scholarly journals Fluvial carbon dioxide emission from the Lena River basin during the spring flood

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 4919-4936
Author(s):  
Sergey N. Vorobyev ◽  
Jan Karlsson ◽  
Yuri Y. Kolesnichenko ◽  
Mikhail A. Korets ◽  
Oleg S. Pokrovsky

Abstract. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from inland waters of permafrost-affected regions is one of the key factors of circumpolar aquatic ecosystem response to climate warming and permafrost thaw. Riverine systems of central and eastern Siberia contribute a significant part of the water and carbon (C) export to the Arctic Ocean, yet their C exchange with the atmosphere remains poorly known due to lack of in situ GHG concentration and emission estimates. Here we present the results of continuous in situ pCO2 measurements over a 2600 km transect of the Lena River main stem and lower reaches of 20 major tributaries (together representing a watershed area of 1 661 000 km2, 66 % of the Lena's basin), conducted at the peak of the spring flood. The pCO2 in the Lena (range 400–1400 µatm) and tributaries (range 400–1600 µatm) remained generally stable (within ca. 20 %) over the night–day period and across the river channels. The pCO2 in tributaries increased northward with mean annual temperature decrease and permafrost increase; this change was positively correlated with C stock in soil, the proportion of deciduous needleleaf forest, and the riparian vegetation. Based on gas transfer coefficients obtained from rivers of the Siberian permafrost zone (k=4.46 m d−1), we calculated CO2 emission for the main stem and tributaries. Typical fluxes ranged from 1 to 2 gCm-2d-1 (>99 % CO2, <1 % CH4), which is comparable with CO2 emission measured in the Kolyma, Yukon, and Mackenzie rivers and permafrost-affected rivers in western Siberia. The areal C emissions from lotic waters of the Lena watershed were quantified by taking into account the total area of permanent and seasonal water of the Lena basin (28 000 km2 ). Assuming 6 months of the year to be an open water period with no emission under ice, the annual C emission from the whole Lena basin is estimated as 8.3±2.5 Tg C yr−1, which is comparable to the DOC and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) lateral export to the Arctic Ocean.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rene Preusker ◽  
Jan El Kassar ◽  
Bennet Juhls

&lt;p&gt;As air temperatures in the Arctic continue to rise, permafrost thaw intensifies, and discharge from the Arctic rivers increases. These drastic changes are likely to accelerate mobilization of organic matter and its export through rivers into the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, thorough monitoring of these processes becomes increasingly important. The Lena River with its large catchment area is one of the major sources of the organic carbon in the Arctic Ocean and, therefore, plays a crucial role in the Arctic carbon cycle.&amp;#160;&lt;br&gt;To observe current and future changes of carbon transport via the Lena River, a new monitoring program has been initiated in 2018. In situ water samples are collected from the one of the Lena Delta branches every several days. Since generally the in situ sampling in the Arctic is challenging and costly, in this study, we test the potential of remote sensing to complement the field observations. Remote sensing provides synoptic spatial coverages and high temporal resolution at high latitudes.&amp;#160;&lt;br&gt;We test the retrieval of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from satellite-derived chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). For this, we use measurements of the Ocean &amp; Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) on board the Sentinel-3 satellites in combination with beforehand tested atmospheric correction algorithms and CDOM retrieval algorithms. The quality of the satellite retrieved DOC of the Lena River water is assessed by DOC, measured in the in situ samples. Remotely sensed DOC contributes to an improvement of DOC fluxes monitoring, which can potentially be extended to all big Arctic rivers.&lt;/p&gt;


