Marine Sinks Research Articles

Carbonate lithium isotope systematics indicate cooling triggered mass extinction during the Frasnian-Famennian transition

We present comprehensive Li-C-Sr isotopic studies on two classic marine carbonate sections (Yangdi and Dongcun) transecting the Late Devonian Frasnian-Famennian (FF) boundary from South China to constrain the causes of the FF mass extinction. Both sections show positive Li and C isotopic excursions in carbonate and unchanged conodont 87Sr/86Sr ratios across the FF boundary. Low Li/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios, but heavy Li isotope composition (δ7Li) of the Dongcun section indicate possible diagenetic alteration on carbonate Li isotopic records. By contrast, the Yangdi section records more primary seawater δ7Li signal, showing a ∼ 2 ‰ positive excursion before the FF boundary, although reconstructed paleo-seawater δ7Li values (from 11.8 ± 1.4‰ to 13.8 ± 1.4‰) are lower than modern times. Combined box model with Monte Carlo simulation demonstrates that low seawater δ7Li requires low riverine δ7Li and small effective Li isotopic fractionation by marine sinks (Δ7Lisw-ms). The latter is likely due to high silicon concentration in the paleo-seawater and rapid formation of clay minerals. Positive δ7Li excursion but invariant 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the seawater are related to attenuated continental weathering (reduced riverine fluxes but increased riverine δ7Li), and enlarged effective Δ7Lisw-ms. Based on the present data we suggest that rapid climate cooling is responsible for the weathering transition and must have exerted significant influence on the marine environment. Global climate cooling weakens seawater stratification while intensifying oceanic circulation and upwelling, resulting in enhanced primary productivity, precipitation of the Kellwasser black shales and a remarkable positive C isotopic excursion in carbonate. Additionally, rapid climate cooling around the FF boundary has significantly threatened the ecological system and finally triggered mass extinction especially for the faunas adapted to warm temperatures.

Kelp carbon sink potential decreases with warming due to accelerating decomposition.

Cycling of organic carbon in the ocean has the potential to mitigate or exacerbate global climate change, but major questions remain about the environmental controls on organic carbon flux in the coastal zone. Here, we used a field experiment distributed across 28° of latitude, and the entire range of 2 dominant kelp species in the northern hemisphere, to measure decomposition rates of kelp detritus on the seafloor in relation to local environmental factors. Detritus decomposition in both species were strongly related to ocean temperature and initial carbon content, with higher rates of biomass loss at lower latitudes with warmer temperatures. Our experiment showed slow overall decomposition and turnover of kelp detritus and modeling of coastal residence times at our study sites revealed that a significant portion of this production can remain intact long enough to reach deep marine sinks. The results suggest that decomposition of these kelp species could accelerate with ocean warming and that low-latitude kelp forests could experience the greatest increase in remineralization with a 9% to 42% reduced potential for transport to long-term ocean sinks under short-term (RCP4.5) and long-term (RCP8.5) warming scenarios. However, slow decomposition at high latitudes, where kelp abundance is predicted to expand, indicates potential for increasing kelp-carbon sinks in cooler (northern) regions. Our findings reveal an important latitudinal gradient in coastal ecosystem function that provides an improved capacity to predict the implications of ocean warming on carbon cycling. Broad-scale patterns in organic carbon decomposition revealed here can be used to identify hotspots of carbon sequestration potential and resolve relationships between carbon cycling processes and ocean climate at a global scale.

Carbon sequestration potential increased by incomplete anaerobic decomposition of kelp detritus

Kelps are highly productive macroalgae that form habitats along one-quarter of the worlds’ coastlines. Emerging evidence suggests that kelps have the potential to sequester carbon through the export of detritus to deep marine sinks, yet how much of this detrital carbon is remineralized through grazing and microbial decomposition before it reaches these sinks remains a critical knowledge gap. We measured decay ofLaminaria hyperboreadetritus in shallow kelp forests (10 m) and adjacent deep fjords (300 m), and experimentally tested the effect of temperature and oxygen conditions similar to those at these habitats inex situexperiments. Initial decay rate (k) was high (-0.107 to -0.183 d-1) with 40-60% of the original carbon biomass being lost within few weeks, after which decay rates slowed down (k= -0.009 to -0.038 d-1). Temperature had little effect on the rate and extent of decomposition within the temperature range tested (4-10°C). Blade detritus decomposed almost completely in 300 d under aerobic conditions. Anaerobic decay of both blade and stipe detritus ceased, in contrast, after 150-200 d, leaving 20-30% of the initial biomass to decompose extremely slowly or not at all. Decomposition was followed by changes in chemical composition; C:N ratios increased substantially, while mannitol and phenolics disappeared almost completely from the detritus matrix. Slow and incomplete anaerobic decomposition suggest that the potential for long-term burial and sequestration of kelp carbon will be enhanced if detritus is exported to nearby deep areas with permanent or periodic hypoxia near the bottom.

