Impacts of Photochemistry on Coastal Carbon Fate & Productivity
Photochemistry in the Beaufort Sea
Arctic coastal waters are getting exposed to more sunlight as sea ice cover declines during the summer. This increased sunlight exposure impacts phytoplankton productivity, but also initiates more photochemical reactions involving dissolved organic molecules in the sunlit water column. Between these two processes, much less is known about the photochemical fate of organic molecules and its impact on biogeochemistry.
To address this gap, our group is characterizing the products formed during the photochemical degradation of dissolved organic molecules to inform models of organic carbon and nitrogen fate in the Beaufort Sea.
Collaboration with: Lily Dove (Georgia Tech)
Supported by: Dove & Bowen, BBISS Sustainability Next Seed Grant, Physical Transport of Sunlight‑Exposed Dissolved Organic Carbon in the New Arctic.
Arctic Ocean. Photo credit: L. Dove
Channel and wetlands near Padilla Bay. Photo credit: L. Karp
Photochemistry in Padilla Bay
Blue carbon reservoirs, like salt marshes and seagrass beds, are important carbon sinks globally. Although a large fraction of carbon produced by these ecosystems is lost laterally to the coast, the fate of this carbon is not well understood.
To address this gap, our group is working with researchers at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) to characterize the photochemical fate of dissolved organic molecules coming from salt marshes and seagrasses.
Collaboration with: Sylvia Yang (Padilla Bay NERR) and Catherine Clark (WWU)