Spatial Variation in the Origin of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Snow on the Juneau Icefield, Southeast Alaska

Environmental Science & Technology
Jason B FellmanRobert G M Spencer

Abstract

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) plays a fundamental role in the biogeochemistry of glacier ecosystems. However, the specific sources of glacier DOC remain unresolved. To assess the origin and nature of glacier DOC, we collected snow from 10 locations along a transect across the Juneau Icefield, Alaska extending from the coast toward the interior. The Δ(14)C-DOC of snow varied from -743 to -420‰ showing progressive depletion across the Icefield as δ(18)O of water became more depleted (R(2) = 0.56). Older DOC corresponded to lower DOC concentrations in snow (R(2) = 0.31) and a decrease in percent humic-like fluorescence (R(2) = 0.36), indicating an overall decrease in modern DOC across the Icefield. Carbon isotopic signatures ((13)C and (14)C) combined with a three-source mixing model showed that DOC deposited in snow across the Icefield reflects fossil fuel combustion products (43-73%) and to a lesser extent marine (21-41%) and terrestrial sources (1-26%). Our finding that combustion aerosols are a large source of DOC to the glacier ecosystem during the early spring (April-May) together with the pronounced rates of glacier melting in the region suggests that the delivery of relic DOC to the ocean may be increasing and consequentl...Continue Reading

References

Jul 21, 2007·Science·Mark F MeierAndrey F Glazovsky
Aug 21, 2007·Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM·Debajyoti PaulIstván Fórizs
Oct 25, 2011·Environmental Science & Technology·Runa AntonyShanta Nair
Oct 3, 2013·Scientific Reports·Sigmund Hågvar, Mikael Ohlson
May 9, 2014·Environmental Science & Technology·Runa AntonyPatrick G Hatcher
Aug 26, 2014·Environmental Science & Technology·A StubbinsP A del Giorgio

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Citations

Jun 27, 2019·Environmental Science. Processes & Impacts·Subha Chakraborty, Tara F Kahan
Mar 2, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Tanguang GaoYulan Zhang
Apr 18, 2020·The Science of the Total Environment·Tanguang GaoXiaoxiang Wang

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