Bruno Delille

Atmospheric CO2 flux from mangrove surrounding waters

[1] The partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) was measured at daily and weekly time scales in the waters surrounding mangrove forests in Papua New Guinea, the Bahamas and India. The pCO2 values range from 380 to 4800 matm. These data, together with previously published data, suggest that overall oversaturation of CO2 with respect to atmospheric equilibriuminsurfacewatersisageneralfeatureofmangrove forests, though the entire ecosystems (sediment, water and vegetation) are probably sinks for atmospheric CO2. The computed CO2 fluxes converge to about +50 mmolC m � 2 day � 1 . If this conservative value is extrapolated for worldwide mangrove ecosystems, the global emission of CO2 to the atmosphere is about 50 10 6 tC year � 1 . Based on this tentative estimate, mangrove waters appear to be regionally a significant source of CO2 to the atmosphere and should be more thoroughly investigated, especially at seasonal time scale. INDEX TERMS: 4806 Oceanography: Biological and Chemical: Carbon cycling; 4805 Oceanography: Biological and Chemical: Biogeochemical cycles (1615); 4820 Oceanography: Biological and Chemical: Gases; 4231 Oceanography: General: Equatorial oceanography; 4235 Oceanography: General: Estuarine processes. Citation: Borges, A. V., S. Djenidi,

Sea ice contribution to the air-sea CO2 exchange in the Arctic and Southern oceans

Although salt rejection from sea ice is a key process in deep-water formation in ice-covered seas, the concurrent rejection of CO2 and the subsequent effect on air–sea CO2 exchange have received little attention. We review the mechanisms by which sea ice directly and indirectly controls the air–sea CO2 exchange and use recent measurements of inorganic carbon compounds in bulk sea ice to estimate that oceanic CO2 uptake during the seasonal cycle of sea-ice growth and decay in ice-covered oceanic regions equals almost half of the net atmospheric CO2 uptake in ice-free polar seas. This sea-ice driven CO2 uptake has not been considered so far in estimates of global oceanic CO2 uptake. Net CO2 uptake in sea-ice–covered oceans can be driven by; (1) rejection during sea–ice formation and sinking of CO2-rich brine into intermediate and abyssal oceanic water masses, (2) blocking of air–sea CO2 exchange during winter, and (3) release of CO2-depleted melt water with excess total alkalinity during sea-ice decay and (4) biological CO2 drawdown during primary production in sea ice and surface oceanic waters.

Dynamics of pCO2 and related air-ice CO2 fluxes in the Arctic coastal zone (Amundsen Gulf, Beaufort Sea)

We present an Arctic seasonal survey of carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO 2 ) dynamics within sea ice brine and related air-ice CO 2 fluxes. The survey was carried out from early spring to the beginning of summer in the Arctic coastal waters of the Amundsen Gulf. High concentrations of pCO 2 (up to 1834 matm) were observed in the sea ice in early April as a consequence of concentration of solutes in brines, CaCO 3 precipitation and microbial respiration. CaCO 3 precipitation was detected through anomalies in total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). This precipitation seems to have occurred in highly saline brine in the upper part of the ice cover and in bulk ice. As summer draws near, the ice temperature increases and brine pCO 3 shifts from a large supersaturation (1834 matm) to a marked undersaturation (down to almost 0 matm). This decrease was ascribed to brine dilution by ice meltwater, dissolution of CaCO 3 and photosynthesis during the sympagic algal bloom. The magnitude of the CO 2 fluxes was controlled by ice temperature (through its control on brine volume and brine channels connectivity) and the concentration gradient between brine and the atmosphere. However, the state of the ice-interface clearly affects air-ice CO 2 fluxes.

