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The role of Eriophorum vaginatum in carbon dioxide (CO 2) and methane (CH4) dynamics of two restored peatlands in eastern Canada was examined. Sites were established in Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec from May to October of 1999 and 2000, and Shippagan, New Brunswick from May to October of 2001. / CH4 emissions from E. vaginatum collars were positively related to maximum photosynthesis in 1999 and 2001, when the water table was close to the surface. CH4 emissions were also positively related to end of season above ground plant biomass at both sites. CH4 emissions from E. vaginatum collars ranged from -0.015 to 14.7 mg CH4-C m-2 h-1 at Riviere-du-Loup and -0.15 to 5.4 mg CH4-C m -2 h-1 at Shippagan. It is likely that E. vaginatum provides substrate for methanogenesis through plant production and acts as a conduit transporting CH4 to the atmosphere. / Patterns of NEE from E. vaginatum depended on site-specific and year-specific conditions. E. vaginatum was a net sink for CO2 at high and low light levels at Shippagan, and a net source of CO2 at low light levels at Riviere-du-Loup.

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A mesocosm experiment was carried out in a Norwegian fjord near Bergen in May 2006, with the main objective being the study of the effects of increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 (and associated effects such as increased acidification) on blooms of natural marine coastal plankton. Three mesocosms were bubbled with CO2(g) to achieve a high (~700ppm) CO2 concentration (pH ~7.8) to simulate predicted future conditions as a result of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Another three mesocosms were treated as controls and bubbled with ambient air to represent a near pre-industrial scenario (atmospheric CO2 concentration ~300ppm, surface seawater pH ~8.15). Blooms in the mesocosms were stimulated by the addition of nutrients at a near-Redfield ratio ([N:P] ≈ [16:1]), and scientific measurements and analyses were carried out over the course of the blooms for approximately one month. Of particular interest in this study were the autotrophic plankton. The diversity and activities of these microorganisms under the two treatments was therefore investigated. By designing and using new degenerate primers specifically targeting ‘Green-type’ (Form IA and IB), ‘Red-type’ (Form IC and ID) and Form II RuBisCO, analysis of primary producers was carried out using PCR and either gDNA or cDNA (mRNA) templates from key time points spanning the complete duration of the blooms throughout the mesocosm experiment. Over 1250 novel RuBisCO large subunit sequences have been fully annotated and deposited in the NCBI GenBank® database. These sequences revealed distinct changes in the diversity of primary producers both over the courses of the blooms and between treatments. Particularly striking was the effect of acidification on the community structure of the eukaryotic picoplankton, Prasinophytes. A clade of prasinophytes closely related to Micromonas pusilla showed a distinct preference for the high CO2 conditions; a laboratory-based experiment confirmed the high tolerance of Micromonas pusilla to lower pH. Conversely, a clade related to Bathycoccus prasinos was almost entirely excluded from the high CO2 treatments. Clades of form II RuBisCO-containing dinoflagellates were also abundant throughout the experiment in both treatments. The high similarity of some of these clades to the toxin-producing species Heterocapsa triquetra and Gonyaulax polyedra, and apparent high tolerance of some clades to high CO2 conditions, is perhaps cause for concern in a high CO2 world and demands further research. In parallel with the RubisCO work, new primers were designed that target the gene encoding the Fe protein of nitrogenase (NifH). 82 Bergen genomic nifH sequences have been annotated and submitted to GenBank®. These sequences include those from organisms related to Alpha, Beta, and Gammaproteobacteria, and Cluster II and Cluster III sequences that align most closely with anaerobic Bacteria, Gram positive, and/or sulphur-reducing Bacteria. The biggest surprise, however, was the apparent abundance and significance of a Rhodobacter sphaeroides-like microorganism throughout the duration of the experiment in both treatments. Whilst this clade was unsurprisingly absent in the RuBisCO cDNA libraries, all but two of 128 nifH cDNA clones analysed were identical to the gene from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. This shows that this clade was potentially fixing N2 throughout the entire experiment, even in the presence of combined N added to both sets of mesocosms at the start of the experiment. A group of Rhodobacter sphaeroides-like microorganisms present at Bergen may therefore have been an unexpected source of new N during the experiment and contributed to the maintenance of the mesocosm communities as nutrients became depleted. One organism