scholarly journals Particulate Organic Carbon in the Tropical Usumacinta River, Southeast Mexico: Concentration, Flux, and Sources

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1561
Author(s):  
Daniel Cuevas-Lara ◽  
Javier Alcocer ◽  
Daniela Cortés-Guzmán ◽  
Ismael F. Soria-Reinoso ◽  
Felipe García-Oliva ◽  
...  

Particulate organic carbon (POC) derived from inland water plays an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle; however, the POC dynamic in tropical rivers is poorly known. We assessed the POC concentration, flux, and sources in the Usumacinta, the largest tropical river in North America, to determine the controls on POC export to the Gulf of Mexico. We examined the Mexican middle and lower Usumacinta Basin during the 2017 dry (DS) and rainy (RS) seasons. The POC concentration ranged from 0.48 to 4.7 mg L−1 and was higher in the RS, though only in the middle basin, while remaining similar in both seasons in the lower basin. The POC was predominantly allochthonous (54.7 to 99.6%). However, autochthonous POC (phytoplankton) increased in the DS (from 5.1 to 17.7%) in both basins. The POC mass inflow–outflow balance suggested that floodplains supply (C source) autochthonous POC during the DS while retaining (C sink) allochthonous POC in the RS. Ranging between 109.1 (DS) and 926.1 t POC d−1 (RS), the Usumacinta River POC export to the Gulf of Mexico was similar to that of other tropical rivers with a comparable water discharge. The extensive floodplains and the “Pantanos de Centla” wetlands in the lowlands largely influenced the POC dynamics and export to the southern Gulf of Mexico.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
RamyaPriya Ramesh ◽  
Elango Lakshmanan

<p>The carbon fluxes in rivers plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle but its role is always understated. The tropical rivers alone accounts for about 70% of global riverine carbon fluxes due to their large areal extent, varying climatic conditions and land use. Studies on the dissolved carbon fluxes in non-perennial tropical rivers are limited, but it holds much importance as that of perennial rivers. Hence, the present study was carried out with an objective to understand about the inorganic and organic carbon fluxes in a large non-perennial tropical river of Southern India. The samples were collected from 28 locations along the river thrice in a year from 2013-2020 and were analysed for major ions, DIC and DOC. The concentration of DIC in the river water in most of the locations is greater than that of DOC. The DOC concentration is greater at pristine locations thereby decreasing along the flow direction of the river, whereas the DIC concentration increases along the flow direction. The spatial and temporal variability in DOC and DIC concentrations is attributed due to the changes in the rainfall, river flow, climate, lithology, land use patterns, in the catchment. The DIC concentration was found to be majorly governed by silicate and carbonate weathering along with biogenic process, mineralisation and other river process, whereas the primary production, microbial process along with soil organic carbon influences the DOC concentration in the rivers. Thus, this study identifies the sources of DIC and DOC in rivers and the processes which influences the carbon export to the sea.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Tang ◽  
Nolwenn Lemaitre ◽  
Maxi Castrillejo ◽  
Montserrat Roca-Martí ◽  
Pere Masqué ◽  
...  

Abstract. The disequilibrium between 210Po activity and 210Pb activity in seawater samples was determined along the GEOTRACES GA01 transect in the North Atlantic during the GEOVIDE cruise (May–June 2014). A steady-state model was used to quantify vertical export of particulate 210Po. Vertical advection was incorporated into one version of the model using time-averaged vertical velocity, which had substantial variance. This resulted in large uncertainties for the 210Po export flux in this model, suggesting that those calculations of 210Po export fluxes should be used with great care. Despite the large uncertainties, there is no question that the deficits of 210Po in the Iberian Basin and at the Greenland Shelf have been strongly affected by vertical advection. Using the export flux of 210Po and the particulate organic carbon (POC) to 210Po ratio of total (> 1 µm) particles, we determined the POC export fluxes along the transect. Both the magnitude and efficiency of the estimated POC export flux from the surface ocean varied spatially within our study region. Export fluxes of POC ranged from negligible to 10 mmol C m−2 d−1, with enhanced POC export in the Labrador Sea. The cruise track was characterized by overall low POC export relative to net primary production (export efficiency < 1 %–15 %), but relatively high export efficiencies were seen in the basins where diatoms dominated the phytoplankton community. The particularly low export efficiencies in the Iberian Basin, on the other hand, were explained by the dominance of smaller phytoplankton, such as cyanobacteria or coccolithophores. POC fluxes estimated from the 210Po∕210Pb and 234Th∕238U disequilibria agreed within a factor of 3 along the transect, with higher POC estimates generally derived from 234Th. The differences were attributed to integration timescales and the history of bloom events.


