Wednesday, 18 March 2015, 12:00pm ET
Link to register: http://bit.ly/1Ad2vyx
Presented by Wei-Jun Cai, University of Delaware
Wei-Jun Cai will discuss how estuarine pH is affected by mixing between riverine and anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) enriched seawater and by respiration under various conditions (salinity, temperature and river end-member alkalinity). A few rivers with different levels of weathering products and temperature are selected for the discussion. It is shown here that estuaries receiving low to moderate levels of weathering products exhibit maximum pH decrease in mid-salinity region as a result of anthropogenic CO2 intrusion. Such maximum pH decrease coincides with a mid-salinity minimum buffer zone. In addition, water column oxygen consumption can further depress pH for all simulated estuaries. Recognition of the estuarine minimum buffer zone may be important for studying estuarine calcifying organisms and pH-sensitive biogeochemical processes.
