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Fate of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Antarctic Surface Environments During Summer
Author(s) -
Samui Gautami,
Antony Runa,
Thamban Meloth
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: biogeosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8961
pISSN - 2169-8953
DOI - 10.1029/2020jg005958
Subject(s) - dissolved organic carbon , environmental chemistry , formate , mesocosm , oxalate , organic matter , chemistry , nitrate , biogeochemical cycle , carbon cycle , snow , glacier , total organic carbon , carbon fibers , nutrient , environmental science , ecosystem , ecology , geology , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , biology , geomorphology , materials science , composite number , composite material , catalysis
While the role of supraglacial environments such as the cryoconite holes and surface snow in cycling of carbon and nutrients has gained momentum in the last decade, little has been done to assess how interactions with sunlight and microbes control the dissolved organic matter cycling in these environments. In this study, the cryoconite holes, which are subjected to different light conditions, were monitored in the coastal Antarctica during the summer in order to determine how the geochemistry of these environments varied through the melt season. Additionally, mesocosm experiments were conducted to understand the impact of photochemical and microbial activities on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and ionic constituents in the snow and cryoconite holes. In situ measurements of primary and bacterial production carried out in the surface snow and cryoconite holes showed that the primary production rates were higher than the bacterial production rates. Both photochemical and microbial processes resulted in changing the concentration of DOC, carboxylate, and nitrate ions in these environments. Sunlight‐induced production of biologically labile compounds, such as acetate and formate, and photochemical degradation of oxalate were also observed. Microbial activity had the opposite effect, resulting in an increase in oxalate and decrease in acetate and formate concentrations. Consequences of these combined processes would determine the fate of DOC and associated nutrients in the Antarctic supraglacial environments and potentially influence the local productivity within these systems.