Vegetation characteristics control local sediment and nutrient retention on but not underneath vegetation in floodplain meadows.

Sediment and nutrient retention are essential ecosystem functions that floodplains provide and that improve river water quality. During floods, the floodplain vegetation retains sediment, which settles on plant surfaces and the soil underneath plants. Both sedimentation processes require that flow velocity is reduced, which may be caused by the topographic features and the vegetation structure of the floodplain.

Automated in Situ Oxygen Profiling at Aquatic-Terrestrial Interfaces.

Optical sensing technologies provide opportunities for in situ oxygen sensing capable of capturing the whole range of spatial and temporal variability. We developed a miniaturized Distributed Oxygen Sensor ("mDOS") specifically for long-term in situ application in soil and sediment. The mDOS sensor system enables the unattended, repeated acquisition of time series of in situ oxygen profiles at a subcentimeter resolution covering a depth of up to one meter.

Robust optode-based method for measuring in situ oxygen profiles in gravelly streambeds.

One of the key environmental conditions controlling biogeochemical reactions in aquatic sediments like streambeds is the distribution of dissolved oxygen. We present a novel approach for the in situ measurement of vertical oxygen profiles using a planar luminescence-based optical sensor. The instrument consists of a transparent acrylic tube with the oxygen-sensitive layer mounted on the outside.