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A massive dissolved inorganic carbon release at spring tide in a highly turbid estuary
Author(s) -
Abril Gwenaël,
Commarieu MarcVincent,
Maro Denis,
Fontugne Michel,
Guérin Frédéric,
Etcheber Henri
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2004gl019714
Subject(s) - estuary , alkalinity , dissolved organic carbon , salinity , turbidity , oceanography , environmental science , spring (device) , saturation (graph theory) , total inorganic carbon , carbon dioxide , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , chemistry , geology , mechanical engineering , mathematics , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , combinatorics , engineering
In September 2003, the highly turbid Loire estuary (France) showed drastic oxygen depletions (down to 11% of saturation), high pCO 2 (up to 3740 μatm) and high CO 2 fluxes (280 ± 100 mmol.m −2 .d −1 ). A rapid rise in Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) was observed when the tidal amplitude increased from 3.8 m to 5.8 m. In two days, average concentrations in the 0.1–25 salinity range increased by 106 ± 17 μmol.kg −1 for DIC, by 80 ± 14 μeq.kg −1 for Total Alkalinity (TA) and by 684 ± 142 μatm for pCO 2 . In parallel, oxygen decreased by 65 ± 12 μmol.kg −1 . These changes in concentrations were attributed in majority to a massive fluid mud resuspension in the estuarine turbidity maximum. At spring tide, this DIC input was 30% higher than the river input. When averaged over the neap‐spring period, resuspension contributed to only 10% of the atmospheric CO 2 flux from the estuary, but to 60% to the net TA production in the estuary.