Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




WATER WORLD
A New Model To Measure Organic Carbon In Surface Waters
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 08, 2011


File image.

A new carbon model allows scientists to estimate sources and losses of organic carbon in surface waters in the United States. Study results indicate that streams act as both sources and sinks for organic carbon.

"Model estimates help managers and researchers track carbon transport in streams, which is information that is ultimately needed to improve our understanding of the fate of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere," said Dr. Richard Smith, a USGS hydrologist and coauthor of the study.

"The study contributes new information on the role of rivers as sources and sinks for organic carbon at regional and continental scales, for which scientific knowledge is rather limited."

Findings show that in-stream photosynthesis by algae is a major contributor of organic carbon in large rivers of the United States. It is the largest source of organic carbon delivered to coastal waters from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin and the Pacific Northwest.

Terrestrial sources of carbon, such as from forests and wetlands, are dominant in all other coastal waters, including waters of the North Atlantic, the South Atlantic Gulf, California, the Texas Gulf, and the Great Lakes.

The results also provide estimates of how much of the organic carbon transported in streams is then permanently removed from the water column.

The removed carbon is either sequestered in sediments over long time periods or oxidized and returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The specific fate of the carbon is not quantified in the current model.

Study findings are estimated using a hydrological mass-balance model based on long-term monitoring at 1,125 stream locations and national geospatial information, including a river network of approximately 62,000 reaches and their connecting drainages, land cover, climate, soils, and estimates of the supply of carbon to streams from primary production.

This USGS study was done in collaboration with researchers from Resources for the Future and Pennsylvania State University.

This study is supported by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program, which has assessed the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of streams, rivers, and groundwater across the nation since 1991. Hydrologic modeling and analysis tools are important components of NAWQA studies.

This newly released U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report (2010-1276), titled An Initial SPARROW Model of Land Use and In-stream Controls on Total Organic Carbon in Streams of the Conterminous United States, by Jhih-Shyang Shih, Richard B. Alexander, Richard A. Smith, Elizabeth W. Boyer, Gregory E. Schwarz, and Susie Chung is available online only.

.


Related Links
United States Geological Survey
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








WATER WORLD
Bleaching and resilience: can reefs survive?
Wakatobi, Indonesia (AFP) March 6, 2011
Red anthia fish and rainbow-coloured wrasse dart among the glittering reefs of Indonesia's Wakatobi archipelago, as eagle rays and barracudas cruise past in the blue depths. It's hard to believe Wakatobi is anything but a thriving marine paradise, packing a bewildering abundance of life that supports 100,000 people and contributes millions of dollars to Indonesia's economy. But scientis ... read more


WATER WORLD
China Expects To Launch Fifth Lunar Probe Change-5 In 2017

The Great Moonbuggy Race

Venus And Crescent Moon Pair Up At Dawn

84 Student Teams Set to Roll At 18th Annual NASA Great Moonbuggy Race

WATER WORLD
Mars should be US space agency's focus: panel

'Oddly' shaped Mars crater is studied

Opportunity Hits The Road Again

Russia To Probe Major Planets Before 2023

WATER WORLD
'Facebook for scientists' an Internet hit

Mid East At Forefront Of $7.5 Billion Space Tourism Industry

Committee Democrats Caution Against Start-Stop Approach To NASA's Funding And Goals

Is Radiation A Concern For Space Crops

WATER WORLD
China setting up new rocket production base

China's Tiangong-1 To Be Launched By Modified Long March II-F Rocket

China Expects To Launch Fifth Lunar Probe Chang'e-5 In 2017

China's "Fantastic Four" Moon Plan

WATER WORLD
Time To Fly: SAGE III - ISS Prepped For ISS

Spacewalkers Continue To Complete Tasks

US Discovery astronauts step out on last spacewalk

Leonardo Attached To Space Station

WATER WORLD
New Dawn Arrives At Spaceport

United Launch Alliance Launches Second OTV Mission

USAF Launches Second X-37B Test Platform

NASA Earth observation satellite fails to reach orbit

WATER WORLD
Meteorite Tells Of How Planets Are Born In A Swirl Of Dust

Planet Formation In Action

'Missing' element gives planet birth clues

'Wandering' planets may have water, life

WATER WORLD
YouTube buys US web television company

How To Keep LISA's Laser On Target Five Million Kilometres Away

UK Technology Scans The Skies For Space Hazards

Gadgets ruining people's sleep: study




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement