COASTAL ZONE IMPACTS ON GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY: TOPIC # 1: HOW DO DIFFERENT COASTAL ZONES IMPACT THE CARBON CYCLE? CONTRIBUTED BY: I. FALOONA, T. LUEKER, S. NANDI, R. SHIPE, D. VARELA, L.VER General Information Identification of importance of coastal zones by two main carbon cycle documents: North American Carbon Plan (NACP) and the Ocean Carbon & Climate Change (OCCC). Ship-based studies in the East China Sea [Tsunogai et al., 1999] and off the West Coast of Europe [Frankignoulle et al., 2001] have suggested that the coastal ocean plays a significant role in the global carbon cycle (Frankignoulle et al. estimate the European coastal sink to be almost half as large as that proposed for the open North Atlantic). 1. Nitrogen cycle Riverine inputs are on par with wet deposition & in-situ fixation Benthic denitrification in CZ is dominant removal of bioavailable N There is a tight coupling between the cycles of C and N (and Si) during massive blooms and export events. 2. Other nutrient cycles S DIC P Fe: Synoptic scale transport to and fertilization of open ocean Si: Under eutrophic conditions, the coastal phytoplankton community is dominated by diatoms. These unicellular protists require Si for growth (C:Si ~ 106:16) 3. Physical forcing/hydrological cycle Coastal upwelling, synoptic semi permanent H pressure, Ekman pumping Boundary currents (great distinction between Eastern/Western) & corresponding eddy transport processes Influence of large-scale climate oscillations such as ENSO, NAO, etc. Increase in stratification of coastal waters thought to affect nutrient abundance and supply to mixed layer (in Gulf of Alaska study) 4. Important regions Upwelling regions (N. California Coast, and similar regions in S. Pacific, S. Atlantic): responsible for ~50% of world’s fish catch Deepwater delivers large pCO2 (source) as well as nutrients which instigate large biological blooms (sinks) Main riverine discharge regions (mostly NH: Amazon, Orinoco, Congo, Yangtse, etc.) Transition region between pelagic and coastal environments (e.g., utilization of NO3 by small autotrophic flagellates vs. diatoms) 5. Methods for constraining Coastal zone color scanner (for NPP) Coastal CO2 flux monitoring network In-situ monitoring experiments such as the NEPTUNE and VENUS projects on the coastal NE Pacific Low altitude airborne spectral methods – optimization of satellites (MODIS, SeaWiFS) for high turbidity of CZs Atmospheric monitoring of other trace gases (O2, N2O, CO) at coastal time series stations Long-term monitoring of C sequestration needs to work towards constraining lateral advection 6. Uncertainty / big questions Upwelling CO2 rich deepwater vs. biological drawdown – who wins? Pronounced heterogeneity of biological response to distribution of chemical properties (nutrients) – need for better food web characterization How do the controls on productivity/sequestration coupling (see (7)) vary geographically, seasonally, and climatically? Sensitivity to large scale climate oscillations Strive for sufficient understanding of these processes to allow for intentional climate manipulation 7. Sedimentation / carbon sequestration rate 14-30% of oceanic NPP (~103 Pg C y-1) concentrated in CZs Estimates as large as 50% of total bio pump is “continental shelf pump” To what extent do nutrient supply and offshore eddy transport control the C sedimentation rates? More generally, what are the physical, chemical, and biological controls on the productivity/sequestration coupling? 8. Upwelling areas and air-sea fluxes Possibility of differing air-sea exchange parameters due to: presence of surfactants, shelf induced turbulent transport, limited fetch, etc. [Also see (3) & (4) above] COASTAL ZONE IMPACTS ON GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY: TOPIC # 2: HOW DO COASTAL ZONES IMPACT ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY, INCLUDING AEROSOLS? CONTRIBUTED BY: CHRISTINE WIEDINMYER, ADELE CHUCK, IAN FALOONA, TIM LUEKER, MONICA MADRONICH, KATHARINE MOORE, CINDY NEVISON, MARK POTOSNAK, ROB RHEW, CRAIG STROUD, JOHN WHITE General Information • • AEROSOLS • • Nit ro ge n inp uts Hy dr oc ar bo ns • • • • N , P , S i T r a c e m e t a l s Sea -salt TRACE GASES Hal oge n cycl ing • • • • • Increased productivi ty Varied ecosyste ms Breaking waves • CCN Ozone depleti on Green house gases • N2O, CH4 • Halocarbo ns e.g. CH3I, CHBr3 • Sulphur compound s e.g. DMS, H2S, COS DOM Anoxic zones • Eutrophi #2. How do coastal zones impact cation on atmospheric chemistry?