Malcolm Stuart Cresser

University of York · Environment Department

The paper is about looking at spatial and temporal variations in nitrogen concentration in River Derwent.

It is about looking at Ammonium dynamics and nitrogen effected soils.

Earlier studies by the authors on English soils under grassland strongly supported their hypothesis that soil/plant systems have naturally evolved to conserve nitrogen (N) by having a close match between the dynamics of mineral-N production in soils and the dynamics of plant N requirements. Thus, maximum mineral-N production in soils occurred in sp...

Since mean nitrate concentration along single river channels increases significantly with percent arable land use upstream of sampling points and autumn/early winter flushes in nitrate concentration are widespread, it is generally concluded that farmers contribute most of the nitrate. For the River Derwent in North Yorkshire, the correlation betwee...

This paper aimed to confirm the hypothesis that rates of ammonification and net mineral-N production in soils under grass in summer are low and this, rather than nitrate uptake by plants, reduces mineral leaching from soils in summer. Six sets of soil samples were collected from under mown grass on the University of York campus in the UK. Samples w...

Abstract Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) will be released to the environment during use or following the disposal of ENP-containing products and concerns have been raised over the risks of ENPs to the environment. Many studies have explored the toxicity of ENPs to aquatic organisms but these studies have usually been performed with little understan...

Measurements of chemical parameters of soil samples collected in 2005, in an experimental mountainous beech plot, showed that the soil was acidified with regard to soil samples collected in 1995 despite the rising pH values in bulk deposition during the last 10 years. Specifically, values of pH and base saturation in the new samples were significan...

It is hypothesised that NH-N is more mobile in soils than often thought. However, because litter layers and live vegetation can modify N species transformation in soils, intact microcosms were employed to investigate NH-N, NO-N and total dissolved inorganic N (DIN) leaching in soils from across an unfertilised and N-impacted grassland in York, UK....

When potassium chloride (KCl) is used to extract “available” mineral nitrogen (N) species from field-moist soils, samples are usually transferred to the laboratory in a cool box prior to extraction and stored in a fridge until being prepared for extraction. This study shows that significant changes, especially in nitrate concentration, occur under...

Surface and subsurface litter fulfil many functions in the biogeochemical cycling of C and N in terrestrial ecosystems. These were explored using a microcosm study by monitoring dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (NH4 +–N + NO3 −–N), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and fluxes in drainage water unde...

Ammonium-N concentrations were frequently observed to exceed nitrate-N concentrations in an intermittently flowing stream draining acid grassland in North Yorkshire. This prompted the design of a soil microcosm experiment to investigate the role of litter in the leaching of ammonium and nitrate from soil profiles during winter. Drainage water was a...

We hypothesise that stream sediment elemental composition can predict mean and minimum concentrations of alkalinity, Ca and Mg in the river water throughout a river network. We tested this hypothesis for the River Derwent catchment in North Yorkshire, England, by using 6 years of water chemistry data from the Environment Agency and a digital elevat...

A microcosm study was conducted outdoors at ambient temperatures in York, UK, to investigate the effects of seasonal temperature changes on NH4+–N dynamics associated with litter mineralization. Temporal variations in the effects of a surface litter layer and litter mixed with near-surface mineral soils on the mobility of NH4+–N were assessed over...

A reconstituted microcosm study, from N-impacted acid grassland soils, was conducted to investigate the role of litter in N dynamics in winter. The study showed that, at UK winter temperatures, litter mineralization and retention of mineral-N from precipitation were the key sources of mineral-N in the mineral soil beneath the litter layer. NH 4 +-N...

Long-term spatial and temporal variations in nitrate-N concentrations along the River Derwent have been examined using Environment Agency data to investigate the relative importance of impacts of atmospheric N deposition, land use, and changes in management. Where moorland and rough grazing dominate upstream of Forge Valley and Malton, over the 20...

Soil multi-element analysis is now a routine technique employed to help answer questions about space use and function in and around archaeological sites. The pattern of enhancement of certain elements, including P, Pb, Ca, Zn, and Cu, has been shown by numerous studies to correlate closely with the archaeological and historical record. Interpretati...

The physico-chemical absorption characteristics of ammonium-N for 10 soils from 5 profiles in York, UK, show its high potential mobility in N deposition-impacted, unfertilized, permanent grassland soils. Substantial proportions of ammonium-N inputs were retained in the solution phase, indicating that ammonium translocation plays an important role i...