Field observations on the variability of crude oil impact on indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from sub-Antarctic intertidal sediments

Oil pollution of the oceans has been a problem ever since man began to use fossil fuels. Biodegradation by naturally occurring populations of micro-organisms is a major mechanism for the removal of petroleum from the environment. To examine the effects of crude oil pollution on intertidal bacteria, we repeated the same contamination experiments on nine different sub-Antarctic intertidal beaches using specifically built enclosures (PVC pipe, 15 cm in inner diameter and 30 cm in height). Despite the pristine environmental conditions, significant numbers of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were observed in all the studied beaches. Introduction of oil into these previously oil-free environments resulted in several orders of magnitude of increase in hydrocarbon-degrading micro-organisms within a few days in some of the studied sites but has no obvious effects on two others. The physical environment of the bacterial assemblage seems to play a major role in the biodegradation capacities. After 3 months of contamination, both remaining oil concentrations and biodegradation indexes differ strongly between the different stations. Thus, chemical and biological parameters reveal a strong heterogeneity of biodegradation capacities between the different sites.

Net ecosystem production and carbon dioxide fluxes in the Scheldt estuarine plume

BackgroundA time series of 4 consecutive years of measurements of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in the Scheldt estuarine plume is used here to estimate net ecosystem production (NEP).ResultsNEP in the Scheldt estuarine plume is estimated from the temporal changes of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The strong seasonal variations of NEP are consistent with previous reports on organic carbon dynamics in the area. These variations are related to successive phytoplankton blooms that partly feed seasonally variable heterotrophy the rest of the year. On an annual time scale the Scheldt estuarine plume behaves as a net heterotrophic system sustained with organic carbon input from the Scheldt inner estuary and the Belgian coast. During one of the years of the time-series the estuarine plume behaved annually as a net autotrophic system. This anomalous ecosystem metabolic behaviour seemed to result from a combination of bottom-up factors affecting the spring phytoplankton bloom (increased nutrient delivery and more favourable incoming light conditions). This net autotrophy seemed to lead to a transient aa accumulation of organic carbon, most probably in the sediments, that fed a stronger heterotrophy the following year.ConclusionThe present work highlights the potential of using pCO2 data to derive detailed seasonal estimates of NEP in highly dynamic coastal environments. These can be used to determine potential inter-annual variability of NEP due to natural climatic oscillations or due to changes in anthropogenic impacts.

Effectiveness of Bioremediation of Crude Oil Contaminated Subantarctic Intertidal Sediment: The Microbial Response

A field study was initiated in February 1996 in a remote sandy beach of The Grande Terre (Kerguelen Archipelago, 69° 42° E, 49° 19° S) with the objective of determining the long-term effects of some bioremediation agents on the biodegradation rate and the toxicity of oil residues under severe subantarctic conditions. A series of 10 experimental plots were settled firmly into sediment. Each plot received 2L of Arabian light crude oil and some of them were treated with bioremediation agents: slow release fertilizer Inipol EAP-22 (Elf Atochem) or fish composts. Plots were sampled on a regular basis over a 3-year period. A two-order of magnitude increase of saprophytic and hydrocarbon-utilizing microorganisms occurred during the first month of the experiment in all treated enclosures, but no clear differences appeared between the plots. Very high microbial populations were present during the experiment. Biodegradation within treated spots was faster than within the untreated ones and appeared almost complete after 6 months as indicated by the degradation index of aliphatic hydrocarbons within all plots. The analysis of interstitial water collected below the oily residues presented no toxicity. However, a high toxicity signal, using Microtox solid phase, appeared for all oiled sand samples with a noticeable reduction with time even if the toxicity signal remained present and strong after 311 days of oil exposition. As a conclusion, it is clear that the microbial response was rapid and efficient in spite of the severe weather conditions, and the rate of degradation was improved in presence of bioremediation agents. However, the remaining residues had a relatively high toxicity.

