Factors governing seawater carbonate dynamics in a macroalgal habitat

Abstract

Photosynthetic organisms shift the dynamics of surface pCO2 driven by the sea surface temperature change (thermodynamic driver) by assimilating inorganic C from seawater. Here we measured net C uptake in a macroalgal habitat of coastal Korea for two years (2019-2020) and found that the macroalgal habitat contributed 5.8 g C m−2 month−1 of the net C uptake during the growing period (the cooling period, September−May). This massive C uptake changed the thermodynamics-driven seasonal dynamics such that the air−sea equilibrium of pCO2 was pushed into disequilibrium. The surface pCO2 dynamics during the cooling period was mostly influenced by the seasonal decrease in temperature and the proliferation of macroalgae, while the dynamics during the warming period (the stagnant period, June−August) closely followed that predicted based solely on the change in sea surface temperature (thermodynamic driver). In contrast to the phytoplankton-dominated off-shore waters (where phytoplankton populations are large in spring and summer), the impact of coastal macroalgae on surface pCO2 dynamics was most pronounced during the cooling period, when the magnitude of pCO2 change was as much as twice that resulting from temperature change. Our study shows that the distinctive features of the macroalgal habitat—in particular the seasonal temperature extremes (~18°C difference), the active macroalgal metabolism, and anthropogenic nutrient inputs—collectively influenced the seasonal decoupling of seawater and air pCO2 dynamics.

Carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation using macroalgae: a state of knowledge review

“…Most studies to date have found macroalgae forests to be strong net CO 2 sinks (Delille et al ., 2000; Ikawa & Oechel, 2015; Watanabe et al ., 2020; Kim et al ., 2022), with the intensity of CO 2 drawdown being related to forest area and productivity (Ikawa & Oechel, 2015). Evidence linking human actions in macroalgae ecosystems to CO 2 drawdown is mostly available for POC pathways, as tracking the fate of macroalgae‐derived DOC presents numerous challenges as discussed above.…”