In N-polluted, minimally managed soils, recent research has shown that ammonium-N, as well as nitrate-N, may move down through soil profiles. There is a need, therefore, to reassess what controls N species transformations below the rooting depth in such soils. The changes with depth down to 1m in extractable ammonium-N and nitrate-N concentrations...

Vertisols with swell-shrink properties comprise most of the arable land in northwestern Turkey. These soils are important for agricultural activities. Seven sites were selected to represent Vertisols irrigated with polluted water from the Ayvali Canal. The soils occur on flat to gently sloping plains of the region. The soils were formed on marl par...

AYDINALP, Cumhur and Malcolm S. CRESSER, 2008. Red soils under Mediterranean type of climate: their properties use and productivity. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 14: 576-582 Red soils constitute a moderate portion of the total agricultural land, supporting several land utilization types, in the Bursa province northern Turkey. Five red soils were selected...

Although soil scientists and most environmental scientists are acutely aware of the interactions between the cycling of carbon and nitrogen, for conceptual convenience when portraying the nitrogen cycle in text books the N cycle tends to be considered in isolation from its interactions with the cycling of other elements and water, usually as a snap...

Changes in nitrification rates of an acid grassland soil with and without air drying have been monitored over 9 days, after first flushing native nitrate from the soils with deionised water. The results confirmed that full re-establishment of nitrification after air drying takes several days, supporting the hypothesis that any immediate first flush...

Soils down slope of roads have been affected over decades by road salting in the UK uplands. Salt additions to fresh soil facilitate dispersal of organic matter so there is a potential risk of release of DON and DOC to nearby rivers where these run parallel to roads. Over time, however, salting enhances soil pH of naturally acid soils, and thus org...

Sodium chloride has been utilised for decades to maintain road safety in winter and some of its detrimental impacts have been well-documented. However, research on the organic fraction of roadside soils has concentrated upon short-term salt-effects. We hypothesise that decades of past leaching and enhanced mineralisation of organic matter have redu...

Changes in the dynamics of inorganic N species transformations with depth have been investigated for seven soil profiles from a nitrogen-impacted ancient grassland on a nature reserve outside York in the UK, using incubation experiments. In five of the profiles, both ammonification and nitrification are occurring below the rooting zone, probably pa...

Of several impacts of road salting on roadside soils, the potential disruption of the nitrogen cycle has been largely ignored. Therefore the fates of low-level ammonium-N and nitrate-N inputs to roadside soils impacted by salting over an extended period (decades) in the field have been studied. The use of road salts disrupts the proportional contri...

Multi-element soil analysis is now an established technique in archaeology. It has been used to locate archaeological sites and define the extent of human activity beyond the structural remains, and to aid interpretation of space use in and around archaeological remains. This study aimed to evaluate the consistency of these soil element signatures...

It is hypothesized that episodic introductions of road salt severely disrupt the soil nitrogen cycle at a range of spatial and temporal scales. A field-scale study has confirmed impacts on the nitrogen cycle in soil, soil solution and river samples. There is evidence that ammonium-N retention on cation exchange sites has been reduced by the presenc...

Previous studies of upland roadside soils in Cumbria, that would normally be naturally acidic, have highlighted that (a) runoff from roads subjected to long-term road salting can dramatically raise soil pH down slope in upland areas; (b) the soil pH increase dramatically changes N cycling in soils down slope, increasing mineralization of organic ma...

Previous studies of upland roadside soils in Cumbria, that would normally be naturally acidic, have highlighted that (a) runoff from roads subjected to long-term road salting can dramatically raise soil pH down slope in upland areas; (b) the soil pH increase dramatically changes N cycling in soils down slope, increasing mineralisation of organic ma...

2 Abstract: Climate is the primary important factor for agricultural production. Concerning the potential effects of climatic change on agriculture has motivated important change of research during the last decade. The research topics concentrate possible physical effects of climatic change on agriculture, such as changes in crop and livestock yiel...

Leaching of inorganic N species to stream waters from upland areas of the UK is increasing, reflecting the increases in atmospheric deposition of nitrogen species due to increased levels of vehicular emissions. Bracken cover in UK uplands is also increasing overall (Taylor, 1986), and the architectural nature of bracken has been shown to both incre...

A shortage of information on the percentage of organic carbon in soil, especially for soils in lower horizons, makes calculation of soil profile carbon storage difficult at regional and national scales. Previous studies paid little attention to how spatial information, such as soil layer position in the soil profile, soil parent material, and type...

1] Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and export were quantified in 56 streams within the Dee Valley, Scotland. Percentage land cover was calculated for each of the watersheds. For a subset of 21 watersheds, organic and mineral soil layers were collected for carbon and nitrogen analysis. Peat cover derived from land cover data was a good...

Numerous assumptions have been made over the past 17years when calculating critical loads for soils, both for acidity (based upon base cation steady state mass balances (SMB)) and for N (eutrophication, based upon N mass balances), often without all the assumptions being explicitly stated. The tacit assumptions that the author believes to be implic...

A wide variety of watershed-scale attributes can be used as predictors of the export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from a watershed. However, the complexity and number of relationships makes the development of generally applicable mechanistic models for prediction of DOC export based on measurement of factors difficult. Here we have applied neu...

The tidal Ouse forms a significant part of the Humber river system in Eastern England, which provides the largest UK fresh water source to the North Sea and a valuable habitat for fish. However it suffers from dissolved oxygen (DO) sag in summer, exacerbated by the industrial effluent discharged at Selby. A one-dimensional water quality model, QUES...

Fifteen soil profiles in the Alltcailleach Forest in NE Scotland have been resampled after almost 40 years. The pH, in 0.01 M CaCl2, of the soil has decreased by 0.07 to 1.28 units in 80% of the surface organic horizons and by 0.16 to 0.54 units in 73% of the mineral horizons below 40 cm. The key factors governing increases and decreases in soil pH...

The factors influencing inorganic nitrogen inputs in wet deposition in two upland catchments in northeast Scotland are discussed. Seasonal trends in nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in water draining from the catchments, and in monthly nitrate-nitrogen outputs, are reported and explained. The inputs in rain exceeded the output in the rivers in the t...

The approximate time-scales for serious lowering of the base status of acidic upland soils in northeast Scotland have been based on assessments of geochemical weathering rates in two upland catchments. Periods of 1100 and 12000 years are obtained for soils evolved primarily from granite and quartz-biotite-norite respectively. Factors regulating the...

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and export were quantified in 56 streams within the Dee Valley, Scotland. Percentage land cover was calculated for each of the watersheds. For a subset of 21 watersheds, organic and mineral soil layers were collected for carbon and nitrogen analysis. Peat cover derived from land cover data was a good pre...

Multi-element soil analysis is an established technique in archaeology, but there has been little work to understand the processes and loadings involved. The abandoned farm (croft) of Olligarth, Shetland provided the opportunity of validating the technique by sampling from known contexts. The results showed multi-element soil analysis could accurat...

The development and use of a program that combines genetic algorithms and the least median of squares (LMS) method is reported. The combination of these two methods should provide a very robust approach for optimising non-linear functions. The program was specifically developed to estimate soil bulk density using a mass fraction model and was teste...

Monthly stream water calcium and Gran alkalinity concentration data from 11 sub-catchments of the Nether Beck in the English Lake District have been used to appraise the transferability of the Scottish, River Dee-based G-BASH model. Readily available riparian zone geochemistry and flow paths were used initially to predict minimum and mean stream wa...

Since 1988, there has been, on average, a 91% increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of UK lakes and streams in the Acid Waters Monitoring Network (AWMN). Similar DOC increases have been observed in surface waters across much of Europe and North America. Much of the debate about the causes of rising DOC has, as in other studies r...

Soil profiles from the Alltcailleach Forest in north-east Scotland originally sampled in 1949/50 were resampled in 1987. Soil pH, exchangeable Ca, Mg, K and Na, extractable Al and cation exchange capacity were measured on the original stored and resampled soils. Chemical changes were characterized by decreases in pH, base cations, base saturation a...

Results from soil chemical analysis have demonstrated enhanced concentrations of lead (Pb) associated with archaeological sites. However, interpretation of these Pb concentrations is difficult because of the multitude of possible Pb sources. This pilot study of an abandoned croft in Shetland suggests that Pb isotope ratios have the potential to ide...

Enhanced soil element concentrations may serve as indicators not only of modern pollution, but also of former historic and/or pre-historic human activity. However, there is little consensus over the most appropriate means of extraction for identifying chemical signatures of modern and archaeological pollution. This study addressed this question by...

Although multi-element soil analysis was first used to help elucidate space use in archaeological buildings more than twenty years ago the technique is still not routine; principally because of problems interpreting the data. This paper outlines an ongoing study that seeks to validate the technique more robustly by sampling known contexts on abando...

