Following publications have been announced by our Institute of Carbon Cycles. For further information please contact the marked authors of the publications:
Norbisrath, M., Pätsch, J., Dähnke, K., Sanders, T., Schulz, G., van Beusekom, J.E.E., & Thomas, H. (2022): Metabolic alkalinity release from large port facilities (Hamburg, Germany) and impact on coastal carbon storage. Biogeosciences, 19, 5151–5165, doi:10.5194/bg-19-5151-2022
Abstract:
Metabolic activities in estuaries, especially these of large rivers, profoundly affect the downstream coastal biogeochemistry. Here, we unravel the impacts of large industrial port facilities, showing that elevated metabolic activity in the Hamburg port (Germany) increases total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) runoff to the North Sea. The imports of particulate inorganic carbon, particulate organic carbon, and particulate organic nitrogen (PIC, POC, and PON) from the upstream Elbe River can fuel up to 90 % of the TA generated in the entire estuary via calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dissolution. The remaining at least 10 % of TA generation can be attributed to anaerobic metabolic processes such as denitrification of remineralized PON or other pathways. The Elbe Estuary as a whole adds approximately 15 % to the overall DIC and TA runoff. Both the magnitude and partitioning among these processes appear to be sensitive to climatic and anthropogenic changes. Thus, with increased TA loads, the coastal ocean (in particular) would act as a stronger CO2 sink, resulting in changes to the overall coastal system’s capacity to store CO2.
Dähnke, K., Sanders, T., Voynova, Y., & Wankel, S.D. (2022): Nitrogen isotopes reveal a particulate-matter-driven biogeochemical reactor in a temperate estuary. Biogeosciences, 19, 5879–5891, doi:10.5194/bg-19-5879-2022
Abstract:
Estuaries and rivers are important biogeochemical reactors that act to modify the loads and composition of nutrients in the coastal zone. In a case study during July 2013, we sampled an 80 km transect along the Elbe Estuary under low-oxygen conditions. To better elucidate specific mechanisms of estuarine nitrogen processing, we tracked the evolution of the stable isotopic composition of nitrate, nitrite, particulate matter, and ammonium through the water column. This approach allowed assessment of the in situ isotope effects of ammonium and nitrite oxidation and of remineralization at the reach scale. The isotope effects of nitrite oxidation and ammonium oxidation were consistent with pure-culture assessments. We found that the nitrogen budget of the Elbe Estuary is governed by settling, resuspension, and remineralization of particulate matter, and we further used our stable isotope data to evaluate sources and sinks of nitrogen in the Elbe Estuary via an isotope mass-balance approach. We find that the reactivity of particulate matter, through its remineralization in the estuary, is the main control on the isotope dynamics of inorganic nitrogen species. Moreover, while underscoring this role of particulate matter delivery and reactivity, the isotope mass balance also indicated additional sinks of reactive nitrogen, such as possible denitrification of water column nitrate in the intensively dredged and deep Hamburg Harbor region.
Waldmann, C., Fischer, P., Seitz, S., Köllner, M., Fischer, J.-G., Bergenthal, M., Brix, H., Weinreben, S., & Huber, R. (2022): A methodology to uncertainty quantification of essential ocean variables. Front. Mar. Sci. 9:1002153, doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.1002153
Abstract:
The goal of this study is to provide a universally applicable procedure for a systematic evaluation of in situ measured data from single sensors regarding quantifying the uncertainty of the measurement results. As determining uncertainty for an environmental parameter also depends on the parameter itself, the focus here will be set on the variable water temperature in the first place. A separate analysis for salinity and other data will follow in later publications. With this first of a series of planned manuscripts on different parameters, we aim at providing a common understanding of how measurement uncertainty on single sensor measurements can be derived. Using an experimental in situ set-up with 6 different standard CTD sensors of two different brands, we created a four month-long, high-quality data set to be used to develop a reliable method for quantifying measurement uncertainties. Although the CTDs were deployed in a mooring in a coastal environment the described method can be extended to other deployment configurations as well. The described procedures have evolved as a stepwise process that takes the different perspectives of the involved authors into account, as well as the special conditions for environmental measurements, which are collected while the observed volume/area is undergoing a constant change. By sharing the ideas with other stakeholders, the basic concept can be extended to other observing programs and to other essential ocean variables.