• Harmful algal blooms A. Chuck Figure 1: A general schematic of the atmosphere-coastal interactions of chemical trace gases. • Coastal ecosystems are characterized by higher primary productivity than open ocean systems. • Ocean-atmosphere interactions within coastal zones reflect a transition from a relatively contaminated continental land mass to a less contaminated marine air mass • Coastal seas are dominant marine sources of some trace gases globally e.g. nitrous oxide, carbonyl sulphide, methane and important production sites for almost all trace gases. 1. Hydrocarbons a. Macroalgae (seaweeds) have been shown to produce a variety of halogenated compounds, isoprene, and other NMHCs. Hydrocarbons & Aerosols The “Sea Surface Microlayer” (SSM) is often aerosolized or may coat/be associated with your regular sea-salt aerosol. Some of the organic compounds in the aerosol are bacteria or bacteria products. Functionalities include lipids, carbohydrates, but this is very poorly characterized. 2. Sulfur Compounds a. Coastal phytoplankton species such as Phaeocystis are important producers of DMS, although DMS production rates in coastal waters are not particularly high compared to open ocean areas. b. Coastal salt marshes have very high sulfur content in their soils, which has two major effects in terms of trace gas exchange: a. First, they provide the substrate for the production of sulfur-containing trace gases, such as H2S, COS, MeSH, and DMS. b. Second, high sulfate levels inhibit methanogenesis, meaning that coastal marshes produce very little methane relative to freshwater wetlands c. H2S and other reduced-S and organo-S species may be present in the gas-phase? Sulfur Compounds and Aerosols d. DMS oxidation produces SO2, which ultimately can produce particles. (Probably very important for new particle production). e. DMS flux measurements in ocean regions, and the DMS-CCN-cloud studies. (Studies have been performed to link DMS emissions to CCN production and cloud properties). References? 3. CO a. CO is generated in the ocean by photochemical degradation of CDOM (colored dissolved organic matter) and its main loss is microbial consumption. Only about 15% of this cycling is vented to the atmosphere, where it is believed to represent a mere 2% of the global atmospheric CO budget [Zafiriou et al., 2003]. b. Very few measurements of marine CO fluxes exist in coastal regions outside of some high latitude port cities. CO production from wetlands alone may be as large as 300-400 Tg C/yr [Valentine and Zepp, 1993] which suggest considerable potential for elevated CO emissions in estuaries and coastal waters. 4. Nitrogen compounds a. There is substantial evidence for organo-N being important (gas- and aerosol-phases) in coastal regions, but these compounds are very poorly characterized. b. Nitrates may play important roles in estuaries/coastal regions as run-off from fertilizers. Nitrates in aerosol may be important in perturbed coastal regions. c. Coastal upwelling regions are important sources of nitrous oxide (N2O). This is true for two primary reasons. First, coastal regions have high rates of microbial N2O production as a consequence of their high productivity. Second, upwelling provides an effective pathway for ventilating N2O, which is produced primarily in subsurface waters, to the atmosphere. Anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to coastal areas can lead to large enhancements in coastal N2O emissions. Although N2O is chemically inert in the troposphere, it is a radiatively active greenhouse gas and also provides the primary stratospheric source of NOx, an important regulator of ozone. 5. Halogenated Compounds a. Very high emission rates of methyl halides have been observed in coastal terrestrial ecosystems. b. Coastal salt marshes emit methyl halides at high rates, depending on plant species and environmental parameters. c. Tropical coastal lands also emit methyl halides, also apparently from vegetation. d. These coastal ecosystems are regions of high primary productivity and high halide availability. e. Macroalgae are known sources of volatile organo-bromine and organo-iodine compounds. f. Bromoform is the most abundant form of biogenic reactive organic bromine and the highest concentrations of bromoform are invariably found in coastal waters. g. Possibly 70% of world’s bromoform produced by macroalgae (Carpenter and Liss 2000). h. Macroalgae area also sources of a variety of iodinated compounds e.g. CH2I2, methyl iodide. Current understanding is that this source is not globally significant but impact on local atmospheric composition and chemistry could be greater. E.g. “particle bursts” have been observed in some coastal areas. There is evidence to show that condensable iodine vapours (CIVs) formed from photolysis of CH2I2 produced by macroalgae is a viable mechanism for explaining this. i. Figure 1 (L. Carpenter) shows the (almost textbook!) relationship between tidal height, solar radiation and IO production. The relationship between CCN concentration and tidal height has also been shown in the field during the PARFORCE project. j. Halogen cycling in coastal environments can be substantial and important in terms of ozone and other oxidant cycling k. Some observational evidence that Cl-radical chemistry in polluted air over the coastal ocean can lead to net O3 production (Texas studies- Tanaka et al., 2003) Iodine Chemistry in the MBL I O O3 CH2I2 CH2IB r CH3I, h v I h v Ozone Depletion Inorgani c Iodine eg OIO, HOI IONO2, INO2, HI, IX I2 New Particle Production; Climate Impact Aeros ol Transpo rt to Contine nts J. Plane Figure 3: Iodine chemistry in coastal regions. Halogenated compounds and aerosols o Organic-Iodide compounds (methylated iodines) have been associated with new particle production in tidal areas. (O’Dowd et al., 1999, 1998). o Interaction with NOx will release HCl from aerosol and this has the potential to end up as radical-Cl, which will play a role as an oxidant in coastal regions. o Br may also be released as a radical (not in as large of quantities as Cl, of course). 6. Feedbacks a. Ocean-derived CCN impacting productivity, soluble iron amounts being impacted by sulfur or organic acid emissions from oceans. 7. Methods for constraining a. Need better and continuous observations for several years at one (or multiple) location locations. b. Need to get estimates of surface area, productivity, species abundance. c. Better/more flux measurements? 8. Uncertainty/big questions a. What are the physical and biological constraints on trace gas exchange in the salt marsh? b. What is the effect of short-lived halogenated compounds on atmospheric chemistry/aerosol formation? c. What are the impacts of increased nutrients on coastal ecosystem dynamics and the emission of climatically active trace gases? d. What are the mechanisms producing the ultra-fine particle bursts? e. Harmful algal blooms – trace gas production from these species unknown f. What is the size distribution of aerosol produced by wave-breaking? (important for CCN production and for reaction sites/composition). g. As with many things, the organic composition of the aerosol produced (and what they evolve into) are not well-known. h. In addition to the gas emissions from the microorganisms, what role is played by their physical bodies/fragments? i. Kelp forests are large producers of methyl iodide, but how much of it reaches the atmosphere? COASTAL ZONE IMPACTS ON GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY: TOPIC # 3: WHAT ASPECTS OF COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE SIGNIFICANT GLOBALLY? CONTRIBUTED BY: G.-K. PLATTNER, J. KLEYPAS, C. NEVISON, R. RHEW, A. SUBRAMANIAM 1. How much do coastal zones matter for global atmospheric carbon dioxide? a. Overview Whether on a global scale continental margins are currently a net sink or source of atmospheric CO2 is still cause for debate. Conventional wisdom suggests that continental margins are a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere, mainly driven by the large riverine inputs of terrestrial carbon and subsequent local remineralization. However, recent estimates based on regional studies point to a net CO2 air-to-sea flux in the continental ocean margins at present times, with globally averaged sink values ranging from 0.2 Pg C yr^-1 to as much as 1 Pg C yr^-1. In a recent synthesis paper, Chen (2004) estimates that the coastal margins constitute a net CO2 sink of 0.36 Pg C yr^-1 to the atmosphere based on mass balance calculations, as well as direct pCO2 measurements. This flux is a composite over many estuaries, coastal waters, and intensive upwelling areas, typically supersaturated with respect to CO2 and most open shelf areas, which are probably undersaturated. According to this synthesis the net CO2 uptake in the coastal zones is primarily driven by cross-shelf transport from nutrient-rich subsurface waters offshore. Overall, this coastal CO2 flux is a significant sink component in the global carbon cycle, given that the global ocean is believed to absorb nearly 2 Pg C yr^-1 of CO2 at present. b. CaCO3 Calcium carbonate plays a significant role in the global carbon cycle, in that it acts as