Groundwater discharge contribution to dissolved inorganic carbon and riverine carbon emissions in a subarctic region

• Published in: Biogeochemistry
• Main Authors: Biehler, Antoine, Buffin-Bélanger, Thomas, Baudron, Paul, Chaillou, Gwénaëlle
• Other Authors: Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages (UMR G-EAU), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-AgroParisTech-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro), Institut des Sciences de la MER de Rimouski (ISMER)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2023
• Subjects: Groundwater discharges; River; CO2 emission; Radon-based model; Dissolved inorganic carbon; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Subarctic
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04157021; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-023-01060-9

International audience Rivers act as a source of CO2 to the atmosphere and some of the implied inorganic carbon comes from the aquifer-river connectivity through groundwater discharges to surface water. This study aims to quantify groundwater discharge entering the stream and to estimate this external input to the riverine inorganic carbon cycle, as both dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and CO2 in the Matane River (Qc, Canada). Two approaches based on radon (Rn-222) mass balance models, DIC, total alkalinity (TA), pH and PCO2 measurements were developed to quantify groundwater discharges and associated DIC and CO2 fluxes at a high- (< 1 km) and low- (> 1 km) resolution scales. Groundwater discharges were heterogeneous along the riverbed with mean linear inputs varying from 3.1 to 51.9 m(3)& BULL;day(-1)& BULL;m(-1) depending on the scale. The associated fluxes of DIC ranged between 7.4 and 132.9 mol & BULL;day(-1)& BULL;m(-1) and corresponded to only less than 13% of the total DIC transported by the river. Regarding CO2, however, the contribution of groundwater to CO2 emission fluxes reached 81% to 287% of the river's internal CO2 production. Exceeding groundwater-derived CO2 flux compared to the total CO2 flux from the river probably highlights the instantaneous degassing of CO2 as soon as groundwater discharges to the surface water. These results shed light on the key role of groundwater in the riverine inorganic carbon cycle in a subarctic region, and specifically in the CO2 evasion to the atmosphere. Such quantifications are particularly important in northern systems where important changes in hydroclimatic conditions and terrestrial carbon storage are undergoing and are expected to continue to undergo.