Spatial and temporal variations in pCO2 and atmospheric CO2 exchanges in a temperate salt marsh system

Type Dissertation
Date 2020-06
Language English
Ref. Master’s degree 2 internship report: Chemistry and Life Sciences, speciality Molecular Biology and Environmental Microbiology
Author(s) Mayen Jeremy1, 2
Affiliation(s) 1 : IFREMER, Laboratoire Environnement et Ressources des Pertuis Charentais (LER-PC), F-17390 La Tremblade, France
2 : Univ Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Master 1 BME, 64013 Pau, France
Publisher Université de Pau & des Pays de l'Adour
Keyword(s) temperate salt marsh system, typology/management practice, water carbon dynamic, water-atmosphere CO2 flux, biological pump, hydrodynamic advection, CO2 source/sink.
Abstract

Coastal environments such as the Charentais Sounds are key systems in the biogeochemical cycles coupling (C, N, P) between the land, the ocean and  the atmosphere. Within the coastal zone, salt marshes are considered as CO2 sinks associated to their significant autotrophic metabolism and sediment carbon (C) storage. However, this ecological functioning is more and more threatened by global change (acidification, sea level rise, eutrophication) and anthropogenic pressures decreasing blue C area potential worldwide. C dynamics over salt marshes are complex since various processes and fluxes take place at the different terrestrial-aquatic-atmospheric exchange interfaces at the spatio-temporal scales of the coastal zone. The ANR-PAMPAS research project allows a better understanding of marsh ecological functioning located in the Charentais Sounds according to their typology and management practices faced oceanic submersion risks. Related to the blue C sink ecological functioning, this internship specifically focused on the dynamic of water partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2) and associated relevant environmental parameters at diurnal, tidal and seasonal scales along a dyked salt marsh – channel – bay continuum within the Fier d’Ars coastal wetland (Ré Island). The diurnal/tidal measurements carried out from year 2018 to 2020 at stations along the continuum highlighted a strong biological control on water pCO2 and associated metabolisms at diurnal and seasonal scales according to station typology and management practices too. During spring-summer seasons at dyked salt marsh stations, photosynthesis activity of macroalgae, seagrass and phytoplankton produced large CO2 undersaturation. To the contrary during winter-autumn seasons, lower biological activity associated with microbial loop-type network particularly at channel water station induced large CO2 oversaturation with regards to the atmosphere. Other non-temperature effect such as coastal water advection significantly influenced diurnal water CO2 dynamics among connected stations. Over the year, the majority of the studied stations (bay and dyked marshes) behaved as CO2 sinks (-0.03 ± 0.17 and -0.26 ± 0.38 mmol mh-1 at Fier d’Ars Bay and Loix marsh respectively) while only the channel station connecting coastal waters of the bay to dyked marshes represented a CO2 source to the atmosphere (+0.16 ± 0.24 mmol mh-1).

 

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Mayen Jeremy (2020). Spatial and temporal variations in pCO2 and atmospheric CO2 exchanges in a temperate salt marsh system. Master’s degree 2 internship report: Chemistry and Life Sciences, speciality Molecular Biology and Environmental Microbiology. https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00636/74772/