Articles | Volume 20, issue 24
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4931-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4931-2023
Research article
 | 
14 Dec 2023
Research article |  | 14 Dec 2023

Recent inorganic carbon increase in a temperate estuary driven by water quality improvement and enhanced by droughts

Louise C. V. Rewrie, Burkard Baschek, Justus E. E. van Beusekom, Arne Körtzinger, Gregor Ollesch, and Yoana G. Voynova

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Cited articles

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Alfieri, L., Burek, P., Feyen, L., and Forzieri, G.: Global warming increases the frequency of river floods in Europe, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2247–2260, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2247-2015, 2015. 
Amann, T., Weiss, A., and Hartmann, J.: Carbon dynamics in the freshwater part of the Elbe estuary, Germany: Implications of improving water quality, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 107, 112–121, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2012.05.012, 2012. 
Amann, T., Weiss, A., and Hartmann, J.: Inorganic carbon fluxes in the inner Elbe estuary, Germany, Estuar. Coast., 38, 192–210, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-014-9785-6, 2015. 
Apple, J. K., Del Giorgio, P. A., and Kemp, W. M.: Temperature regulation of bacterial production, respiration, and growth efficiency in a temperate salt-marsh estuary, Aquat. Microb. Ecol., 43, 243–254, https://doi.org/10.3354/ame043243, 2006. 
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Short summary
After heavy pollution in the 1980s, a long-term inorganic carbon increase in the Elbe Estuary (1997–2020) was fueled by phytoplankton and organic carbon production in the upper estuary, associated with improved water quality. A recent drought (2014–2020) modulated the trend, extending the water residence time and the dry summer season into May. The drought enhanced production of inorganic carbon in the estuary but significantly decreased the annual inorganic carbon export to coastal waters.
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