Israa Abu-Mahfouz’s Post

👉🏼 A new article titled 'Holocene Stable Isotope (δ13C and δ15N) record of peatland development in Stavsåkra, southern Sweden' has just been made available on Catena through quick share link: https://lnkd.in/dzJAQhdv 👍🏼 The manuscript is a testament to lead author's endurance (#Supriyo Das) to see this research published, congrats to him and all the co-authors! 🔎 Briefly, the study reports total organic carbon (TOC), TOC to total nitrogen (N) ratio (C/N), and stable isotope ratios of organic carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) of bulk sediment and peat organic matter (OM) from a radiocarbon-dated core collected from Stavsåkra bog in southern Sweden.

See the new publication of Dan Frederik Lange, a joint PhD student between the Research Group Molecular Biogeochemistry (Gerd Gleixner; https://lnkd.in/ehVdwjTe) of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (https://lnkd.in/eyBWAmWa) and our Applied Geology team (https://lnkd.in/e2WWgQdT) of the Institute for Geosciences (IGW; https://lnkd.in/eag3vhRD), Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (FSU; https://www.uni-jena.de/en). What is this research about? The study highlights the diversity of potential nutrient limitations in the central Amazon looking in detail in two different ecosystems, namely clayey terra firme forests and sandy white-sand forests. Have fun reading the importance of the bioavailable “black box” DOM for tropical nutrient cycles!!!! https://lnkd.in/ecuhPJZj

Production and fluxes of inorganic carbon and alkalinity in a subarctic subterranean estuary - Frontiers in Marine Science: In this study, we focus on the biogeochemical processes that produce both dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) along a subarctic subterranean estuary (STE) located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Magdalen Island, Qc, Canada) in order to evaluate the DIC and TA fluxes as well as the buffering capacity of the exported groundwater to coastal waters. DIC and TA do not behave conservatively during mixing along the groundwater flow path and this implies the occurrence of internal redox reactions that control both their production and consumption. In addition, we show that the origin and composition of the organic carbon within the system alter the carbonate parameters by generating low pH conditions (5.9 - 7.2) and contributing to non-carbonate alkalinity (NCA) that accounts for more than 30% of TA. Whereas iron cycling plays a key role in the production of DIC in the fresh and low-salinity groundwaters, the precipitation of sulfide minerals neutralize the acidity produced by the metabolically produced CO2, in the saline groundwater where sulfate is available. The STE pCO2, computed from the DIC-pHNBS pair ranged from a few ppm to 16000 ppm that results in a CO2 evasion rate of up to 310 mol m−2 d−1 to the atmosphere. Based on Darcy flow and the mean concentrations of DIC and carbonate alkalinity (Ac = TA - NCA) in the discharge zone, fluxes derived from submarine groundwater discharge were estimated at 1.43 and 0.70 mol m−2 d−1 for DIC and Ac, respectively. Despite a major part of the metabolic CO2 being lost along the groundwater flow path, the SGD-derived DIC flux was still greater than the Ac flux, implying that groundwater discharge reduces the buffering capacity of the receiving coastal waters. This site-specific scale study demonstrates the importance of diagenetic reactions and organic matter remineralization processes on carbonate system parameters in STE. Our results highlight that subarctic STEs could be hot spots of CO2 evasion and a source of acidification to coastal waters that should be considered in carbon budgets. https://lnkd.in/evAXRXuH

Exciting news! Our latest article delves into the intricate interactions between iron (Fe) and organic matter (OM) in boreal lakes, exploring how these dynamics influence the aggregation and transport of OM. Through advanced spectroscopic techniques, we reveal key findings on Fe speciation and its role in carbon cycling, highlighting the potential impact of photochemical processes on OM burial. Read more about our study and its implications for understanding the carbon and Fe cycles in lake ecosystems!" https://lnkd.in/dCUufBXQ

The role of tidal creeks in shaping carbon and nitrogen patterns in a Chinese salt marsh - Frontiers in Marine Science: Tidal creeks play a crucial role in lateral transport of carbon and nutrients from tidal salt marshes. However, the specific impact of tidal creek development on carbon and nutrient distribution within the marsh remains poorly understood. The objective of this study is to assess the influence of lateral tidal flooding through the tidal creeks on the spatial distribution of carbon and nitrogen fractions in the soils of a Chinese temperate salt marsh. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the relative variations in different carbon and nitrogen fractions, along with soil physicochemical and microbial indicators, between the bank soil of the tidal creek and its lateral inland soils across high, middle, and low flats. Our findings highlight that tidal creek development significantly affects the middle flat, leading to substantial variations in organic carbon and total nitrogen. The low flat mainly experiences changes in dissolved inorganic carbon levels. Furthermore, a lateral increase in microbial biomass is observed in the middle flat, indicating that the significantly lower SOC in the middle flat might be ascribed to enhanced microbial decomposition. The lateral enrichment of dissolved inorganic carbon in the low flat is possibly related to the nearshore location and/or abiotic adsorption in inorganic carbon sequestration. Overall, this study demonstrates the critical role of tidal creek development in shaping the distribution patterns of carbon and nitrogen fractions in tidal salt marshes.

Crab bioturbation reduces carbon storage in salt marshes under more robust mechanisms than plant invasiveness - Frontiers in Marine Science: Introduction: The macrobenthos are crucial for the stability of estuarine ecosystems due to their burrowing behavior in the sediment and their uptake of nutrients from plants. These activities lead to significant alterations in both the morphological and biogeochemical processes within the region.

🚜 vs 🌦️ Our paper on the interactions between biogeochemical cycles driven by hydrology in agricultural context has been accepted and is now online! 🇪🇺 I got funds for this research from the European Research Council H2020 through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COSTREAM, and I really enjoy this paper as it represents my last contribution as a scientist 🎓 Hope it will found some interest 😉 https://lnkd.in/dDtRGwjD

We recently published a paper from our research project concerning the accumulation and mobility of cadmium and uranium in soils. With an improved setup compared to our previous experiments, we tested the contribution of colloidal transport to the mobility of Cd and U in three contrasting Swiss soils. Our results show that the often overlooked colloidal fraction can largely contribute to the leaching of these elements in certain conditions. You can read our paper "Bergen et al., 2024. Colloids facilitate transport of cadmium and uranium in arable soils, which is undetected by suction cups in the field" in the European Journal of Soils science: https://lnkd.in/eEtkVu4F

🌍🔬 Excited to announce the publication of our latest research in the Journal of "Environmental Geochemistry and Health" with Springer Nature. Our study, titled "Leachability of hexavalent chromium from fly ash-marl mixtures in Sarigiol basin, Western Macedonia, Greece: environmental hazard and potential human health risk," investigates the environmental and health dangers posed by hexavalent chromium (Cr VI), a highly toxic contaminant closely tied to industrial activities. Cr VI has been linked to severe health risks such as respiratory diseases, cancer, and skin irritation. In this research, we analyzed the leachability of Cr VI from fly ash under various pH conditions, with samples from the Agios Dimitrios Power Plant and the South Field mine. Our findings revealed significant concentrations of Cr VI in industrial areas, highlighting the need for immediate management and prevention strategies to mitigate environmental and public health impacts. Thanks to my co-authors Christina Mytiglaki, Sophia A. Tsokkou, and Nikos Kantiranis. 👉You can read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/dyiv_uhn #EnvironmentalResearch #EnvironmentalHealth #PublicHealth #Chromium #CrVI #FlyAsh #pHleaching

I'm always curious about the interplay between science - discovering things - and what happens in the real world. This interesting paper on chromium in laterites notes that the laterites have a significant Cr6+ content which can leach out, but very little of it does during normal water cycles due to the variable redox states from overlying vegetative matter and the permeation, so little Cr6+ makes it to surface waters. Makes sense. But strip off the vegetation and overburden and expose the laterites, then let them erode away with insufficient water management and you get the chromate pollution noted by Steven Brown and others. In-situ the ore is not a big problem. Exposed and uncontrolled is a different world. https://lnkd.in/g9KQVESz