Seasonal Changes in Microbial Dissolved Organic Sulfur Transformations in Coastal Waters.

The marine trace gas dimethylsulfide (DMS) is the single most important biogenic source of atmospheric sulfur, accounting for up to 80% of global biogenic sulfur emissions. Approximately 300 million tons of DMS are produced annually, but the majority is degraded by microbes in seawater. The DMS precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and oxidation product dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) are also important organic sulfur reservoirs. However, the marine sinks of dissolved DMSO remain unknown. We used a novel combination of stable and radiotracers to determine seasonal changes in multiple dissolved organic sulfur transformation rates to ascertain whether microbial uptake of dissolved DMSO was a significant loss pathway. Surface concentrations of DMS ranged from 0.5 to 17.0 nM with biological consumption rates between 2.4 and 40.8 nM·d−1. DMS produced from the reduction of DMSO was not a significant process. Surface concentrations of total DMSO ranged from 2.3 to 102 nM with biological consumption of dissolved DMSO between 2.9 and 111 nM·d−1. Comparisons between 14C2-DMSO assimilation and dissimilation rates suggest that the majority of dissolved DMSO was respired (>94%). Radiotracer microbial consumption rates suggest that dissimilation of dissolved DMSO to CO2 can be a significant loss pathway in coastal waters, illustrating the significance of bacteria in controlling organic sulfur seawater concentrations.

Correcting an Error in Some Interpretations of Atmospheric <sup>14</sup>C Data

The variable “∆14C”, commonly used in radiocarbon dating and tracing applications to quantify 14C levels, is a measure of the ratio of the radioisotope 14C to other carbon in a sample. After atmospheric nuclear testing in the 1950’s and 1960’s nearly doubled atmospheric 14C, the later evolution of ∆14C allowed insights into the dynamics of carbon exchange between the atmosphere and terrestrial and marine sinks. But a few authors without backgrounds in isotope measurements have confused ∆14C with excess 14C concentration. They erroneously interpret the present recovery of ∆14C to near its pre bomb test value as evidence that atmospheric 14C concentration has returned to its earlier value. From this they reach further incorrect conclusions about the fate of anthropogenic CO2 introduced into the atmosphere by fossil fuel burning. An estimate of the true time dependence of atmospheric 14C concentration over the past century, calculated from averaged atmospheric ∆14C and CO2 data is presented. The data show that 14C concentrations remain over 30% above 1950 values, and have begun to increase, even as ∆14C continues to fall. This confirms the prediction of a conventional model of the carbon cycle. The unconventional models of carbon dynamics motivated by the mistake, on the other hand, are excluded by the properly interpreted 14C data.

Spatial and vertical variations of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in the Bohai and Yellow Seas: Bridging the gap between riverine sources and marine sinks

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are being increasingly reported as emerging contaminants in riverine and marine settings. This study investigated the contamination level and spatial distribution of 17 PFAAs within the depth profile of the Bohai and Yellow Seas using newly detected sampling data from 49 sites (June 29 to July 14, 2016). Moreover, the riverine flux of 11 selected PFAAs in 33 rivers draining into the Bohai and Yellow Seas was estimated from previous studies (2002–2014) in order to establish the relationship between riverine sources and marine sinks. The results showed that the Bohai and Yellow Seas were commonly contaminated with PFAAs: total concentrations of PFAAs in the surface, middle, and bottom zones ranged from 4.55 to 556 ng L−1, 4.61–575 ng L−1, and 4.94–572 ng L−1, respectively. The predominant compounds were PFOA (0.55–449 ng L−1), PFBA (<LOQ-34.5 ng L−1), and PFPeA (<LOQ-54.3 ng L−1), accounting for 10.1–87.0%, 5.2–59.5%, and 0.6–68.6% of the total PFAAs, respectively. In general, the ∑PFAA concentrations showed a slightly decreasing trend with sampling depth. Contamination was particularly severe in Laizhou Bay, fed by the Xiaoqing River and an industrial park known for PFAA production. The total riverine PFAA mass flux into the Bohai and Yellow Seas was estimated to be 72.2 t y−1, of which 94.8% was carried by the Yangtze and Xiaoqing Rivers. As the concentration of short-chain PFAAs begins to rise in seawater, further studies on the occurrence and fate of short-chain PFAAs with special focus on effective control measures would be very timely, particularly in the Xiaoqing River and Laizhou Bay.

