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  4. Gradients of Deposition and In Situ Production Drive Global Glacier Organic Matter Composition
 
research article

Gradients of Deposition and In Situ Production Drive Global Glacier Organic Matter Composition

Holt, Amy D.
•
McKenna, Amy M.
•
Kellerman, Anne M.
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September 1, 2024
Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Runoff from rapidly melting mountain glaciers is a dominant source of riverine organic carbon in many high-latitude and high-elevation regions. Glacier dissolved organic carbon is highly bioavailable, and its composition likely reflects internal (e.g., autotrophic production) and external (i.e., atmospheric deposition) sources. However, the balance of these sources across Earth's glaciers is poorly understood, despite implications for the mineralization and assimilation of glacier organic carbon within recipient ecosystems. We assessed the molecular-level composition of dissolved organic matter from 136 mountain glacier outflows from 11 regions covering six continents using ultrahigh resolution 21 T mass spectrometry. We found substantial diversity in organic matter composition with coherent and predictable (80% accuracy) regional patterns. Employing stable and radiocarbon isotopic analyses, we demonstrate that these patterns are inherently linked to atmospheric deposition and in situ production. In remote regions like Greenland and New Zealand, the glacier organic matter pool appears to be dominated by in situ production. However, downwind of industrial centers (e.g., Alaska and Nepal), fossil fuel combustion byproducts likely underpin organic matter composition, resulting in older and more aromatic material being exported downstream. These findings highlight that the glacier carbon cycle is spatially distinct, with ramifications for predicting the dynamics and fate of glacier organic carbon concurrent with continued retreat and anthropogenic perturbation.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1029/2024GB008212
Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85204550058

Author(s)
Holt, Amy D.

Florida State University

McKenna, Amy M.

Florida State University

Kellerman, Anne M.

Florida State University

Battin, Tom I.  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Fellman, Jason B.

University of Alaska Southeast

Hood, Eran

University of Alaska Southeast

Peter, Hannes  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Schön, Martina  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

De Staercke, Vincent  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Styllas, Michail  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

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Date Issued

2024-09-01

Published in
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Volume

38

Issue

9

Article Number

e2024GB008212

Subjects

carbon isotopes

•

cryosphere

•

dissolved organic matter

•

FT-ICR MS

•

glaciers

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
RIVER  
FunderFunding(s)Grant NumberGrant URL

Winchester Foundation

International Association of Geochemistry

National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry

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Available on Infoscience
January 24, 2025
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/243756
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