Substantial stores of sedimentary carbon held in mid-latitude fjords
Quantifying marine sedimentary carbon stocks is key to improving our understanding of long-term storage of carbon in the coastal ocean and to further constraining the global carbon cycle. Here we present a methodological approach which combines seismic geophysics and geochemical measurements to quan...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-10-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.biogeosciences.net/13/5771/2016/bg-13-5771-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | Quantifying marine sedimentary carbon stocks is key to improving our
understanding of long-term storage of carbon in the coastal ocean and to
further constraining the global carbon cycle. Here we present a
methodological approach which combines seismic geophysics and geochemical
measurements to quantitatively estimate the total stock of carbon held within
marine sediment. Through the application of this methodology to Loch Sunart, a
fjord on the west coast of Scotland, we have generated the first full
sedimentary carbon inventory for a fjordic system. The sediments of Loch
Sunart hold 26.9 ± 0.5 Mt of carbon split between 11.5 ± 0.2 and
15.0 ± 0.4 Mt of organic and inorganic carbon respectively. These new
quantitative estimates of carbon stored in coastal sediments are
significantly higher than previous estimates. Through an area-normalised
comparison to adjacent Scottish peatland carbon stocks, we have determined
that these mid-latitude fjords are significantly more effective as carbon
stores than their terrestrial counterparts. This initial work supports the
concept that fjords are important environments for the burial and long-term
storage of carbon and therefore should be considered and treated as unique
environments within the global carbon cycle. |
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| ISSN: | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |