scholarly journals Seasonal and interannual variations (1996–2000) of the coastal waters east of the Rhone river mouth as indicated by the SORCOM series

2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walid A.N Younes ◽  
Nathaniel Bensoussan ◽  
Jean-Claude Romano ◽  
Denise Arlhac ◽  
Michel-Guy Lafont
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Waters ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Interannual Variations ◽  
Rhône River ◽  
Rhone River ◽  
Seasonal And Interannual Variations

scholarly journals Modeling biogeochemical processes in sediments from the Rhône River prodelta area (NW Mediterranean Sea)

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 549-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Pastor ◽  
C. Cathalot ◽  
B. Deflandre ◽  
E. Viollier ◽  
K. Soetaert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Carbon Mineralization ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Large Contribution ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Rhône River ◽  
Rhone River

Abstract. In-situ oxygen microprofiles, sediment organic carbon content and pore-water concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, iron, manganese and sulfides obtained in sediments from the Rhône River prodelta and its adjacent continental shelf were used to constrain a numerical diagenetic model. Results showed that (1) organic matter from the Rhône River is composed of a fraction of fresh material associated to high first-order degradation rate constants (11–33 yr−1), (2) burial efficiency (burial/input ratio) in the Rhône prodelta (within 3 km of the river outlet) can be up to 80%, and decreases to ~20% on the adjacent continental shelf 10–15 km further offshore (3) there is a large contribution of anoxic processes to total mineralization in sediments near the river mouth, certainly due to large inputs of fresh organic material combined with high sedimentation rates, (4) diagenetic by-products originally produced during anoxic organic matter mineralization are almost entirely precipitated (>97%) and buried in the sediment, which leads to (5) a low contribution of the re-oxidation of reduced products to total oxygen consumption. Consequently, total carbon mineralization rates as based on oxygen consumption rates and using Redfield stoichiometry can be largely underestimated in such River Ocean dominated Margins (RiOMar) environments.

scholarly journals Temporal variability of carbon recycling in coastal sediments influenced by rivers: assessing the impact of flood inputs in the Rhône River prodelta

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1187-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Cathalot ◽  
C. Rabouille ◽  
L. Pastor ◽  
B. Deflandre ◽  
E. Viollier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Uptake ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Rhône River ◽  
Reactive Material ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Rhone River ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. River deltas are particularly important in the marine carbon cycle as they represent the transition between terrestrial and marine carbon: linked to major burial zones, they are reprocessing zones where large carbon fluxes can be mineralized. In order to estimate this mineralization, sediment oxygen uptake rates were measured in continental shelf sediments and river prodelta over different seasons near the outlet of the Rhône River in the Mediterranean Sea. On a selected set of 10 stations in the river prodelta and nearby continental shelf, in situ diffusive oxygen uptake (DOU) and laboratory total oxygen uptake (TOU) measurements were performed in early spring and summer 2007 and late spring and winter 2008. In and ex situ DOU did not show any significant differences except for shallowest organic rich stations. Sediment DOU rates show highest values concentrated close to the river mouth (approx. 20 mmol O2 m−2 d−1) and decrease offshore to values around 4.5 mmol O2 m−2 d−1 with lowest gradients in a south west direction linked to the preferential transport of the finest riverine material. Core incubation TOU showed the same spatial pattern with an averaged TOU/DOU ratio of 1.2±0.4. Temporal variations of sediment DOU over different sampling periods, spring summer and late fall, were limited and benthic mineralization rates presented a stable spatial pattern. A flood of the Rhône River occurred in June 2008 and delivered up to 30 cm of new soft muddy deposit. Immediately after this flood, sediment DOU rates close to the river mouth dropped from around 15–20 mmol O2 m−2 d−1 to values close to 10 mmol O2 m−2 d−1, in response to the deposition near the river outlet of low reactivity organic matter associated to fine material. Six months later, the oxygen distribution had relaxed back to its initial stage: the initial spatial distribution was found again underlining the active microbial degradation rates involved and the role of further deposits. These results highlight the immediate response of the sediment oxygen system to flood deposit and the rapid relaxation of this system towards its initial state (6 months or less) potentially linked to further deposits of reactive material.