dominated the autotrophic communities after the blooms in both treatments. Synechococcus spp. Form IA rbcL clones most closely related to the coastal strain Synechococcus sp. strain CC9902 were recovered throughout the experiment but were particularly numerous toward the end of the experiment and dominated the “Green-type” libraries at this time. Initially, rbcL clones from these cyanobacteria were mostly derived from the ambient CO2 mesocosms but were equally distributed between treatments by the end of the experiment. This suggests that cyanobacteria related to strain CC9902 may be less tolerant of elevated CO2 (which was greatest at the beginning rather than the end of the experiment). However, despite the mesocosms being Pi-limited at the end of the experiment, several Synechococcus species (including those related to strain CC9902 and another coastal strain, CC9311) thrived. Following on from this observation, Pi uptake and assimilation mechanisms in a Synechococcus species were investigated in the laboratory. This led to the sequencing and characterisation of a pstS gene from the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. WH 8103. Unlike conventional pstS, it was discovered that the pstS II gene in this organism is constitutively expressed and unresponsive to or only weakly regulated by Pi supply. The use of PstS/pstS as a marker for P-limitation in natural samples, therefore, should be interpreted with caution.

Orientadores: Arnaldo Cesar Walter, Fernando Cardozo Fernandes Rei / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T08:10:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cunha_KamylaBorgesda_D.pdf: 6584850 bytes, checksum: f9cedaa0b7d809a1e7ca74de744ebb2c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: A presente tese teve como objetivo principal analisar o papel de Brasil, Índia e China para a efetividade do regime climático pós-2012. Para tanto, foi preciso avaliar a efetividade do regime climático atual, perscrutar sobre os desafios da efetividade do futuro regime climático, identificar as principais semelhanças e diferenças entre o Brasil, a China e a Índia, em termos de contribuição para o efeito estufa adicional, analisar a posição oficial de cada um dos três países e perscrutar o papel desejável do Brasil no regime pós 2012. De modo a cumprir o objetivo proposto, realizou-se uma breve explanação sobre os aspectos científicos das mudanças climáticas, dando-se destaque para os desafios colocados a decisão política; fez-se uma analise do regime climático vigente, de modo a se identificar os principais aspectos foco da discussão sobre o futuro regime; procedeu-se a uma analise dos principais pontos de discussão sobre o regime climático pós-2012, com destaque para a efetividade ambiental do regime, a eficiência econômica e a equidade. Tais aspectos foram então avaliados sob a perspectiva política, de modo a destacar sua inserção na evolução das negociações internacionais. Buscou-se focar nos três países avaliados, levantando-se-lhes o perfil de emissões, energia e uso da terra, dados demográficos, econômicos e sociais, assim como sua postura política nas negociações internacionais. Realizadas todas essas analises, identificou-se a importância do Brasil, da China e da Índia para a efetividade do regime climático pós-2012, seja em função de sua crescente contribuição para as emissões de gases de efeito estufa, seja por forca de seu papel econômico, tanto no que diz respeito a distribuição dos custos de mitigação quanto ao cenário atual de crescente interdependência econômica. Também se constatou a ausência de correlação direta entre as emissões brasileiras de gases de efeito estufa e o desenvolvimento socioeconômico do pais, já que a maior parte decorre de desmatamentos ilegais. Entendeu-se que a postura brasileira há de focar-se nas oportunidades da assunção de compromissos voluntários relativos a redução das taxas de desmatamento / Abstract: This study aims at analyzing the role of Brazil, India and China for the of the international post-2012 climate change regime effectiveness. In order to meet this goal, it was necessary to evaluate the present climate regime effectiveness, to identify the main similarities and differences between Brazil, India and China, in terms of their contribution to greenhouse effect, to analyze their official position in the international negotiations and to evaluate the desirable role of Brazil in the post-2012 climate regime. The scientific aspects of climate change were briefly explored, in order to highlight the main challenges faced by the political decision. The present climate change regime was analyzed, in order to pose the main aspects of climate change discussion. The post-2012 climate regime effectiveness was posed in terms of wide participation of main countries and the need to bring together two main points: economic efficiency and equity. Then, the climate change international negotiation evolution was presented. After this general approach, this study has focused Brazil, India