Doubled the carbon flux as a result of increased fresh submarine
groundwater discharge caused by half the “normal” snowfall over the
past 20 years along the mid-latitude coast of Japan
Abstract
Fresh Submarine Groundwater Discharge (FSGD) is an important pathway for
the transport of water and materials from land to ocean, but changes in
the transport may occur as snowfall decreases. This study was conducted
on Japan’s mid-latitude western coast where FSDG is a quarter of the
total riverine discharge and snowfall has decreased by
~50% since the 1990s. The altitude of the FSGD recharge
area in 2018 has shifted 100–150 m higher than that in 2000, and the
water residence time has decreased from 4-15 to 3-11 years. The pH of
the groundwater dropped by 0.5, its CO (aq) concentration doubled, and
nitrogen and phosphorus decreased by 30–40% and 70–80%,
respectively. These changes in nutrients reduced primary productivity in
coastal waters and doubled the excess dissolved inorganic carbon flux.
Our evidence highlights the sensitivity of FSGD carbon flux to climate
change and of the urgency of carbon-related FSGD research worldwide.