scholarly journals Modeling biogeochemical processes in sediments from the Rhône River prodelta area (NW Mediterranean Sea)

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1351-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Pastor ◽  
C. Cathalot ◽  
B. Deflandre ◽  
E. Viollier ◽  
K. Soetaert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Carbon Mineralization ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Large Contribution ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Rhône River ◽  
Rhone River

Abstract. In situ oxygen microprofiles, sediment organic carbon content, and pore-water concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, iron, manganese, and sulfides obtained in sediments from the Rhône River prodelta and its adjacent continental shelf were used to constrain a numerical diagenetic model. Results showed that (1) the organic matter from the Rhône River is composed of a fraction of fresh material associated to high first-order degradation rate constants (11–33 yr−1); (2) the burial efficiency (burial/input ratio) in the Rhône prodelta (within 3 km of the river outlet) can be up to 80 %, and decreases to ~20 % on the adjacent continental shelf 10–15 km further offshore; (3) there is a large contribution of anoxic processes to total mineralization in sediments near the river mouth, certainly due to large inputs of fresh organic material combined with high sedimentation rates; (4) diagenetic by-products originally produced during anoxic organic matter mineralization are almost entirely precipitated (>97 %) and buried in the sediment, which leads to (5) a low contribution of the re-oxidation of reduced products to total oxygen consumption. Consequently, total carbon mineralization rates as based on oxygen consumption rates and using Redfield stoichiometry can be largely underestimated in such River-dominated Ocean Margins (RiOMar) environments.

scholarly journals Benthic alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon fluxes in the Rhône River prodelta generated by decoupled aerobic and anaerobic processes

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Rassmann ◽  
Eryn M. Eitel ◽  
Bruno Lansard ◽  
Cécile Cathalot ◽  
Christophe Brandily ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Pore Water ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Iron Sulfide ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Anaerobic Respiration ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Rhône River ◽  
Rhone River ◽  
Bottom Waters

Abstract. Estuarine regions are generally considered a major source of atmospheric CO2, as a result of the high organic carbon (OC) mineralization rates in their water column and sediments. Despite this, the intensity of anaerobic respiration processes in the sediments tempered by the reoxidation of reduced metabolites near the sediment–water interface controls the flux of benthic alkalinity. This alkalinity may partially buffer metabolic CO2 generated by benthic OC respiration in sediments. Thus, sediments with high anaerobic respiration rates could contribute less to local acidification than previously thought. In this study, a benthic chamber was deployed in the Rhône River prodelta and the adjacent continental shelf (Gulf of Lion, northwestern Mediterranean) in late summer to assess the fluxes of total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from the sediment. Concurrently, in situ O2 and pH micro-profiles, voltammetric profiles and pore water composition were measured in surface sediments to identify the main biogeochemical processes controlling the net production of alkalinity in these sediments. Benthic TA and DIC fluxes to the water column, ranging between 14 and 74 and 18 and 78 mmol m−2 d−1, respectively, were up to 8 times higher than dissolved oxygen uptake (DOU) rates (10.4±0.9 mmol m−2 d−1) close to the river mouth, but their intensity decreased offshore, as a result of the decline in OC inputs. In the zone close to the river mouth, pore water redox species indicated that TA and DIC were mainly produced by microbial sulfate and iron reduction. Despite the complete removal of sulfate from pore waters, dissolved sulfide concentrations were low and significant concentrations of FeS were found, indicating the precipitation and burial of iron sulfide minerals with an estimated burial flux of 12.5 mmol m−2 d−1 near the river mouth. By preventing reduced iron and sulfide reoxidation, the precipitation and burial of iron sulfide increases the alkalinity release from the sediments during the spring and summer months. Under these conditions, the sediment provides a net source of alkalinity to the bottom waters which mitigates the effect of the benthic DIC flux on the carbonate chemistry of coastal waters and weakens the partial pressure of CO2 increase in the bottom waters that would occur if only DIC was produced.

scholarly journals Benthic alkalinity and DIC fluxes in the Rhône River prodelta generated by decoupled aerobic and anaerobic processes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Rassmann ◽  
Eryn M. Eitel ◽  
Cécile Cathalot ◽  
Christophe Brandily ◽  
Bruno Lansard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pore Water ◽  
Iron Reduction ◽  
Iron Sulfide ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Total Alkalinity ◽  
Pore Waters ◽  
Rhône River ◽  
Net Production ◽  
Rhone River

