1. Large increase in dissolved inorganic carbon flux from the Mississippi River to Gulf of Mexico due to climatic and anthropogenic changes over the 21st century
- Author
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Charles S. Hopkinson, Ruoying He, Bo Tao, Wei-Jun Cai, Jia Yang, Steven E. Lohrenz, Hanqin Tian, Wei Ren, and Shufen Pan
- Subjects
Atmospheric Science ,Drainage basin ,Soil Science ,Flux ,Carbon and Nitrogen Fluxes at the Land‐Ocean Interface ,Aquatic Science ,Biogeosciences ,Biogeochemical Kinetics and Reaction Modeling ,Oceanography: Biological and Chemical ,Paleoceanography ,carbon export ,Ecosystem model ,Dissolved organic carbon ,Mississippi River basin ,Land use, land-use change and forestry ,Global Change ,Precipitation ,Research Articles ,Water Science and Technology ,Gulf of Mexico ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,Land use ,Paleontology ,Forestry ,dissolved inorganic carbon ,Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model ,Biogeochemistry ,Oceanography ,Low emission ,Cryosphere ,Biogeochemical Cycles, Processes, and Modeling ,Research Article - Abstract
It is recognized that anthropogenic factors have had a major impact on carbon fluxes from land to the ocean during the past two centuries. However, little is known about how future changes in climate, atmospheric CO2, and land use may affect riverine carbon fluxes over the 21st century. Using a coupled hydrological‐biogeochemical model, the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model, this study examines potential changes in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) export from the Mississippi River basin to the Gulf of Mexico during 2010–2099 attributable to climate‐related conditions (temperature and precipitation), atmospheric CO2, and land use change. Rates of annual DIC export are projected to increase by 65% under the high emission scenario (A2) and 35% under the low emission scenario (B1) between the 2000s and the 2090s. Climate‐related changes along with rising atmospheric CO2 together would account for over 90% of the total increase in DIC export throughout the 21st century. The predicted increase in DIC export from the Mississippi River basin would alter chemistry of the coastal ocean unless appropriate climate mitigation actions are taken in the near future., Key Points DIC export is projected by using a process‐based land ecosystem modelFuture DIC would largely increase under a high emission scenarioClimate change would dominate DIC export over the 21st century
- Published
- 2015