Stable C and N isotope abundances in water-extractable organic matter from air-dried soils as potential indices of microbially utilized organic matter

Nagano, Hirohiko*; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Tanaka, Sota*; Yomogida, Takumi; Kozai, Naofumi; Koarashi, Jun

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (Internet), 6, p.1228053_1 - 1228053_9, 2023/00

https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2023.1228053

Soil microbial community responding to moderately elevated nitrogen deposition in a Japanese cool temperate forest surrounded by fertilized grasslands

Nagano, Hirohiko; Nakayama, Masataka*; Katata, Genki*; Fukushima, Keitaro*; Yamaguchi, Takashi*; Watanabe, Makoto*; Kondo, Toshiaki*; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Kubota, Tomohiro*; Tateno, Ryunosuke*; et al.

Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 67(5), p.606 - 616, 2021/10

https://doi.org/10.1080/00380768.2021.1974799

We analyzed the relationships between nitrogen deposition (deposition of nitrate and ammonium ions) and soil microbial properties in a cool temperate forest surrounded by normally fertilized pasture grasslands in northern Japan. The aim of the present study was to gain the primary information on soil microbial response to moderately elevated nitrogen deposition ( 10 kg N ha y). We established three experimental plots in the forest edge adjacent to grasslands and other three plots in the forest interior at least 700 m away from the grasslands. During May to November 2018, nitrogen deposition in each plot was measured. In August 2018, litter and soil (0-5 cm depth) samples were collected from all plots to measure net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates as indicators of microbial activity, and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen and various gene abundances (i.e. bacterial 16S rRNA, fungal ITS, bacterial amoA, and archaeal amoA genes) as indicators of microbial abundance and structure. Nitrogen deposition in the forest edge was 1.4-fold greater than that in the forest interior, even while the maximum deposition was 3.7 kg N ha. Nitrogen deposition was significantly correlated to the net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates and the 16S rRNA and bacterial amoA gene abundances. Microbial community structures were different between litter and soil samples but were similar between the forest edge and interior. Significant correlations of nitrogen deposition to the soil carbon to nitrogen ratio, and the nitrate and ammonium contents were also observed. Thus, our results show that moderately elevated nitrogen deposition in nitrogen-limited forest edges can stimulate microbial activities and abundances in soils.

Practical guide on soil sampling, treatment, and carbon isotope analysis for carbon cycle studies

Koarashi, Jun; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Nagano, Hirohiko*; Sugiharto, U.*; Saengkorakot, C.*; Suzuki, Takashi; Kokubu, Yoko; Fujita, Natsuko; Kinoshita, Naoki; Nagai, Haruyasu; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2020-012, 53 Pages, 2020/10

JAEA-Technology-2020-012.pdf:3.71MB

There is growing concern that recent rapid changes in climate and environment could have a significant influence on carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems (especially forest ecosystems) and could consequently lead to a positive feedback for global warming. The magnitude and timing of this feedback remain highly uncertain largely due to a lack of quantitative understanding of the dynamics of organic carbon stored in soils and its responses to changes in climate and environment. The tracing of radiocarbon (natural and bomb-derived C) and stable carbon (C) isotopes through terrestrial ecosystems can be a powerful tool for studying soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. The primary aim of this guide is to promote the use of isotope-based approaches to improve our understanding of the carbon cycling in soils, particularly in the Asian region. The guide covers practical methods of soil sampling; treatment and fractionation of soil samples; preparation of soil samples for C (and stable nitrogen isotope, N) and C analyses; and C, N, and C measurements by the use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The guide briefly introduces ways to report C data, which are frequently used for soil carbon cycling studies. The guide also reports results of a case study conducted in a Japanese forest ecosystem, as a practical application of the use of isotope-based approaches. This guide is mainly intended for researchers who are interested but are not experienced in this research field. The guide will hopefully encourage readers to participate in soil carbon cycling studies, including field works, laboratory experiments, isotope analyses, and discussions with great interest.

