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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Inorganic carbon outwelling from a Mediterranean seagrass meadow using radium isotopes
Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, Vol.283, 108248
05/04/2023
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Abstract
Seagrass meadows are ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems widely recognised for their potential role in climate change mitigation. Previous studies have focused mainly on carbon storage within meadows and sediments. However, little is known about contribution of outwelling (i.e., lateral transport) to seagrass carbon budgets. Here, radium isotopes (223Ra and 224Ra) were used to assess dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) outwelling from a Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica meadow during early autumn. DIC outwelling was 114 ± 61 mmol m−2 day−1 and exceeded above-meadow CO2 outgassing (3 ± 1 mmol m−2 day−1). Production of DIC was uncoupled from TA and fuelled by net heterotrophy and aerobic processes within the meadow. The small export of TA (5 ± 6 mmol m−2 day−1) implied that ∼90% of outwelled DIC may return to the atmosphere as CO2 in offshore waters. Combining these fluxes with above-meadow outgassing suggested a total carbon loss that exceeded long term burial in sediments. Overall, the meadow acted as a carbon source to the atmosphere during the early autumn season. Further studies quantifying outwelling at multiple spatial and temporal scales are required to better resolve seagrass carbon budgets and their contribution to carbon sequestration.
Details
- Title
- Inorganic carbon outwelling from a Mediterranean seagrass meadow using radium isotopes
- Creators
- Claudia Majtényi-Hill - University of GothenburgGloria Reithmaier - University of GothenburgYvonne Y.Y. Yau - University of GothenburgOscar Serrano - Edith Cowan UniversityNerea Piñeiro-Juncal - University of AveiroIsaac R. Santos - University of Gothenburg
- Publication Details
- Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, Vol.283, 108248
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Identifiers
- 991013086013402368
- Copyright
- © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license, (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article