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Transport and fate of dissolved organic carbon in the Lake Pontchartrain esutary, Louisiana, U.S.A.

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Abstract

Cycling dynamics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were examinedin Lake Pontchartrain estuary, Louisiana, in relation to changesin freshwater inputs. DOC concentrations ranged from 5.3 to 8.5mg C L-1 reaching their highest during high river inflow.The percentage of DOC represented by HMW DOC (or colloidal material)was greatest (ca. 11%) at stations where freshwaterdischarge from rivers and surrounding wetlands was most significant.Moreover, the lignin-phenol content of this material (λranged from 0.09 to 0.33 and Λ from 0.11 to 0.39)confirmed that a significant fraction of colloidal organic carbon wasderived from terrestrial sources. Riverine and benthic fluxes representedthe dominant sources of DOC to the estuary. On an annual basis, riverineand benthic DOC concentrations were estimated to be 2.8 ×10 10 g C yr-1 and 8.8 × 10 10 g C yr-1, respectively, while the totalDOC pool in the estuary was 3.8 × 10 10 gC. Annual average concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC)(1298 μM) and pCO2 (5774 μatm)were comparable to those found in other freshwater systems that reachedCO2 saturation levels. Net losses of DOC in the LakePontchartrain estuary appeared to be primarily controlled by heterotrophicconsumption (conversion of CO2) – whichmay have been amplified by the long residence time (approximately 120days) of DOC in this system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA

    MARINA E. ARGYROU, THOMAS S. BIANCHI & COREY D. LAMBERT

  2. Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, 13 Aeolou Street, Nicosia, Cyprus

    MARINA E. ARGYROU

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  1. MARINA E. ARGYROU
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  2. THOMAS S. BIANCHI
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  3. COREY D. LAMBERT
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ARGYROU, M.E., BIANCHI, T.S. & LAMBERT, C.D. Transport and fate of dissolved organic carbon in the Lake Pontchartrain esutary, Louisiana, U.S.A.. Biogeochemistry 38, 207–226 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005795432267

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