Comparison of the burial rate estimation methods of organic and inorganic carbon and quantification of carbon burial in two high Arctic fjords

Abstract

Summary: Quantifying the burial of organic carbon (OC) and inorganic carbon (IC) species in marine sediments contribute to a better understanding of carbon cycle. This is especially important in the Arctic, where carbon deposition is relatively high and expected to change with climate warming. This study aimed to quantify the burial rates of OC and IC in the sediments of two high-latitude fjords – Hornsund and Kongsfjorden (European Arctic). Comparison of the results from three methods quantifying carbon burial in marine sediments was carried out.Sediment cores, pore water, and over-bottom water samples were analyzed for OC and IC. The burial rates were established by considering: carbon deposition to sediments minus carbon return flux, carbon deposited to sediments 80–100 years ago and carbon deposited to sediments recently. The radiolead method was employed for sediment dating. Carbon return flux was obtained using dissolved carbon species concentrations in pore water and over-bottom water.Sediment linear and mass accumulation rates in the fjords were 0.12–0.20 cm y−1 and 1160–2330 g m−2 y−1. The OC burial rates were 19.3–30.3 g OC m−2 y−1 in Hornsund and 5.7–10.0 g OC m−2 y−1 in Kongsfjorden. IC burial was taken as equal to IC deposition and ranged from 10.7 to 20.8 g IC m−2 y−1 in Hornsund and 19.4–45.7 g IC m−2 y−1 in Kongsfjorden. The “return flux” model seems most appropriate for carbon burial rate studies. The data demonstrated that OC burial dominates in Hornsund, while in Kongsfjorden, IC burial is more important. Keywords: Spitsbergen, Carbon deposition, Pore water, Dissolved carbon species, Return flux, Carbon accumulation, Sedimentary carbon