Plant delta(15)N associated with arbuscular mycorrhization, drought and nitrogen deficiency

It has long been evident that plant (15)N chiefly reflects the processes which fractionate (15)N/(14)N rather than the (15)N of plant N source(s). It has emerged recently that one of the most important fractionating processes contributing to the whole plant (15)N is the presence/absence, type or species of mycorrhiza, especially when interacting with nutrient deficiency. Ecto- and ericoid mycorrhizas are frequently associated with (15)N-depleted foliar (15)N, commonly as low as -12 per thousand. As shown by the present study, plants having no mycorrhiza, or those infected with various species of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM)-forming fungi, interact with varying concentrations of soil nitrogen [N] and moisture to enrich plant (15)N by as much as 3.5 per thousand. Hence the lack of a mycorrhiza, or variation in the species of AM-forming fungal associations, can account for about 25% of the usually reported variations of foliar (15)N found in field situations and do so by (15)N enrichment rather than depletion. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The HITRAN 2008 molecular spectroscopic database

This paper describes the status of the 2008 edition of the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic database. The new edition is the first official public release since the 2004 edition, although a number of crucial updates had been made available online since 2004. The HITRAN compilation consists of several components that serve as input for radiative-transfer calculation codes: individual line parameters for the microwave through visible spectra of molecules in the gas phase; absorption cross-sections for molecules having dense spectral features, i.e. spectra in which the individual lines are not resolved; individual line parameters and absorption cross-sections for bands in the ultraviolet; refractive indices of aerosols, tables and files of general properties associated with the database; and database management software. The line-by-line portion of the database contains spectroscopic parameters for 42 molecules including many of their isotopologues.     

New High-Resolution Analysis of the ν7 and ν9 Fundamental Bands of trans-Formic Acid by Fourier Transform Infrared and Millimeter-Wave Spectroscopy

The high-resolution (0.002 cm⁻¹) spectrum of the ν₇ (OCO scissor mode) and ν₉ (COH torsion mode) fundamental bands of trans-formic acid (HCOOH) at 15.8 μm was recorded by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, millimeter-wave transitions within the 7¹ and 9¹ vibrational states were measured in the spectral range 340-600 GHz. Using these new experimental data, an extensive analysis of the ν₇ and ν₉ bands was performed. The model we have used accounts for the strong A- and B-type Coriolis interactions which couple the 7¹ and 9¹ vibrational states and which were already pointed out in the literature [J. C. Deroche, J. Kauppinen and E. Kyrö, J. Mol. Spectrosc.78, 379-394 (1979); E. Willemot, J. Mol. Spectrosc.120, 246-275 (1986)]. The observed levels are fit to within the experimental accuracy leading to the determination of a precise set of band centers of ν₇ and ν₉ at 686.1656 cm⁻¹ and 640.7251 cm⁻¹, respectively, and rotational and Coriolis constants.     

New analysis of the ν5+ν9−ν9 hot band of HNO3

Nitric acid which is an important NO_x atmospheric reservoir molecule exhibits a strong absorption in the spectral region. Since this region, which corresponds to an atmospheric window, is one of the most commonly used for the retrieval of HNO₃ in the atmosphere it is essential to have the best possible corresponding spectral parameters. Updates of these spectral line parameters were recently performed in the last versions of the atmospheric databases. They concern the line positions and intensities not only of the two interfering cold bands ν₅ and 2ν₉ but also of the ν₅+ν₉−ν₉ hot band. This hot band exhibits indeed a sharp and strong Q branch at which is clearly observable in atmospheric spectra and is used for the retrievals. However, in spite of these recent updates, it proved that the spectral parameters of the hot band are not accurate enough to reproduce accurately the observed atmospheric HNO₃ absorption in ATMOS spectra. The present paper is dedicated to a more accurate analysis of this hot band using new laboratory high-resolution (0.002-) Fourier transform spectra. As a consequence, new and more precise line positions and line intensities (about 35% weaker than in HITRAN2K) were derived leading to a significant improvement in the simulation of atmospheric spectra.