Thibault Lambert’s Post

🌊📰 Our latest article, "Impact of water level management on organic carbon availability and nitrogen transformations in wetland sediments," is out today in The Science of the Total Environment journal. This study investigates how water level management through water retention impacts benthic carbon and nitrogen fluxes in a wetland of the Seine estuary. Key findings include significantly higher nitrate reduction rates during permanent immersion due to increased input of organic matter, highlighting the importance of strategic water level management in wetlands to sustain their crucial ecological functions and enhance ecosystem services, especially during summer. Please use this link to access the paper (available for 50 days) -> https://lnkd.in/dPYUi4Fb Thanks to all co-authors, including Edith Parlanti and Anniet Laverman, and to the GIP SEINE-AVAL for funding the associated project : FEREE #Research #Science #Wetlands #EnvironmentalScience #EcosystemServices

Happy to share that my research paper on estimating surface runoff indicators has recently been published! Big thanks to my co-authors Ype van der Velde, Perry de Louw, and Harm Bartholomeus. In our study, we compared surface storage and connectivity properties derived from digital terrain models (DTMs) of different resolutions. We found that these properties are defined at scales smaller than those typically available in public DTMs. We argue that in flat landscapes, such as lowlands and river deltas, empirical relationships between storage properties derived from high- and low-resolution elevation data could potentially compensate for the lack of information associated with the use of coarser scale DTMs. This would improve estimates of the parameters governing surface runoff in hydrologic models. Cheers to Willemijn Appels, NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek), Deltares, Wageningen University & Research, Soil Physics and Land Management - Chair Group - Wageningen Environmental Research, Stichting Toegepast Onderzoek Waterbeheer STOWA, Waterschap Vechtstromen and Waterschap Aa en Maas for making this research possible. Check out the paper here: https://lnkd.in/gtC3sD5k or here (PDF): https://lnkd.in/gjMx_NK3

Excited to share that my first PhD research article has been published in Science of the Total Environment! This study explores greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from the leaves of tropical tree species, a topic that, to our knowledge, is being investigated for the first time at this scale. Check out the paper here and happy reading!

A new study released by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center evaluates environmental and economic impacts of land use change (LUC) for land that moves in and out of cropland over decadal time periods. The study aimed to determine land use and soil organic carbon stocks on 1,000 land parcels over a 36-year period. 🌱 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: https://lnkd.in/gzuBuDuK

"Scratching the Surface" So exciting to be literally developing a farmer funded body of knowledge around soil carbon and farm systems. Data and the science which follows it comes from where its collected.... "looking at the depth to which soils are studied across papers from four primary soil science journals over a 30-year period (1989-2019), some key findings: - Average soil depth studied was 53cm from 1989-1999. - Average soil depth studied reduced to 24cm from 2004-2019. - Most studies were from Europe. - Soil mineralogy / technology tended to study soils to greater depths (average 74cm). - Depth in soil biology research was on average just 18cm."

There's another round of pro- and anti- soil carbon rhetoric swirling around social media and Australian newspaper publications at the moment. The very nature of science is that it is evolving, that we continue to look at the data in front of us and, where necessary, adjust our hypotheses on how stuff works.   It's incredible then, that there are so many views stated as absolute or definitive views in this space. We see two particular areas where we are in our infancy when it comes to soil science – our understanding of the inherent biodiversity and our understanding of soil across depth.   Soil is home to ~60% of life, making it the most biodiverse habitat on Earth, yet it is also the habitat that we know the least about. Indeed, our collective exploration of this habitat has been limited. Looking at the depth to which soils are studied across papers from four primary soil science journals over a 30-year period (1989-2019), some key findings: - Average soil depth studied was 53cm from 1989-1999. - Average soil depth studied reduced to 24cm from 2004-2019. - Most studies were from Europe. - Soil mineralogy / technology tended to study soils to greater depths (average 74cm). - Depth in soil biology research was on average just 18cm.   Indeed, as we’ve posted before, the conclusion to many contemporary soil science papers is that we need further research. So, for something where we are only just literally and figuratively scratching the surface, encouraging the undertaking of soil carbon projects at scale feels like an opportunity to continue to increase our understanding. Rather than tearing down everything that’s wrong, it’d be great to point not just to the blockers, but also the enablers to build momentum. In parallel to our evolving understanding of soil science, let’s also turn our face to what the land is telling us. In response to the oft cited critique that there’s nothing you can do about soil carbon levels and it’s all down to climate (rainfall), we’d invite those critics to come out to a sustainably run property, stare down a neighbouring fence-line and tell the landholder that their land management practices don’t shift the dial.   More than anything, let’s take a step back and look at the fundamentals - the practices that encourage soil carbon bring a myriad of co-benefits – increased water efficiency, reduced erosion, improved biodiversity above and below ground, support to pollinators, greater pest resilience, increased carrying capacity for livestock enterprises, improved food nutrient density . . .   We are trying to compress complex natural systems into (relatively) simplified carbon methodologies - inherently there will be issues. However, one of the wonderful capacities within humans is to endeavour and improve. At NatureBase we are doing our best to accept the imperfections, transparently flag the risks for our clients so they can make an informed decision and then, jointly, get on with the endeavouring and the improving.

