The effects of estuarine processes on the fluxes of inorganic and organic carbon in the Yellow River estuary

Abstract

Riverine carbon flux is an important component of the global carbon cycle. The spatial and temporal variations of organic and inorganic carbon were examined during both dry and wet seasons in the Yellow River estuary. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the Yellow River during dry seasons were higher than those during wet seasons. The effective concentrations of DOC (CDOC*) were higher than the observed DOC at zero salinity. This input of DOC in the Yellow River estuary was due to sediment desorption processes in low salinity regions. In contrast to DOC, the effective concentrations of DIC were 10% lower than the DIC measured at freshwater end, and the loss of DIC was caused by CaCO3 precipitation in low salinity region. Particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) contents of the particles stabilized to constant values (0.5%±0.05% and 1.8%±0.2%, respectively) within the turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) and showed no noticeable seasonal variations. A rapid drop of PIC and rise of POC occurred simultaneously outside the TMZ due to an intense dilution of riverine inorganic-rich particles being transported into a pool of aquatic organic-poor particles outside the TMZ. Annually, the Yellow River transported 6.95×105 t of DIC, 0.64×105 t of DOC, 78.58×105 t of PIC and 2.29×105 t of POC to the sea.