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Dong X, Richter DD, Thompson A, Wang J. The primacy of temporal dynamics in driving spatial self-organization of soil iron redox patterns. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2313487120. [PMID: 38096416 PMCID: PMC10742380 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313487120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigates mechanisms that generate regularly spaced iron-rich bands in upland soils. These striking features appear in soils worldwide, but beyond a generalized association with changing redox, their genesis is yet to be explained. Upland soils exhibit significant redox fluctuations driven by rainfall, groundwater changes, or irrigation. Pattern formation in such systems provides an opportunity to investigate the temporal aspects of spatial self-organization, which have been heretofore understudied. By comparing multiple alternative mechanisms, we found that regular iron banding in upland soils is explained by coupling two sets of scale-dependent feedbacks, the general principle of Turing morphogenesis. First, clay dispersion and coagulation in iron redox fluctuations amplify soil Fe(III) aggregation and crystal growth to a level that negatively affects root growth. Second, the activation of this negative root response to highly crystalline Fe(III) leads to the formation of rhythmic iron bands. In forming iron bands, environmental variability plays a critical role. It creates alternating anoxic and oxic conditions for required pattern-forming processes to occur in distinctly separated times and determines durations of anoxic and oxic episodes, thereby controlling relative rates of processes accompanying oxidation and reduction reactions. As Turing morphogenesis requires ratios of certain process rates to be within a specific range, environmental variability thus modifies the likelihood that pattern formation will occur. Projected changes of climatic regime could significantly alter many spatially self-organized systems, as well as the ecological functioning associated with the striking patterns they present. This temporal dimension of pattern formation merits close attention in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Dong
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Daniel D. Richter
- Earth and Climate Sciences Division, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC27708
| | - Aaron Thompson
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA30602
| | - Junna Wang
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA95616
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Yang Y, Chen Z, Song Y, Yan M, Xue C, Ji J, Ayoko GA, Frost RL. Environmental implication of geochemical record in the Arctic Ny-Ålesund glacial sediment, Svalbard (Norway). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 880:163255. [PMID: 37031934 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Glacial sediments as an important end member of the global dust system, could indicate changes in global climate, aerosols sources, ocean elements, and productivity. With global warming, ice caps shrinking and glaciers retreat at high latitudes have attracted concern. To understand the response of glacier to environment and climate in modern high latitude ice-marginal environments, this paper investigated glacial sediments in the Ny-Ålesund region of the Arctic and clarified the response of polar environmental to global changes through geochemical characteristics of glacial sediments. The results showed that: 1) main factors affecting the elements distribution of the Ny-Ålesund glacial sediments were thought as soil formation, bedrock and weathering, and biological activity; 2) variations of SiO2/Al2O3 and SiO2/Al2O3 + Fe2O3, indicating low weathering of the soil. The ratio of Na2O/K2O indicating a weak chemical weathering, was negatively correlated to the CIA. With the average CIA of Ny-Ålesund glacial sediments for main minerals of quartz, feldspar, and muscovite as well as dolomite and calcite 50.13, which implied glacial sediments at the early stage of chemical weathering and depletion of Ca and Na; 3) the separating effect of stones and soils by stone circle formation due to thermal conductivity and frost heave makes sediments in stone circle have lower chemical weathering with only two main minerals, albite and quartz; 4) changes of carbonate content in sediments with glacier front retreating in different period implied that weathering rate of calcite averagely reached an estimate of 0.0792%wt/year in glacier A. The succession of vegetation made biological weathering become an important driving force for carbonate leaching from glacial sediments. These results and data provide scientifically significant archive for future global change studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanpeng Yang
- Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Zhong Chen
- Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Yinxian Song
- Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan Province, China.
| | - Ming Yan
- Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China.
