Biogas (CO2, O-2, dimethylsulfide) dynamics in spring Antarctic fast ice

in Limnology and Oceanography (2007), 52(4), 1367-1379

We studied the temporal variations of CO2, O-2, and dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentrations within three environments (sea-ice brine, platelet ice-like layer, and underlying water) in the coastal area of ... [more ▼]

We studied the temporal variations of CO2, O-2, and dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentrations within three environments (sea-ice brine, platelet ice-like layer, and underlying water) in the coastal area of Adelie Land, Antarctica, during spring 1999 before ice breakup. Temporal changes were different among the three environments, while similar temporal trends were observed within each environment at all stations. The underlying water was always undersaturated in O-2 (around 85%) and oversaturated in CO2 at the deepest stations. O-2 concentrations increased in sea-ice brine as it melted, reaching oversaturation up to 160% due to the primary production by the sea-ice algae community (chlorophyll a in the bottom ice reached concentrations up to 160 mu g L-1 of bulk ice). In parallel, DMS concentrations increased up to 60 nmol L-1 within sea- ice brine and the platelet ice- like layer. High biological activity consumed CO2 and promoted the decrease of partial pressure of CO2 (pCO(2)). In addition, melting of pure ice crystals and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dissolution promoted the shift from a state of CO2 oversaturation to a state of marked CO2 undersaturation (pCO(2) < 30 dPa). On the whole, our results suggest that late spring land fast sea ice can potentially act as a sink of CO2 and a source of DMS for the neighbouring environments, i.e., the underlying water or/ and the atmosphere. [less ▲]

Gas transfer velocities of CO2 in three European estuaries (Randers Fjord, Scheldt, and Thames)

in Limnology and Oceanography (2004), 49(5), 1630-1641

We measured the flux of CO2 across the air-water interface using the floating chamber method in three European estuaries with contrasting physical characteristics (Randers Fjord, Scheldt, and Thames). We ... [more ▼]

We measured the flux of CO2 across the air-water interface using the floating chamber method in three European estuaries with contrasting physical characteristics (Randers Fjord, Scheldt, and Thames). We computed the gas transfer velocity of CO2 (k) from the CO2 flux and concomitant measurements of the air-water gradient of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO(2)). There was a significant linear relationship between k and wind speed for each of the three estuaries. The differences of the y-intercept and the slope between the three sites are related to differences in the contribution of tidal currents to water turbulence at the interface and fetch limitation. The contribution to k from turbulence generated by tidal currents is negligible in microtidal estuaries such as Randers Fjord but is substantial, at low to moderate wind speeds, in macrotidal estuaries such as the Scheldt and the Thames. Our results clearly show that in estuaries a simple parameterization of k as a function of wind speed is site specific and strongly suggest that the y-intercept of the linear relationship is mostly influenced by the contribution of tidal currents, whereas the slope is influenced by fetch limitation. This implies that substantial errors in flux computations are incurred if generic relationships of the gas transfer velocity as a function of wind speed are employed in estuarine environments for the purpose of biogas air-water flux budgets and ecosystem metabolic studies. [less ▲]