Abstract
Climate change modulates the effects of solar UV radiation on biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, particularly for carbon cycling, resulting in UV-mediated positive or negative feedbacks on climate. Possible positive feedbacks discussed in this assessment include: (i) enhanced UV-induced mineralisation of above ground litter due to aridification; (ii) enhanced UV-induced mineralisation of photoreactive dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic ecosystems due to changes in continental runoff and ice melting; (iii) reduced efficiency of the biological pump due to UV-induced bleaching of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in stratified aquatic ecosystems, where CDOM protects phytoplankton from the damaging solar UV-B radiation. Mineralisation of organic matter results in the production and release of CO2, whereas the biological pump is the main biological process for CO2 removal by aquatic ecosystems. This paper also assesses the interactive effects of solar UV radiation and climate change on the biogeochemical cycling of aerosols and trace gases other than CO2, as well as of chemical and biological contaminants. Interacting effects of solar UV radiation and climate change on biogeochemical cycles are particularly pronounced at terrestrial-aquatic interfaces.
Highlights
The Montreal protocol has been successful in phasing out ozone-depleting CFCs and, as a consequence, stratospheric ozone concentrations are recovering at low and mid-latitudes[1,2]
A major consequence of stratospheric ozone change is altered intensity of solar UV-B radiation which in turn affects the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and other chemical elements
Some chemistry-climate models and observations predict that an ozone ‘hole’ may still be present in the Antarctic spring in 2100.4 A large loss of stratospheric ozone, comparable to that in the Antarctic ozone ‘hole’, was observed over the Arctic in spring 20115 due, in part, to the extremely cold stratospheric Arctic winter 2010/2011.6 In spring 2011 increased levels of solar UV radiation were observed at Arctic and subArctic ground stations.[7]
Summary
Effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, solar UV radiation, and climate change on biogeochemical. Climate change modulates the effects of solar UV radiation on biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, for carbon cycling, resulting in UV-mediated positive or negative feedbacks on climate. Possible positive feedbacks discussed in this assessment include: (i) enhanced UVinduced mineralisation of above ground litter due to aridification; (ii) enhanced UV-induced mineralisation of photoreactive dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic ecosystems due to changes in continental runoff and ice melting; (iii) reduced efficiency of the biological pump due to UV-induced bleaching of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in stratified aquatic ecosystems, where CDOM protects phytoplankton from the damaging solar UV-B radiation. This paper assesses the interactive effects of solar UV radiation and climate change on the biogeochemical cycling of aerosols and trace gases other than CO2, as well as of chemical and biological contaminants. Interacting effects of solar UV radiation and climate change on biogeochemical cycles are pronounced at terrestrial-aquatic interfaces
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