Transfer Across the Air-Sea Interface

The efficiency of transfer of gases and particles across the air-sea interface is controlled by several physical, biological and chemical processes in the atmosphere and water which are described here (including waves, large- and small-scale turbulence, bubbles, sea spray, rain and surface films). For a deeper understanding of relevant transport mechanisms, several models have been developed, ranging from conceptual models to numerical models. Most frequently the transfer is described by various functional dependencies of the wind speed, but more detailed descriptions need additional information. The study of gas transfer mechanisms uses a variety of experimental methods ranging from laboratory studies to carbon budgets, mass balance methods, micrometeorological techniques and thermographic techniques. Different methods resolve the transfer at different scales of time and space; this is important to take into account when comparing different results. Air-sea transfer is relevant in a wide range of applications, for example, local and regional fluxes, global models, remote sensing and computations of global inventories. The sensitivity of global models to the description of transfer velocity is limited; it is however likely that the formulations are more important when the resolution increases and other processes in models are improved. For global flux estimates using inventories or remote sensing products the accuracy of the transfer formulation as well as the accuracy of the wind field is crucial.

Seasonal changes of pCO2 over a subantarctic Macrocystis kelp bed

Abstract The partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), calculated from pH and total alkalinity measurements, was monitored together with chlorophyll a and bacterioplankton biomass in shallow coastal water located inside and outside a giant kelp bed (Macrocystis pyrifera) situated in the Kerguelen Archipelago, Southern Ocean. In spite of large changes over a short time-scale, pCO2 variations over the year are large and exhibit a seasonal pattern in which the different stages of the annual biological turnover are well marked. The overall pattern of pCO2 variations is related to biological activity (development of both photosynthesis and respiration) during almost the whole year. However, physical and thermodynamical constraints exert a strong influence on pCO2 at meso time-scale (10 days) and/or when biological activity is weak. Macrocystis acts to maintain pCO2 below saturation almost the whole year and large undersaturations (pCO2 as low as 20 μatm) were observed within the kelp bed. Furthermore, primary production of Macrocystis covers a period of 8 ∼ 9 months a year from winter to late summer and the kelp bed seems to favour the spring phytoplanktonic bloom. The buffer factor β indicates that, outside the kelp bed, inorganic carbon dynamics are mainly influenced by air-sea exchange and photosynthesis without calcification. Inside the kelp bed, β suggests calcification by the epiphytic community.

Southern Ocean CO2 sink: The contribution of the sea ice

We report first direct measurements of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) within Antarctic pack sea ice brines and related CO2 fluxes across the air-ice interface. From late winter to summer, brines encased in the ice change from a CO2 large oversaturation, relative to the atmosphere, to a marked undersaturation while the underlying oceanic waters remains slightly oversaturated. The decrease from winter to summer of pCO2 in the brines is driven by dilution with melting ice, dissolution of carbonate crystals, and net primary production. As the ice warms, its permeability increases, allowing CO2 transfer at the air-sea ice interface. The sea ice changes from a transient source to a sink for atmospheric CO2. We upscale these observations to the whole Antarctic sea ice cover using the NEMO-LIM3 large-scale sea ice-ocean and provide first estimates of spring and summer CO2 uptake from the atmosphere by Antarctic sea ice. Over the spring-summer period, the Antarctic sea ice cover is a net sink of atmospheric CO2 of 0.029 Pg C, about 58% of the estimated annual uptake from the Southern Ocean. Sea ice then contributes significantly to the sink of CO2 of the Southern Ocean.

Massive marine methane emissions from near-shore shallow coastal areas.

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas contributing to climate warming. The open ocean is a minor source of methane to the atmosphere. We report intense methane emissions from the near-shore southern region of the North Sea characterized by the presence of extensive areas with gassy sediments. The average flux intensities (~130 μmol m−2 d−1) are one order of magnitude higher than values characteristic of continental shelves (~30 μmol m−2 d−1) and three orders of magnitude higher than values characteristic of the open ocean (~0.4 μmol m−2 d−1). The high methane concentrations (up to 1,128 nmol L−1) that sustain these fluxes are related to the shallow and well-mixed water column that allows an efficient transfer of methane from the seafloor to surface waters. This differs from deeper and stratified seep areas where there is a large decrease of methane between bottom and surface by microbial oxidation or physical transport. Shallow well-mixed continental shelves represent about 33% of the total continental shelf area, so that marine coastal methane emissions are probably under-estimated. Near-shore and shallow seep areas are hot spots of methane emission, and our data also suggest that emissions could increase in response to warming of surface waters.