| | - Chuandong Xue
- Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Junfeng Ji
- Key Laboratory of Surficial Geochemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Godwin A Ayoko
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for The Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, GPO Box 2324, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
| | - Ray L Frost
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for The Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, GPO Box 2324, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
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Li A, Matsuoka N, Niu F, Chen J, Ge Z, Hu W, Li D, Hallet B, van de Koppel J, Goldenfeld N, Liu QX. Ice needles weave patterns of stones in freezing landscapes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2110670118. [PMID: 34593647 PMCID: PMC8501760 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110670118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Patterned ground, defined by the segregation of stones in soil according to size, is one of the most strikingly self-organized characteristics of polar and high-alpine landscapes. The presence of such patterns on Mars has been proposed as evidence for the past presence of surface liquid water. Despite their ubiquity, the dearth of quantitative field data on the patterns and their slow dynamics have hindered fundamental understanding of the pattern formation mechanisms. Here, we use laboratory experiments to show that stone transport is strongly dependent on local stone concentration and the height of ice needles, leading effectively to pattern formation driven by needle ice activity. Through numerical simulations, theory, and experiments, we show that the nonlinear amplification of long wavelength instabilities leads to self-similar dynamics that resemble phase separation patterns in binary alloys, characterized by scaling laws and spatial structure formation. Our results illustrate insights to be gained into patterns in landscapes by viewing the pattern formation through the lens of phase separation. Moreover, they may help interpret spatial structures that arise on diverse planetary landscapes, including ground patterns recently examined using the rover Curiosity on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anyuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Rock Mechanics and Geohazards of Zhejiang Province, College of Civil Engineering, Shaoxing University, 312000 Shaoxing, China
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-0006, Japan
| | - Norikazu Matsuoka
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-0006, Japan
| | - Fujun Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000 Lanzhou, China
- South China Institution of Geotechnical Engineering, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, 510641 Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Key Laboratory of Rock Mechanics and Geohazards of Zhejiang Province, College of Civil Engineering, Shaoxing University, 312000 Shaoxing, China
| | - Zhenpeng Ge
- School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, China
| | - Wensi Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, China
| | - Desheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Bernard Hallet
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Johan van de Koppel
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, 4400 AC, Yerseke, The Netherlands
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nigel Goldenfeld
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Quan-Xing Liu
- School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, China;
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, China
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Abstract
Sorted stone circles are natural surface patterns formed in periglacial environments. Their relation to permafrost conditions make them very helpful for better understanding the past climates where they were formed and have evolved and also for monitoring current underlying processes in case circles are active. These metric scale patterns that occur in clusters of tens to thousands of circular elements, can be more comprehensively characterized if automated methods are used. This paper addresses their identification and delineation through the development and testing of a set of automated approaches, namely, template matching, sliding band filter, and dynamic programming. All of these methods take advantage of the 3D shape of the structures conveyed by digital elevation models (DEM), built from ultra-high resolution imagery captured by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) surveys developed in Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica (62°S). The best detection results achieve scores above 85%, while the delineations are performed with errors as low as 7%.
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Pina P, Pereira F, Marques JS, Heleno S. Detection of Stone Circles in Periglacial Regions of Antarctica in UAV Datasets. PATTERN RECOGNITION AND IMAGE ANALYSIS 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-31332-6_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Feeser KL, Van Horn DJ, Buelow HN, Colman DR, McHugh TA, Okie JG, Schwartz E, Takacs-Vesbach CD. Local and Regional Scale Heterogeneity Drive Bacterial Community Diversity and Composition in a Polar Desert. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1928. [PMID: 30186257 PMCID: PMC6110917 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The distribution of organisms in an environment is neither uniform nor random but is instead spatially patterned. The factors that control this patterning are complex and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Soil microbes are critical to ecosystem function but exhibit highly complex distributions and community dynamics due in large part to the scale-dependent effects of environmental heterogeneity. To better understand the impact of environmental heterogeneity on the distribution of soil microbes, we sequenced the 16S rRNA gene from bacterial communities in the microbe-dominated polar desert ecosystem of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica. Significant differences in key edaphic variables and alpha diversity were observed among the three lake basins of the Taylor Valley (Kruskal-Wallis; pH: χ2 = 68.89, P < 0.001, conductivity: χ2 = 35.03, P < 0.001, observed species: χ2 = 7.98, P = 0.019 and inverse Simpson: χ2 = 18.52, P < 0.001) and each basin supported distinctive microbial communities (ANOSIM R = 0.466, P = 0.001, random forest ratio of 14.1). However, relationships