Evaluating the environmental dynamics of dissolved pyrogenic organic matter in the ocean

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H02930
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental dynamic analysis
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Youhei Yamashita 北海道大学, 地球環境科学研究院, 准教授 (50432224)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 海洋科学 / 生物地球化学 / 溶存有機物 / 燃焼起源有機物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) is an important component in the global carbon cycle. The PyOM produced by biomass burning or fossil fuel combustion is transported to oceans by the atmosphere or rivers. However, environmental dynamics (i.e., major sources and sinks) of PyOM in marine environments have not been well-documented. In this study, dissolved PyOM (D-PyOM) collected from a wide range of marine environments, from coastal to open oceans and from surface to deep oceans, were analyzed using the benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) method. We found that the possible major source of D-PyOM in the coastal and shelf regions was fluvial inputs through rivers, while D-PyOM in the open ocean was possibly derived from the atmospheric deposition.

Free Research Field

生物地球化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年、炭素循環におけるPyOMの重要性が広く認識され、陸域においてその収支や再分配に関する研究が多く行われている。その結果、森林火災などのバイオマス燃焼により生成したPyOMの一部が河川を通して海洋へと輸送される事が明らかとなった。しかし、海洋でのPyOM動態に関する知見は乏しく、地球表層におけるPyOM循環像は明らかでない。そのような背景の中、本研究は、海洋溶存有機物画分におけるPyOM動態に関して先駆的な成果を上げており、その学術的意義は大きい。