2020 ◽  
Vol 242 ◽  
pp. 106843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández ◽  
Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza ◽  
Tomasa Cuéllar-Martínez ◽  
Libia Hascibe Pérez-Bernal ◽  
Vladislav Carnero-Bravo ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Baek Son ◽  
Wilford D. Gardner ◽  
Alexey V. Mishonov ◽  
Mary Jo Richardson

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 5513-5538
Author(s):  
Gaël Many ◽  
Caroline Ulses ◽  
Claude Estournel ◽  
Patrick Marsaleix

Abstract. The Gulf of Lion shelf (GoL, NW Mediterranean) is one of the most productive areas in the Mediterranean Sea. A 3D coupled hydrodynamic–biogeochemical model is used to study the mechanisms that drive the particulate organic carbon (POC) dynamics over the shelf. A set of observations, including temporal series from a coastal station, remote sensing of surface chlorophyll a, and a glider deployment, is used to validate the distribution of physical and biogeochemical variables from the model. The model reproduces the time and spatial evolution of temperature, chlorophyll a, and nitrate concentrations well and shows a clear annual cycle of gross primary production and respiration. We estimate an annual net primary production of ∼ 200 × 104 t C yr−1 at the scale of the shelf. The primary production is marked by a coast-slope increase with maximal values in the eastern region. Our results show that the primary production is favoured by the inputs of nutrients imported from offshore waters, representing 3 and 15 times the inputs of the Rhône in terms of nitrate and phosphate. In addition, the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decomposition highlights the role of solar radiation anomalies and continental winds that favour upwellings, and inputs of the Rhône River, in annual changes in the net primary production. Annual POC deposition (27 × 104 t C yr−1) represents 13 % of the net primary production. The delivery of terrestrial POC favours the deposition in front of the Rhône mouth, and the mean cyclonic circulation increases the deposition between 30 and 50 m depth from the Rhône prodelta to the west. Mechanisms responsible for POC export (24 × 104 t C yr−1) to the open sea are discussed. The export off the shelf in the western part, from the Cap de Creus to the Lacaze-Duthiers canyon, represents 37 % of the total POC export. Maximum values are obtained during shelf dense water cascading events and marine winds. Considering surface waters only, the POC is mainly exported in the eastern part of the shelf through shelf waters and Rhône inputs, which spread to the Northern Current during favourable continental wind conditions. The GoL shelf appears as an autotrophic ecosystem with a positive net ecosystem production and as a source of POC for the adjacent NW Mediterranean basin. The undergoing and future increase in temperature and stratification induced by climate change could impact the trophic status of the GoL shelf and the carbon export towards the deep basin. It is crucial to develop models to predict and assess these future evolutions.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changchun Huang ◽  
Lin Yao ◽  
Hao Yang ◽  
Chen Lin ◽  
Tao Huang ◽  
...  

