Carbon cycling in the German Bight: An estimate of transformation processes and transport

Reimer, Andreas; Brasse, S.; Doerffer, R.; Dürselen, Claus‐Dieter; Kempe, S.; Michaelis, Walter; Rick, H. J.; Seifert, Richard

doi:10.1007/bf02764179

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Data have been reported in various systems such as the plume of the Ganges, the Mahanadi, the Godavari and the Krishna (Kumar et al 1996), of the Congo (Bakker et al 1999), of the Yangtze and the Yellow river (Chen & Wang 1999;Tsunogai et al 1999), of the Lena river (Semiletov 1999) and of the Amazon (Ternon et al 2000). However, the most comprehensive studies from the point of view of both spatial and temporal coverage have been reported for the plume of the Rhine (Hoppema 1991) and the plume of the Elbe/Weser (Brasse et al 1999(Brasse et al , 2002Reimer et al 1999). Among the latter, air-water CO 2 fluxes were only computed by Reimer et al (1999) using the W K-wind relationship and from their data we can estimate an annually integrated value of -4.6 mol m −2 year −1 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, atmospheric CO 2 fluxes in estuarine plumes are poorly constrained because dissolved inorganic carbon in these coastal areas shows marked seasonal and spatial variation (e.g. Hoppema 1991;Borges & Frankignoulle 1999;Reimer et al 1999). Ketchum (1983) defines estuarine plumes as 'plumes of freshened water which float on the more dense coastal sea water and they can be traced for many miles from the geographical mouth of the estuary'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Borges

Frankignoulle

2002

Biogeochemistry

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In the present paper we report partial pressure of CO 2 (pCO 2 ) data obtained off the Belgian coast during 24 cruises. The temporal and spatial resolution of this data set allows us to discuss satisfactorily seasonal and inter-annual variability of pCO 2 in the study area. The dynamics of pCO 2 are described using two approaches: fixed reference stations and area survey cruises. The air-water fluxes of CO 2 in the Scheldt estuarine plume and in the outerplume region are estimated quantitatively, showing that these areas correspond respectively to a net annual source and sink of atmospheric CO 2 . The annually integrated air-water fluxes for the Scheldt estuarine plume range between +1.1 and +1.9 mol m −2 year −1 as a function of the formulation of the exchange coefficient of CO 2 . The annual net emission of CO 2 from the estuarine plume to the atmosphere is estimated to be between +2.3 to +4.0 Gmol year −1 which represents 17 to 29% of the estimate reported in the literature for the Scheldt inner estuary.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Borges

Frankignoulle

2002

Biogeochemistry

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“…Typically, in summer, when nutrient influx from rivers is reduced, remineralization of organic matter plays an important role in sustaining high primary production in the German Bight. The annual turnover rate in the North Sea and the Wadden Sea is high (van Beusekom et al, 1999;, Reimer et al, 1999. Therefore, a sudden influx of nitrogen-rich water on the coast is likely to stimulate the already efficient high rates of primary production and remineralization (van Beusekom et Biogeosciences Discuss., doi:10.5194/bg-2016-218, 2016 Manuscript under review for journal Biogeosciences Published: 9 June 2016 c Author(s) 2016.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of "Extreme Flood Impact on Estuarine and Coastal Biogeochemistry: the 2013 Elbe Flood" by Voynova et al.

2016

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Within the context of predicted and observed increase in droughts and floods with climate change, large summer floods are likely to become more frequent. These extreme events can alter typical biogeochemical patterns in coastal systems. The extreme Elbe River flood in June, 2013 not only caused major damages in several European countries, but also generated large scale biogeochemical changes in the Elbe Estuary and the adjacent German Bight. Due to a number of well documented and unusual atmospheric conditions, the early summer of 2013 in Central and Eastern Europe was colder and wetter than usual, with saturated soils, and higher than average cumulative precipitation. Additional precipitation at the end of May, and beginning of June, 2013, caused widespread floods within the Danube and Elbe Rivers, as well as billions of euros in damages. The floods generated the largest summer discharge on record within the last 140 years. The high-frequency monitoring network in the German Bight available within the Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA) captured the flood influence on the German Bight. Monitoring data from a FerryBox station in the Elbe Estuary (Cuxhaven) and from a FerryBox platform aboard the M/V Funny Girl Ferry (travelling between Büsum and Helgoland) documented the salinity changes on the German Bight, which persisted for about 2 months after the peak discharge. The flood generated a large influx of nutrients, dissolved and particulate organic carbon on the coast. These conditions subsequently led to the onset of a chlorophyll bloom within the German Bight, observed by dissolved oxygen supersaturation, and higher than usual pH in surface coastal waters. The prolonged stratification also led to widespread bottom water dissolved oxygen depletion, unusual for the south eastern German Bight in the summer.

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“…Also, the nearshore effects of CO 2 uptake and acidification are difficult to determine, because of the shallow water depth and a possible superposition by benthic-pelagic coupling, and strong variations in fluxes of total alkalinity (TA) are associated with inflow of nutrients from rivers, pelagic nutrient-driven production and respiration (Provoost et al, 2010), submarine groundwater discharge (SGD; Winde et al, 2014), and benthic-pelagic pore water exchange (e.g. Billerbeck et al, 2006;Riedel et al, 2010;Moore et al, 2011;Winde et al, 2014;Santos et al, 2012Santos et al, , 2015Brenner et al, 2016;Burt et al, 2014Burt et al, , 2016Seibert et al, 2019). Finally, shifts within the carbonate system are driven by impacts from watershed processes and modulated by changes in ecosystem structure and metabolism (Duarte et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of intertidal areas on the carbonate system of the southern North Sea

et al. 2020

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Abstract. The coastal ocean is strongly affected by ocean acidification because of its shallow water depths, low volume, and the closeness to terrestrial dynamics. Earlier observations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) in the southern part of the North Sea, a northwest European shelf sea, revealed lower acidification effects than expected. It has been assumed that anaerobic degradation and subsequent TA release in the adjacent back-barrier tidal areas (Wadden Sea) in summertime is responsible for this phenomenon. In this study the exchange rates of TA and DIC between the Wadden Sea tidal basins and the North Sea and the consequences for the carbonate system in the German Bight are estimated using a 3D ecosystem model. The aim of this study is to differentiate the various sources contributing to observed high summer TA in the southern North Sea. Measured TA and DIC in the Wadden Sea are considered as model boundary conditions. This procedure acknowledges the dynamic behaviour of the Wadden Sea as an area of effective production and decomposition of organic material. According to the modelling results, 39 Gmol TA yr−1 were exported from the Wadden Sea into the North Sea, which is less than a previous estimate but within a comparable range. The interannual variabilities in TA and DIC, mainly driven by hydrodynamic conditions, were examined for the years 2001–2009. Dynamics in the carbonate system are found to be related to specific weather conditions. The results suggest that the Wadden Sea is an important driver for the carbonate system in the southern North Sea. On average 41 % of TA inventory changes in the German Bight were caused by riverine input, 37 % by net transport from adjacent North Sea sectors, 16 % by Wadden Sea export, and 6 % were caused by internal net production of TA. The dominant role of river input for the TA inventory disappears when focusing on TA concentration changes due to the corresponding freshwater fluxes diluting the marine TA concentrations. The ratio of exported TA versus DIC reflects the dominant underlying biogeochemical processes in the Wadden Sea. Whereas aerobic degradation of organic matter played a key role in the North Frisian Wadden Sea during all seasons of the year, anaerobic degradation of organic matter dominated in the East Frisian Wadden Sea. Despite the scarcity of high-resolution field data, it is shown that anaerobic degradation in the Wadden Sea is one of the main contributors of elevated summer TA values in the southern North Sea.

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Carbon cycling in the German Bight: An estimate of transformation processes and transport

Cited by 16 publications

References 27 publications

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Review of "Extreme Flood Impact on Estuarine and Coastal Biogeochemistry: the 2013 Elbe Flood" by Voynova et al.

The impact of intertidal areas on the carbonate system of the southern North Sea

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