The Sustained Response of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon to Urban Constructed Wetland in the Fenhe River, China: A Case Study

Jiajia Dang, Meifang Zhang and Yunxiao Li ()
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Jiajia Dang: Student Affairs Department, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Meifang Zhang: Environmental Science Laboratory, College of Resource and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Yunxiao Li: Environmental Science Laboratory, College of Resource and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: Sustained wetland utilization has been effective in purifying urban riverine pollutants and promoting sustainable development. However, its effect on water CO 2 system remains unclear in semi-arid areas. In this study, seasonal monitoring of the carbonate system was performed at two compared stations, i.e., in constructed wetland (Xiangyun station) and its upstream (Lancun station) in a semi-arid river (the Fenhe River) in China. As indicated by the result of the sustained monthly observation from May 2020 to May 2021, riverine dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and partial pressure of CO 2 ( p CO 2 ) reached 30.9–46.7 mg L −1 and 524–1050 μatm in Lancun station, respectively, whereas the above-described values declined significantly in Xiangyun station with the values of 24.1–39.1 mg L −1 for DIC and 188–873 μatm for p CO 2 . Compared with the Lancun station where the carbonate system was primarily controlled by natural factors (e.g., carbonate weathering and temperature), significant aquatic photosynthesis and calcification precipitation due to constructed wetland triggered the decrease in DIC and p CO 2 and dominated their temporal variation in Xiangyun station. Thus, the large CO 2 reduction arising from constructed wetlands may create vital paths for CO 2 neutralization and sustainable conservation in urban rivers in arid and semi-arid areas in the future.

Keywords: carbonate system; partial pressure of CO 2; sustained wetland utilization; aquatic photosynthesis; semi-arid areas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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