Abstract. Estuarine regions are generally considered a net source of atmospheric CO2 as a result of the high organic carbon (OC) mineralization rates in the water column and their sediments. Yet, the intensity of anaerobic respiration processes in the sediments tempered by the reoxidation of reduced metabolites controls the net production of alkalinity from sediments that may partially buffer the metabolic CO2 generated by OC respiration. In this study, a benthic chamber was deployed in the Rhône River prodelta and the adjacent continental shelf (Gulf of Lions, NW Mediterranean) to assess the fluxes of total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from the sediment. Concurrently, in situ O2 and pH microprofiles, electrochemical profiles, pore water and solid composition were measured in surface sediments to identify the main biogeochemical processes controlling the net production of alkalinity in these sediments. The benthic fluxes of TA and DIC, ranging between 14 and 74 mmol m−2 d−1 and 18 and 78 mmol m−2 d−1, respectively, were up to 8 times higher than the DOU fluxes (10.4 ± 0.9 mmol m−2 d−1) close to the river mouth, but their intensity decreased offshore, as a result of the decline in OC inputs. Low nitrate concentrations and strong pore water sulfate gradients indicated that the majority of the TA and DIC was produced by sulfate and iron reduction. Despite the complete removal of sulfate from the pore waters, dissolved sulfide concentrations were low due to the precipitation and burial of iron sulfide minerals (12.5 mmol m−2 d−1 near the river mouth), while soluble organic-Fe(III) complexes were concurrently found throughout the sediment column. The presence of organic-Fe(III) complexes together with low sulfide concentrations and high sulfate consumption suggests a dynamic system driven by the variability of the organic and inorganic particulate input originating from the river. By preventing reduced substances from being reoxidized, the precipitation and burial of iron sulfide decouples the iron and sulfur cycles from oxygen, therefore allowing a flux of alkalinity out of the sediments. In these conditions, the sediment provides a source of alkalinity to the bottom waters which mitigates the effect of the benthic DIC flux on the carbonate chemistry of coastal waters.

scholarly journals Isotopic Signature (δ13C, ∆14C) of DIC in Sediment Pore Waters: An Example from the Rhone River Delta

Radiocarbon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1465-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
J-P Dumoulin ◽  
L Pozzato ◽  
J Rassman ◽  
F Toussaint ◽  
M Fontugne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Carbon Budget ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Pore Waters ◽  
Rhône River ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Rhone River ◽  
Coastal Sea

ABSTRACTA better understanding of the dynamics of different particulate organic matter (OM) pools in the coastal carbon budget is a key issue for quantifying the role of the coastal ocean in the global carbon cycle. To elucidate the benthic component of this carbon cycle at the land-sea interface, we investigated the carbon isotope signatures (δ13C and ∆14C) in the sediment pore waters dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in addition to the sediment OM to constrain the origin of the OM mineralized in sediments. The study site is located at the outlet of the Rhône River (Mediterranean Sea), which was chosen because this river is one of the most nuclearized rivers in Europe and nuclear 14C can serve as a tracer to follow the fate of the OM discharged by the river to the coastal sea. The ∆14C results found in the pore waters DIC show a general offset between buried and mineralized OM following a preferential mineralization model of young and fresh particles. For example, we found that the sediment OM has values with a mean ∆14C=–33‰ at sampling stations near the river mouth whereas enriched ∆14C values around +523‰ and +667‰ respectively were found for the pore waters DIC. This indicates complete mineralization of a riverine fraction of OM enriched in 14C in the river conduit during in-stream photosynthesis. In shelf sediments, the ∆14C of pore waters DIC is slightly enriched (+57‰) with sediment OM reaching –570‰. A mixing model shows that particles mineralized near the river mouth are certainly of riverine phytoplanktonic origin whereas OM mineralized on the shelf is of marine origin. This work highlights the fact that pore waters provide additional information compared to sediments alone and it seems essential to work on both pools to study the carbon budget in river prodelta.

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