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 2093-2143 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. P. Semiletov ◽  
I. I. Pipko ◽  
N. E. Shakhova ◽  
O. V. Dudarev ◽  
S. P. Pugach ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Lena River integrates biogeochemical signals from its vast drainage basin and its signal reaches far out over the Arctic Ocean. Transformation of riverine organic carbon into mineral carbon, and mineral carbon into the organic form in the Lena River watershed, can be considered a quasi-equilibrated processes. Increasing the Lena discharge causes opposite effects on total organic (TOC) and inorganic (TCO2) carbon: TOC concentration increases, while TCO2 concentration decreases. Significant inter-annual variability in mean values of TCO2, TOC, and their sum (TC) has been found. This variability is determined by changes in land hydrology which cause differences in the Lena River discharge, because a negative correlation may be found between TC in September and mean discharge in August (a time shift of about one month is required for water to travel from Yakutsk to the Laptev Sea). Total carbon entering the sea with the Lena discharge is estimated to be almost 10 Tg C y−1. The annual Lena River discharge of particulate organic carbon (POC) may be equal to 0.38 Tg (moderate to high estimate). If we instead accept Lisytsin's (1994) statement concerning the precipitation of 85–95% of total particulate matter (PM) (and POC) on the marginal "filter", then only about 0.03–0.04 Tg of POC reaches the Laptev Sea from the Lena River. The Lena's POC export would then be two orders of magnitude less than the annual input of eroded terrestrial carbon onto the shelf of the Laptev and East Siberian seas, which is about 4 Tg. The Lena River is characterized by relatively high concentrations of primary greenhouse gases: CO2 and dissolved CH4. During all seasons the river is supersaturated in CO2 compared to the atmosphere: up to 1.5–2 fold in summer, and 4–5 fold in winter. This results in a narrow zone of significant CO2 supersaturation in the adjacent coastal sea. Spots of dissolved CH4 in the Lena delta channels may reach 100 nM, but the CH4 concentration decreases to 5–20 nM towards the sea, which suggests only a minor role of riverborne export of CH4 for the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) CH4 budget in coastal waters. Instead, the seabed appears to be the source that provides most of the CH4 to the Arctic Ocean.


2018 ◽  
Vol 241 ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaole Sun ◽  
Carl-Magnus Mörth ◽  
Don Porcelli ◽  
Liselott Kutscher ◽  
Catherine Hirst ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-511
Author(s):  
Liang Chang ◽  
Shiqiang Wen ◽  
Guoping Gao ◽  
Zhen Han ◽  
Guiping Feng ◽  
...  

AbstractCharacteristics of temperature inversions (TIs) and specific humidity inversions (SHIs) and their relationships in three of the latest global reanalyses—the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Reanalysis (ERA-I), the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55), and the ERA5—are assessed against in situ radiosonde (RS) measurements from two expeditions over the Arctic Ocean. All reanalyses tend to detect many fewer TI and SHI occurrences, together with much less common multiple TIs and SHIs per profile than are seen in the RS data in summer 2008, winter 2015, and spring 2015. The reanalyses generally depict well the relationships among TI characteristics seen in RS data, except for the TIs below 400 m in summer, as well as above 1000 m in summer and winter. The depth is simulated worst by the reanalyses among the SHI characteristics, which may result from its sensitivity to the uncertainties in specific humidity in the reanalyses. The strongest TI per profile in RS data exhibits more robust dependency on surface conditions than the strongest SHI per profile, and the former is better presented by the reanalyses than the latter. Furthermore, all reanalyses have difficulties simulating the relationships between TIs and SHIs, together with the correlations between the simultaneous inversions. The accuracy and vertical resolution in the reanalyses are both important to properly capture occurrence and characteristics of the Arctic inversions. In general, ERA5 performs better than ERA-I and JRA-55 in depicting the relationships among the TIs. However, the representation of SHIs is more challenging than TIs in all reanalyses over the Arctic Ocean.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Berchet ◽  
Isabelle Pison ◽  
Patrick M. Crill ◽  
Brett Thornton ◽  
Philippe Bousquet ◽  
...  

