Contribution of rivers Odra and Vistula to the Baltic Sea carbon cycle (EU)

 

Jacek Beldowski, Bernd Schneider

The transport of organic carbon (POC, DOC) and of total CO₂ (C_T) and alkalinity (A_T) by the Rivers Odera and Vistula will be determined as a contribution to establishing a carbon/CO₂ budget for the Baltic Sea and to provide input data for biogeochemical models. In cooperation with the Polish Institute of Oceanology (IOPAS), monthly riverwater samples will be taken close to the mouth of the Rivers Odera and Vistula in order to obtain seasonally resolved input data. Additionally, four research cruises will be performed off-shore of the two rivers to investigate the gradients of organic and inorganic carbon in the riverwater plume which may indicate transformation and transport processes in the estuarine area. Additionally, the CO₂ partial pressure will be measured in order to quantify the CO₂ air/sea exchange.