Articles | Volume 13, issue 20
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5771-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5771-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 Oct 2016
Research article |
| 19 Oct 2016
Substantial stores of sedimentary carbon held in mid-latitude fjords
School of Geography & Geosciences, University of
St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9AL, UK
William E. N. Austin
School of Geography & Geosciences, University of
St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9AL, UK
Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine
Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK
Althea L. Davies
School of Geography & Geosciences, University of
St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9AL, UK
Agnès Baltzer
Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement
Régional de l'Université de Nantes, BP 81 227 44312 Nantes CEDEX
3, France
Richard E. Abell
Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine
Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK
John A. Howe
Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine
Institute, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK
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William Hiles, Lucy C. Miller, Craig Smeaton, and William E. N. Austin
Biogeosciences, 21, 929–948, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-929-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-929-2024, 2024
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Saltmarsh soils may help to limit the rate of climate change by storing carbon. To understand their impacts, they must be accurately mapped. We use drone data to estimate the size of three saltmarshes in NE Scotland. We find that drone imagery, combined with tidal data, can reliably inform our understanding of saltmarsh size. When compared with previous work using vegetation communities, we find that our most reliable new estimates of stored carbon are 15–20 % smaller than previously estimated.
Elena Lo Giudice Cappelli, Jessica Louise Clarke, Craig Smeaton, Keith Davidson, and William Edward Newns Austin
Biogeosciences, 16, 4183–4199, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4183-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4183-2019, 2019
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Fjords are known sinks of organic carbon (OC); however, little is known about the long-term fate of the OC stored in these sediments. The reason for this knowledge gap is the post-depositional degradation of OC. This study uses benthic foraminifera (microorganisms with calcite shells) to discriminate between post-depositional OC degradation and actual OC burial and accumulation in fjordic sediments, as foraminifera would only preserve the latter information in their assemblage composition.
Craig Smeaton, Xingqian Cui, Thomas S. Bianchi, Alix G. Cage, John A. Howe, and William E. N. Austin
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-163, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-163, 2019
Publication in BG not foreseen
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The sediments in fjords are known to be important sites for locking carbon away for long periods of time (thousands of years) but the processes by which climate and human activity influence the development of these coastal carbon stores is poorly understood. A record of long-term sediment burial from a Scottish fjord allows us to investigate the role that humans and climate has played. The results indicate that both climate and humans have an impact on terrestrial ecosystems.
Craig Smeaton, William E. N. Austin, Althea L. Davies, Agnes Baltzer, John A. Howe, and John M. Baxter
Biogeosciences, 14, 5663–5674, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5663-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5663-2017, 2017
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Fjord sediments are recognised as hotspots for the burial and long-term storage of carbon. In this study, we use the Scottish fjords as a natural laboratory. Using geophysical and geochemical analysis in combination with upscaling techniques, we have generated the first full national sedimentary C inventory for a fjordic system. The results indicate that the Scottish fjords on a like-for-like basis are more effective as C stores than their terrestrial counterparts, including Scottish peatlands.
William Hiles, Lucy C. Miller, Craig Smeaton, and William E. N. Austin
Biogeosciences, 21, 929–948, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-929-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-929-2024, 2024
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Saltmarsh soils may help to limit the rate of climate change by storing carbon. To understand their impacts, they must be accurately mapped. We use drone data to estimate the size of three saltmarshes in NE Scotland. We find that drone imagery, combined with tidal data, can reliably inform our understanding of saltmarsh size. When compared with previous work using vegetation communities, we find that our most reliable new estimates of stored carbon are 15–20 % smaller than previously estimated.
Elena Lo Giudice Cappelli, Jessica Louise Clarke, Craig Smeaton, Keith Davidson, and William Edward Newns Austin
Biogeosciences, 16, 4183–4199, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4183-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4183-2019, 2019
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Fjords are known sinks of organic carbon (OC); however, little is known about the long-term fate of the OC stored in these sediments. The reason for this knowledge gap is the post-depositional degradation of OC. This study uses benthic foraminifera (microorganisms with calcite shells) to discriminate between post-depositional OC degradation and actual OC burial and accumulation in fjordic sediments, as foraminifera would only preserve the latter information in their assemblage composition.
