Isotopic evidence for sources of dissolved carbon and the role of organic matter respiration in the Fraser River basin, Canada
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10533_2022_Article_945.pdf
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dc9ec1a1159a378ea643a8e55199de40
Author(s)
Voss, Britta M.
Eglinton, Timothy I.
Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Bernhard
Galy, Valier
Lang, Susan Q.
McIntyre, Cameron
Spencer, Robert G. M.
Bulygina, Ekaterina
Wang, Zhaohui A.
Guay, Katherine A.
Date Issued
July 10, 2022
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Citation
Voss, Britta M., Eglinton, Timothy I., Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Bernhard, Galy, Valier, Lang, Susan Q. et al. 2022. "Isotopic evidence for sources of dissolved carbon and the role of organic matter respiration in the Fraser River basin, Canada."
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Abstract
Sources of dissolved and particulate carbon to the Fraser River system vary significantly in space and time. Tributaries in the northern interior of the basin consistently deliver higher concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to the main stem than other tributaries. Based on samples collected near the Fraser River mouth throughout 2013, the radiocarbon age of DOC exported from the Fraser River does not change significantly across seasons despite a spike in DOC concentration during the freshet, suggesting modulation of heterogeneous upstream chemical and isotopic signals during transit through the river basin. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations are highest in the Rocky Mountain headwater region where carbonate weathering is evident, but also in tributaries with high DOC concentrations, suggesting that DOC respiration may be responsible for a significant portion of DIC in this basin. Using an isotope and major ion mass balance approach to constrain the contributions of carbonate and silicate weathering and DOC respiration, we estimate that up to 33 ± 11% of DIC is derived from DOC respiration in some parts of the Fraser River basin. Overall, these results indicate close coupling between the cycling of DOC and DIC, and that carbon is actively processed and transformed during transport through the river network.
MIT Department
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-022-00945-5
