The marine carbonate system variability in high meltwater season (Spitsbergen Fjords, Svalbard)

The spatial variability in hydrography (salinity and temperature) and carbonate chemistry (alkalinity - A(T), total inorganic carbon concentration - C-T, pH, CO2 partial pressure - pCO(2), and the saturation state of aragonite - Omega(Ar)) in high meltwater season (summer) was investigated in four Spitsbergen fjords - Krossfjorden, Kongsfjorden, Isfjorden, and Hornsund. It was found that the differences in hydrology entail spatial changes in the CO2 system structure. AT decline with decreasing salinity was evident, hence it is clear that freshwater input generally has a diluting effect and lowers AT in the surface waters of the Spitsbergen fjords. Significant surface water AT variability (1889-2261 mu mol kg(-1)) reveals the complexity of the fjords' systems with multiple freshwater sources having different alkalinity end-member characteristics and identifies the mean AT freshwater end-member of 595 +/- 84 mu mol kg(-1) for the entire region. The effect of AT fluxes from sediments on the bottom water was rather insignificant, despite high AT values (2288-2666 mu mol kg(-1)) observed in the pore waters. Low pCO(2) results in surface water (200-295 mu atm) points to intensive biological production, which can strongly affect the C-T values, however, is less important for shaping alkalinity. It has also been shown that the freshening of the surface water in the fjords reduces significantly Omega(Ar) (an increase in freshwater fraction contribution by 1% causes a decrease in Omega(Ar) by 0.022). Although during the polar day, due to low pCO2, Omega(Ar) values are still rather far from 1 (they ranged from 1.4 to 2.5), during polar night, when pCO2 values are much higher, Omega(Ar) may drop markedly. This study highlights that the use of salinity to estimate the potential alkalinity can carry a high uncertainty, while good recognition of the surface water AT variability and its freshwater end-members is key to predict marine CO2 system changes along with the ongoing freshening of fjords waters due to climate warming.

Automated summary

This study investigated the spatial variability in hydrography and carbonate chemistry in four Spitsbergen fjords during the high meltwater season. The results showed that the differences in hydrology led to spatial changes in the CO2 system structure. The freshwater input had a diluting effect and lowered the alkalinity in the surface waters of the fjords. The study also highlighted the importance of recognizing the variability in alkalinity and freshwater end-members in predicting marine CO2 system changes.