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Fires prime terrestrial organic carbon for riverine export to the global oceans

Author

Listed:
  • Matthew W. Jones

    (University of East Anglia)

  • Alysha I. Coppola

    (University of Zurich
    Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092)

  • Cristina Santín

    (Swansea University
    Swansea University)

  • Thorsten Dittmar

    (University of Oldenburg
    University of Oldenburg)

  • Rudolf Jaffé

    (Florida International University)

  • Stefan H. Doerr

    (Swansea University)

  • Timothy A. Quine

    (University of Exeter)

Abstract

Black carbon (BC) is a recalcitrant form of organic carbon (OC) produced by landscape fires. BC is an important component of the global carbon cycle because, compared to unburned biogenic OC, it is selectively conserved in terrestrial and oceanic pools. Here we show that the dissolved BC (DBC) content of dissolved OC (DOC) is twice greater in major (sub)tropical and high-latitude rivers than in major temperate rivers, with further significant differences between biomes. We estimate that rivers export 18 ± 4 Tg DBC year−1 globally and that, including particulate BC fluxes, total riverine export amounts to 43 ± 15 Tg BC year−1 (12 ± 5% of the OC flux). While rivers export ~1% of the OC sequestered by terrestrial vegetation, our estimates suggest that 34 ± 26% of the BC produced by landscape fires has an oceanic fate. Biogeochemical models require modification to account for the unique dynamics of BC and to predict the response of recalcitrant OC export to changing environmental conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew W. Jones & Alysha I. Coppola & Cristina Santín & Thorsten Dittmar & Rudolf Jaffé & Stefan H. Doerr & Timothy A. Quine, 2020. "Fires prime terrestrial organic carbon for riverine export to the global oceans," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-16576-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16576-z
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    Cited by:

    1. Mahdiyeh Nezhadgholam-Zardroodi & Hassan Pourbabaei & Mehrdad Ghodskhah-Daryaei & Ali Salehi & Shahram Enayati-Charvadeh & Jamshid Eslamdoust, 2022. "Vegetation dynamics and soil properties following low-intensity wildfire in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) planted forest in Northern Iran," Journal of Forest Science, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 68(4), pages 145-155.

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