The Role of Benthic Fluxes of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Oceanic and Sedimentary Carbon Cycling Davd J
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Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons OEAS Faculty Publications Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences 1992 The Role of Benthic Fluxes of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Oceanic and Sedimentary Carbon Cycling Davd J. Burdige Old Dominion University, [email protected] Marc J. Alperin Juliana Homstead Old Dominion University Christopher S. Martens Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_fac_pubs Part of the Biogeochemistry Commons, and the Oceanography Commons Repository Citation Burdige, Davd J.; Alperin, Marc J.; Homstead, Juliana; and Martens, Christopher S., "The Role of Benthic Fluxes of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Oceanic and Sedimentary Carbon Cycling" (1992). OEAS Faculty Publications. 129. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_fac_pubs/129 Original Publication Citation Burdige, D.J., Alperin, M.J., Homstead, J., & Martens, C.S. (1992). The or le of benthic fluxes of dissolved organic-carbon in oceanic and sedimentary carbon cycling. Geophysical Research Letters, 19(18), 1851-1854. doi: 10.1029/92gl02159 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in OEAS Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 19, NO.. 18, PAGES 1851-1854, SEPTEMBER 23, 1992 TIIEROI.E OFBFNI1IIC R.lJXES OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON IN OCFANIC ANDSFDIMENTARY CARBON CYCTlNG David J. Burdigel, Marc J. Alperin2, Juliana Homsteadl, Christopher S. Martens2 ~ Benthic fluxes (sediment-water exchange) of dissolved acrc6', the sediment-water interface mediated by macrobenthos, this organic carbon (IX)C) rerresent a poorly quantified canpooent of diffusive flux (J) can be predicted by Fick's First Law, as modified sedimentary and oceanic carbon cycling. In this paper we IN: pore for marine sediments [Bemer, lgg)], water IX>C data and direct IX>C benthic flux measurements to begin to quantitatively examine this problem. These results suggest that J =-f/JJ)JJ}di)z)o (1) marine sediments represent a significant source of IX>C to the oceans, as a lower limit of the glotnlly-integrated benthic IX>C flux where Ds is the bulk sediment diffusion coefficient, and 00 and is canimable in magnitude to riverine inputs of organic carlx:n to the (iJc/iJz)0 are the pomrity and concentration gradient, respectively, oceans. Benthic fluxes of IX>C also appear to be similar in at the sediment-water interface. magnitude to other sedimentary processes such as organic carlx:n IX>C fluxes from marine sediments estimated with eqn. (1) and oxidation (remineralization) in surface sediments and organic carlx:n pore water concentration data are subject to several potential sources burial with depth. of error. The first involves the possibility that lN or persulfate oxidatioo techniques underestimate actual pore water and bottom Introduction water IX>C concentrations (see discus.sion above). However in pore waters collected in Cape Lookout Bight, NC, the standard In recent years, considerable effort has been devoted to the study persulfate oxidatioo technique recovered 93 ± 2% of the pore water of sediment oxygen uptake and benthic fluxes of inorganic nutrients, IX>C, when canimaJ to IX>C values obtained by either HfCO (at since these processes have been shown to play major roles in marine 6.'U°C) or sealed tube canbustion (at ~C) techniques [Alperin and biogeochemical cycles [e.g., Bender et al., 1989; Martens et al., Martens, 1992]. Given the generally large differences between pore 1992]. In contrast, far less attention has been given to the water and bottom water IX>C concentrations, the magnitude of the examination of benthic fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (IX>C), IX>C gradient acro;s the sediment-water interface is p-edominantly although their possible impcrtance in sedimentary and oceanic determined by the pore water r:xx:: concentration. Thus if the procesre, has been discussed by numerous authors [Emerson and ol:H:rvations in Cape Lookout Bight pore waters are applicable to Dymond, 1984; Heggie et al., 1987; Bender et al., 1989; Mopper et other sediments, the current controversy concerning the al., 1991; Alperin et al., 1992; Hedges, 1992; Martens et al., 1992]. measurement of IX>C in seawater does not appear to significantly Interest in IX>C fluxes from marine sediments further stems affect the magnitude of the IX>C fluxes calculated here. from a recognition of the need to better understand the oources and A second rroblem in performing these calculations invdves sinks of IX>C in the oceans [Hedges, 1992]. This is in part driven assigning a diffusion coefficient to the canplex and largely by recent results which have reported oceanic IX>C concentrations uncharacterized