Conservative behavior of dissolved black carbon in the northwestern Pacific marginal seas

Jihyun Park, Marit Renken, Hannelore Waska, Thorsten Dittmar, Heejun Han, Hojong Seo, In-Seong Han, Joon-Soo Lee and Guebuem Kim ()
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Jihyun Park: Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences/Research Institute of Oceanography
Marit Renken: University of Oldenburg, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM)
Hannelore Waska: University of Oldenburg, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM)
Thorsten Dittmar: University of Oldenburg, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM)
Heejun Han: Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences/Research Institute of Oceanography
Hojong Seo: Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences/Research Institute of Oceanography
In-Seong Han: National Institute of Fisheries Science, Ocean Climate & Ecology Research Division
Joon-Soo Lee: National Institute of Fisheries Science, Ocean Climate & Ecology Research Division
Guebuem Kim: Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences/Research Institute of Oceanography

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Dissolved black carbon (DBC) represents the largest molecularly identifiable slow-cycling organic carbon pool in the ocean. However, its behavior remains debated due to large differences between its radiocarbon ages and residence times based on mass balance estimations, suggesting considerable removal in the source regions. Here, we show that DBC is predominantly derived from riverine sources and behaves conservatively throughout the entire water masses of the northwestern Pacific marginal seas—including the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the East Sea (Japan Sea)—which are characterized by extreme biogeochemical alterations and long water residence times (~100 years). This conservative behavior is evidenced by a strong negative correlation between DBC and salinity, consistent mass balance estimates, and a uniform B6CA/B5CA marker ratio. Thus, we suggest that the discrepancy between DBC ages and residence times in the ocean is more likely due to substantially enhanced contemporary DBC production rather than removal pathways.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65855-0

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