Historic and prehistoric human activity can cause accumulation of elements in the soil. Multielement soil analysis has been used extensively over the last two decades to study element patterns of historic soil enrichment as a means of prospecting for sites and as an aid to interpretation of space use within archaeological structures. However, there...

Bursa, the fourth most densely populated province in Turkey, is important to the national economy for agricultural and industrial production. During the past two decades, substantial migration into the region has increased drastically the risk of soil degradation. Urbanization and industrial development in the province have mainly occurred on soil...

Monthly data for 11 moorland streams displaying marked seasonality and spatial variation in nitrate concentrations have been used with readily available catchment characteristics to develop a method for predicting stream water nitrate concentrations throughout an upland river network in the Lake District, UK. Over a 12-month period, a simple asymme...

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate current environmental management systems as indicators of the environmental performance of an organisation. Design/methodology/approach – It considers, in particular, the development of current environmental management systems BS EN ISO 14001:1996 and the eco‐management and audit scheme (EMAS) 761/2001 EEC. F...

Concentrations of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were quantitatively determined in the soil, water, and various plants in the Bursa province of Turkey, the country's fourth-most industrialized and populated region. The research was conducted to establish a baseline pollution index for Fe and Zn in the Bursa environment and to evaluate the role of foods as...

The sodium dominance index was developed to quantify weathering rates and critical loads in Scotland, where atmospheric aerosols of maritime origin dominate over biogeochemical weathering in providing base cation inputs to catchment soils and drainage waters. High sodium dominance in river or lake water indicates low weathering rate. Here, this con...

Purpose – The aim of this research is to develop a model for environmental management from which quantifiable indication of overall environmental performance for an organisation may be derived. Design/methodology/approach – The links between environmental performance and financial performance are considered. Several research methods are described w...

Factors influencing soil profile nitrogen storage (SPNS) in GB have been investigated. The SPNS values of moorland peats and podzols in the South Pennines, of permanent grassland in Yorkshire, and of adjacent arable-, semi-permanent grassland- and ancient woodland-soils in Worcestershire have been compared to assess land use effects. The soils exhi...

Since 1988, there has been a 91% increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of UK lakes and streams in the Acid Waters Monitoring Network (AWMN). Similar increases in DOC have been observed in surface waters across Europe and North America. This has generated great debate about the factors driving DOC rises. The role of global warmin...

Olive production is important and intensive agricultural activity in this region. Generally, olive trees occur coastal side of the region under brown forest soils. Ten olive tree plantations were selected in this research. The some important physical, chemical and morphological properties were investigated and classifi ed according to USDA Soil Tax...

Critical loads offer a unique way of evaluating impacts of acid deposition by quantifying environmental sensitivity. The critical loads of acidity for UK peat soils have been based upon an arbitrary reduction in pH of 0.2 units. This chemical shift needs to be better related to adverse effects on sensitive biological receptors. It is known that eff...

An experiment comparing effects of sulphuric acid and reduced N deposition on soil water quality and on chemical and physical growth indicators for forest ecosystems is described. Six H₂SO₄ and (NH₄)₂SO₄ treatment loads, from 0 – 44 and 0 – 25 kmol_c ha^-1 yr^-1, r...

Alongside other countries that are signatories to the UNECE Convention Long Range Transboundary on Air Pollution, the UK is committed to reducing the impact of air pollution on the environment. To advise and guide this policy in relation to atmospheric emissions of sulphur and nitrogen, a critical load approach has been developed. To assess the pot...

Data from 13 catchments with no arable land in Northern Scotland were used to develop empirical linear regression models of average monthly NO3- concentrations and average summer and winter concentrations for NH4+, dissolved organic N (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) as a function of catchment characteristics. All catchments displayed a pro...

Spatial and temporal changes in mobility of N species have been studied for three UK upland river networks, the Etherow in the South Pennines, the Nether Beck in the Lake District and the Dee in NE Scotland. The catchments are subject to N deposition at 35.1, 22.0 and 10.8–15.6 kg N ha–1 yr–1, respectively. The NH+4 leaching appears to be predomina...

An experiment comparing effects of sulphuric acid and reduced N deposition on soil water quality and on chemical and physical growth indicators for forest ecosystems is described. Six H2SO4 and (NH4)2SO4 treatment loads, from 0 - 44 and 0 - 25 kmolc ha-1 yr-1, respectively, were applied to outdoor microcosms of Pinus sylvestris seedlings in 3 acid...