Abstract. Due to the large variety and heterogeneity of sources in remote areas hard to document, the Arctic regional methane budget remain very uncertain. In situ campaigns provide valuable data sets to reduce these uncertainties. Here we analyse data from the SWERUS-C3 campaign, on-board the icebreaker Oden, that took place during summer 2014 in the Arctic Ocean along the Northern Siberian and Alaskan shores. Total concentrations of methane, as well as isotopic ratios were measured continuously during this campaign for 35 days in July and August 2014. Using a chemistry-transport model, we link observed concentrations and isotopic ratios to regional emissions and hemispheric transport structures. A simple inversion system helped constraining source signatures from wetlands in Siberia and Alaska and oceanic sources, as well as the isotopic composition of lower stratosphere air masses. The variation in the signature of low stratosphere air masses, due to strongly fractionating chemical reactions in the stratosphere, was suggested to explain a large share of the observed variability in isotopic ratios. These points at required efforts to better simulate large scale transport and chemistry patterns to use isotopic data in remote areas. It is found that constant and homogeneous source signatures for each type of emission in the region (mostly wetlands and oil and gas industry) is not compatible with the strong synoptic isotopic signal observed in the Arctic. A regional gradient in source signatures is highlighted between Siberian and Alaskan wetlands, the later ones having a lighter signatures than the first ones. Arctic continental shelf sources are suggested to be a mixture of methane from a dominant thermogenic origin and a secondary biogenic one, consistent with previous in-situ isotopic analysis of seepage along the Siberian shores.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Pirazzini ◽  
Michael Tjernström ◽  
Stein Sandven ◽  
Hanne Sagen ◽  
Torill Hamre ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;A comprehensive assessment of a substantial subset of Arctic observing systems, data collections and satellite products across scientific disciplines was carried out in INTAROS, also including data repositories and a brief scientific gap analysis. The assessments cover a multitude of aspects such as sustainability, technical maturity and data handling for the entire chain from observation to users, including metadata procedures and availability to data. Community based environment monitoring programs were surveyed and assessed separately; they do not form part of the present assessment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The assessed observing systems were first ranked according to general sustainability and other aspects, were analyzed subsequently. While the range of sustainability is large, it was found that high scores on all other aspects, such as for data handling and technical maturity, are more likely for systems with high sustainability. Moreover, many systems with high sustainability, as well as advanced systems for data handling and availability in place, resulted from national commitments to international monitoring or infrastructure programs, several of which are not necessarily particular to the Arctic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Traditionally, terrestrial and atmospheric observation network assessments build on the network concept with a &amp;#8220;comprehensive&amp;#8221; level including all observations, a &amp;#8220;baseline&amp;#8221; level of an agreed subset of sustained observations, and a &amp;#8220;reference&amp;#8221; level, with observations adhering to specific calibrations and traceability criteria. Examples from atmospheric observations are the &amp;#8220;comprehensive&amp;#8221; global GCOS radiosounding network, the &amp;#8220;baseline&amp;#8221; GUAN (GCOS Upper Air Network) and &amp;#8220;reference&amp;#8221; GRUAN (GCOS Reference Upper Air Network) networks. With the lack of in-situ observations especially from the Arctic Ocean and the logistical difficulties to deploy new stations, it was concluded that this concept does not work well in the Arctic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In summary, we recommend that:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;advancement in Arctic observing should be done in international global or regional programs with well-established routines and procedures, rather than to invest in new Arctic-specific programs&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;investments in new instruments and techniques be done at already established sites, to benefit interdisciplinary studies and optimize infrastructure costs&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;more observations be based on ships of opportunity and that a subset of ocean, sea-ice and atmosphere observations always be made on all research expeditions, regardless of their scientific aim&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;the funding structures for science expeditions is reviewed to maintain, and preferably increase, the number of expeditions and to safeguard funding for appropriate data handling and storage&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;observing-network concept for the atmosphere over the Arctic Ocean is revised, so that coupled reanalyses represent the &amp;#8220;comprehensive level&amp;#8221;, satellite observations complemented with available in-situ data is the &amp;#8220;baseline level&amp;#8221;, while scientific expeditions is the &amp;#8220;reference level&amp;#8221;. This requires substantial improvements in reanalysis, better numerical models and data assimilation, better satellite observations and improved data handling and accessibility for scientific expeditions.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt;


