Atmospheric ammonia deposition and its role in a cool-temperate fragmented deciduous broad-leaved forest

Katata, Genki*; Yamaguchi, Takashi*; Watanabe, Makoto*; Fukushima, Keitaro*; Nakayama, Masataka*; Nagano, Hirohiko*; Koarashi, Jun; Tateno, Ryunosuke*; Kubota, Tomohiro

Atmospheric Environment, 298, p.119640_1 - 119640_12, 2023/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.119640

Role of advection in atmospheric ammonia; A Case study at a Japanese lake basin influenced by agricultural ammonia sources

Kubota, Tomohiro; Kuroda, Hisao*; Watanabe, Mirai*; Takahashi, Akiko*; Nakazato, Ryoji*; Tarui, Mika*; Matsumoto, Shunichi*; Nakagawa, Keita*; Numata, Yasuko*; Ouchi, Takao*; et al.

Atmospheric Environment, 243, p.117856_1 - 117856_9, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117856

The dry and wet depositions of atmospheric ammonia (NH) is one of the important pathways of nitrogen loads to aquatic ecosystems. Crop and livestock agriculture, one of the largest emitters of NH in Asian countries, are known to cause high spatial and seasonal variation of NH and influence the surrounding lake basin areas via its dry and wet deposition. However, the spatial characteristics of the NH concentration in basin scale are not completely understood for regulation in NH emission. Here we aim to clarify dominant factors of spatial and seasonal variations of the NH concentration in a eutrophic lake basin surrounded by agricultural areas in Japan. Passive sampling over various land use categories in the basin was conducted at 36 sites in total from October 2018 to January 2020. Interestingly, the observed NH concentration near the livestock houses were higher in winter than summer, which was inconsistent with knowledge of seasonal changes of current NH emission inventory based on temperature-driven volatilization process. Comparing monthly NH concentrations with various meteorological factors, we suggested the importance of seasonal advection of NH from high emission sources to which has been rarely paid attention by the previous past studies. As for this, should be considered for lake ecosystem management since deposition of NH is known to be closely related to the ecological processes such as phytoplankton blooming.

Wintertime grassland dynamics may influence belowground biomass under climate change; A Model analysis

Katata, Genki*; Grote, R.*; Mauder, M.*; Zeeman, M. J.*; Ota, Masakazu

Biogeosciences, 17(4), p.1071 - 1085, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1071-2020

Mountain grassland productivity is limited by cold and long winters; thus, rising temperatures and changes in snow cover expected in the future may have large impacts on the grassland yields. To investigate this, we enhanced land surface model (SOLVEG) to account for snow, freeze-thaw events, and grass growth, and the model was applied to the managed grasslands affected by extremely warm winter. The model reproduced temporal variability of observed heat fluxes, soil temperatures and snow depth throughout the 3-year simulation period. High physiological activity during the extremely warm winter led to a CO uptake of 100 g-C m, which was, surprisingly, mainly allocated into the below-ground biomass and rarely used for plant growth during spring. This process, which is so far largely unaccounted for in global terrestrial biosphere models, may lead to carbon accumulation in the soil and/or heterotrophic respiration as a response to global warming.

Impacts of anthropogenic source from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants on global atmospheric iodine-129 cycle; A Model analysis

Kadowaki, Masanao; Katata, Genki*; Terada, Hiroaki; Suzuki, Takashi; Hasegawa, Hidenao*; Akata, Naofumi*; Kakiuchi, Hideki*

Atmospheric Environment, 184, p.278 - 291, 2018/07

AA2017-0580.pdf:2.03MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.04.044

The long-lived radioactive iodine (I) is a useful geochemical tracer in the atmospheric environment. We recently observed clear seasonal trends in air concentration and deposition of I in Japan. Using these data, we developed a global atmospheric I transport model to reveal key processes for the global atmospheric I cycle. The model generally reproduced the observed seasonal change in air concentration and deposition of I in Japan, and the global distribution of I concentration in rain as presented in past literature. Numerical experiments changing the intensity of anthropogenic and natural sources were conducted to quantify the impact of anthropogenic sources on the global I cycle. The results indicated that the atmospheric I from the anthropogenic sources was deposited in winter and can be accumulated mainly in the northern part of Eurasia. In contrast, the atmospheric I from the natural sources dominated the deposition in summer. These results suggested that the re-emission process of I from the Earth's surface may be important as a secondary impact of I in the global-scaled environment. Furthermore, although wet deposition dominated the total deposition in the Northern hemisphere, dry deposition regionally and seasonally contributed to the total deposition over arctic and northern part of Eurasia in winter, suggesting that the dry deposition may play a key role in the seasonal change of I deposition in the Northern hemisphere high latitudes.

Improvement of atmospheric dispersion simulation using an advanced meteorological data assimilation method to reconstruct the spatiotemporal distribution of radioactive materials released during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident

Kadowaki, Masanao; Nagai, Haruyasu; Terada, Hiroaki; Katata, Genki*; Akari, Shusaku*

Energy Procedia, 131, p.208 - 215, 2017/12

BB2016-0128.pdf:1.61MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.09.465

When radioactive materials are released into the atmosphere due to nuclear accidents, numerical simulations that can reproduce temporal and spatial distribution of radioactive materials are useful to provide the information for emergency responses and radiological dose assessment. In this study, we attempt to improve the atmospheric dispersion simulation using an advanced meteorological data assimilation method and reconstruct the spatiotemporal distribution of radioactive materials released due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident. The atmospheric dispersion simulations were carried out by the Lagrangian particle dispersion model GEARN developed by Japan Atomic Energy Agency. To obtain meteorological fields for GEARN calculation, we used the Weather Research and Forecasting model WRF with meteorological data assimilation using four-dimensional variational method (4D-Var). GEARN calculations of the surface deposition and air concentration of radionuclides were compared with measurements. In the area close to FDNPS, the spatial distribution of the deposition of Cs-137 and I-131 simulated by GEARN agreed with the measured one. The accuracy of modeled deposition in northwest and south directions from FDNPS was particularly improved. This results were mainly attributed to the better reproducibility of wind field by using the meteorological data assimilation with 4D-Var. The improvement of the accuracy of modeled deposition distribution of Cs-137 in the East Japan area was also apparent under the meteorological fields modified by 4D-Var. The information of atmospheric dispersion processes reconstructed in this study is used for updating the existing assessment of radiological dose resulting from the FDNPS accident based on atmospheric simulations by our previous studies. It can also provide useful suggestions to make emergency response plans for nuclear facilities in Japan.

Development of the Eulerian atmospheric transport model GEARN-FDM; Validation against the European tracer experiment

Kadowaki, Masanao; Katata, Genki; Terada, Hiroaki; Nagai, Haruyasu

Atmospheric Pollution Research, 8(2), p.394 - 402, 2017/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2016.10.012

We developed a dispersion model based on the finite difference method, GEARN-FDM, for long-range dispersion, which solves the advection-diffusion equation using numerical schemes with low artificial diffusion. The advection and diffusion terms are modeled using a fully mass conservative scheme and the Crank-Nicolson method, respectively. GEARN-FDM was validated using the dataset from the European Tracer Experiment. In the entire domain throughout the simulation period of the observed dataset, GEARN-FDM showed high performance with factors of 2 and 5 of 39% and 78%, respectively. While testing the sensitivity of the horizontal diffusivity with this model, the simulated horizontal diffusivity was distributed heterogeneously in the model domain. High diffusivity was primarily seen over the coastal and mountainous regions. Therefore, for the long-range simulations of radionuclides, we need to consider to the transport caused by horizontal diffusion.

Numerical simulation of surface energy and water balances over a semiarid grassland ecosystem in the West African Savanna

Quansah, E.*; Katata, Genki; Mauder, M.*; Annor, T.*; Amekudzi, L. K.*; Bliefernicht, J.*; Heinzeller, D.*; Balogun, A.*; Kunstmann, H.*

Advances in Meteorology, 2017, p.6258180_1 - 6258180_11, 2017/00

AA2016-0147.pdf:2.3MB

https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6258180

An accurate prediction in the energy partitioning of the net solar radiation into latent and sensible heat fluxes over arid and semiarid regions is one of the challenges in land surface study in weather and climate simulations. Numerical simulations of surface energy and water balances were carried out using a one-dimensional multi-layer atmosphere-SOil-VEGetation (SOLVEG) model for selected days of the dry and rainy seasons over a savanna grassland ecosystem in Sumbrungu in the Upper East region of Ghana. The results for the investigated period between both seasons showed that the model overall reproduced the diurnal changes in the observed net radiation, sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, and ground heat flux. The statistics for the above variables as the correlation coefficient, root mean square error, and normalized standard deviation between the observations and calculations in the dry and wet periods suggest that the model was able to simulate the observed energy fluxes, soil evaporation, and transpiration in savanna grassland ecosystems.

