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- Title
Using oxygen isotopes for tracing phosphate sources at the catchment level.
- Authors
Tamburini, Federica; Pistocchi, Chiara; Hahn, Claudia; Stamm, Christian; Oberson, Astrid
- Abstract
In the last 50 years, the use of phosphate and nitrate fertilizers has dramatically increasedproducing serious environmental consequences and enhancing the consumption of limitedresources. Tracing P has always been a complicated endeavor, since once that P is dissolved asorthophosphate, P derived from different sources (e.g., soil, fertilizer, plant residues) cannotbe distinguished one from the other. Due to safety concerns, radioisotopes such as 32P and33P, are currently used to study the dynamics and transfers of P in the soil and plant systemonly in laboratory and greenhouse experiments. P has only one stable isotope (31P), so contrary to nitrogen or carbon or sulfur, astable isotopes approach was not considered as a possible venue for P studies. Forthis reason, the research community involved in environmental studies put manyhopes into the use of oxygen isotopes in phosphate (18O-P). At present, the mainapplication of oxygen isotopes in the environment is understanding and providing moreinsights into the biological P cycle, but not tracing fluxes and transfers of P in theenvironment. This is because enzyme activity, which promotes the exchange of oxygenbetween phosphate and water, can be so extensive to completely erase a sourcesignal. Throughout the years, we have collected 18O-P signatures of mineral fertilisers andanimal manures with the goal to build a database of P sources to the environment. At thesame time, the use of 18O-P for tracing sources of P has been re-evaluated. Underspecific conditions, this tracer could be used to identify sources of P and differentiatebetween transport/transfer of P and biological transformations at the catchment scale.
- Subjects
OXYGEN isotopes; PHOSPHATE fertilizers; ENVIRONMENTAL sciences; STABLE isotopes; MANURES; PHOSPHATES
- Publication
Geophysical Research Abstracts, 2019, Vol 21, p1
- ISSN
1029-7006
- Publication type
Article