Sulfur isotopes reveal agricultural changes to the modern sulfur cycle
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15545529 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anna L Hermes (0000-0001-6499-1657, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, corresponding author), Todd E Dawson (0000-0002-6871-3440, University of California, Berkeley), Eve‐Lyn S Hinckley (0000-0002-7081-0530, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research), Eve-Lyn S Hinckley |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 054032-054032 |
| Publication date | 2022-04-12 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ac6683 |
| OpenAlex | W4223443035 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
The environmental fates and consequences of intensive sulfur (S) applications to croplands are largely unknown. In this study, we used S stable isotopes to identify and trace agricultural S from field-to-watershed scales, an initial and timely step toward constraining the modern S cycle. We conducted our research within the Napa River Watershed, California, US, where vineyards receive frequent fungicidal S sprays. We measured soil and surface water sulfate concentrations ([SO 4 2− ]) and stable isotopes ( δ 34 S–SO 4 2− ), which we refer to in combination as the ‘S fingerprint’. We compared samples collected from vineyards and surrounding forests/grasslands, which receive background atmospheric and geologic S sources. Vineyard δ 34 S–SO 4 2− values were 9.9 ± 5.9‰ (median ± interquartile range), enriched by ∼10‰ relative to forests/grasslands (−0.28 ± 5.7‰). Vineyards also had roughly three-fold higher [SO 4 2− ] than forests/grasslands (13.6 and 5.0 mg SO 4 2− –S l −1 , respectively). Napa River δ 34 S–SO 4 2− values, reflecting the watershed scale, were similar to those from vineyards (10.5 ± 7.0‰), despite vineyard agriculture constituting only ∼11% of the watershed area. Combined, our results provide important evidence that agricultural S is traceable at field-to-watershed scales, a critical step toward determining the consequences of agricultural alterations to the modern S cycle
Agriculture · Archaeology · Biology · Geography · Grassland · Hydrology (agriculture · Vineyard · Watershed · Environmental Science · Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry · Nitrogen and Sulfur Effects on Brassica · Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics · Ecology · Geology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |