lipoferum (Beijerinck) comb. nov. and Azospirillum brasilense sp. nov.

The oxygen-18 content of precipitation in the Amazon basin is characterized by a very small inland gradient, 0.75 × 10−3 ‰ km−1. This is a consequence of the large contribution of reevaporated moisture to the basin's water balance. A distinct seasonal and regional pattern of stable isotope composition has been recognized and shows the basin to be inhomogeneous from the hydrometeorological point of view. The occasional appearance of very low δ values is believed to be related to the position of the ITCZ rather than to interbasin processes.

Recycling of water in the Amazon Basin: An isotopic study

Intact soil cores containing plants of Paspalum notatum or Digitaria decumbens were selected with the acetylene reduction method, and then exposed to 15N15 to confirm nitrogen fixation in tropical grass-bacteria associations. In a preliminary experiment with P. notatum15N2 incorporation was slow but progressive during 24 h in roots but translocation to rhizomes and leaves ceased after 17h. With improved assay chambers, enrichments of 0.151 and 0.563 15N atom % excess were obtained in roots of D. decumbens cv transvala and P. notatum systems respectively, after 3 days. Enrichments in rhizomes were similar to those of roots; however in the leaves only 8% of root enrichment was observed. The addition of sucrose to the soil doubled N2-fixation in roots in both grass species studied, but did not result in increased incorporation into the leaves of P. notatum.

Confirmation of nitrogen fixation in two tropical grasses by 15N2 incorporation

This paper reports the results of a field experiment to investigate the use of the 15N-dilution technique to measure the contribution of biological N2 fixation to the N nutrition of the batatais cultivar of Paspalum notatum. The pensacola cultivar of this grass supports little associated N2 fixation as evidenced by the low associated C2H2 reduction activity and was thus used as a nonfixing control plant. The grasses were grown in 60-cm diameter concrete cylinders sunk into the soil, and the effects of four different addition rates of labelled nitrogen (NH4)2SO4, were investigated. The data from seven harvests clearly demonstrated that there was a significant input of plant associated N2 fixation to the nutrition of the batatais cultivar amounting to approximately 20 kg N∙ha−1∙year−1. Problems associated with the conduct of such isotope dilution experiments are discussed including the importance of using nonfixing control plants of similar growth habit, the advantages and disadvantages of growing the plant...

The use of the 15N isotope dilution technique to estimate the contribution of associated biological nitrogen fixation to the nitrogen nutrition of Paspalum notatum cv. batatais

The contribution of associated biological nitrogen fixation to the nitrogen nutrition of Paspaulum notatum cv batatais was estimated using the 15 N-isotope dilution technique The plants were grown in the field in concrete cylinders (60 cm dia) filled with soil, to which were added small quantities of 15 N-labelled fertilizer at frequent intervals over 12 months The pensacola cultivar of P notatum was used as a non-N 2 -fixing control plant This was justified by the observation that nitrogenase (intact core C 2 H 2 reduction) activity associated with the pensacola cultivar was consistently much lower than that of the batatais cultivar At the first harvest, no evidence for N 2 fixation associated with the batatais cultivar was obtained, probably because of slow establishment of the N 2 -fixing association However, at the subsequent three harvests the batatais cultivar exhibited a lower 15 N-enrichment and yielded more N than the pensacola cultivar These data together suggested that 8–25% of the N in the batatais cultivar originated from N 2 fixation The grass Paspalum maritimum was also included in the experiment and exhibited low nitrogenase activity similar to that of the pensacola cultivar of P notatum  However, the total N and 15 N data of these two grasses were not in good agreement indicating that it is important for the use of the isotope dilution technique that control plants are of very similar physiology and growth habit

The 15N-isotope dilution technique applied to the estimation of biological nitrogen fixation associated with Paspalum notatum cv. Batatais in the field.

It was determined the fraction of the rainfall intercepted by a canopy forest, located at the Reserva Florestal Ducke, 26 km far from Manaus. It was used one recording rain gauge out of the canopy and 20 rain gauges under the canopy. The results showed an average rainfall interception of 19,8%.

http://www.scielo.br/pdf/aa/v12n2/1809-4392-aa-12-2-0327.pdf

Eiichi Matsui

Papers

Recycling of water in the Amazon Basin: An isotopic study

Confirmation of nitrogen fixation in two tropical grasses by 15N2 incorporation

The use of the 15N isotope dilution technique to estimate the contribution of associated biological nitrogen fixation to the nitrogen nutrition of Paspalum notatum cv. batatais

The 15N-isotope dilution technique applied to the estimation of biological nitrogen fixation associated with Paspalum notatum cv. Batatais in the field.

Estudo da interceptação da água de chuva em cobertura florestal amazônica do tipo terra firme