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Quantifying Carbon Cycling across the Groundwater-Stream-Atmosphere Continuum Using High-Resolution Time Series of
Chuan Wang1,2,3, Matthias S Brennwald3, Yueqing Xie1,2
1Key Laboratory of Surficial Geochemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Environmental Science & Technology
|August 29, 2023
Summary
Groundwater significantly impacts stream carbon emissions, supplying CO2 and methane. High-resolution dissolved gas analysis reveals dynamic carbon cycling across the groundwater-stream-atmosphere continuum (GSAC).
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Geochemistry
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Quantifying carbon cycling across the groundwater-stream-atmosphere continuum (GSAC) is vital for global carbon budgets.
- Coupled carbon exchange and turnover in the GSAC present significant quantification challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To disentangle carbon cycling processes within a representative GSAC transect.
- To quantify carbon exchange and turnover with high spatiotemporal resolution.
Main Methods:
- Obtained high-resolution time series of dissolved gases (He, Ar, Kr, O2, CO2, CH4).
- Employed numerical simulations to analyze gas concentrations and carbon dynamics.
- Investigated diurnal variations in stream metabolism and carbonate precipitation/dissolution.
Main Results:
- Groundwater contributes approximately 60% of stream CO2 and 30% of stream CH4 inputs.
- Stream CO2 and CH4 emissions to the atmosphere are supported by these groundwater inputs.
- Diurnal variations in stream metabolism drive significant carbonate precipitation and dissolution cycles.
Conclusions:
- Dissolved gases serve as effective tracers for discerning and quantifying GSAC carbon cycling.
- High-resolution time series are crucial for understanding the diurnal variability of biogeochemical processes.
- This study provides a mechanistic understanding of carbon cycling across the GSAC.
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