a biogeochemical carbon buffer between atmosphere, ocean, and the geosphere. Marine calcium carbonate production, through the chemical reaction Ca2+ + 2HCO3- 2CaCO3 + 2H+, shifts the carbon system equilibrium in seawater toward more acidic conditions, which results in a release of CO2 to the atmosphere (for every mole of CaCO3 precipitated, approximately 0.6 moles of CO2 are released). Dissolution of CaCO3 works in reverse to take up CO2. CaCO3 production in the open ocean is considerably greater than on the continental shelves, but most of this production dissolves before it reaches the ocean sediments. A much greater proportion of CaCO3 production on continental shelves is preserved within the shallow shelf sediments. Changes in shallow shelf CaCO3 production almost certainly contributed to the glacialinterglacial changes in atmospheric CO2 (Archer et al. 2000, Ridgwell et al. 2003) but by how much is uncertain. Flooding of continental shelves during post-glacial sea level rise greatly increased available area for CaCO3 production, and much of that production was locked away in shelf sediments. This potential link between fluctuations in atmospheric CO2 concentration and shallow shelf CaCO3 preservation is termed the "coral reef hypothesis" because coral reefs are thought to be the main player in these CaCO3 changes (Berger 1982, Opdyke and Walker 1992, Kleypas 1997). Today, the estimated release of CO2 to the atmosphere by shallow water CaCO3 production is immeasurable against the background of CO2 released by fossil fuel combustion. However, it is likely that increases in atmospheric CO2, and associated changes in seawater chemistry are driving net CaCO3 production down, both due to a reduction in biological CaCO3 production (considerable evidence shows that many organisms slow down calcification rates as more CO2 is driven into seawater), and an increase in geochemical CaCO3 dissolution (although this will not be effective in reducing atmospheric CO2; see Andersson et al. 2003). There are other competing variables, such as changes in temperature, light penetration, or nutrient inputs, that can also affect CaCO3 production and preservation. c. Past and future role of coastal zones? Role of anthropogenic perturbation? d. Carbon transport through the system? 2. How large is the impact on atmospheric chemistry and aerosols at different spatial scales? a. Global significance of coastal areas to N2O emissions: Coastal areas are believed to be a large source of the atmospheric greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Recent studies have estimated that N2O emissions from coastal areas may account for 545% of the global oceanic N2O source, which in turn contributes ~30% of the total (natural + anthropogenic) N2O source. Studies that consider anthropogenic N inputs tend to estimate the highest coastal N2O emissions. One recent study from the heavily polluted southwestern Indian continental shelf alone estimated N2O emissions equivalent to 10% of the global oceanic total. b. Global significance of coastal areas to CH4 & DMS: Recent estimates indicate that the the coastal oceans are a net source of CH4 (0.1x10^12 mol CH4 yr^-1), and DMS (0.07x10^12 mol DMS yr^-1) to the atmosphere (Chen, 2004). For CH4 shelf sediments are believed to be the principal source, whereas DMS originates mainly from biological production in the water column. While both these net fluxes are small compared to e.g. the large CO2 fluxes, they are important on a global scale given the effect of CH4 and DMS on the radiative balance of the earth. c. Other constituents? 3. Coastal salt marsh and mangrove swamps 4. River discharge a. Role of rivers in general Rivers are the major conduits for the transport of water, salt, organic matter, and mineral matter from land to the ocean. A significant fraction of the anthropogenic CO2 on land is ultimately transported to the ocean by rivers. Terrestrially derived macronutrient input to the ocean (N, P, Si) is also largely controlled by river system processes and these have been impacted by human activity. Major rivers play a disproportionately important role in this process with the world's 10 largest rivers transporting 40% of all the freshwater and particulate materials entering the ocean. The Amazon River alone contributes about 20% of the freshwater input into the oceans and hence while these processes have a global impact, they are not "simply scalable" for representation in global models. Up to 80% of global carbon burial occurs in river dominated ocean margins. b. Export of carbon in rivers to coastal