Abstract. We examined the relationship between, and variations in, particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) based on previously acquired ocean and inland water data. Some new points were found beside the traditional latitude, depth and temperature dependence of POC, PON and POC/PON. The global average value of POC/PON (7.54±3.82) is higher than the Redfield ratio (6.63). The mean values of POC/PON in south and north hemisphere are 7.40±3.83 and 7.80±3.92, respectively. The high values of POC/PON appeared between 80° N~90° N (12.2±7.5) and 70° N~80° N (9.4±6.4), and relatively low POC/PON were found from 20 °N (6.6±2.8) to 40 °N (6.7±2.7). The latitudinal dependency of POC/PON in the northern hemisphere is much stronger than in the southern hemisphere. Variations of POC/PON in inland water also showed similar latitude-dependency of POC/PON in ocean water, but significantly regulated by lake’s morphology, trophic state and climate, etc. factors. Higher POC and PON could be expected in the coastal water, while POC/PON significantly increased from 6.89±2.38 to 7.59±4.22 in north hemisphere with the increasing rate of 0.0024/km. The coupling relationship between POC and PON in oceans is much stronger than in inland waters. Variations in POC, PON and POC/PON in inland waters should receive more attention due to the importance of these values to global carbon and nitrogen cycles and the indeterminacy of the relationship between POC and PON.


2021 ◽  
Vol 751 ◽  
pp. 142115
Author(s):  
S. Kiran Kumar Reddy ◽  
Harish Gupta ◽  
Upendra Badimela ◽  
D. Venkat Reddy ◽  
Rama Mohan Kurakalva ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 2045-2062 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bouillon ◽  
A. Yambélé ◽  
R. G. M. Spencer ◽  
D. P. Gillikin ◽  
P. J. Hernes ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Oubangui is a major tributary of the Congo River, draining an area of ~500 000 km2 mainly consisting of wooded savannahs. Here, we report results of a one year long, 2-weekly sampling campaign in Bangui (Central African Republic) since March 2010 for a suite of physico-chemical and biogeochemical characteristics, including total suspended matter (TSM), bulk concentration and stable isotope composition of particulate organic carbon (POC and δ13CPOC), particulate nitrogen (PN and δ15NPN), dissolved organic carbon (DOC and δ13CDOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC and δ13CDIC), dissolved greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O), and dissolved lignin composition. δ13C signatures of both POC and DOC showed strong seasonal variations (−30.6 to −25.8‰, and −31.8 to −27.1‰, respectively), but their different timing indicates that the origins of POC and DOC may vary strongly over the hydrograph and are largely uncoupled, differing up to 6‰ in δ13C signatures. Dissolved lignin characteristics (carbon-normalised yields, cinnamyl:vanillyl phenol ratios, and vanillic acid to vanillin ratios) showed marked differences between high and low discharge conditions, consistent with major seasonal variations in the sources of dissolved organic matter. We observed a strong seasonality in pCO2, ranging between 470 ± 203 ppm for Q < 1000 m3 s−1 (n=10) to a maximum of 3750 ppm during the first stage of the rising discharge. The low POC/PN ratios, high %POC and low and variable δ13CPOC signatures during low flow conditions suggest that the majority of the POC pool during this period consists of in situ produced phytoplankton, consistent with concurrent pCO2 (partial pressure of CO2) values only slightly above and, occasionally, below atmospheric equilibrium. Water-atmosphere CO2 fluxes estimated using two independent approaches averaged 105 and 204 g C m−2 yr−1, i.e. more than an order of magnitude lower than current estimates for large tropical rivers globally. Although tropical rivers are often assumed to show much higher CO2 effluxes compared to temperate systems, we show that in situ production may be high enough to dominate the particulate organic carbon pool, and lower pCO2 values to near equilibrium values during low discharge conditions. The total annual flux of TSM, POC, PN, DOC and DIC are 2.33 Tg yr−1, 0.14 Tg C yr−1, 0.014 Tg N yr−1, 0.70 Tg C yr−1, and 0.49 Tg C yr−1, respectively. While our TSM and POC fluxes are similar to previous estimates for the Oubangui, DOC fluxes were ~30% higher and bicarbonate fluxes were ~35% lower than previous reports. DIC represented 58% of the total annual C flux, and under the assumptions that carbonate weathering represents 25% of the DIC flux and that CO2 from respiration drives chemical weathering, this flux is equivalent to ~50% of terrestrial-derived riverine C transport.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 13719-13751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Wang ◽  
K. Van Oost ◽  
A. Lang ◽  
W. Clymans ◽  
G. Govers