Although the importance of atmospheric base cation deposition to soils is increasingly acknowledged, field data demonstrating the signatures of atmospheric and weathering-derived cations are seldom presented. This paper explores how combined atmospheric and internal base cation inputs are reflected in exchangeable and soil solution base cation comp...

Vertisols are important agricultural soils in the region. These soils are under various vegetables, sunflower and wheat cultivation. Fifteen soil sites were selected in this research. This research was carried out to determine background levels of total and DTPA extractable Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, Co, and Cd with some important soil properties.

Simulated acid rain at pH 3.3, 4.3 and 5.3 has been applied by overheadspraying to reconstructed soil profiles and young Sitka spruce (Piceasitchensis) trees in pots to assess the effect of rainfall acidityonthe fate and recycling efficiency of Mn from 54Mn-labelled Sitkaspruce litter. The concentration of 54Mn in throughfall wassignificantly incre...

This is the nineteenth annual review published in JAAS of the application of atomic spectroscopy to the chemical analysis of environmental samples. The review follows on directly from last year's. 1 The review critically reports on the most important developments in environmental analysis during the review period, and tends to focus on improvements...

The use of arsenic (As) contaminated groundwater for irrigation of crops has resulted in elevated concentrations of arsenic in agricultural soils in Bangladesh, West Bengal (India), and elsewhere. Paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the main agricultural crop grown in the arsenic-affected areas of Bangladesh. There is, therefore, concern regarding accu...

Previously the dominance of base cations by Na+ in river water in upland catchments with low weathering rates and influenced by marine-derived aerosols has been suggested as a quantitative index of weathering rate upstream of the sampling point. Using data for 59 sites from a study of the River Dee catchment in NE Scotland, the index has been fully...

1. The prediction of water quality is increasingly required in river catchment management, but methods are still developmental. We therefore derived empirical models to predict the concentrations of base cations, H+ and alkalinity at any point in a complex Scottish river system, and under diverse discharge conditions. Input data were readily availa...

Elevated streamwater concentrations of aluminium have been associated with the onset of acidification, both by natural and anthropogenic means. This has important implications for river water quality. Concentrations of total, labile-inorganic and non-labile-organic fractions of aluminium were determined across the River Dee catchment, northeast Sco...

A geographical information system (GIS-ARC/INFO) was used to collate existing spatial data sets on catchment characteristics to predict stream water quality using simple empirical models. The study, based on the river Dee catchment in NE Scotland, found that geological maps and associated geochemical information provided a suitable framework for pr...

Ammonium sulphate at six concentrations in simulated precipitation has been applied weekly over two years to Calluna vulgaris growing in peat soil. The nitrogen deposition treatments were chosen to embrace and exceed critical load. The growth and composition of the Calluna and the changes over time in the chemistry of the peat soil and its soil sol...

The glaciated watersheds of the Scottish highlands are characterized by high precipitation, resistant geologies, steep hillslopes and thin acidic soils. Streams draining these watersheds are often prone to "acid-episodes" during frequent high flow events which can result in damage to salmon fisheries, particularly in areas subject to forest managem...

Calluna vulgaris/peat microcosms have been used in an outdoor simulated acid rain experiment to test a series of hypotheses about sulphuric acid deposition effects upon the growth of Calluna on peat soil, namely: (1) Initially, enhanced acid input will enhance base cation and ammonium concentrations in soil solution. This may enhance uptake of thes...

The relationship between toxicological response and both total concentrations and free ion activities of Pb, Cu and Zn in an artificial soil solution has been investigated using lux-marked Escherichia coli HB101 (pUCD607) as a bioassay. SO4(2-) (as K2SO4) was added as an inorganic complexing agent up to 0.01 M representing the range of ionic streng...

The River Dee is an oligotrophic soft water system, in the NE of Scotland, with a catchment area of approximately 2100 km2. The river rises in the Cairngorm Mountains and enters the North Sea at Aberdeen, approximately 140 km from its source. Water chemical quality data was collected every 2 weeks over 12 months for 59 sites distributed throughout...

The nitrogen (N) composition of streams draining four upland regions of Scotland was compared in samples collected monthly between April 1997 and April 1998. Stream samples were analysed for total N (TN), particulate N (PN), nitrate (NO3), ammonium (NH4), dissolved organic N (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Concentrations of TN were small,...

This is the sixteenth annual review published in JAAS of the application of atomic spectroscopy to the chemical analysis of environmental samples. In line with last year's review there have been no major breakthroughs in atomic spectrometry. Developments in environmental analysis have mainly been confined to improvements of existing techniques to p...