between community structure and edaphic characteristics were highly variable and contextual, ranging in magnitude and direction across regional, basin, and local scales. Correlations among edaphic factors (pH and soil conductivity) and the relative abundance of specific phyla were most pronounced along local environmental gradients in the Lake Fryxell basin where Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria declined while Deinococcus-Thermus and Gemmatimonadetes increased with soil conductivity (all P < 0.1). Species richness was most strongly related to the soil conductivity gradient present within this study system. We suggest that the relative importance of pH versus soil conductivity in structuring microbial communities is related to the length of edaphic gradients and the spatial scale of sampling. These results highlight the importance of conducting studies over large ranges of key environmental gradients and across multiple spatial scales to assess the influence of environmental heterogeneity on the composition and diversity of microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelli L. Feeser
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - David J. Van Horn
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Heather N. Buelow
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Daniel R. Colman
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Theresa A. McHugh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO, United States
| | - Jordan G. Okie
- School of Life Sciences, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Egbert Schwartz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
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Hallet B. Stone circles: form and soil kinematics. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2013; 371:20120357. [PMID: 24191111 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2012.0357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Distinct surface patterns are ubiquitous and diverse in soils of polar and alpine regions, where the ground temperature oscillates about 0°C. They constitute some of the most striking examples of clearly visible, abiotic self-organization in nature. This paper outlines the interplay of frost-related physical processes that produce these patterns spontaneously and presents unique data documenting subsurface soil rotational motion and surface displacement spanning 20 years in well-developed circles of soil outlined by gravel ridges. These sorted circles are particularly attractive research targets for a number of reasons that provide focus for this paper: (i) their exceptional geometric regularity captures the attention of any observer; (ii) they are currently forming and evolving, hence the underlying processes can be monitored readily, especially because they are localized near the ground surface on a scale of metres, which facilitates comprehensive characterization; and (iii) a recent, highly successful numerical model of sorted circle development helps to draw attention to particular field observations that can be used to assess the model, its assumptions and parameter choices, and to the considerable potential for synergetic field and modelling studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Hallet
- Quaternary Research Center, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, , Seattle, WA, USA
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Murray AB. Contrasting the Goals, Strategies, and Predictions Associated with Simplified Numerical Models and Detailed Simulations. PREDICTION IN GEOMORPHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1029/135gm11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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Abstract
Solid objects lying on slopes for which gravity alone would be insufficient to overcome frictional resistance have long been known to experience downslope motions when subject to alternations in temperature. This paper will suggest that similar motions are possible in situations where gravity is either absent or even working against the prospective motions. It will be argued that the effects of differential material properties when the solid is subject to alternations of tension and compression, accompanying periodic cycles of high and low temperatures, can also produce motion. While most of the illustrative examples will be chosen from certain movements of either ice and ice-rich materials or asphalt pavements, it would appear that similar behaviour could be experienced by much wider classes of materials. It is suggested that this form of thermal ratchet process could be of importance far wider than is currently recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- James G.A Croll
- Department of Civil Engineering, University College LondonLondon WC1E 6BT, UK
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Peterson RA, Krantz WB. Differential frost heave model for patterned ground formation: Corroboration with observations along a North American arctic transect. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007jg000559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Coco G, Murray AB, Green MO. Sorted bed forms as self-organized patterns: 1. Model development. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006jf000665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Barrett JE, Virginia RA, Wall DH, Parsons AN, Powers LE, Burkins MB. VARIATION IN BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND SOIL BIODIVERSITY ACROSS SPATIAL SCALES IN A POLAR DESERT ECOSYSTEM. Ecology 2004. [DOI: 10.1890/03-0213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Abstract
Striking circular, labyrinthine, polygonal, and striped patterns of stones and soil self-organize in many polar and high alpine environments. These forms emerge because freeze-thaw cycles drive an interplay between two feedback mechanisms. First, formation of ice lenses in freezing soil sorts stones and soil by displacing soil toward soil-rich domains and stones toward stone-rich domains. Second, stones are transported along the axis of elongate stone domains, which are squeezed and confined as freezing soil domains expand. In a numerical model implementing these feedbacks, circles, labyrinths, and islands form when sorting dominates; polygonal networks form when stone domain squeezing and confinement dominate; and stripes form as hillslope gradient is increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Kessler
- Complex Systems Laboratory, Cecil and Ida Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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