A State-Of-The-Art Perspective on the Characterization of Subterranean Estuaries at the Regional Scale

verfasst von

Nils Moosdorf, Michael Ernst Böttcher, Dini Adyasari, Ercan Erkul, Benjamin S. Gilfedder, Janek Greskowiak, Anna Kathrina Jenner, Lech Kotwicki, Gudrun Massmann, Mike Müller-Petke, Till Oehler, Vincent Post, Ralf Prien, Jan Scholten, Bernhard Siemon, Cátia Milene Ehlert von Ahn, Marc Walther, Hannelore Waska, Tina Wunderlich, Ulf Mallast

Abstract

Subterranean estuaries the, subsurface mixing zones of terrestrial groundwater and seawater, substantially influence solute fluxes to the oceans. Solutes brought by groundwater from land and solutes brought from the sea can undergo biogeochemical reactions. These are often mediated by microbes and controlled by reactions with coastal sediments, and determine the composition of fluids discharging from STEs (i.e., submarine groundwater discharge), which may have consequences showing in coastal ecosystems. While at the local scale (meters), processes have been intensively studied, the impact of subterranean estuary processes on solute fluxes to the coastal ocean remains poorly constrained at the regional scale (kilometers). In the present communication, we review the processes that occur in STEs, focusing mainly on fluid flow and biogeochemical transformations of nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, sulfur and trace metals. We highlight the spatio-temporal dynamics and measurable manifestations of those processes. The objective of this contribution is to provide a perspective on how tracer studies, geophysical methods, remote sensing and hydrogeological modeling could exploit such manifestations to estimate the regional-scale impact of processes in STEs on solute fluxes to the coastal ocean.

Externe Organisation(en)

Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenökologie GmbH
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU)
Southern Cross University
Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde (IOW)
Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald
Universität Rostock
Universität Bayreuth
Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
Instytut Chemii Bioorganicznej Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Leibniz-Institut für Angewandte Geophysik (LIAG)
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR)
Technische Universität Dresden
Helmholtz Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt

Typ

Übersichtsarbeit

Journal

Frontiers in Earth Science

Band

9

ISSN

2296-6463

Publikationsdatum

14.05.2021

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Erdkunde und Planetologie (insg.)

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 15 – Lebensraum Land

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.601293 (Zugang: Offen)