areas Export of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon in rivers leads to emission of ~ 0.5 Gtons of CO2-C from receiving coastal waters. These emissions represent a natural cycle of CO2 fixation on land and subsequent return to the atmosphere via the ocean. The emissions are globally significant with respect to current efforts to quantify oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2 (currently estimated at ~2 Gtons CO2-C/yr) and should be accounted for when using the net oceanic CO2 flux estimated from surface delta-pCO2 climatologies to estimate anthropogenic CO2 uptake. COASTAL ZONE IMPACTS ON GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY: TOPIC # 4: CAN COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS BE REPRESENTED IN GLOBAL MODELS? CONTRIBUTED BY: C. NEVISON, K. LINDSAY, G. MCKINLEY, G.-K. PLATTNER, R. SEIFERT 1. Prognostic Numerical Models a. Current representation of coastal regions in global ocean models Current global ocean biogeochemical models do not explicitly resolve coastal processes. Global impacts of specific coastal processes are neglected. In coastal zones, the same biogeochemical parameterizations as used for open-ocean are applied. Resolution of global models is typically 1º to 4º, with some models achieving up to 1/3º in the tropics, and thus coastal topography is poorly resolved. Global ocean modelers do not consider results from coastal zones to be useful and do not evaluate these results. Biogeochemical processes in global models are parameterized to best fit open ocean observations. Remineralization of the particle flux is instantaneous in the bottom layer, such that no sediment burial occurs either in the open ocean or in the coastal zones. There is no explicit sediment model. Dilution of tracers by freshwater input from rivers is included, but inputs of nitrogen, DIC, or other tracers from land are not considered. In MOM4 – Phytoplantkton (J. Dunne), an explicit iron source from the bottom sediments, proportional to the particle flux reaching this layer, is included at all grid points. A recent modification to this model is to also include a Fe source from locations with a vertical land / ocean boundary. Future directions under current consideration with MOM4 are to include land nitrogen inputs via coupling with the GFDL land model. b. Nested regional models of coastal upwelling One possible way to better resolve coastal oceans in global ocean biogeochemical models is to use embedded gridding, allowing the model resolution to be increased in specified regions of interest. An example of such a model is the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), developed and used at UCLA, which is currently applied e.g. to the U.S. West Coast with a focus on the California upwelling system and to the whole Pacific. Simulations with ROMS can be performed in multi-level setups, ranging from eddy-permitting to eddy-resolving resolutions. A standard setup for the U.S. West Coast for example is to run the whole domain on a 15 km grid (level 0), the central California upwelling region on a 5 km grid (level 1), and, for local studies, the Monterey Bay area on a 1.5 km grid (level 2). This allows the model to encompass both the energetic eddy variability and coastal topography within domains covering a wide range of distinct physical environments and ecological or biogeographical regimes, while still being fairly computationally efficient. However, spanning a wide range of ecological regimes requires rather complex representations of ecosystems in order to realistically reproduce observations from different domains. A "simple" NPZD-model has been used successfully for the diatom-dominated central California upwelling region, but is insufficient further offshore towards the subtropical, nano- to picoplankton-dominated oligotrophic gyre. Therefore, a more complex biogeochemical model is used for the Pacific model. c. Regional models of other (non-upwelling) coastal areas, e.g., U.S. east coast salt marsh 2. Diagnostic Models Since current global prognostic models do not explicitly resolve coastal processes, and since configuring regional prognostic models to all coastal areas may be impractical, it may be useful in some cases to develop simpler diagnostic models to address coastal research issues. For example, Nevison et al., [2004] recently developed a global model of the coastal upwelling emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas produced in subsurface waters in association with O2 consumption by microbial respiration. The model was based on