Temporal variations of chemical and isotopic compositions in the river draining the Changbaishan volcanic area: The role of hydrological changes and volcanic activities

Abstract

AbstractVolcanic activities are known to release a substantial amount of deep carbon to the Earth's surface, thereby influencing the global carbon cycle on geological timescales. It is crucial to clarify the contribution of deep carbon and its changes under hydrological variations in rivers draining volcanic areas. This study reported the temporal variations of chemical compositions and isotopic compositions (δ13C and Δ14C) of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from the Erdaobai River, which drains the Changbaishan volcanic area. The results showed that hydrothermal fluids had a considerable impact on the chemical and carbon isotopic compositions in this study area. The chemical mass balance model indicated that hydrothermal fluids composed 4.6 ± 0.7% of the water budget for the Erdaobai River. Additionally, the isotopic mixing model of Δ14CDIC showed that hydrothermal DIC accounted for 83.6 ± 1.9% and 40.8 ± 3.7% of the DIC budget for the upstream and downstream, respectively, and the proportion of hydrothermal contribution also varied in a narrow range in response to hydrological changes. However, the DIC and dissolved organic carbon fluxes showed significant seasonal variations, verifying the controlling role of hydrological processes. This study highlighted the impact of hydrological processes and deep carbon release on the carbon budget in the volcanic catchment, which is of great significance for understanding atmospheric CO2 balance and climate change.