Craig Smeaton, Xingqian Cui, Thomas S. Bianchi, Alix G. Cage, John A. Howe, and William E. N. Austin
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-163, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-163, 2019
Publication in BG not foreseen
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The sediments in fjords are known to be important sites for locking carbon away for long periods of time (thousands of years) but the processes by which climate and human activity influence the development of these coastal carbon stores is poorly understood. A record of long-term sediment burial from a Scottish fjord allows us to investigate the role that humans and climate has played. The results indicate that both climate and humans have an impact on terrestrial ecosystems.
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J. Micropalaeontol., 37, 403–429, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-403-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-403-2018, 2018
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Current climate and environmental changes strongly affect shallow marine and coastal areas like the Baltic Sea. The combination of foraminiferal geochemistry and environmental parameters demonstrates that in a highly variable setting like the Baltic Sea, it is possible to separate different environmental impacts on the foraminiferal assemblages and therefore use chemical factors to reconstruct how seawater temperature, salinity, and oxygen varied in the past and may vary in the future.
Craig Smeaton, William E. N. Austin, Althea L. Davies, Agnes Baltzer, John A. Howe, and John M. Baxter
Biogeosciences, 14, 5663–5674, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5663-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5663-2017, 2017
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Fjord sediments are recognised as hotspots for the burial and long-term storage of carbon. In this study, we use the Scottish fjords as a natural laboratory. Using geophysical and geochemical analysis in combination with upscaling techniques, we have generated the first full national sedimentary C inventory for a fjordic system. The results indicate that the Scottish fjords on a like-for-like basis are more effective as C stores than their terrestrial counterparts, including Scottish peatlands.
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Arctic marine ecosystems are highly susceptible to impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. We present pH and pCO2 time-series (2016–2020) from the Chukchi Ecosystem Observatory and analyze the drivers of the current conditions to get a better understanding of how climate change and ocean acidification could affect the ecological niches of organisms.
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Biogeosciences, 20, 2595–2612, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2595-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2595-2023, 2023
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Charlotte Williams, Tom Hull, Matthew Palmer, Claire Mahaffey, Naomi Greenwood, Jan Kaiser, and Matthew Toberman
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-100, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-100, 2023
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Oxygen (O2) is a key indicator of ocean health. The risk of O2 loss in the productive coastal/continental slope regions is increasing. Autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with O2 optodes provide lots of data, but have problems resolving strong vertical O2 changes. Here we show how to overcome this and calculate how much O2 is supplied to the low-O2 bottom waters via mixing. Bursts in mixing supply nearly all of the O2 to bottom waters in autumn, stopping them reach ecologically low levels.
Kyle E. Hinson, Marjorie A. M. Friedrichs, Raymond G. Najjar, Maria Herrmann, Zihao Bian, Gopal Bhatt, Pierre St-Laurent, Hanqin Tian, and Gary Shenk
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Linquan Mu, Jaime B. Palter, and Hongjie Wang
Biogeosciences, 20, 1963–1977, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1963-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1963-2023, 2023
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Enhancing ocean alkalinity accelerates carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. We hypothetically added alkalinity to the Amazon River and examined the increment of the carbon uptake by the Amazon plume. We also investigated the minimum alkalinity addition in which this perturbation at the river mouth could be detected above the natural variability.
Ting Wang, Buyun Du, Inke Forbrich, Jun Zhou, Joshua Polen, Elsie M. Sunderland, Prentiss H. Balcom, Celia Y. Chen, and Daniel Obrist
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The strong seasonal increases of Hg in aboveground biomass during the growing season and the lack of changes observed after senescence in this salt marsh ecosystem suggest physiologically controlled Hg uptake pathways. The Hg sources found in marsh aboveground tissues originate from a mix of sources, unlike terrestrial ecosystems where atmospheric GEM is the main source. While belowground plant tissues mostly take up Hg from soils. Overall, the salt marsh currently serves as a small net Hg sink.
Karl M. Attard, Anna Lyssenko, and Iván F. Rodil
Biogeosciences, 20, 1713–1724, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1713-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1713-2023, 2023
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Aquatic plants produce a large amount of organic matter through photosynthesis that, following erosion, is deposited on the seafloor. In this study, we show that plant detritus can trigger low-oxygen conditions (hypoxia) in shallow coastal waters, making conditions challenging for most marine animals. We propose that the occurrence of hypoxia may be underestimated because measurements typically do not consider the region closest to the seafloor, where detritus accumulates.
