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Ecosystem respiration and organic carbon processing in a large, tidally influenced river: the Hudson River

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Abstract

We estimated whole-ecosystem rates of respiration over a 40-km stretch of the tidally influenced freshwater Hudson River every 2 to 3 weeks from May through November. We measured in situ concentrations of oxygen over depth at dusk and dawn at 10 stations spaced over this interval. The use of multiple stations allowed for the consideration of the influence of tidal advection of water masses. Respiration was estimated from the decrease in oxygen overnight with a correction for diffusive exchange of oxygen with the atmosphere. We estimated this flux of oxygen to or from the atmosphere using the measured oxygen gradient and a transfer velocity model which is a function of wind velocity.

Integration of the data for the period of May through November yields an estimate of whole-ecosystem respiration of 591 g C m−2 (S.E. = 66). That the standard error of this estimate is relatively low (11% of the estimate) indicates that the use of multiple stations adequately deals with error introduced through the advection of water between stations. The logarithm of average daily respiration rate was correlated with average daily temperature (p = 0.007;r 2 = 0.62). We used this temperature-respiration relationship to derive an estimate of the annual respiration rate of 755 g C m−2 yr−1 (S.E. = 72). This estimate is moderately sensitive to the estimated flux of oxygen between the atmosphere and water; using the lower and upper 95% confidence limits of our model relating the transfer velocity of oxygen to wind speed gives a range of annual respiration estimates from 665 g C m−2 yr−1 to 984 g C m−2 yr−1.

The river is strongly heterotrophic, with most respiration driven by allochthonous inputs of organic matter from terrestrial ecosystems. The majority of the allochthonous inputs to the river (over 60%) are apparently metabolized within the river. Any change in allochthonous inputs due to changes in land use or climate patterns would be expected to alter the oxygen dynamics and energy flow within this tidally influenced river.

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  1. Robert Garritt

    Present address: Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Lab, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Ecology & Systematics, Cornell University, 309 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Robert W. Howarth, Roxanne Marino, Robert Garritt & Diane Sherman

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  1. Robert W. Howarth
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  3. Robert Garritt
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  4. Diane Sherman
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Howarth, R.W., Marino, R., Garritt, R. et al. Ecosystem respiration and organic carbon processing in a large, tidally influenced river: the Hudson River. Biogeochemistry 16, 83–102 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002826

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