Geowissenschaftliches Kolloquium

Montag, den 06.11.2017 um 17:00 Uhr s.t.

Hörsaal der Geologie (01.011)

From Southeast Asia to Northern Bavaria: carbon fluxes in two contrasting rivers.

Dr. Kern Lee GeoZentrum Nordbayern, FAU

Abstract:

This research compares two watersheds located within differing geological and climatic settings: the Schwabach River, located in Northern Bavaria, and the Langat River in Penninnsular Malaysia. The former is a karstic river located in a temperate climate, while the latter is a tropical river emplaced in siliciclastic rocks. In two separate studies, determinations of DIC, DOC, POC, and pCO2 were carried out to determine the overall carbon biogeochemistry and budgets of these river systems. The results show that in the Langat River, CO2 emissions comprise about 47 to 67% of total carbon fluxes, with POC, DOC and DIC transport making up roughly equal portions of the remainder. In contrast, CO2 emissions in the Schwabach River make up 18 to 29% of all carbon losses. However, on an areal basis, the median CO2 outgassing rate was much higher in the Schwabach River (3.16 kg C / m2 d) as compared to the Langat River (1.16 kg C / m2 d). This is likely due to differences in the basin geology, and indicates a comparatively greater importance of DIC, DOC, and POC transport in the

Schwabach River as compared to the Langat River.