Pamela Linford, Iván Pérez-Santos, Paulina Montero, Patricio Díaz, Claudia Aracena, Elías Pinilla, Facundo Barrera, Manuel Castillo, Aida Alvera-Azcárate, Mónica Alvarado, Gabriel Soto, Cécile Pujol, Camila Schwerter, Sara Arenas-Uribe, Pilar Navarro, Guido Mancilla-Gutiérrez, Robinson Altamirano, Javiera San Martín, and Camila Soto-Riquelme
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-706, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-706, 2023
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The Patagonian fjord is one world region where low-oxygen water and hypoxia conditions is observed. An in-situ data set was used to quantify the mechanism involved in the presence of low-oxygen water and hypoxic conditions in northern Patagonian fjords. Water mass analysis confirmed the contribution of equatorial subsurface water in the advection of the low-oxygen water and hypoxic conditions occurred when the community respiration rate exceeded the gross primary production.
M. James McLaughlin, Cindy Bessey, Gary A. Kendrick, John Keesing, and Ylva S. Olsen
Biogeosciences, 20, 1011–1026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1011-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1011-2023, 2023
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Coral reefs face increasing pressures from environmental change at present. The coral reef framework is produced by corals and calcifying algae. The Kimberley region of Western Australia has escaped land-based anthropogenic impacts. Specimens of the dominant coral and algae were collected from Browse Island's reef platform and incubated in mesocosms to measure calcification and production patterns of oxygen. This study provides important data on reef building and climate-driven effects.
Patricia Ayón Dejo, Elda Luz Pinedo Arteaga, Anna Schukat, Jan Taucher, Rainer Kiko, Helena Hauss, Sabrina Dorschner, Wilhelm Hagen, Mariona Segura-Noguera, and Silke Lischka
Biogeosciences, 20, 945–969, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-945-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-945-2023, 2023
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Ocean upwelling regions are highly productive. With ocean warming, severe changes in upwelling frequency and/or intensity and expansion of accompanying oxygen minimum zones are projected. In a field experiment off Peru, we investigated how different upwelling intensities affect the pelagic food web and found failed reproduction of dominant zooplankton. The changes projected could severely impact the reproductive success of zooplankton communities and the pelagic food web in upwelling regions.
Mathilde Jutras, Alfonso Mucci, Gwenaëlle Chaillou, William A. Nesbitt, and Douglas W. R. Wallace
Biogeosciences, 20, 839–849, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-839-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-839-2023, 2023
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The deep waters of the lower St Lawrence Estuary and gulf have, in the last decades, experienced a strong decline in their oxygen concentration. Below 65 µmol L-1, the waters are said to be hypoxic, with dire consequences for marine life. We show that the extent of the hypoxic zone shows a seven-fold increase in the last 20 years, reaching 9400 km2 in 2021. After a stable period at ~ 65 µmol L⁻¹ from 1984 to 2019, the oxygen level also suddenly decreased to ~ 35 µmol L-1 in 2020.
Sachi Umezawa, Manami Tozawa, Yuichi Nosaka, Daiki Nomura, Hiroji Onishi, Hiroto Abe, Tetsuya Takatsu, and Atsushi Ooki
Biogeosciences, 20, 421–438, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-421-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-421-2023, 2023
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We conducted repetitive observations in Funka Bay, Japan, during the spring bloom 2019. We found nutrient concentration decreases in the dark subsurface layer during the bloom. Incubation experiments confirmed that diatoms could consume nutrients at a substantial rate, even in darkness. We concluded that the nutrient reduction was mainly caused by nutrient consumption by diatoms in the dark.
Dirk Jong, Lisa Bröder, Tommaso Tesi, Kirsi H. Keskitalo, Nikita Zimov, Anna Davydova, Philip Pika, Negar Haghipour, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Jorien E. Vonk
Biogeosciences, 20, 271–294, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-271-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-271-2023, 2023
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With this study, we want to highlight the importance of studying both land and ocean together, and water and sediment together, as these systems function as a continuum, and determine how organic carbon derived from permafrost is broken down and its effect on global warming. Although on the one hand it appears that organic carbon is removed from sediments along the pathway of transport from river to ocean, it also appears to remain relatively ‘fresh’, despite this removal and its very old age.