The Deposition densities of radiocesium and the air dose rates in undisturbed fields around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant; Their temporal changes for five years after the accident

Mikami, Satoshi; Tanaka, Hiroyuki*; Matsuda, Hideo*; Sato, Shoji*; Hoshide, Yoshifumi*; Okuda, Naotoshi*; Suzuki, Takeo*; Sakamoto, Ryuichi*; Ando, Masaki; Saito, Kimiaki

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 210, p.105941_1 - 105941_12, 2019/12

AA2019-0019.pdf:2.65MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.03.017

The deposition densities of radiocesium and the air dose rates were repeatedly measured in a large number of undisturbed fields within the 80km zone that surrounds the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant site between 2011 and 2016, and features of their temporal changes were clarified. The average air dose rate excluding background radiation in this zone decreased to about 20% of the initial value during the period from June 2011 to August 2016, which was essentially a result of the radioactive decay of Cs with a half-life of 2.06y. The air dose rate reduction was faster than that expected from the decay of radiocesium by a factor of about two, with most of this reduction being attributed to the penetration of radiocesium into the soil. The average deposition densities of Cs and Cs in fields that were not decontaminated were found to have decreased nearly according to their expected radioactive decay, which indicated that the movement of radiocesium in the horizontal direction was relatively small. The effect of decontamination was apparently observed in the measurements of air dose rates and deposition densities. Nominally, the average air dose rates in the measurement locations were reduced by about 20% by decontamination and other human activities, of which accurate quantitative analysis is and continue to be a challenge.

Effect of dry-wet cycles on carbon dioxide release from two different volcanic ash soils in a Japanese temperate forest

Nagano, Hirohiko; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Koarashi, Jun

Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 65(5), p.525 - 533, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1080/00380768.2019.1649976

In the present study, two volcanic ash soils (soil A and B) from a temperate broad-leaved forest in eastern Japan were incubated under repeated dry-wet cycles and continuously constant moisture conditions. The primary aims were to quantify the potential for enhancement of carbon dioxide (CO) release owing to increased water fluctuation and to examine differences in the responses of volcanic ash soils with different physicochemical properties. Soil B, rather than soil A, was a typical Andosol. During incubation at 20 C for 120 days with five dry-wet cycles, the CO release rate was measured periodically. Abundance of the stable carbon isotope in CO (C-CO) was measured to capture changes in the origin of decomposed soil organic matter (SOM) owing to the dry-wet cycles. The CO release rate under the dry-wet cycles was up to 49% higher than the values predicted from a parabolic relationship between CO release and water content during incubation under the continuously constant moisture condition. The magnitude of CO release enhancement was 2.7-fold higher in soil B relative to that in soil A. The C-CO value in the dry-wet cycles was enriched by 0.3-2.3% compared to that during incubation under the continuously constant moisture conditions, suggesting that the decomposition of old and/or well-metabolized SOM was enhanced by the dry-wet cycles. Thus, the present study suggests that Andosols, which have been believed to have a strong SOM stabilization ability, are vulnerable to dry-wet cycles. Then, increased water fluctuation in a future warmer world would have significant potential to stimulate CO release from soils.

Performance confirmation operation of water environment control facility

Magome, Hirokatsu; Okada, Yuji; Tomita, Kenji; Iida, Kazuhiro; Ando, Hitoshi; Yonekawa, Akihisa; Ueda, Haruyasu; Hanawa, Hiroshi; Kanno, Masaru; Sakuta, Yoshiyuki

JAEA-Technology 2015-025, 100 Pages, 2015/09

JAEA-Technology-2015-025.pdf:78.32MB

In Japan Atomic Energy Agency, in order to solve the problem in the long-term operation of a light water reactor, preparation which does the irradiation experiment of light-water reactor fuel and material was advanced. JMTR stopped after the 165th operation cycle in August 2006, and is advancing renewal of the irradiation facility towards re-operation. The material irradiation test facility was installed from 2008 fiscal year to 2012 fiscal year in JMTR. The material irradiation test facility is used for IASCC study, and that consists of mainly three equipments. This report is described performance operating test of the water environmental control facilities for IASCC study carried out 2013 fiscal year.

