Emission of carbon dioxide from a tropical estuarine system, Goa, India

• Main Authors: Sarma, V. V. S. S., Dileep Kumar, M., Manerikar, M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Geophysical Union 2001
• Subjects: Carbonic acid
• Online Access: http://repository.ias.ac.in/9808/; http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2001/2000GL006114.shtml

Carbon dioxide species were studied in Mandovi-Zuari system, a tropical estuarine complex influenced by strong monsoonal run-off, with implications to build up and air-water exchange of CO 2 . Total carbon dioxide (TCO 2 ) behaved conservatively during the estuarine mixing. Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO 2 ), evaluated from TCO 2 and pH couple, and carbonic acid dissociation constants, exhibited supersaturation with respect to atmospheric CO 2 round the year. The pCO 2 attained maximal levels over 2000 µatm in waters of early estuarine mixing. Average pCO 2 in estuarine system were 1045 and 1153, µatm (three times to that in atmosphere) in non- southwest (SW) and SW monsoon seasons, respectively. An experimental study revealed that soil-water interaction could be an important controller of pCO 2 abundance in these estuarine waters. The calculated water-to-air average fluxes were 67 and 11 mmol m -2 d -1 , respectively, in SW monsoon due to higher wind speeds and non-SW monsoons. This study strongly suggests that pH regulation by soil-water interaction is important, besides biological processes, in river and estuarine systems.