Fate of Fire altered Organic Carbon in the arctic river-to-ocean continuum: Resolving Mackenzie River Black Carbon in the Beaufort Sea ...

• Main Authors: Speidel, Linn G., Bröder, Lisa, Lattaud, Julie, Haghipour, Negar, Eglinton, Timothy I., Coppola, Alysha I.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2023
• Subjects: Black carbon; Dissolved organic carbon; BPCAs; Mackenzie River; Beaufort Sea; Climate change; black carbon; Mackenzie river
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000644948; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/644948

Climate change is amplified in the arctic and boreal regions. This causes higher average temperatures and less precipitation in the summer months and is resulting in longer wildfire seasons, severity, frequency and extent. This increases the relies of carbon into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases and aerosols, amplifying climate change even further. Black carbon (BC) is a fraction of organic carbon, resulting from the incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuels. BC may be inaccessible for biodegradation, because of its highly condensed aromatic molecular structure and therefore stores carbon on long timescales on land and in the ocean. BC is produced on land, but is transported as dissolved BC (DBC) by the rivers to the oceans, where it cycles on millennial timescales, sequestering BC. Thus, it is important to understand the significance of BC in the context of increased fires in this vulnerable region in the face of climate change. The Mackenzie River is a major source of terrestrial dissolved ... : EGUsphere ...