A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years
Global warming has a significant impact on the regional scale on the Arctic Ocean and surrounding coastal zones (i.e., Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia). The recent increase in air temperature has resulted in increased precipitation along the drainage basins of Arctic rivers. It has a...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2015-06-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.biogeosciences.net/12/3551/2015/bg-12-3551-2015.pdf |
| _version_ | 1811312490901929984 |
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| author | D. Doxaran E. Devred M. Babin |
| author_facet | D. Doxaran E. Devred M. Babin |
| author_sort | D. Doxaran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Global warming has a significant impact on the regional scale on the Arctic Ocean
and surrounding coastal zones (i.e., Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and
Russia). The recent increase in air temperature has resulted in increased
precipitation along the drainage basins of Arctic rivers. It has also
directly impacted land and seawater temperatures with the consequence of
melting permafrost and sea ice. An increase in freshwater discharge by main
Arctic rivers has been clearly identified in time series of field
observations. The freshwater discharge of the Mackenzie River has increased
by 25% since 2003. This may have increased the mobilization and transport
of various dissolved and particulate substances, including organic carbon, as
well as their export to the ocean. The release from land to the ocean of such
organic material, which has been sequestered in a frozen state since the Last
Glacial Maximum, may significantly impact the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle as
well as marine ecosystems.
<br><br>
In this study we use 11 years of ocean color satellite data and field
observations collected in 2009 to estimate the mass of terrestrial suspended
solids and particulate organic carbon delivered by the Mackenzie River into
the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean). Our results show that during the summer
period, the concentration of suspended solids at the river mouth, in the
delta zone and in the river plume has increased by 46, 71 and
33%, respectively, since 2003. Combined with the variations observed in
the freshwater discharge, this corresponds to a more than 50% increase in
the particulate (terrestrial suspended particles and organic carbon) export
from the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T10:37:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-78a59eb3ce91487eb48776fff4943b65 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T10:37:04Z |
| publishDate | 2015-06-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biogeosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-78a59eb3ce91487eb48776fff4943b652022-12-22T02:50:01ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892015-06-01123551356510.5194/bg-12-3551-2015A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 yearsD. Doxaran0E. Devred1M. Babin2Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, UMR 7093 CNRS-UPMC, Villefranche-sur-Mer, FranceTakuvik Joint International Laboratory, CNRS – Université Laval, Québec, CanadaTakuvik Joint International Laboratory, CNRS – Université Laval, Québec, CanadaGlobal warming has a significant impact on the regional scale on the Arctic Ocean and surrounding coastal zones (i.e., Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia). The recent increase in air temperature has resulted in increased precipitation along the drainage basins of Arctic rivers. It has also directly impacted land and seawater temperatures with the consequence of melting permafrost and sea ice. An increase in freshwater discharge by main Arctic rivers has been clearly identified in time series of field observations. The freshwater discharge of the Mackenzie River has increased by 25% since 2003. This may have increased the mobilization and transport of various dissolved and particulate substances, including organic carbon, as well as their export to the ocean. The release from land to the ocean of such organic material, which has been sequestered in a frozen state since the Last Glacial Maximum, may significantly impact the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle as well as marine ecosystems. <br><br> In this study we use 11 years of ocean color satellite data and field observations collected in 2009 to estimate the mass of terrestrial suspended solids and particulate organic carbon delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean). Our results show that during the summer period, the concentration of suspended solids at the river mouth, in the delta zone and in the river plume has increased by 46, 71 and 33%, respectively, since 2003. Combined with the variations observed in the freshwater discharge, this corresponds to a more than 50% increase in the particulate (terrestrial suspended particles and organic carbon) export from the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea.https://www.biogeosciences.net/12/3551/2015/bg-12-3551-2015.pdf |
| spellingShingle | D. Doxaran E. Devred M. Babin A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years Biogeosciences |
| title | A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years |
| title_full | A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years |
| title_fullStr | A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years |
| title_full_unstemmed | A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years |
| title_short | A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years |
| title_sort | 50 increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the mackenzie river into the beaufort sea canadian arctic ocean over the last 10 years |
| url | https://www.biogeosciences.net/12/3551/2015/bg-12-3551-2015.pdf |
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