Excited to share insights from our recent study shedding light on Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) dynamics in arctic environments! This research delves into the role of contrasting arctic vegetation species in shaping DOM composition and their subsequent biodegradation. The study extracted Water-Extractable Organic Matter (WEOM) from various arctic vegetation species and incubated them with soil bacteria for 7 days. Through comprehensive analytical methods, including TOC, UV–Vis absorbance, ion chromatography, and HRMS Orbitrap, changes in WEOM composition were characterized over time. Key findings reveal that soil bacteria consumed WEOM from certain vegetation species more significantly than others, indicating species-specific biodegradation processes influenced by initial DOM composition. Interestingly, while bacterial activity altered molecular characteristics, the distinct molecular signatures of WEOM from different vegetation species persisted. These findings underscore the importance of considering vegetation cover in understanding DOM dynamics in natural environments, despite the influence of biogeochemical processes. This has implications for modeling the impact of climate change on vegetation composition and its subsequent effects on DOM dynamics in soil and surface waters. This study contributes valuable insights into the intricate interplay between vegetation, microbial activity, and DOM dynamics in arctic ecosystems. #ArcticResearch #DOMDynamics #ClimateChange #VegetationComposition https://lnkd.in/e255Zz-3

Photochemical enrichment of dissolved organic matter from different soils of a tidal river basin: significance to estuarine carbon cycle - Frontiers in Marine Science: Eroded soils sustain a substantial part of organic matter in tidal rivers adjacent to estuaries, and photochemical transformations of soils in tidal rivers would influence estuarine elemental cycles. However, complex aquatic environments and diverse soil sources complicate the enrichment of dissolved organic matter (DOM) photoreleased from soils. Here, we conducted a 7-day irradiation experiment for seven kinds of soils from the lower basin of Dagu River (DGR) in the laboratory to study the influence of salinity and soil properties on DOM chemistry by characterizing the content and optical properties of DOM. Results showed that light cultures had higher amount of DOM and humic-like components than dark cultures. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Mantel’s analysis found that salinity and soil properties significantly influence the production of photoreleased DOM, especially humic-like components. Salinity could inhibit the photodissolution of soils, and aged soils with low δ13CSOM released more DOM and humic-like components. Although the DGR is impacted by intruded seawater, high content of photoreleased DOM in seawater cultures still pointed out the important contribution of soil photodissolution to the DOM reservoir of tidal rivers. Considering high proportion of humic-like components in photoreleased DOM, photochemical transformations of soils in tidal rivers would promote the export flux of carbon from estuaries to open seas. This study emphasizes the importance of soil photodissolution of tidal rivers in the carbon transfer from lands to oceans.

"[Nov5] Acid sulfate soils are characterized by their orange hue and their tendency to kill surrounding vegetation and fish. Anders Johnson's extensive research along Sweden's coastline reveals the widespread presence of these soils, underscoring their significant impact on water quality and ecosystem health. As human activities accelerate the emergence of new acid sulfate soils, it becomes crucial to understand the roles that geochemistry and microbiology play in this process to find effective mitigation strategies. A new doctoral thesis provides valuable insights into the microbiology of acid sulfate soils, sometimes dubbed 'the nastiest soils on Earth' because of the threat they pose to ecosystems." #soilhealth #soilsystems #watersystems #waterhealth #soilbiome https://lnkd.in/gAUi4uAS

Happy to share our recent publication in Biogeochemistry comparing net denitrification (N-removal) vs. net N-fixation (N-addition) in FL stormwater ponds (SWPs) versus natural undisturbed ponds. While SWPs are assumed to assist in N-removal from stormwater runoff, mass balance studies find low removal efficiencies. We show that ecological processes such as N-fixation may be one mechanism reducing N-removal efficiencies. https://t.co/WQNeh1LKMj