mixture of organic compounds that makes up pore (rosed on high temperature catalytic oxidation (HfCO) techniques) water IX>C. We have cha.en to adopt a range for this diffusion that are 2 to 3 times higher than previously reported values coefficient using the log-log relationship between 0° (the free determined with either lN or persulfate oxidation techniques [see oolution diffusion coefficient) and mdecular weight shown in Martin and Fitzwater, 1992 and references cited therein]. It has aloo Figure 2. This relationship is observed for organic compounds been suggested that sediments might represent an important source of with molecular weights of 16 to-200,CXX) and a wide range of IX>C to the deep ocean [Williams and Druffel,1987; Mq,per et al., molecular shapes and functionai groups. The slope of this line 1991; Hedges, 1992], and that benthic IX>C fluxes might provide an (-0.39) is virtually identical with that predicted by the Stokes explanation for the apparent discreµmcy between the "dd" (--{i,CXX) Einstein equation(= -1/3; Comel et al. [1986]), providing oome ybp) 14C age of deep water IX>C, the average oceanic mixing time theoretical foundation for this observation. If pore water IX>C is (-1,CXX) yr), and olher chemical prcperties of deep water IX>C assumed to have an average molecular weight between 1,CXX) and (i.e., 613C and lignin concentrations) which suggest that this material is primarily of marine origin. In this paper, we JN: pore water IX>C data to calculate IX>C DOC (µM) IN: fluxes from marine sediments. The calculations published pore CMOrtylng-r water IX>C data obtained by lN or wet chemical oxidation techniques, and recent pore water data obtained with HfCO o t4oo 800 1200 1600 techniques. Calculated IX>C fluxes will also be canimaJ with 01--t-e.... =::,-t---+---+---+~+-~ recent direct measurements of benthic IX>C fluxes. All of these results will then be JN:d to begin to quantitatively examine the role of benthic IX>C fluxes in sedimentary and oceanic carlx:n cycling. Calculation of Benthic IX>C Ruxes Using Pore Water Gradients 1- 4 Coocentration profiles of IX>C have been measured in a number .ca of marine sediments (e.g., see the references cited below and in a, • Table 1). In general, pore water IX>C concentrations are up to an 0 8 order of magnitude higher than tha;e in the overlying waters (Figure 1), suggesting the possibility of a diffusive IX>C flux out of the sediments. Neglecting for now possible advective transport ~sapeake Bay, • N (7131191) 12 Fig. 1. Dissolved organic carbon (IX>C) versus depth in a core 1 Dept of Oceanography, 0.d Dominion University from the mid-Chesapeake Bay (see note e in Table 1 for the location 2 Marine Sciences Program, University of North Carolina of this site). These pore waters were obtained using sediment squeezers [Burdige and Martens, 19'.X)], although similar smooth Copyright 1992 by the American Geophysical Union. diffusioo controlled IX>C profiles have also been observed in Cape Lookout Bight sediments for pore waters obtained by centrifugation Paper number 92GL02159 [Alperin and Martens,1992]. IX>C concentrations were determined 0094-8534/92/92GL-02159$03. 00 in both cases using a Shimalzu TOC-S(XX} Total Carbon Analyzer. 1851 1852 Burdige et al.: Benthic Ruxes of Dissolved Organic Carbon 100 concentratioo difference between the bollom waters and the pore log D0 = (1. 72 ± 0.03) - (0.39 ± 0.01) log MW waters in the first sediment sectioo sampled, and l'J.Z is the depth of (n .. 58, r z -0.98) the mid-point of this sediment section. This ~plioo of a linear DCX: gradient near the sediment-water interface also introduces potential errors in these calculations. Enhanced DCX: production or I 10 cooswnption near the sediment-water interface may lead to cwvature N E in the DCX: depdt prcCtle that is not OOielVed with the 1 - 2 cm ~ resolution of these pore water DCX: data. Fstimates of the DCX: flux Cl ru&llllini a linear ooncentration gra;lient may be either over- or "... underesb.mates of their true values (e.g., see Burdige and Martens .!!. [1990] for a further discussion of this problem). Canpnison of Memured and Calculated Benthic DCX: Ruxes The ability of eqn (1) to accurately estimate benthic DCX: fluxes was tested by oomparing directly measured and calculated DCX: 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 fluxes from two <ntSlal sediments. In the sediments of Cape Lookout Bight, NC and the mid-Chesapeake Bay good agreement Molecular Weight was ohierved between measured and calculated, benthic DCX: fluxes Fig. 2. Free solutioo diffusion coefficient (D", at 25 °C in distilled (Figure 3). In conlrast, recent benthic flux studies in California water) versus molecular weight foc various crganic compounds. The continenlal margin sediments did not yield a good agreement between original data [Ras,g et al.,1958; ht, 19ffi; Cooper and St.epto, directly measured and calculated benthic DCX: fluxes (D.J.