Origin and fate of dissolved inorganic carbon in a karst groundwater fed peatland using δ13CDIC

Abstract

Continental hydrosystems and in particular peatlands play an important role in the carbon cycle of the Critical Zone (CZ). Peatlands are important sinks for organic carbon and have therefore been extensively studied. However, peatlands are not only important for the fate of organic carbon, but they also affect the cycle of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) of the peatland and the surrounding watershed. The fate of DIC is particularly complex in peatlands in limestone-dominated regions, because bicarbonate concentrations in surface and groundwater are high and the interaction between peatlands and surrounding hydrosystems are facilitated by the presence of highly permeable karst aquifers. In the present paper we study the origin and the fractionation of DIC in a peatland located on top of a karst aquifer. The study is based on hydrochemical and isotopic (δ13CDIC) data from samples recovered during 2 campaigns (low flow, high flow) at various depths within the Forbonnet peatland (Jura Mountains, eastern France), at the peatland outlet and at adjacent karst springs representing the underlying aquifer. In order to evaluate secondary fractionation processes, the measured δ13CDIC compositions were compared to modeled values considering the origin of DIC and potentially associated fractionation and speciation processes. The main results are: (1) DIC is lost at the bog surface by CO2 outgassing. (2) The δ13CDIC compositions of deep catotelm pore waters from the bog were much heavier than the modeled values. We relate this discrepancy to methanogenesis and show that this process is favored by reduced conditions at pH ∼ 6 and a HCO3− content of ∼1 mmol/L, most probably due to punctual groundwater inflows at the base of the bog. Finally, contrasted δ13CDIC compositions between the bog and the fen of the peatland reveal an additional ecohydrological control on DIC speciation.