Isotopic composition of oceanic dissolved black carbon reveals non-riverine source

Sasha Wagner (), Jay Brandes, Robert G. M. Spencer, Kun Ma, Sarah Z. Rosengard, Jose Mauro S. Moura and Aron Stubbins
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Sasha Wagner: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Jay Brandes: University of Georgia
Robert G. M. Spencer: Florida State University
Kun Ma: University of Georgia
Sarah Z. Rosengard: University of British Columbia
Jose Mauro S. Moura: Federal University of Western Para (UFOPA)
Aron Stubbins: Northeastern University

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract A portion of the charcoal and soot produced during combustion processes on land (e.g., wildfire, burning of fossil fuels) enters aquatic systems as dissolved black carbon (DBC). In terms of mass flux, rivers are the main identified source of DBC to the oceans. Since DBC is believed to be representative of the refractory carbon pool, constraining sources of marine DBC is key to understanding the long-term persistence of carbon in our global oceans. Here, we use compound-specific stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) to reveal that DBC in the oceans is ~6‰ enriched in 13C compared to DBC exported by major rivers. This isotopic discrepancy indicates most riverine DBC is sequestered and/or rapidly degraded before it reaches the open ocean. Thus, we suggest that oceanic DBC does not predominantly originate from rivers and instead may be derived from another source with an isotopic signature similar to that of marine phytoplankton.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13111-7

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