Immediate and potential long-term effects of consecutive heat waves on the photosynthetic performance and water balance in Douglas-fir

Duarte, A. G.*; Katata, Genki; Hoshika, Yasutomo*; Hossain, M.*; Kreuzwieser, J.*; Arneth, A.*; Ruehr, N. K.*

Journal of Plant Physiology, 205, p.57 - 66, 2016/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2016.08.012

The frequency and intensity of climatic extremes, such as heat waves, are predicted to increase globally, with severe implications for terrestrial carbon and water cycling. Temperatures may rise above critical thresholds that allow trees to function optimally, with unknown long-term consequences for forest ecosystems. In this context, we investigated how photosynthetic traits and the water balance in Douglasfir are affected by exposure to three heat waves. Photosynthetic carboxylation efficiency was mostly unaffected, but electron transport and photosynthetic rates under saturating light were strongly influenced by the heat waves, with lagging limitations on photosynthesis still being observed six weeks after the last heat wave. We also observed lingering heat-induced inhibitions on transpiration, minimum stomatal conductance, and nighttime stomatal conductance. Results from the stomatal models used to calculate minimum stomatal conductance were similar to gs-night and indicated changes in leaf morphology, such as stomatal occlusions and alterations in epicuticular wax. Our results show Douglas-fir's ability to restrict water loss following heat stress, but at the price of reduced photosynthetic performance. Such limitations indicate potential long-term restrictions that heat waves can impose on tree development and functioning under extreme climatic conditions.

Montane ecosystem productivity responds more to global circulation patterns than climatic trends

Desai, A. R.*; Wohlfahrt, G.*; Zeeman, M. J.*; Katata, Genki; Eugster, W.*; Montagnani, L.*; Gianelle, D.*; Mauder, M.*; Schmid, H. P.*

Environmental Research Letters, 11(2), p.024013_1 - 024013_9, 2016/02

AA2015-0882.pdf:2.25MB

https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/024013

Regional ecosystem productivity is highly sensitive to inter-annual climate variability, both within and outside the primary carbon uptake period. However, Earth system models lack sufficient spatial scales and ecosystem processes to resolve how these processes may change in a warming climate. Here, we show, how for the European Alps, mid-latitude Atlantic ocean winter circulation anomalies drive high-altitude summer forest and grassland productivity, through feedbacks among orographic wind circulation patterns, snowfall, winter and spring temperatures, and vegetation activity. Therefore, to understand future global climate change influence to regional ecosystem productivity, Earth systems models need to focus on improvements towards topographic downscaling of changes in regional atmospheric circulation patterns and to lagged responses in vegetation dynamics to non-growing season climate anomalies.

Ozone-induced stomatal sluggishness changes carbon and water balance of temperate deciduous forests

Hoshika, Yasutomo*; Katata, Genki; Deushi, Makoto*; Watanabe, Makoto*; Koike, Takayoshi*; Paoletti, E.*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 5, p.9871_1 - 9871_8, 2015/05

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep09871

The phytotoxic nature of tropospheric ozone can impair forest productivity and affects stomatal functions. Although a delay in stomatal responses (ozone-induced stomatal sluggishness) to fluctuating stimuli has a potential to change carbon and water balance in forests, this effect is not included in the current models for ozone risk assessment to forest. Here we examined effects of ozone-induced stomatal sluggishness on carbon gain and transpiration of global deciduous forests by combining land surface model and global atmospheric chemistry model. Ozone-induced stomatal sluggishness enhances stomatal ozone uptake resulting in facilitating a decline of forest carbon acquisition and also enhancing transpiration. Our findings are consistent with previous experimental and field observational results, indicating that forest trees suffer significant impairment of carbon and water balance through ozone-induced stomatal sluggishness.