Immediate propagation of deglacial environmental change to deep-marine turbidite systems along the Chile convergent margin

Understanding how Earth-surface processes respond to past climatic perturbations is crucial for making informed predictions about future impacts of climate change on sediment fluxes. Sedimentary records provide the archives for inferring these processes, but their interpretation is compromised by our incomplete understanding of how sediment-routing systems respond to millennial-scale climate cycles.We analyzed seven sediment cores recovered from marine turbidite depositional sites along the Chile continental margin. The sites span a pronounced arid-to-humid gradient with variable relief and related sediment connectivity of terrestrial and marine environments. These sites allowed us to study event-related depositional processes in different climatic and geomorphic settings from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present day. The three sites reveal a steep decline of turbidite deposition during deglaciation. High rates of sea-level rise postdate the decline in turbidite deposition. Comparison with paleoclimate proxies documents that the spatio-temporal sedimentary pattern rather mirrors the deglacial humidity decrease and concomitant warming with no resolvable lag times.Our results let us infer that declining deglacial humidity decreased fluvial sediment supply. This signal propagated rapidly through the highly connected systems into the marine sink in north-central Chile. In contrast, in south-central Chile, connectivity between the Andean erosional zone and the fluvial transfer zone probably decreased abruptly by sediment trapping in piedmont lakes related to deglaciation, resulting in a sudden decrease of sediment supply to the ocean. Additionally, reduced moisture supply may have contributed to the rapid decline of turbidite deposition. These different causes result in similar depositional patterns in the marine sinks. We conclude that turbiditic strata may constitute reliable recorders of climate change across a wide range of climatic zones and geomorphic conditions. However, the underlying causes for similar signal manifestations in the sinks may differ, ranging from maintained high system connectivity to abrupt connectivity loss.

Sediment transport and topographic evolution of a coupled river and river plume system: An experimental and numerical study

Sediment transfer from rivers to the ocean is the fundamental driver of continental sedimentation with implications for carbon burial, land use dynamics, and unraveling global climate change and Earth history from sedimentary strata. Coastal rivers are dynamically coupled to their offshore plumes at the river mouth creating regions of nonuniform flow that can dictate patterns of erosion and deposition both onshore and offshore. However, there are limited experimental and modeling studies on sediment transport and morphodynamics of coupled river and river plume systems and their response to multiple flood events. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a quasi-2-D, morphodynamic numerical model and conducted exploratory flume experiments in a 7.5 m long flume where a 10 cm wide river channel was connected to a 76 cm wide “ocean basin.” Both the numerical model and the flume results demonstrate that (1) during low-discharge flows, backwater hydrodynamics cause spatial-flow deceleration and deposition in the river channel and the offshore plume area, and (2) during high flows the water surface is drawn down to sea level, resulting in spatial-flow acceleration and bed scour. During high-discharge flows, we also found that the offshore river plume self-channelized owing to both levee formation and bed scour. Our study suggests that coastal rivers may be in a perpetual state of morphodynamic adjustment and highlights the need to link rivers and river plumes under a suite of flow discharges to accurately predict fluvio-deltaic morphodynamics and connectivity between fluvial sediment sources and marine sinks.

Erosion-driven drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide: The organic pathway

Rapidly eroding, coastal mountain belts, where steep rivers and submarine channels connect upland sources to nearby marine sinks are hotspots of organic carbon transfer from life biomass, soil and exhumed bedrock into geological storage. Using observations from the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and Taiwan, we have mapped this organic pathway to geological carbon sequestration, and can evaluate the magnitude and efficiency of transfers between sources and sinks. We demonstrate that POC is harvested by landsliding, but importantly also by common and widespread surface runoff on steep hillslopes. Although terrestrially sourced POC is found in many sedimentary environments associated with mountain belts and frontier basins, it appears to be most abundantly trapped and preserved in marine turbidites. The loss of all forms of POC in onward transport through short, steep routing systems to this repository is limited. This is in marked contrast to larger routing systems, in which only the most resilient forms of POC survive into long-term deposition.