Articles | Volume 18, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5381-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5381-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
04 Oct 2021
Technical note |
| 04 Oct 2021
| 04 Oct 2021
Technical note: Novel triple O2 sensor aquatic eddy covariance instrument with improved time shift correction reveals central role of microphytobenthos for carbon cycling in coral reef sands
Alireza Merikhi
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4520, USA
Peter Berg
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4123, USA
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4520, USA
Related authors
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Kayleigh E. Granville and Peter Berg
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4232, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4232, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
Seagrass meadows can be a source or sink of gases like carbon dioxide (CO2). Variations in these air-water gas fluxes are poorly understood. We evaluated hourly air-water CO2 fluxes over a temperate seagrass meadow (South Bay, Virginia, USA) over multiple days across three years. We directly measured in situ fluxes, identified best-fitting flux models, and evaluated flux drivers. Overall, South Bay was a small CO2 sink. South Bay was a CO2 source during a storm period.
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Short summary
The aquatic eddy covariance technique is a powerful method for measurements of solute fluxes across the sediment–water interface. Data measured by conventional eddy covariance instruments require a time shift correction that can result in substantial flux errors. We introduce a triple O2 sensor eddy covariance instrument that by design eliminates these errors. Deployments next to a conventional instrument in the Florida Keys demonstrate the improvements achieved through the new design.
The aquatic eddy covariance technique is a powerful method for measurements of solute fluxes...
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