satellite winds, their orientation to the coastline, and a dissolved oxygen climatology. The model was useful in identifying regions of regions of high subsurface N2O production that overlapped with strong and/or frequent coastal upwelling events that ventilated the N2O to the atmosphere. We did not apply the model to non-upwelling coastal regions, although other global models of coastal N2O emissions, based on estimates of river N export, have not distinguished between upwelling and other coastal ecosytems. For species such as CO, hydrocarbons and sulfur compounds, which are produced in surface waters, the distinction between different types of coastal systems may not be as important; it may be possible to develop simple global models of the emissions of these species based, e.g., on satellite chlorophyll data and solar insolation. 3. Representation needs a. How many different types of coastal zones need representation (temperature / topography / phytoplankton types)? b. What processes do we need to capture / understand how well? c. Can these processes be parameterized / resolved in models? COASTAL ZONE IMPACTS ON GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY: TOPIC # 5: HOW DO HUMANS IMPACT COASTAL ZONE BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND WHAT ARE THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THESE CHANGES? CONTRIBUTED BY: M. POTOSNAK, R. RHEW, R. SIEFERT, J. WHITE 1. What are the main ways that humans impact coastal biogeochemistry? a. Rising sea level due to global temperature increase, which threatens coastal ecosystems. b. Sediment loading of rivers. c. Nutrient loading of rivers (dead zones). d. Changing the hydrological regimes of rivers flowing into coastal zones. Examples include the Colorado River (no flow to ocean) and the Everglades (drastic modification of the sheet flow). e. Introduction of invasive species (may be more relevant for ecology rather than biogeochemistry, though). On the fringe, I read an article in EOS in 1998 (vol 79, #35) about an exotic species of rodent called nutria that is eating away the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge off the Chesapeake Bay. f. Over fishing (again, more of an ecosystem impact). g. From the Pew Report4: i. Nonpoint source pollution: oil leaks, nitrogen, ii. Points source pollution: feedlots, cruise ships iii. Invasive species iv. Aquaculture: particularly salmon farms v. Climate change: air temp, coral re 2. What are the economic impacts of these changes? (e.g. fisheries?) 3. How has the areal extent of terrestrial coastal ecosystems changed? a. "Saltmarshes and Mangrove swamps are of tremendous importance to the U.S. Fish and Shellfish industries. Despite their incredible economic importance, until recently coastal wetlands were perceived primarily as potential development sites. The earliest estimate of total coastal zone wetlands comes from the 1922 Yearbook of Agriculture. At that time the U.S. possessed an estimated 7,363,000 acres of tidal marshes. A similar survey conducted in 1954 estimated that 5,290,000 acres of tidal marshes were left (Teal and Teal, 1968) - a staggering loss of fully 25% in just 32 years. Today, approximately half of all coastal wetlands in the lower 48 states have been destroyed. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (1983), annual fishery losses due to estuarine marsh habitat loss are estimated at $208 million."2 b. Coastal wetlands include salt marsh/mangrove, fresh marsh, tidal flats, and swamp. For the purposes of the following discussion, coastal wetlands refer to salt marshes and mangroves only. Terrestrial coastal ecosystems (salt marshes and mangroves) contain among the most productive plant communities in the world and serve numerous ecological and economic functions, such as fish nurseries, water purification, and bird habitat. However, these ecosystems are also among the most pressured, as mangrove swamps have been destroyed for use as shrimp farms, and salt marshes have been destroyed for urban development. c. In a 1986 (NOAA) Inventory by Alexander, Broutman, and Field, the amount of coastal salt marshes in the U.S. was 4,446,300 acres, but this estimate was based on inventories that ranged from the 1950s to the 1980s. 4. Land use change and movement of terrigenous material References: 1 http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ImpactsCoastalZones.html 2 http://agen521.www.ecn.purdue.edu/AGEN521/epadir/wetlands/estuarine_uscz.html 3 http://oceancommission.gov/documents/prelimreport/welcome.html 4 http://www.pewoceans.org/oceans/index.asp