Lingering Carbon Cycle Effects of Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina's Coastal Waters. Issue 5 (5th March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Osburn, Christopher L.; Rudolph, Jacob C.; Paerl, Hans W.; Hounshell, Alexandria G.; Van Dam, Bryce R.
• Is Part Of: Geophysical research letters. Volume 46:Issue 5(2019)
• Page Start: 2654
• Page End: 2661
• Publication Date: 2019-03-05
• Subjects: dissolved organic carbon -- particulate organic carbon -- CO2 -- extreme events -- carbon cycle; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Planets -- Periodicals; Lunar geology -- Periodicals; 550
• DOI: 10.1029/2019GL082014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-8276

Abstract

Abstract: In 2016, Hurricane Matthew accounted for 25% of the annual riverine C loading to the Neuse River Estuary‐Pamlico Sound, in eastern North Carolina. Unlike inland watersheds, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was the dominant component of C flux from this coastal watershed and stable carbon isotope and chromophoric dissolved organic matter evidence indicated the estuary and sound were dominated by wetland‐derived terrigenous organic matter sources for several months following the storm. Persistence of wetland‐derived DOC enabled its degradation to carbon dioxide (CO2 ), which was supported by sea‐to‐air CO2 fluxes measured in the sound weeks after the storm. Under future increasingly extreme weather events such as Hurricane Matthew, and most recently Hurricane Florence (September 2018), degradation of terrestrial DOC in floodwaters could increase flux of CO2 from estuaries and coastal waters to the atmosphere. Plain Language Summary: Recent hurricanes along the Southeastern and Gulf coasts of the United States have received much attention, because these extreme events have led to immense societal and economic impacts. Wetlands in coastal watersheds store large amounts of organic matter and upon flooding during extreme weather events are poised to release this material into adjacent rivers and estuaries where its decomposition can generate carbon dioxide. Alteration of carbon balances in these events can shift impacted coastal ecosystems from states of carbon sinks to carbon sources for periods of weeks to months. Understanding the balance between these states is important to our understanding of how, and how long, regional carbon cycling is impacted after such extreme weather events. A biweekly record of dissolved and particulate organic matter quantity and quality from a coastal watershed in North Carolina in the 3 months following Hurricane Matthew in 2016 illustrated a major input of wetland carbon to coastal waters caused by this storm and its substantial lingering effect on coastal carbon cycling. Key Points: Hurricane Matthew delivered 25% of the annual carbon loading to North Carolina coastal waters in 2016 Wetland‐derived terrestrial organic matter persisted in coastal waters for several months following Hurricane Matthew Degradation of terrestrial organic matter in coastal waters supported vertical CO2 fluxes months after the storm