Georgia Filippi, Manos Dassenakis, Vasiliki Paraskevopoulou, and Konstantinos Lazogiannis
Biogeosciences, 20, 163–189, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-163-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-163-2023, 2023
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The pollution of the western Saronikos Gulf from heavy metals has been examined through the study of marine sediment cores. It is a deep gulf (maximum depth 440 m) near Athens affected by industrial and volcanic activity. Eight cores were received from various stations and depths and analysed for their heavy metal content and geochemical characteristics. The results were evaluated by using statistical methods, environmental indicators and comparisons with old data.
Jing He and Michael D. Tyka
Biogeosciences, 20, 27–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-27-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-27-2023, 2023
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Recently, ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) has gained interest as a scalable way to address the urgent need for negative CO2 emissions. In this paper we examine the capacity of different coastlines to tolerate alkalinity enhancement and the time scale of CO2 uptake following the addition of a given quantity of alkalinity. The results suggest that OAE has significant potential and identify specific favorable and unfavorable coastlines for its deployment.
Arnaud Laurent, Haiyan Zhang, and Katja Fennel
Biogeosciences, 19, 5893–5910, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5893-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5893-2022, 2022
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The Changjiang is the main terrestrial source of nutrients to the East China Sea (ECS). Nutrient delivery to the ECS has been increasing since the 1960s, resulting in low oxygen (hypoxia) during phytoplankton decomposition in summer. River phosphorus (P) has increased less than nitrogen, and therefore, despite the large nutrient delivery, phytoplankton growth can be limited by the lack of P. Here, we investigate this link between P limitation, phytoplankton production/decomposition, and hypoxia.
Coline Poppeschi, Guillaume Charria, Anne Daniel, Romaric Verney, Peggy Rimmelin-Maury, Michaël Retho, Eric Goberville, Emilie Grossteffan, and Martin Plus
Biogeosciences, 19, 5667–5687, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5667-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5667-2022, 2022
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This paper aims to understand interannual changes in the initiation of the phytoplankton growing period (IPGP) in the current context of global climate changes over the last 20 years. An important variability in the timing of the IPGP is observed with a trend towards a later IPGP during this last decade. The role and the impact of extreme events (cold spells, floods, and wind burst) on the IPGP is also detailed.
Lin Yang, Jing Zhang, Anja Engel, and Gui-Peng Yang
Biogeosciences, 19, 5251–5268, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5251-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5251-2022, 2022
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Enrichment factors of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the eastern marginal seas of China exhibited a significant spatio-temporal variation. Photochemical and enrichment processes co-regulated DOM enrichment in the sea-surface microlayer (SML). Autochthonous DOM was more frequently enriched in the SML than terrestrial DOM. DOM in the sub-surface water exhibited higher aromaticity than that in the SML.
Mona Norbisrath, Johannes Pätsch, Kirstin Dähnke, Tina Sanders, Gesa Schulz, Justus E. E. van Beusekom, and Helmuth Thomas
Biogeosciences, 19, 5151–5165, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5151-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5151-2022, 2022
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Total alkalinity (TA) regulates the oceanic storage capacity of atmospheric CO2. TA is also metabolically generated in estuaries and influences coastal carbon storage through its inflows. We used water samples and identified the Hamburg port area as the one with highest TA generation. Of the overall riverine TA load, 14 % is generated within the estuary. Using a biogeochemical model, we estimated potential effects on the coastal carbon storage under possible anthropogenic and climate changes.
Le Zhang and Z. George Xue
Biogeosciences, 19, 4589–4618, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4589-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4589-2022, 2022
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We adopt a high-resolution carbon model for the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and calculate the decadal trends of important carbon system variables in the GoM from 2001 to 2019. The GoM surface CO2 values experienced a steady increase over the past 2 decades, and the ocean surface pH is declining. Although carbonate saturation rates remain supersaturated with aragonite, they show a slightly decreasing trend. The northern GoM is a stronger carbon sink than we thought.
Michael M. Whitney
Biogeosciences, 19, 4479–4497, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4479-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4479-2022, 2022
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Coastal hypoxia is a major environmental problem of increasing severity. The 21st-century projections analyzed indicate global coastal waters will warm and experience rapid declines in oxygen. The forecasted median coastal trends for increasing sea surface temperature and decreasing oxygen capacity are 48 % and 18 % faster than the rates observed over the last 4 decades. Existing hypoxic areas are expected to worsen, and new hypoxic areas likely will emerge under these warming-related pressures.