Abstract. Colluvial soils are enriched in soil organic carbon (SOC) in comparison to the soils of upslope areas due to the deposition and subsurface burial of SOC. It has been suggested that the burial of SOC has important implications for the global carbon cycle, but the long-term dynamics of buried SOC remains poorly constrained. We address this issue by determining the SOC burial efficiency (i.e., the fraction of originally deposited SOC that is preserved in colluvial deposits) of buried SOC as well as the SOC stability in colluvial soils. We quantify the turnover rate of deposited SOC by establishing sediment and SOC burial chronologies. The SOC stability is derived from soil incubation experiments and the δ13C values of SOC. The C burial efficiency was found to decrease exponentially with time reaching a constant ratio of approximately 17%. This exponential decrease is attributed to the increasing recalcitrance of buried SOC with time and a less favourable environment for SOC decomposition with increasing depth. Buried SOC is found to be more stable and degraded in comparison to SOC sampled at the same depth at a stable site. This is due to preferential mineralization of the labile fraction of deposited SOC resulting in enrichment of more degraded and recalcitrant SOC in colluvial soils. In order to better understand the long-term effects of soil erosion for the global C cycle, the temporal variation of deposited SOC and its controlling factors need to be characterized and quantified.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaël Many ◽  
Caroline Ulses ◽  
Claude Estournel ◽  
Patrick Marsaleix

Abstract. The Gulf of Lion shelf (NW Mediterranean) is one of the most productive areas in the Mediterranean Sea. A 3D coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model is used to study the mechanisms that drive the particulate organic carbon (POC) budget over the shelf. A set of observations, including temporal series from a coastal station, remote sensing of surface chlorophyll-a, and a glider deployment, is used to validate the distribution of physical and biogeochemical variables from the model. The model reproduces well the time and spatial evolution of temperature, chlorophyll, and nitrate concentrations and shows a clear annual cycle of gross primary production and respiration. Knowing the physical and biogeochemical inputs and outputs terms, the annual budget of the POC in the Gulf of Lion is estimated and discussed. We estimate an annual net primary production of ~200 104 tC yr−1 at the scale of the shelf. The primary production is marked by a coast-slope increase with maximal values in the eastern region. Our results show that the primary production is favored by the inputs of nutrients imported from offshore waters, representing 3 and 15 times the inputs of the Rhône in terms of nitrate and phosphate. Besides, the EOFs decomposition highlights the role of solar radiation anomalies and continental winds that favor upwellings, and inputs of the Rhône River, on annual changes in the net primary production. Annual POC deposition (19 104 tC yr−1) represents 10 % of the net primary production. The delivery of terrestrial POC favored the deposition in front of the Rhône mouth and the mean cyclonic circulation increases the deposition between 30 and 50 m depth from the Rhône prodelta to the west. Mechanisms responsible for POC export (24 104 tC yr−1) to the open sea are discussed. The export off the shelf in the western part, from the Cap de Creus to the Lacaze-Duthiers canyon, represented 37 % of the total POC export. Maximum values were obtained during shelf dense water cascading events and marine winds. Considering surface waters only, the POC was mainly exported in the eastern part of the shelf through shelf waters and Rhône inputs, which spread to the Northern Current during favorable continental wind conditions. The Gulf of Lion shelf appears as an autotrophic ecosystem with a positive Net Ecosystem Production and as a source of POC for the adjacent NW Mediterranean basin. The undergoing and future increase in temperature and stratification induced by climate change could impact the trophic status of the GoL shelf and the carbon export towards the deep basin. It is crucial to develop models to predict and assess these future evolutions.


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