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DOC cycling in a temperate estuary: A mass balance approach using natural 14 C and 13 C isotopes
Author(s) -
Raymond Peter A.,
Bauer James E.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.2001.46.3.0655
Subject(s) - dissolved organic carbon , estuary , temperate climate , seawater , flux (metallurgy) , environmental chemistry , environmental science , stable isotope ratio , organic matter , isotopes of carbon , isotope , cycling , hydrology (agriculture) , carbon fibers , oceanography , chemistry , total organic carbon , geology , ecology , biology , physics , geography , materials science , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , archaeology , quantum mechanics , composite number , composite material
We measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and their corresponding △ 14 C and γ 13 C values in order to study the sources and fates of DOC in the York River Estuary (Virginia, U.S.A.). The d△ 14 C and γ 13 C values of DOC and DIC at the freshwater end‐member indicate that during periods of moderate to high flow, riverine DOC entering the York was composed of decadal‐aged terrestrially organic matter. In nearly all cases, DOC concentrations exceeded conservative mixing lines and were therefore indicative of a net DOC input flux from within the estuary that averaged 1.2 µM L −1 d −1 .