Chemical denudation rates and carbon dioxide drawdown in an ice‐free polar karst catchment: Londonelva, Svalbard

• Published in: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
• Main Authors: Krawczyk, Wiesława Ewa, Pettersson, Lars‐Evan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2007
• Subjects: Svalbard; Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppp.599; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fppp.599; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ppp.599

Abstract Chemical denudation rates and carbon dioxide withdrawal were calculated for the Londonelva basin, an ice‐free karst catchment on Svalbard. Runoff was recorded 12 June to 11 October 2000 and water samples were collected daily in August. The chemical denudation rate that month amounted to 2.2 m 3 km −2 . The estimated chemical denudation rate for 2000 was 5.8 m 3 km −2 yr −1 or 303 Σ meq + m −2 yr −1 , but this rate may be unusually low because basin runoff was only 158 × 10 3 m 3 , the lowest since recording began in 1992. For other discharge years estimated chemical denudation rates range from 5.8 to 13.3 m 3 km −2 yr −1 or 300–690 Σ meq + m −2 yr −1 . The CO 2 withdrawal in August 2000 amounted to 560 kg C km −2 and for the hydrological year 2000 it was 1560 kg C km −2 yr −1 . In 1993, the highest recorded runoff year, withdrawal of CO 2 may have reached 3800 kg C km −2 yr −1 . Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.