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bennet Juhls ◽  
Pier Paul Overduin ◽  
Colin Andrew Stedmon ◽  
Anne Morgenstern ◽  
Hanno Meyer ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;The carbon export by rivers to the Arctic Ocean is expected to increase in response to the rapidly changing climate in the Arctic (Camill, 2005; Freeman et al., 2001; Frey and Smith, 2005). This is in part due to thawing permafrost and mobilization of particulate and dissolved organic matter (DOM). The Lena River delivers approximately one fifth of the total river discharge to the Arctic Ocean and is the main source of DOM in the Laptev Sea shelf (Thibodeau et al., 2014). To date river fluxes of DOM have been based on sparse coverage of sample across the hydrograph about 700 km upstream (Cooper et al 2005; Raymond et al 2007; Stedmon et al 2011; Amon et al 2012). The effects of low frequency sampling on load estimates are unknown and potentially large for systems such as these where there are considerable changes across the hydrograph. &amp;#160;&amp;#160;Here we present results from a unique high frequency sampling program and evaluate its viability to monitor export fluxes of DOM and its biogeochemistry in the Lena River. The sampling takes place close to the river mouth at the research station Samoylov in the central Lena River Delta. The Samoylov research station allows a unique chance for continuous sampling since it operates throughout the year. The sampling program includes measurements of several water parameters, such as temperature, electric conductivity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), spectral CDOM absorption (aCDOM), fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) and water stable isotopes.&lt;br&gt;The data facilitated the identification of the main drivers behind the seasonality of DOM concentration and biogeochemistry of the Lena River. Three main water sources could be identified (1) (snow) melt water, (2) rain water and (3) subsurface water. Melt and rain water are found to be the prevailing water sources that combined transport 5.8 Tg C dissolved organic matter (~ 85 % of annual flux (6.8 Tg C)) into the Lena River. The high number of samples throughout the whole year allowed flux calculations that are independently from load models that likely lead to a large variation of earlier studies.&lt;br&gt;The absorption properties of DOM revealed changing composition and sources of DOM throughout the year. Decreasing SUVA values during the summer point towards an increasing fraction of old DOM which potentially originates from degrading permafrost. In contrast, during the spring freshet, high SUVA indicate mostly fresh organic matter with high molecular weight and high aromaticity.&lt;br&gt;This dataset represents the first year of a planned long-term monitoring program at the Research Station Samoylov Island and provides a baseline data set against which future change of this large integrative system may be measured. A continuous sampling of Arctic River water will facilitate to identify intra and inter-annual trends with ongoing climate change.&lt;/p&gt;


Polar Biology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Raskoff ◽  
J. E. Purcell ◽  
R. R. Hopcroft

2013 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 107-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria J. Hill ◽  
Patricia A. Matrai ◽  
Elise Olson ◽  
S. Suttles ◽  
Mike Steele ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Sarah B. Hall ◽  
Bulusu Subrahmanyam ◽  
James H. Morison

Salinity is the primary determinant of the Arctic Ocean’s density structure. Freshwater accumulation and distribution in the Arctic Ocean have varied significantly in recent decades and certainly in the Beaufort Gyre (BG). In this study, we analyze salinity variations in the BG region between 2012 and 2017. We use in situ salinity observations from the Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys (SIZRS), CTD casts from the Beaufort Gyre Exploration Project (BGP), and the EN4 data to validate and compare with satellite observations from Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), and Aquarius Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Salinity (OISSS), and Arctic Ocean models: ECCO, MIZMAS, HYCOM, ORAS5, and GLORYS12. Overall, satellite observations are restricted to ice-free regions in the BG area, and models tend to overestimate sea surface salinity (SSS). Freshwater Content (FWC), an important component of the BG, is computed for EN4 and most models. ORAS5 provides the strongest positive SSS correlation coefficient (0.612) and lowest bias to in situ observations compared to the other products. ORAS5 subsurface salinity and FWC compare well with the EN4 data. Discrepancies between models and SIZRS data are highest in GLORYS12 and ECCO. These comparisons identify dissimilarities between salinity products and extend challenges to observations applicable to other areas of the Arctic Ocean.


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