Installation of the water environment irradiation facility for the IASCC research under the BWR/PWR irradiation environment, 2

Magome, Hirokatsu; Okada, Yuji; Hanawa, Hiroshi; Sakuta, Yoshiyuki; Kanno, Masaru; Iida, Kazuhiro; Ando, Hitoshi; Yonekawa, Akihisa; Ueda, Haruyasu; Shibata, Mitsunobu

JAEA-Technology 2014-023, 267 Pages, 2014/07

JAEA-Technology-2014-023-01.pdf:103.68MB
JAEA-Technology-2014-023-02.pdf:71.92MB

In Japan Atomic Energy Agency, in order to solve the problem in the long-term operation of a light water reactor, preparation which does the irradiation experiment of light-water reactor fuel and material was advanced. JMTR stopped after the 165th operation cycle in August 2006, and is advancing renewal of the irradiation facility towards re-operation. The material irradiation test facility was installed from 2008 fiscal year to 2012 fiscal year in JMTR. This report summarizes manufacture and installation of the material irradiation test facility for IASCC research carried out from 2012 to 2014 in the follow-up report reported before (JAEA-Technology 2013-019).

Installation of the water environment irradiation facility for the IASCC research under the BWR irradiation environment, 1

Okada, Yuji; Magome, Hirokatsu; Hanawa, Hiroshi; Omi, Masao; Kanno, Masaru; Iida, Kazuhiro; Ando, Hitoshi; Shibata, Mitsunobu; Yonekawa, Akihisa; Ueda, Haruyasu

JAEA-Technology 2013-019, 236 Pages, 2013/10

JAEA-Technology-2013-019.pdf:45.07MB

In Japan Atomic Energy Agency, in order to solve the problem in the long-term operation of a light water reactor, preparation which does the irradiation experiment of light-water reactor fuel and material is advanced. JMTR stopped after the 165th operation cycle in August 2006, and is advancing renewal of the irradiation facility towards re-operation. This material irradiation test facility and power ramping test facility for doing the neutron irradiation test of the fuel and material for light water reactors is scheduled to be manufactured and installed between the 2008 fiscal year and the 2012 fiscal year. This report summarizes manufacture and installation of the material irradiation test facility for IASCC research carried out from the 2008 fiscal year to the 2010 fiscal year.

Retention of potentially mobile radiocesium in forest surface soils affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident

Koarashi, Jun; Moriya, Koichi*; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Matsunaga, Takeshi; Fujita, Hiroki; Nagaoka, Mika

Scientific Reports (Internet), 2, p.1005_1 - 1005_5, 2012/12

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep01005

The fate of Cs derived from the Fukushima nuclear accident fallout and associated radiological hazards are largely dependent on its mobility in the surface soils of forest ecosystems. Thus, we quantified microbial and adsorptive retentions of Cs in forest surface (0-3 cm) soils. The KSO extraction process liberated 2.1%-12.8% of the total Cs from the soils. Two soils with a higher content of clay- and silt-sized particles, organic carbon content, and cation exchange capacity showed higher Cs extractability. Microbial biomass was observed in all of the soils. However, the Cs extractability did not increase after destruction of the microbial biomass by chloroform fumigation, providing no evidence for microbial retention of the Fukushima-fallout Cs. The results indicate that uptake of Cs by soil microorganisms is less important for retention of potentially mobile Cs in the forest surface soils compared to ion-exchange adsorption on non-specific sites provided by abiotic components.

Spin pumping efficiency from half metallic CoMnSi

Chudo, Hiroyuki; Ando, Kazuya*; Saito, Kesami*; Okayasu, Satoru; Haruki, Rie; Sakuraba, Yuya*; Yasuoka, Hiroshi; Takanashi, Koki; Saito, Eiji

Journal of Applied Physics, 109(7), p.073915_1 - 073915_4, 2011/04

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3556433

We present spin pumping using a Heusler alloy CoMnSi/Pt bilayer film. A spin current is produced by a ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) technique. The pure spin current injected into the Pt layer from the CoMnSi layer is detected by the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE), which converts the spin current into an electric current. We estimated a damping constant of the CoMnSi/Pt bilayer film from an angular dependence of FMR spectra. Using the damping constant efficiency of spin pumping from the CoMnSi layer is evaluated. We found that a mixing conductance at the CoMnSi/Pt interface is comparable to that at a permalloy/Pt interface.