File Download
There are no files associated with this item.
Links for fulltext
(May Require Subscription)
- Publisher Website: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02167.x
- Scopus: eid_2-s2.0-77956232547
- WOS: WOS:000281676700006
- Find via
Supplementary
- Citations:
- Appears in Collections:
Article: Caribbean octocorals record changing carbon and nitrogen sources from 1862 to 2005
Title | Caribbean octocorals record changing carbon and nitrogen sources from 1862 to 2005 |
---|---|
Authors | |
Keywords | Δ 13C Δ 15N Agriculture Carbon Caribbean Coral Gorgonian Nitrogen Stable Isotope |
Issue Date | 2010 |
Publisher | Blackwell Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/GCB |
Citation | Global Change Biology, 2010, v. 16 n. 10, p. 2701-2710 How to Cite? |
Abstract | During the last century, the global biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) have been drastically altered by human activities. A century of land-clearing and biomass burning, followed by fossil fuel combustion have increased the concentration of atmospheric CO 2 by approximately 20%, and since the mid-1900s, the use of agricultural fertilizers has been the primary driver of an approximate 90% increase in bioavailable N. Geochemical records obtained through stable isotope analysis of terrestrial and marine biota effectively illustrate rising anthropogenic C inputs. However, there are fewer records of anthropogenic N, despite the enormous magnitude of change and the known negative effects of N on ecosystem health. We used stable isotope values from independent octocorals (gorgonians) sampled across the Western Atlantic over the last 143 years to document human perturbations of the marine C and N pools. Here, we demonstrate that in sea plumes δ 13C values and in both sea plumes and sea fans δ 15N values declined significantly from 1862 to 2005. Sea plume δ 13C values were negatively correlated with increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and corroborate known rates of change resulting from global fossil fuel combustion, known as the Suess effect. We suggest that widespread input of agricultural fertilizers to near-shore coastal waters is the dominant driver for the decreasing δ 15N trend, though multiple anthropogenic sources are likely affecting this trend. Given the interest in using δ 15N as an indicator for N pollution in aquatic systems, we highlight the risk of underestimating contributions of pollutants as a result of source mixing as demonstrated by a simple isotope-mixing model. We conclude that signals of major human-induced perturbations of the C and N pools are detectable in specimens collected over wide geographic scales, and that archived materials are invaluable for establishing baselines against which we can assess environmental change. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. |
Persistent Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/180742 |
ISSN | 2023 Impact Factor: 10.8 2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 4.285 |
ISI Accession Number ID | |
References |
DC Field | Value | Language |
---|---|---|
dc.contributor.author | Baker, DM | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Webster, KL | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Kim, K | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2013-01-28T01:42:10Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2013-01-28T01:42:10Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2010 | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Global Change Biology, 2010, v. 16 n. 10, p. 2701-2710 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 1354-1013 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/180742 | - |
dc.description.abstract | During the last century, the global biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) have been drastically altered by human activities. A century of land-clearing and biomass burning, followed by fossil fuel combustion have increased the concentration of atmospheric CO 2 by approximately 20%, and since the mid-1900s, the use of agricultural fertilizers has been the primary driver of an approximate 90% increase in bioavailable N. Geochemical records obtained through stable isotope analysis of terrestrial and marine biota effectively illustrate rising anthropogenic C inputs. However, there are fewer records of anthropogenic N, despite the enormous magnitude of change and the known negative effects of N on ecosystem health. We used stable isotope values from independent octocorals (gorgonians) sampled across the Western Atlantic over the last 143 years to document human perturbations of the marine C and N pools. Here, we demonstrate that in sea plumes δ 13C values and in both sea plumes and sea fans δ 15N values declined significantly from 1862 to 2005. Sea plume δ 13C values were negatively correlated with increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and corroborate known rates of change resulting from global fossil fuel combustion, known as the Suess effect. We suggest that widespread input of agricultural fertilizers to near-shore coastal waters is the dominant driver for the decreasing δ 15N trend, though multiple anthropogenic sources are likely affecting this trend. Given the interest in using δ 15N as an indicator for N pollution in aquatic systems, we highlight the risk of underestimating contributions of pollutants as a result of source mixing as demonstrated by a simple isotope-mixing model. We conclude that signals of major human-induced perturbations of the C and N pools are detectable in specimens collected over wide geographic scales, and that archived materials are invaluable for establishing baselines against which we can assess environmental change. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. | en_US |
dc.language | eng | en_US |
dc.publisher | Blackwell Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/GCB | en_US |
dc.relation.ispartof | Global Change Biology | en_US |
dc.subject | Δ 13C | en_US |
dc.subject | Δ 15N | en_US |
dc.subject | Agriculture | en_US |
dc.subject | Carbon | en_US |
dc.subject | Caribbean | en_US |
dc.subject | Coral | en_US |
dc.subject | Gorgonian | en_US |
dc.subject | Nitrogen | en_US |
dc.subject | Stable Isotope | en_US |
dc.title | Caribbean octocorals record changing carbon and nitrogen sources from 1862 to 2005 | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |
dc.identifier.email | Baker, DM: dmbaker@hku.hk | en_US |
dc.identifier.authority | Baker, DM=rp01712 | en_US |
dc.description.nature | link_to_subscribed_fulltext | en_US |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02167.x | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopus | eid_2-s2.0-77956232547 | en_US |
dc.relation.references | http://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-77956232547&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpage | en_US |
dc.identifier.volume | 16 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issue | 10 | en_US |
dc.identifier.spage | 2701 | en_US |
dc.identifier.epage | 2710 | en_US |
dc.identifier.isi | WOS:000281676700006 | - |
dc.publisher.place | United Kingdom | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Baker, DM=55449577100 | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Webster, KL=36669482100 | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Kim, K=8080143000 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issnl | 1354-1013 | - |