and China national circumstances, such as their greenhouse gases emissions profile, energy and land use sectors, demographic, economic and social indicators, as well their political position in the climate change international negotiations. As a result of such analysis, it was possible to identify the importance of Brazil, India and China for the post-2012 climate change regime effectiveness, first, because of their major contribution to greenhouse gases emissions, and second, because of their economic role, both in terms of mitigation costs distribution and in terms of the international economic interdependence. It was also identified the absence of direct relationship between Brazilian emissions and the country's socioeconomic development, considering that most of Brazil's emission come from illegal deforestation. It was concluded that Brazil could benefit in a scenario of position flexibility, assuming voluntary commitments related to deforestation reduction / Doutorado / Planejamento de Sistemas Energeticos / Doutor em Engenharia Mecânica

This thesis estimates the impacts of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) capacity on electricity generation and CO2 emissions in America's Pacific Northwest. The region's demand for electricity is increasing at the same time that it is attempting to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The electricity generated by rooftop PV capacity is expected to displace electricity from fossil fueled electricity generators and reduce CO2 emissions, but when and how much? And how can this region maximize and focus the impacts of additional rooftop PV capacity on CO2 emissions? To answer these questions, an hourly urban rooftop PV generation profile for 2009 was created from estimates of regional rooftop PV capacity and solar resource data. That profile was compared with the region's hourly fossil fuel generation profile for 2009 to determine how much urban rooftop PV generation reduced annual fossil fuel electricity generation and CO2 emissions. Those reductions were then projected for a range of additional multiples of rooftop PV capacity. The conclusions indicate that additional rooftop PV capacity in the region primarily displaces electricity from natural gas generators, and shows that the timing of rooftop PV generation corresponds with the use of fossil fuel generators. Each additional Wp/ capita of rooftop PV capacity reduces CO2 emissions by 9,600 to 7,300 tons/ year. The final discussion proposes some methods to maximize and focus rooftop PV impacts on CO2 emissions, and also suggests some questions for further research.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Carbon dioxide (CO2) level in the atmosphere has increased steadily since Pre-Industrial times. The need for a better understanding of the effects of elevated CO2 on plant physiology and growth is clear. Previous studies have focused on how plants are affected by either elevated CO2 or salinity, one of many environmental stresses for plants. However, little research has been focused on the interaction of these two factors. In my project, three common grass species were exposed to both elevated CO2 and salinity, so that the effects of either of these factors and the interaction of the two on these species could be examined. The CO2 levels were set to 400 µmol mol-1, close to the current concentration, or 760 µmol mol-1, projected to be reached by the end of this century. Salt solutions of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mM NaCl with CaCl2 at lower rates (1% of each respective molarity for NaCl) were used to water the grasses, which are unlikely to experience prolonged exposure to salt conditions beyond this range in their natural habitats. The three common grass species studied in my experiment were Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and red fescue (Festuca rubra L.), both C3 cool season grasses, as well as buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.), a C4 warm season grass. Each treatment had five replicates, bringing the total number of experimental pots to 150. Various growth parameters were monitored, and all data was statistically analyzed for statistical significance. My results showed that elevated CO2 had a stimulating effect on most growth parameters, particularly when plants were given more time to grow. In a 100-day growth experiment, CO2 affected the number and dry biomass of plants of all species, regardless of their C3 or C¬4 photosynthetic pathways. Salinity consistently inhibited germination and growth at all stages, from germination through plant emergences, numbers of established plants, and dry biomasses at harvest. Interactive effects of CO2 and salinity did occur, though often in seemingly specific instances rather than forming clear and consistent trends. My findings suggested that growth of common grasses would be enhanced by the rising level of CO2 in the atmosphere, but the effect would be modified by environmental stresses, such as salinity.