Bryce Van Dam, Nele Lehmann, Mary A. Zeller, Andreas Neumann, Daniel Pröfrock, Marko Lipka, Helmuth Thomas, and Michael Ernst Böttcher
Biogeosciences, 19, 3775–3789, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3775-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3775-2022, 2022
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We quantified sediment–water exchange at shallow sites in the North and Baltic seas. We found that porewater irrigation rates in the former were approximately twice as high as previously estimated, likely driven by relatively high bioirrigative activity. In contrast, we found small net fluxes of alkalinity, ranging from −35 µmol m−2 h−1 (uptake) to 53 µmol m−2 h−1 (release). We attribute this to low net denitrification, carbonate mineral (re-)precipitation, and sulfide (re-)oxidation.
Jiaying Abby Guo, Robert Strzepek, Anusuya Willis, Aaron Ferderer, and Lennart Thomas Bach
Biogeosciences, 19, 3683–3697, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3683-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3683-2022, 2022
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Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a CO2 removal method with significant potential, but it can lead to a perturbation of the ocean with trace metals such as nickel. This study tested the effect of increasing nickel concentrations on phytoplankton growth and photosynthesis. We found that the response to nickel varied across the 11 phytoplankton species tested here, but the majority were rather insensitive. We note, however, that responses may be different under other experimental conditions.
Malcolm E. Scully, W. Rockwell Geyer, David Borkman, Tracy L. Pugh, Amy Costa, and Owen C. Nichols
Biogeosciences, 19, 3523–3536, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3523-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3523-2022, 2022
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For two consecutive summers, the bottom waters in southern Cape Cod Bay became severely depleted of dissolved oxygen. Low oxygen levels in bottom waters have never been reported in this area before, and this unprecedented occurrence is likely the result of a new algae species that recently began blooming during the late-summer months. We present data suggesting that blooms of this new species are the result of regional climate change including warmer waters and changes in summer winds.
Zheng Chen, Bin Wang, Chuang Xu, Zhongren Zhang, Shiyu Li, and Jiatang Hu
Biogeosciences, 19, 3469–3490, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3469-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3469-2022, 2022
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Deterioration of low-oxygen conditions in the coastal waters off Hong Kong was revealed by monitoring data over two decades. The declining wind forcing and the increasing nutrient input contributed significantly to the areal expansion and intense deterioration of low-oxygen conditions. Also, the exacerbated eutrophication drove a shift in the dominant source of organic matter from terrestrial inputs to in situ primary production, which has probably led to an earlier onset of hypoxia in summer.
Stella-Theresa Stoicescu, Jaan Laanemets, Taavi Liblik, Māris Skudra, Oliver Samlas, Inga Lips, and Urmas Lips
Biogeosciences, 19, 2903–2920, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2903-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2903-2022, 2022
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Coastal basins with high input of nutrients often suffer from oxygen deficiency. In summer 2018, the extent of oxygen depletion was exceptional in the Gulf of Riga. We analyzed observational data and found that extensive oxygen deficiency appeared since the water layer close to the seabed, where oxygen is consumed, was separated from the surface layer. The problem worsens if similar conditions restricting vertical transport of oxygen occur more frequently in the future.
Justin C. Tiano, Jochen Depestele, Gert Van Hoey, João Fernandes, Pieter van Rijswijk, and Karline Soetaert
Biogeosciences, 19, 2583–2598, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2583-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2583-2022, 2022
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This study gives an assessment of bottom trawling on physical, chemical, and biological characteristics in a location known for its strong currents and variable habitats. Although trawl gears only removed the top 1 cm of the seabed surface, impacts on reef-building tubeworms significantly decreased carbon and nutrient cycling. Lighter trawls slightly reduced the impact on fauna and nutrients. Tubeworms were strongly linked to biogeochemical and faunal aspects before but not after trawling.
Inda Brinkmann, Christine Barras, Tom Jilbert, Tomas Næraa, K. Mareike Paul, Magali Schweizer, and Helena L. Filipsson
Biogeosciences, 19, 2523–2535, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2523-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2523-2022, 2022
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The concentration of the trace metal barium (Ba) in coastal seawater is a function of continental input, such as riverine discharge. Our geochemical records of the severely hot and dry year 2018, and following wet year 2019, reveal that prolonged drought imprints with exceptionally low Ba concentrations in benthic foraminiferal calcium carbonates of coastal sediments. This highlights the potential of benthic Ba / Ca to trace past climate extremes and variability in coastal marine records.
Shichao Tian, Birgit Gaye, Jianhui Tang, Yongming Luo, Wenguo Li, Niko Lahajnar, Kirstin Dähnke, Tina Sanders, Tianqi Xiong, Weidong Zhai, and Kay-Christian Emeis
Biogeosciences, 19, 2397–2415, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2397-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2397-2022, 2022
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We constrain the nitrogen budget and in particular the internal sources and sinks of nitrate in the Bohai Sea by using a mass-based and dual stable isotope approach based on δ15N and δ18O of nitrate. Based on available mass fluxes and isotope data an updated nitrogen budget is proposed. Compared to previous estimates, it is more complete and includes the impact of the interior cycle (nitrification) on the nitrate pool. The main external nitrogen sources are rivers contributing 19.2 %–25.6 %.
Gesa Schulz, Tina Sanders, Justus E. E. van Beusekom, Yoana G. Voynova, Andreas Schöl, and Kirstin Dähnke
Biogeosciences, 19, 2007–2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2007-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2007-2022, 2022
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Estuaries can significantly alter nutrient loads before reaching coastal waters. Our study of the heavily managed Ems estuary (Northern Germany) reveals three zones of nitrogen turnover along the estuary with water-column denitrification in the most upstream hyper-turbid part, nitrate production in the middle reaches and mixing/nitrate uptake in the North Sea. Suspended particulate matter was the overarching control on nitrogen cycling in the hyper-turbid estuary.
Wiley Evans, Geoffrey T. Lebon, Christen D. Harrington, Yuichiro Takeshita, and Allison Bidlack
Biogeosciences, 19, 1277–1301, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1277-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1277-2022, 2022
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Information on the marine carbon dioxide system along the northeast Pacific Inside Passage has been limited. To address this gap, we instrumented an Alaskan ferry in order to characterize the marine carbon dioxide system in this region. Data over a 2-year period were used to assess drivers of the observed variability, identify the timing of severe conditions, and assess the extent of contemporary ocean acidification as well as future levels consistent with a 1.5 °C warmer climate.
Melissa Ward, Tye L. Kindinger, Heidi K. Hirsh, Tessa M. Hill, Brittany M. Jellison, Sarah Lummis, Emily B. Rivest, George G. Waldbusser, Brian Gaylord, and Kristy J. Kroeker
Biogeosciences, 19, 689–699, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-689-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-689-2022, 2022
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Here, we synthesize the results from 62 studies reporting in situ rates of seagrass metabolism to highlight spatial and temporal variability in oxygen fluxes and inform efforts to use seagrass to mitigate ocean acidification. Our analyses suggest seagrass meadows are generally autotrophic and variable in space and time, and the effects on seawater oxygen are relatively small in magnitude.
Tianfei Xue, Ivy Frenger, A. E. Friederike Prowe, Yonss Saranga José, and Andreas Oschlies
Biogeosciences, 19, 455–475, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-455-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-455-2022, 2022
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The Peruvian system supports 10 % of the world's fishing yield. In the Peruvian system, wind and earth’s rotation bring cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface and allow phytoplankton to grow. But observations show that it grows worse at high upwelling. Using a model, we find that high upwelling happens when air mixes the water the most. Then phytoplankton is diluted and grows slowly due to low light and cool upwelled water. This study helps to estimate how it might change in a warming climate.
Shao-Min Chen, Ulf Riebesell, Kai G. Schulz, Elisabeth von der Esch, Eric P. Achterberg, and Lennart T. Bach
Biogeosciences, 19, 295–312, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-295-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-295-2022, 2022
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Oxygen minimum zones in the ocean are characterized by enhanced carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and are being further acidified by increasing anthropogenic atmospheric CO2. Here we report CO2 system measurements in a mesocosm study offshore Peru during a rare coastal El Niño event to investigate how CO2 dynamics may respond to ongoing ocean deoxygenation. Our observations show that nitrogen limitation, productivity, and plankton community shift play an important role in driving the CO2 dynamics.
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Short summary
Quantifying the carbon (C) stored within coastal sediments is key to improving our knowledge of the local and global C cycle. Here we present a new methodology to calculate the quantity of C held within coastal sediments. Through the application of this method to a mid-latitude fjord we have shown that a substantial quantity of C is held within these sediments. Additionally, we discovered that these sediments are more effective long-term stores of C than their terrestrial equivalents.
Quantifying the carbon (C) stored within coastal sediments is key to improving our knowledge of...
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